Red meat and the war in Iraq
Double whammie tonight.
First of all, I've decided to give up red meat until Easter. It's part of my effort to really reconnect with my spiritual side, which hasn't really been speaking to me as of late.
It also has to do with the fact that a recent doctor's visit revealed I've put on a few more pounds than I like.
Now, for some of you, maybe giving up red meat for an extended period of time is no big deal. For me, it's huge. It's enormous. It's colossal. Remember when David Blaine stood on that lampost in Central Park for like two days? This is bigger than that. If humans are made up of 70 percent water, than my remaining 30 percent is divided between 5 percent vital organs and bones, and 25 percent ground beef and steak. I love my red meat. I am an unabashed carnivore. Always have been and always will be. You'll get my quarterpounder with cheese when you pry it from my cold, dead, high-cholesterol hand.
But I've always felt a desire to not have anything have a hold on me. I don't like being in anything's power. I quit smoking cold turkey this summer after about 8 years of pack-a-day smoking because I didn't like the fact that it controlled my actions. Probably the dominant side of me that always wants to be in charge. So, red meat falls into that category. So I am casting it aside. It will test my will power, and rae, my poor slave, will probably suffer as much as I will, from having a cranky Master. But fasting and sacrifice always worked in the old days when people wanted to reconnect with God, so here's hoping that being prime rib deficient will help put me back on the Jesus short list (I know it takes more than that, but not going to go into all my other efforts today).
Now, I've been watching the news coming out of Iraq with some dread. Everybody's tossing the words "Civil War" around. Originally, I supported the war. I believed Bush (one of my "what the fuck was I thinking moments") when he came up and started talking about WMDs and yellow cakes of uranium and all that. But it wasn't long until I started rethinking my position. At the time I was a reporter on the Hill and I heard things and got a lot of different viewpoints. It didn't take long for me to change my view completely. I think it was a big freakin' mistake and about two years ago I predicted that Iraq's most likely path is civil war.
You see, Iraq isn't a country that was founded by its own people, first of all. It's a false creation of the United Kingdom. The Kurds, Sunnis and shiites never said "Hey, let's all live together and make a great country called Iraq!" In fact, they'd rather have nothing to do with one another.
They were forced together so that European powers could more easily manage oil extraction for their benefit. Much like what happened in Africa in regards to diamonds and gold. All that infighting in Africa is because different groups of people were forced to be one nation or another with people they historically never got along with. Usually for some very good reasons. We're seeing Africa go through its growing pains because it's shaking off imperialism. Basically, it's like a spring that's been held compressed for 300 years or more. When you let go, either rapidly or slowly, it's going to revert to its original shape, one of least resistance for its components. For us humans, that means civil war, strife, the break-up of nations and realignment of power.
This is, I feel, what will happen in Iraq. The Sunnis don't want to live with the Shiites, and everyone knows the Kurds want their own nation. The Shiites, in many cases, would rather be Iranians. And, honestly, who are we to say they can't?
The unfortunate part is that these realignments rarely happen without a lot of bloodshed, and quite often the people who end up in power are the ones we really, really would rather not have there.
I think, in the end, the only really good allies we're going to get out of this is the kurds. And that's if we don't screw them over by siding with Turkey when they want to form their own nation (which will eventually happen...we're just putting off the inevitable on that one). The Iranians will back the shiites, and if we interfere the Iraqi Shiites will scream that we're favoring the sunnis. The sunnis contain a lot of the old baathists and would very likely propel Saddam or someone close to him back to power if they could. So, in a civil war that means we either, in essence, help the Iranians or help Saddam's old crew. Or we could leave them all to kill each other or try to stop both of them, meaning that both sides will be ticked off at us, believing we favored one for the other.
The sunnis are already going to cry foul if real fighting breaks out. Most of those guys we trained and gave new equipment to in order to restart the Iraqi military are shiites. So we've given them the training and gear to help them kill lots and lots of sunnis. Something the sunnis will never let us forget.
The only good part about all this is that neither side is likely to tie itself close to al queada. At least I hope not.
And, when the smoke clears, everyone is going to blame us.
First of all, I've decided to give up red meat until Easter. It's part of my effort to really reconnect with my spiritual side, which hasn't really been speaking to me as of late.
It also has to do with the fact that a recent doctor's visit revealed I've put on a few more pounds than I like.
Now, for some of you, maybe giving up red meat for an extended period of time is no big deal. For me, it's huge. It's enormous. It's colossal. Remember when David Blaine stood on that lampost in Central Park for like two days? This is bigger than that. If humans are made up of 70 percent water, than my remaining 30 percent is divided between 5 percent vital organs and bones, and 25 percent ground beef and steak. I love my red meat. I am an unabashed carnivore. Always have been and always will be. You'll get my quarterpounder with cheese when you pry it from my cold, dead, high-cholesterol hand.
