Okay, my cousin brought up an interesting bit of "thinking food" for me to chew on about the comparisons between the settlers and allies that fought for our nations freedom and our troops in Iraq helping the Iraqi's gain theirs. I really got to thinking about it and honestly, my reply soon turned itself into an entire blog worthy entry...*laughs*
I still see very little comparisons between the two parties, but perhaps there are some similarites I'm missing.
Firstly, the settlers that fought the for our independence from Britain were British Nationals. They were offered passage to the America's with the promise of religious freedom and various other things, which were stripped away through rediculous laws and taxes once Britain realized that the colonies could be self sufficant on their own. Even worse for the British, the colonies are soon competing with thier own goods trade and even more tariffs are put onto the colonists in order to protect Britains own industries. In 1696 the Naviagtion Act was passed, forcing all trade to be done via English built ships and also allowing trade commisioners rights to forceable entry and posting bonds on certain goods. In 1699 the Wool Act bans the export of all wool from the colonies. In 1750, the Iron Act is passed which limits the growth of the iron market in the colonies. A year later, the Currency Act is passed banning the use of paper money for the settlers. This act alone unifies farms across the colonies due to the fact that it threatens to utterly disable the entire colonial economic system. Perhaps the greatest of insults is the Stamp Act, which came in 1765. It placed taxes on all printed matierals, to pay for directly for the high cost of the British military (who happened to be a very busy military with all the war declarations going on at this time *laughs). The same year, the Quartering Act was passed, which forced families to house and feed British soliders.
The colonists fight back by boycotting all English goods and the British respond by imposing more taxes and laws. In 1768 it all starts to come to a head when a British ship answers a call from a trade commissioner being harrassed by angry Bostonians. England then begins to threaten to bring all colonists caught dodging taxes and such to England for trial, but the colonies continue to boycott and refuse to pay.
Violence erputs starting in 1770 between Bostonians and British soliders. Soon after the Boston Massacre occurs when soldiers fire into an angry crowd. The men are arrested, charged with murder, two were aquitted and the others released with a brand for manslaughter. In 1773, the Boston Tea party sees Bostionians dressed up as indians dumping cases of tea into the ocean in protest of the Tea Act. Britain replies by passing yet another act, Coercive Acts, which initially shuts down all commercial shipping until Boston pays for the tea (I find this very funny for some reason).
In 1775, the British destroy the colonist weapon depot and Paul Revere goes on his famous run. The revolution truely beings. In 1776, foriegn aide finally comes by the way of France and Spain. They offer money, but no troops and for the time being, the colonists are on their own. It isn't until 1777 the a 19 year old French aristocrat by the name of Layfette is sent to the colonies and is taken in as General Washingtons advisor. The foreign troops fighting the British is still small. However, in 1778 America and France sign a treaty and become allies. The British fire on French ships and the French then become the sole naval force for the new US colonies. Soon after, Spainish and Dutch help aide in the battle, fighting against their common enemy, Britain (best to note that Spain doesn't sign an allience with US Revolutionaries and I'm not sure about the Dutch). It has become a united force, and the British soon start employing Native Americans to attack townships and cities, killing everyone living there and burning them to the ground (oddly enough, the French did this to us too back before we started fighting with Britain...funny how that works, eh? Sort of sounds like something the US has done on several occasions...maybe it's not just us...). In 1781, Washington leads an army of 17,000 revolutionaries and allies to Yorktown, and the British surrender, pack their bags, and leave. In 1783, after peace talks are finished, Congress declairs the Revolutionary War officially over.
