Tuesday, March 3, 2009

   A Post Dedicated in Memory of Many Brave Europeans
The other night TS was surprised when I mentioned the United States wasn’t the only country that had troops in the Middle East. She asked me to do a post about it; so I will. Just as a disclaimer, I completely support all U.S. troops. I’m only criticizing the American government and the media in this post when I refer to the United States.

Many Americans who only watch local news programs and read local newspapers only realize what’s going on in within the affairs of the United States. It is very easy to not see beyond internal affairs when in the United States. It’s like a house with its lights on at night analogy. The inside of the house is the United States and the outside is the rest of the world. Outside of the house you can see inside the house and also what’s around you. Inside the house you can only see what’s around you. The dark outside seems an irrelevant mass of nothingness. Other nations know what’s going on in the United States and the rest of the world as well. In the United States the media tends to portray our country that is doing everything on its own. It wants us to feel extremely patriotic. I think Americans would still feel just as patriotic even with all of the facts. The United States does not rule the world. It is a member of the United Nations and works in cooperation with other countries against terrorism in hopes of a better world. At least in the best case scenario. What we’re really stuck in is an oil war. There are terrorists all around the world, though Al Qaeda is the main threat. There are all kinds of places that need our help. If the destitute areas in Africa had oil reserves the United States would’ve long charged in there, and stopped the genocides. The government only cares about the United States. That’s why the media has to portray as in an US VERSUS THE REST OF THE WORLD fashion. It portrays other countries either as weak, an enemy, or completely incompetent. A good example is a few years ago when people were in their “Freedom Fries” phase. France and the rest of Europe are fighting for our freedom, too. If not in active troops in relief forces and aid to areas of the world in need. You can very much thank the British combat troops as much for the hairs on your head as the American troops. It’s not just Iraq. The real war is in Afghanistan and other Middle East hotspots.

It’s up to you to be informed about what’s going on in the world. Don’t expect the media to hand you anything on a platter. I do have a high respect for journalists like Richard Engle who live among the people they are reporting on, and give us the 411 straight up form both sides. We need more journalists like that. You have to the one at least step on the front porch of the house and see for yourself what’s going on.

Here are some sites to start.

BBC News is a great news site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3847051.stm


This site lists the names of the people who have died in the name of freedom. The link goes to the list of the brave people who died in Afghanistan. Seeing all of the names is a lot more eye-opening than just hearing a vague number.

What really gets me is seeing the names of the younger soldiers who died and whose lives were cut short for the sake of democracy and our future. Mark Weijdt, a sergeant in the Royal Dutch Army of the Netherlands died for you, TS at the age of 24 in Afghanistan. Jamie Gunn, a British Rifleman died for you one week to to this day at the age of 21, you’ll have to drink a few rounds for him when you turn 21 this year because he won’t ever be able to go see his friends at the pub ever again. You’re boyfriend will turn 19 this year. A French soldier of that age never made it back home for Christmas. Neither did a Polish first lieutenant named Robert Marczewski. And neither did Roman Schmidt of Germany-just 22 years old . . .

http://icasualties.org/OEF/Afghanistan.aspx


Don’t forget what they gave up so you would have the freedom to go on not knowing the valor of America’s greatest allies.


KawaiiMelody out.
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