An Argument on War
November 9, 2006
Before beginning, it’s worth stating our position at the Curious Mechanism. We hold to a philosophy of war stated by Ernest Hemingway: “But never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.” If a scale were made, with absolute pacifists on the left extreme and violent tyrants and war-hawks on the right, we admit we would fall somewhat left of center. We admit the necessity of the Armed Forces and of war and violent conflict, but readily admit (as most would) that we wish this were not the case. While we can intellectually grasp the necessity of war, we’re glad others are in charge of the military, because we are uncertain how prepared we would be to have others killed, and to send our countrymen to be killed at the same time. We grasp the possible necessity and justification of war, but we struggle to ignore or reconcile this with the crime that is war.
At this moment in time, the United States is, obviously, engaged in its worldwide War on Terror. In the past, Mr. Thursday has denounced the war as being a bad idea, as it falls under the category of War Against A Non-Specific Enemy. However, whether going into Iraq was a good idea is no longer a relevant topic, and we must as Americans consider the best possible course of action for this war from here out.
The options are, as far as well know, the following:
- Leave Iraq, allowing the various factions to fight each other
- Stay in Iraq, trying to control a large and violent country with a small and under-supplied force
- Stay in Iraq, expanding the fight, adding more troops, weapons, etc.
The most popular of these ideas seems to be the first, at the moment. It is, in the fact, the one that Mr. Thursday has adhered to since before heading to Iraq. The second of these is the current administration’s “Stay the Course” strategy. The third of these is, perhaps, the most vilified option, in which, instead of pulling out of Iraq we send in more and more soldiers, in an effort to solidify peace. Which of these, if any, is the best course of action is something we’ll attempt to address. Forgive us the poor job we’re likely to do.
There is, of course, no debate that September 11th, 2001 led to our invasion of Iraq. Whether or not Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction, or ties to Al-Qaeda are open to a great deal of histrionic debate, but the fact is that had the World Trade Center never been attacked, President Bush would not have the authority necessary for a “pre-emptive war” and accompanying land invasion that has, so far, cost the lives of nearly 3,000 American troops and 50,000 Iraqi civilians. September 11th was the birthday ground for the War on Terror, and the question just now being asked: Is this a fight we should be pursuing?
We–the United States–have pursued the War on Terror as a form of aggressive self-defence. Every election, the debate comes up on whether a certain politician is strong enough on “national defence”, which is to ask whether that leader, if elected, will pursue this war efficiently and intelligently. We are killing others so that we may not be attacked again, and by proxy, so our allies will not be attacked in the future. We have an enemy who neither agrees with nor fears nor respects us, and we wonder if that is why we can be attacked so easily. Islamofascists, as lame-duck Senator Rick Santorum named the enemy, believe they can attack the United States, and the United States does not have the will or power or both requisite to punish them for their crimes.
If the United States leaves Iraq, these so-called Islamofascists are, at least in their minds, validated. While it’s probable that Iraq will erupt when the insufficient peace-keeping force the U.S. has in Iraq is withdrawn, there are questions as to what will happen in 2 or 5 or 10 years when the Sunnis, Shi’ites and Kurds has sorted themselves out. Whoever comes out on top of that mess will undoubtedly view the United States was “weak,” and desire to cause as much trouble as they can. Furthermore, pulling out allows alpha dog Iran to roll in, and since American and Iran are not exactly buddies right now, we’re not sure if this is really a good idea.
As for the third option, well, it’s a doozy. Most of the proponents of this path have been called “war-hawks” by their critics. While that label may be true in some cases, the Curious Mechanism considers them more likely, “realists.” In order to “win” the War on Terror, the United States needs to make a statement with the Sub-War in Iraq. It needs to show possible allies who are keeping their distance from this mess that this war is winnable, and show various enemies that we are relentless in our pursuit of… well, whatever we are pursuing. Relentless in our pursuit of our enemies? Of peace? Of better sleep?
But the United States, if they choose to expand the Sub-War in Iraq, must not only fight to win, but they must win the “American Way”. Human rights violations like Guantanamo Bay and and Abu-Ghraib must never occur. Civilian deaths must be kept to a minimum. Policy must be strong but merciful. It is that mercy that divides the ambitious country trying to make a free and democratic world from the ruthless tyrant slowly trying to take it over.
