Letters to the Editor
Baloo.
Published Letters: 221 Editor's Choice: 8
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It's the mindset stupid!
[Read the article: A new face for American diplomacy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Obama also said in the same speech in Houston that he wants to change the "mindset" that got us into the Iraq war. This is a key statement and a profound one if you think about it. The mindset is what's all fucked up! Euphemistically referred to as "American exceptionalism," it basically means we can do no wrong, we are an exception to the rule and above the law. Even those that don't buy into such nonsense might say 'nevertheless, we have the power so we make the rules, like it or not.'
The self-righteous and dangerous idea that the US is, like the Pope, infallible is ludicrous to most intelligent and sane Americans. It is nevertheless this very mindset that got us into Iraq. It is because Americans are so astoundingly ignorant of their own country's history that allowed George Bush to sell Americans on the idea that he was going to promote Democracy in the Middle East by invading Iraq, not to mention the contradictions inherent in the very idea of spreading democracy by force, through the exercise of military power. We manipulate, bully and bombard these nations without a second thought, without a bad conscience, with swagger and bravado and with disregard for human life. But, at a time when political consciousness is stirring amongst even the poorest of the world, this kind of a "mindset" will only create bitter enemies. The once silent masses and nameless nations whose histories we shaped and are still shaping, unilaterally and violently, will be silent no more. This “mindset” will destroy America, from within if not from without. This mindset must change!
I am an independent supporting Obama. McCain is an honorable man and he may still convince me to vote for him. But, his rhetoric worries me.
What bothers me about the Democrats is talk of withdrawal. Withdrawal without a plan for regional security would be a disaster. Furthermore, talk of withdrawal that is not tempered by talk of regional security will likely lend credence to the whole fear argument that the Republicans and Clinton are trying to sell the American people. To an extent, however, the Democrats are pandering whenever they talk about withdrawal. We cannot withdraw if what we leave behind is a failed state for Al-Qaeda to dominate like they did with Afghanistan. All the candidates know this and McCain is the only one thus far to make this point explicit.
The promise of an Obama administration however outweighs straight talk from John McCain. Obama gets it. Our way of doing business in the world has to change. We can make the rules but we have to live by them as well. That is a real value, not a fake one to hide behind. Obama speaks the language of real values. It remains to be seen whether he can walk the walk.
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The Reformation of Islam
[Read the article: A new face for American diplomacy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Islam is in a messed up place, not unlike where Christianity was about 500 years ago when the Church was selling tickets to heaven to enrich itself. What Islam needs is a reformation, a figure the likes of Martin Luther, a movement away from political power and toward personal freedom. That is essentially what the Reformation did for Christianity. It wrested power from the Church and gave it to the individual so that he could work out his salvation on his own time. Granted, there are no intermediaries in Islam. Nevertheless, Islam has a great deal of reckoning to do with itself.
It is no where near our responsibility as Americans to reform Islam. However, as long as we stoke unrest in their lands and use our military power to club them when they step out of line we are driving Muslims everywhere into the arms of fundamentalism and creating the kind of environment where intellectual and cultural progress like the Reformation becomes impossible.
The only solution to Islamic fundamentalism is long term investment in the economic development of Muslim countries. You cannot kill enough people to achieve the same result. No number of bombs, no matter how smart, is going to make this problem go away if people don't have a society that can give them jobs, safety and structure. The US/Israeli tag team bombing party is not going to solve the problem.
Every time the Republicans use words like evil, hunt, Islamofascism and all the other glib terms in their asinine arsenal they contribute to Osama bin Laden's public relations campaign. Muslims know better than Westerners that the exercise of extraordinary power is often ugly and unpleasant. For this reason, many Muslims are willing to overlook the US's past misdeeds if only they could be treated with more respect, if only Americans would realize what Muslim's have always believed--that Christians are brothers and people of the book.
The Islamic world is like a crazy uncle. The more one sounds the alarm and throws around the word crazy the more crazy one gets. But if you behave in a respectful and calm manner and even go so far as to reach out to him, you might be surprised by what you find. You might even realize he's not crazy, just neglected and starving for a little respect and autonomy.
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Is the Democratic party as stupid as your argument? It's quite possible.
[Read the article: A non-paranoid's guide to superdelegates]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If voters back one candidate and the superdelegates another the Democratic party will become a laughingstock. Whoever is the sorry sob who gets the nomination like this will lose the general election. If the people's votes don't count in the primaries, why should they vote in the general?