Americans: Are WE The Terrorist?

It’s Memorial Day, which means that millions of Americans will be going to gravesites and wall memorials today to honor the lives of their loved ones who died “serving” this country.

I put the word “serving” in quotations because, while I feel greatful to the men and women out there willing to die for my freedom (since I know I have no desire to go anywhere and fight), I can’t help but think that not all the service they do is 100% honorable.

Around this time last year, Rosie O’Donnell, now an ex-hostess on Barbara Walter’s “The View,” got into an explosive argument with Elizabeth Hassleback over the war in Iraq. They were yelling their opinions back and forth to each other and having it all out, and most of what they were saying seemed pretty insignificant.

However, the one thing Rosie did question – that I happened to think she was right on the money with – was whether or not America was the REAL terrorist in this war.

Given the ratio and number of people in Iraq who have died in this war – HUNDREDS of thousands as opposed to our… um… well, close to 4000 – and given the fact that we bomb them on a repeated basis in their country, while they have yet to even fly a plane over here and graze a single building – it could be argued that we, the Americans, are the actual terrorist in this fight.

Now, I already know I’m going to get some flack for saying that – “hey, Aaron, stop shitting on your home team!” – but does anyone remember a lil’ thing back in the old, old, old days called “Manifest Destiny?” Or the “White Man’s Burden?”

Basically: European contries felt they were ordained by God to go into countries that didn’t have certain beliefs – in most cases, usually a lack of belief in Chrisitanity – and change their ways of thinking. And so what happened? They went over to those countries, killed off everyone who didn’t want to change to the Christian way of thinking, re-structured their laws and government, and did their damndest to take over the place.

Fast-forward to una term del presidente Bush: He sees opportunity in Iraq to get some oil, and uses 9/11 as an excuse to rile up emotions to go to war… in the wrong country. Then, he makes up a lie about WMDs to get us over there and start killing people who had nothing to do with anything, including Sadaam who – while he was a bad man and deserved to be killed – had nothing to do with the attacks at the World Trade Center.

THEN, even after we discover that there were no WMDs, AND after we’ve captured Sadaam, we get LIED to again by being told we’re over there to “liberate” the country and help them secure the same democracies and freedoms enjoyed by Americans… but in order to do so, we have to bomb them and threaten their people?!?

Is any of this starting to sound like a historical re-run to anyone??

And EVEN AFTER THAT, we finally get a Democratic congress who promises to fight Bush tooth and nail about supporting this falsified war… and they end up passing a bill that continues to give money to troops so they can continue their mission of killing Iraqis, indefinately, for a reason no one can seem to figure out.

Is it any WONDER then, that some people might cast Americans as the REAL terrorist?

What’s never discussed is that terrorism is in the eye of the beholder. We look at Iraq as a whole and say “we’re at war with terrorism,” but it’s a B.S. term because you can’t fight a word that describes an emotion. If I go to my neighbor’s house and off his kids, I just “terrorized” him by scaring the crap out of them.

All the government does is (a) pump fear into its citizens so that they will be scared enough to say “yes, continue the war so they don’t bring their terrorist ways over here!”, and (b) scare off hundreds of Iraqi families – most of whom are innocent of anything but hating America (gee, I wonder why) – by bombing and shooting at them 24/7/365, 366 on a leap year (good luck on that extra day this year, Iraqis!)

So, while I believe Rosie could have stated her opinion in a more friendly way, she made a good point. And on this wonderful Memorial Day, it’s a shame to think that the majority of troops killed in this particular war are underground simply because our President decided to be a terrorist bastard.

-Aaron P. Taylor