| By TonyC. Anderson - Jul 5th, 2007 at 5:38 pm EDT |
| Also listed in: Campus Progress Blog |
Okay…So whose idea was to put the Fourth of July on a Wednesday? Urghh! I shake my fist at Pope Gregory XIII and his strange calendar system that ensures this pattern reoccurs every seven or so years. So, now I’m back among the Campus Progress Intern’s Cult (C-PIC), regretting how I forgot that yesterday was indeed a Wednesday and not a Saturday. Fourth cup of coffee slammed back: Check!
So, I struggle to stay focus on today’s assignments; my mind keeps wandering back to last night. The day/night that was spent with brilliant minds, over great food and an endless ravine of “spirits!” Viva La Plei in Your Lei on Independence Dei!! (Smashing job Leah T, Jess P, Irene S, Stefanie B, Jasmine H & Rebecca T) My first Wash.D.C July 4th experience can best be simplified as; DC = One-City-that-goes-over-the-top-with-its-Celebrating. I mean, DUHHH, it’s only the national capital right!?! But what I found most bizarre was the audible similarities of what could be compared to as a regular day in Baghdad.
BOOM… Boom… boom... (The entire “patio smokers’ caucus” jumps in an involuntary reaction to three hours of perpetual, acoustic bombardment.)
So I admit it, I’ve never been in an active war zone of any type. Even while growing up in urban Detroit, I don’t share the same experiences that many stereotypes would suggest—I ’m exposed! But America has! I admit further, that I’m no authority as to judge what defines the deciibel and acoustic requirements of a “war-zone-ish” scenario. Granted. But, the strength and intensity of civilian-acquired fireworks begins to make real my understanding of active, urban warfare. It’s now four years and four days since “Bring Em On,” which of course pissed off more militants then one hundred million “yo mama” insults, and as I read my daily Google Reader news feeds , I glance over headline like “Baghdad wedding car bomb kills many”; “Blast kills 60” “Mosque clash turns deadly” and then I check Facebook. WTF! Is this not real? Am I really that desensitized?
Yesterday, I experienced large expositions, which seemed to come-and-go from every direction. That was my experience. One night vs 1569? No comparison! This WAR MUST STOP
!
Comments are closed for this post.
Actually, I think this poses a great question:
If there is war in Iraq, but the US army is not there is hear it, does the war exist? Or progressives care?
Perhaps you and I aren’t reading the same blog entry but I thought TonyC concluded that the two situations are different. The point is the similarities between the two. Obviously mortal combat, including tanks, rocket launchers and attack helicopters are in no way comparable to fireworks; the point is identifying the common trends each shares—audibility. Moving on...
Progressives are those that care most about this war and the ending of it. As per normal, progressives must, come to the resue and clean up--yet another mess--of a “non-progressive” administration!
So if we stay, we 'clean up' the mess? How's that, exactly? Let's work with your analogy a bit.
To the extent Iraq can be prepared to broken pottery, it's pottery that's been broken and put back together repeatedly. The duct tape that was holding it together before was Saddam's brutal dictatorship.
The duct tape that's going to hold it together now is...?
I'm not of the mind that we should immediately do a full withdrawal.
That said, what great long-term strategy are we working towards here? Please enlighten me.
And please, no bullshit about "When the Iraqis stand up, we'll stand down", in fact let's not use the phrase "the Iraqis" at all -- there is no true unified Iraqi identity when the chips are down. There are Sunni, Shia, and Kurds.