2004 Terry M. Gatewood
With all the anti-war protests and Hollywood celebrities going to bat for a peaceable solution to the Iraqi crisis, you have to wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to keep a dictator of the caliber of Saddam Hussein in power. Is it really worth risking the lives of innocent people-not only here in America, but all over the world? The Hollywood elitists and the bleeding-heart liberals say he poses no threat to us, let alone anyone else. They say he doesn’t have the so-called weapons of mass destruction to do any harm, and we have his word on it. They say that President Bush is a warmonger and anyone who supports the use of force against Iraq is a warmonger also. But are we?
A warmonger, by loose definition, is a person or people who fight wars for the sake of fighting wars, or to take control of land or people, by force, to serve their own needs or desires. The Vikings and their infamous exploits are an example of warmongering. They didn’t go into other lands to stave off the threat of an attack; they just wanted the gold and the women. When the Vikings went to ancient Scotland and took control of the Western Isles and Highlands, the Scots drove them out under the leadership of Somerled, Lord of the Isles (who, incidentally, was of Norse decent) He had had enough of the rape and pillaging of his adopted homeland. Was Somerled a warmonger just because he used force to rid Scotland of the Vikings? No, he was a protector of his people who were sending a message to the Vikings or anyone else who might want to invade his home.
If you ask anyone who has ever fought in a war, they will tell you it is ugly, inhumane and so traumatic that the average person couldn’t comprehend what death and destruction really is. They will tell you that they would not want to ever, ever have to go through that experience again. They will also tell you that they would, in a heart beat, go fight for their country because it still is, with all of it’s problems, the greatest nation in the world. They did what they had to do and came home. Did they want to go in the first place? Most of them, no. They weren’t warmongers, just patriots who believed in the fundamental values of our nation.
With the above example in place, I ask you this: Do you want to go to war? I don’t. Being a cop, I see ugly every day and have seen enough trauma to effect me for a lifetime. Do I go to work hoping to see a decapitated 10 year old in an auto accident? Do I want to see a woman, or a child for that matter, that has been beaten because they didn’t do what they were told or because the spouse was so drunk he couldn’t control his temper? No, but I know that everyday I am out there I am making a difference, and that is what keeps me going to work. I think the same applies to our men and women in uniform. They don’t want war. They have families at home, like you and me, and want to live long enough to raise them and love them. They also have to protect that family from threats, foreign and domestic because, when the day is over, no one else is going to protect us.
As with most Americans, I want to live a quiet, peaceful life and get along with everyone. I don’t want to have to fight and kill anyone, but if it means protecting future generations from dictators like Hussein, I would.
In a heartbeat.
This work is copyrighted by international law and the DMCA Act of 1998. All rights Reserved. Please send your request to tmgatewood@earthlink.net if you wish to use this material. © 2004 Terry M. Gatewood
No comments:
Post a Comment