A brief word about the war

I suppose that eventually I should say something about the war, but I feel like it's all been said. Obviously, if there are human rights violations anywhere in the world, we should do something to stop them. And if I honestly believed that this war had anything to do with human rights, I'd be behind it.

But what are we doing about Mugave in Zimbabwe? What did we do about Idi Amin? What have we done about China, about North Korea, and, let's be honest, the situation in Israel is as tricky as these kinds of things always are, but I am quite sure that we could be doing more.

The truth is that people in the world hate us as Americans because they have legitimate complaints about how we operate. Our import/export policies aren't fair to anyone else. We pass laws about labor practices in our own countries, and then destroy people in other countries to maintain our own standard of living. Because it's all right if someone else is working in a sweatshop if it ensures that my Nikes aren't too expensive.

Our foreign policies aren't too surprising, since our domestic ones are almost as bad. Not that there is anything wrong with free trade, as long as the thing you're trading isn't political favor.

But all politicians really have to do is to ensure a certain level of comfort in the lives of suburban Americans, and then they are safe.

So, yeah, I think this war is horrifying.

I'm not the first person to say that if the US had really been concerned about human rights in Iraq, then they would have found some way to address these concerns in the last twelve years. Why did human rights suddenly become an eleventh-hour discussion?

Why did we hear nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing HEY YOU'RE A BAD GUY AND YOU HAVE THIRTY SECONDS TO STOP OR I SHOOT?

So, yes, if it's about financial interests, I'm glad that protesters in San Francisco are bringing financial interests to their knees. Like most of the protesters, I disagree with any kind of violence or destruction. But I think it's really good that people are letting it be known that we don't support the war, and we feel that strongly about it.

Now I've added an extra inch to my CIA file.

I'm going to post a letter from my friend Conan here, after he gives me permission.