Five years doesn't dull the pain
It's been five years. Five long years and I find myself asking the political pundit question " Am I better off than I was 5 years ago?"
Much to my chagrin, no.
We have not found Osama. Worse yet, if we did-intead of slowly killing him, live on national TV, by tying off one joint at a time, until he was a writhing torso, or by controlled evisceration- we would try him in our courts and debate his troubled childhood, his poor choice of associates, and in a fit of delusional self-recrimination, we would commute his sentence to life in prison, and in a few years we'd let him out for unsupervised visits with his friends and family. The ones he still has because nobody killed them.
We have not won the peace in Iraq, or the rest of the Middle East. Not our fault. t seems IMuslims would rather subjugate themselves in religious misery, killing themselves and each other over which view of "peaceful" Islam is the correct one. One email respondent to a news article on Iraq stated "Muslim country shold boycot us. (sic) We shold not trade with them." I agree. We need a new source of energy and quick. And export it to other countries. When the oil money dries up, these zealots will return to being sheep and goat herders. With nothing else to offer the rest of the world, no scholars, no manufacturing, no technology, they will wither and die. That day will come. Tomorrow would not be soon enough.
We have not sealed our borders. Not just against terrorism, but against the malaise of illegal immigration. If you come to my country legally, I will embrace you with open arms. Being an American is just that, American. No hyphens. If the other country was so great, why did you come here? Your previous heritage is a fine thing, but your new heritage should be more important. Learn the language. Blend in. The only times that this country has accomplished great things has been when we all came together as Americans.
We have not kept up the pressure. Pressure against those who support terrorism either monetarily, or with training or equipment. In the name of political correctness or placation, we have gone far out of our way to not offend or accuse others and in doing so, we have forgotten. We have lost our sharp, angry memory of our dead. Not just in 2995 in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, but the 10 kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq and Saudi Arabia The 17 killed on the USS Cole., 265 dead on Flight 103 in Lockerbie, Scotland. 241 dead in their barracks in Beruit. All tolled, thousands dead to Islamic terrorists. The list dates backward from 1970. 1970? Yes. Bobby Kennedy was killed by an radical, Islamic terrorist. Or did you forget?
Finally and perhaps most importantly, we have not given up hope. No nation on this globe is more generous with its wealth, its knowledge, its people or its willingness to help. No other nation is more demonized, reviled or vilified without and within. We are the first to be criticized. The first to be accused of jingoism. The first to be taken to task for whatever we do. The key thing to remember is we are the first to be called. And the first to forgive. Always.
Much to my chagrin, no.
We have not found Osama. Worse yet, if we did-intead of slowly killing him, live on national TV, by tying off one joint at a time, until he was a writhing torso, or by controlled evisceration- we would try him in our courts and debate his troubled childhood, his poor choice of associates, and in a fit of delusional self-recrimination, we would commute his sentence to life in prison, and in a few years we'd let him out for unsupervised visits with his friends and family. The ones he still has because nobody killed them.
We have not won the peace in Iraq, or the rest of the Middle East. Not our fault. t seems IMuslims would rather subjugate themselves in religious misery, killing themselves and each other over which view of "peaceful" Islam is the correct one. One email respondent to a news article on Iraq stated "Muslim country shold boycot us. (sic) We shold not trade with them." I agree. We need a new source of energy and quick. And export it to other countries. When the oil money dries up, these zealots will return to being sheep and goat herders. With nothing else to offer the rest of the world, no scholars, no manufacturing, no technology, they will wither and die. That day will come. Tomorrow would not be soon enough.
We have not sealed our borders. Not just against terrorism, but against the malaise of illegal immigration. If you come to my country legally, I will embrace you with open arms. Being an American is just that, American. No hyphens. If the other country was so great, why did you come here? Your previous heritage is a fine thing, but your new heritage should be more important. Learn the language. Blend in. The only times that this country has accomplished great things has been when we all came together as Americans.
We have not kept up the pressure. Pressure against those who support terrorism either monetarily, or with training or equipment. In the name of political correctness or placation, we have gone far out of our way to not offend or accuse others and in doing so, we have forgotten. We have lost our sharp, angry memory of our dead. Not just in 2995 in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, but the 10 kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq and Saudi Arabia The 17 killed on the USS Cole., 265 dead on Flight 103 in Lockerbie, Scotland. 241 dead in their barracks in Beruit. All tolled, thousands dead to Islamic terrorists. The list dates backward from 1970. 1970? Yes. Bobby Kennedy was killed by an radical, Islamic terrorist. Or did you forget?
Finally and perhaps most importantly, we have not given up hope. No nation on this globe is more generous with its wealth, its knowledge, its people or its willingness to help. No other nation is more demonized, reviled or vilified without and within. We are the first to be criticized. The first to be accused of jingoism. The first to be taken to task for whatever we do. The key thing to remember is we are the first to be called. And the first to forgive. Always.
posted by Dalt Danyon at 5:07 PM
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