Conservative Soup - food for thought

Using the war on terrorism for political gain began immediately during the days following 9/11. Many public figures began expressing their fear of the inevitable U.S. retaliation. They hoped for patience and understanding - thoughtful reflection - before American action. They insisted we seek to understand why radical Muslim groups hated the United States rather than to recognize their evil ways and against them. Nightly, we heard the "intellectually superior" tell us that we needed to reflect on why these groups wanted to see Americans die and that we were wrong in wanting to defend ourselves. This was where the politicizing the war on terror began.

On United Flight 93 over Pennsylvania, a group of American heroes were about to save the lives of hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of other Americans by sacrificing their own. These heroes left an indelible mark when they fought that evil aboard that plane. They took immediate action to eliminate them. The call of "Let’s roll!" has become synonymous with bravery and heroism. While they certainly regretted that innocent women and children were about to die in their heroic efforts, they brought the plane down in a fiery crash that will always be etched in our minds. I can remember a strange sense of relief (and immence pride) when I learned that the heroes on board that flight foiled that evil plot. How would this have played out if there was a protest to American defensive action aboard Flight 93?

What if there were other Americans aboard the plane blaming our leaders in Washington for the radicals that high-jacked that plane? Would the rest of the passengers stand idly by and watch the plane hit the White House or perhaps another building full of innocents? What would happen while the passengers reflected on the highjacker’s hatred for us? Would that not strengthen the resolve of the terrorists and make their mission more achievable?

Those of us that despise war and long for a more peaceful world need understand that what happened over Pennsylvania is much the same as the war on terrorism. It is regrettable that innocent people have died, that American soldiers have said "Let's roll!" only to die in their own fiery crash. But, we have not initiated the decision to do battle in Iraq and Afghanistan any more than the innocent victims of Flight 93 boarded that plane with the intention of having it dive into a Pennsylvania field. Those that blame American first are giving the terrorists more resolve and their missions more achievable.

The Blame America First Crowd began chanting protests of American Imperialism because of our movement to eliminate the Taliban. Their cries have grown louder as we have moved into Iraq. Now with every American set-back in Iraq, their shrillness is almost unbearable.

President Bush, at worst, made a public relations mistake by placing so much emphasis on the weapons of mass destruction -although those fears were legitimate, his mistake that would provide more ammunition for the "Blame American First" crowd and for the those that want to terrorize our nation when those weapons were found to be missing. Note: the terrorists had no weapons of mass destruction on 9/11. They improvised.

On 9/11, how many of us would have predicted nearly five years without a terrorist strike within the borders of our country? Scantly a few, I am sure. These anti-American groups have gravitated to Iraq to fight our way of living. However, this time, they have been met with Americans with the arms to beat them.

Will