after seeing Bowling for Columbine a few months back, i felt something that i didn’t expect after seeing such a brutal indictment of the US’s violent culture — I felt patriotic. Not that I’m not normally patriotic (which is something that is very relative). I consider myself to be extremely patriotic in that I believe in the idea that a vast, vast majority of Americans are peace-loving individuals that can be spurred to do amazing things. “Bowling” paints a pretty decent picture of the Canadians (at least compared to our seemingly rampant gun-fatality numbers here in the states), and more and more I hear people around me (hence, meaning ‘close to my political leanings’) mentioning that Canada doesn’t sound like a bad place to live.

However, I refuse to give up on this country. I refuse to let a small group of people lead us down a path with Iraq that is clearly not respected by the rest of the world, and a good number of American citizens. Is it unpatriotic to seek peaceful means until the very end? I should hope not.

I just finished up watching the rest of Band of Brothers. You know, when I was a kid, I loved the thought of the Army — guns and tanks and blowing shit up! Though, today, in no doubt a large part due to extremely graphic (and what I assume to be realistic) movies such as Saving Private Ryan and the Band of Brothers series I take a more reserved approach. It’s hard for me, at times, to watch those scenes without becoming visible disturbed. I can watch the goriest of movies with monsters and chainsaw-wielding psychos — but to see someone horribly mangled or die in the defense of their country is another thing all together. In World War II, we had no choice but to aid in the defense against a madman. In the Gulf War, it was in defense of a smaller nation. If we go marching into Iraq without the full support of our Allies, what does that say about our American values? In the scope of the world, me must stand united with our Allies, else we fall — a tenet that stands at the base of our culture. I cringe of the thought of American servicemen and women dieing in defense of something that most Americans do not support.