People talk about the "cost of war" but fail to discuss the cost of inaction. "Those who do not LEARN from history are bound to repeat it."
The nay-sayers and liberal media "talking heads" are screaming, "Why should we go to war with Iraq?" "What is the justification for taking preemptive action?" "We must not upset the apple cart in the Middle East" The answer to all of these questions is simple: History teaches us we must take action before tens, hundreds of thousands or millions of Americans die as a direct result of our inaction.
While teaching this Spring at a University in St. Petersburg, Russia I took the time to go to Piskaryovsoye Cemetery, a mass graveyard outside the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. I purposely went there as a visceral, visual reminder of what happens when people, leaders and nations of the world try to appease/make peace with or otherwise ignore madmen bent on world conquest and domination.
This site contains over 186 mass graves. I know because I took the time to count each of them and to solemnly ponder their contents. THERE ARE OVER 490,000 PEOPLE BURIED THERE! People just like you and I, people who once lived, breathed, love and dreamed of bright futures for themselves and their children. Over 900, 000 people died in the city of St. Petersburg alone (200, 000 just in Jan-Feb 1942) and MOST of them were civilians; women and children.
All of this happened because the leaders of the world, including Stalin, sought to appease a little madman who amassed weapons and an army in order to dominate his neighbors and the World, by the name of Adolph Hitler.
A week later I went to London and visited the Imperial War Museum. There, encased in glass I saw the actual Munich Pact letter signed by Hitler and Chamberlain in which Hitler "promised" in writing to end his aggression... promises always look good in writing.
Neville Chamberlain waved the letter before the English press and the world and said: "...My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time. Go home and get a nice quiet sleep." -- Neville Chamberlain, September 30, 1938.
Europe believed his hollow promises and went back to sleep. They tried to "contain" and "appease" Hitler, the exact same advice people who ignore reality are giving us today regarding Saddam... the result; HE ATTACKED THEM ANYWAY AND 80 MILLION PEOPLE DIED IN THE PROCESS... people like you and me, people like your children, your husbands, your wives, your grandparents.
Like Hitler, Saddam has given his word and made a multitude of promises for the sole purpose of keeping us from stopping his WMD programs and his ultimate aims for aggression. The World needs to be reminded that to date HE HAS KEPT NONE OF THEM. History teaches us this lesson; if we do not deal with and stop Saddam now, the cost will be far, far greater to accomplish this in the future.
So "Why act now?" Because this is the reality of our current situation; Muslim fundamentalists all over the world have declared jihad on America. They want us (civilians, men, women and children) DEAD and are actively plotting to kill, enslave and destroy us. All of this is taking place at the same time Saddam continues to produce weapons grade Anthrax, VX gas, and hastily works on developing nukes and these other "goodies" to give to toady Muslim terrorists to use against America. A report out this week details the "worst case scenario" 3 MILLION DEAD due to the release of 250 pounds of weapons grade Anthrax in either LA or San Francisco.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/3995198.htm
America and it's leaders and people will either learn from history or repeat it. History provides us and our Allies with all the reasons and justification we need to preemptively go to war with Iraq and to rid the world of Saddam. The only other option the is to wait until he or one of his Muslim lackeys hits us and thousands or millions die.
The appeasers advise us to "wait, for “proof” do nothing, to sit around, contain, appease and take Saddam at his word... until we are attacked, the problem is then it will be too late.
America's response must be that of G. BUSH Sr.: 'Sorry, ... NOT GONNA DO IT... WOULDN'T BE PRUDENT!"
History warns us, if we do not deal with this threat now, the next attack, Anthrax, Small pox, dirty bomb, suitcase nuke, etc... (and it is coming if we don't stop them, it is just a matter of time) will make Sept. 11th look like a picnic.
Liberals get all choked up about "innocents" getting killed in Iraq. They fail to mention that 3,000 American innocents were murdered on September 11, 01. WE ARE ALREADY AT WAR, IT IS TIME WE AS A NATION DEFEND OURSELVES.
By the way, I am not some "arm chair general" who never served but is gung-ho to send others off to war (the "straw man argument). I am a former Vietnam vet... USN 68 - 71 who served in the theater of operations. I know the cost of war, but the cost of inaction is, in this case too high to contemplate.
If you don't believe me just take a trip to Piskaryovsoye Cemetery outside of the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. You will not find any names of the dead because there are nearly a half million people buried there; just 186 plus mass graves, each containing a simple marker noting the year those interred in each grave died. This is what we can expect if we do not respond to the "clear and present danger" that Saddam and Muslim fundamentalists represent to America and it's Allies.