So, what's the point in this crash course of American History? Seriously, this is a watered down version, and I suggest reading about it in more detail, but I didn't want to make this a thesis paper or anything. I could go on and on about this, the Revolutionary War is incredibly interesting, and I honestly believe to understand the roots of America, people should read this chapter in history in depth, it answers a lot of questions about why we are the way we are...and I have great respect for those who fought in it. It takes a lot of balls to stand up to a powerful nation like Britain when your just a lowly little colonial piece of garbage. Could we have done it without help? No, and we should thank France who saw an opportunity and took it when they realized that Britain couldn't afford to fight with us in North American and them back at home. France had very little to gain from us at the time, and honestly, I doubt they could care less about our independence. They wanted to be a thorn in Britain side and took the chance. However, it was OUR people who held fast in the beginning and cared enough to fight for what they believed in. They were sick of being pissed on by the British, and after thinking about it, if England had treated us like every other Englishman back in the "homeland", I imagine most of us would be having afternoon tea everday right about now. (Well, not me, my ancestors were Frenchies and Irish...*laughs*) America earned their freedom through blood, sweat, and tears...and not just through the Revolutionary War. That was only the beginning. I won't get into the Civil War, nor the skrimishes between religions and other nationalities that went on during our growth, but this was the first step to becoming what we are today. That's why the US is so proud of our freedom. That's why we hold it in such high regard.
That's why I don't think freedom handed to you is worth a damn...how can you respect something so precious if you don't earn it yourself?
Do the Iraqi's deserve freedom? Of course they do. I think all human beings should be free.
Do I think they're ready for it? No. Because they don't seem willing to fight for it themselves, and that's one of the reasons I don't think the US has any business being over there. If they wanted to be free, if it was important enough to them, they'd find a way and rise above it. How many Iraq's hated Saddam, but yet they sat around in their homes muttering about him and doing nothing? Of course he was a murdering dictator. We saw what he as capable of. I'd fully support a war in Iraq if they'd actually ASKED us to come help them, we would have jumped at the chance too. As my cousin pointed out, we had help. We needed it. However, the difference is...We accepted it with open arms. We wanted to be free of Britian and we were willing to stand up and fight them. We would have fought for it regardless if we had help or not, even if it ment our demise.
The Iraq's don't want us there. They've made that obvious. We don't belong over there. And we have no business being there. If they want to live under another tyrannical dictator...let them. If they want to suffer and point fingers at everyone but themselves for their poverty, destitution, and terror....FINE...
It's also obvious that they, as a whole, aren't organized enough to function as a democracy. I'm fully expecting this whole "new president and elections" thing to fail miserably. They have to gain control of the religious zelots they allow to run rampet in their country first. They have to learn to get rid of their hatred. And most importantly, they have to learn to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for their people. Stop wasting time dancing on cars, throwing rocks, and holding riots in the streets. Get off your asses and work for your freedom. It's obvious they have the energy and time, but yet they waste it all on complaining and fighting and finger pointing...gawd...the finger pointing...it's so unproductive....
America has done some crappy things in the past, I'll say that right now as I realized people are about to have a cow at my last comment. There are no excuses for us, or ANYONE ELSE who wrongs another country...People are always quick to point out the misdeeds of the US, yet let other countries slide by without a second glance(look no further than 9/11. How many people from other countries did I hear say "You guys deserved it?" Thousands of people "diserved" to die? How is that possible and who are these monsters who think that way? I guess those millions of Jews and Allies Hitler gassed diserved it too in some weird round about way, right?). I find it incredibly irritating. Let us not forget that even the noblest of countries have done some horrific things in the past (Britain, Germany, Russia, Japan, Spain...) I'm sure we'll screw up again, it's just inevitable, but hopefully next time, people won't being dying because of it.
If anything, the one thing I hope we've learned as a nation is to mind our own damn business. I'm sick of us being the self appointed "world police". I'm tired of people bitching about us. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if the US just closed the borders and said "enough". I honestly doubt that will happen, and I hope it won't, though sometimes I think that we need to start being less relaxed about the people we let into our country. More strict laws for visitors and immigrants, obviously passports and visa's aren't enough to keep our country safe...harsher patrols at the border of Canada and Mexico too...but is the US ready for that? Are we cabable of locking ourselves down, yet being fair at the same time? I don't know...and I'm not sure I want to find out....