Okay, so first legit blog entry ha ha. It’s going to be kind of random, just some commentary on personal and global events of the past few days. First off I saw the midnight showing of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen last night! It was really good, I thought it was an excellent sequel. Granted, it’s obviously not supposed to be a deep, plot-driven film….but when you accept that and appreciate it for the summer blockbuster that it is, I feel most people will be more than satisfied. Needless to say I didn’t get to bed until 3:30 this morning, so I was not too pleased to have to get up at 7:00 a.m. and go to work:/ I definitely hit up a Doubleshot! I don’t think my night tonight will consist of much ha ha, just reading and catching up on all my missed sleep!
On to slightly more important issues…Iran. I just want to comment on the turmoil going on overseas. My heart grieves for the people over there, especially the martyrs like Neda. It infuriates me to watch the injustice, to see people stripped of their personal freedoms: like free speech, right to assembly, or simply mourning the death of a loved one. The images coming from that country are heart wrenching, and let’s face it…who doesn’t want to punch the “Re-elected” President and the Ayatollah in the face? That being said, I think Washington is making a wise decision right now to not intervene. There are several reasons behind this thought: first, as difficult as it is to admit, this is a part of democracy. People protest when there is an injustice, they clash with the government, and though the struggle may be long and unfortunately brutal, in the end that is how governments are reformed by the people. Our nation has a severely violent history of this same cycle. Our military used to release vicious dogs on crowds or spray them with fire hoses during civil rights movements. Think of Vietnam and the violence in our nation…I feel like I don’t need to go into detail about those riots. Point being, we have a track record of more riots and equal violence, but in the end we have gotten change. Bills were passed, wars were ended; yes lives were lost but sadly that is inevitable when it comes to human interaction. So we need to stay out, let this country do this on its own, not descend like superior parents intervening in their children’s fight…that would be hypocritical. Secondly, if we intervene we will not only increase Middle Eastern tensions but also no one will respect the change that has taken place and it will mean so much less than if the people were to succeed on there own. Just as you cannot make a friend in a bad relationship get out, you have to let them get out when they are ready, on their own. Otherwise they can collapse back into the familiar. We have to let the people do this on their own, so that they’re own country will know, the world will know, and they will know that this is the voice of the people this is what they want and it will stand because they fought for it. Lastly, from a simple feasibility perspective, we already inhabit two countries locked in a deadly war on terror. I don’t know that it would be wise to spread ourselves even thinner, especially with North Korea’s recent belligerence and the fact that right now a mere 500 kilometers separates their bomb and our shores. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no isolationist, and I am all about defending democracy…but right now democracy in Iran has a defender, and that is the people. I think we are in the right position as of now, we are closely observing and voicing our support for the people. It is pressure from the rest of the world that will make a bigger impact right now, the actions of the Iranians speaks louder than ours ever would on their behalf. Given the circumstances I think we should stay put. I still pray for the people, and I hope they do not lose faith, their resistance will prove fruitful in the end, though we can not be disillusioned by hopes for a quick fix. But their endurance and perseverance will raise them above the corruption, and assure that the deaths of the innocents like Neda will have not been in vain.
- Lindsey
