Posted on 03/28/2007 12:19:38 PM PDT by dmh191
Last week marked the four-year anniversary of America's liberation of Iraq. In response to the longevity of the project, protests were held throughout the nation denouncing the war. From sea to shining sea, the protesters wielded signs with pictures of Che Guevara and anti-American slogans while disingenuously demanding that our troops be brought home immediately.
The national coordinator of ANSWER, the coalition to Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, Brian Becker, told me in a phone interview that the protests were held as "an effort to reach the people of this county and as they have become more and more vigorous in joining us in the anti-war protest." Becker went on to claim that by protesting, "so-called ordinary people become the central actors on the political stage." I, of course, reminded Becker that as it stands, the president is elected by the people who actually are "central actors on the political stage."
ANSWER associates itself with the Party for Socialism and Liberation - an off-shoot of the Workers World Party - and came into commission three days after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Members of the steering committee have held posts with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Free Palestine Alliance - U.S., as well as similarly-minded leftist organizations. In essence, the protesting coalition is a socialist organization aiming to further its own goals through the denouncement of the war in Iraq.
While I believe their plea to bring the troops home is not necessarily disingenuous by itself, I also think that the ANSWER coalition has added protesting the war to its agenda in order to make headlines.
Its main concern seems to be to move America towards socialism, however possible. As Becker said, "The movement becomes a potent force when the people become a factor that the politicians have to reckon with."
In truth, the organizers aim to rally against America. But with the unpopular war in Iraq waning, they have sought to use it to their advantage. The withdrawal of troops is hardly their biggest concern; electrifying the movement is.
Traveling home for Spring Break last week, a venture that took me almost 60 hours door-to-door thanks to the horrid weather, I had the opportunity to meet many people with whom I could commiserate. Yet none are as memorable as the brave men and women of the armed forces who were on their way back to Iraq after a mere two-week leave of absence.
The consensus among the troops that I met, largely apolitical, was that U.S. involvement in Iraq was going well - an impression distant, yet probably more accurate than the feeling of the protesters. The soldiers applauded the surge and said that it had resulted in less violence.
The biggest complaint from the soldiers was not that waiting in line at the airport allowed them to see more women than they had seen in five months, nor was it the difficulty of living in a war zone; it was saying goodbye to their loved ones. I heard the voice of one of our nation's finest crack as he explained to me how he would miss his wife, and how he had not slept in the last two days because he wanted to make his time with her count.
Not one soldier, out of around the 15 that I spoke with, regretted joining the army, nor were they worried that America would lose. What did bother these individuals was the growing animosity at home towards their mission. They explained to me that the insurgents witness the American media's coverage of coalitions like ANSWER and it instills them with hope. Becker's aim to incite a transformation has arguably led to more violence and more American lives lost.
For years the anti-war coalition has urged President George W. Bush to either change tactics or to bring our troops home from Iraq. Finally, several months ago, the president responded. He began by declaring his intentions to change policy and fired several army officials.
While Congress unanimously confirmed Gen. David H. Petraeus, a proponent of the surge, as U.S. commander of troops in Iraq, they immediately followed this progressive step by voting down the entire premise on which he was confirmed. The policy in Washington makes little sense. Bush promised change, and the opposing party failed to even let him try.
I believe that rational people can disagree about the war in Iraq, but the protests and socialist agenda have only hurt the nation and polarized the anti-war movement.
I am not advocating a limit on their free speech; my only point is that our words have consequences - perhaps beyond their intention and scope. The breadth of such detriment is unknown, but the troops in Iraq have felt the ripples.
ping
Interesting comments. They sound like yours.
QUit
Esposing
Socialism
To
Injure
Our
Nation
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