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I would like to be the first to welcome the “War on Terror” to the great pasture of America’s “wars.” Within five years, the “War on Terror” will have a small plot next to the “War on Poverty” and the “War on Drugs.” All of these great “wars” are fought against massive, decentralized, occasionally intangible, and certainly undefined enemies. Our “wars” started as noble efforts by one president and were dutifully passed on to the next commander-in-chief. Once more than a decade has past and a third president inherits the “war,” the American populace loses its original hawkish zeal and takes up some new cause. Nonetheless, it would be disrespectful, unpatriotic, and frankly unwise to pull the plug on any given “war.” So the “wars” continue.
The real tragedy here is that these “wars” cause us to overlook the cause of the problems themselves. President Bush only began pressing for a cease-fire in the Holy Land when U.S. inattention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict threatened to prevent Americans from having access to Arab bases for extension of the “War on Terror” to Iraq. Still, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the heart of many terrorist issues. Similarly, the U.S. has provided large sums of money to the Columbian government to fight drug traffickers, but the U.S. has not provided alternative livelihoods to those farmers for whom cocaine represents the only savior from poverty. Instead, we spray toxic chemicals on their farms and their futures.
We must accept that there will always be some poverty, some drug abusers, and some violent extremists. Accepting that fact, we must work to provide clear and tangible solutions to the causes of these “wars.” We must build roads for counties before we will be able to build inroads for our “wars.”
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Whitney Haring-Smith
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Thank you Whitney Haring-Smith N Gadd | Apr 19th, 2002
The greatest gift any human could have is individuality, and the ability to rebel against perceived norms.
When Englishmen such as myself consistently hear shallow rhetoric from the American president or reporting by the American media, it is refreshing to hear the viewpoints of those Americans who rebel against the general consensus, those who are willing to stick their necks out and ask for the reasons, the justifications, the causes of the problems in the world.
You can be proud, Whitney Haring-Smith, you can be proud.
Whitney Haring Smith in '04! Cameron Foster | May 29th, 2003
Nima Ghadiri writes that, "The greatest gift any human could have is individuality, [sic] and the ability to rebel against perceived norms." While that might be true, the greatest fault any liberal could have is the incapacity to see beyond cliched rebellion. Unfortunately, Mr. Haring Smith, you display no such sign of individuality or originality in your banal criticism of the current administration. You lament America's fight against "decentralized " enemies while using some of the most "decentralized" rhetoric that I have ever seen advanced in scholarly debate. "Once more than a decade has past [sic] and a third president has inherited the 'war,'" you write, "the American populace loses its original hawkish zeal and takes up some new cause." And what cause might that be, Mr. Haring Smith? Committing genocide against SARS-infected Canadians? Please! As best I can tell, Karl Rove is able to spoon feed Americans whatever sugar-coated image of President-cum-fighter-pilot George Bush he wants. The fact remains that despite pathetic pockets of decentralized dissent, the majority of Americans favored military action in Iraq - in part due to the lapdog antics of the American media. Also, what does cocaine have to do with Iraq? Alas, I digress - but you did first. Of course complicated problems require complicated solutions, Mr. Haring Smith. But to simply call attention to a problem without articulating a solution is juvenile. From one good liberal to another, stop whining and start thinking. Put such tired and pedantic whimpering out to pasture and become the type of problem solver that the Dems so desperately need.
Whitney Haring Smith in '04! Cameron Foster | May 29th, 2003
Nima Ghadiri writes that, "The greatest gift any human could have is individuality, [sic] and the ability to rebel against perceived norms." While that might be true, the greatest fault any liberal could have is the incapacity to see beyond cliched rebellion. Unfortunately, Mr. Haring Smith, you display no such sign of individuality or originality in your banal criticism of the current administration. You lament America's fight against "decentralized " enemies while using some of the most "decentralized" rhetoric that I have ever seen advanced in scholarly debate. "Once more than a decade has past [sic] and a third president has inherited the 'war,'" you write, "the American populace loses its original hawkish zeal and takes up some new cause." And what cause might that be, Mr. Haring Smith? Committing genocide against SARS-infected Canadians? Please! As best I can tell, Karl Rove is able to spoon feed Americans whatever sugar-coated image of President-cum-fighter-pilot George Bush he wants. The fact remains that despite pathetic pockets of decentralized dissent, the majority of Americans favored military action in Iraq - in part due to the lapdog antics of the American media. Also, what does cocaine have to do with Iraq? Alas, I digress - but you did first. Of course complicated problems require complicated solutions, Mr. Haring Smith. But to simply call attention to a problem without articulating a solution is juvenile. From one good liberal to another, stop whining and start thinking. Put such tired and pedantic whimpering out to pasture and become the type of problem solver that the Dems so desperately need.
