Ferris Bush is way off

It’s a safe bet that Ferris Bueller never had a day off like this, nor did Bill or Ted ever have such an excellent adventure. A 16-year-old, Farris Hassan, from Florida, aided by a preternatural intelligence and a curiosity fueled by a high school journalism class, made his way to the war-torn country of Iraq to see for himself what life was like there

This is hardly the place for an unwary American tourist, though. Remember that American citizens have been prime targets for kidnappers looking to influence American policy towards Iraq. Approximately 40 citizens have been kidnapped so far; ten of these have been executed, and fifteen remain missing.

Still, our intrepid hero made the trip safely, and is back in the States, where he is presumably awaiting either a hug and a kiss from his worried parents, or a swift kick, to be delivered in the middle of his, uh, reunion with his family.

There are those of us who think that a parent really ought to have a better idea of where a 16-year-old is, and what he is doing, even if he is a genius. And certainly, caring parents would be quick to advise such a youngster that he must never make such a rash and impetuous decision without consulting others who may know better than him. And had Farris thought a bit, I’m sure he’d have asked an older family member or acquaintance, such as a teacher, and so not have exposed himself to the risks of such a trip.

And yet he may have been influenced by the actions of an older, considerably less-bright fellow who made a similar mistake. This fellow wanted to go into Iraq, and he went, despite well-thought out arguments against such a move delivered by those who had only his welfare in mind. Instead of listening to those who counseled against such a move, this fellow made fun of them, and he and his cohorts who were all for the Iraqi adventure, sought to make pariahs of his detractors.

And pariahs they became. Anyone who expressed an opinion contrary to what this fellow wanted to do quickly found out how vicious he could be when he was crossed. This included old family friends, associates of his father, or simply well-meaning individuals, or even whole groups who had been, at one time, very helpful in aiding causes undertaken by his family.

Sadly, this fellow was not as lucky as Farris. But if he had been willing to listen to those who advised against this incursion, a good deal of agony and expense might have been avoided.

The fellow I’m speaking of is President George W. Bush, a man who was going to go to war in Iraq no matter what. He and his group of neo-con advisers had their mind made up from the beginning of his administration, well in advance of 9/11 to do so, and after 9/11, their resolve only strengthened. There was never any indication that the Iraqis were responsible for this attack on the U. S., a fact that the President, after countless denials, has finally admitted. Yet he continues to defend this reckless bit of foreign policy by referring to the war on terrorism, the 9/11 attacks and the Iraqi war in the same breath.

Colin Powell, one-time chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the President’s first Secretary of State advised against such a move. Brent Scowcroft, adviser to the first President Bush came out against the idea of going to war in Iraq. These gentlemen’s credentials in such areas are impeccable, yet this did not dissuade the President.

Neither did the actions of his father as President, who stopped his war after it had achieved its aims, knowing as he did that unseating the government in Iraq could lead to the civil war the country is now spiraling towards.

And when the French, whose military was an integral part of the first Iraqi war, also came out against the new war, the neo-cons quickly began to trash the reputation of the country that helped the U. S. to gain is independence, a country against which we have never had to go to war, and a country that presented us with one of our most cherished national possessions, the Statue of Liberty.

No, the President, like Farris Hassan, had his mind made up. The President has blamed, as of late, faulty intelligence as a reason why he chose to go war, but it wasn’t the intelligence services as much as it was his own intelligence that was lacking. Unlike Farris, however, who did not go to those who could have told him better, the President does not have that consolation, and as a result, he, and the rest of the nation, are left hoping that this rash gamble of his will pay off in the end, all the while having no guarantee at all that it will.