ClydeStyle

Category: Consequences

  • How do you feel now?

    This is blog 2 of 5 in this series regarding history and what your feelings are about it today.

    Given what has taken place in the last couple of months, this is very timely, and A.I. has helped to make it easier.

    The George W. Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003 was primarily based on the belief that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and posed a threat to the United States and the international community. The administration also cited Iraq’s alleged support for terrorism and its violations of UN Security Council resolutions as justifications for military action. 

    Specifically, the Bush administration claimed Iraq was actively developing WMD, including nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. They also asserted that Iraq had ties to the terrorist group al-Qaeda and that Saddam Hussein’s regime posed a threat to regional stability. These claims were used to garner international support for the invasion, with the US and UK arguing that the invasion was authorized under existing UN resolutions. 

    However, the claims about WMDs were later found to be unsubstantiated. No WMDs were discovered in Iraq after the invasion, and intelligence failures and flawed assessments were identified as contributing factors. The invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq led to a prolonged and costly conflict, with significant loss of life and long-lasting consequences for the region. 

    The Bush Administration, due to the false information and lies, cost the U.S. nearly one trillion dollars for that war that lasted from 2003 to 2011, which is about 255 billion per day.

    In summary, while the legality of the Iraq War remains a subject of ongoing debate and many have argued that the invasion was illegal, the UN’s inability to pursue charges against the Bush administration stems from a combination of factors, including the lack of Security Council authorization, the US veto power, and the limitations of international legal institutions like the ICC.

    We did nothing for the Middle East. We did not stop terrorism. We senselessly killed more than 655,000 civilians violently, and there were no consequences for the Bush Administration in this life.

    In June, the Trump Administration, without congressional support, bombed Iran. Is history repeating itself? What say ye?

  • Scariest phrase: The past is of no consequence

    Do you ever think what it would be like to live without consequences? I mean, of course, there are always consequences, but we have a history of weighing the consequences and making the decision based on what we can handle or how much we have to pay.

    Former heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, loved cars and loved to drive fast. One time, on a back road, he is caught speeding by an officer. The officer charged him $25 for the speeding ticket, which was huge back then. Johnson gave the officer $50, and the officer said he did not have change. Johnson said it was ok because he has to drive back this way.

    Clearly, he weighed the consequences and accepted his fate, which led him to pay in advance.

    Everyone seems to do that with concrete things, but what about abstract?

    If I say something to hurt my wife’s feelings and I can tell that I did based on her actions, I could just apologize, or I can simply trust that she will get over it and move on.

    If my 5 year old grandbaby gets caught playing with the electrical outlet and I slap her hands and yell at her until she cries, I could feel justified in what I did because she could have seriously gotten hurt. But I see that my actions were more than just disciplinary in nature, as her ego is bruised. Do I attempt to recover her or stand as the authority?

    What if I’m the boss over 40 employees at work and I create a hostile work environment? Or, I create racial tensions by paying my white employees 37 percent more than minorities? What if I decide to make all my supervisors white? What if I never lay off anyone white? Or how about I just treat everyone badly because I can? What if I allow my bias to lead me? What if I am demeaning to women in the workplace?

    The past has no consequences, which is one of the greatest lies ever told. Offenders must recompense their victims. But before that happens, there has to be an acknowledgment of the wrongdoing. You can’t curse your wife, and then the next time you see her, you just start talking sweet to her without acknowledging your past mistakes.

    When we don’t acknowledge our wrongdoing, we lower the victims self-esteem. God takes that personal.

    Let me be clear: There are always consequences! Whether you get them immediately or later, now or in the future, today or in the afterlife, consequences are coming! Make amends today before it’s too late.