Where are we now?

Now that we’ve marked the one-year anniversary of a warour president declared a “success” ten months ago, Ithink it is time to step back and work on our definitions.

I don’t want to think about whether or not going to warwas the right decision. There are enough well-paid opinion makerson television to do that.

It’s not that Bush misled the country in his State of theUnion cheerleading speech, it’s just a glitch in theinformation system, right? Nobody knew Saddam wasn’t reallydealing nuclear arms with Africa.

Honest mistake, honest.

It’s not even worth thinking about the fact that theimminent weapons of mass destruction threat has thus far turned outas hollow as the African ordeal.

Darn information network.

It’s a big desert, though. They could be buried anywherethey tell me. Besides, the weapons of mass destruction motivationfor war is so yesterday’s news. Now it was just the”right thing to do.”

Somehow our pluralistic “one nation under God”listens to a president justify war with scripture.

Why bother talking about a paradox like that?

I would get too confused comparing America’s nobleintention to liberate the Iraqi people with some other sort ofreligious war.

So what should we think about on the anniversary of theempire’s first preemptive attack in the fight againstevil?

In his one-year anniversary script reading speech, our smoothspoken chief reminded us, “There is no neutral zone betweengood and evil.”

What a relief to know Bush has the age-old dilemma of good andevil down to an exact science.

What a relief that even though our information technology stillhas some kinks in it, our judge of character is flawless.

After Bush’s speech, I found myself thinking about thefall of all things.

You know, Adam and Eve, the juicy fruit, our eternal debt toGod?

I’m not an authority on the Bible, so I’ll askanyone out there who knows.

What does it mean to be born with original sin? Does it meanthat even before the miracle of birth all children are guilty? Thateven the first breath is a guilty one?

What is the difference between being evil and being asinner?

This doesn’t feel like a very comfortable line ofquestions.

There must be a difference between evil and sin I haven’thad explained to me yet.

I hope so. Because if my instinct to associate sin with evil isimplied, then I’m even more confused what Bush means when heassures us there is no gray area in a person’s soul.

According to the teachings of his own faith, every child comesinto the world a sinner.

When, I would ask him out of my own ignorance, does the dramaticleap over the neutral zone from sinner to good human come? Afterbaptism? Right after baptism? Maybe after rehab, eh Dubya?

But I guess if Bush is the example, I clearly don’tunderstand what “love your enemies” means either.

Then I tried to put myself in the human part of the war.

I thought about how many coffins were used in military funeralsthis year. I thought about what the children’s nightmareshave been like in Iraq, the United States, everywhere.

I thought of how many body bags the military ordered forOperation Iraqi Freedom. I thought about the growing rate ofCoalition Force suicides.

I thought I might be scared.

Then I reminded myself the more fearful I am, the less willing Iam to think for myself.

Our president has not wavered to remind us again and again thatIraq is a better place because of America’s altruisticcommitment to democracy in the Middle East.

I guess I should be happy Bush is so sure what”better” means, but for some reason I can’t quiterest easy taking him on his word. I’m sure it’s my ownlack of vision, but I get confused watching the news every nightand hearing about a bigger bomb explosion with more peopledead.

I couldn’t handle being president, especially not thispresident, so I respect the position and the weight of theresponsibility he has.

Still, I worry what ignorance in high places can do, and I worrywe’re becoming desensitized to the absolute horror in Iraqbecause we see it every day.

So that’s what I thought about: staying sensitive.

There is a Michael Franti song that goes “You can bomb theworld to pieces, but you can’t bomb it into peace.”

Think about it.

Then think about where you’ll be when the two-yearanniversary sneaks up on you.

That isn’t so hard to imagine these days is it?

Now that’s scary.

Cole Suttle is a religious studies major with a minor inphilosophy and creative writing. He can be reached [email protected].