Portland Peace Rally
So, in a recent peace rally, a U.S. soldier was burned in effigy. Insufferable as that is, there are the requisite "Bring the troops home" signs, and the omnipresent peace symbols. Ever notice how the peace sign looks like a chicken foot? Seriously. Take another look.
Anyway, I started thinking about those signs and wondering how much thought goes into them. I know that they are referring to Iraq. But how about Korea or Kosovo? I may be confusing issues with facts...but damn. Even more frustrating are those "War is Not the Answer" signs and bumper stickers. "War is not the Answer" is the bastard brother of "You can't judge a book by its cover." To borrow from Jim Norton, if there is a picture of a girl on the cover with a guy's unit in her mouth, it's porn. If the girl is 17, and the guy is black, it's great porn.
War is not the answer?
Yes, it is, stupid. That's why humanity wages war. Some issues, like slavery, Nazism, fascism, and militant expansionist Islam have only been checked because of the use of force. Uncomfortable to admit? Maybe. There are things that one fights for. Of course, there are those who thought Lincoln was nuts for taking on the South, and more than a few didn't think Hitler was important or dangerous enough to waste American blood or treasure on.
Even the threat of force has its uses. Only those with perceived strength and the potential will to use it are taken seriously. Witness the Killing Fields as one example. America made it clear that it was sick of people dying, and we withdrew our troops from the theatre. Without a credible threat, the Khmer Rouge slaughtered millions.
Iran is going to be a much larger problem because they can clearly see a lack of will to respond significantly to anything they do. Darfur is still raging with horrors including genocide and rape because the UN is involved, which means, essentially, that real military action is out of the question. Kim "so ronery" Jong-il continues to develop nuke technology and missiles, because all he has to do is not piss off China.
So what do these protestors do? They burn a symbol of the one thing that can stop the true horrors of the world. It's hell, but sometimes war is the answer.
Anyway, I started thinking about those signs and wondering how much thought goes into them. I know that they are referring to Iraq. But how about Korea or Kosovo? I may be confusing issues with facts...but damn. Even more frustrating are those "War is Not the Answer" signs and bumper stickers. "War is not the Answer" is the bastard brother of "You can't judge a book by its cover." To borrow from Jim Norton, if there is a picture of a girl on the cover with a guy's unit in her mouth, it's porn. If the girl is 17, and the guy is black, it's great porn.
War is not the answer?
Yes, it is, stupid. That's why humanity wages war. Some issues, like slavery, Nazism, fascism, and militant expansionist Islam have only been checked because of the use of force. Uncomfortable to admit? Maybe. There are things that one fights for. Of course, there are those who thought Lincoln was nuts for taking on the South, and more than a few didn't think Hitler was important or dangerous enough to waste American blood or treasure on.
Even the threat of force has its uses. Only those with perceived strength and the potential will to use it are taken seriously. Witness the Killing Fields as one example. America made it clear that it was sick of people dying, and we withdrew our troops from the theatre. Without a credible threat, the Khmer Rouge slaughtered millions.
Iran is going to be a much larger problem because they can clearly see a lack of will to respond significantly to anything they do. Darfur is still raging with horrors including genocide and rape because the UN is involved, which means, essentially, that real military action is out of the question. Kim "so ronery" Jong-il continues to develop nuke technology and missiles, because all he has to do is not piss off China.
So what do these protestors do? They burn a symbol of the one thing that can stop the true horrors of the world. It's hell, but sometimes war is the answer.
posted by PKav at 7:03 PM
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