Bring 'Em Home

A short article was released on CNN two days ago regarding the number of troops we currently have deployed in Afghanistan. It was said that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan was headed to Washington in coming days to meet with President Obama. They are to “discuss future troop levels,” said article writer Barbara Starr.

The piece, “U.S.Commander in Afghanistan to Meet with Obama on Troops,” talked about a proposal made by General Joseph Dunford, along with the Pentagon, on only keeping 10,000 American troops and 2,000 to 3,000 NATO forces overseas. Starr wrote that these troops would begin duty after “combat operations end at the close of the year.” The idea is for the United States to make up the two-thirds of any remaining forces. Currently, there are 36,500 U.S. troops and 19,000 allied forces deployed, more than three times the number proposed by Dunford.

I have many family members who currently serve in the armed forces, and I appreciate knowing what is going on with our soldiers. Because of that, I felt this specific article held more importance to me than other articles I viewed, and was the one I needed to share with the rest of you. 

The Internal Conflict

A reoccurring conversation that my family and I like to discuss is our politic view points. For a long time, I was ignorant to the real world and simply based my opinions off of the ones of my parents and siblings, but as time progressed I began to open my eyes and decide for myself. I slowly began to become exposed to other views and to what was going on in today's world. Even now, I am still expanding on my viewpoints and furthering my political view.

In my current point in life, I am a liberal. I believe everyone is entitled to their own ways of life. We are a free country for a reason and I feel like it is everyone's choice to decide how to live their lives, whether I agree with their lifestyle or not. I am completely open to new ideas and believe that the world has to evolve it's viewpoint and standards to fit the current time period. If we do not evolve, we will see our society slowly start to crumble and our country will begin to weaken as a whole. Change may be scary, but it is something we need to embrace.

Taking the Personality Quiz on TIMES to determine my political standpoint was a bit of an eye-opener. I never really considered myself liberal, per say, but I did realize my opinions did not fit with those of traditional views. The 78% of me that is liberal agrees with things such as same-sex marriage. I am a religious person, as is my family, but I believe we were given an option on how to live our lives for a reason and I am no one to judge another's life choices. I also believe that the line between Church and State is a bit blurred and needs to become more defined. That being said, the other 22% of my political opinion is conservative. I do not believe that government should offer aid to those in need the way they currently do. I believe a better, alternative way is available, we just have to broaden our minds and stop being so selfish to be able to see it.

Things such as the above opinions contribute to my political standpoint and help develop my views. I hope that by the time I become a registered voter, I will be more informed and able to express my opinions in an effective manner. I also hope that the world will evolve with the times and become a little bit more open-minded in manners that pertain to another's happiness and life in general. Until then, one can only keep trying.