The Devil and Tom Walker
Consequences
The United States should only intervene in World Affairs when we are asked to by the inflicted country, when the problem or situation is directly related to our country, or when situations occur that may eventually cause America harm, problems, or corruption.
In the world, there are always going to be problems, not all of which are directly associated to our country. These many problems can eventually become the business of the US when countries plea for our help. These are the times that we should take action and help out countries in need. In the movie Blood Diamond, the people of Sierra Leone asked for help from the US. They needed all the help they could get to stop the reign of the RFU. This was a time when the US was wanted and answered the call. The consequences of this action caused thousands of African people to lose their homes, families, and even their lives but still helped a little at a time and even though we are no longer fighting they still are.
Another instance that we can recall was the Vietnam War. This was originally a war over communism and had nothing to do with the United States whatsoever. The countries involved never asked to intervene and Americans had no idea why we were fighting a war that is not our own. "The only good reason to go to war would be to defend your own country in regards to an immediate threat. However, this was another response to our communist phobias to which existed at the time." This was a quote by Paul Rohacek from the words of Uwa Klages, a Vietnam Veteran. Mr. Klages obviously believed we were in the war only to change other countries from something we feared ourselves, communism. The result of the intervention was a loss of the war on our side. Many soldiers from our country died defending something that we would never benefit from. Almost all believed it was a waste of effort, time, and money. Not to mention many lives.
A more recent example of intervention without consent is the Iraq War. Many people have said that they disagree with it and that we are wasting our time trying to change another country. I would have to say that I agree with this statement. We were never asked to go over to Iraq and change their government. Not even the people really want us over there. Sure, there are many residents there that are grateful we're helping but not enough to actually account for much. This is a time when the US should back down and let other countries take their problems into their own hands and leave us out of it.
We also have many instances when problems in the world are directly related to us. In the beginning of the Iraq War we had a reason to be over there. Our oil imports were in jeopardy and we needed to be over there to help to resolve that problem plus we we're attacked by terrorists who we just assumed were from Iraq and Afghanistan. We had to right that problem but now everything is just out of hand. We've taken it too far and now we're just in too deep to admit that we've made a mistake.
In Blood Diamond, we thought that the problems we were fighting for had nothing to do with us when in all actuality they did. Many of the soldiers had no idea that we were fighting for something more than communism. "We thought we were fighting communism, but in the end, it's who gets what." This was a blunt quote but it perfectly describes what was really going on. It wasn't a question of how do we stop the RFU from taking over but instead, how and where are we getting our diamonds from.
With all the problems that have developed for our country because we intervene in other countries' affairs I have come to believe this. I feel that the US should only intervene in world matters when absolutely necessary. If we are asked by one of our fellow allies to help with a dispute that they are having between them and another country I believe that we are required to help them and would make our social standing between our countries even better. Also, if there is a problem that could cause us problems should be dealt with by us. That would be ok to go in and do what we have to in order to fix what needs to be repaired. Those are the only times that we should intervene in world affairs. So, basically I see that there are reasons for our country to go in and intervene in other countries problems and all of those reasons are to benefit ourselves and our allies.
War:The Affects
War affects the country and it's people in many ways by seperating families, bringing out emotions, and deteriorated the economy. These difficulties affect everyday life for the normal citizens who aren't even associated with the war on a daily basis.
Almost all the service men and women in the war had families that they had left behind in order to join the service and work for our country. This seperation affected families in many ways. The War Veteran that Christy and I interviewed had been through alot of hard times. During the Vietnam War his family was split up. Eventually he had come to a point where he lost his whole family to the war. That happening affected him alot, so much where as he wouldn't even talk directly to my partner or I about his experince in the service.
Another instance during the Vietnam War where families were seperated was throughout the whole war. Loved ones were being sent far away overseas in order to fight a war that was not our own. This caused many hard feelings towards the government on this note. Seperation was obvious throughout the whole country. People weren't as happy as they once had been. It was almost as if a fog had settled throughout the country, a bit fuzzy and mysterious. Alot of women had to take over jobs that men would have normally done. I believe the biggest event that caused stress on families was when the draft was initiated. That basically forced families apart making the problems of seperation even worse.
Many emotions were exposed during all of the wars. These were mostly evident within family members of the service men and women. "I know that when your plane is flying away, after I've hugged you for the last time and kissed you hard and made sure you have this letter and a baggie of food to take after all that, I'll sit in the terminal and cry. Cry and Cry and Cry and not care who sees me. But until them, I'll pretend for you that I'm resigned but cheery." Sometimes those emotions were hidden for many different reasons but all in all the existed in a way that was far deeper than the surface.
