Posted on 03/25/2003 5:01:20 AM PST by mikeb704
Last week in Chicago anti-war marchers tied up traffic on Lake Shore Drive for hours. Yes, indeed, that’s surely the way to win over the hearts and minds of others. Aggravate them by adding hours to their commute. That’ll persuade them of the rightness of your cause and attract allies.
It could have been worse. Some anti-war activists in San Francisco demonstrated their flair for originality by conducting a vomit in. Regurgitating on the plaza and sidewalks of the Federal Building, the protestors wanted the world to know that the war with Iraq made them sick. Puking for peace can be so very ennobling.
Still, there is room to hope that some of the uninformed will finally come to their senses. One who did is an American pastor, Kenneth Joseph, who went to Iraq with human shield volunteers. His experience, he told United Press International, "had shocked me back to reality." Iraqis he interviewed "told me they would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing to see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam’s bloody tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler. He and his sons are sick sadists. Their tales of slow torture and killing made me ill, such as people put in a huge shredder for plastic products, feet first so they could hear their screams as bodies got chewed up from foot to head." No doubt his former comrades will, if they haven’t already, attack Mr. Joseph as a pawn of Big Oil.
Democratic Senate leader Tom Daschle said that he’s "saddened that this president failed so miserably at diplomacy that we're now forced to war. Saddened that we have to give up one life because this president couldn't create the kind of diplomatic effort that was so critical for our country." Maybe Tommy hasn’t noticed, but Saddam Hussein, who’s ignored UN resolutions for over a decade, has now taken to violating the Geneva Convention rules for treatment of prisoners of war. So what’s the likelihood that Hussein would be interested in more diplomatic efforts? Slim and none, and Slim left town some time ago.
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of the People’s Republic of Evanston issued a press release last week hoping "for the safety of our troops, a speedy conclusion to the conflict, and the least loss of American and Iraqi lives." Even by the lower than low standards of the Democrat party, her remark is absurd. This may come as a surprise to Jan, but most Americans place a higher value on American soldiers’ lives than those of the Iraqis. General George S. Patton summed it up when he pointed out: "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other b______ die for his." The more Iraqi soldiers who die, and the quicker, the sooner our brave men and women will return. The day after her press release was issued, Mz Schakowsky showed how genuinely she supports our troops. On a resolution expressing the support and appreciation of the Nation for the president and the members of the Armed Forces participating in Operation Iraqi freedom, she voted "present" rather than "yea." Eleven representatives, all Democrats, voted "no." Explain to me again about there being no difference between the parties.
The media harp incessantly on every loss American and English forces suffer in Iraq. It’s important to keep such statistics in perspective. While I’ve not seen any figure on how many Iraqis have died, there have been thousands who’ve already surrendered. Now, as our soldiers face the threat of chemical and biological attacks, it’s painfully obvious that prevailing in this war will demand a tremendous price. We are so fortunate, as we’ve always been, that America is blessed with valiant people willing to risk their lives for liberty. May God bless and protect them.
Mike is a regular columnist for this Chicago suburban newspaper. It's important and heartening for us to know that, indeed, there are some embedded freeper newspeeples scattered throughout the country.
Leni
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