A Sense of Senselessness

How can I even begin to describe what is happening on MSNBC in front of me. What words can I possibly use to convey how appalling, saddening, and fucking pointless this whole situation is. War is breaking out in the middle east, and another cycle of death and violence is starting. Hezbollah militants kidnapped Israeli soldiers, and now Israel is responding by bombing the shit out of Lebanon. And there is talk of expanding the attacks to other countries.

My opinion is that Israel is unleashing a disproportionate response. One only has to glance at the images on TV of rising plumes of acrid smoke and fire in Beirut to see what kind of hell is being unleashed. Currently something like 200 civilians have been killed.

I think it is important for all of my countrymen to remember, that these are American-made 500 pound bombs. High-explosive munitions delivered by American-made F15 and F16 fighter jets. Dropped in residential neighborhoods. When you take that into consideration with our President's refusal condemn the killings or support a cease-fire, effectively giving a thumbs up for Israel's current actions, you wonder why people all over the world look us strangely, or with contempt.

Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely not taking sides. Violence perpetuated by anyone is wrong. But it seems as though some are more eager to support it than others.

Back home, right-wing pundits and neoconservatives repeat the lines that somehow Iran is behind this all. Iran Iran Iran. And also Syria. Much like September 2002 to March 2003, the drums of war are getting louder. So-called objective journalists in the media, like before, are starting to repeat the paranoid mantra. What started as a few drip-drips in January is now a steady pour of propaganda. Am I the only one noticing these messages spoon-fed to Americans with intent, intent to scare and indoctrinate us into justifying and supporting more violence?

I am convinced that there are people in this country who literally get off on this kind of stuff. Granted, war is by nature exciting. I used to read Tom Clancy's stuff all the time, it's thrilling. But there are those who wish to see these things happen in real life, I would presume the same people who haven't seen such horrors firsthand. Stumbling upon an Internet discussion board yesterday, I found plenty of people who called for airstrikes on or the invasion of Syria and Iran, and who cheered the current bombardment with hoots and hollers in FULL CAPS. Other people demanded a full-scale nuclear attack. And some people simply called for the outright extermination of Muslims.

Death. Destruction. 9/11. Christians. Muslims. Jews. Holy war. Enemies. Terrorists. You're either with us or against us. What an easy dichotomy to embrace -- us and our enemies. At the current rate, the latter group will expand until... what?

There is a perverse sickness, I think, of extremism and vengeance in this world. I am especially worried about what fuels these things in our own country. Sadly, I think the worldview of certain high-government officials nurture violence and conflict daily. Something like an "Us versus them" mentality. Hell, John Dean (former White House counsel to Richard Nixon during the height of Watergate) recently pointed out a growing trend towards militarism and authoritarianism in our own government. Congress certainly seems willing to rubber-stamp any action done in the name of "the war on terror" , an infinite conflict where fear and emotion short-circuits reason.

Were I a better writer, I could neatly tie up this post and make whatever point it is I'm trying to make. But I am not, and I can not make sense of it. And I can not make sense of this world.

Please, friends, pray for peace.

KRISTOL: Look, our coddling of Iran - if I can use the neutral term like that - over the last six to nine months has emboldened them. I mean, is Iran behaving like a timid regime that's very worried about the U.S.? Or is Iran behaving recklessly and in a foolhardy way?

WALLACE: But isn't that the result of what's happened in Iraq?

KRISTOL: No, it's a result of our deducing from the situation in Iraq that we can't stand up to Iran...I think our weakness, unfortunately, invited this aggression, but this aggression is a great opportunity to begin resuming the offensive.

WILLIAMS: You just want war, war, war, and you want us in more war. You wanted us in Iraq. Now you want us in Iran. Now you want us to get into the Middle East. You're saying, why doesn't the United States take this hard, unforgiving line? Well, the hard and unforgiving line has been, we don't talk to anybody. We don't talk to Hamas. We don't talk to Hezbollah. We're not going to talk to Iran. Where has it gotten us, Bill?

