Revolution is a funny thing...

To what extent is "revolution" good? I realize that's a very loaded question, and I don't attempt to answer it discretely. I suppose in the wake of Castro stepping down from Cuba and my family's history with Vietnam, and of course with the war in Iraq, along with several lectures I've had on Latin American history, I've come to question the intentions and repercussions of all these political conflicts. And to what extent do we support revolutions hypothetically, until they affect us personally in a negative way? It's easy to say you want democracy and equality in an essay or over coffee. But how much would you sacrifice to attain it for your country?

For example: My great aunt is sick, so my great uncle is visiting. My parents have repeatedly commented about how my great aunt and uncle used to be extremely wealthy "before 1975." Then afterwards, they lost everything. A sad but common tale for many refugees. But when we look back on Vietnam from an objective, historical perspective, some would argue that the revolution finally ousted years of French occupation, which also helped attain Vietnamese sovereignty (albeit under Communist rule). Politics aside, what I mean to say is that behind all the rhetoric and the policy are innocent people who get caught in the crossfire. If the people are theoretically who we are fighting for, then what are we really accomplishing? Sure, the Communists freed Vietnam from the French, but they also sent hundreds of thousands either fleeing for their lives or to re-education camps. Diem's government and the Americans were also to blame as well for religious repression, corruption, the My Lai massacre, etc.

I think Vietnam is in a much better place now. It is on the rise economically, it is developing exponentially, and it isn't regarded as the political pariah that Cuba is, or the money-mongering, corner-cutting, human-violating mess that China is. Considering Vietnam's high profile for its war with the U.S., the two countries are surprisingly friendly. And I think my great aunt and uncle were still able to make very wonderful lives for themselves despite losing all they had. But some people weren't so lucky, going from high government positions to janitorial services. Others simply died at sea or were killed in re-education camps. Including some of my own family members. So, even though Vietnam was politically "freed" of European colonialists, with all these casualties and displacements, can we really say that it was all worth it? As a young Vietnamese-American who had the privilege of being born here as a result of my parents' escape, I can say yes. But what about my great aunt and uncle? What about my cousins who lost their father and brother in a boating accident? It must be more bittersweet.

I don't even know how my grandparents' and parents' generation would define the word "freedom." I think they have the harsh reality that freedom is not free, and gaining freedom in one aspect of your life almost guarantees your relinquishing it in another. My guess is they are glad to be here in America. They most likely would have been killed, had they stayed. I can't help but wonder if it will ever happen to me. I've been spoiled here. But will it last? And how would I handle it?

Need I even start on Iraq? We got in because of completely fabricated evidence. Though the death toll in Iraq over 5 years is only equivalent to 3 days of battle during WWII, our country is broke, at odds with the whole world, and our president is STILL IN DENIAL. And for me at least, this is no longer hypothetical. My sister's husband is an Air Force JAG, and was recently promoted to Major. So he accepted the promotion, signed on to 4 more years of service and accepted a signing bonus that ensures he will be deployed. If deployed to Iraq, he will be done anywhere from 6 months to a year. Yeah, it sucks.

Even though I'm not running for my life, this war has come to my doorstep. I've never believed in this war. But if I did, what would I be thinking right now? There are people who supported Iraq at the beginning, got deployed there, and still do. Would you be unpatriotic/hypocritical for having a change of heart? Or is it that you just finally had a reality check that actually made you question your own values and needs? Did my aunt and uncle really believe in the war as they were running and watching their houses go up in flames? My guess is they were just trying to get out of there alive. But now that they have time to think...I guess I really do just wonder what they are thinking.