One of the byproducts of living in a free country is that we often lose connectivity with personal responsibility. The current anti-war movement in America suffers tremendously from a lack of responsibility. It is our military and our nation that will ultimately suffer, as did the empires of Greece and Rome from having grown drunk on excessive personal freedoms.
We in America have the right to speak out against the build-up to war. Many did at the Seattle Center recently, arriving in our SUVs, Starbucks coffee in hand, and feeling noble for a couple hours in the rain because we felt we made a social difference. Some attended because we heard our parents speak romantically about protesting the war in Vietnam during their college days.
However, this is not a game. This anti-war movement is based on ignorance of fact. Our president has methodically built the logical case for war against an enemy obsessed with destroying our way of life. I question the ability of the Hollywood actor, the local senator and the cowardly ally to have the information, experience and wisdom to understand the implications of not committing. Yet it is the soldier and sailor who will feel the negative effects of the uninformed in sweat and blood.
As a National Guard soldier, I personally will soon leave my civilian job, family and life behind. I will also learn the horrors and sorrow read on each of my soldiers’ faces while on the battlefield. This is the tangible reality for many of us, not just a half hour’s worth of dinnertime viewing on the nightly news.
Let us make no mistake why this nation will go to war. This nation will fight in order to defend its way of life so that even our uninformed can continue to have their right to speak out. I would challenge our anti-war movement to reconsider its position and act responsibly for America’s behalf.
Edmonds
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