Running Scared and the War in Iraq

Do you ever ask yourself why we never hear in the local News media or any news media for that matter, what is going right in Iraq? You should. It is certainly not because things are going badly, they are not and have not. Our American troops have done a magnificent job of liberating that country as well as its neighbor Afghanistan. They have repaired and rebuilt almost the entire infrastructure and but for those who keep blowing it up, and others here in the United States who blatantly gives aid and comfort to the enemy, the job would be done. This has been done with a minimum loss of life on both sides. I understand of course that if you are a family who has lost a loved one in that conflict your loss is great and one too many. My heart goes out to those families, but anyone who has done any research on the subject knows that what I have said above is true. Furthermore, America is the most giving nation in the world and we have sacrificed more for world peace than any other nation, undisputedly.

Why then is it that the media in general give us nothing but doom and gloom? Is it because that is what we want? No, it is because that is what they, the media, want. There can be no logical reason to constantly give out exaggerated misinformation and refuse to print the truth other than pure determination to support an agenda that is contrary to the welfare of these United States. The truth is there for anyone to see, just not in the major media. But an even deeper truth exists that eventually we all will have to face and that is what did we do to overcome this media blitz designed to damage our country. Each and every one of us must find that piece of ground that we stand on and defend. There is a line in a country song that said, “you’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything”. In this case, probably a very big reality and a very important statement.

The facts about the war are real whether you like them or not. The necessity of our presence in the Middle East, long term, is a reality, whether you like it or not. If unchecked, the Islamic radicals, upon having their way, will give your children’s children three choices: convert, subjugate or die. No others will be offered, like it or not. The only safety valve for our future generations, the only check on the radical movement in Islam, the only way to assure that your grandchildren will not be ruled by Islamic law is you and me, right now, today. The only way for us to do that is to stand on a piece of ground and defend it. Let’s start with truth in the media. Let’s insist on both sides of the story. If the media is going to constantly publish stories about problems then let’s insist that they balance it with stories of success. Certainly the number of soldiers killed in action is newsworthy, but so are the schools opened, the water plants built and the businesses opened. Every soldier I talk to is proud to be a part of the effort and I might add often wonders if the media are reporting on the same war in which he or she is involved. Furthermore, they talk of winning, success and the positive attitude of the Iraqi people toward our troops and their mission. Meanwhile the news media reports that we are losing, the people don’t want us their and how things are going badly. Then they trot out some has-been General to verify their story, demean the troops he supposedly once led and vilify the character of his Commander in Chief. The bad news is that you and I are responsible. The government is us, you and me. We own it. The politicians work for you and me. If we choose to relinquish our authority, our elected representatives will run further amuck than they currently are. We also own the media, indirectly. We buy it, we read it, we advertise in it. Why do we do it?

I believe that regardless of which side of the political spectrum you are on, our issues are generally the same. Recent surveys [American Solutions.com] indicate that on a variety of issues 80+ percent of us agree. These surveys questioned Republicans, Democrats and independents on issues of the war, national security, privacy, education, environment, immigration and many others. The results verified the 80+ percent not only on identifying the issue, but also on the method of solution. Why then do Americans not get what they want? I believe that a few extremists on both sides have got us running scared for fear of being singled out by the thought police, the land use police, the cell phone police, the fast food police, the feel good police, the “don’t spank your kids” police and the "can’t we all just get along” police. Isn’t it time that we said no to the extremists and send them packing. This is our country and the majority of us agree on how we want it administrated. It is time to stand up, stop running and be counted