The rest of the world needs to know, if the War on Terror is to succeed, that the United States is of vast power, but that we are also the standard for what is right about the world. That we are the foremost promoters of prosperity and understanding.
Mr. Thursday would like to see the United States win the War on Terror and the Sub-War in Iraq, but not at any cost. We hope the United States has realized, or is realizing, the errors they have made so far, and will do everything possible and unlikely to correct their mistakes and ensure they do not recur. We don’t pretend to know whether the Sub-War in Iraq can be won at an “acceptable cost”–a term we put in quotationmarks because we do not understand how many lives are “acceptable” in the name of democracy. We also realize that pulling out of Iraq seems to invalidate the lives of the 3,000 dead soldiers. If this is a war that cannot be won, we hope 3,000 dead is all we have.
We’ll resume less serious posting next time, with snarky remarks abounding.
Nail-Biter
November 8, 2006
At least, that was the impression of at least one Democrat last night watching as the election results came in.
For the curious, there are now 28 Donkey governors, and 22 Republican, which is a change from an Elephantine majority previously in the category of gubernatorial politics.
The Burros have retaken the House of Representatives, that much is certain. The Senate on the other hand, is ever-so-close, and it really hangs on two states that feature hills, trees, and movies with horses: Montana and Virginia.
Montana is home to Ol’ Faithful, which is a geyser, which is a hole in the ground that spits hot water like a drowsy student going after fresh coffee too aggressively. It’s also home to Conrad Burns, who possesses a fantastic name in addition to being a Senator and Never-Forgettor; he has come under fire recently as being a part of the infamous Jack Abramoff scandal, but managed to slither his way out. It’s also the home of Burro John Tester, who has a face like a Texas football player in 1975 (round face, big smile, square shaped hair). We know nothing about this Tester fellow, but we’re willing to bet he’s socially conservative, and is running his campaign with an overdose of anti-Conrad-Burns-ism.
As for Virginia it’s home to probably the most vicious campaign between two awful candidates ever seen in the United States, which is saying something, after all, the country still has New Jersey. Regardless, George Allen is, apparently, a racist (and bears more than a slight resemblance to Friday Night Lights actor Kyle Chandler), while his opponent, Jim Webb (no relation to Spiderman) is apparently a sexist, both guys are rude, and poor campaigners, but they make highly entertaining Sunday morning political television.
Regardless the Spider-Burro (as any Democrat named Webb should be known) is beating out Bruce Baxter by a measly 3000 votes, which will mean a certain recount. Hopefully the Virginia Supreme Court won’t decide to get involved and randomly declare a winner. Montana is even closer, as the Linebacker is squeaking out the cousin of Montegomery Burns to the tune of 4 dozen votes. Again, recount is imminent.
Mr. Thursday thinks all these close races are marvelous and interesting, though wishes some younger people with faster counting skills could be involved in the whole counting-of-the-votes process. While having no particular affectation for El Burro or the Never-Forgettors, Mr. Thursday is an advocate for Voting Against Incumbents–too much time in the same role breeds sloth, and while their are some marvelous Congresmen who have been in their offices for decades, on the whole, a politician shouldn’t be allowed that much power for that long a time. Robert Byrd, a Senator from West Virginia who was handily re-elected last night, has been in the US Senate longer than 2/3rds of the US population has been alive.
The other perspective considered by Mr. Thursday is It Is Always Good When The President and the Congress Aren’t the Same. If the Congress is held by Burros while a Never-Forgettor is in the White House (or vice-versa), it provides a much better check and balance than if the Congress is gleefully following the President, wherever he may lead.
So, that said, here’s to the Democrats, may they enjoy the stagnation of the next two years, and let’s do better in 2008, everybody.
CORRECTION: To our eternal shame, Mr. Thursday does not, at this time, employ an editor, and is frequently way too hasty in publishing these posts. Yesterday, without thinking, we shamefully noted that Montana is home to Old Faithful, which is, in fact, located in Wyoming. We hang our heads in dishonor.
