2003-03-25 - 10:48 p.m.
I've been tightly controlling my news consumption since the war started. Being a telecommuter with easy access to a TV set makes it way too easy to OD--therefore, about 5 minutes of CNN and 5-10 minutes of the BBC, 2-3 times a day, is all I'm allowing myself.
Measured doses. That's the key to staying sane.
Even so, my afternoon dose of CNN almost had me putting my fist through the TV screen today. I don't remember the exact quote, but the comment by whichever doofus was speaking at the time went something like, "It's been almost a week and we haven't taken Baghdad yet, and people are, like, dying and stuff. Why is it going so badly for the Coalition?"
Since when did we start declaring wars lost when they go on for longer than three days? And yeah, people are dying. That's why it's call WAR and not Trivial Fucking Pursuit, dude.
Now, I was against going to war. But now that we're in it I think we have to finish what we started (and then, in 2004, giving That Guy in the White House the electoral drubbing that a murderous fuck like him deserves). Going in, blowing a lot of shit up and killing a lot of people, then folding up our tents and leaving Iraq with Saddam Hussein still in power is the worst outcome I can imagine. I don't believe that will happen, but I'm been making my brain hurt trying to figure out exactly what dimbulbs like the CNN guy are thinking. My best guesses:
(1) We haven't been involved in anything this bloody for 30 years and so we've become too conditioned to wars being relatively clean, video-gamelike affairs;
(2) The media know now that they did too much sucking up to the Shrubbies in the months leading up to the war and are now trying to overcompensate by looking tough now.
I'm thinking (1) is more likely. But hell, I'm wasn't born early enough to have a visceral memory of Vietnam either and I still knew the Iraq war was going to be ugly. What's their excuse?
On a lighter, MST3K-related note: I hope that sandstorm ends soon, because every time I hear about it I'm reminded of Hercules Versus the Moonmen. DEEEEP HURTING!!!!!
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