Daily Kos was the only place ten years ago that was sane. Ten years ago, invading Iraq was the most wonderful amazing thing!!! How could we not!!! People who opposed it were filth, at worst, and at best empty and not serious. I found, in DKos, the place for people who opposed invading Iraq because we had been attacked by Saudis based in Afghanistan. All the rational predictions have come through. Islamic populations are more radical. The death toll has been horrible.
The media was complicit in the destruction of Valarie Plame. People who worked with her, who may or may not have known her cover, were likely arrested and tortured in the nations where she worked.
It was clear that if they could out a valuable CIA agent (recall she was working to stop Iranian nukes) that no one had better stand up. The nail that stood out was getting hammered down.
"Shock and awe" was presented like a super-exciting fireworks display as we were bombing civilians. It was awesomely shocking that no one ever mentioned on who the bombs were landing. They were just supposed to make us feel, "good again".
Our nation reduced Fallujah to smoking ruins after we had, "won". The war was terrible. The military occupation lived up to the horror of the words.
And the occupiers and soliders were no older than sophomores. Sophomores I have known have had perfect 2/3 attendance because they did realize the class was M, W AND F. Ordered to torture, court-martialed for leaking information about torture, with one (undoubtably guilty) scapegoated teenage woman in jail in West Virginia while Cheney struts free. Some of the troops were little more than children when we shipped them over there for a pointless war.
And the real children. Children born and raised in war and occupation. Samar Hassan, five years old was covered in her parents blood and brains because they rushed her brother to the hospital thru a checkpoint. She doesn't leave the house now. She gets afraid and misses school alot. Of course, Friedman still pontificates about how he was so wise; would have run the war right; and sleeps better than Samar at night. Cheney defends himself, the heart taken from a dying stranger and placed in his chest not enough to give him soul.
Daily Kos knew that Iraqis were people and that war was a bad idea. It seems so fucking obvious now. But ten years ago, it was insanity. People would look at me like weird techno music sounds was coming out of my mouth instead of words when I opposed the war. It was madness, a horrible blood thirsty "make them suck this" madness.
Thank you for being big and orange* and a place of sanity when the nation went mad. *I must note, purple is my favorite color, not orange.
Thru the pie fights and exhaustion of I/P; thru the recipe swarms; thru some crazy-ass debates and commenters run wild.
Thank you for ten years of hope and sanity.