A Change of Heart

But then again, maybe not. For some time I have had mixed ideas about the Iraq conflict - I am hesitant to use the word "war" because it implies that two opposing armies confront one another and actually fight, which is hardly what is going on in Iraq now. The situation is highly confusing, with a largely Sunni insurgent force receiving backing from Iran and a Shia majority that can't seem to figure out who they hate more - the Persians, the Sunnis or the US and her allies. Regardless, I cannot, in all good conscience, say to myself or anybody else, "I approve of my country's involvement in Iraq."

My reasons are my own and nobody else's, although many of my sentiments may be held by the neo-Marxist illegitimate left, those who I will always consider to be my enemies. As I have contemplated my position these last few months, I recalled the Farewell Address of the first President of the United States, George Washington, when he warned the nation against involvement in foreign entanglements. Read it here. I have not gone "soft;" I have not taken the positon of, "Oh, if we just try to talk and be nice, blah, blah, blah..." My reasons are those of selfishness and what I consider to be in the best interest of the nation of my birth, the nation that I love, the nation that I put myself on the line for when I served. This, certainly, has earned me the right to state my case, just as those who oppose the war for entirely different reasons - who have only taken and never given anything back to the nation that has asked for nothing in return - have done.

I used to be in favor of what we were doing in Iraq, hoping that somehow an overwhelming majority of Iraqis themselves, once freed from the tyranny of Saddam, would take up arms against their own enemies of freedom and the foreign insurgent invaders, and fight for their own destiny and freedom. I once thought that we were securing a strategic foothold in the heart of that medieval, ass-backward shit-hole known as the Middle East. Bullshit; we'd have done better airlifting Playboys, Playstations and alcohol. "Be patient," I thought; "This will take time and will not happen overnight." Then I began to wonder, "How long, and at what cost?" I, like many others, used the analogy of past wars to justify what we were doing, but it is a flawed analogy because we are not fighting a nation with an army. We are fighting thugs and cowards who will continue to come out of the woodwork like ants with an attitude. Thusfar, this mess has cost the taxpayers of the United States well over a half-trillion dollars, with no end in sight. I honestly think the bedouin bastards are counting on us to spend ourselves into national bankruptsy.

I never bought the WMD line to the extent that I thought they were a direct threat. Of course Saddam had them - he got them from us when he was fighting Iran, and he never proved what he did with them (which was part of the cease-fire agreement after the first Gulf War) despite what little Hans Blix and his UN cronies said. I am Machiavellian enough to know that governments more often than not will seize on feelings of nationalism and patriotism (and in this case, fear) in an attempt to sell a foreign combat effort. "Spreading democracy" has never been at the heart of anything; there is always another agenda. That said, the argument of the illegitimate left of "war for oil" does not wash either. If that were true, we'd be swimming in the black stuff by now, having seized the oil fields for our own interests and those of the oil companies. This has not come to bear.

And, please, any Bush-bot sycophants, spare me the "If we don't fight them over there we'll be fighting them here" bullshit. Recently thwarted plots to attack Fort Dix (more on the "Fort Dix Six", 3 of whom are illegal aliens) and JFK International Airport show that, if left unchecked, we can be struck at any time. Fighting in Iraq has absolutely nothing to do with "Homeland Security." The muslim scum already have cells (and a front group known as CAIR) in the US thanks to the Bush administration's treasonous inaction on the issue of the border with Mexico and illegal immigration (which is cause for another post dedicated to that issue) and Clinton's negligence in managing overall immigration policy. Let's not forget that President Reagan, with his first round of amnesty, cracked open the door; Clinton opened it further by turning a blind eye to the hordes coming into the country legally and illegally; and now this administration has virtually removed the door completely. It makes no sense fighting halfway around the world when one leaves the back door of our nation wide open to, what would be called at any other time in history, an invasion. That just turns my stomach.

One of my positions that has not changed is the idea of why we send troops into combat. There is only one reason for that, and it is to kill. Period. If one is not fully commited to bring to the fore the full might and capabilities of the military, one should stay home and find another way. No doubt our boys, when they do actually engage the goat fornicators, are kicking the shit out of them, but the overall policy is one of a policeman on patrol, trying to hold his own. An end-game of victory is untennable in the current strategem which is akin to a street fight where one person fights with one hand tied behind his back while the other is free to bite, kick, scratch, and eye-gouge.

One does not put one's own troops in harm's way with a protracted set of ROE (Rules of Engagement) as part of some politically correct bullshit policy of "winning hearts and minds." That was the policy that failed in Vietnam, and it is failing today. And make no mistake about it, politicians on all fronts of the political spectrum are guilty of this feeble mentality. It is clear to me that the Iraqis, like the Vietnamese, would rather live than live free. One cannot "give" freedom to people; a quick look around the globe will show that freedom is not a default condition of human existence. Freedom must be earned, fought for, and lots of blood must be shed, or it has no meaning. I can see no reason for our boys dying and shedding their blood any longer. It's time for the Iraqis to fight and die for their own freedom.

No doubt this will not sit well with many people, and they may call me a sell-out or worse. I don't care. I do not write to be popular. Have no fear, though. I do not think Bush is Hitler, nor have I joined the Democrat Party or MoveOn.org.

This is Part I of a two (or more) part series. I have identified what I believe is wrong with the current situation. Next I will offer what I believe is the correct course of action and a solution to the islamofascist problem. Hint: It involves the Kurds abroad and an isolationist policy at home.

Cross-posted at It's a Matter of Opinion