A Letter to Cindy Sheehan

A letter was written by a father of an American soldier to Cindy Sheehan (find it here).  Apart from its value in contering Sheehan’s work in protesting the war, it is a reminder that free speech comes with responsibilities.

Four Test Questions

In order to determine whether or not human rights are “being generally upheld in a particular country, we only had to ask a few questions:
Could people in that country speak their minds?
Could they publish their opinions?
Could they practice their faith?
Could they learn the history and culture of their people?” — Natan Sharansky, The Case for Democracy, p. 196-197.

Stories from the Front:Gates of Fire

I think we need to hear inspiring stories from the frontlines of the war on terror.  Here is a link to one found on Michael Yon’s blog.

On the Money!

“Most of the world knows far less of our reality than we know of theirs, elitist propaganda notwithstanding.  One difference between the average American and the average European is that while the American will admit he knows little about Europe, the European, with no greater depth of knowledge, insists that he knows everything about America.” – Ralph Peters, New Glory, p.87. 

Short and Sweet

“If we take our Christian faith seriously, we will support a powerful United States committed to protecting and enhancing global democracy.” — Dean C. Curry, A World Without Tyranny, p.188

Why Iraq?

“Critics of our war of liberation posed the specious question “Why Iraq?  What about the other tyrranical regimes?”  Their tone suggested that Washington must have had some insidious reason for singling out the Baghdad regime.  Of course, the critics did not want action taken against any oppressive regimes.  They only wished to frustrate and embarrass the United States.  Yet there were plentiful reasons why it made sense to free the Iraq population first.

You do what is possible.  In an ideal world we could remove every tyrant or junta.  But we do not live in an ideal world.  Some take this as a justification for doing nothing, but it only means that we must do the best we can, that we must recognize our limits (but not exaggerate them to absolve ourselves of responsibility).  The struggle for freedom has to begin somewhere.  The notion that if we do not do everything we are not justified in doing anything has neither logic nor moral validity. 

Consider a few of the practical reasons why it made sense to remove the Iraqi regime while taking a different approach to North Korea (as one obvious example).  North Korea has not invaded anyone for a half century.  Saddam Hussein had launched wars that took over a million lives within the past quarter century, and he was only stymied, not penitent.  The United States had no specific moral responsibility for the Pyongyang regime, but in a tragic error had briefly supported Saddam Hussein against Iran’s mullahs.  Our relationship with Saddam was neither so intense nor remotely as enduring as those enjoyed by France, Russia, and China, but we’re Americans, and the ways of amoral powers should not be our own.  Then, in 1991, after encouraging Iraq’s Shia Muslims to rise against the Baghdad regime, we abandoned them (a repetition of our behavior in Hungary in 1956).  The subsequent butchery of the Shia and the regime’s campaign of ecological terror against the Marsh Arabs was, in part, our responsibility–inaction in the face of terror and genocide is complicity.

Yes, Iraq’s oil mattered.  But it was not the sole or even the primary motivation for Operation Iraqi Freedom.  On the most practical level, removing the government in Baghdad was doable and had the support of the great majority of Iraqis.  The Iraqis had risen repeatedly against Saddam Hussein.  The North Koreans have not shown the valor to repudiate their leadership.  A war on the Korean Peninsula would be a bloodbath.  The South Koreans and their supporters would win, but Seoul, a megacity, would be destroyed (in an act of defiance, South Korea insisted on rebuilding its ravaged capital on the same site in the wake of the Korean War, failing to foresee the increased ranges and lethality that render Seoul a hostage not only to North Korean nuclear weapons, but to conventional artillery).

But all this swiftly becomes hairsplitting.  Even had we simply flipped a coin to decide which tyrant to depose the destruction of the targeted regime would have been justified.  What right can an unelected tyrant, hated by his own people, have to dictate the fate of tens of millions?  How can we look away–or worse, defend the tyrant’s incumbency?  We cannot solve every problem, but that is no excuse for doing nothing.” — Ralph Peters, New Glory, pp.127-128.

A Word on What I’m Doing On This Blog Thus Far

This blog is subtitled “Thinking Christianly About the United States of America and Its Civilization.”  I realize that the “Christian” part of this blog has not yet manifested itself quite so clearly.  Well, apart from the fact that I have not yet had the time to bring the Christian worldview into the discussion, I include the quotes I do because they are the ones I tend to think are compatible with a Christian worldview (though not all without qualification!) and also because they are good things to be thinking about that can go into forming a Christian opinion on the particular topic.  So bear with me and take the time to think through them yourselves.  Ask the following questions: (1) is what the author is saying true?  (2) to what degree is what the author has said compatible with the word of God? 

Beyond “the Golden Age of Safety”

“If we lack the fortitude to do whatever it takes to win we may be certain that our enemies do not share our reticence.  Despite the terrible dangers of the Cold War, the truth is that America and its allies have lived through a golden age of safety.  That age is now at an end.  Despite our best efforts to secure our homeland, we live in an age of vulnerability unprecedented since our frontier days.  And the only enduring means to reduce that vulnerability isn’t frisking Grandma at the airport.  We must carry the struggle relentlessly to our enemies, as we have done with broad success since 9/11.

We can win the War on Terror.  Or any other war.  But only if we are willing to fight without reluctance and reservations–and if we are willing to fight for a long time to come.”  — Ralph Peters, New Glory, p. 73.