It was a couple months ago that I had the honor of being in the presence of the President of the United States. The event was a breakfast on the South Lawn where Gathering of Eagles, National Alliance of Families, Move America Forward and the Vets for Freedom were feted. I admit that I ate nothing because I feared ingesting anything would lead to me vomiting on the White House lawn, so awe struck was I by being an invited guest on the grounds of the White House. It was nice to be honored that way, and to be surrounded by people who were similarly moved. It is proof positive to me that this is the greatest country on the planet. After all, prior to that day in September I was not personally acquainted with anyone who had been invited to the White House, nor had I been able to converse with the sitting President and Vice President of the United States as if we were regular folk.
There is nothing wrong with fervently loving the good old US of A. These days many people will tell you that America is the cause of all of the world's ills. Nothing could be further from the truth. We, as Americans, are everything that is good about the world and the reason why the world is still a place where millions of people can live freely. A great part of that ability to let people live freely comes at the point of a weapon. A weapon cradled with both tender loving care and exacting precision. A weapon cradled by those among us who choose to wear the uniform of the United States Military. The mostly young warriors who currently serve are what is best about us. It has always been that way, but these kids, and their elder NCOs and officers, are special. They are truly golden.
The Ayatollah Khomeini once said, both in word and print, that there are no jokes in Islam. That is but one of the differences between the United States, and not just radical Islam, but the majority of the world. We have always had a somewhat self-deprecating sense of humor. The wry smile that comes before a side splitting joke at our own expense has always been one of our hallmarks. A nation that cannot laugh at itself cannot survive the trials and tribulations that a Super Power must endure; not for long anyway. The Soviet Union and the Third Reich have proven that. What we, as Americans, have been able to accomplish is nothing short of the greatest country the world has ever produced. We are the most caring, most imaginative, most giving people on the planet, and, when roused, the most capable of sustained military operations. We have proven to be unyielding in the prosecution of evil foes, and the current climate is no exception.
Many will say that we are fighting at least one unjust war, if not two. These are the same people who will laugh uproariously and protest loudly when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says, "There are no homosexuals in Iran," but pass away his comments about wiping Israel of the face of the planet as if they are just the utterances of a deranged homeless person. We are engaged in a war with radical Islam precisely because we can laugh at ourselves, and because we can allow those among us to disagree. It is not because we are occupying the Holy Land of Islam, nor because we support Israel. It is because we are the greatest nation on Earth, and we are the greatest because we are free. Freedom is not free, and no one knows that better than those who have worn the uniform.
I have ranted too many times in this arena about the political posturings of the anti-American forces on the left in this country. Likewise, the inane mutterings of Reps Pelosi and Paul, and Sens Kennedy and Reid have taken up too much space here already. I think anyone who reads my writings knows where I stand on those imbeciles. I am sick though, of all the bashing of the country I love. I have heard often that all Islam needs is a Reformation and the moderates will rise up to carry the standard. Unfortunately, I believe the Reformation is underway, and the radicals are winning. Those on the extreme American left cannot see that evil, but witness American ills at every availability. The "I Support the Troops, but Not the War" crowd cannot even find it in their hearts to publicly condemn the public lashing and subsequent jail term of an Islamic rape victim in Saudi Arabia because it would undercut their position on Iraq. They will, however, applaud the likes of Brian DePalma and Mark Cuban when they make a movie that depicts the rape and murder of Iraqis by American servicemen. Never mind that the movie seeks to be allegorical in nature.
I am tired of it. I no longer wish to dialogue with those types of people. I no longer wish to make them understand that we are engaged in a world-wide battle for our very survival. I have, instead, decided to channel all my efforts into supporting the brave men and women who currently wear our nations' uniform. I choose instead to back those valiant warriors with all my might, so that they may complete their mission; a mission I fully support and one which is, finally, going in the right direction. I support the troops and the mission because they support us. They support the country I love, my country, the United States of America. They fully know the stakes and, yet, still shoulder the burden and soldier, or sailor, or airman, or Marine, or Guardsman on. I love these kids because they are my country. So, this time of year do something kind for the men and women in uniform. Send them some love in the desert, and tell the next person who says I Support the Troops, but Not the War to just shut the hell up.
