4th of July

As I see the country shoot fireworks and eat hot dogs, I think about how the world looks at us: celebrating our freedoms, but forcing democracy on other countries, especially Iraq. Our freedom is celebrated because we separated ourselves from the oppression of England, and as I watched NBC televise the fizzling fireworks over the french-donated Statue of Liberty, I can't help but think that the people of Iraq are in our same situation when we stood up against England. They don't want someone coming in and telling them how things "should run." Our constitutional amendments show how many mistakes we have dealt with over a two hundred year period, but we think we can make Iraq a xeroxed copy of America.

Democracy, which has waned a lot in our own country with a two-party system and the current ruling hand on the Republican party, must be founded on ideals and motivation. It can't be forced or fed to a society and then grow. I think our history books will show that after this Iraq mess fades into the darkness of humility. I think linking Osama Bin Laden to Sadam Hussein shows the current political approach of conning America into obedience. The rest of the world didn't fall for it, and as we eat our "freedom fries" and laugh at the rest of the world, we realize that our rash decisions are becoming our nightmares. Everyone in America looked at Iraq in the same way they viewed the Gulf War: an easy victory that will be very short and very profitable in oil reserves. Now we see that the Gulf War was hidden with many lies and false statements about the real effectiveness of smart bombs.

Basing decisions on assumptions and not principles leads to the predicament we are in now. We wanted easy money and to try and start an American force in the middle of the Middle East. If someone came to our country and used the same tatctics that George Bush has used in Iraq, we would be fighting back in the same way, too. How would we react to soldiers killing our children and bombing our communities, and contractors spewing into the country to stake their claim? Not expecting any resistance, the armed forces now look more like Mike Tyson than ever: intimadation at first, but a wearied has been by the sound of the bell. The war now shows are vulnerability to other nations who don't see us as a mighty threat anymore. Everything is spiraling into an endless pit of egotism and hard-headedness.

So on this fourth of July I hope this country can do the only thing they can to remedy this mess that we find ourselves in: apologize and get out. Just like the show "Intervention," friends try to help an addict find a solution to the addictions that are eating away at their life. Our friends, like France, Germany, and Canada, tried to help us see our error of our ways, but now America needs its own intervention. Our we too proud to ever succumb or admit mistake? Has our international realtions lowered to the mentality of "over my dead body"? Sadly, we've gotten too big for our britches.

Click here to read my Top Ten List of Destructions to America