I read Faiza’s blog again. When everything is over, maybe a dozen years from now, or maybe more, let nobody say that they didn’t know. My family comes from central Europe, and I often read that after the second world war, people used to claim that they didn’t know. It is no excuse.
Like Jung says in her interview (and at the very end of the movie *Der Untergang*, see 2004-10-01 Movies): There are ways of knowing, and if you never *looked* for information, that doesn’t absolve you from your crimes. I heard the following abot Swiss law some time ago:
Unwissenheit schützt vor Strafe nicht.
→ Ignorance does not protect from punishment.
You cannot delegate responsability. And if you vote for a government that causes a thousand deaths and a sea of tears, then you share some of the blame.
I keep having discussions about this with my girlfriend who thinks the Germans – and I – are overdoing their “contrition”. Between the age of eight and fourteen I went to a German school in Portugal, so it is true that my view of the second world war might be influenced by the history lessons... But the fact is that I can barely remember them. How much of an effect can they have? I prefer to think about this as my personal responsability: The nations of my ancestors participated in a war that was to cost about fifty million deaths or more. Of course, others had their share in the bloodshed. But that does not diminish the sense of responsability I feel.
Similarly, I don’t think that switching from Bush to Kerry will “absolve” the US. This fixation on the presidents just goes to show that the presidents have too much power. As for their foreign policies, they seem to be far too similar. And even if Kerry wins, the nearly 50% that voted for Bush will still be there. It’s not as if every single citizen has changed his mind about the state of the world if a new president is elected. Most of the people will *not* have changed their mind, they will *still* be citizens, and just ignoring them will do the new president no good.
So really, the rest of the world is fooling itself when they believe that the US will change in fundamental ways if Kerry is elected. And if anybody wants to vote for Kerry because then everything will be ok, think again.
1. 50% of the population will continue to be Republicans
2. The troops will still be in Iraq
3. Pulling out of Iraq will probably not save it; I think Iraq will join the ranks of failed nations
4. Whether the US pulls out or not, the US will still be the one to blame
Why is that, you might ask. Is there nothing we can do to satisfy your evergrowing lust for an escape goat? Europe being weak, points fingers at the only strong nation in the world trying to do its best. They are angry when the US moves, they are spiteful where the US succeeds, and gloat where the US fails. That just goes to show that Europe is also failing. That does not make up for the US failures.
And why don’t we just forgive? God is merciful, but the world is resentful, and so am I. I don’t think I can forget the pictures of the invasion in Iraq. Think about it. 3000 dead in the Twin Towers. How many dead in Iraq? (Check the Iraq Body Count website.) If you pray hard enough, God may forgive. Perhaps the war mongers may forgive themselves. I don’t think I can.
2006-10-11 Iraq Body Count Study
#Iraq #Untergang
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I understand. Nonetheless, I hope you understand how critically important it is that Kerry win this election.
There is an angle here in the US that, “I’m not going to vote, because they’re all bad.”
We who are working to make sure that Kerry wins; We have to battle this idea all the time.
Yes, US foreign policy is enormously wrong. Yes, Kerry probably won’t change that significantly.
BUT: It won’t be nearly as bad as Bush.
Noam Chomsky is voting for Kerry, and encouraging others to do so.
We’re feeling the tension very strongly here in the USA. – LionKimbro
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I wish you all the best, and I certainly wish things would change, but I must confess I have little hope. 🙁
I fear that even if there were a sudden change in policy, the US would just pull out and abandon the country and its people. I’m not sure there are any “good” decisions to take right now, except for a thousand small steps that the administration in Iraq should be doing, I guess.
As for the situation in the US, I really hope for better health-care, better education for the masses, better infrastructure, and to me that means first and foremost: More taxes.
– Alex Schroeder 2004-10-22 20:45 UTC
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Yeah, I have no problem with more taxes.
– LionKimbro 2004-10-23 05:10 UTC
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Alex recommended http://www.paulgraham.com/, where there is this quote that addresses the Bush-Kerry dilemma:
“Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.”