Our Moral Responsibility

Some pundits dressed in expensive suits will get on TV or write about America's moral "responsibility" to the people in Iraq and other countries.

How do they define America? Many will say America is the people who live in America. Others will say it is the Government.

America is a country/state that does not have any morals or conscience. Organizations do not posses such qualities, only individuals have morals, character, and a conscience. Many individuals have different morals. For one to say to another, my morals are better than your morals, only leads to conflict.

When the pundit says "we" have a moral responsibility she means that someone else must go and do the fighting. They never use the pronoun "I" and say "I have a moral responsibility to help the Iraq people". If she did say that then she would be obligated to go to Iraq and fulfill her responsibility.

I do not think I have a responsibility for all the bad choices people in the rest of the world have made. They have chosen to believe in myths and worship chimeras. They have chosen ethnic violence. They have chosen socialism and authoritarian rule over the rule of the individual. Now you tell me I am responsible for all of those millions of bad choices. If I am responsible for someone's actions then I need the authority to control their actions.

The Sunnis in Iraq used to oppress the Shias. Now the Shias are in charge. Do I have a moral responsibility to protect the Sunnis? I don't think so.

When the war lovers and meddlers say "we" have an obligation--, I wonder just who "we" are. Is it the people who love power so much they are willing to venture into any folly? Is it the soldier who loves a career and the desire to come home to a parade and be called a hero? Is it the suppliers of war materials? I suspect it is all of these and more. It is the military, industrial, labor, congressional, religious, etc. complex that loves global gladiator sports.

I could understand it if President Bush, Vice President Cheney and others said, "they" have a moral responsibility for what has happened in Iraq. After all, much of the debacle of Iraq is caused by their invasion. Left alone Iraq would have had a civil war, overthrown Saddam Hussein, and split into ethnic territories. All tyrannies collapse onto themselves.

The pundits who want to meddle in other countries' affairs cannot help themselves. They live off the misery of others. They love the chaos and crisis management. If the world was all peaceful and happy, good Samaritans would be miserable. I read a comment by a woman who was a doctor in a clinic and she said the happiest she has ever been is when she is helping her terminally ill patients prepare for death. It is so sad that she gets her most happiness at the misery of others. Helping someone die is a sad day for me.

Bilbo Baggins