A Few Random Thoughts

There's always some commentary on the war on Iraq. And as I've mentioned, everyone is entitled to their opinion on such things.

I guess the one thing I could say is that I have made the acquaintance (on-line) of a young Marine. He's due to be shipped off to Iraq again in January. He seems like a very personably fellow. We usually chat about different things. The one thing I have not asked is about his thoughts on the whole situation in Iraq. I suppose that I am afraid, to some extent, to hear some chest-thumping, "I am proud to be an American" speech. I'm sure many of the enlisted soldiers have their own personal reasons for being in the military. It's their duty to serve their country. Now, whether or not they really wanted to get involved in Iraq, that's another issue. I'm not sure how it works, but I would imagine that it would be close to treason or some sort of insubordination if a soldier were to express his/her dissent in how things are going. But what do I know?

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I've been living outside the US for the past 15 some odd years now. Since then, I've started to get an outsider's perspective on the US. Perhaps I was more ignorant of the politics when I was still living down there. In any case, I don't think I am too keen on moving back to the US just yet. Maybe when Dubya's term is over. There are other factors, of course, to consider before deciding whether to head back south.