NATIONALIST!

Submitted by Stephanie (United States), Apr 28, 2004 at 17:31

Mr. Pipes -

Bravo! I could not have expressed my own personal feelings any better than how you did in this article. Of course, my feelings have changed drastically over the past two years as this whole ordeal has come about. I remember September 11, 2001. At age 19, I was working part-time at an office, going to school, young, and single. At age 22 now, and it being April 28, 2004; my life is DRAMATICALLY different. I began voting, married a United States soldier, and lived as an Army wife since August of 2002. I went from seeing the way most Republicans do, black and white, to seeing that there is more to an issue than who is the winner and who is the loser. We are in a lose-lose situation with Iraq right now. America wants to help a people that simply don't want our help. Unfortunately, innocent men, women, and children of Iraq are being punished for what the extremist in their country have done. However, it is their responsibility to fight for their freedom. We too often forget how hard our fore-fathers had to work for America's freedom. They couldn't run to the "Mama" of the world and ask for assistance the way we have assisted Iraq.

On January 24, 2004 a suicide bomber drove to the checkpoint that my husband was posted at. As soon as the vehicle reached my husband's humvee, it exploded leaving a 7 1/2 foot by 6 foot deep hole where my husband and his Bradley Fighting Vehicle once were. Only 65% of his body was recovered and shipped back to the United States for burial. I believe that more than ever, we need to leave that awful place and let them come to us asking for help. We can turn over power to the Iraqis and let them run their own country. Apparently the killings and done by Sadaam Huesain weren't bad enough to initiate their own revolution of any kind. So why do Americans feel the need to "save" the Iraqi people? Well, there is an easy answer, at least for President Bush, and that is because he's a Christian. As Christians, we are taught that we must love our neighbor as ourself, and it is also written that the end of the world begins in the Middle East.

My opinion stands that I don't want any families ripped apart the way mine was. I don't want any women to cry over their sons, husbands, or brothers death. I have to try to pretend that I'm okay with his death because it was for a good cause. But I don't believe it. I only wish for my husband's life to be restored, which will never be possible. I want our boys to come home and for America to start taking care of America the way we should before we start telling and showing other countries the way to go.

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