I wonder...

It's coming from several sources at once, mhhh... I'll do my duty and mentioning it here.

It's about the war in Iraq, about the almost certain war against Iran...

Since I don't have much success in embedding videos, I'll pass this as a link: Students: A challenge for you. It's a YouTube video.

My initial reaction was... Heh heh... too easy as a messenger to fingerpoint *at others*... The many things he said that could boomerang at him...

Nonetheless, his points are valid. My thinking is there's a *collective* failure, at all levels and all ages. Not just students. Many grown ups as well. They too have re-elected Bush in 2004. They too are silent. Everyone is at fault, here... Everyone... and that's the sickening point...

When you think that as early as 2004... via the 9/11 commission, it was proven without a shadow of a doubt that *all* the reasons invoked to go on a war in Iraq were FALSE... all of them, ALL...

How come Bush got re-elected in November of the same year? How come there's no impeachment since then? Heck, over 3000 soldiers dead, many wounded, and that's not factoring the civilian toll... on a war that was justified by lies...

... and nothing happens? Even more so that he's clearly showing his intent to attack Iran...

And this is the guy, as president, who is also the commander in chief of the army. What does it take to impeach him? Since 2004, I've been wondering...

It's easy to blame the Democrats. Indeed, they have no spine, no balls. It's painful to see that...

But they are also a mirror of the population. There should be massive protests everywhere, and yet... nada. It's too easy to blame the Democrats... when it's so glaring obvious that the population isn't backing them. Silence speaks loudly, here.

So I'm wondering...

If Nixon was still alive, gee whiz I think he would ask Bush how he did it. The Watergate seems sooo futile, and yet... this has cost him his presidency.

It's also... in the many small details. If you've been reading my blog at FC, you know that this year, I have resumed travels in the US , after a looooong hiatus. A few times for work, and at other times, for leisure. Visiting friends, and enjoying the mountains as well as the beaches.

I have forgotten how painful the many frustrations that are now routine in the States, whether at the border, whether in US airports, etc... and the many things which, before 9/11, would have made people screaming.

And when you return to Canada... how delightful is that overwhelming feeling of... relief!

In the not so old days, my fellow Americans used to cherish civil liberties... Where are they today? I wonder...

Now, it's all down the drain... in favor of more "security"? When you're justified to be worried for your own safety by a guy that has a gun and a badge... and not by that odd-looking traveler next to your seat, something is indeed dead wrong... and yet, I observe my fellow Americans... and they all quietly accept that...

A work colleague of mine uses this tag line for all his e-mail:

"The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will receive either".
-Benjamin Franklin.

Bingo... I think this era will be long studied in school.

That being said, I hesitate to fingerpoint... because who we are to blame others... Mhhh...

Here in Canada, Harper isn't better... A disgrace to the country, and we have elected him. *WE*. It's too easy to say like my fellow Americans: Oh, he's not my President (here: Prime Minister), I didn't vote for him. I've heard that phrase many times!

True, I didn't vote for Harper, but I'm not an hypocrite. He's *my* Prime Minister... and to *all* Canadians, whether we like him or not.

And I would fingerpoint my fellow Americans? No...

Even here in my own province, we have elected (and re-elected many times) Maurice Duplessis. An elected and many times re-elected dictator, and I am *not* exaggerating.

In English Canada, it was easy to fingerpoint Quebecers... Yet they conveniently forget that they aren't better than we are... Collectively, we have some severe lapses... Harper being a powerful reminder of that...

I believe in the swing of the pendulum... and those errors of judgement will self-correct at some points in time... but it makes me wondering why we aren't getting wiser...

Ignoring the past, you are bound to repeat certain things, eh? True, but it's too easy to say that. There's more to that... that's my gut feeling.

So I am a bit pensive this morning...

-E