** I work in a setting that tends to discourage the publishing of personal opinion. We always strive to be "objective" and allow for differing views, especially on world issues. But sometimes, a person can feel that the government is doing something so wrong that resistance in the form of protest is a moral imperative. One can only imagine the course of history if in Germany in the 30s and 40s citizens had organized and spoken up against the persecution of Jews.
Sometimes differing views include the totally ridiculous. I attended a talk by Paul Krugman last night, who proposed that if announcement were made that the earth is round, the present "objective" media might report it as: "Shape of earth: views differ."
The purpose of the media is not just to present "differing views," but to help readers get at the truth. It is still amazing that today's media do not challenge vigorously the outright lies propounded by the current adminstration. It's scary to think that the strategy of "The Big Lie" is effective today when there is so much information available. And yet people seem to be content to believe that even though there were no WMDs in Iraq, no evidence of collusion between Saddaam and Osama, no immanent threat to the US -- that it's still OK to be there. Not just OK, but somehow gravely important that we be there.
This is not just a "differing view," it's fantasy. It's delusion. And it's dangerous.
Experts in the adminstration's own ranks (like Colin Powell) say that we can't accomplish any useful goal in Iraq. The only way to fulfill the adminstration's goal of establishing a base for democracy in the region is to vastly increase the US military presence. And it will have to be US military primarily becasue no other nation would be so stupid as to enter this quagmire - there's no self interest to motivate them.
And, by contrast, there's a LOT of self interest on the part of Americans who don't want their comfortable world challenged. I spent some time in Ohio in the past month and I could just feel the comfort zones of America as I drove the back roads. These people don't want to think about change, don't want to be proactive to adjust America's role in the world. WE need to become less selfish and more considerate of our world community.
Isn't it time to proclaim the Emperor naked and start changing the world?
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