After hearing about it on the news all day, I read with great interest Russian president Putin’s article in today’s NY Times and I have to say that on about 98% of his points I found myself agreeing. While Putin is not now nor will he ever be someone that I personally look to for guidance on how things should work in the world, his op-ed was direct and to the point, not to mention pretty accurate when it comes to America’s role in the world. Since the end of WWII the United States has been a cross between the world’s policeman and the world’s biggest bully. This has been especially true in the last 25 years or so. Since Ronald Regan bankrupted the Soviets, the US has been lobbing missiles into various countries, starting unwinnable wars and making every effort to force other nations to be like us. I guess that our politicians never considered that not everyone wants to be us and that perhaps not every country in the world wants to be a Representative Republic. Yes that’s right America is not a Democracy, America, is a Representative Republic despite what those in this country who claim to know the Constitution call it.
Twelve years ago when our government decided to go to war in Afghanistan I like most Americans was four square behind Bush 43 and our congress. After all, the terrorist who attacked us on 911 were trained in Afghanistan so it was understandable that we would attack that country and try to eliminate the terrorist camps. Unfortunately we also attacked Iraq and ended up in a 10 year war in that country as well. While most would agree that Saddam Husain was a pain in the ass, there is little doubt that he had nothing to do with the 911 attacks. So not only did we attack a country that wasn’t involved in the attack against us, we fought a needless war that cost billions of dollars, and lost thousands of American lives, to destabilize a country that will probably in the end be anti- American for many years to come. Iraq after all is now engaged in a civil war that will go on for many years and seemingly will result in a Shite state more closely aligned with Iraq than the United States and our allies. Libya in North Africa is still a mess thanks to our intervention and lord only knows what will happen in that country in the long term.
I read with great interest how many of our Republican politicians are offended that Putin would chastise our government when it comes to Syria especially because his country is their government’s chief ally. These same politicians are the very people who have been pushing president Obama to start lobbing missiles into Syria to turn the tide of the Civil War in favor of the rebels. These are the very same people who are heavily invested with military contractors and stand to benefit every time that a million dollar Cruise Missile is launched. That’s right, I’m accusing my country’s politicians of waging war so that they and their Richie Rich friends who sell arms can benefit financially and I dare anyone to prove me wrong! Better still someone, tell me how our national interest is served by lobbing missiles into Syria? According to president Obama we have a moral obligation to defend the helpless people in Syria who cannot defend themselves, yet I see able bodied Syrian men who have fled their country on the news asking for our help. Here’s an idea, pick up a gun and defend yourself! While I have sympathy for what’s happening in Syria, we have no obligation moral or otherwise to get into another war to defend people, many of whom are fleeing to other countries rather than defending themselves. Contrary to popular belief, getting involved in other countries civil wars is not what makes us exceptional, minding our own business makes us exceptional.
Since the end of WWII, the United States has made a point of engaging in military actions in countries that were smaller and less able to fight back against us. Think about it, we went to Viet Nam and fought to a stalemate, we beat up on Granada, we beat up on Noriega in Panama, and we had stalemates in Iraq and Afghanistan. Libya was no contest and now we’re threatening Syria! The question that I ask is this; if Russia or China had used chemical weapons in a civil war would we be threatening to lob Cruise Missiles into those countries? Don’t worry you don’t have to answer that question, because we all already know the answer. It’s absolutely no! You see we’re the world’s bully and we wouldn’t dare pick on a country that has the ability to fight back, because by definition, bully’s only pick fights with those they know they can beat!
As loyal American, it pains me to agree with a Soviet leader, but in this instance, I have to agree with Putin. Syria is not our fight it is a fight between the Syrian people. It’s a fight that we should not and cannot get involved in, despite what our politicians say. I know that there are those who say that if we don’t get involved the war could spread to Israel or other Middle East countries and to that I say; we give these countries billions of our tax dollars to defend themselves. So do exactly that, defend yourself. To Israel I say; You decided to start your country in the 1950’s in territory occupied by those who you knew were your sworn enemies and I’m ok with that, but don’t expect me to defend you at all cost. Stop looking to Americans to spill our blood to defend you, and protect you at all cost, after all life if about choices and you made your more than 50 years ago.
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I’m Just Sayin