According to the U.N. today, 34,000 Iraqis were killed in 2006, and that's in addition to the almost 3,000 U.S. troops since we started this war. Given the increasing similarities between Iraq and the war in Vietnam, I can't help but ask myself why we, the American people of the new millennium, are failing to make our voices heard?
Please don't even mention the election last November--if Washington Democrats were inclined to exercise leadership (that is, grow a pair), then I would say the election was a strong message--but alas, it wasn't. Without even the power to override a veto, there's yappy barking, but no bite.
So why are we allowing incompetent leadership in Washington to repeat our past mistakes?
Being in the field of leadership development, I'm sure I can come up with clever principles and practices to answer the question. I'll boil it down: developing leadership means Americans would have to care.
The main problem these days is that when we hit our limit of video of dying Iraqi babies, car bombs, and stressed-out soldiers, we change the channel.
After all, the Trump versus O'Donnell smackdown--now that's news without the blood and guts!
It's not that we don't care, it's just that we have zillions of other options. Bundling up, going out in the cold, and laying down in quiet protest in front of Army recruiting vans-now that's just exhausting! Impeaching Bush and Cheney in the absence of oval office fellatio? How dull!
In the sixties there were just four channels on TV. Now, well, 900 channels offer something for everyone, and 800 are war-free! With Satellite Radio, the web, and MP3 players blasting Mary J. Blige into our ears on the Cardio machine, we wouldn't hear protesters anyway.
And if the plasma-screen, oxymoronic 'High Definition' world of digital media is not to our liking, we can flip through our favorites-or hit pause and go out and grab a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Now that's living!
Personally, I'm coaching and consulting with clients, blogging, writing op-ed pieces, and hoping for the next generation of High Definition media . the one where 'We The People' (I saw that on the History Channel), exercise personal leadership and accountability, and make our voices heard in Washington. Bring our brave children home, stop the killing, and impeach the incompetent.
Click.
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