Mr. President, I Disagree

After the president's speech last night where he tried to explain his rationale for ordering attacks on Libya, I find myself disagreeing even more with the president's policy than previously.

The whole thing stinks of double standards and inconsistencies.  Why not intervene in Syria?  Surely a civil war there would also destabilize the entire region, lead to mass bloodshed and be a huge setback for the glimmering of democracy that appears to be spreading through the Arab world.  Why not intervene in Qatar?  I understand the whole oil and money thing and that simply makes the president's decision even more inconsistent.  Iran has plenty of oil and we didn't intervene when their people tried to reform their government.

I'm not saying I don't believe in the humanitarian aspect of military action.  I'm just saying it's really past time America quits trying to spread hope with air raids.  Why don't we send them all an iPad and broadcast a wireless signal directly into their country and let their hope come from the empowerment of information rather than bombs.  If we really wanted to come to the aid of those yearning for freedom, the first thing we would do is encourage the free flow of information so that people become informed enough to know they can make a difference.  Then, of course, no government really likes it when people realize their leaders suck.

Obama was elected because Americans were tired of war.  We were tired of being led to war with all these feel good, life-saving, freedom-loving reasons.  We were tired of policing the world and exporting democracy with guns.  We were tired of calls to patriotism via who could cheer the loudest for war.  We were so damn tired of $4 gasoline and spending billions of dollars waging war in foreign lands while millions of our very own people have no jobs, no money, no insurance and absolutely no hope for it to get better anytime soon.  And look where we are right now....