The Ant and the Grasshopper

[JackoliciousLegs]

jack, please dont think because it was on cnn, it must be true.

Article I wrote exactly one year ago yesterday that was published in Diogenes Lantern. Note the last paragraph.

While having a nice lunch talk with my friend Eric, I came to the conclusion that I have no opinion about whether "allied" forces should be in Iraq. I feel that a lot of people are vocal about their opinion, but what I've found is that there is an inverse correlation between how much people know and how much people talk about the war.

This could be good and this could be bad. Obviously, it's good because the more people talk about it, the more people should learn about it. It's bad because I feel that all people spew is regurgetated Fox news analyses of "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

Having said this, and basically insulted most people for expressing their views, I would like to show my appreciation for some people and how they've expressed their views. Around JMU, people have been wearing orange arm-bands to initiate discussion about the war. It's not mean to be a "war-bashing" or "Bush-whacking" technique. It's simply to initiate discussion about the war. This is a great technique to get the general public to know more about what's going on overseas.

Finally, I'm sure a lot of you are wondering what my views are about this war. I'm honestly torn between two sides and think I will be until long after this war has ended. No matter which side I choose, I'll always be able to defend the other side's point of view. I can't support the war, because if I did, it'd be exactly what the American media wants me to do. I'd join the millions that accept Fox news and Bush's propaganda about the war and it's independence from the whole "oil issue." If I oppose the war, I get yelled at for not supporting my country, not supporting my soldiers, and about how they're defending our way of life. I don't know that I've read any information regarding the ties between Al-queda or the PLO or the Islamic Jihad and the Iraqi dictatorial regime. The closest thing that I've heard regarding those ties is that the Islamic Jihad sent over a group of suicide bombers to Baghdad as a "present from the opressed people of Palestine." That doesn't scream strong ties to me. That screams something about Palestinian suicide bombers to me... but that's a different story.

So, if you want to hear my opinion, don't listen to Fox news; you won't hear it there. Don't listen to the protestors who walked out of class last week in the rain to lay on the quad. One thing's for sure, don't listen to any one source. That means don't just listen to Bush, don't just watch the death toll rise, and don't just listen to me. There are hundreds of sources online for information:
CNN
Jerusalem Post
La Tribune - In french but google can translate
Washington Post
New York Times
BBC
al-ayyam