What's the Message?
Thu., May 3, 11:59 AM
“What message are we sending?” That was the response to the resolution to start withdrawing our troops from Iraq now. And I thought to myself, what should the message be?
I believe we sent the message already, more than thirty years ago. If I were a country — or a smaller group, like Al Qaeda, maybe — who wanted to distract the United States from its course, I would convince the U.S. that it should give its attention to some out-of-the-way place that was experiencing civil unrest. An internal conflict that might need mediation, but that was not our fight. For example, Vietnam. Or, hmmm, Iraq. The philanthropic U.S., ever ready to lend a helping hand, pours in supplies and manpower. It's a futile effort, of course, but the U.S. never pulls out. We “stay the course,” we “can't let the other guys win.” And once again, in the testosterone-driven mindset we voted into power, the country is pulled apart. And we prove ourselves to be blockheads.
Why isn't the message something like this? We will help you, but we will not deplete our resources indefinitely while you people make no effort to solve your own problems. I used to worry about whether my children would have to go into battle; now I worry about my grandchildren, and they haven't even been conceived yet. Is it the destiny of the United States to be destroyed by pigheadedness? (No disrespect intended to pigs, of course.)
As someone who was brought up to love and respect my country, I am more than upset. I feel bereft, for something very precious has been stolen from people like me. Stolen by politicians whose agenda is beyond my comprehension.
