True North

For the thousandth time it must be said. Iraq is a theater in a much broader conflict. I realize certain individuals have difficulty grasping this simple fact. In the interest of capturing their short attention spans let's review.

The conflict with radical Islamists could conceivably be dated back to Mohamed himself. That seems a bit extreme, so we'll just look at modern times. Some people put the start at the point the Shah of Iran was installed as an American puppet. This may or may not be the case, but since he replaced a Soviet-backed regime, it was the Cold War thing to do.

I personally date this conflict from the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis and the act of war perpetrated on American soil by radical Muslims. The tension had already existed via the OPEC oil embargo a few years prior, but that attack was the first real overt challenge to America. We handled it poorly.

Over the course of the next twenty years the attacks on American interests and citizens continued. A plane blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland. A cruise ship hijacked and a wheelchair bound man thrown in the sea. Another plane hijacked and a US Serviceman tortured and executed. All responded to as criminal acts.

In the 90s things got steadily worse. After President Reagan withdrew from Lebanon due to the Marine barracks bombing in the 80s, President Clinton would go on to show the Islamic extremists repeated signs of weakness and lack of resolve. We all know the list of terror attacks throughout the 90s, African embassy bombings, Khobar Towers, USS Cole, The pathetic action in Mogadishu, it's a long list. 9/11 was the exclamation point.

Iraq is a theater in a much larger conflict. If you can't grasp this simple fact you are an idiot. Yes, you know who you are. Soldiers die in wars. They invariably are aware of this when they enlist. They are almost without exception brave, honorable and noble people that love their country and wish to protect it. They have my deepest grattitude and undying respect.

What I do not respect is people who will march down a street chanting "No More War", decry the deaths of soldiers they secretly (or openly) resent, and demand that the United States of America surrender to an enemy that wants to see each and every one of us either dead or enslaved. That person is lower than snake spit.

Comments taken at Anti-Strib