Give Peace a Chance: Support the War!

By J. James Estrada

Thirty or so Gilbert, Arizona teens were out marching for peace on the same day of the national rally for peace in Washington, D.C. As reported in the Arizona Republic, the teens didn't even know that the national rally was taking place on the same day as their little gathering. If they didn't know that, how could they know what actually brings peace against a "crazed and driven" (Rudyard Kipling's "For All We Have and Are") foe?

Once more we hear the word,
That sickened earth of old:
"No law except the sword,
Unsheathed and uncontrolled,"
Once more it knits mankind,
Once more the nations go,
To meet and break and bind
a crazed and driven foe."

Our military forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the world, are engaged in warfare against a ruthless enemy to secure that peace that the Gilbert teens seek. If our troops are withdrawn in the interests of "peace," (and, let it be noted, national Democratic leaders calling for withdrawal are not doing so with peace in mind, they do so for political reasons - namely, hatred of President Bush - he cannot be allowed to succeed), then we will surely not have it.

In fact, the withdrawal of our military forces will be seen as a victory for the enemy and will embolden them to strike again in the U.S. Because we have taken it to the enemy in Iraq and elsewhere, they have not had the manpower or resources to do damage on American soil. We are killing them over there in droves. If we weren't, they'd be in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix carrying out more mayhem and death.

We have we lost over 3,000 brave military heroes in the five years since 9/11. Keep in mind, the enemy killed nearly 3,000 civilians on 9/11 in a matter of hours. The silly people who rallied in Washington wouldn't mind that happening again. What else can one conclude when a mass of leftists, anarchists and socialists demand that the U.S. lay down its weapons and surrender? They would have the greatest military in the world fall short of victory precisely because it is the greatest military in world. It's not right, they believe, for civilizations much older than us to be succumbed by a capitalistic, Judeo-Christian, Anglo-oriented people. Besides, they argue, we're just fighting for oil! (At the same time, liberals deny the right for this country to the use of its own oil reserves).

The Gilbert teens have misread the "truth on the ground" because they've fallen for the "pie-in-the-sky," populist media notion that peace comes when military might stays neatly folded and tucked away in Fort Benning or anchored in San Diego. Not so.

I can't blame the teens, as they get their information from public schools and mainstream media newspapers and TV. Those institutions cannot even recognize the reasons for their own demise in the marketplace - overly liberal; anti-conservative/religious - to make a case that they are the arbirtors of what is truth.