When everyone has gone insane but you

Were you ever in a situation, most likely (hopefully) in your teenage years, where you were hanging out with a bunch of people, and they suddenly came up with — and resolved to execute — a really, really bad idea that was certain to get everyone arrested and/or killed? You were utterly helpless as you tried to explain the physical and legal ramifications of riding a bike off the roof into the pool or setting the neighbor’s lawn mower on fire. Do you remember that feeling? I don’t, personally, because I was usually in the Bad Idea Brainstorming Committee myself, but I’m sure you can recall the horrors of being put in that position by people like me.

But now I feel it. I know how you felt. Everyday. Only it’s worse because the bad ideas are catastrophic on a global scale. They impact everyone and get thousands of people killed. They bankrupt the nation and lead entire generations into recession and ruin. Our “leaders” come up with the horrifically moronic plans, the media cheerleads, much of the public follows along, and I feel all alone as I shout into a bullhorn, “ATTENTION: THIS IS A REALLY STUPID IDEA. ARE YOU PEOPLE INSANE? WHAT IS GOING ON? HOW COULD EVERYONE BE THIS WRONG?”

And that’s how I feel now as I hear all of this talk about the US intervening in the Syrian civil war. We’ve been sending guns and ammo to the Al Qaeda-affiliated rebels. Now the government is talking about sending our own troops. Sending our own troops to fight alongside terrorists and Muslim militants, to help them overthrow a government and instate a fundamentalist dictator. HOW COULD ANYONE THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA? Please don’t think my tone indicates that I find this funny. I don’t. It infuriates me that any human being would think it right to get OUR OWN MEN AND WOMEN KILLED FOR THE SAKE OF ISLAMIC REBELS. Do you support the troops? You’ve got the bumper stickers and the ribbons, right? Great. Now support them by demanding that our government doesn’t use them as pawns in some geo-political game. We saw what happened in Egypt. We see what’s happening in Libya. We see Iraq. We see Afghanistan. WILL WE EVER GET A DAMN CLUE?

Make no mistake: If we send our troops into Syria, it is not for national security. It is not for human rights. It’s most certainly NOT for “democracy”. It’s to help a group of known terrorists take over another country. Do you think one ounce of American blood should be spilled on foreign soil for THAT cause? Support the troops by ensuring that they don’t die at the service of Jihadists. That’s the only support that means anything right now.