"...His muscles ached and the day was hot, but Nick felt happy. He felt he had left everything behind, the need for thinking, the need to write, other needs. It was all back of him." This is an example of how someone felt after the got out of the war. Nick from 'Big Two-Hearted River' felt very relieved to be out and no longer contemplating his every move as if his life depended on it. When he was alone many thoughts and emotions occupied his mind, mostly about the war and what happened and how he felt changed. War has that affect on people.
War has pretty much been a huge waste of money. The economy suffered greatly in order to supply what was need for wars. In the interview with Uwa Klages, our Veteran for our Vet project, his representative said "He felt the war was completely unnecessary. It killed hundreds and thousands of his fellow sailor mates and in the end the communist northern Vietnamese won anyways. No doubt it was a total waste of money, life, and effort." He obviously felt that the economy could have done better without going to war, especially a war that didn't directly relate to us in any way.
In an article that was written before George Bush anounced the war on March 19, 2003. This article gave an estimated cost of what the war in Iraq might cost using references of past wars. "The Persian Gulf war cost $61.1 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service, of which $48.4 billion was paid by other nations. The House Budget Committee's Democratic staff said that in 2002 dollars, the cost of the war was $79.9 billion, providing a very rough benchmark for what a conflict of similar dimensions might cost today." These numbers are obviously off by quite a bit. "Before the war, White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsay estimated the cost at $100 to $200 billion. So the White House got rid of him and "re-estimated" the cost at $50 to $60 billion. It's now over $500 billion." I wasn't really surprised to find that these numbers are still rising. The question we should now be asking ourselves is, "Is it all really worth it?" I know what my answer is but everyone has to decide for themselves. In my eyes I see the economy suffering from one major cause, a gaping wound that we keep pouring salt in. Is it worth it? You decide.
I'm done.
Sierra*Satisfaction
Parallels to a New Universe?
Between The Crucible and the movie Good Night and Good Luck there are many related themes. They both correlate with each other within the ideas of choosing sides, one-way opportunites, proof, and choosing the choice of others.
"I hope you will find your place with us..." This quote from The Crucible supports the fact that all the people involved wanted everyone else to choose a side. Preferrably their own. "...all good Americans, join my side." This was a quote by Joe McCarthy. He had named people who he thought to be communists at the moment and/or at one time. Then, along with their names he threw in the devil and Hitler and some other bad people that no one wants to be affiliated with. This alone convineced the Americans who wanted to be "good" to join the side of McCarthy.
Another common theme present was one way. Now, you're probably wondering what in the world is one way and how does it relate to the two pieces. Well, one way refers to the choices people are able to make. Basically it was, choose our side or you will lose. Lose as in, your house, your family, everything you worked for, your voice, and your freedom. "the person is either with the court or not...no in between." This supports the choice of win or lose. The Crucible had started out as an honest play. The little girls were only in the woods dancing and having a good time and then one girl had to go a ruin it for the rest. In the end she twisted everything to correlate with what she wanted to happen. "...the person is either with the court or not...no in between..." This quote from The Crucible basically speaks for itself. After the government in The Crucible realized that they had been tricked by a bunch of children they knew they had to do something about it to keep themselves from looking bad. In order to do that they decided to do everthing they wanted in order to prove the case the way they would like it to turn out.
Last but not least is the theme of choosing the choice of others. This theme also sounds a bit confusing but it really isn't. In both The Crucible and Good Night and Good Luck decisions had to be made. Those decisions may have seemed like a choice to the audience when actually it wasn't a choice at all. Using force and fear were big parts within both The Crucible and Good Night and Good Luck. "Your lawyer cannot speak for you..." In GNAGL there was a scene from an actual court hearing with Joe McCarthy and he said that to the defendent. This basically meant that they had no choice because here they had a lawyer for basically no reason and they didn't know how to make the story sound better for their side. Another example would be "...if your wife is delivered...will you drop this charge?" This basically gave Mr. Proctor a lose lose option. Either way the government was going to get what they wanted.
Joe McCarthy really knew what he was doing. He knew how to manipulate all of the answers he was looking for out of his 'victims'. In the Crucible, Abby did the same thing. It was almost as if she was portraying Mr. McCarthy. Overall, the themes that were used were spot on with the pieces of work and directly correlated with each item, like a puzzle.
I'm Done.
Sierra*Satisfaction
Quotes of Wisdom?
Here are a few quotes from our President George W. Bush.
"History is moving, and it will tend toward hope, or tend toward tragedy."
"America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens."
"The peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings."
"I think we agree, the past is over."
All of these quotes are about looking to the future. Mr. Bush would like America to move its focus to the future. If this is true, then why are we lingering on his fathers battle? How do we head towards the future while having our heads turned to the past?
)
For all categories