Speaking of ethnocentrism.

I may have mentioned my social anxiety/massive shyness at some point.  Thus, I don't speak often in classes.  However, today in Sociology, I spoke a lot.  A lot.  A LOT.  For me anyway.

The discussion was on ethnocentrism and the thread had started devolving into an argument of capitalism versus Marxism and general socialism, illegal immigration, and economics.  Everyone kept arguing what was right and wrong, completely missing the point that their arguments were the direct expression of ethnocentrism.  I pointed out that if one were to raise their level of awareness to a world-centric perspective, the idea of MY country, MY jobs disappears.

It was good times, though I'm pretty sure I turned bright red while talking several times.

Most of us already knew this but...

Study: False statements preceded war

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."

( The Full Text )

If Bush & Co. were the heads of any other country, and pulled this shit, they would be sitting on trial in the Hague for war crimes.  Pure and simple.  The fact that more people aren't outraged, that our Congress is allowing them to walk out the door next year without bringing these criminals to justice, absolutely boils my blood.