Never get involved in a land war in Asia!

…but only slightly less well known is this: Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

Sorry. Total chain-of-consciousness stuff. I was thinking that we’re involved in a two-front war right now, and that led to thinking about land wars in Asia, which led to the entire quote from The Princess Bride – a great movie (and book, obviously. Quick aside: the movie is pretty darn faithful to the book for the most part. Some literary license is taken (notably Shrieking Eels instead of sharks), and detail is left out for the sake of not being a two-part movie, but otherwise…pretty good).

Anyway…I was just reflecting on the fact that besides the obvious war being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, we’re also fighting a war here in the U.S.: a war against tyranny and for continued freedom of speech, thought, and action. Obviously everyone doesn’t view it that way; the right-wing crowd thinks that they’re just trying to implement the “correct” policies for everyone. What they fail to consider is that their beliefs are not universal truths. Christianity is not right for everyone, nor should everyone be forced to adopt it. Homosexuality does not impinge on the rights of anyone, and should not be legislated against. Racism and ethnic prejudice should not be a part of any free society. Liberty doesn’t include laws taking control of a woman’s own body away from her.

Dictatorships and societal oppression have historically been implemented by rulers who “know what’s best” for the people. They really just know what’s best for themselves – power.