When in Rome, Ask Arthur?

Some Americans chant, “More troops, less politics.” At the same time, other Americans cry, “Less troops, more diplomacy.”

Which one is right? Which one is wrong? What if neither is wrong nor right?

My last two columns constructed the argumentative dialogue between both sides with both showcasing their strongest claims. The interesting thing about those two columns was—instead of an actual dialogue, as we know it—they each closer resembled a triumphantly self-righteous monologue.

Neither side addressed each other’s main points, while presenting their case with an air of condescension.

The conservative and liberal mindsets based around party lines disable the fruitful potential that a good, strong debate offers.

Two opposing parties engage in debate, not for one to come out a victor like two gladiators wrestling in the mud and the blood of the Colosseum floor, but for both to find a truth better and higher than each initially brought forth.

The conservative and the liberal both covet the applause of the crowd (us, the American citizens) so much they would rather battle to the death, then sit down at a Round Table and agree to “argue the issue, not the person.”

Each indoctrinates hisself to the degree that he is right—that is, his life is weighted on it. So, the other must and has to be wrong.

What is more is that neither side can walk into a room and say that he and his claims are not infallible.

The lack of this type of honesty and objectiveness is what divides rather than unites.

Before one can love or hate, one must first understand, Leonardo da Vinci said.

The conservative and liberal mindsets praise or decry without any understanding besides the very assumption of the other party and their stereotypical party lines.

I ask—hopefully, along with the rest of the nation—for pragmatic debate and self-honesty.

With that said, both sides of this war in Iraq have important claims that need to be addressed and not just brushed out.

I seriously do not know which course of action will result in the outcome we, as a nation and a world, need to benefit us all. I am sure that I am not alone, if we were only honest with ourselves.


This is the 3rd and final column on this topic of the Iraq War, at least at this time. The point of all this is that we just do not know. This idea of a three-part column came out of my limit of 500 words a column. I wanted to say more, so I derived this idea of creating John Conservative and Joe Liberal and giving each a column to argue.

Apropos, I do not believe that the word "himself" is correct, or at the very least, share continuity as the rest of pronouns. So, I avoid it and/or replace it with the often looked down upon pronoun "hisself", which does follow the pattern of other pronouns.