OUR GREAT NATION

I want you to do something for me.
The next time you have a day off from work-- preferably a weekday, if you ever get those-- I ask that you take that day and watch the news. (I know you’re busy and have a million things to do, but this could turn out to be important.) It doesn’t even have to be CNN or anything. Network affiliates have the news on several times a day, in addition to the network news broadcasts on usually in the morning and the evening. Just pick a channel. While you’re watching, keep track of how many stories involve children, or rather "minors", since kids as young as eleven are now being tried as adults for crimes. Whether it be children perpetrating crimes, children as the victims of crime or abuse, or adult offenders who are reported to have suffered abuse as children.
Scary, huh?
Now take into consideration that we live in America, the "Greatest Nation in the World". Ask yourself, "How could we allow things like these to happen here? Shouldn’t we be able to prevent this kind of stuff from happening?" You would think so, but we can’t. It’s just a part of life. People are going to be screwed up, even in the world’s wealthiest, most spoiled, most technologically advanced society.
Shift the focus to halfway around the world, and we find a completely different story. Look at the nations where the United States is fighting its war on terror. Even before the people who push the buttons in the American government pointed their finger at these places, they were in terrible shape. Take Iraq. All the money in the country was hoarded by a despot ruler who would use a twisted version of a valid religion to keep his people under his thumb. From our high-and-mighty American point of view, we would consider this place a mess. I mean, seriously, their government would tell people what profession they were going to go into when they became adults.
The Bush Administration decides that, for whatever the true reason, America needs to free the people of Iraq. In short, we end up bombing schools, hospitals, and the already meager communities in which these people live. More importantly, civilians in Iraq died as a result of our occupation. Not only did we ruin what little economy they had and perpetrate power struggles between warring and anti-American factions, but we possibly destroyed countless families. Operations such as our invading and subsequent occupation of Iraq usually require, at least diplomatically, a little thing I like to call tact. Something which our current leadership doesn’t seem to hold in too high a regard.
If you’re a child in Iraq, now missing part or all of your family, with no place to live or go to school, and gunfire in the streets every day, what are you to think about America?
“Well, those Americans sure had my best interests at heart. Too bad I had to lose my family to get this bullshit version of freedom.”
And if we ever do get some semblance of stability integrated into the country, how long will it last? This area of the world has a history of not being able to stay stable for too long. Religious, political, and economic strife tear at these countries every day, with no believable proposition for relief in sight. How long until the guy we pick to run the country takes our money and turns against us? Again. And when it does happen, who are those children-- now much older-- who have lived through the horror and struggle of trying to rebuild their lives and country going to blame? And what are they going to teach their children about the United States?
All the crazies we have in America? They’re all over the world, and all it takes is one person to organize a group of frustrated, confused, and angry people to form the next generation of terrorists. Our gung-ho, no-regard-for-anyone-else’s-opinion attitude has started us on the road for future catastrophe. Our leadership has set something into motion that has already cost us the lives of hundreds of Americans, and I fear that many more will come in the future.
While it looks like we may not be able to ever avoid terrorist attacks, especially when we so boldly provoke them, I think the only way we can repair the damage we’ve done to our relationship with the world is to elect someone into office more compassionate to the concerns of the people of the world. Someone not fueled by vindictive rage for crimes against his father. Someone whose strings aren’t being pulled by oil companies or the morally corrupt religious right. President George W. Bush has shown little to no concern for the best interests of the country, world stability, or the children living in the countries we tear apart. Remember this in November. Remember to vote. This is going to be the most important election of our lifetime thus far. Don’t let your country suffer for four more years.