A Vote Here and There
November 7, 2006
It is possible that the Democrats will take the majority position in the Senate or the House of Representatives or both today. The pundits and political prognosticators are predicting a Donkey triumph in the House, but that the Never-Forgettors will retain the pole-position in the Senate. We don’t take the so-called expert analysis of the talking heads too seriously, as the pre-vote predictions and polls seem to hold as much weight as Sports Illustrated’s preseason predictions for the NCAA Final Four next March. Which is to say we don’t pay them much attention.
In the Philadelphia area, where Mr. Thursday, at the moment, resides, there are a number of close races for various Congressional positions, and there are very few decent candidates running for them. We’re torn between voting for complacent incumbents, snake-oil salesmen first-timers, or voting for no one. We’re also debating a philosophy of always voting against the incumbent in an effort to keep the government progressive (in a literal sense, meaning that the government would by dynamic and keep changing, even if that change happens to be for a more conservative direction).
For our part, Mr. Thursday will place his vote in an effort to help education and environment and peace and things, and tonight we’ll ignore traditional coverage as The Daily Show will be on twice and House will be on, as well.
Here’s hoping that whoever gets elected today does a better job than whomever came before. For all the criticism thrust upon President Bush, Congress deserves criticism far more severe. While the President merely pushed his agenda with all the force he could muster, Congree completely and utterly failed to check or balance him. Democrats and Republicans both failed at the jobs to which they were elected, and having a fervent love of America, Mr. Thursday is hoping the next two years go better than the last two, regardless of who’s “in power”.
Refreshing Contrition
November 2, 2006
Guillermo Mota, a pitcher for the New York Mets and Cleveland Indians this past season was suspended from Major League Baseball for 50 games for violating the MLB’s steroid’s policy.
Being somewhat obsessive about baseball, Mr. Thursday has noted with a fair amount of interest that not only has baseball been unreasonably and harshly judged for its steroid users, but those found to have taken steroids have come up with the same basic excuse every time they’ve been cause. Essentially: “I don’t know how this happened. I’ve never used steroids. My [supplement-of-choice] must have been tainted.” This was even the excuse used by the linebacker Shawn Merriman of the San Diego Chargers when he was suspended for the same violation.
Mota, however, chose a different route. To quote from ESPN:
“I have no one to blame but myself,” Mota said in a statement that did not explain how he ran afoul of baseball’s drug rules. “I take full responsibility for my actions and accept MLB’s suspension. I used extremely poor judgment and deserve to be held accountable.
“To my teammates and the entire Mets organization, I am sorry. I truly regret what I did and hope that you can forgive me. To baseball fans everywhere, I understand that you are disappointed in me, and I don’t blame you. I feel terrible and I promise this is the first and last time that this will happen. I am determined to prove to you that this was one mistake.”
While we’re against steroid use, Mr. Thursday applauds Mota’s candor and honesty about the situation, and though he didn’t directly admit what he has done, he suggested no conspiracy theories, admitted that he had done wrong, and has promised to do better in the future.
There’s hope after all.
To Space
November 1, 2006
Just recently, NASA decided to fix the Hubble, a decision applauded by all those who are interested in space (and, since Mr. Thursday is interested in everything, we’re interested in space). The picture above is one of hundreds, taken by the Hubble, that can be found here.
We applaud all things unusual and unique here, and the Hubble is no exception. While it’s certainly not Earth’s largest telescope–Hubble’s lens is a mere 2.4 meters across, compared to a number of telescopes possessing lenses upward of 10 meters–it bares that oh-so-fantastic distinction of actually being IN SPACE.
Earth’s atmosphere is dense and frankly, it’s blurry. So all those lovely Earth-scopes, big as they may be, get pictures with atmos-crud on them. While computers can edit out a lot of this, they are somewhat restricted in their abilities to view things that are really, really far away. That’s why telescopes on mountains in Hawaii have to be so much larger. Stick a small telescope in orbit (no small task) and you can look at nebulae for 1000 years and keep finding new stuff.
As much as Mr. Thursday is rooting for NASA to get to the moon and Mars and everywhere else, we’re pleased as punch that our favorite space-camera is going to get fixed and maintained for more pictures. Because as cool as space exploration is, we’re still a few years away from chartered flights around the moon, and we don’t know what we would do if we didn’t have pretty pictures of quarks to comfort us.
