What Do We Teach Our Children?
There are things that never seem to make sense to me. Being a home-school father I have to consider what it is I'm teaching my boys. But there are certain things that I have no true answer for. Maybe some of you can help me. For instance, I'm supposed to believe the US is killing Iraqis for their own good, I mean the good of the Iraqis (free from Hussein) and the good of the US (nice enough to free the Iraqis from Hussein). But I don't understand how killing kids and women and indiscriminate hellfire from gunships is going to achieve any sort of good feelings among anyone in Iraq. Or that the US stands up for democracy and human rights, but then imprison people indefinitely with no lawyers and no hope for trial or appeal or bail or anything related to western freedoms. Then there's the odd fact of the US excemption from international war crimes tribunals. Well, to me, if a country is all for real freedom, they would set the good example and show the planet that they have nothing to hide from. In fact, if this were a normal case in the US, the defence (the US) would be begging for their day in court to finally once and for all be able to show the world that they are in earnest when it comes to human rights and freedom. But to demand excemption, to me, is akin to wishing to keep themselves safe from prosecution. Why would the US need to guarantee themselves safety from prosecution? Well, if we weren't talking about the US and international law, we would all know it was because they fear they may have to be accountable for their actions. We know it.
The war in Iraq is really confusing. Imagine some alien landing here and going to the library and reading all the history books about the US. Then imagine them going to Iraq and seeing for themselves what's really going on there. They'd think they were on another planet (lol). Actions are the proof and words only go so far. It's easy for someone to spout off about how great and free the US is, but it's harder for them to defend the actions of their own troops over there. So the result is that they turn defensive (as they should) and lash out with patriotic zeal and the overall ending "you're a troll". I find it all too confusing to try sort out for my kids, and it gets harder every day. In the end, to my kids, it seems as if the US is the actual bad guy. They see the news and see the hooded kids and women and men, and they think the US is wrong in doing that to them. What can I tell them? That the kids and women may be carrying something to kill the Americans? Well I can't since there isn't any information about any women and children blowing themselves up to kill a few GI's. You have to keep in mind that the overall picture states that the US is in Iraq to help the Iraqi people. That's where the confusion comes in. If the US never kept saying that, my kids wouldn't be as confused as they are. You can't help by shooting guns and tanks and unleasing Apache helicopters on the Iraqi populations. You just can't.
Someone help me so I can explain these discrepancies to my kin.