April 01, 2004

NOT CALM

Today was supposed to be the calm day after three hectic days of class registration and beginning a new job. I've already worked 42 hours this week and I still have to work Friday and Saturday. But today was a normal 8-hour shift with nothing going on in the evening.

It was supposed to be calm.

Instead I turned on the computer this morning to this LGF post:

IÂ’m just going to ask one simple question.

Why hasnÂ’t the United States already launched an overwhelmingly armed operation to recover the remains of our citizens murdered today in Fallujah, and punish those responsible?

Their body parts are still hanging from that goddamned bridge.

What the hell is wrong with us?

Uh oh. What happened? Scrolling, scrolling. Oh my god. The photos. The disgust. I don't care if Satan himself were killed on Times Square, American adults would shield children from seeing the carnage. We'd cover their eyes, distract them somehow, pick them up and carry them away. We wouldn't give them f-ing sticks to poke at burned bodies.

Not calm.

Then at the end of my work day, I got an email from my little brother: Mom's in the hospital because of her blood pressure. Told myself that someone would have written a more pressing email if something were really wrong, and came home to call Dad. She's OK now, just her blood pressure was 202. I blame it on blogs; I knew the stuff posted on LGF was bad for your health.

Not so calm.

And then I sit down to Lileks, finally...he kept me waiting all day, you know. But it was well worth the wait. Lileks is not calm today either. He's switched on. He's on fire. He's ticked. It was worth the wait to read his take on how Kerry should have answered the questions on MTV, to feel his outrage at Kerry's distortions and selective memory, and to nod my head as he works himself into a frenzy.

Is the world angry at North Korea for killings its people? Angry at Iran for smothering that vibrant nation with corrupt and thuggish mullocracy? Angry at Syria for occupying Lebanon? Angry at Saudi Arabia for its denial of womenÂ’s rights? Angry at Russia for corrupt elections? Is the world angry at China for threatening Taiwan, or angry at France for joining the Chinese in joint military exercises that threatened the island on the eve of an election? Is the world angry at Zimbabwe for stealing land and starving people? Is the world angry at Pakistan for selling nuclear secrets? Is the world angry at Libya for having an NBC program?

Is the world angry at the thugs of Fallujah?

Is the world angry at anyone besides America and Israel?

Not calm today. But then no one ever said knowledge of how the world works was the best thing for your blood pressure.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:32 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 488 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Well, this little part of the world is pretty darn angry. These people - not all Iraqis, but the people who did this - are barbarians.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at April 01, 2004 08:37 PM (kOqZ6)

2 Agree, agree, AGREE!! Angry, angry, ANGRY!! I don't think we can shoot the children placing their boots on the heads of bodies (did you read that one?) or poking them. Maybe we can undo the brainwashing if we get to them quickly enough. But I'd suggest a limited military strike and immediate cessation of re-building anything. Hey, go ahead and rip out the wiring and plumbing for what we've already re-built. And don't give it back until they give us the thugs that planned this. (And if you take out the plumbing disease becomes much more likely. I'm a very vindictive woman, a major fault I live with daily.)

Posted by: Oda Mae at April 02, 2004 02:50 AM (s7JOc)

3 My son (on his way home this week!) made it clear to me that respect means everything in Iraq. And respect comes from power in the Arab world. Although Iraqis are years ahead of many Arabs in culture and politics, they are still bound by trappings of the 14th century. Blood feuds, tribal loyalty, and sectarian identification all play a part in this. Many on the left ask, "Why can't we just get along?" Well, getting along is a sign of weakness in that environment. Someone is always the boss. It reminds me of our Indian Wars in the US. America tried to absorb and assimilate the tribes, but they wanted to go on fighting. The older men often were willing to change, but not the young ones. They asked, "How can you pick a chief if you don't fight?" Got to have battle credibility to be in charge.

Posted by: Mike at April 02, 2004 09:04 AM (cFRpq)

4 cabinet carpentry

Posted by: cabinet carpentry at May 18, 2005 03:52 PM (tfAWX)

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