Posted on 01/29/2005 7:44:12 PM PST by Elkiejg
We haven't blogged about Iraq. So many others have done so, and done it better than we would have and with more knowledge than we. All we want to say is that the people of Iraq today face one of the greatest tests in their modern history: Will they defy the totalitarian murderers and take an important step towards genuine self-determination and democracy? We hope so; we hope the murderers are unable to prevent the lighting of the candle of freedom in that dark and troubled country.
On this crucial day in Iraq, we must also remember two sets of non-Iraqis. The first set, we must apologize for, and nobody represents them better than Sen. Edward Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts. The man has gone from being a killer, to a buffoon, and now to criminally irresponsible. Next July, Mary Jo Kopechne would have celebrated her 65th birthday; she probably would have grown children and be a grandmother. She, however, will always be 28 years old, thanks to Ted Kennedy -- the man who killed her in 1969 just days before her 29th birthday, tried to cover it up, and then lied and used his family's considerable political power to evade punishment. From killer he went on to buffoon: Who can forget his absurd run for the Democratic nomination of 1980? Or, his pontificating about women's rights during the Clarence Thomas nomination hearings? As he has aged, he apparently has begun experiencing a second adolescence, in other words, he's returning to his 1969 persona, to wit, he wants people, American people to die or, at best, doesn't care if they do as a consequence of his actions. How else can one explain his comments about pulling out of Iraq -- gleefully replayed by Al Jazeera?For a Kennedy to compare Iraq and Vietnam is doubly obscene: not only are the facts on the ground completely different, but it was JFK -- Teddy's elder brother -- who got us into Vietnam with no exit plan.
The other set of people to remember today are the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who knocked off the murderous Saddam regime and who continue to fight those who would restore it or replace it with something equally or more evil. Over 1300 of them have died in liberating Iraq; thousands more have suffered grievous injury. One way of saying thank you to those who have returned injured is by supporting with whatever you can the Wounded Warrior Project or other similar efforts. We would urge all of you to do what you can to help our wounded as they come home and try to readjust to life. Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.