Last June I had the opportunity to visit Boston, Massachusetts. While there I ended up picking up a book about the Boston Massacre. The book pointed out that even though 5 people were killed the event was exaggerated by the colonists and was a key factor in starting the Revolutionary War. Now I wasn't at this famous event in American history when it happened, so all I can do is base what I know on the history books. According to the book the Boston Massacre wasn't really a massacre.
I think it's interesting how easily people are ready to start a war. It seems like most people are on edge and waiting to hear something that will rile them up. It doesn't matter if it's true as long as their is a partial truth to it.
Rumors are powerful when people aren't interested in waiting for the truth. This past weekend one of my students was in a field hockey accident. She was hit in the face with a field hockey stick. If you've never seen field hockey this is something that you don't want to happen to you. She was taken in an ambulance to the hospital. While talking with her boyfriend, Dillon Tulip, he told me about all the stories that people were telling him about her. Apparently she broke her nose, was in a coma, and practically died. The truth is she had a concussion. That's serious, but it wasn't as big of a massacre as people made it out to be.
Before you start a war do some research to find out what the whole story is. When someone tells you something take a deep breath, remember that every story has two sides, and then go to the source. Unless you just like fighting wars over rumors.
You know, the Iraqis were caught red-handed trying to buy weapons-grade uranium in Niger. Now a war that has stretched on for nearly 2 decades. In the latest national U.S. poll, 20% of Americans believe that our president is a Muslim. Now a war of hate brews. I can go on, but war-mongering is a human disease. Perhaps, better stated, it is part of our DNA that we cannot easily separate ourselves from.
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when those in power allow policy (or worse, personal agenda)to drive the intelligence process, rather than allowing proper and impartial intelligence gathering to create informed and intelligent foreign policy.
ReplyDeleteWhat's done cannot be undone, and now we have to shoulder the consequence of responsibility.