Duty

In the myriad of life, we often hear talk about the God-given rights and freedoms that man enjoys, living in a democracy. We have a freedom of the press. We have a right to bear arms. We have a freedom from racial discrimination. We have a right to our own religion. We have a freedom from double jeopardy. The firm basis of these rights and freedoms come from God.

Yet what many people overlook is that with these rights and freedoms comes a duty along with them. Freedom is a double-edged sword. One cannot have freedom worth having without carrying out the responsibilities of those freedoms. As John Stuart Mill once said: "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

The freedom worth defending is the only freedom worth having. When selfishness and personal safety become more important than the blanket which allows us to flourish and multiply, that is the beginning of the end for that very freedom. Only those who have carried the rifle, answered the call to musketry and have smelled the smoke possess the God-given and unalienable right to question the very government that has sent them into battle. Oh, those who chose not to go to war and yet remain the loudest anti-war voices after making excuses for refusing their nation's call have the freedom to question their government and the war, but they do not have the right.

That freedom has been bought and paid for in the blood of patriots on the hallowed grounds of Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Belleau Wood, Omaha Beach, St. Mere Eglise, The Chosin, the Ia Drang Valley, Lebanon, Panama, Kuwait City, Qandahar, and yes an-Nasiriyah and Baghdad. The blood of patriots that continues to spill in defense of these unalienable rights is what pays the price of freedom. If these rights and freedoms are unalienable to us, why should be deny these rights to others? Why should we not fight for others who are oppresses and dying under tyrannical rule? Has our nation fallen to such selfishness and self-centerdness.

The Constitution was written for individuals who would be guided by conscience and a higher morality to do the right thing. The whole basis of a free and democratic people is that the individual will be responsible to make honorable and righteous decisions according to his own conscience and sense of morality. To deny that God and religion is interwoven into the fabric of our great nation is to deny that our rights are unalienable under God, our Creator. To water down that belief in a Creator who has given us these rights and freedom for the political correctness and "diversity" of a melting pot of a nation, only removed the very reason behind what makes America so great.

As Americans, we have a solemn burden, not only to our fellow countrymen, but also to those around the world, who are oppressed and tyrannized. If we have the rights and freedoms under God, so does every other man woman and child. And as men of conscience and honor, we have the responsibility, the duty to not rest until these rights and freedoms are accorded to all men, regardless of race, creed, birthright, continent or social status. This responsibility is the other side of the coin of our freedom. What glass house do we live in if we live in a box of our freedom while neighbors and other people live in totalitarian regimes that refuse to give even the most basic of human rights and freedoms?

Operation Enduring Freedom began as a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks which killed over three thousand of our countrymen, including over five hundred public servants, police officers, firefighters and paramedics who have a livelihood out of saving lives. Yet, response to these attacks is not where it has started nor is it where it will end. Of that, I am certain.

This war against terrorism has been brewing on the outskirts of our consciousness for nearly three decades. It is a war that had largely been ignored by the American people for well over thirty years. We paid scant attention to the Palestinian murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Our collective memory is too short term to remember the 241 Marines and Sailors who were killed by a suicide truck bomber in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. The bombings of the US Embassies in East Africa in 1998 were acts of war and yet we reacted as if they were criminal cases. In 2000, we closed our eyes to the threat after the USS Cole was attacked and seventeen sailors had been killed.

The opening blows to this Global War on Terrorism had been first struck so many years before, yet we as a people and as a nation have refused to acknowledge it so. It was not until the enemy brought the war to our doorstep, in our own nation, that we finally saw whom the enemy and the very nature of that which we are fighting against.

It is not Islam that we are fighting; no this is not a war of religion. This is a war of ideology, between those who stand for freedom and unalienable rights, and those who stand for oppression and the conquering of the world by the sword through coercion, death and terror. There are only two sides in this war. There can be no neutrals. The sides are clearly drawn. If you deny this, then please put your head back in the sand and ignore the sound of musketry and the smell of smoke.

Even after the murder of SW2 (DV) Robert Stethem, at the hands of Palestinian terrorists in 1985, the death of the American male at the hands of terrorists aboard the Achille Lauro, and even after the downing of Pam Am Flight 103Prior to September 11, 2001 most American citizens were content to keep the war on terror relegated to the periphery of their minds. Up until September 11, 2001, terrorism was thought of and seen as criminal acts rather than acts of war.

