Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)




Tue, Mar 25 2008

I still don't get it

I didn't understand what Vice-President Cheney was trying to say in his interview with Martha Raddatz. I admit feeling frustration and anger at the idea that President Bush suffers a greater burden than those who serve on front lines. It could be that he (Vice-President Cheney) was trying to make us feel better, but for some reason I was upset at his words and at his apparent attitude. Someone else wrote a piece that included thoughts close to my own.

It just seems to me that maybe none of us, including President Bush, has really suffered here at home in the way that war often makes people suffer. Most of us are so far away from the guns and the bombed-out buildings that we can't understand the urgency that our country's leaders apparently feel over all this. And if they feel such urgency, we tend to wonder why we are still doing the same things in Iraq after 5 years?

It's becoming very difficult to sustain both support for our troops and support for our administration, particularly when our administration negates our misgivings and our fears as some statistic to be pushed aside. Our feelings are real and we ask for more than verbal pats on the head.

I've never been able to associate the events of 9-11-2001 directly with the conflict in Iraq. I've never felt as though our country's safety was directly related to the conflict in Iraq. I've never wanted to feel that some young person put his or her self in harm's way in Iraq so that I could feel safe here. I want Mr. Cheney to talk to us about that and to explain exactly what it is we are trying to accomplish there. Ethereal remarks about a war on terror make no more sense to me now than they did 5 years ago. Terror is in more places than Iraq. What are we doing there, specifically? If Mr. Cheney wants me to understand exactly what our goal is for fighting in Iraq, then he needs to answer these things instead of telling me (and others) how I should or shouldn't feel.

Patriotism is not blind faith in a few politicians who will be out of office in a few years or a few months. Patriotism runs much deeper than that. If we ask for specific answers and we don't get those answers and then we're upset, it doesn't mean we're unpatriotic. It simply means we're earnest in our wish to understand. The current administration needs to find a way to talk to us in terms that address our very real emotions and our willingness to understand exactly what is going on. We have to find ways to work together or we'll fail at any major task our country undertakes. It's imperative that our administration accept this and then explain their actions so that we can get behind them in their decisions.

posted at: 08:06 | category: /Politics | link to this entry



Quote Of The Moment
Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.
--William Plomer
Categories
Arts and Entertainment
Food
Health and Fitness
Miscellaneous
Playing
Politics
Religious and Spiritual
Science
Writing Life
Some of the Blogs I Like
Adrian's Science Fiction Starter
Angelahoy.com
angelweave
annecentral
Big Stupid Tommy
Blog Catalog
Christina Waters
Detectives Beyond Borders
Faith in Fiction
The Fire Ant Gazette
Jay Michael Rivera
Keystone Military News
Orange Crate Art
PI Buzz
Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind
San Diego Soliloquies
TED Blog
Blog Resources and Blog Tools
The Ageless Project
Blogarama
BlogPulse
BlogShares
BlogSweet
Listed in LS Blogs
Kmax
The Blog Herald
Listed on Blogwise
Ping-o-Matic!
Some of my other web pages
Deb's Monthly Review
Stories
Deb's Writer Cam

Writer Links
Writers' Resources
Hatch's Plot Bank
Instant Muse Story Starter
The Memes List
General Store
Stetson Hats
Levi Strauss & Co.
Jaxonbilt Hat Co.
River Junction Trade Co.
Head 'N Home
Archives
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
Hang Hat Here
Write Lightning button       RSS         email Deb

Follow me on Twitter


Stealin' copy is as bad as horse-thievin'
and cattle rustlin'! Lightning may strike
such varmints when they least expect it!