The War On Terror. It is a name that brings many strong thoughts and emotions to mind for Americans still to this today. It is has been Americas longest war, most expensive war, and a deadly conflict. All in all, the Iraqi War from 2003 to 2011 brought a cost of 500,000 lives from civilians to militants (Vergano 1). Among the U.S. army alone it is estimated that around 900,000 veterans have had some form of injury ranging from PTSD to amputations (Ruis 1). Not to mention, many experts say once all war reparations have been paid the war will cost upwards of three trillion dollars (Broder 1). That means when the math is done, if the war cost were to be split evenly among all American households, than every family in the U.S. would have to pay $75,000 (Auken 1). When President Barack Obama was campaigning in 2008 he once argued that through various taxes the Iraqi War (2003-2011) was and is costing each America household over $100 a month (Broder 1). With such catastrophic cost and tolls of the thousands of innocent lives where can the foundations for such a war effort begin?
Throughout the years many eyebrow-raising statements have been brought up concerning the war, which quickly begins to make any war effort basis appear shallow and weak. Peter Baker, a former White House correspondent, wrote a book in which an anonymous senior Bush administration official is quoted saying, “The only reason we went into Iraq, I tell people now, is we were looking for somebody’s ass to kick.” In addition, General John Abizaid, a former head of U.S. Central Command and Military Operations in Iraq for 2007 said, “Of course it's about oil; we can't really deny that," in and interview with CNN (Juhasz 1). With such startling statements over the years...
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...heridan, Kerry. "Iraq Death Toll Reaches 500,000 Since Start Of U.S.-Led Invasion, New Study Says." The World Post. HPMG News, 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 04 Mar.
Swanson, David. "You're More Likely to Be Killed by a Toddler than a Terrorist." Washington's Blog. Washington Post, 12 June 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Staff, CNN. "Bin Laden's Death: How the Story Unfolded." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
Gipe, Paul. "For the Price of the Iraq War, The U.S. Could Have a 100% Renewable Power System." Washingtons Blog. Washington Blogs, 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Templeton, Tom. "9/11 in Numbers." The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 17 Aug. 2002. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
Vergano, Dan. "Half-Million Iraqis Died in the War, New Study Says." National Geographic Daily News. National Geographic Society, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
There had been Pros and Cons since President George W. Bush officially declared the "Global war on Terror"(GWOT) on September 20, 2011.
September 11, 2001 marked a tragic day in the history of the United States; a terrorist attack had left the country shaken. It did not take long to determine those who were behind the attack and a call for retribution swept through the nation. Citizens in a wave of patriotism signed up for military service and the United States found resounding international support for their efforts in the war on terror. Little opposition was raised at the removal of the Taliban regime and there was much support for bringing Osama Bin Laden and the leaders of al-Qaeda to justice. Approval abroad diminished approximately a year and a half later when Afghanistan became a stepping stone to the administration’s larger ambition, the invasion of Iraq. The administration would invent several stories and in some cases remain silent of the truth where would prove positive for the Iraqi invasion. It seems they were willing to say anything to promote the largely unpopular and unnecessary war they were resolved on engaging in.
"Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting: What Happened?" CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.
After an analysis of the preliminary speeches Former Senator Robert C. Byrd gave in the early 2000s one may deduce that the senator had the welfare of his fellow Americans in mind as the copious amounts of people around the world might be effected by this war. These speeches are in regard to the grand dilemma that presented itself over a decade ago. This conflict happened to be whether or not we ought to go to war with Iraq. The vein of the initial speech, Rush to War Ignores U.S. Constitution, is cautionary. Byrd is attempting to emblematically pump the breaks on the notion that we have a duty to wage war. In the second speech A Preordained Course of Action on Iraq, Byrd continues to convey his disapprobation as well as recurrently referencing
Since the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration has been calling every citizens and every nations to support his Middle East policy. Nonetheless, the U.S. has been involved in the middle-east struggle for more than half of the century, wars were waged and citizens were killed. Yet, political struggles and ideological conflicts are now worse than they were under Clinton’s presidency. As “President’s Address to the Nation” is a speech asking everybody to support the troops to keep fighting in Iraq, I, as an audience, am not persuaded at all because of his illogical fallacy in the arguments. In this essay, I will analyze how and what are the illogical fallacies he uses in the speech.