On that fateful Tuesday, nobody can deny that the complete consciousness of our great nation changed. For the first time in our collective history, our civilian population was threatened on a national basis. This was no incursion across the Rio Grande by bandits or a border dispute. This is no naval base at a US possession being bombed to attempt and slow down an American response to Japanese Imperialism. For the first time in our collective history, from Boston to Los Angeles, from Seattle to Miami, and from Laredo to Minneapolis, Each American faces the same threat as the other. There is no telling where the next attack will be, and make no mistake. There will be another attack. The only question is where and when, and how many will perish. There can be no denial that terrorism is at the upsurge, that major combat operations against Islamists in Iraq, or Fundamentalists in Afghanistan, have done nothing to reduce the threat of terrorism.

We are fighting against an ideology based on hate and world conquest. Just as the First Jihad brought Islam to Europe until it was stopped on the Iberian Peninsula. This Jihad was stopped in 1492 at the Battle of Granada by Charles Martel of France. Even though Islam teaches peace and acceptance of Jews and Christians as other people of the book, and that Christ and others are prophets of Mohammed, the First Jihad sought to spread their ideology by force of arms and through war.

The Second Jihad was fought by the Ottomans who sought the destruction of Constantinople as the center of Orthodox religion, as well as the downfall of all things Roman. This was the largest and most widespread conquest of lands for the purpose of converting them to Islam through force. The Ottoman Empire remained until it was defeated in World War One. This also saw a resurgence of fundamental Wahhabi Sunni Islamic belief.

The Third Jihad has its origins in the 1970s with the overthrow of the Pro-Western Shah of Iran and insertion of the Fundamentalist Shi'a Islamic theocracy under the Ayatollah Khomeini. While the terrorist issue and the threat of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism had been festering for some time now, it was 1979 with the coming to power of the Ayatollah that served at the catalyst. This brought support to the Intifadah and Palestinian issue. It brought support to Shi’a acts of terror worldwide, to include aiding and abetting Libya, Syria, and Lebanon.

This Third Jihad has several main goals: (1) The complete annihilation of Israel as a nation-state; (2) the removal of what they deem as apostate secular government and replace them with a pan-Islamic fundamentalist theocracy; (3) removal of the United States and other western nations from the Middle East, to include the Arabian Peninsula, Assyria and Northern Africa; and (4) taking control of all oil wealth in al Muslim nations.

With the growing number of foreign fighters in crossing from Iran into Iraq now, it is obvious that Iran is the base of operations for this Third Jihad. It is also obvious that Bin Ladin had been named the Ali Pasha of this fight. That Iran sheltered and gave aid and comfort to al-Qaida terrorists prior to the September 11th attacks only shows the tip of the iceberg. If you do not see the connection, then your head is in the sand.

One thing is clear though, that the terrorists will not cease until they drive out all things western from the Middle East. The long-term goal is the conversion of the whole world to Islam. The short-term goal is to destroy Israel and to drive out westernism out of the Middle East. The September 11th attacks on the United States were much like the attacks on Pearl Harbor, where Admiral Yamomoto never intended to destroy the United States. The aim of the 9/11 attacks was not to destroy but to delay. The intention was to create fear and havoc in order to mask their true aims. That they passed through Iran and foreign fighters are streaming into Iraq from Iran and Syria and other nations only proved that this is not a one-dimensional threat. This is not only bin Ladin that we are fighting. To reduce the scope of our operations to simply bin Ladin would be tantamount to allowing the future attacks that are sure to follow.

The definition of al-Qaida is “the base” and this is ominous when one thinks in terms of the threat as well as the dynamics of the enemy that we are fighting. Al-Qaida truly is the base. It is the central point of anti-western Islamic fundamentalism that we let grow without pruning or response since the 1970s. This did not begin with bin Ladin, nor will it end with bin Ladin. It goes much deeper than that. There is a worldwide terrorist network which believes it has a God-given responsibility to destroy all things no Muslim and convert all who are non-Muslims to The One True Faith. With this mandate from God there is little that they will not do. Most westerners do not understand, nor comprehend, that type of commitment. That commitment and belief in their mandate should not be taken for granted.

The Invasion of Iraq did more than simply depose a murdering, hateful and unstable tyrannical regime which rules its nation with an iron fist of torture, murder and fear. It also gave the United States and other western nations a base of operations in the Middle East in order to combat the Third Jihad. This is a fight that we must persevere. This is a fight that we cannot ignore, else the nation that our grand children inherit will be nothing but a fallacy; it will be a world aflame. I would rather lose a thousand this year, than thirty thousand in ten years. Remember that the Ottoman Empire lasted over seven centuries, so you must take the long view when thinking about the Third Jihad.

Also, it the invasion of Iraq ensured that Saddam would not permit the terrorists to use his nation as a base of operations for future operations. It also ensured that Iraq would not distribute WMD to terrorists for future operations. No, we did not find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. I don’t mind. Now I know that they don’t have any. And with the regime change, we know that they will not have any to use against Israel, or give to terrorist networks for use within our own borders.

