DEFENDING THE NECESSITY OF WAR

I would like to start by saying I applaud your efforts to educate the masses and to rally the GOP conservatives. I would also like to say that your readership and interaction will increase dramatically if you print the subject discussion in standard text. It is difficult to keep reading all the headline colored bold type. It's as if you are yelling. Just a personal note, its your blog I just can't keep reading all the Blue and Red in all bold caps.

For the record I have been a registered Republican all of my voting life, save for a one year stint as an independent in my twenties.

I believe we should uphold current immigration law. I believe we should follow the Constitution to the letter. I believe security starts with a secure border. I believe we are over extended around the globe and should not take on the role of world policeman. I believe we need to deal with out of control entitlements before we collapse the social security net.
I believe we need to deal with the corrupt practices of the Fed (ala Bear Sterns - many are unaware that the FED is Not a Government agency but a Private commercial entity and JP Morgan one of it's founders! Google Money Masters or The Creature From Jeckyll Island if you are curious about all that). Those in control know the game but do not dare shut of the money machine, just keep printing. Look at the value of our dollar.

Regarding the message of fighting for Freedom I hear you and several years ago I would have backed you 100%...But things have changed and the patriot act usurps our Constitution. So we lovers of liberty do need to wake up and prepare to defend freedom, but do we really know our enemy? I contend that we are wasting time, money and young lives in Iraq. We have yet to locate Osama, we are posturing to move into Iran. We are less safe in the world today than before the War.

Lawrence,

Thx for your thoughts on my blog subject and thank you for a civil approach to political discussion.

I find we agree on many of the issues you cite, particularly the domestic issues, including: a more secure border; a faith in our Constitution, which has served us exceedingly well for more than 2 centuries; and out-of-control entitlements. I think you're right on.

But we come apart significantly on the war. I think we're far safer today than just after 9/11. DATA POINT: no more attacks on U.S. I think the prospects for a stable Middle East are much greater than for the past 3 decades: DATA POINTS: Libya has withdrawn it's nuke ambition; Saddam is no longer attacking the Kurds, the Iranians and Kuwaitis. Iraq, with all it's tentative steps toward a better future, is clearly a state with much greater prospect than under Saddam. Lebanon has made some small steps away from Syria. The al Qaeda leadership has been dealt a moderately serious blow. DATA POINT: Check out their own words, from the mouths of bin Laden and Zawahiri. Read the magnificent reporting of Michael Yon.

Are we home free? Can we rest on our laurels? Ceretainly NO to both. Does Iran pose us a very serious threat? YES, absolutly. But at bottom line: trying to protect our wonderful America by a simply defensive posture (100% non-porous borders, 100% alert and effective Border agents) is, to me, an impossible dream. In an age of suitcase weapons that can kill 10's of thousands of Americans - - I for one, don't want to bet my life or that of my family on such statistics. So my path is the path of Bush and McCain. It will be a long slow slog. Many brave men will make sacrifices. Many such heroes have preceded those of this war. Freedom is not free. Never was.

Best,
Mark S

Re Comment from Lawrence
Lawrence,

Thx for your thoughts on my blog subject and thank you for a civil approach to political discussion.

I find we agree on many of the issues you cite, particularly the domestic issues, including: a more secure border; a faith in our Constitution, which has served us exceedingly well for more than 2 centuries; and out-of-control entitlements. I think you're right on.

But we come apart significantly on the war. I think we're far safer today than just after 9/11. DATA POINT: no more attacks on U.S. I think the prospects for a stable Middle East are much greater than for the past 3 decades: DATA POINTS: Libya has withdrawn it's nuke ambition; Saddam is no longer attacking the Kurds, the Iranians and Kuwaitis. Iraq, with all it's tentative steps toward a better future, is clearly a state with much greater prospect than under Saddam. Lebanon has made some small steps away from Syria. The al Qaeda leadership has been dealt a moderately serious blow. DATA POINT: Check out their own words, from the mouths of bin Laden and Zawahiri. Read the magnificent reporting of Michael Yon.

Are we home free? Can we rest on our laurels? Certainly NO to both. Does Iran pose us a very serious threat? YES, absolutely. But at bottom line: trying to protect our wonderful America by a simply defensive posture (100% non-porous borders, 100% alert and effective Border agents) is, to me, an impossible dream. In an age of suitcase weapons that can kill 10's of thousands of Americans - - I for one, don't want to bet my life or that of my family on such statistics. So my path is the path of Bush and McCain. It will be a long slow slog. Many brave men will make sacrifices. Many such heroes have preceded those of this war. Freedom is not free. Never was.

Best,
Mark S

The analysis here is severely flawed due to your failure to make any mention of the Basra debacle. What this episode reveals is that whatever the Iraq conflict may have been, today is a civil war. Further it reveals that Iran has played the admin like a cheap violin since they foisted the double agent Chalabi on Cheney's office. Today, all sides in the conflict have close ties to Iran. Heck, the guys we're backing in this fight, al-Maliki and SCII are Iranian creations.

This is the consequence of having incompetent idiots running our foriegn policy.

Bryce,

Thx for your note.

I'm afraid I'll stick by my analysis, flawed though you may find it. In my view, you confuse small, tactical battles with the strategic goal of winning the Global War on Terrorism.

Basra may have heated up momentarily. That is simply a small battle and such flareups are integral to the nature of war. In fact, in today's news, the issue already seems to have receded from the headlines, a 3 day wonder. Such is the nature of our increasingly inept cadre of jouralists who have been taught that emphasizing small episodes that support one side of a story is professional reporting.

Iraq and the Middle East are populated by many dysfunctional governments. Some have allowed their territory to be used by stateless Radical forces, who are continually breeding hatred toward all things democratic. A strategy to support democratic elements in that region, even under great sacrifice on our part, is a noble venture. It is fully worthy of our Nation's highest aims and of our forebears who sacrificed much more than we today, to defeat Fascism and Communism.

So I dispute your claim that Basra is a dominant issue. The dominant issue is now and has always been - - for America - - Freedom from tyranny. I infer that you think Freedom is not under attack. I infer that you think the war is wrong-headed. I simply, but strongly, think that's not the case. This is not a war of our choosing. 9/11 doesn't commemorate America attacking and killing 3000 Middle Easterners.

God Bless our Troops who have volunteered to serve Freedom again and are doing so skillfully and valiantly. If we persevere and support them with the patriotism they deserve, our future will once again be secured by our military.

Best,
Mark S