Hey,
Yeah, I thought about discussing this on the political thread, but I really wanted to isolate this one particular issue from all the other political rant, because it's just affected me so much these past few days. Even though I went on my own little anti-Bush rant, I didn't really want this topic to devolve into a Kerry vs. Bush debate where everybody either tries to sound like some smartass John Stewart wannabe or just rehashes the same tired diatribes we've heard from both sides.
Like some you, it's been four days and I still can't get that video out of mind! I've looked at pretty explicity gross stuff before (like the time my friends got me to check out consumptionjunction.com or one of those "Faces of Death" videos), but it was more than just the gruesomeness of the scene. It was sheer evil such that I have never witnessed before. If they had just shot the guy in the back of the head, I could've handled that, but the excrutiangly methodical way in which they murdered this man was more than I could bear. Yeah, I know this stuff happens in the world, but there's still something different about actually seeing it. By the way, the one I saw was Eugene Armstrong's execution, not that it matters.
I'm a pretty emotionally stable guy, so I've been surprised at how disturbed I've been. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that was gullible enough to think I could watch it and not be rather traumatized. It really pisses me off that some people are pressuring us to watch these videos. Most of those folks seem to be strongly pro-war, and they think that by watching these videos and realizing how terrible our enemy is, we'll be more in favor of Bush and the Iraqi occupation. By like some of you said, that's exactly what the terrorists want us to do, and to live in fear as a result. As for the war, I don't think any of us are against fighting terrorism and taking every single one of those bastards out. What we disagree on is the strategy--not the final goal. Watching these videos hasn't changed my opinions one bit on that issue. The only thing the video has done is strengthen my view that diplomacy and concessions will NOT work with terrorists, it will only strengthen them (and don't you think Kerry knows that?). I didn't need to see one of those videos to come to that conclusion.
Anyway, keep chiming in, no matter what your views are! I for on will totally respect you whether you're pro-Bush or pro-Kerry. It's just really interesting to hear what others' responses have been to these videos and their own viewpoints on the matter.
-JT
