Kia Ora-

Politics.

For those of you who don't know (and this is pretty surprising for some friends of mine), I am politically pretty conservative. True, I live fairly liberally but at the heart of the matter I am conservative. I'm just going to rant a bit.

It seems that if you're not liberally bent in your ideology then you're the Devil. You're automatically a narrow-minded, war-mongering, lily-white asshole. I may be an asshole, but I'm far from narrow-minded, war-mongering, and lily-white. Funny, but the only people I see raising their voices and condemning people are the liberals. And are they really even liberals in the political sense? It's mostly fucking hippies and pot smokers and para-militants who want everyone to think for themselves, but only if you agree with them. If you think you can get results by talking to Saddam over a cup of barley and tofu, then go for it duder.

Can't wait to see your head on a pike during Iraq's Funniest Home Gihads.

The fact that they are overlooking is that Saddam and Osama are not fighting wars of reason. For Saddam it's to continue his brutal autocracy and for Osama it's a Holy War. They are one opposite sides of the spectrum from each other as well, but they have a common enemy and that's us.

I would like to see the Iraq conflict be solved without bloodshed, but I fully support our troops if it comes to war. Don't get me wrong, I don't call for war (except perhaps with France). But ignoring Hussein and his cronies and sons would be just prolonging the inevitable. He should have been taken out of power 12 years ago. If it comes to war then it comes to war.

Which also brings to mind our recent track record with war. We as a nation have forgotten how it feels to have someone dangling destruction over us. We all grew up in a time when the Soviets were pointing their missles at us and we at them. We grew up with the term M.A.D.--Mutual Assured Destruction--that is, if one launched against the other then retaliation was assured and we'd both be wiped out. We've had 10 years of covert wars (Bosnia, Somalia, etc.) and big dog on the block mentality. Now North Korea brings their big bat to the game and we're freaking. China doesn't want a conflict and should be talking sense to North Korea. And besides that, we are the USA.

Let's talk star-power. I am so tired of Hollywood and the entertainment industry trying to tell America what to think. Who the fuck gave Susan "Toucha-toucha-touch me" Sarandon the authority to decree who's right and who's wrong? Joan Baez, Al Franken, Rob Reiner, Angelica Houston...hmmm...yeah, you're fucking experts. Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin and the rest of you--what happened to your promise to leave America if Bush got elected? I've got a magazine for you to read on your trip out. Sean "Spicoli" Penn had the right idea by going over to Iraq, but unfortunately he came back. I guess after being married to Madonna, Saddam is a lateral move. I like some of you as actors, but as my political and moral advisors you can all just get the FUCK out of my face. If you really want to do your part for America, go do some shows for the USO. Aren't our soldiers (the ones keeping you free) Americans too? Why don't you go tell that 18-year-old recruit digging ditches out in the desert on the first time he's ever been out of the state of Georgia and away from his family that he should go and reason with Saddam. Don't you think they are just as scared? It's so fucking easy for you all to sit in your multi-million dollar estates and bitch about the military because you'll never see a second of any discomfort. "No war in Iraq, and pass me another vodka stinger and the HD-TV remote!"

In the words of my friend Akhil, 'Fuck you guys!'

Now with that out of my system, I do want to say that I fully support the Nation's right to assemble and give their view. Regardless of my views, now is the time for them to say their peace. Now is the time for them to protest. Now is the time to have their parades and rallies.

But when the bombs start to fall and the protests haven't worked, that is not the time to criticize that 18-year-old Georgian out there scared and alone. That is the time to focus all that love you have stored up from protests and let our fellow citizens out there in the fight know that we are still with them.

Keep the faith,

-N.