Fourth of July

Well people the fourth of July is upon us. As we in the United States of America celebrate our independence there are many things to think about. I feel as though so many of the youth today aren't really grateful for the freedoms that we have today. I for one am very grateful. And in my opinion, whether you are for or against the war, are liberal or conservative (or anywhere on the political fence), I think that as an American you should show support for our troops. Whenever I see someone in b.d.u.'s I always shake their hand and thank them for serving. And the reaction that I usually get is that they don't get that very often.

Back in the day's of World War Two the support of our troops was outstanding. Our servicemen back then were treated like the hero's they were. The mission has not changed but the show of appreciation has. I am always open to information, views, and opinions on all kinds of subjects. But one thing that keeps upsetting me is the lack of support and appreciation for our soldiers. These people are out there putting their lives on the line defending our freedoms and fighting the fight over there so HOPEFULLY civilians here won't get attacked.

While I agree that we should have probably went to war with a different country that posed a greater threat first, I think that removing Saddam from power was a good thing to do. A lot of people always say "what if we had known about Hitler ahead of time and been able to remove him from power before he committed all of those atrocities?" Well in a way that is what we did with Hussein. Unfortunately we didn't remove him before he hurt people but we did remove him and his regime from power before he could become more powerful and get his hands on things he could use to harm even more people. A lot of what you see on television tells us that most of the Iraqi people do not want us there and that they are bent on destruction.

What I have learned from talking to soldiers that have actually been there is that this for the most part isn't true. A lot of Iraqi's are very glad that we liberated them but at the same time they are believing that we are there as conquerers and don't want us to stay there. Most of the Iraqi citizens are not the one's that are trying to kill our soldiers...however there are those of them that are. A lot of the insurgents there now are foreign fighters that have been streaming in to Iraq to fight in the "jihad". At any rate, our soldiers have been and continue to fight to defend our freedoms and to spread those freedoms so that others may know what it is to have them.

Keep in mind that before the Iraqi people were liberated they were not allowed to speak out against their government like you and I can. We have the freedom to voice our opposition to President Bush and his administration. When people in Iraq did that under Hussein's regime they were tortured, murdered, or their whole families "dealt with". The Iraqi people barely had any freedoms at all under his regime. So, you may not think that a soldier in the United States military isn't doing much and you don't owe them anything but it couldn't be further from the truth. Everything we have today that is taken for granted by so many of today's youth was given to us by the soldier doing his/her duty in our military. And everything we have is being protected by today's soldier doing his/her duty. So the next time you see a soldier please go up to them, shake their hand, and say "thank you for serving and defending my freedoms". I know they will appreciate it.

Not only do I get irritated with people not showing appreciation for our soldiers but I also grow tired of hearing people complain about how President Bush and his administration "lied" to us. People keep saying that we were told Iraq had WMD's and our forces didn't find any so we were lied to. There are a couple things about this that people either don't know about or choose not to listen to.

First of all in the 1980's the United States gave chemical and I think biological weapons, along with other weapons to Suddam Hussein and his forces when they were at war with the extremist government of Iran. At the time the greatest threat in the area to the United States was Iran and rather than getting directly involved the United States gave arms to Iraq. Then in the late 80's Saddam Hussein used chemical agents on the people of his own country. The Kurd's in the northern Iraqi city of Halabja were the worst affected. Some five thousand of the Kurdish population were killed. And Saddam used these weapons on around twenty other villages in Iraq in the late eighties. This is one of the facts in the public domain that proves he had weapons of mass destruction.

There was also evidence found and the distinct possibility that in the weeks leading up to the start of the war in 2003 that Saddam had vital weapons, technology, and other resources moved to other countries like Syria. So I fail to see how people can proclaim that President Bush and his administration lied to the American public about this when the information is there in the public domain! One doesn't need to have a Top Secret security clearance to see classified information about this to know he had WMD's.

Another country that we keep hearing about in the news is Iran. We keep hearing about how intelligence suggests that they are seeking to develop nuclear weapons. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at the information available to the public and see that this is most likely true. Before U.N. weapon's inspectors showed up years ago to inspect supposed nuclear weapon development sites in Iran, they completely tore down buildings and rebuild new one's in their places in an attempt to hide the truth.

However, the inspectors sensitive equipment was able to detect radiation and other information at these sites that showed the refinement of uranium on a weapon's grade scale. Iran keeps saying that they are developing nuclear technology for peaceful energy use. I find this statement outlandish in that Iran sits on top of a giant lake of oil! They are one of the biggest producers of oil in the world! They have no need for the development of alternative energy! The situation with Iran needs to be dealt with very carefully.

We need to be careful because the invasion of another middle eastern country by the United States would no doubt be seen by some as "taking over" the middle east. But we also have seen in the past that U.N. sanctions given to a defiant regime do not work. So the task at hand is a delicate one.

As I said, as we celebrate our country's independence we have a lot of things to think about and be thankful for. I thank you for taking the time to read this post and I hope you subscribe to my blog and keep coming back in the future for more great reading!

Happy Independence Day!

-Curt