THERE IS NO BROADCAST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS EDITORIAL:
As we debate the future of Democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, where our troops are up to their eyebrows in risk, we seem to be ignoring the ROOT Cause of why we’re there.
This week in Afghanistan, a convert from Islam is facing death for converting to Christianity (16 years ago).
The argument that his defenders will use in whatever passes for a court in that country, is that he is innocent by reason of insanity.
Imagine, living in a society where conversion from one religion to another is a form of mental sickness. Yet, our leaders lead us to believe that Democracy is on the march in these Islamic countries.
I listened intently to several speeches President Bush delivered to an open but nonetheless partisan audience yesterday (March 22, 2006) and the day before.
He spoke of the great progress that is being made in Iraq, and focused on the incredible success of US delivered infrastructure in terms of roads, electricity, sewage, education and healthcare.
I can only imagine how the average American who felt the fury of the past hurricane season feels, knowing how much their tax dollars have improved the lives of people in Iraq, while millions of Americans are still struggling to get their lives back together under an utterly failed group of federal government agencies?
When the President extols the virtues of American healthcare in Iraq: How do the 40 plus million uninsured Americans feel knowing that if they get sick they’re done, but the Iraqis are covered?
Or the many tens of millions of under-insured Americans?
Or the many more tens of millions of Americans working in miserable jobs just to have some healthcare insurance at all?
Or the many millions more who are adequately insured, but because of the cost of premiums have to do without other things?
Or the millions of insured Americans who are terrified of getting chronically sick in fear of maxing-out their benefits?
I know how I would feel if I was an American under these circumstances, listening to my President boast of American healthcare in Iraq, knowing that my American healthcare is a social disaster.
The President and his supporters speak of the great democratic progress in Iraq, by sheer virtue that the Iraqi people have had 3 “successful” elections. I don’t know how they define “successful”.
Having elections is one thing. But making the elected system work is something else. To this date, there are a whole bunch of elected representatives sitting in an Iraqi government that is paralyzed by irreconcilable religious and tribal divisions.
The only thing they can agree on is how much they hate each other.
Also: It seems that everyone from President Bush on-down seems not to want to talk about the FACT that the entire Iraqi Constitution is based first and foremost on Islam as it is interpreted by the Koran.
Some Democracy?
The other reality is the daily murder and mayhem throughout Iraq, which President Bush and all of his people want us to believe is not a civil war.
HERE IS THE TRUTH AS I SEE IT:
The moment US and coalition troops leave Iraq, Iraq implodes into a full blown civil war, sucking-in Iran, Syria, possibly Saudi Arabia and probably Turkey to keep the Kurds from forming a sovereign nation.
And the moment NATO troops leave Afghanistan, it will be business as usual for the hellish Taliban.
In essence; all of the incalculable sacrifice and suffering by Western countries to try to bring peace, stability, modernity and Democracy to these Moslem countries in the Middle East and Central Asia will have been an enormous waste of effort, money and Western lives.
As I’ve said from day 1 – The Americans did the right thing by invading Afghanistan and Iraq. But they’ve overstayed their welcome.
They should have gone in as they did with all guns blazing. Showed the Islamic and Arab world what the cost is of screwing with the West. And then pulled out.
What was a huge victory for America and the West, when they beat the Iraqi military silly, and then got Saddam, will now become an even bigger victory for the Islamists.
Remember, for the Islamists, and especially the Arabs: they don’t have to win a war to claim victory. They only have to survive.
Whatever the American and coalition allies decide to do in Iraq and Afghanistan will be a non-winner. If they stay, they’ll continue to be beaten-up giving the Islamists continuous victories.
If they leave, the Arabs and Islamists will declare one huge victory.
In the meantime, being in these two Islamic countries is draining financial and social resources from the Western societies which have the least of all to gain by fighting the war against TERRORISM as occupiers.
The West should just declare victory and get out. Or use Iraq and Afghanistan as platforms to whack Iran, and then declare victory and get out.
The operative words are GET OUT.
One Comment
You make the points that need to be made Howard. IMO the leftists are no better than the terrorists of Hamas. Enabling terrorism is the same as terrorism. Obama and his media are a disgrace, how some people are incapable of seeing this absurd little man for who he really is is a complete mystery. The words of Dershowitz regarding Obarry are nauseatingly wrong, one fool championing another. People better wake the hell up or else events in this world are going to spiral completely out of control.
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