Many people say “Anyone but Bush” because of the war in Iraq, which I respect and understand, as the post-war operations have not gone well at all. But, when making your decision this year, consider this…
Doesn’t the world community need a few like George Bush and Tony Blair to challenge countries who continuously disregard the UN when the UN itself won’t take action? Doesn’t it seem like they’re needed to balance out the attitude and practice of leniency in human rights and nuclear proliferation violations, who after diplomacy has failed time and time and time again know that it’s time to take action on such a serious issue?
The facts are that the world intelligence community believed Saddam probably had WMD, and he had thwarted the UN year after year after year. His country is full of mass grave sites of his own citizens, killed by his government. He funneled all the country’s oil money into his own interests, including hundreds of palaces and weapons, when his people were unemployed and starving.
The US has made significant sacrifices in the war in Iraq, especially money and lives. As a soldier who was deployed to Iraq for a year and spent the majority of my time in Fallujah, I do not take soldier deaths lightly. But remember, great things have come about because of such sacrifice. Maybe it’s just a comfort mechanism to justify all the loss, to think that in some way this will turn out for the better. I don’t think so though. It is rough there and will be for awhile. This is a natural step in a mostly uneducated population learning to suppress the power of greed to obtain power in a newly forming government, in learning to yield for the general good of the state. Many of the problems are because of the influx of terrorists foreign to Iraq.
Like the U sidewalks frequently like to say, war can be terrorism, but is NOT if a worthy cause is behind it. Is the (eliminating oppression)freeing of millions worthy? Eliminating a world threat who the world thought could have possibly proliferated nuclear weapons to terrorists and who had disobeyed and disregarded the world nuclear watch and coalition of civilized nations while all other rogue nations were watching? Think of the benefit of all future Iraqis and lives saved there, the gain in democratic countries – an example to be set for the rest of the Middle East. Consider the value of having a successful democracy in a Muslim state, in a nation with such a history, in a time when the mentality of Muslims against Christianity or against everyone else is being bred and is growing substantially in certain places of the world.
I am not 100% pro-Bush. There could have been a dramatically better strategy for winning the peace and exiting. But, considering Kerry’s history of votes and blaming Bush for things Kerry voted for/against, he’s not the one for me. Quick example: in the debates he blamed Bush for sending troops to war without the proper equipment such as the new bullet-proof Interceptor Body Armor instead of the Vietnam-era flak vests like what my unit had when Kerry helped to vote the bill down that would’ve provided some extra funding for such equipment. Now he talks about how he supports the troops!?!? Sure, most politicians are involved in such political games, but the hypocrisy and inconsistency is just too much.
I just can’t buy the argument that Bush it at fault for our economic downtown after 9/11. Very doubtful anyone could’ve stopped the recession and unemployment.
Vote your conscience, but when you do vote, please decide for yourself whether the world would really be a better place with Saddam Hussein, the evil dictator/killer continuously dodging UN efforts with the world community not knowing his capabilities while terrorists who had just bombed us were right next door and all around, with the intentions of obtaining such capabilities.
Whatever happens in the election, we HAVE to make a positive result out of our costly investment of lives and money in Iraq without letting it turn into a Vietnam – strung out with no clear victory. Can Kerry’s indecision and inconsistency really achieve this?
Let me know if anyone wants to discuss this.
Russell ChidesterJunior, [email protected]