Hell No...We Won't Go. War is not healthy for children and other living things. What would happen if they gave a war and nobody came? Remember those statements? I sure do. They were part of a fierce anti-war campaign brought forth during the Viet Nam era, almost 40 years ago. These protests were certainly a major factor in our decision to abandon the war effort. Almost 10 years of effort, 50,000 American lives wasted, and hundreds of thousands of Asians were down the drain after we left. We didn't lose the war because of our military, we lost it because the folks at home lost the will to fight. Should we have been in that war? Two democratic and one republican president thought it was worth trying to win. They had huge brain trusts of military and diplomatic advisors who thought so. Looking back, I can't imagine why so many thought they knew more than the commanders in chief and their legions of advisors.
How Does This Relate To The Current Conflict? One similarity stands out. We have more than a hundred thousand of our young people with their lives on the line while the rest of us go about our daily business. In the Viet Nam era, the "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" crowd marched the streets, attended events like Woodstock, and smoked dope on the streets of San Francisco while our troops were sleeping in the mud and rain if they were lucky enough to survive the day. What are we doing while our soldiers are being killed and maimed? The vast majority of us are more more worried about the value of our homes and our 401k accounts than we are about our kids. Don't take my word for this. Look at all the polls taken during this primary season. They show that the economy is by far the main concern of the voters.
Should We Have Gone To War In The First Place? My position is that I don't consider myself qualified to out-guess those who began this venture. They had access to far more information than I. Most everyone blames President Bush. How can we possibly believe he made this decision by himself? Prior to the invasion, I heard politicians from both parties proclaiming the danger from weapons of mass destruction that were proven to be present in Iraq at one time. Most of those politicians conveniently forgot these statements and place all the blame on Bush.
What Should We Do Now? It's too late to dwell on the question of whether or not we should be in Iraq. The real question is whether or not we should beat a hasty retreat. I tend to think that would be the worst strategy. We can ill afford to leave that area to those who who want destroy us. I'm tired of those who complain about what is going on without offering a solution. Want to close down Gitmo? What do we do with those who are detained? Don't tell me we shouldn't have established the facility in the first place. It's too late to change what has occurred. I could support any solution that made sense.
One Serious Question Is Whether Or Not You Will Read This. I have tried to stay away from politics on this blog and I am tempted to erase this entire post before anyone gets a chance to see it. I know much of what I have said sounds partisan but the main point is that we need to make this conflict our main concern and we need to work together to find an honorable solution.
Good words.
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