I recently saw a car with a bumper sticker that said "Give war a chance". Wow, that's a difference, considering how the forces of the opposite view have been demonstrating against war on this, the third anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war. There appear to be two separate forces at work in efforts to put an end to the war, neither of which appears to be helpful to the overall strategy of combating terrorism.
The first group includes those who would wish the West harm: leftists, Islamists, anti-Israelites, pro-Palestinians and a smattering of guilty liberals, who feel that the time to kill off the West and its attendant tradition of democracy is now. Thus you see them out on the streets with their placards demonstrating against the innocent deaths caused by the war and, of course, blaming the United States for the whole thing.
These individuals, who live among us and enjoy the fruits of our democracy, are a danger to our way of life. I would even go so far as to say that many could be classified as traitors with enough legitimate cause to prosecute them under the treason laws.
Their protests about the tragic deaths of innocents in Iraq and afghanistan are cynical attempts at indicting the Bush administration in the court of public opinion. Where were these peace and freedom loving types when Saddam Hussein was ruthlessly slaughtering those who voiced any opposition to his regime? Where were they when the Taliban stoned homosexuals to death or severed women's hands for the mere transgression of wearing nail polish? Where were they when Saddam was doling out $25,000 to the surviving families of so-called Palestinian martyrs that blew themselves up along with a busload of Israeli women, children and seniors?
They were nowhere to be found because in truth the only thing this group cares about is the advancement of their cynical agenda that's predicated on the annihilation of our way of life.
Interestingly, the former mainstream media in this country are among those working hardest to undermine support for the war. Having watched several television programs that deal with the third anniversary of the war, there was nothing that could be remotely construed as supportive. On the contrary, whenever and wherever the opportunity to cast doubt and dispersion arose, most media took full advantage, going so far as to report on items that amounted to innuendo. Some of these included alleged war crimes on the part of american soldiers against Iraqi civilians, with no mention of mitigating circumstances, such as the discovery of bomb making materials, weapons caches or sniper attacks. anything of a supportive nature appeared to be purposefully downplayed.
This brings us to the second group of antagonists toward the war. They appear to be much more dangerous than the first because they are acting from a standpoint of righteous ignorance. This group includes the Hollywood elite and other celebrities, who believe they occupy moral high ground in denigrating the country from which they have gained their wealth and renown. This group appears to be the leading edge of the lunatic fringe, as they believe in the most nefarious neo-con conspiracies and enjoy using their ready access to the media to spread disinformation. Do they really believe the Iraq war is only about oil, and if so, where is the oil? Do they really believe that our attack on the Taliban was all about running a pipeline across that country to access oil from the former Russian republics?
The people who are taken in by this drivel are finding it easy to hide from reality because they find it much more palatable to believe that our elected officials are corrupt, than to believe that there are actually people in the world who are out to destroy us. In addition, they also tend to have a limited attention span and quickly grow tired of hearing about the war on terror.
We have been conditioned to see very complex situations resolved in about 47 minutes, which is how long the average television drama runs and we tend to forget that life is much more complex. Wars, particularly those on a global scale are not resolved in short order. The Vietnam War lasted nearly 30 years. The Korean War is still not at an official end, some 56 years after it began. World War II took 7 years to bring to a conclusion and the Hundred Years War ran from 1337-1453 aD.
The war on terror will likely last as long as the Korean War, if not longer, because it is a complex and frighteningly new conflict unlike any war we have fought in the past. Taking to the streets and demonstrating against the war will not shorten it by one minute. On the contrary, it will likely lengthen it, as our enemies see internal dissent as an opportunity to harm us.
If we value our liberties and freedoms, it's important that we protect them--with our lives, if necessary. Thomas Jefferson, america's second President once said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." For that reason we must give this war a chance to be won.
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