Get ‘em the hell outta’ there!

I wish we would just remove the troops from Afghanistan and be done with it. Sure, I know it’s not that simple but it sounds good. I read an article in the NY Times that said President Obama is scheduled to announce his decision next week, regarding how many troops he will be sending to Afghanistan. Although, it wasn’t his decision to start this whole thing and send them in the first place, he is left to clean up the mess. He says that he does intend to “finish the job”. I know it’s necessary to send additional troops over to assist with the withdrawal. I also know that it’s not as cut and dry as a lot of people may think. President Obama doesn’t just make a phone call and say, “Ok, it’s over. Round ‘em up, we’re closing down shop and everyone’s coming home!” Besides searching for answers to the 9/11 attacks, I don’t see why we’re still over there. Does it really take almost 9 years? In other cases, I feel that the U.S. spends a lot of unnecessary time trying to help “fix” other countries’ problems. Some that would otherwise have a negative impact on the U.S., sometimes not. In some cases, these countries will never be “fixed”. They are not “fixable”. All I’m saying is that there has been a LOT of unnecessary bloodshed in Afghanistan over the years. I’m looking forward to hearing the details of President Obama’s “comprehensive strategy” next week to see if we may truly be nearing the end of this long and drawn out war.

On the side-

Let me also take this opportunity to say that it really irritates me that the media refers to President Obama as, “Mr. Obama”!! I found this to be the case in most (if not all) of the political articles and blogs I’ve read online regarding President Obama. It seems a bit disrespectful. You may choose to address your father-in-law by “Mr.”, but not the President of the United States. He has worked hard and has earned the title of President. So let’s show him a little respect. I don’t recall any of the previous presidents being referred to as “Mr. Bush” or “Mr. Clinton”. Why does the media think this is okay? Do they not recognize this as being incorrect? Or, do they not care? I don't get it.

Mind your OWN business, America!

I found a great post titled, “Equal rights for ALL” written by Mollie H., discussing the gay rights controversy. I think this is a wonderfully written article. She mentions that, “When you deny two people from having a legal marriage contract, you are not just denying marriage, but their basic rights as American citizens.” I couldn’t agree more. Mollie makes several excellent points to support her argument. One of these being, “Our country has a bad track record for denying people their basic rights due to fear. A fear of people who have different colored skin, people of different genders, people with disabilities, and now people who love differently.” This totally goes against the idea of “equality for all citizens”. In each of these cases, it has taken us a while to finally get it right (equal rights for minorities, women, people with disabilities). Why are Americans so scared of change and of others who don’t fit the typical American stereotype? Secondly, she points out, “One main argument against same sex marriage is that being a homosexual is a choice.” True, whether or not being gay is a choice or not, either way, no one desires or chooses to be discriminated against. So, why does it matter?

I believe that if more people were to just mind their own business regarding these controversial issues (abortion, religion, gay rights), the world could be a better place. Regarding these issues, why in the world does anyone care about how his or her neighbor chooses to live their life? Their choices and decisions are for them to take up with their own God, they have to live with them. It is NOBODY else’s business. People should respect the views and opinions of other people. You don’t have to agree with them or adopt their views and beliefs but they should be respected. This is what makes us all different, unique individuals. It is the beauty of being an American.