The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - American

We are one of the most self-critical people on the planet.

I am reminded of the flagellants of the Middle Ages, who would beat themselves as a penance because they thought their sins had brought on the Black Plague. There are those in this country who attribute some self-serving or evil motive to virtually every policy instituted by our government. I don’t begin to believe that our government is fully benevolent or that those in power don’t need to be watched. In fact, as a Libertarian, my thinking comes down from our founding fathers. They believed that Government was a dangerous thing by its very nature and that the power of the government must be restricted as much as possible. I have always felt that Religion and Government were collectively responsible for more pain and suffering than any other constructs in the history of the world. At least that was my feeling before the rise of Terrorism.

The war in Iraq puts my practical concerns at odds with my core beliefs. I am not in favor of military intervention or entanglements and would agree with those who have argued that we should be a market to all (and militarily neutral whenever possible). I don’t agree with the amount of money that is being spent on the number of troops we have in Europe and would support a general pullback of our forces throughout the world. I am not, however, an appeaser and feel that anyone who could advocate this policy after he example of Neville Chamberlain is simply stupid or in denial or both. I don’t really care about WMD and I think the incident at Abu Graib was sad, but was puffed far out of proportion for political gain. Sadam didn’t strip people and laugh at them, he TORTURED, MUTILATED, and KILLED them…by the Hundreds of Thousands!!!

The people at Abu Graib should have been treated humanely and those responsible for their mistreatment should be, and are being, punished. Let’s not forget, however, that these people are wanton murderers of the innocent. Look at what those that have not found their way to Abu Graib are doing on a daily basis to the men, women, and (most importantly) children of Iraq and you should be able to see who the Good Guys are in this situation. It is sad that so many around the world, and more so that so many within this country cannot see the good that is common in the American people.

I have respect for the pacifist, but realize they can’t exist without someone protecting their right to pacifism with a gun. It is not in this world, but the next where we can live our ideals of peace and love. For now we must thank those who guard against the evil that surrounds and would engulf us. I want to thank the brave soldiers that risk their lives to protect our freedoms as well as the lives of others…and I also want to thank the President who saw what was right and did it in the face of harsh and undeserved criticism.