Support for the war: enlisting? I think about enlisting a lot. Both on a macro, society-wide level, and a personal one. I grew up assuming that, if my country ever needed me, I would enlist. I can't say I even questioned that belief too much -- both of my grandfathers were Marines (the older served in WWII in the Pacific and the younger in the Korean War) and it seemed natural. My father was never drafted during Vietnam; he was on the younger side of the draft pool, and probably would've not passed the physical anyway. There was a clear distinction in my mind there: my grandfathers went, because they had to, it was absolutely expected of men of their era; my dad wasn't needed and wasn't called.

So where are we now? Many left-wing bloggers are calling for Republicans to enlist, which, yes, makes sense. There are so many fucking chickenhawks out there, the delusional Believers who still think the war is going well, Bush is spreading freedom like it's cream cheese on a hot and crusty New York bagel. And, enlistment is plummeting. The Army needs people. They want the Army to be able to do its job. They should enlist. Bottom line.
But what about me? I didn't support the war. Certainly don't now. But as I see it, we created a massive nest/magnet for violent, radical Islamists in this country, destroyed any sense of security/stability there, and now have to effectively with that situation. Yes, I want our troops home, but seriously, how is that even possible right now? If we pull out there will be such a goddamn power vaccum, and the radicals will be able to expand the network of camps, training facilities, and ammunition dumps they already have there. That will certainly destabilize the region even more. So we need to stay, right? That's what they mean by quagmire, I suppose.
But, the most important point for me, I think, is that technically, yes, I think we need to keep troops there. The Army needs troops. Does the Army need me?

I'm calming myself in the way many in our not-in-my-backyard society do: I tell myself it's not a critical situation yet, and I never supported this war anyway. But, the way things are going, those arguments might not matter much longer.  ¶ 9:40 PM