A War of Words

Recently, Ken Burns' latest documentary on World War II has been running on PBS-type stations, and it is an excellent piece of work. In typical Burns style, he includes personal testimonies and historical data and mixes it with tons of never-before-seen footage to give a comprehensive look back in time at one of the greatest wars of all time. Historically, it is an important documentary that should be preserved into the foreseeable future.

Some advocate not looking back, telling others to "forget the past, and move on," but such advice is idiotic at best. It is true that we are doomed to repeat the mistakes we all made prior if we do not examine them in the present, and learn from them. Those who want to forget the past are either hoping for a magical future, or are trying to run from the markers they have left behind. Either way, they are proving their lack of cranial competence, but this group of people are dwarfed by those who refuse to live in the present.

Take for example this little war we have going on now, called the Iraq war. Actually, to be perfectly honest, that war was won within 100 hours, essentially. American military dominance simply shut down and shut up what was considered the 4th greatest military regime in the world in a matter of days. It was totally embarrassing to those on the opposing side, and for the next 50 years, no one in the Islamic world will ever forget or be able to deny the absolute dominance of the American war machine. So, that much should be settled in the history books. But of course, the war of words rages on, as both liberals and conservatives try to record history that is being made right now, each vying for the chance to post the truth. Conservatives are at a disadvantage in this struggle, as some of the worlds most latent liberals control the NEA (National Educators Association), and that organization will only sanction text books that give a truly liberal slant.

The war of words continues on Capital hill, where our representatives and congressmen fight for the right to discourse about the war in their terms. Democrats cry out that this is an unjust war, opened up under false pretenses, and blantently refuse to admit that they voted for it. Republicans are searching for a solid place to stand in support, afraid to put their convictions first, lest that yields a losing race to be re-elected. All the while, our brave troops battle on, fighting insurgencies and visiting terrorists from other countries who pop in to Iraq for a little shootin'. The war is won, but Iraq was so devastated by Saddam and his regime that it is going to take time to bring forth a decent measure of civility and stability to this country. In the end, what we may end up with is a benevolent dictatorship, or a hybrid form of democracy, but it will take decades to know for sure what Iraq is post Saddam. It took him decades to turn it into a military state, after all.

The war of words sometimes is fought in local and national papers. The doggedly liberal press cannot bring themselves to print one positive word about the growing infrastructure in Iraq. To their shame, they will censor any positive publicity, based soley on their hatred for President Bush. During the Vietnam war, the liberal press owned the airwaves and print media, and American got a steady diet of reports from "men" who would surely blow off a hand or foot if they ever tried to handle a gun of any kind. So called journalist like Rather walked around in disgust at the conditions and all the loud banging of those guns, unable to believe that such a thing could ever exist in his white bread world. His bread and butter report was painted with the same two colors each and every time: black, and red. His reports always included lots of doom and despair, and lots of blood, to make sure people back home only knew of defeat and horror, and nothing of victory and hope. Any war ever fought has those four basic elements, but liberals like Rather and Cronkite simply "forgot" the latter, and heaped on the former. Finally, after 6 or so years of such reporting on the big 3 networks, Americans of every kind began to buy in. That war was not unwinable, it simply died in the forum of public opinion. 40,000 American lives were given so that Liberals could make their point that all wars are bad, and should be avoided, along with eating beef, driving gasoline powered cars, and going to church. Shame on anyone in America for ever allowing godless, whining liberals to influence their better judgment.

Which brings us to the present conflict, war, or whatever you may want to call it, in Iraq. Bottom line is this: America continues to go to ballgames and shop in malls and go to church without a thought or mention of the hundreds of thousands who are fighting for their lives half way around the world. No less than Germany and Japan in the mid 40's, the terrorists who inhabit the eastern part of our world would like nothing more than to wreak havoc on America and ultimately destroy us, and our fighting men and women are staving off that attack by giving of themselves. What's more, they are winning, have won, and will continue to win out over the black forces of Islamic extremism as long as they are needed. Schools are reopening, bridges are being built, free marketing is taking over in both small and large towns, and families are starting to know what it is like to live in relative peace for the first time in memory. Our soldiers are proving to be some of the most loving and honorable forces to ever walk this earth, showing compassion and diligence to work to help the Iraqi people carve out a new life in freedom. It is not beyond the scope of human consideration to believe that our military, if given proper time to gear up and amass, could indeed subdue practically any country in the world, and all this without a draft. We are a force of the highest power, and yet, our troops have something more powerful to tout: dignity and grace. The people of our armed forces are by and large far more interested in aiding and helping than killing and destroying. Germany and Japan will forever be known for their horrible atrocities in earlier wars; America will forever be known (among other countries, at least) as having one of the most benevolent armed forces in history. THIS is the side of the story the liberals refuse to report or admit, to their chagrin. Decades from now, images and words alike will prove that the American armed forces were an awesome military that showed tremendous gentleness and class. It is such a privilege to say that about your military, at any time in history.