03-18-2003, 05:04 PM
First of all, D-Dave - Thank you SO MUCH FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY! :) I have nothing but the ultimate in respect for people who sign up and who's job description includes - "Potentially 1) Dying for your country's interests 2) performing deeds no right minded person would perform 3) Living with the horrors you will see in a war".
I was personally against the first Gulf War. I was an 18 year old "mind-full-of-mush" kid at the time, and that war made me vote for the wrong guy in my first election. I was told it was MY VIETNAM. I was scared into that belief because of a high school teacher who was a former hippie who was kind enough to show us her husband's Vietnam photo collection. If you've never seen the result of a bullet to the head, you are not missing out. Anyhow...
But let me tell you what this is all about guys and gals, it's about ridding the world of threats to the future of the United States. It's not about oil (France and Russia's position), it's not about a father's vendetta, it's not about liberating a country. It's about a ruthless dictator who was told 12 years ago to disarm. It's about a ruthless dictator who hates America, Israel, and even his own people. It's about a ruthless dictator who has the connections to give (not sell) mass killing devices to terrorist groups to get what he wants.
I remember about 18 months ago, I was watching this show on television. For some reason, this show went on for a week! And for some other reason, it was on all the channels and it was COMMERCIAL FREE! Highest rated, most watched Reality TV series on television ever. See, the show played like this - 19 people, 3 buildings, 4 airplanes, one morning to finish it. The goal of the show was to kill as many Americans as you can. The reward? A warped vision of heaven if you complete the challenge. Only 3 or 4 of the players didn't complete the challenge, so I guess they get to burn in Hell for all eternity. But the one's that did finish it, caused massive carnage and showed America that we are NOT safe.
Myself, I want to live a life filled with normal problems. I don't want to live a life where some whacko blows himself up in line at McDonald's while I'm ordering a Big Mac. I don't want to be told that I have 30 seconds to live because some a-hole detonated a bomb downtown. I don't want to live a life where one day I go outside and all the birds are dropping from the sky because some jerk blew up an airplane loaded with chemical agents. Nuff said there.
See, imagine if the US was actually Iraq and Saddam was in charge. Here's what you would see. California would have been gassed and wiped out 30 years ago for speaking out and fighting the President. There would be random tribes of rebels on the run in the western states. You would not be allowed to travel anywhere without papers on you. All countries against us would be in ruin from the nuclear bombs Saddam used on them. You would not have cable/satellite TV. You would see no public debate. The Constitution would have been used to light a fire in the White House. Tom Daschle would be in prison for criticism of the President (although I can't stand him, I will fight to the death to make sure he can continue to be a jerk). Congress? Supreme Court? What Congress and Supreme Court - you have no representation in this country and no voice. Get caught with your dope or alcohol? Death. Don't pray to God or announce you are an athiest or agnostic? Death. No cars, no VCRs, not a single luxury. Prisons? Well, as numerous as houses.
People like Saddam have a vision of one world power - with them in charge. Does it seem unrealistic that a country would surrender to a dictator like him? 60 years ago, the French, Polish, entire Eastern European bloc, and ALMOST England had to surrender to Hitler. If Hitler had gotten nukes first, do you think he wouldn't have used them on the United States? He was researching missile/rocket technology up until the end. Hmmm. Well, reverse that, do you think that Saddam Hussein would not use nukes against us? Absolutely not. He would find the people to do it for him. He would talk with his buddies (terrorists), give them the weapons, and buy their plane tickets.
Imagine this - don't take him out of power. He develops more weapons. One day, you wake up and there is no television. There is no electricity. The phone is dead. And so are 60% of Americans. The remaining 40%? They get to live the life I illustrated, because we stood back and just took it. Don't tell me it can't happen. Don't tell me nobody could possibly do that to us. The world is a dangerous place, always has been, and 9/11 showed us how arrogant and naive we truly are.
Americans and Europeans (and some Pacific countries) are the most advanced cultures in the history of mankind. We don't like war, we abhor it. I don't like it, but I know the names of my grandfathers that fought in the Revolutionary, Civil, World I and II wars. Without these wars, your life would be dramatically different. I think alot of Americans have forgotten what it took to get us where we are and to stay where we are. To stay on top, you have to pay a price, and the altar of freedom is not clean. It's bloody, mangled, and not pleasant. Just like a pair of towers that we used to have here.