Denise Grady’s (2006) article sound a strong wake up call for the American government and for the American public to re-evaluate their guiding principles towards war in Iraq and the continued presence of the American soldiers in the Iraqi soil. Grady delineated the enormous damages the war had costs in not only monetary terms but also the future of thousands of promising young and talented men and women sent in the Iraq War; that had no clear benefits to them or the American people.
Smith, Emily E. "How Did the CIA Find Bin Laden? A Phone Call, a Courier, and Years of Detective Work."
Margulies, Joseph. 2013. What Changed When Everything Changed: 9/11 and the Making of National Identity. Yale University Press.
On September 11, 2001, our country was hit with enormous devastation, just after eight o’clock a.m. the first of the twin towers was struck by a suicide pilot, the second was struck slightly later. The towers fell just after ten o’clock a.m., devastating the entire country, and ruining the lives of many. A plane also hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and another in rural Pennsylvania causing just as much grief. The U.S. is still in mourning, but standing tall, more Americans showed their American pride in the following months than ever before. In the months to come the only thing that was on the minds of millions was: Should we go to war? War is necessary for the survival of our country. Going to war with Iraq is a fight against terrorism. Many people believed that going to war with Iraq is unjust. Some believe that there are other ways in looking at the situation.
What does the United States have to gain from a war with Iraq? Supporters of a war with Iraq say it will help prevent the risk of an attack by a weapons of mass destruction developed by Iraq. Critics of a military action that say nothing will be gained, and the U.S. just wants to obtain the oil that Iraq controls. They claim that casualties will be too costly for America to afford. Nonetheless, America should act while others will not for fear of disturbing global peace. Iraq poses a “clear and present danger” to the security of the United States and the security of countries around the world.
9/11 Attacks History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts. (n.d.). History.com History Made Every Day American & World History. Retrieved September 30, 2013, from http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks
BENAC, N. (2011). National security: Ten years after september 11 attacks, u.s. is safe but not
Terrorism will happen again regardless of how prepared the U.S. thinks it may be. This means that it is the country’s job to ensure that there is a continuation of measures that should be taken to fight against terrorism. Others believe that the U.S. is fully prepared for another terrorist attack and that enough has been done. The question at hand is, should the U.S. still be concerned about terrorism. The United States needs to be concerned about terrorism to prevent tragedies like 9/11 from happening again, to address problems with domestic terrorism, and to improve homeland security.
The amount of corruption within the United States’ violent involvement in the Middle East is almost unreal. Unfortunately, the wars have been too real—half a million deaths in the first year of Iraqi Freedom alone (Rogers). These wars have been labeled--the violence, filtered-- to fit a specific agenda. Whether the deaths are deemed an acceptable loss in the name of national security, or as a devastating injustice, the reality doesn’t change. Lives have been lost. Lives that will never be brought back. The intention of wars is in part due to attacks on the twins towers on September 11th 2001. When the buildings fell, almost three thousand people died, according
Troops are sent into a pointless war and invasions oversea, and result in killing the innocent. Moore quotes George Orwell, "It's not a matter of whether the war is not real, or if it is, victory is not possible. The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous." These small battles are not crucial, as if to win is unattainable, and the endless cycle of war is promised to stay everlasting. Another example, refering to the hunt of Osama Bin Laden, President Bush says “I just don't spend that much time on it, to be honest.” Moore’s remark “'Don't spend that much time on it?' Just what kind of President was he?” President Bush claims, “I’m a war President!” In Implication, that President Bush supports war, not only for the liking, but for his political gain, and financial