The side of life

Okay, I know I haven't posted lately. I guess I couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't simply repeating what I had already said. But, something has been bugging me lately and I need to say something.

My mom saw a bumper sticker that she thought I'd like: "War for Peace is like Fucking for Virginity".

Exactly.

Then, I go to this website a few days ago. There is a person on this website that is always taunting political controversies in front of everyone. (Can you say troll?) I have no real issue with Republicans, but this guy is such a right-wing tool. I don't want to say who he reminds me of, but his name rhymes with Schmil O'Schmiley. I'm not even sure why I keep going to this website. I'm sure I am just harboring some deep masochistic tendencies.

Anyway, website. They were talking about Guantanamo and the percentage of people released from there who went back to terrorism. Hmm...to me, "went back" means that we can prove they were doing it in the first place and if we could have, then why did we release them? If we cannot prove someone broke the law, then we need to either a)release them or b)fix our system if we find we are releasing too many criminals. And by "fix our system", I don't mean kill them before we get a chance to try them. Yeah, I've heard that suggestion.

Okay, what bugged me was someone saying what I've just said and then getting the response "Give me a simple answer: are you on America's side or the terrorists' side?"

My answer? (and no, it wasn't me involved in all this) I am on life's side.

How would we react if someone came to our country and knocked down our government? And then they stayed for years and showed no signs of leaving? If our electricity, phones and water were now iffy, at best? If we had lost control of all that we had? Would we have fought back?

And how would we react if someone came into our country and stole it out from beneath us? And then pushed us into little patches of land with no way out, quite literally? Rewrote history and made sure that the rest of the world would hate us? Would we fight back?

Two different situations, I know, but kind of related in that propaganda abounds here. We only tell the one side of it. And they only tell, I'm sure, their side of it. Except, they are there. They have to live with bombs and soldiers and not knowing where the next meal will come from or if their children will live through the day. So, forgive me if I give their side of the story just a little bit more weight.

Now, I am not saying anyone is right for bombing, even in self-defense, but unless we can say that we would do it differently, how can we judge them so harshly? And, you know, if I knew that every time I did anything, I would be vilified and that every time my foe did something to me, they would be supported and loved...I think I would be pretty mad and desperate, too. One of the first things they do in couples therapy is teach the couple to listen to each other and to give each other's feelings validation. I think people are a lot less angry when they feel like someone is listening to them, that's all.