No Easy Answers!

Opinions are easy.  Do this.  Do that.  I think this.  I think that.  You’re right.  You’re wrong.  We have an opinion about everything.  Never ending.  About one a minute – or more.

Being responsible for the decisions we make, for the actions we take, isn’t so easy.  Especially if what we do has an impact far beyond ourselves.  I was particularly conscious of this reality as I read a bunch of opinions by self-styled experts today.

About Syria:  Crimes against humanity require a response.  Using chemical weapons require a response.  Diplomacy is still the best path.  Take action, Obama.  Do something.  Bomb their airfields.  That isn’t enough.  Kill Assad, that’ll make a real difference.  Be careful what you wish for – it’ll be worse for Syria, and for us, if Qaeda-led rebels take over.  History will judge us harshly if we don’t act.  Wait for the U.N.  Don’t wait for the U.N.  If we do nothing, Iran will benefit.  If we do something, Iran will benefit.  Etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam.

About Egypt:  Call a coup a coup.  A military dictatorship is better than an Islamic state.  Democracy can wait.  Democracy can’t wait.  What happened to the people who care about civil rights?  We still have influence.  Don’t cut off arms aid.  Stop arms aid.  We have no influence, so giving aid or not will make no difference.  Wait for the Egyptian people to take charge of their own future.  Forget the future, people want jobs now.  Etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam.

About Iran:  Give the new government a chance.  The new leaders may speak sweetly but won’t be different than the old ones.  New government or not, more sanctions will get the job done.  Less sanctions will get the job done.  Let the Israelis do it.  Only the U.S. can stop them.  They’ll be ready to make a bomb in less than a year.  It’ll be several years before they pose a real threat.  Etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam.

What do we know for sure.  Opinions without responsibility won’t change anything.  And there are no easy answers.