Are WE at fault?

Is it ALL our Fault

I struggle lately with what I've been reading in the papers and seeing on the various TV "news" shows. Is it my imagination or have we lost the critical skills of thinking and evaluation. Of what is important and what is trivial, or what's the difference between leading and being led. As far as I'm concerned, the world has been turned upside down when "news" consists of a constant barrage of Anna Nicole or an astronaut love triangle. When innuendo and gossip interests (or titillates) our print/TV media more than the long-term implications of the war in Iraq, the preemptive invasion strategy of this administration and its relationship in increasing geometrically the number of potential terrorists. When we allow certain well-funded lobbyists to influence our governmental actions to satisfy THEIR selfish interests and not the best interests of the general public. When instead of INSISTING that the Middle East situation be solved according to UN Resolution 242, our government aids and abets the Israeli and Palestinian sides with money and arms in order to continue their blood feud.

Are we so lazy that we are eager to believe anything we are told? That we accept as truth the marketing campaigns by various power groups, including our own government? The use of shibboleths like "we must achieve VICTORY" without defining in meaningful terms exactly what that means and how it affects our ordinary citizens, not platitudes like "if we don’t' defeat them there we'll have to fight them here" (the use of fear rather than reason!!!!) Are we using old-time war making strategy where there is self-contained and well-defined enemy against an amorphous and ephemeral enemy? Have we learned anything from our own revolutionary war when WE were the terrorists hiding behind the trees and picking off the cream of England’s army?

I suspect Pogo”s comment that “we have met the enemy and he is us” is absolutely true. By not using critical thinking and evaluation skills we have let the “Deciders” guide and shape our lives according to their desires, not ours. For whatever reasons (fear of retaliation? being unpatriotic?) we have not inculcated in our young, let alone ourselves the sand to question, stand up and be heard. To band together so that we have more than just a voice- in- the- wind but the roar of as hurricane.

Does anyone recall Dwight D. Eisehower's admonition " Beware the military -Industrial Complex"?
Labels: Iraq, lobbyists, middle east, thinking skills

posted by jaybird @ 2:24 PM 5 Comments Links to this post