What is right is a stronger motivator than security

Submitted by CanadianChris (Canada), Oct 23, 2006 at 11:18

"and his generation understood what needed doing," The problem is that our generation does not understand what needs doing, and action was taken before understanding."and, they, in overwhelming numbers, had the courage to undertake it." The enemy was more clearly delineated, today's fight is not against all olive skinned people, It is not against Jews who often look Arabic, It is not against Druse who are intermingled with the radicals and moderates. The battle is against a growing Ideology that western Ideology is succumbing to because it got into a fight it did not understand. There is no going out into the battlefield to see who is strongest...

"Today, many Americans (with the noteworthy exception of those who volunteer for military service) lack both." Thinking people need to understand the fight, and this fight was filled with controversy and changing motivations...America as a blessing and a curse is filled with people who 'think for themselves' and one of the major values promoted in America is "how does this affect me", and when the need for fighting arises, it must not be about vague threats of WMDs or about financial or political gain...Major corporations were promised huge dividends in the rebuilding of Iraq...That kind of thing leaves the common man with a bad taste in his mouth when it comes to putting his life on the line for someone else's interests.

NOW, the threat exists in Iraq, after the fact, and America created a hornets nest by acting arrogantly in the face of an unquestioning ideology thinking that military might was going to win the day. In this region it is not uncommon to find a mindset where life is less desirable than the opportunity to achieve paradise. America needs a stable oil partner, one that can handle its appetite. The problem as I see it was that Saddam had used an Iron fist to create stability in an area where he had the will that outwilled his detractors. He used inhuman means to subdue an enemy that America is beginning to understand will exploit ANY weakness Such as compassion and cooperation.

Saddam was a bad man for sure, but he understood what needed to be done to subdue his enemies. Now that America is faced with that, America is learning where it will draw the line, and withdraw from a fight that they don't have the stomach for. Which in the end is a good thing, because if America was willing to do what Saddaam was willing to do, they would have no moral ground to stand upon to say, "These people need to be subdued." This fight is not a fight for people who aren't willing to break all the rules to win, because if morality and ethics are ignored the winner will be no better than Sadaam.

It is easy to have a heartfelt appreciation for the soldiers who are following orders and a deep resentment for the top of the chain of command that is giving those orders...It is your goofy logic that keeps the soldiers in danger. This battle needs to be fought inside the countries that ARE NOT Islamic. The boundaries need to be drawn clearly in the sand about what will not be tolerated within our own borders and the borders of our partners.( Keeping in mind that it was not saddaam or Al Queda in Iraq that bombed the WTC).

Muslim fundamentalism needs to be removed from within our borders. Lately we have seen a sort of propaganda of the 'poor' white converts to Islam. The people who say that Islam cannot be discriminated against because in 'our' region Islam is peaceful. I call BS. Islam has shown itself to be an expansionist intolerant culture/religion, and it must be more carefully controlled within our own borders. In the end, I say that any religion that seeks to subvert politics with fundamentalism is evil, and the separation of church and state needs to be that the church stays out of politics and that politics interferes with religion only to the degree that religion tries to insert itself into politics.

If we had an enemy we could paint with one brush and say, "go get 'em boys...we would not suffer for lack of volunteers, but such is not the case, and the lack of volunteerism is more due to politics than righteousness...you will find that people will line up to fight for righteousness,(which is the case with the muslim mindset). People will fight more fanatically and fervently for what is right than for security.

I think I am still Naive

CanadianChris

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