And p.s. God no longer watches over America, he's been told he's not wanted here anymore.
I was personally against the first Gulf War. I was an 18 year old "mind-full-of-mush" kid at the time, and that war made me vote for the wrong guy in my first election. I was told it was MY VIETNAM. I was scared into that belief because of a high school teacher who was a former hippie who was kind enough to show us her husband's Vietnam photo collection. If you've never seen the result of a bullet to the head, you are not missing out. Anyhow...
But let me tell you what this is all about guys and gals, it's about ridding the world of threats to the future of the United States. It's not about oil (France and Russia's position), it's not about a father's vendetta, it's not about liberating a country. It's about a ruthless dictator who was told 12 years ago to disarm. It's about a ruthless dictator who hates America, Israel, and even his own people. It's about a ruthless dictator who has the connections to give (not sell) mass killing devices to terrorist groups to get what he wants.
I remember about 18 months ago, I was watching this show on television. For some reason, this show went on for a week! And for some other reason, it was on all the channels and it was COMMERCIAL FREE! Highest rated, most watched Reality TV series on television ever. See, the show played like this - 19 people, 3 buildings, 4 airplanes, one morning to finish it. The goal of the show was to kill as many Americans as you can. The reward? A warped vision of heaven if you complete the challenge. Only 3 or 4 of the players didn't complete the challenge, so I guess they get to burn in Hell for all eternity. But the one's that did finish it, caused massive carnage and showed America that we are NOT safe.
Myself, I want to live a life filled with normal problems. I don't want to live a life where some whacko blows himself up in line at McDonald's while I'm ordering a Big Mac. I don't want to be told that I have 30 seconds to live because some a-hole detonated a bomb downtown. I don't want to live a life where one day I go outside and all the birds are dropping from the sky because some jerk blew up an airplane loaded with chemical agents. Nuff said there.
See, imagine if the US was actually Iraq and Saddam was in charge. Here's what you would see. California would have been gassed and wiped out 30 years ago for speaking out and fighting the President. There would be random tribes of rebels on the run in the western states. You would not be allowed to travel anywhere without papers on you. All countries against us would be in ruin from the nuclear bombs Saddam used on them. You would not have cable/satellite TV. You would see no public debate. The Constitution would have been used to light a fire in the White House. Tom Daschle would be in prison for criticism of the President (although I can't stand him, I will fight to the death to make sure he can continue to be a jerk). Congress? Supreme Court? What Congress and Supreme Court - you have no representation in this country and no voice. Get caught with your dope or alcohol? Death. Don't pray to God or announce you are an athiest or agnostic? Death. No cars, no VCRs, not a single luxury. Prisons? Well, as numerous as houses.
People like Saddam have a vision of one world power - with them in charge. Does it seem unrealistic that a country would surrender to a dictator like him? 60 years ago, the French, Polish, entire Eastern European bloc, and ALMOST England had to surrender to Hitler. If Hitler had gotten nukes first, do you think he wouldn't have used them on the United States? He was researching missile/rocket technology up until the end. Hmmm. Well, reverse that, do you think that Saddam Hussein would not use nukes against us? Absolutely not. He would find the people to do it for him. He would talk with his buddies (terrorists), give them the weapons, and buy their plane tickets.
Imagine this - don't take him out of power. He develops more weapons. One day, you wake up and there is no television. There is no electricity. The phone is dead. And so are 60% of Americans. The remaining 40%? They get to live the life I illustrated, because we stood back and just took it. Don't tell me it can't happen. Don't tell me nobody could possibly do that to us. The world is a dangerous place, always has been, and 9/11 showed us how arrogant and naive we truly are.
Americans and Europeans (and some Pacific countries) are the most advanced cultures in the history of mankind. We don't like war, we abhor it. I don't like it, but I know the names of my grandfathers that fought in the Revolutionary, Civil, World I and II wars. Without these wars, your life would be dramatically different. I think alot of Americans have forgotten what it took to get us where we are and to stay where we are. To stay on top, you have to pay a price, and the altar of freedom is not clean. It's bloody, mangled, and not pleasant. Just like a pair of towers that we used to have here.
And p.s. God no longer watches over America, he's been told he's not wanted here anymore.