Bush Calls For Immediate Withdrawal Of Troops

Violence is escalating in Iraq. It's now being dubbed a "civil war" by NBC News and I'm sure others. The number of US soldiers who have died is approaching 3000. We, the Democrats, want the troops home and we want them home now. This will largely solve the problem in Iraq, or so we believe. The immediate withdrawal of troops (IWOT, my name) is something that united us through the midterm elections and it has become a buzzphrase as of late.

I read an article this week that made me question whether or not the IWOT is actually the most prudent action. The point was raised in the article that maybe what Iraq needs right now to curtail increasing violence is the presence of more US troops instead of less. Some argue that there are not enough US soldiers there right now to adequately do what needs to be done and thus the civil violence spins out of control. I hadn't thought about it that way before.

Or that more troops are needed to stay there longer in order to properly train the Iraqi army in the ways of whatever we're training them to be/do. Again, I hadn't considered this before.

I'm not saying I'm backing Bush or agreeing with his commitment to keep troops in Iraq. But I am saying that toeing the party line isn't always the best action. It's fun to rally behind a cause and makes us feel united, especially because we are a generation keen on protesting, regardless of the issue. However, we/I might not completely understand the ramifications of IWOT or other political actions we speak out against. I have to remind myself to consider what is involved in a political action or decision and must understand other vantage points beyond my own before I can fairly denounce everything un-Democratic.

I Thought It Was Over

In the last few weeks, I have been blown away by a few incidents of blatant bigotry and racism that I have encountered.

Waiting outside my classroom at school the other day, I overheard a group of my classmates telling Holocaust jokes and other anti-Semitic remarks. Not in jest, they were very serious.

In line a couple of weeks ago to see Josh Groban, the group of people in front of me was mocking the names that "those people" have. They were speaking about the African-American girls that were also there waiting in line. I'm sure the girls heard what was being said about them.

A good friend was telling me last night about her Thanksgiving. She had gone to visit her in-laws. She is Christian, they are Muslim. She was ridiculed for being a Christian, she was called "dirty", among other racial slurs.

Each of these may seem innocuous, but I disagree. It's inexcusable. However, I'll be the first to confess that I didn't say anything in either of the situations I overheard. I was shocked, but I didn't do anything about it. That's as good as condoning it, right?

Makes me call into question my own biases and prejudices and re-examine them.? How much joke-telling can be dismissed as "all in good fun"?

Avenue Q http://www.avenueq.com/ has a song called "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist". So say the lyrics :

Everyone's a little bit racist / Today. / So, everyone's a little bit racist / Okay! / ethnic jokes might be uncouth, / But you laugh because / They're based on truth. / Don't take them as / Personal attacks. / Everyone enjoys them - So relax!

I feel like this is the pervasive feeling out there and so a lot of inexcusable jokes/comments are excused. If we all agree to not listen to these kinds of jokes, then they'll stop. But we (I) have to take a stand. Thoughts?