LadyFish
Admiral
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2003
- Messages
- 6,894
Them or U.S.<br /><br />There is no cry to arms more succinct or to the point than that of the sergeant in the trenches crying to his troops Come on you *******s, its them or us!<br /><br />For much of mankinds history survival was not a philosophical issue. It was a day-to-day struggle where might was always right. Every individual at every level recognized that it was either them or us with no debating the fine points of what was right. It was simply reality.<br /><br />Throughout this time there has always been the man of arms. There have been those who were trained and equipped to stand at the gates and to hold back those who would seek to conquer and control. Some were volunteers, many more mere conscripts. It was these who decided the outcome, who determined if it was them or us<br /><br />Socrates, the man who gave us modern philosophy, was known as a brave and aggressive warrior. Aristotle, his disciple through Plato, was a teacher and counselor to Alexander the Great, the man who redefined warfare. There was no philosophical luxury of wondering during these times, it was always them or us.<br /><br />The Spartans made this military service the highest of callings, with mothers telling their sons to come back carrying their shields or dead upon them. What story is more inspiring than that famous stand at Thermopalye, mere hundreds standing to the death against hundreds of thousands, buying time for the homeland to defend itself? They were there to answer that simple but vital question, them or us?<br /><br />For thousands of years of violence the issue was one without question or debate it was accepted as grim reality that there were others that would always stand ready to take advantage of weakness and destroy any undefended nations and peoples. Competence at defense was not just a point of national pride; it was a matter of vital and immediate importance. Even the commoner knew, it was them or us.<br /><br />Only as man became more civilized did we see rise up a class of dreamers, cowards and idealists that saw fit to ridicule those who provided the secure walls behind which they sat and pontificated. These men ranged from true believers in the good of man and the illusion of true peace to mere fearful souls unwilling to go into harms way. Their flowery expositions notwithstanding, they took great comfort in believing their pen was indeed mightier than the sword. At least, it gave them what they felt was a face-saving rationale for not facing the sword, for not being willing to defend their homes and loved ones. They were the first to say, O, come-on, its just you lovers of war causing these conflicts, leave everyone alone, live and let live, its never about them or us.<br /><br />We live today in a world saturated with media and media wannabes, talking heads and more pontificating experts that love the sound of their voices. They speak such lovely sounding phrases as I refuse to believe that war is necessary, Peace is possible and No more war. Cumbaya, my lord, cumbaya. Sweet sentiments perhaps, but also the sentiments of fools, those who refuse to believe they have any responsibility, who reject the fact that it is still, today, and perhaps as never before, them or us.<br /><br />War is terrible; it is something no nation should lightly embrace. War is fought by the young, and often disproportionately by the less advantaged of our culture. If there is any truth in Michael Moores propaganda piece, it is that war is bad and has very real consequences. No mother will love the war that violently takes her son, especially when there are those whispering in her ear, it is for nothing, you have been lied to.. The price of war is paid not merely in dollars and deficits but most significantly in shrouded coffins, in shattered limbs and fractured lives. Its bullets and band-aids and blood and heart-rending screams and frantic calls for Corpsman! Its the moment of them or us. It is the moment that, for many on the walls, exacts a terrible and eternal price --- paid to stop it from being us.<br /><br />We believe that time will judge this effort in Iraq and, even if begrudgingly, mark it as a time of bravery and of strong and necessary leadership. We must remember now that even the American Revolution would have never been voted for it was most unpopular with the press and the populace of the time.<br /><br />Nonetheless, long after the situation in Iraq is resolved, there will be thousands of veterans that have to get up in the morning, strap on an artificial limb, and then go on living. Still, they will not complain, because they more than anyone else will remember the ones that did not come back even with broken bodies. They will know that there are thousands of young boys and girls who grew up never having watched their father grow old. These and their loved ones will have the pride of those who knew and acted, who paid the price, who accepted the reality, who understood, its them or U.S.<br /><br />We have reached a point where those who serve are now again being challenged and questioned by a vitriolic minority. There has never been a criminal in our nations history with greater culpability for cowardice than those who spat upon and slandered returning troops from Vietnam, even those on stretchers and with visible injuries. Many of those who did so are now the leading citizens of our country, to be found in all walks of life, their cowardly actions never called to account. We tolerated that then, to our never-ending shame as a nation. We cannot and must not tolerate that now. Yet, the true reality is that, as despicable as these spineless ones are, they are merely cowards, not the real enemy, they are not the them.