Saturday, April 11, 2009

Sitting on the fence, as usual.

Wow, as far as I'm concerned, Storee really said it perfectly in her last post. It pretty much summarizes how I feel about the Iraq war as well. Though I fault myself for not being more informed about the war (among other things), I feel like I can't grasp it even when I try. I, too, feel strange and vague about the war and often wonder why I can't grasp an opinion of it. It really does just feel like a quagmire of looming confusion and embarrassment. I waver between the pros and cons and ask again and again, "OK, what is the purpose of the war, again?" As with most political issues, I perch carefully on the fence and try to grasp what is really going on. Still, I can't form an opinion. Sometimes I am outraged and feel that the war is senseless. Other times, it makes sense to me. I don't think I'll ever form a real, solid opinion. But is it because I'm a fence-sitter or because the military is withholding information from me and my fellow public? Perhaps a little from column A, and a lot from column B. I could stand to be more informed, definitely. But now I've lost faith in the system, and I really don't know what to think. I'm very grateful to Marshall for opening my eyes about this. It is clear he is a strong advocate for the truth. Maybe I don't have to form an opinion of the war right now. It seems like I can't form the "right" answer to it anyway. Maybe what's most important is that I am an active truth-seeker like Marshall, who has done the nation a favor by standing up for the public's right to know and being a purveyor of truth.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing you're thoughts on the subject. But I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to be a "fence-sitter." As with most things in life, I feel like the truth usually lies in the middle of the competing extremes we are constantly exposed to. And, I too, share your confusion about the war, about the decisions of our leaders, and the way the media covered the war. Despite the murkiness of the subject and the fact that it's caused me, and a number of other people, to become disenfranchised with a lot of the media coverage of the war, it is comforting to know that it has prompted us to ask a lot of questions. Now if only we had answers...

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