Culture Wars...

Our opponents in Iraq and in the middle east in the War on Terror are from a Culture thousands of years old. Our leaders are from a Culture several hundred years old. There in lies the problem. I heard from one of them on T.V. the other day say that "we don't need to understand our enemy, we just need to be good leaders." This was the assessment from the FBI.

Horse Warriors. We indeed need to understand them for they will fight to the last man to rid their lands of our occupation. So many profound differences. In religion, in family hierarchies, in the way they govern of their lands. If they came to America and tried to impose their values upon us what would we do?

We tell the world that a "democratic form of leadership" is what we want to install in the Middle East. What our leaders haven't told the world is why...the reasons we have heard keep changing. What is the real reason we have set this course of action, and why hasn't Congress had an open and honest debate on this issue?

The Cost of Winning

What is winning, what is losing…

Is Winning the most important goal when the concept is flawed? We are dealing with this conundrum on a daily basis in Iraq. For some of us, from the beginning the reasons for our involvement was at best questionable. There were far too many reasons that were put to us that just did not add up.

Watching Colon Powell give his U.N. address was an eloquent exercise in body language suppression. His eyes and face told the audience that he was being a “good solder” and that we should all follow “this lead”. What he really told us on that day was that this war was not his basic strategic model, and that what we were hearing was not a strategy based upon sound military principles.

So We Won the War. And have been losing the concept of peace ever since. Why is it that winning ultimately became losing, and how or can we have our moral high ground restored in such a way, that we the American People can once again become respected in the world view of recognizing that winning sometimes is facing the realities of a failed strategy and that the idealism of our young soldiers who fight for their Country, should be supported in kind by the integrity of our leaders.

The reasons for War changed, and became visionary forged in a false sense of idealism. The vision was based wrongly upon changing a “cultural paradigm” of the tribes and chiefs, but I will save these musings for another day…

The Next Step

Will be building a voice that is reflective of our Community. We as a County have options open to us that encourage dialogue that is constructive. Most of what is posted on the blogs for our area seem to be voices for the left and right that sets up inherent opposing and unproductive thoughts and ideas, and a lot of unspeakable rants. We can do better. Our Humboldt Community is rich with folks who have the education, resources, and personal integrity to make a difference. Lets hear from those of you that have new and visionary ideas of how we can develop solutions for the issues that face our Citizens. We do not have to accept the entrenched ideologies, candidates, and divisive self serving dialogue that has defined this past election process. WE CAN DO BETTER!