I don't think of the enemy as evil and the US as the white knight at all.
I became very aware that the "enemy" was no different than me even before the first war but it hit really hard during it. I realized we are both fed lies and pawns in a big game. The difference is only accidental geography. If you're born in the USA, you have the luxury of being on the mostly winning side with low casualties. If not, your leadership tells you that you are going to win but you have no idea how good the technology, the numbers and tactics of your enemy and get slaughtered like sheep. Those poor Iraqis never knew what hit them. I have footage of them running in circles as they are picked off and blown up one by one from a silent airplane flying in the dark at 35000 feet. They didn't even know where it was coming from.
I never claimed we didn't bomb cities but we hit what we believed to be valid targets within the cities.
As for wedding parties, yes we screwed up but other than a few exceptions like that, anytime a drone spotted a large group of people in that type of area, they were assembling to get munitions for car bomb attacks, plant IEDs etc.
I am actually fairly anti-war, anti world policeman. I supported Ron Paul's view of closing overseas bases and reducing our world footprint. However, if we are going to get involved, then I don't like tip toeing around. Go all in, get it over with quick, make a crystal clear statement that if someone invites our wrath, they will be destroyed with certainty to set the example for anyone else considering it.
That's why I think we disagree on so many issues. We've tried helping the poor, taking it easy on criminals and it has never worked. We just end up with dependent freeloaders and repeat offenders costing taxpayer money. I say if you're found guilty of a capital crime with crystal clear evidence like video, DNA, multiple reliable witnesses, then give them one appeal and then fry them as fast as we torched McVeigh. Why house and feed a murderer for 50-60 years? Make it clear to the next guy that they'll be toast if they try it.
FWIW - My view in religion is the same. It just depends on where you were born. These holy roller fanatic bible thumpers would be extremist Muslims if they had been born in the middle east. It's just accidental geography. If they were in India, they'd be Hindu, Orient then Buddhism. I think it's silly people believe they are the only ones going to a good place and everyone else is going to hell because they're on the right/wrong team that was determined by where they were born. More people have been killed in the name of some invisible entity than in any other cause. People are stupid in large groups. |
