All week long I try to keep up on national and world events. I do this because I am interested in being educated about what is going on in the world, however, I would be lying if I didn’t say writing for the blog was also a good motivator. Over the past little while though, I found myself becoming very disinterested in what was going on in the world. Most of the news stories I read had to do in some fashion with the War in Iraq, or the battle drums being sounded for Iran. I felt as though I had already written about war, and didn’t want to again. It was only today that it dawned on me: our country is in a war. Right now actually. If we are not careful we might end up in another one. Of course I should be writing about it.

Often I think that we as a nation (myself in particular) try to hide away from the horror being inflicted on those around the world (in our name too might I add). I don’t know about you all, but I often feel that there is nothing I can do to stop this seemingly futile and endless blood fest. I feel small and insignificant in the realm of world politics. And doing something to make a difference, to allow my voice to be heard… well I don’t exactly get the vibe that our government is listening; thus, leaving me rather disheartened. So, instead of keeping an ear to the ground on the violent events of my day, I keep my head buried in it; too annoyed to look up at the world around me.

I wish that I could go on from here to say that I had found a new way to make my voice heard on a nation level. That I had a renewed hope that we, as a people, could make our government listen to us. But none of this has happened. I have however, come to the realization that regardless I must continue to read and write. For to stop, to turn a blind eye, well it is to condone the war and to surrender to the powers that be. And I can tell you that I am not willing to do that. So, I will continue to read and blog about what I find.

That being said, we have all heard that the War in Iraq is going to cost 3 Trillion dollars. That is a lot of money. But if you want to put that into perspective, check out www.3trillion.org. Or at the very least watch their video below:

1. Sue, May 18, 2008:

   Hi, Im from Melbourne Australia.
   The truth is that Amerika IS a warfare state and every aspect of its common “culture” is dominated by the “values” of the military-industrial-”entertainment” complex. Violence IS American as apple pie.

   You might want to check out a new book titled THE COMPLEX by Nick Turse.

   Also 1. http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com

2. Nick, May 20, 2008:

   I would say that the government rarely listens to us as individuals. But we have to provide a check on the government. After all, this is supposed to be “of the people, by the people, for the people”. We must not only be but advocate for the change we want to see in the world. To do that involves getting people involved. We must start the work of showing other people that we can make a difference and that it is important to care. Otherwise, we get “endless war”, and all kinds of other bad stuff. Although it may seem impossible to make the change, what is impossible with man is possible with God