Political Thought #2

[benlehman]

One of the big arguments floated to justify the War on Terror shenanigans is "what you don't understand is that these people want to kill us!"

Maybe this comes from being a jew, but I go through life assuming that there are lots of people who want to kill me at any given time. Like, right now, I could travel to backwoods Idaho and find a whole bunch of them.

Fortunately for me, they generally lack the means to kill me. That's really the issue.

Why should it matter to me if someone around the world wants to kill me? Is that really particularly surprising, unsettling, or meriting of further thought? Why should I change my life because of it?

Comments

[evilmagnus]

And because there's some people over the seas who want to kill you in non-specific terms, it's vitally important we spy on you. And you lose some specific rights.

It all makes perfect sense when you put it like that!

[nikotesla.livejournal.com]

Ben, don't you understand?

KILL you. Like, with death!

[psychotropek.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of Catch-22.

[funwithrage.livejournal.com]

Yeah, pretty much.

I'm comfortable about the fact that some people probably want me dead. Heck, I'm even smug about it in some cases: I'm a pro-choice pro-gay-rights pro-casual-sex latte-sipping Democrat. If some back-assward fundie dick in South Dakota didn't wish horrible fates upon me, I'd be doing my whole thing wrong.

[srknipe.livejournal.com]

How'd I miss this one?

Yeah, lots of people would have it in for me. Heck, even people who are supposed to be there for my protection and wellbeing...like EMTs and police officers (http://www.metroweekly.com/gauge/last_word/2008/11/duanna-johnson-murdered-mtf-tr.html). I'm not exactly comfortable with it, but it doesn't exactly deter me from living either. Sadly, we're a society very comfortable with the idea of simply eliminating whatever happens to offend.