<br /><br />Yes, we can and should have debate and we can argue over whether a particular strategy is better of worse, wise of wrong. But this is not Vietnam. The idiotic press and pandering political geniuses notwithstanding, the current political and military situation has only the faintest of correlations to that conflict.<br /><br />Rather, we are facing today a tenacious, clever, bold, committed, educated well-armed and determined enemy. They are fueled with an unquenchable religious fervor. This is not some rice field skirmish over the political future of a small Asian province. America is now a battlefield. This is an enemy who can kill, has killed, and will kill kill here, in our homeland. This is a religious fanatic that is using the demographics and ignorance of millions digest that millions of young men without hope or social consciousness to fester and encourage hatred against America simply because we are America and we are infidels Calling up images of a 1,000 year ago crusade and the modern day Palestine, they provide the hate and the supposed rationale to do whatever it takes to kill Americans. To kill Americans of any age, in any locale, at any time. They are chanting daily several times a day it is them or us!!<br /><br />Listen to them carefully understand their feverish desire to kill Americans, anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Watch the video clips, let the chill run down your backbone. This is not Hollywood or some simple action thriller. This is not some radical fringe, not some isolated group but rather tens of thousands that we let grow and train and coalesce for decades into the fighting group of potential millions that it is now. If Morre would include even 90 seconds of this reality video in his screed, it would make everthing else look as foolish as it is. These enemies understand fully and have sworn, it is them or us.<br /><br />Oh, there are those who say we are causing this hatred, that we are encouraging it. That if we would just make nice it would be alright again, and everyone would be OK if it wasnt for bad old imperialist America. There is a simple answer to that lunacy bull hockey!! So what if there are three million today instead of two million last year or whatever the numbers are there are and have been more than enough of them to wreak indescribable havoc in our society and nothing we can do will talk them out of it. This is not the province of intriguing philosophical argument or United Nations debate. There is no amount of pleading or pandering, there is no wishing and no wanting that will defeat this enemy that has sworn to take death before defeat. It is truly today, them or U.S.<br /><br />Yes, we can debate and argue, but we must be unequivocal in supporting our fighting men and women that stand on the walls and in the face of the foe for us. Rest assured, the majority of them would rather be sitting in the air-conditioned movie theater or grilling hot dogs at the beach and knowing that all is safe and secure. But, thankfully, they also know that someone must answer the call. They understand, it is them or U.S.<br /><br />We have let ourselves be bullied by the taunt Wheres the WMD? We would be told that there was no threat and is no threat, that this is just a big plot by Halliburton and the oil guys to get rich. That the enemy is within, not some few patriotic insurgents and radicals that are rightfully upset because of our oil and Israel policies and are merely protecting their homeland against occupying forces. Shucks, they say, its actually our fault, after all.<br /><br />Please Mr. and Mrs. Peacenik, give me the assurance that 9/11 was a fluke. Rather than pushing me for representing the empirical proof for my position, let me ask you to prove to me that this war on terror is not necessary, that this enemy is not real. Prove to me that Sadaams control of billions of dollars and hatred of the US didnt threaten my daughter. Show me how we can merely talk these maniacs out of their purpose. I will listen. But before you moan about the 900 or so US deaths (that you really dont care about as individuals just as a debate point) and point to the Iraqi civilian casualties, promise me that you wont come calling for help when they blow up your daughter in a mall, or your airplane is hijacked or shot down. Promise me when a nuclear device or biological weapon kills tens or hundreds of thousands that your apology will be enough to those survivors, when the enemy succeeds at making it U.S. and not them!<br /><br />Look at the 911 families now, many of them are asking why we didnt do more before the twin towers. Why we didnt act preemptively. They tragically and fully understand that merely waiting and wishing is no answer. They know, its them or U.S.<br /><br />Dream on, debate, wish for Camelot, hold your candles, carry your signs. Please, give me facts, though, to prove it is not them or U.S.<br /><br />Convince me that your positive thoughts will dilute their unmitigated hatred and stop their nail filled bomb or convince them its not them or us.<br /><br />But until you can do that, until you can make those unequivocal assurances, I am thankful that, for all their faults, there is someone in the government that has the willingness and the fortitude to acknowledge, it is, in fact, and most emphatically, them or U.S.<br /><br />Until you can do that I thank the Lord that there are men and women who are on the walls and at the gates. That there is, out there in the sand, some dedicated corporal or sergeant who will look over his shoulder, raise his arm and move forward, yelling, Come on you *******s, its them or U.S.!! <br /><br />Author 'sendinghome' from another board I visit.
