....and not the world.
I personally cast my vote on November 4, 2008 in favor of Barack Obama as president of the united states. although I appreciate his mass appeal to just about everyone on this planet, i do have to come to the realization that Obama was indeed elected to look out for american interests and the welfare of its various alliances and whatnot.
american presidents have been doing this since the birth of this great union...and we can expect this trend to continue - kenyan-blooded president or not. considering the position of the united states as the rome of its day and its founding principles of committment to justice and equality for all, i have never been totally comfortable with such a self-interested view. i have mentioned this in a previous post american independence day 2008, when I came to the conclusion that in the US the life of one american seems to be far worth the life anyone else.
as i tuned into the comments of newly minted President Barack Obama on the Israeli attacks on the Gaza strip, i find that i now have to amend that previous conclusion. the life of one american and perhaps its allies trumps that of hundreds of other non-american or non-allied people. as much as i love the man, i must be very honest - the position of Barack Obama - and democrats in general - is not terribly different from past administrations such as Bush I and II. i guess Obama does admit that humanitarian assistance is needed in the Gaza strip - but that is about it. i find this very disconcerting.
Since the unrest late December, there have been a total of 13 Israeli deaths (mostly soldiers) while on the Palestinian side, the number is at 1,200, with the majority being innocent civilians. as much as i am for any country defending its borders, i think that common sense would tell us that the punishment did not fit the crime. however, in keeping with the american ideology that americans and their partners lives are worth far more than that of others, a CNN poll found that the majority of americans felt that the israeli use of force was too little or just about right...
of course i found this incredibly troubling especially after watching the account of this young man, a former middlebury college student, who lost two brothers due to this "justified" onslaught of violence against palestinians. as someone who has brothers of my own, i could not help but see myself in him and consider that quite possibly, we all are deserving of the right to life - regardless of nationality or affliation.
7 comments:
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Nneoma, Happy New Year.
Not to sure about the intricacies of the latests flare-up of violence from the Middle East ie Israel and the Gaza strip.
However, it is good to see that you have not abandoned your reasoning, to say that President Obama (and the Democrats) are 100% right all the time. Please remain independent and committed to your principals.
Just a little point. When sub-Saharan Africans are suffering, do the people of Gaza or Palestine pay a blind bit of notice?
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@anonymous - hmmm, this is the first time i have considered deleting a comment....however, in an effort to stay true to my commitment to free speech, I'll let you have your say...though i am waaaay to tired to even attempt to address your tirade...just don't have the strength, man (or woman).
@codliveroil - thanks, though Obama and the democrats are not right 100% of the time...to me, they have a better scorecard that some of the other political parties.
As for your last comment...I don't know if Palestinians give a hoot about us...personally, if i lived constant in fear of the Israeli version of justice (the killing of innocents and civilians which has been taking place for centuries....check the Holy Book), I wouldn't necessarily give much priority to the outside world. By the way, I am against injustice against any people group - whether they hold sub-Saharan sympathies or not. thanks for your thoughtful comments though.
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That was indeed a sad war and you are right about the punishment far outweighing the crime.
The crime. Interesting thing that. I did not understand why Hamas would keep "rocketing" Israel until I went into the whole history of how Israel came to be.
Who is right in this case?
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Anonymous just left the real issue. Where is s/he coming from
Anyways, America has being playing big brother and getting to cnsider that they are more important (as far as life to right life goes). That seems of point though
I just want all these wars going on to stop. Honestly, peace isn't as costly as war.
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@in my head and all around me - difficult question....and it is difficult for me to answer objectively and without inserting religious sentiments. regardless, i still think that even in the absence of a definite solution that satisfies both parties, there should be some semblance of peaceful coexistence of the two nations...after all they are brothers.
@StandTall - my dear, i have no idea where anonymous is coming from - but he has a right to his own opinion. as for peace....nothing good ever comes without some difficulty....
don't expect much from a president who is a fraud and refuses to even prove his location of birth. anyone that willfully chooses to kill more babies around the world does not care much about adult lives. anyone who voted for this joker made a huge mistake.