But I've always felt a desire to not have anything have a hold on me. I don't like being in anything's power. I quit smoking cold turkey this summer after about 8 years of pack-a-day smoking because I didn't like the fact that it controlled my actions. Probably the dominant side of me that always wants to be in charge. So, red meat falls into that category. So I am casting it aside. It will test my will power, and rae, my poor slave, will probably suffer as much as I will, from having a cranky Master. But fasting and sacrifice always worked in the old days when people wanted to reconnect with God, so here's hoping that being prime rib deficient will help put me back on the Jesus short list (I know it takes more than that, but not going to go into all my other efforts today).
Now, I've been watching the news coming out of Iraq with some dread. Everybody's tossing the words "Civil War" around. Originally, I supported the war. I believed Bush (one of my "what the fuck was I thinking moments") when he came up and started talking about WMDs and yellow cakes of uranium and all that. But it wasn't long until I started rethinking my position. At the time I was a reporter on the Hill and I heard things and got a lot of different viewpoints. It didn't take long for me to change my view completely. I think it was a big freakin' mistake and about two years ago I predicted that Iraq's most likely path is civil war.
You see, Iraq isn't a country that was founded by its own people, first of all. It's a false creation of the United Kingdom. The Kurds, Sunnis and shiites never said "Hey, let's all live together and make a great country called Iraq!" In fact, they'd rather have nothing to do with one another.
They were forced together so that European powers could more easily manage oil extraction for their benefit. Much like what happened in Africa in regards to diamonds and gold. All that infighting in Africa is because different groups of people were forced to be one nation or another with people they historically never got along with. Usually for some very good reasons. We're seeing Africa go through its growing pains because it's shaking off imperialism. Basically, it's like a spring that's been held compressed for 300 years or more. When you let go, either rapidly or slowly, it's going to revert to its original shape, one of least resistance for its components. For us humans, that means civil war, strife, the break-up of nations and realignment of power.
This is, I feel, what will happen in Iraq. The Sunnis don't want to live with the Shiites, and everyone knows the Kurds want their own nation. The Shiites, in many cases, would rather be Iranians. And, honestly, who are we to say they can't?
The unfortunate part is that these realignments rarely happen without a lot of bloodshed, and quite often the people who end up in power are the ones we really, really would rather not have there.
I think, in the end, the only really good allies we're going to get out of this is the kurds. And that's if we don't screw them over by siding with Turkey when they want to form their own nation (which will eventually happen...we're just putting off the inevitable on that one). The Iranians will back the shiites, and if we interfere the Iraqi Shiites will scream that we're favoring the sunnis. The sunnis contain a lot of the old baathists and would very likely propel Saddam or someone close to him back to power if they could. So, in a civil war that means we either, in essence, help the Iranians or help Saddam's old crew. Or we could leave them all to kill each other or try to stop both of them, meaning that both sides will be ticked off at us, believing we favored one for the other.
The sunnis are already going to cry foul if real fighting breaks out. Most of those guys we trained and gave new equipment to in order to restart the Iraqi military are shiites. So we've given them the training and gear to help them kill lots and lots of sunnis. Something the sunnis will never let us forget.
The only good part about all this is that neither side is likely to tie itself close to al queada. At least I hope not.
And, when the smoke clears, everyone is going to blame us.
posted by Dark Lord at 8:22 PM
6 Comments:
didnt know the red meat had such a hold on ya. gotta dominate it too?
gonna beat that meat?
wait....errr...that didnt come out right...ummm....ahhh
. the heck wit it......
You know, I never really took a hard look at politics until I started seeing your S.O. posts. I have to say, I feel that at least you're not exaggerating the truth (one or or the other). Keep it up.
As for the meat, you're going to realize that there will always be something holding power over you. Be it the Gov't, Women, Food, etc., can't fight them all. (But you can damn sure try.)
His desire to be in control of everything controls him. Sorry, had to say that, just to pick on him.
One...you're being a pussy for giving up red meat...we were given canines for one reason and one reason only...the ripping and tearing of flesh...
And consider this...if you're going to talk about the concept of tribes being forced together because of some European idea...do you really think that it would be a good idea to walk away and let them do it themselves?
Shady said:
And consider this...if you're going to talk about the concept of tribes being forced together because of some European idea...do you really think that it would be a good idea to walk away and let them do it themselves?
My response: Hmmmm, try as I might I can't find in there where I said that, making it a tad hard to debate....
You said: "They were forced together so that European powers could more easily manage oil extraction for their benefit. Much like what happened in Africa in regards to diamonds and gold. All that infighting in Africa is because different groups of people were forced to be one nation or another with people they historically never got along with."
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