My Head Asplode

So I was reading Mark Morford's latest column, which included the Donald Rumsfeld quote, "Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war."

I couldn't believe anyone actually said that, even Donald Rumsfeld. So I googled it, and found references to it on literally hundreds of pages. I find it hard to believe it could be so widespread and not be an actual quote of his. Apparently it was when the pictures of flag-draped coffins and other, more disturbing images of the war were found to have been suppressed that he said this.

Second or third on my list of search results was the upsettingly-titled page, "Funny Rumsfeld Quotes" on about.com. Now, I don't take about.com too seriously. The editors are volunteers and may not have a whole lot of journalistic training. But if even half of the quotes on this page are actual quotes then it makes me want to go hide under the bed. I'd do something more proactive, but there's precious little that it seems I can do to affect this situation. I voted against these people. I've voted against the people responsible for this over and over, and each time, I'm outvoted by the people who appear to want the war (even though I keep seeing these approval ratings for it that don't make it out of the 30th percentile).

However, go read those "funny" Rumsfeld quotes. I can't see how anyone would laugh at a single one, as they all turn my stomach with their smug disregard of anything that he finds inconvenient, like having to explain away American soldiers looting Iraq or asserting that he has no idea what the President has said, but that it "must be right". Because, you know, anyone who was once capable of doing a medocre job of running the Texas Rangers baseball team must be correct. If there's anyone out there laughing at these quotes, someone so hardened to the idea that civilians in Iraq are dying and many analysts don't feel that we're affecting the political situation in that country for the better with all this mess, then come closer over to me so I can smack you dead in the mouth.

I wish this was better formed and less mad, but when I'm watching my nine month old baby play and thinking about how we responded to people who hate us because they think we want to mess with their way of life by messing with their way of life, by poking the tiger in the eye with a stick and then being surprised that it slashed our arm off with its muscled arm and sharp claws. I don't agree with Taliban-like governments, even just based on the lack of humanity assigned to women in those situations. I'd like to see a more enlightened approach to governance in every country where there is oppression. I just don't think you can use tanks and force and rhetoric to accomplish that. I think it does exactly the opposite, makes it worse, makes them dig their heels in and be even more set in their ways.

I think it comes down to this. You can't give freedom. You can't force freedom. (Not that we know what it is, in a country where the President seeks to abolish the laws he wants to break because they're inconvenient.) People who aren't free have to want it so bad they're willing to rise up as one and take it. You have to build your own freedom. I don't think you even recognize or appreciate it if someone comes in and gives you their "brand" of it.

So what the hell are we doing?

Agree with me, disagree with me, whatever. But if you're about to post a bunch of pro-war rhetoric, a bunch of "but they attacked us" (not Iraq, no they didn't) stuff, fair warning: do it on your own damn blog. I'm so mad about this that if you try to disagree with me here, I'm just deleting the comment. You have the right to your opinion, but not under my banner.

And thus ends the least well-crafted, most ranty blog entry I'm ever likely to write. I refuse to change a word of it. I want to remember being this mad the next time I feel too tired to continue to care as much as I do right now.