Finally, the invasion of Iraq effectively ties up the terrorist networks in Iraq fighting our troops. That’s what our troops are there for, to defend our nation either domestically or on foreign shores. That’s their job. That’s their mission. Every terrorist that is fighting and dying on the streets of Fallujah or Najaf is a terrorist that is not fighting in Europe or in the United States. Yes, there are terrorists abroad seeking to strike at us, but not as many as there could be, without the war in Iraq.

The very worst thing as a nation that we could do would be a unilateral withdrawal from Iraq at this critical time. The provisional government will need us for some time to come in order to train advise and assist their security forces. They government will need vital western advice, equipment and assistance in the area of economics, oil distribution and engineering. By cutting and running now, the United States will send a dangerous message which will surely end in disaster, not only for Iraq, but also for our people here in the United States. By removing all forces from Iraq now, it will only enflame the situation and embolden our enemy toward more lofty prospects and more lucrative targets. It will also embitter Iraqis to join the terrorist networks and widen the base of support for these terrorists.

As Americans, we have a duty to support our President and the military forces as they deploy overseas. Most would not know, but we are fighting for the very survival of our nation. We are not fighting against a race or a religion. Some neo-conservatives may try to manipulate this war for personal ends, by throwing religious overtones throughout their words, but that is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. This war is not about religion, nor is it about whose God is best. This war is between the forces of Good and the forces of evil. There are only two sides to this war.

Make no mistakes we are at war. This war has already been a long one. The first shots were quietly fired as a skirmish in Munich in 1972 that set the stage for Fundamental Islamic terrorism. The first battle was fought in Iran in 1970-1980, where the United States attempted to apologize, rather than face the enemy head on. In 1983, we virtually ignored the bombing the US Embassy and Marine Barracks in Beirut. We tied the hands of the military after the killing of Robert Stethem and while tracking down the terrorists who had hijacked the Achille Lauro. We did not treat the Iranian attacks on neutral tankers in the 1987-1990 Tanker Wars as the enemy. Nor, did we respond effectively to the attacks on the US embassies in East Africa or to the bombing of the USS Cole.

In effect, we are paying for our fathers’ sins. We have a duty to our nation, to our way of life and to freedom worldwide to face the enemy head on with courage and intrepidity until the end. We owe this debt to our children who will themselves carry the burden after we are gone. It is obvious that diplomacy does not work. It did not work for the past thirty years, and in the midst of the greatest struggle of our lifetime, it will not work now.

We have a duty to take the war to the enemy, on our terms and not his. We have a duty to refuse the enemy his victory in Iraq. We have a duty to fight this fight until the end. It is not only for us, but for the rest of the world, even when they do not recognize the threat and refuse to face the enemy on the battlefield. Abraham Lincoln once said: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."

These are prolific words from a great American. To say that one supports our soldiers without supporting the war is nonsensical. How can one support a soldier yet say that he is dying in vain in an unnecessary war is insane. You cannot support one without the other. You cannot say that one is righteous if you believe he is set on an unrighteous path. You cannot have it both ways. Either be for or against.

But make no mistake that this is the war that will define our people, and our way of life, for generations to come. I will not be overly dramatic but remember what had been the catalyst for American military operations against the terrorist network. What will it take for you to take your head of the sand? Do you need to see more towers coming down in Los Angeles? Do you need to have a VX attack in Dallas? Do you need to see thousands more Americans die needlessly before you truly believe that we are in the struggle for our life? This war that we fight was not of our choosing. Yet when war was brought to our doorstep, we had little choice but to bring war to our enemies.

America is a nation of warriors. Though softened by modern convenience and political correctness at the core of our nature is to make war. It is an act of survival. The war that we were thrown into is a war of survival also. Our nation was created by courageous men who came from the backwoods and the streets of Boston. The founders of our nation risked life, liberty and all they had to bring freedom to our nation.

If these rights are unalienable to us, then they are unalienable to all others, under the Creator, whether you call him God, Allah, or Buddha. As a man of honor, as a man of freedom, as an American, we have a responsibility to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. We have a duty to fight for those who cannot defend themselves. That is the other edge of the blade of freedom. With out unalienable rights, come the inescapable responsibility that weights the hand that holds the sword.

What world do we wish to leave our grandchildren? How do you wish for us to be remembered? Only those who forgot that they are defended, lose the right to that defense. Our nation was built upon the blood of heroes who gave their todays for our tomorrows. We have a duty to live in such a way worthy of their sacrifice. We have a responsibility to follow our conscience and our hearts in all that we do.

“The only requirement for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”~Edmund Burke.