Friday, February 24, 2006

The Sky is Falling!

Once again I am not the most qualified to answer questions on this topic but I would like to share my viewpoint on the unrest in Iraq right now that is playing all over the news. Civil war huh? Well I have not seen anything of the sort yet but what do I know, I didn't graduate from college with a degree in journalism (which becomes obviously clear when you consider my grammatical skills: ain't that the truth.)

So there is unrest in Iraq huh? Wow hard-hitting journalism at it’s best. Civil war? I don’t think so. In order to have a civil war a lot more would have to happen in Iraq. And my great service to my readers, thank you tfdad, is to point you towards an article that can tell you what those things are. Go to www.billroggio.com and find the blog entitled “Looking for Signs of Civil War in Iraq.” He explains it better then I could or will apparently cause I am not in an area of religious unrest right now. But then again who is? Is the unrest all over Iraq? Well in my experience it is not. So if there is the minute chance that other soldiers read my blog please speak up and let me know what you think about the topic.

In the background as I write this right now I hear a TV with the news on. The reporter is talking about the daytime curfew that is in effect in some cities today and is treating it like the world is coming to an end. (Newsperson) “And in Iraq today a daytime curfew has been put into effect to help quell the recent violence and mosque bombings. We all hope that such drastic measures will help calm the religious unrest enveloping Iraq right now.” I made that up but it sounds like most reports on the news right now. Daytime curfew-big freaking deal. Maybe the Iraqis can take the time inside to think about what is really going on in their country. Maybe they can realize how low they have sunk now that we had to put them in time-out so they will quit fighting and calling each other names. Maybe they should all count to 10 and take some deep breaths before they come out to play again.

I, like everyone else besides the terrorists, hope that Iraqis will come to some kind of terms with each other so that they can live together in peace. Maybe this “unrest” will help them realize what they need to do and how far they need to go in order to act like civilized adults.

I have been reading a book called “Stoic Warriors” (sorry I have not figured out how to underline or italicize titles yet so forgive me for my quotations) by Nancy Sherman about the role of Stoic philosophy in today’s military. The chapter I just finished is entitled “Manners and Morals” and was about the role citizens are supposed to play in their society (sort of). The Stoics believed it was our duty to bathe properly so as not to offend others, to behave in a non-offensive manner in public so as not to object others to our rude behavior, among a slew of other responsibilities. The Iraqis would do well to read the Stoics and learn to treat each other with the respect that a virtuous person is supposed to. Now I know Americans would do well to learn them too but at this juncture in history I would loan my copy of “Stoic Warriors” and the writings of Epictetus’ to the Iraqis first.

Concerning news reports I think I have discovered a way to gleam more truth out of them. I think it would be better if the news were delivered with no emotion. If we could somehow read just the transcripts of each show then we might not be swayed so much in our opinion of what is happening in the world.

(A blog about “Stoic Warriors” will follow as soon as I finish reading it.)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Boggs, Read the blogsite you put up. Got going and couldn't stop. Thanks. Interested to hear your book report on Stoics. Grammar isn't everything, thank goodness, and you communicate well- - You come in loud and clear. Truth is more important than perfect grammar, Boggs. Keep reading. Rudeness is only one of the fruits produced when the tree of truth is removed from the orchard. That is mine, Boggs. Not bad philosopy from just a goat herder - eh Boggs? Keep up the great reporting from Iraq. Take care of yourself. Your fan and reader,
Annie

T. F. Boggs said...

Thanks for commenting and reading my site for what I intended it to be for strykeraunt. I only hope that I can help people back home get a better picture of what is really going on here. If you have any questions about things you see on the news dont hesitate to ask and I will see if I can help you out. Take care.

OldDad said...

Don't knock your grammar to much... Yours is at least as good, if not better than tose idiots who call themselves "journalists". Besides, stuff written in real language communicates a lot more effectively than stuff written for the "news". Most of those "news people" couldn't carry on an intelligent conversation with a real person if their life depended on it.

Keep up the good work.

Uncle Todd

Anonymous said...

Best four-word description of these poll results and MSM in general:

"Ees Party Line, Comrades."

(Now go keel Moose und Squirrel...)

Anonymous said...

Pretty funny anonymous! It would all be laughable if they weren't helping to bringing our country down. I have a question for Tim. Do all the guys over there still have a sense of humor or is it just too serious for that? I hope they can still laugh. It makes things easier usually. Thanks for your great writing! Grammar can be fixed but lies can't be.
Neatie
Neatie

Anonymous said...

Darn...I really need to find Hugh Hewitt online and start listening. I missed hearing your interview t.f. As always thanks so much for giving us a glimpse into your world, your writing is so important to us! You take good care and stay safe.

Unknown said...

I heard you on Hugh's show, too.

Good and wise words.

Keep working hard, soldier. Your country is extremely proud of you.

T. F. Boggs said...

Thanks for visiting for all of those who either heard me on Hugh Hewitt or saw me on his site. I am glad to have you along. Thanks for the link to the Iraqi blog too, it is fun to see that people are doing the same thing all over the world.