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Never Stop Talking About Difficult Subjects

Folks, whether you’re for the war, against the war or somewhere in between, it’s an issue that can be and should be discussed often and with great interest. But, for some reason, we are blowing it. Case in point: Two high school teachers in New Mexico have been placed on leave for refusing to remove war-related student artwork posted in their classrooms. Now, the students’ work was part of a class assignment and represented a range of pro and anti war statements. Holy cow, it was a free and open exchange of ideas! However, the teachers were asked to take the work down, and when they refused, were suspended. According to an Associated Press article, Rigo Chavez, a spokesman for the school district, said the teachers had been placed on paid administrative leave "in connection with the district's policy on the presentation of controversial issues."

Now, if you can’t learn how to deal with controversial issues – in school no less – how are you going to survive your goddamn life?

I’ll never understand why people avoid vigorous discussion of sensitive issues just because someone may be offended by someone’s views. And it is entirely within human ability to understand someone, such as myself, thinking that both Michael Moore and President Bush are wrongheaded. Michael Moore is an idiot because he’s an ideologue first and a thinker second. His diatribe at the Oscars was uninformed, unnecessarily inflammatory and just wrong on the facts. President Bush is an idiot because his wacky sense of priorities, lack of diplomatic finesse and moral arrogance are not good presidential qualities.

And despite what some school administrators think, because they’re chickenshit and don’t want to be sued by some head-up-their-asses parents or zeroed out in their state budgets by some right or left wing legislator, it’s absolutely appropriate to discuss what kids feel and why about this war in Iraq. I mean, we discuss the rights and wrongs of previous military actions – why is this one taboo just because it’s actually going on? We can’t avoid the fucking thing because of all the rating-seeking Geraldo-wannabes acting like they’re General Patton, but we should avoid speaking our minds? Ludicrous. (Memo to Ludacris – that’s how it’s spelled, you dope.)

After September 11, people and governments around the world were feeling for us and wanted us to recover. President Bush’s ham-handed arrogance has squandered a lot of the patience the world had for us. I have no problem getting rid of a lunatic like Saddam Hussein, I just don’t think that it should be the top priority. At the same time, this is not simply war for oil, and our troops deserve support. It’s okay to understand that England is not thinking straight in blindly galloping behind President Bush while at the same time knowing that France, Russia, Germany and Turkey are underhanded, double talking, and self-important and whose actions need to be remembered come the discussion of foreign aid in the U.S. budget.

We remember this Jacques...

And we remember these guys, Gerhard and Vladimir...that's part of the reason we're in Iraq.

When we decide that subjects are too difficult to discuss – we lose the best opportunities to grow. Shame on anyone who censors discussion in the name of peace or patriotism.

Fingers Maloney

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