Whitney Haring Smith in '04! Cameron Foster | May 29th, 2003
Nima Ghadiri writes that, "The greatest gift any human could have is individuality, [sic] and the ability to rebel against perceived norms." While that might be true, the greatest fault any liberal could have is the incapacity to see beyond cliched rebellion. Unfortunately, Mr. Haring Smith, you display no such sign of individuality or originality in your banal criticism of the current administration. You lament America's fight against "decentralized " enemies while using some of the most "decentralized" rhetoric that I have ever seen advanced in scholarly debate. "Once more than a decade has past [sic] and a third president has inherited the 'war,'" you write, "the American populace loses its original hawkish zeal and takes up some new cause." And what cause might that be, Mr. Haring Smith? Committing genocide against SARS-infected Canadians? Please! As best I can tell, Karl Rove is able to spoon feed Americans whatever sugar-coated image of President-cum-fighter-pilot George Bush he wants. The fact remains that despite pathetic pockets of decentralized dissent, the majority of Americans favored military action in Iraq - in part due to the lapdog antics of the American media. Also, what does cocaine have to do with Iraq? Alas, I digress - but you did first. Of course complicated problems require complicated solutions, Mr. Haring Smith. But to simply call attention to a problem without articulating a solution is juvenile. From one good liberal to another, stop whining and start thinking. Put such tired and pedantic whimpering out to pasture and become the type of problem solver that the Dems so desperately need.
Whitney Haring Smith in '04! Cameron Foster | May 29th, 2003
Nima Ghadiri writes that, "The greatest gift any human could have is individuality, [sic] and the ability to rebel against perceived norms." While that might be true, the greatest fault any liberal could have is the incapacity to see beyond cliched rebellion. Unfortunately, Mr. Haring Smith, you display no such sign of individuality or originality in your banal criticism of the current administration. You lament America's fight against "decentralized " enemies while using some of the most "decentralized" rhetoric that I have ever seen advanced in scholarly debate. "Once more than a decade has past [sic] and a third president has inherited the 'war,'" you write, "the American populace loses its original hawkish zeal and takes up some new cause." And what cause might that be, Mr. Haring Smith? Committing genocide against SARS-infected Canadians? Please! As best I can tell, Karl Rove is able to spoon feed Americans whatever sugar-coated image of President-cum-fighter-pilot George Bush he wants. The fact remains that despite pathetic pockets of decentralized dissent, the majority of Americans favored military action in Iraq - in part due to the lapdog antics of the American media. Also, what does cocaine have to do with Iraq? Alas, I digress - but you did first. Of course complicated problems require complicated solutions, Mr. Haring Smith. But to simply call attention to a problem without articulating a solution is juvenile. From one good liberal to another, stop whining and start thinking. Put such tired and pedantic whimpering out to pasture and become the type of problem solver that the Dems so desperately need.
Calling attention to a problem is juvenile? David S. Shafer | Aug 12th, 2003
Calling attention to a problem without articulating a solution is juvenile? I must disagree. The person who sees the problem isn't always in a position to solve it (or perhaps even to suggest a solution), but that shouldn't prevent them from bringing the problem into the light of public scrutiny and debate. That's the kind of seperatist "more-left-than-thou" politics that prevents the mainstream from becoming a constructive part of the process, and keeps the parties kowtowing to the middle (owing to the perception that people simply don't care). "You may not discuss this problem unless you have the proper credentials to suggest a solution I won't criticize." I say talk about the problem all you want. Discuss it. Debate it. Hold and stroke it. Talk about the problem in every public venue, force the media to talk about it, expose the problem, solutions be damned. Sometimes being a part of the solution means simply convincing others the problem exists, then enlisting their help to find a lasting solution. Perhaps you should put your own whining out to pasture and become the type of _collaborative_ problem solver the Democracts even more desperately need.
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