Friday, December 29, 2006

Do-over...?

[Photo Saddam Hussein by iDip]

Something to think about over your morning coffee today...

Let's say we call the whole thing off. We play the do-over card, we pull our troops from Iraq, stand up what's left of the original Iraqi government, reinstall Saddam as lead, and watch. What happens?

Would the violence we're seeing day to day continue? Would it stop? Would it just change? Would those that aren't attacking today start attacking those that attacked yesterday? Would his rule bring back the very balance that we can't seem to find?

Is this what those that are carrying out today's attacks wish would happen? (What -do- they want? Maybe that's another post altogether for another day.)

If the violence continued, and Saddam ordered his Republican Guard to root out and kill those that were attacking (or threatening to attack, or planning to attack, say..) governmental and civilian lives, what would our reaction be? Would we support his right to defend the Iraqi people? the Iraqi govt? Would we label it a crime against humanity later?

I struggle with identifying the difference between what we're doing there today, and the crime that he's to be executed this month (or whenever) for. Ordering the death of those committed to undermining or destroying the existing government. Aren't these our orders, too?

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Posted by LV7 at 10:55 AM | | Comments | links to this post

Monday, December 18, 2006

The Perfect Present...not!

How often have you received gifts from someone who you thought knew you well and wondered," What was s/he thinking?!" I thought this commercial cleverly demonstrated these sentiments:





That got me wondering...

What is the worst or most bizarre gift that you have received?
For what occasion?

Posted by Angela at 7:31 PM | | Comments | links to this post

Friday, December 15, 2006

Easy there, Granny.

[Photo Thelma Bowling by Earl]

So... Seriously.

I keep reading horror-stories about people buying these Nintendo Wii's, and through "no fault of their own", the wireless remotes go crashing through their plasma TV screens when someone lets go while playing. :)

Is this Nintendo's fault? The player's? The TV company's? If I go buy a dartboard, can I sue the company that produced it in order to pay for the repairs to my wall anytime I miss?

The question: Who's responsible? Should folks be able to sue Nintendo?

When does personal accountability come into play?

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Posted by LV7 at 3:22 PM | | Comments | links to this post

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Person of the Year

[Photo by toms pixels]



Who would you nominate as the person of the year? Why?

Posted by Angela at 10:03 PM | | Comments | links to this post

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Punctuation

[Picture: punctuation by trebol-a]


Which punctuation mark/character (other than a letter or number) would best describe your personality? Why?


Question selected from The Conversation Piece 2.

Posted by Angela at 7:43 PM | | Comments | links to this post

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Courage to Resist

[Photo: resist by Skip the Budgie]

"War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today."
-- John F. Kennedy

Does refusing to fight entail the same amount of courage as being on the front line?

Much media attention (perhaps not enough) has been devoted to profiling the brave troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that are fearlessly fighting Bush's war. These men and women are beacons of courage and all Americans are indebted to them for the ultimate sacrifices they are making.

Many civilians have protested against the war, calling it illegal and immoral. The liberties that are granted to us under the constitution provide us the right of peaceful protest. However, what if you are a protester and a member of the military? Do you have the same right to object?

I am sure many soldiers continue to fight and follow orders despite any objections they may have, as they made a commitment to the military. Others, however, decide to become outspoken conscientious objectors, fully knowing that the establishment is not on their side and the resulting consequences can be dire.

Not much media attention has been given to military personnel who have made the choice to refuse to fight. Many of the men and women who have found the courage to resist redeployment in support of their belief that the war is unjustified are Iraq war veterans.
"When I joined the Army I took an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution, and that is what I am doing. By refusing to fight in an illegal war, I am obeying international laws that are being violated by Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. It is they who should be punished, not me."
-- Kyle Snyder, Iraq veteran and war resister, returned from Canada to turn himself in to Army authorities on October 31, 2006 at Fort Knox. Now he is once again AWOL after officials at Ft. Knox have reneged on a previous verbal agreement with his attorney, Chicagoan Jim Fennerty, to discharge Kyle.
While it is extremely important to honor and revere those who are battling on the front lines, it is also important to support and recognize those who speak out against the system for the purpose of bringing about change, despite the consequences.

If you believe that refusing to fight is just as courageous as participating in battle, visit the Courage to Resist and show your support by adopting a GI resister. If you are a conscientious objector yourself, these websites may also be of interest: Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors and 8th Day Center for Justice.

Do you believe GI resisters are demonstrating great courage? How should the military deal with these soldiers? Are they in breach of commitments they made to the military?

Posted by Angela at 12:41 PM | | Comments | links to this post