Casual Observer

The last time the US was officially at war with another nation - as in they had signed a declaration of war - it was 1942, and Pearl Harbour had just been bombed. Amazing, isn’t it, that despite technically having been at peace since 1948 (end of WWII), we’ve kept a standing army and invoked the draft three times (Cold War, Vietnam, and Korea), though it was only actually used twice (Vietnam and Korea). If you just watched the news, you’d think America was at war not only with Iraq and Afghanistan, but also with Iran, Pakistan and possibly North Korea.

This country is heralded as the land of the free and home of the brave, but in reality it is neither. No one is free here, not in the way we’re led to believe, at least. This democracy is simply a puppet whose strings are pulled by those with the most money - unfortunately, many of those people also happen to be acting with their own best interests at heart as opposed to the best interests of the United States. An independent, free press is really just a running joke - just look at what happens to government whistle-blowers. As for being brave, well, that’s just ridiculous. The education system in this tarnished wasteland is so dismally deteriorated that the new generation is too ignorant to realise that their actions are stupid, not brave or heroic.

We’re living the American Dream, some people might say (those are the same people who believe that the Iraqis wanted us to invade). I would agree with that statement - anyone who believes the party line about America in general really must be dreaming. We are a broken society, ladies and gentlemen, yet most people refuse to see that. I understand, really I do - the thought that things have become this bad is terrifying, and scarier yet is the amount of work needed to rectify the mistakes of earlier generations. I’m not going to say it won’t be difficult, and I definitely won’t say that there aren’t people who will try to stop you, but I will say that this can be fixed.

America is like a child who has tripped down a flight of stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom, bruised, scraped and with a broken bone or two. The skin will heal itself, leaving only scars to remind you of mistakes that shouldn’t be made again, and the bruises will fade with time. The bones, though, those will heal and in the process become stronger. The US is a young country, comparatively, and it is arrogant, because almost every time it got involved with an international incident, it came out the winner (the notable exception being Vietnam). Now, though, this child needs to grow up and learn that it’s not invincible. Because if the US continues to throw power around like rose petals at a wedding procession, someone will eventually respond by chucking a brick at our head.

Despite my desire to not admit it, I am part American, and I do have a stake in the future of this country. I believe in the ideals that this country was founded on, and I wish with all my heart that when someone said “America, land of the free, home of the brave,” it was actually the truth. But I cannot bring myself to love a country that bombs innocents and invades countries without declaring war on them. I refuse to stand proudly and salute a flag that in many regions of the world is a symbol of death, destruction and deception. I believe in love, equality, peace and honesty, and at the moment I cannot reconcile those beliefs with the image America is presenting to the world. So I shall take my citizenship and do with it what others seem hesitant to do: I’m going to change America, and by so doing change the face of international politics. That is a big task, yes, and one I do not fully understand yet, but at least I’ve got a goal to work towards - something to keep me busy until the day I die, be that today, tomorrow, or fifty years from now.

(via windyskigirl)

popthirdworld:

Students at Ohio State University explain why they are Muslim. This is by the Somali Covered Girl. It mainly makes the cut for this blog cause of the last one. I wanna know more!

This 9-Year-Old Kid Has More Wisdom In His 'Star Wars' Pajamas Than I Will Obtain In A Lifetime

That’s why I tell his story every chance I get.

I don’t often believe in angels, but today… today I do.

mohandasgandhi:

theneighbourhoodsuperhero:

Just saw these photos of Ramadhaan 2012 in Guantanamo, made me tear up crazy ways man, most of these men are about to spend their 20th -24th Eid in captivity.

Keep them and their families in your du’aas iA.

This is extremely touching whether you’re a Muslim or not. GITMO is one of the United States’ greatest failures in recent history and it’s something we should become more ashamed of as each day that it remains open passes. Here are a few reasons why to refresh everyone’s memory:

• About 780 people have been held at Guantanamo. At least 158 have been determined to be completely innocent thus far. Only 220 were ever considered dangerous threats and 380 were deemed to be “low-ranking guerrillas.”
• At least 15 children have been detained.
• Of the 166 people still being detained, at least 55 have been cleared for release.
• Of the nearly 800 people detained at Guantanamo Bay, only 3 have been formally charged by a military court with a crime: David Hicks, Salim Hamdan, and Ali al-Bahlul. 
• We even detained an Al Jazeera cameraman for 6 years, partially so we could interrogate him about the network. 
• Other detainees have included an Afghan taxi driver, captured “because of his general knowledge of activities in the areas of Khowst and Kabul based as a result of his frequent travels through the region as a taxi driver,” an Afghan gentleman because he was a Mullah in a city where some members of the Taliban were suspected of living, and a British man who was detained because U.S. officials assumed he had knowledge of the Taliban because he was once imprisoned by them. 
• The Bush administration knew early on that innocent people were being detained and were of little to no intelligence value but higher up officials, such as Cheney and Rumsfeld, refused to release prisoners because doing so would have left a “black mark” on their leadership and been “politically difficult.” 
• 6 detainees are reported to have committed suicide. However, strong allegations exist that the designation of at least 3 of the deaths as suicides were attempts to cover up homicides. In addition, hundreds of suicide attempts and rampant self-harm among prisoners has been documented. In fact, during the first year and a half after the prison was opened alone, 18 detainees carried out 28 suicide attempts. 
• Detainees have been widely subjected to physical and psychological torture during interrogations and as a form of discipline. Some of these alleged techniques include waterboarding, sexual assault/rape/harassment and humiliation by both male and female interrogators, severe sleep deprivation, prolonged solitary confinement, mock executions, medical experimentation, forced medical treatments and procedures (some detainees reported doctors forced, or attempted to force, unnecessary amputations), withholding medical treatment, threats of dog attacks, subjecting detainees to temperature extremes, sometimes to temperatures bellow freezing or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, prolonged sensory bombardment, such as exposure to loud, irritating sounds and bright lights, often permanently damaging eyes and ears, threats of transfer for torture in other countries, exposure to irritating chemicals and substances, physical beatings, some of which have resulted in permanent injuries such as confinement to a wheelchair, shackling prisoners and putting them in painful stress positions for hours at a time, refusal to allow detainees to use the bathroom, the repeated use of tear gas and pepper spray, oxygen deprivation, the removal of everything but underwear and the Qur’an from cells, desecration of the Qur’an, religious humiliation, interference with religious practices (famous examples include female interrogators sexually assaulting detainees during prayers, guards forcing detainees to strip before prayers, withholding food when fasting breaks during Ramadan), force-feeding detainees during hunger strikes, causing detainees to bleed from the nose and throat, vomit, and go to the bathroom on themselves, etc.
• The Obama administration has decided not to investigate or prosecute any U.S. officials for torture or abuse. 
• Guantanamo Bay isn’t going to be closed any time soon.

(via popthirdworld)

kuklarusskaya:

becoming-a-dream:

sgtsquishy:

bootylicious-buggy:

krazykat-minionofmisha:

queerlittlelady:

Oh my god my heart actually exploded from this happiness.

Omg the last gif it waved back omg

So many people always seem to forget just how intelligent elephants are.

the elephant drew the other elephant.

THE ELEPHANT ACTUALLY DREW THE OTHER MOTHERFREAKIN ELEPHANT 

I love elephants. This is my favorite post.

I am gonna cry. LOVE