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/16/kristol-williams"

A Sense of Senselessness

How can I even begin to describe what is happening on MSNBC in front of me. What words can I possibly use to convey how appalling, saddening, and fucking pointless this whole situation is. War is breaking out in the middle east, and another cycle of death and violence is starting. Hezbollah militants kidnapped Israeli soldiers, and now Israel is responding by bombing the shit out of Lebanon. And there is talk of expanding the attacks to other countries.

My opinion is that Israel is unleashing a disproportionate response. One only has to glance at the images on TV of rising plumes of acrid smoke and fire in Beirut to see what kind of hell is being unleashed. Currently something like 200 civilians have been killed.

I think it is important for all of my countrymen to remember, that these are American-made 500 pound bombs. High-explosive munitions delivered by American-made F15 and F16 fighter jets. Dropped in residential neighborhoods. When you take that into consideration with our President's refusal condemn the killings or support a cease-fire, effectively giving a thumbs up for Israel's current actions, you wonder why people all over the world look us strangely, or with contempt.

Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely not taking sides. Violence perpetuated by anyone is wrong. But it seems as though some are more eager to support it than others.

Back home, right-wing pundits and neoconservatives repeat the lines that somehow Iran is behind this all. Iran Iran Iran. And also Syria. Much like September 2002 to March 2003, the drums of war are getting louder. So-called objective journalists in the media, like before, are starting to repeat the paranoid mantra. What started as a few drip-drips in January is now a steady pour of propaganda. Am I the only one noticing these messages spoon-fed to Americans with intent, intent to scare and indoctrinate us into justifying and supporting more violence?

I am convinced that there are people in this country who literally get off on this kind of stuff. Granted, war is by nature exciting. I used to read Tom Clancy's stuff all the time, it's thrilling. But there are those who wish to see these things happen in real life, I would presume the same people who haven't seen such horrors firsthand. Stumbling upon an Internet discussion board yesterday, I found plenty of people who called for airstrikes on or the invasion of Syria and Iran, and who cheered the current bombardment with hoots and hollers in FULL CAPS. Other people demanded a full-scale nuclear attack. And some people simply called for the outright extermination of Muslims.

Death. Destruction. 9/11. Christians. Muslims. Jews. Holy war. Enemies. Terrorists. You're either with us or against us. What an easy dichotomy to embrace -- us and our enemies. At the current rate, the latter group will expand until... what?

There is a perverse sickness, I think, of extremism and vengeance in this world. I am especially worried about what fuels these things in our own country. Sadly, I think the worldview of certain high-government officials nurture violence and conflict daily. Something like an "Us versus them" mentality. Hell, John Dean (former White House counsel to Richard Nixon during the height of Watergate) recently pointed out a growing trend towards militarism and authoritarianism in our own government. Congress certainly seems willing to rubber-stamp any action done in the name of "the war on terror" , an infinite conflict where fear and emotion short-circuits reason.

Were I a better writer, I could neatly tie up this post and make whatever point it is I'm trying to make. But I am not, and I can not make sense of it. And I can not make sense of this world.

Please, friends, pray for peace.

KRISTOL: Look, our coddling of Iran - if I can use the neutral term like that - over the last six to nine months has emboldened them. I mean, is Iran behaving like a timid regime that's very worried about the U.S.? Or is Iran behaving recklessly and in a foolhardy way?

WALLACE: But isn't that the result of what's happened in Iraq?

KRISTOL: No, it's a result of our deducing from the situation in Iraq that we can't stand up to Iran...I think our weakness, unfortunately, invited this aggression, but this aggression is a great opportunity to begin resuming the offensive.

WILLIAMS: You just want war, war, war, and you want us in more war. You wanted us in Iraq. Now you want us in Iran. Now you want us to get into the Middle East. You're saying, why doesn't the United States take this hard, unforgiving line? Well, the hard and unforgiving line has been, we don't talk to anybody. We don't talk to Hamas. We don't talk to Hezbollah. We're not going to talk to Iran. Where has it gotten us, Bill?

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/16/kristol-williams"