Ourview
War
a common uncertainty
We all knew the war was coming. Our president
appeared on television at 7:30 Wed. evening
to announce that a missile and bomb attack
had been launched on certain “selected targets
of military importance.”
Luckily, we had Peter Jennings’ soothing
voice to calm our nerves and reinforce calmness
on a nation divided on the issue of this
war.
Broadcast, Internet and good old fashion
print media tend to focus on the extremes.
We have been constantly inundated with pictures
and stories of groups of angry people denouncing
war or supporting it. The media is making
it seem like everyone in the world is actively
seeking a solution, one way or the other.
So what about everyone who is not attending
rallies and protests and meetings? What
about the Iraqi people who are afraid of
a U.S. war but are just as afraid of Saddam
Hussein? What about the majority of people
in this country who really don’t know what
the right thing to do is?
The media has not addressed this uncertainty.
You are either for the war or against it,
as some passionate activists would insist.
Wednesday night the media dropped any coverage
or talk of dissent towards the war. All
talk focused on the missile and bomb attack
and tactical arrangements. After Peter Jennings
had his say, local news focused on the possibility
of surprise terrorist attacks right here
at home.
These are scary times we are all living
through. Perhaps attending rallies helps
people to feel less helpless. Watching TV
sure doesn’t help.
The point is that the majority of people
in this world are passive. War is a scary
prospect, whether it is for the right reasons
or not. People are scared and we do not
always know where we should stand. No one
wants innocent people to die. But no one
wants to live in a world inhabited by such
powerfully corrupt people such as Saddam
Hussein. We know there are other people
just as sick and corrupt as Hussein, but
that doesn’t make his depravity acceptable.
In a perfect world, every person guilty
of crimes against humanity would be held
accountable. Torture and sickness and starvation
are difficult things for us to grasp, especially
when a fellow human being is willingly responsible
for the pain. Nuclear war and terrorist
attacks are even more of a mystery. The
uncertainty and confusion is the terrorism
we must face every day of this war and possibly
after.
“These are the opening stages of what will
be a broad and concerted campaign,” Bush
promised the world. “We have no ambitions
in Iraq except to remove a threat and restore
control of that country to its own people.”
President Bush is making his promises, just
as he did at every stage of this conflict
that for many came out of no where. The
war in Afghanistan was expected and understood.
The connection between Sept.11 and Iraq
is a bit more difficult to discern. But
confusion or not, the war is here and will
only get worse before it gets better. Hopefully
Bush will be true to the promises he made
on his televised address to the world Wednesday
night, but based on his record recently,
the chances are slim.
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