1, 2, 3, 4...

One, Two Three, Four… What the hell are we fighting for?

We are fighting for oil. We are fighting for President Bush’s ego. We are fighting for Halliburton/Texaco/Lockheed Martin. We are fighting for Imperialism. We are fighting because we are Americans and everyone knows Americans are reckless cowboys who arrogantly do their own thing. We are fighting for political gain. We are fighting for a 13-year old grudge. We are fighting for the big conspiracy of puppetmasters who really run things. We are fighting for Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rove/Rice.

Wow… that’s a lot of reasons to be fighting. How could anyone possibly be against the war with all those reasons out there?

Of course most reasonable people understand that these reasons are all bullshit. They are thrown recklessly into the public awareness for political reasons only.

Any Liberal who thinks they may someday actually have to bear or raise the child they create will happily bandy these about to generate distrust and division among Americans before the election. If you are pro-abortion you really don’t want any Christians in the White House.

Any college student who wants to get laid at the next ANSWER rally knows that they absolutely must do their homework first. In order to be on the cutting edge of activism and "social awareness" they must spend the requisite amount of time scouring the internet for the latest and greatest in conspiracy theories.

Any burnout hippie worth his bongwater remembers the 60s with a deep longing. Ah, those were the days... live free, smoke dope, leech off of society, copulate on the lawn, whatever floats your boat. The problem might be that the brain cells that popped and sizzled in sync with Jefferson Airplane way back then… just don’t have enough pop left to realize that this is a different war with an entirely different set of circumstances and consequences. I don’t want to understate the seriousness of the spread of Communism in the latter half of the 20th Century. On the other hand, if you haven’t yet realized that we are fighting for nothing less than survival, you might want to do some heavy thinking before your next Potluck For Peace gathering.

But when you get right down to where the rubber meets the road, none of these idiots are going to directly make a difference in our elections or policy. The effectiveness of their misguided message is the fuel it gives well-meaning Americans who honestly want what’s best for the country. I’m not talking about socialists or anarchists or eco-terrorists or professional protestors. I’m talking about everyday people.

The average American isn’t watching any of the news networks more than a few minutes a day. They hear the sound bites. They read the headlines before turning to the sports or comics section of the paper. And they make a few simple associations in their head. They know that war is bad… we all know this. They know that they are against bad things. Therefore they must be against the war. It’s that easy. Add to this equation the endless mantras of the radical left, droning in the background like the buzzing of repulsive bloated insects… ‘Bush Lied’… ‘No War For Oil’… ‘Halliburton’… pretty soon the seeds are planted that will grow into a large misinformed section of the population who will never consider the long term ramifications of turning tail and scurrying back within our own borders.

America sits like a teenage girl in front of the mirror and sobs, shoulders shaking, prom dress rumpled, wondering why her boyfriend keeps punching her in the stomach. Why does he beat her when nobody is looking? Why does he call her hateful things when she only wants to make him happy? Why does he leave her sitting here on the big night, waiting for hours, while everyone else is at the dance?

Obviously there must be something wrong with her. She must be getting fat. She must be stupid. He must have seen the solitary pimple she tried to cover up weeks ago. She persecutes herself until her self-confidence and pride are as battered as her purple and yellow ribcage.

Everyone knows this girl. They all want to tell her what she should have seen for herself long ago. They want to scream it at the top of their lungs. Too often, they don’t. Instead of convincing her that her boyfriend is simply a worthless piece of shit… they stand aside and watch as she grovels for his affection. Too often, she eventually decides that she must be the worthless one and when she can’t endure anymore… sits on the side of the tub with a razorblade and a heart bereft of hope.

How long should we grovel for the affection of people who hate us? How long are we going to examine ourselves in a magnified mirror, trying to decide which of our flaws justifies the death of our citizens? When are we going to stand together as a Nation and speak with one voice? Our President has thrown down the gauntlet for us. He has taken a stand when a stand had to be taken. If you are a terrorist, you will die. If you support terrorism, you will die. If you attack us because you dislike our politics, policies or culture, you deserve the ass-kicking you will shortly receive. If I have my way, it won’t be a politically correct, sanitary, well-mannered ass-kicking. It’ll be a ferocious, twist the bayonet in your guts, spit Copenhagen in your eyes as they grow dim kind of ass-kicking. I will always treat all civilians with dignity and respect, but once you toss your first grenade or charge your Kalashnikov… you have officially stepped on your crank.

Don’t take this the wrong way… diplomacy is absolutely indispensable when dealing with multiple governments. War without statecraft is insanity...but statecraft without a threat of force is impotent. There come times when the saber must be rattled...and there comes a time when the saber must be drawn from the sheath, scoured clean and raised for the charge. Without the possibility of action, words become leaves in the wind to be ignored at a tyrant’s leisure..

But the most important thing to consider here is this; what are the consequences of failure in this struggle? If we give in once again to the "no war for any reason" way of thinking, where will it take us? Will it bring on an era of peace and prosperity for all? We’ve been continuously attacked for around 30 years. We have rarely made a coherent determined response. Every time we make a halfhearted, politically acceptable response, the next attack is bolder and more devastating. If we back down on any front, we only reinforce the effectiveness of terrorism. But if we drown out the sniping and mewling of the heartless, spineless and mindless… we will win this fight. If we stand together, grit our teeth and commit ourselves to erasing this cancer from the planet… no matter how long it takes… we will win this war and the world will be a better place for it.