stand for something or fall for anything

This entry will be quite serious because, well, there’s some serious shit happening in our world, and we rarely have all the facts. Last weekend marked the third anniversary of the “War on Terror,” and I think we’re all more fearful as a result.

What scares us?

Is it that we know too much now? There’s no more innocence in our youth, no playing outside without fear of being kidnapped, no cigarette lighters allowed on airplanes and no more elevenths of September without mourning.

Or, are we more scared now of the things we do not know? Is civil war rearing its ugly head in Iraq? Are Iraqis better off today than they were five years ago?

And one of the most important questions I think a person can ask today – What really goes on at Guantanamo Bay? Why is our government so persistent on keeping prisoners for years without charging or trying them? Why are we so adamant about keeping it open when the UN Human Rights Committee has demanded its closure because of its atrocious violations of the Geneva Convention and Habeas Corpus?

I know it’s a downer of a topic and it’s a long audio file, but it should be required listening in all high school civics courses – or all American living rooms. Please listen to this episode of NPR’s This American Life, at least for a few minutes. It’s easy to be distracted by the indulgent fun of “American Idol” or the rumored wedding of Brad & Angelina; it takes more time to care about something you’re not sure how to fix.

As a child, I wondered how the whole world could allow the Holocaust to happen. I don’t pretend to be a historian in the least, but I didn’t get it. How could a government get away with so much evil without a revolt of its own citizens?

What will the next generation say when they open their history books? Will they wonder why we were silent? Will they read about it at all?

I’m not comparing our government to Nazi Germany because I know that’s ridiculous – and I know I could lose my job and have the FBI listening to my telephone conversations. I love America. I love this country because I have the freedom to think and to question and to speak out. I just think we should take advantage of that right more often, at least as much as those wacky Charlton Heston followers spout off about their right to bare arms.

Read more and understand what’s happening.
Human Rights Watch -- http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/03/16/usdom13015.htm
Amnesty International -- http://web.amnesty.org/pages/guantanamobay-background-eng

UPDATE! I don't know why these links are crapping out on me, so please copy and paste the links above.