"Don't you remember???" I do, do YOU? - Democratic Underground

Mugsy

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Fri Jun-30-06 11:22 AM
Original message

"Don't you remember???" I do, do YOU?

On this Fourth of July weekend, some thoughts. You've probably had the same.

I have often imagined rational conversations in my mind between myself and a steadfast supporter of the war in Iraq, and in those mental conversations, facts and logic typically win the day.

But my conversations in real-life have yet to transgress so smoothly.

I was reminded of such early this morning, following a reply to an email I sent out this Fourth of July weekend to all my friends, Liberal and Conservative alike, observing the two year anniversary of Fahrenheit 9/11 hitting the theaters. I politely suggested that now, with the baggage of the 2004 election behind us, and a bit more perspective three years into the war in Iraq, that those who had not seen the movie or had not seen it since, to take time out of their holiday weekend to watch the movie (again?).

Within minutes, a mocking/jeering reply had hit my inbox from an intelligent, yet fact-challeged neocon friend of mine.

The Left and Right seem to see everything from dramatically different points of view. I was reminded of that fact early this morning listening to Jerry Springer on AAR discuss "protest songs" then and now. Upon return from one commercial break, a recent Country song wailed out, "Don't you remember that morning?" as the country crooner could not understand people that protest the war in Iraq. My reaction to that song, as I'm sure yours is too, is that "Yes, I remember. Do you?"

I would argue that we on the Left DO "remember". In fact, it is those on the Right that seem to be remembering something that never happened and forgetting what did occur:

I remember that Osama bin Laden attacked us on 9/11, not Saddam Hussein.
I remember that there were no Iraqi's on those planes.
I remember that we had weapons inspectors in Iraq destroying 4 al-Samoud missiles a day before we turned our attention away from getting Osama bin Laden to invade Iraq.
I remember we were told that the Iraq war would be paid for with Iraqi oil revenues and cost the American taxpayer barely a Billion dollars.
I remember that President Bush vowed not to stretch our military too thin with "Nation Building" around the world.
I remember the lessons of Vietnam and that none of the hawks in this Administration fought in it... often going to extraordinary lengths to avoid serving... yet have demonstrated nothing but contempt for those who did.
I remember the words of our Founding Fathers on the subjects of "checks & balances", "imperialism" and "basic human rights".

Our misguided friends on the Right demonstrate a very "convenient" memory, one in which Saddam Hussein, a man with no WMD's and under microscopic scrutiny, was a mortal threat to the United States... of such magnitude that it warranted distraction from completing the mission of capturing Osama bin Laden and the elimination of Al-Qaeda. A "revisionist" memory that has the entire world supporting an invasion of Iraq following the events of 9/11. A hypocritical memory that sees no disparity between "The Pro-life Party of Morality" whose war has killed more children each year than all the third-term abortions performed in the United States in the last decade.

The only thing that gives me solace at this point is the fact that their numbers are rapidly dwindling, and more and more people seem to be waking up to the reality.

"Don't you remember?" We do. Don't you?