HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
May 1, 2003 I recently tried to sit down and gather my thoughts about everything that is transpiring in the world today. I think my reflective moments were evoked by a conversation that I had with one of my friends. She told me that she was in favor of our war in Iraq and that she could not be more behind president Bush. These words hit me like a dagger to the heart and swelled up an unbelievable amount of thoughts in my head. I could not understand how someone could be so ecstatic about going to war, and that thought made me engage in a discourse with myself trying to figure out simply, why? I first thought that perhaps the main reason that people could support such a war was because they were not totally aware of what we were trying to accomplish. I am not totally sure of all that we expect to gain form this bloodshed either. I don’t know if we are going to Iraq solely to gain control of the oil there, or if we are trying to implement a democracy similar to the one of the good old U.S.A.’s. I am not sure if our sole reason is to go in and usurp power from Saddam Hussein in an attempt to end the war on terrorism either. It could be any of those reasons or a combination of those plus things I have not even considered. It becomes extremely difficult to see what would constitute a victory for our nation with all the possible reasons why we are engaged in a conflict in Iraq being so ambiguous. That then begs the question of if we are fortunate enough to be considered the victors in this blood bath, if we will truly do “win”? My answer is no. How can we as a nation consider ourselves victorious when the blood of our own stains the ground in Iraq? How could I consider myself a winner when I am not even sure what the prize is? How can we be victorious when parents will be left without children, spouses without their significant others, and families and friendships will be destroyed forever? Bonds that have taken lifetimes to create will be shattered because the most powerful man in the free world, our president believed that America and its people were ready for a war. Well, I am truly sorry Mr. President but I don’t recall you sending me a letter asking my feelings regarding the killing of American people. I was always under the impression that war was the last resort after every feasible alternative had been exhausted. I thought we went to war when, and only when our way of life and security were in jeopardy. I thought our nation fought when we had no other choice but to do so. You can question my patriotism and nationalism and put them under a microscope. You can scrutinize them until it becomes too arduous a task to continue, but then I’ll have to question your compassion, and humanity. I’ll have to wonder if you would be so excited about the war if your family members and friends were over seas. I’ll have to question if you would hold onto the same beliefs if you, yourself were fighting in this war for America. I would be inclined to ponder how you would feel if your children were the prisoners of war that have recently been dehumanized on television. I would have to know if your heart still thumped to the tune of our national anthem. This situation has created so many questions without the help of any answers at all. I equate Operation Iraqi Freedom with an acid that burns deep into my soul. The only things that are able to slow down its fire are the salty drops that my eyes give off. I believe that America too aches because of these circumstances that we are engaged in, and the pain will not subside until we have our soldiers back home and safe. I pray that we are able to soon put an end to this needless violence and war. I can’t help but to pray for peace, though I know the pain will not subside until the killing ceases. Until this occurs, I won’t be able to sit without simply pondering, why? ------------ About the author: Jason Trace is a senior at Michigan State University who is majoring in English. Email Jason Trace: tracejas@msu.edu Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
