On why I am Not of this American family.

I was watching the Today Show this morning
with the good 'ole Folds Family...
And I can't get out of my head...
the 5 second piece of "28 people were
killed today in a suicide bombing in Northern Iraq,
most of which are said to be women and children."

So the political fiend in me said "oh fine, lets see
what...i don't know, cnn.com has to say, if anything, about this"

Read the article, and you find that at least 19 were children...were killed.
And it goes on and on and on.

A few articles down was something like this:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The Pentagon cannot account for 190,000 AK-47 rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, or about half the weapons earmarked for soldiers and police, according to a government report.
U.S. soldiers patrol the Iraqi village of Sweb, south of Baquba, on Wednesday.
The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, said in a July 31 report to lawmakers that the Defense Department also cannot account for 135,000 items of body armor and 115,000 helmets reported to be issued to Iraqi forces as of September 22, 2005."

Really???
Really!?????

Clearly, something isn't right here.

And we do not even flinch.

It is SUCH a waste to accuse, judge, or condem
-its too late for that- it would be useless
but When are we going to ease the acceptance of atrocities
as a price to pay for progress???
(hiroshima and viet nam to save western civilization?
Nuclear proliferation to save us all??????)

These things are still with us!
And one reason for that
is that we've learned to bury them in a mass of other facts.
We've learned to give them the same proportionate
attention that teachers and writers give them
(Oh please please
take the time to read "Lies My Teacher Told Me")


THIS learned sense of moral proportion
is so easily accepted by us!! Because its in...a book...
and because its been taught to us by educated teachers
making it More deadly.
The treatment of heroes and their victims
the Quiet acceptance of conquest and murder is.....
what happens when a past is told from
the perspective of leaders, diplomats, ....errr middle aged white men?
But its SUCH a biased view...
its as if the Leading members of Congress
represents the nation as a whole.
There really isn't such a thing as the United States
fundamentally a community of people with common intrests?????
Is there a National Interest in territorial expansion
decisions of the courts
culture of education?
environmental issues?
marraige?
Kissinger in "a world restored"

ignored the millions who suffered from policies
from his point, the peace Europe had
was "restored" by the diplomacy of a Few leaders
but for Factory workers....
women and children everywhere viewed it as
a world of exploitation, violence, hunger...
a world disintegrated.

Nations are not communities
and Never have been.
A history of a country as a family
conceals fierce conflicts of interests
Most often repressed
between conqueres and conquerers
victims and executioners...
Oh My God
It IS like growing up in an alcoholic family.

To think that there is hope in new possibilities
to remember the abilities to resist,
to join together, occasionally even to win.
I am hoping that our future is found in our moments of compassion
rather than in the solid centuries of warfare....
And how do we get out of this cycle???
By recognizing that we're in it.

Simply by...education.

Unfortunately.
GW fucked that over for our kids, too.