If George W. Bush agrees with Pippin and Darryl Worley (whoever that is) that our freedom and the very United States of America are at stake in Iraq (and I presume in Afghanistan, too, although Pippin makes no mention of it), then Bush has drastically underused our national resources, and has neglected to do what's necessary to win this "war" no matter what it takes, no matter what the cost. If Bush really believes the stakes are that high -- our freedom and the very existence of our country -- then he ought to be out there on the bully pulpit every day urging Americans and Congress to sacrifice as if their lives depended on it.
But Bush isn't doing that. Because he knows that our freedom and our existence aren't at stake in Iraq. Some measure of our national pride may be at stake, and access to some measure of oil may be at stake, and the regional influence of Iran may be affected, but our freedom and our lives are secure no matter what the outcome is in Iraq.
And I daresay most conservatives in their heart of hearts know this to be true, too.
If I, a liberal Democrat, thought my freedom and my country were on the line, I'd be tearing my hair out trying to warn my fellow Americans, trying to muster their resolve, urging them to do whatever they could to win this "war:" send more tax dollars to the Pentagon; send themselves and their children to the Armed Forces recruiting office; or at least cut back on gasoline consumption to lessen the influence of Arab-Muslim states.
If I believed what this soldier wrote about the "war" we're in and what's at stake, I would turn to this soldier and reply that my "backing his mission" in my thoughts or with my votes wouldn't nearly be enough. If I believed the stakes were "higher than... in both World Wars combined," I guess I would have to sign up myself, or else I'd be a hypocritical coward.
Millions of American men volunteered to fight in WWI and WWII. Where the hell are all the real Americans this time around when we need them most?
Just my thoughts.
On 10/13/07, wrote:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Oct 9, 2007 9:47 PM
Subject: An Open Letter
To: Undisclosed-Recipient
Reported by Michael Yon. Thank God we still have such men....An Open Letter Home
by CSM James Pippin
A Georgia redneck, a Florida redneck and a Texan were sitting around a
small catfish pond and noticed some catfish. They felt it would be a
good idea to have a fish fry, but they didn't have a fishing pole or
net. They started to ponder techniques to catch some fish for the fish
fry, when the Georgia boy dove in the water and tried to catch one. He
dove in, splashed around and after 5 minutes of no luck he got out,
frustrated and sat back down. The Florida boy then got up, went to his
truck and got a shotgun. He began shooting at the catfish. He expended
over 30 rounds and he too was unsuccessful. Frustrated, he sat back
down. The Texas boy sat for a bit, finished his beer, and cut the top
of the beer can off with his pocket knife. Then he calmly stood up and
walked over to the small pond and dipped his empty beer can in the
water and filled it up. Then he walked to the top of the dam and
poured the water on the ground on the back side of the dam. He walked
back to the pond and got another can full of water and as he walked by
the 2 other rednecks, he stated with a drawl, "You boys better git
comfortable, this may take awhile."
This story relates to this war on terror. We may not realize many
tangible results from this war, especially not if we have a timeline
based on a news cycle or an election. But it's worth every can full of
water every day we fight over here. I am resolved to fight these
bastards for however long it takes, every day until my retirement.
I am stationed in Mosul, Iraq and things are busy. We have about 15 -
20 incidents a day. An "incident" is an IED attack, enemy ambush,
rocket attack against our vehicles, or a mortar attack against our FOB
(Forward Operating Base aka where we live). We win every time whenever
they stay and fight. But mostly, they hit us, then run away and blend
into the crowd. We're winning a day at a time. And we are taking the
fight to them.
I would rather fight them where they live as opposed to quit the fight
here only to have it come back to my home. I also realize we may very
well get attacked on our own soil while we fight here. That, I believe
is imminent. But as long as we continue to stay engaged with
terrorists in their home countries, we remain proactive instead of
totally reactive.
Most Americans say, "I support the troops." "Supporting the troops" is
far more than sending a care package, or shaking a service member's
hand, or tying a ribbon on their lapel. Supporting the troops should
also be backing our mission.
People back home may not realize how effective this enemy is using the
media as a weapon. Every time some talking head gets on the TV and
shouts anything negative about this war, it motivates our enemy, who
interprets dissent as weakness and who uses our free press against us.
That is exactly how "the terrorists" win. For the Terrorist does not
have to defeat us, he just has to outlast us.
I am disappointed in the way the American people in general seem to
have lost their resolve since 9-11. When I hear that over half of
America's citizens believe this war is a lost cause, I think that is a
tragedy. Less than 2/100ths of 1 percent of our own citizens have ever
served in the armed forces, which means most Americans don't have a
clue about our military.
The media does not tell all the good things happening in Iraq. They
rarely, if ever, report the successes of our Armed Forces. This causes
our citizens, most of whom will never cross an ocean in their life,
let alone fight in this or any war, to think we are losing and to
believe we can't win. This war is much like the 3 rednecks in the
story above. It will take time. We CAN win, and we WILL win, but I
worry that the American people have lost their patience and their
support will dry up before we get the job done.
I hear the concern about America's sons and daughters being killed and
I know the media drum rolls the daily death toll. There have been more
than 3,000 service members who have died fighting this war. And every
one of those deaths is a tragedy. I, myself have lost a close friend.
Contrary to the media reports, this war should be gauged by what is at
stake if we lose. I believe the stakes of this war are even higher than those we faced together in both World Wars combined . In the words
of Darryl Worley, "I say there are some things worth fighting for. Our freedom and the piece of ground we call The United States of America."
Don't think for a second that terrorists will stop attacking Americans
and our way of life just because we pull out of Iraq.
Prior to 9-11, The United States had tolerated terrorists' attacks and
threats far too many times. We launched a token missile here or we
talked tough there. It took a terrorist's attack on our own soil
before we became decisively engaged. And it was about time. I remember
the outrage and the resolve of a nation to fight for our country right
after 9-11. If we stop now, we will most assuredly open ourselves to
future attacks at home and abroad.
I am not so naïve to think that we will ever eradicate terrorism.
However, we can, and we will win this fight, but we have to remain
proactive. Proactive means hunting down terrorists, those who support
terrorists, and those who tolerate terrorists and killing them.
Fighting in Iraq means fighting an Insurgency, but it means fighting
terrorists as well. Believe me, there are plenty in Iraq who meet the
criteria noted above. If we back away from Iraq, the terrorist will
have won.
When I remember the scenes we all saw on September 11th, 2001, I am
reminded that I am still one pissed off American and Texan. This war
is just, and I stand steadfast behind it and our President. And I will
remain in the Army fighting this war until our President tells me to
stop, or I get too old to continue. We need our nation's support and
prayers, not criticism, second guessing, and Monday morning
quarterbacking.
The American Armed Forces has an empty beer can and the war in Iraq is
like that small catfish pond. If the American people will be patient
and supportive, we'll have that fish fry.
Just my thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment