Thursday, August 09, 2007

Thank a soldier or Marine ... we're winning in Iraq!

The recent op-ed piece printed in The New York Times by Brookings Institute analysts Michael O'Hanlon and Ken Pollack made a point that needed to be publicized about this war: this is a war we can win! But to do so we need to practice patience, allow the military to do its job and stay in Iraq while that happens, and support our men and women in uniform as they go about their business.

And we need to keep politics out of war. Not that I'm nieve enough to think that would happen ... but it's a nice thought.

The dems are the Party of defeatism whether it's the war, health care, infrastructure, or a Republican President. They pound the negatives on a daily continuous basis -- it's enough to give anyone a headache....

I prefer the Ronald Reagan approach. "It's morning in America" ... a hopeful, optimistic outlook at the most wonderful country in the world. I don't consider that bragging; I consider that to be realistic. Why else would we have a problem with illegal aliens crossing our borders in hoardes to try and better their lives in the Land of the Free?

To those who want to end this war right now without a victory ... we cannot do that and remain a viable leader in the world's eye. A leader does not tuck tail and run nor does he go whichever way the wind blows. A leader is a leader precisely because he has to make the tough decisions and, though it may not make him the most popular person, he has to do what is right for the country as a whole, not a small vocal minority.

Too many anti-war proponents have a pre-9/11 mentality. Perhaps they need to review the tapes and watch those Twin Towers falling again, see the gaping hole in the side of the Pentagon, look at the charred hole in the ground in a Pennsylvania field ... because the reality is they appear to have forgotten the horror felt that day by a grieving and stricken nation.

Where are the American flags that everyone had on their vehicles immediately after 9/11?

Where are the American flags that flew from the front of houses and office buildings?

Where are the American flag lapel pins that many wore in the months following the 9/11 tragedy?

Yes, many Americans do remember and they still fly those American flags.

But to a very vocal group, including Cindy Sheehan, they appear to have forgotten exactly why we are at war. George W. Bush didn't just wake up one day and decide to take this country, our young men and women, to war. "Oh boy -- let's drop some bombs!"

George W. Bush made a difficult decision to send our military into harm's way. Just because he isn't seen on the news in some Kodak moment for all to see his grief doesn't mean he doesn't grieve with the families who have lost loved ones. And he also grieves with the families who lost loved ones on 9/11.

I, for one, am sick and tired of the "me first" group of yelling, screaming, anti-war "peace"-niks who, for the most part, have no idea the complexity of the issue. Yes, some do. And, yes, before you shout at me, "We're patriotic too and we have every right to question this war" ... you do have that first amendment right.

But I have that first amendment right, too, to say I believe you are wrong in what you are doing. And I am more interested in the safety of my family and my town and my country in the face of an emeny that is waiting out there to kill us all. The more the anti-war protesters and democrats in Congress tear down our president and our country the more they are aiding and abetting our enemies.

There are two battle fronts: the one in Iraq ... and the one here at home. During Vietnam the democrats divided and conquered here at home. They have now pulled out the old Vietnam playbook and are trying that tactic again ... but we are not going to stand by and let that happen. There are too many Vietnam veterans who were treated badly by the 1960s/70s generation of anti-war protesters -- and they will not stand by and watch it happen to this generation of military.

There are those of us from the Baby Boom generation who grew up during Vietnam who watched the treatment of those vets ... we are determined it will not happen again ... not on our watch. We can win this war ... in Iraq and here at home.

There is no peace without war. It's as simple as that. We did not attack those people. They attacked us. Why is that so difficult for the anti-war crew to understand?

Thank a soldier or Marine when you see them in uniform. They are winning this war for us. They are keeping us safe at home from terrorism. They are heroes even though they don't think they are.

And while you're at it you may want to stop your angry tirade and thank our President. You've not had a bomb on your head since 9/11, you're been able to go about your business in peace and safety the past six years, and you've had a President quietly working in the background during that time to continue that safety.

We are not privvy nor should we be about national security issues they deal with on a daily basis. Wire tapping? If it keeps my family safe I say wire tap the heck out of me ... I have nothing to hide. It just may help the CIA or FBI or local police agencies uncover a Muslim cell group before they can execute their plan.

Red House, Virginia, is southeast of Lynchburg. There's a Muslim compound there that's connected to others nationwide with a leader in Pakistan, as reported recently by Fox News. In June there were terror bombs in Great Britain. Other plots in America have been discovered and stopped before they did any harm. We have no idea how much is going on.

It saddens me to hear democrats in D.C. plotting and planning and stonewalling anything that has to do with the war, the troops, the safety of this country ... all in the name of politics.

If we all don't pay attention, those politics are going to get us all killed.

Check out Perceptions Of Iraq War Are Starting To ShiftFrom Real Clear Politics by Michael Barone.

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