Watching the Operation Iraqi Freedom with a Bowl of Popcorn in your Lap

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

When I was 16, George W. Bush along with his enablers in Congress of both parties made the decision to invade a sovereign country and topple its regime. I remember many at the time thought Iraq post-Hussein would be like a Germany post-Hitler. WRONG!

Anyways, you mostly agree with me here, so I won't continue on this.

What I wanted to share with you was this: my mother frequents the JCC, and during the beginning of the invasion, while working out there, she ran into a man who told her couldn't wait to get home to watch the invasion on TV. He literally said that he would prepare popcorn and watch the CNN coverage as though it were a movie (note that I say CNN, for all of you who might think it's on our side).

What is the perspective here on this? And has war become more or less an entertainment for armchair patriots in this commercialized post-Industrial consumeristic America? Let's discuss this.

[Erika]

1. My Marine nephew is on his third tour

He's almost 22. He scraped up buddies remains in Falluja. He suffered a loss of hearing and a concussion.


If W wishes to continue this "war", he should reinstate the draft. This insane "war" would end instantly.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

3. Meanwhile, others look at it as though it's Terminator 2

It's unacceptable.

[magellan]

2. Welcome to DU, StudentsMustUniteNow!

Yeah, I think a lot of people look at it as entertainment...and our political establishment knows it. They even branded their product and introduced the name in a great big corporate media build-up beforehand: SHOCK & AWE™.

Bread and circuses.

:hi:

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

4. Thank you Magellan! n/t

:popcorn:

literally.

[Erika]

5. I'll never forget the 13 year old boy who got his arms shot off

in the Shock and Awe campaign. So much for any morality on our part.

This is one reason the world now distrusts us and holds us in contempt.

[magellan]

14. When we do it it's "collateral damage"

...and brushed off as necessary when chasing terrorist targets. "We regret the loss of innocent life but if we have to shoot we will. It's war."

Then we're quickly reminded that the difference between US and THEM is: "They're willing to kill the innocent to achieve their objectives."

A terrorist by any other name including POTUS still stinks.

[Erika]

15. Amen n/t

[uppityperson]

6. Not for me. I cried. For some yes. Not for me.

However, I think there need to be more coverage of the real cost of war. Not the "hooray! let's go get them" video game qualities, but real blood, real suffering, real pain. Yes, for some "war" is a video game, entertainment. Until they get it rubbed in their faces. For many of us, it is not.

[LBJDemocrat]

9. It's nothing but

tanks rolling in the desert, and green nightvision-tinted shots of explosions and tracers in the air.

[Erika]

10. Yep. I cried when W issued the invasion orders

I'm still crying. We lost another Idaho kid today at www.idahostatesman.com

[LBJDemocrat]

7. It's something to remember

We, the American people, wanted war (although I personally didn't). The polls indicated there was a mandate for it.

And this was fewer than 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War.

Almost any political leader can convince his people to support a war, at least at first.

[MisterP]

8. during the invasion of Afghanistan, there were reports here of whole stadium

cheering to JumboTron videos of large bombs going off on people

[Erika]

11. "the bombs bursting in air" syndrome

They just didn't realize it was on innocents.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

12. For many, there were no innocents

They were "ragheads" who were responsible for 9/11. That's what many believed.

[Erika]

13. I suggest you visit this site

at www.icasualties.org We are an active partner in genocide with global corporate profits as the goal.

[bumblebee1]

16. Watching the invasion

I was at work that evening. We had the privelege to listen to it on the radio. I remember myself getting angrier and angrier. I also have this feeling that nothing good was coming from this invasion of Iraq.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

17. Were any DUers pro-war at the time?

Just curious.