. Just because a small group of rebels or terrorists from a country caused a bombing or committed another terroristic attack, that doesn’t mean the entire country is like that. Another thing I took from Sam’s lecture is how the media distorts all what we see and understand. It really got me thinking how we only see the positive side of the war and with our soldiers and never all of the negative aspects and the wrong doings by our US military.
This thought is frightening to me. Another thing I thought about is if the war is all about oil, where are the records or pictures or videos of it being shipped back to the US. I find it hard to believe that if this is truly the motivation for the war and that this is what is happening, even if the US military and government is trying to hide that fact that not one image or record shows oil from the middle east taken under military force entering the US. Sam also really got me thinking about how I would feel if I were an Arab or Muslim living in the Middle East during the war. By putting myself in their shoes, I would feel some sort of way with this war and can in a smaller way see their side now. I would be mad as hell if the Chinese came to PA to take our coal and started killing my people for it. I think the US lost sight of the real reason to go to war and that is to fight against terrorism and provide a safer world, not to invade a country, kill civilians, and take their oil. I think one of the main problems that occur between civilians of different countries and militaries of different countries is the stereotyping.
Sam did change my view of the war. I was in support of the war after 9/11 but I do feel that we have been in the Middle East far too long and that our missions and goals could have been executed quicker instead of over ten years. Sam’s discussion got me to think about a lot of things. One of those things is if the war is really about oil and that 9/11 was the perfect excuse to invade the Middle East and obtain oil. After Sam’s discussion, I am leaning more towards this accusation. At first it may have been about 9/11 but it seemed like the perfect opportunity for the government to use military forces to take oil. Another thought that came to my mind is one that frightens me and I wish to not believe. The thought is that the US government caused 9/11 as an excuse to have a reason to declare war and obtain oil.
To apply this to my life, I would like to believe that I will always be able to make the right choice no matter how hard it may be. I would like to believe that good men will triumph evil and that there are still well respected honorable men in this world, especially at Penn state, who can be and are looked up to as an example. Some people love and thrive off of successful well respected people making a mistake or failing. And when in a position of great power it makes it that much harder not to slip up. However, it can and has been done and it WILL be restored to this university over time.
Spanier and especially Paterno looked up to by millions as immortals and the greatest citizens in society. Lesson learned is that no matter what they have done or for how long every human is capable of making a wrong decision or a wrong act, especially when in a high position of power when it is believed it can be easily covered up. However, I think this goes to show that no matter what the crime or no matter how much power you have the truth always and always will be revealed. And the reason for that, at least the reason I like to believe, is that for every man who commits an evil act, there is a good man willing to step in and stop it. This may not happen at first, but it eventually will happen. As a society we cannot live in fear and we must always trust that good men will step up to the plate to do what is right.
I think the most important lesson I have learned from this whole situation is to always do the right and morale thing. One of my favorite quotes, “evil prevails when good men do nothing” certainty applies to all the events that have happened. I truly believe this. Evil and wrongful acts will always occur. Good men who have the ability to stop wrongful acts have the responsibility and duty to do so. Another lesson I learned from this situation is to be careful of ones words compared to their actions. Especially in this situation, hypocrisy can be seen all over the place. Paterno, Spanier, and everyone else involved for decades preached of integrity, honor, and morals and yet their actions obviously contradict their words. I am not saying that every person of power is corrupt or a hypocrite, but I guess the lesson to be learned here is not to be fooled. Don’t let a person’s history, power status, social status, or public affection shed away from the fact that they too are human, and humans mess up. Millions of people, including myself, looked up to these people as an example.
. I wrote about how all of the principles were not doing their jobs and that the school board members are oblivious to what is really going on. I bashed every person from the School Board Director to the assistant principals and everyone in between for not taking any action and I stuck that letter in all of their mailboxes. I put my entire academic and athletic reputation on the line. Needless to say the next day at school I was called into the principal’s office the next day. My principals words were, “You have the school boards, athletic boards, and the principals attention now. “ That week, myself and our other captain of the team stood in front the principals, the school board, the athletic board, and every athletic coach in our high school as we were invited to an emergency conducted meeting. Needless to say, everything with parents and community members ended after that meeting. This year, only two years after that meeting, the team went 7-3.
Parents would barge into the locker room and disrupt team meetings to give the coach their opinion or bitch about their sons playing time. Death threats were mailed to our coach because we weren’t winning games and parents were going to the principles complaining who then would crack down on our coach over something not worth cracking down on. This was always a problem at my high school. After my junior year and our second losing season, I had to question my morals. I knew what was happening to our coaching staff and out team was not fair. Our coach was eventually driven out of town. I had a decision to make. I could let things continue to go how they have always been, or I could act upon what I believe is wrong. One night I wrote a letter. I wrote a letter describing every parent or community member incident against our coach and football team. I wrote about how the principles gave our coach no support and always sided with the parents to keep them happy even when they were wrong.
I believe people’s morals and beliefs are tested every day. This can be on a very small scale or on a large one. However, I believe to truly have morals and beliefs you must act upon them when a situation arises that goes against them or when they are questioned. In other words, your words must match your actions to truly be a moral or a belief. It is real easy to say you belief one thing or have a side on a subject, but if you do not act upon your words when put in question they are simply just words. I will respect the man whose words are put into action, even if I do not agree with his moral or belief, over the person who just spits words into the air. There have been a couple times in my life when my morals have come into question, not just by others but by myself as well, to a large extent. In my three year high school football career, my football team and coach lived under scrutiny and harassment from the community and parents.
Just because you get laid off from a white or blue collar job, doesn’t mean you can’t work at burger king, work as a trash man, or work a labor intensive job instead of sitting on your butt collecting welfare. Put yourself in their shoes. If you were born with absolutely nothing and lived in a poverty stricken town or country what would you do? You would do what all of the illegal immigrants are doing. You would do whatever it took to have a better life for yourself and your family. What would you want for your kids? Would you want them to have the same life your living or would you do anything possible to try to give them a better life?
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