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<<< THE REALITY OF WAR >>>

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Elijah Subscriber

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User ID: 42280
11/17/2005 5:40 PM

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<<< THE REALITY OF WAR >>>

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On September 11th, 2001 the paradigm of international politics was altered. The destruction of the twin towers, whether by some covert operation or by Islamic terrorists fueled a drastic change in American policy and has resulted in all out warfare for the hearts and minds of us all. We now seek to stand at the crossroads again allowing ourselves the chance to reverse the decision of war. Many point to atrocities, others to body counts, but what is evident is the regret to have chosen this course and a desire to somehow make it right. What can we do now?

I was opposed to the Iraqi war from the beginning. The Taliban and OBL were certainly in cohorts and the resultant liberation of Afghanistan came quickly. We had in my opinion, struck at the head of the enemy and crippled them. This was sufficient to the make the point we would not be trifled with nor bullied. It was a time we could have pulled back. But there was a larger agenda.

From the outset of the Bush administration the enemy was made clear. Syria, Iraq, Iran and North Korea were identified as the Axis of Evil. Much as the USSR was coined the “focus of evil in the modern world” by Reagan; Bush chose these nations as his defining agenda. Whether by irony or design, he would be uncannily correct. It is true they were our enemies, but they had been for many years prior. They, with the exception of North Korea, held enmity mainly due to our policies with regard to Israel and decisions made to offset gains by the USSR. Many do not believe that OBL and Al Qaeda are real, but I do. I also believe the attacks were just as advertised; that is accomplished with passenger jets by Islamic radicals. Further, the ideology is not new that produced this. From the time the United States chose sides in each of the Israeli/Arab/Palestinian conflicts that have arisen since May 1948, it has been coming. I won’t go into a long dissertation regarding the cold war and many of the decisions we made in the name of anti-communism, but suffice to say, America has not always made the best choices.

I am a former US Marine. I was trained for war and lost many friends on foreign soil. War is not a video game, and neither is it civilized. I have for years listened to the arguments of ‘war crimes’ from many different perspectives. The problem is that the winners run the trials. The winners write the history books as well. The enemy is always the guilty party and usually nations manage to overlook their own short comings. The fact is there is no such thing as ´civilized´ warfare. “War is hell!” is a phrase that needs to stick. War is the ugliest of choices. It is mankind at their worst seeking gain by force. True many victims of such must fight in defense, but once engaged it is an all out struggle to survive. The winners have more often than not been the more ruthless.

We often hear war spoken of as an option of “last resort” by both sides of the political spectrum. Somehow we find a way to get to that “last resort” more often than not. My main point here is that war should only be about winning once chosen. Only in an existential threat, that is ones very survival, should we turn to it as an answer. 911 was a horrid attack, but we were far from an existential threat.

Regardless of hindsight, war was chosen and in 2003 we invaded Iraq. The Iraqi’s were no match for the United States in the battle field, but the occupation and future course are always more challenging. After all it is easier to destroy things than it is to build them.

There is no defending such activities as the prison scandals and certainly it does seem cruel to utilize over killing techniques and weapons, but war is fraught with such inhumanity. Of course we try to limit and police such activity, but do not be surprised by it. It is what it is. If we do not want such things we should never go to war in the first place. Warfare breeds inhumanity.

Imagine a conflict where the sides are evenly matched. No quarter asked, no quarter given and anything that could be construed as an edge would be exploited. To protect a child even a tender mother will scratch out the eyes of an attacker. There simply are no rules, but one and that is to win; to survive. We must rightly divide between tactics and weapons used to demoralize and defeat the enemy and plain ruthless cruelty.

We also shouldn’t be overly surprised by the methods used by Al Qaeda. They are matched against a far superior enemy. They find a weakness and exploit it. They do that which will offend and drive us out. They seek to win by whatever means at their disposal. We simply must be ready to find their weakness as well. Fighting an enemy that wants to die challenges most of our military doctrine to date. As the Marine Corps says, “Adapt and overcome!” We will use whatever weapons we have that are necessary to win and this is just the way it is. This is not, however, an endorsement of torture or immoral acts, but be aware it comes with the territory. The types of people drawn to war are not usually nice.

There is a story told of General Ulysses S. Grant at the battle of Gettysburg. At the end of the battle, the bodies were placed in heaps stacked upon each other. Grant climbed to the top of one such pile of human remains. Overlooking the ruins of death and the smoke of cannon, he lit a cigar and as he smoked it he said, “I do not know what frightens me more, the horrors that surrounds me or how much I love it.” Warriors are not peacemakers, but neither are peacemakers warriors. Ultimately we need each other, but we are simply not wired the same.

And here is where the irony begins. The decision whether to invade Iraq is past. We find ourselves in a war that perhaps should not have been, but we are there nonetheless. Even worse the path that has been chosen cannot result in victory short of the annihilation of the Iranian and Syrian regimes. Believe what you will, but it is what it is.This is the bigger picture that I rejected before the path was chosen. Rumsfeld and Bush may wish us to believe we can rush to victory with a volunteer army and the varied gadgets we have, but this conflict will take 2 million men, 10 years and an iron will. America was never ready for such a campaign and lacks the will to sustain it. Perhaps he sought to trick us in or perhaps he really believed that we would shock them into bowing to our wishes, but nevertheless at war we are. Whether Bush realizes it or not that is what he has; a war with the Moslem world. Winning this one will take all our resources.

The enemy knew that such an action as the 911 attacks would draw the desired confrontation with the United States. Further, they would have banked on us barreling in without thought of the possible costs of such an adventure. It is our profile. Once we were dragged into an occupation such as this, the obvious result would be our retreat from the region once we grew weary of the reality of it all. This is the goal and we are playing along very nicely.

It was not my decision, but the decision was made. There remains only one option now in my humble opinion and that is to see it through. Can we turn back now and only leave the war half fought. Can we turn away only to allow them to regroup? I say no, but if we wish to have second thoughts, now may be the time. Personally, I believe we will fight this war eventually. I would rather do it now and not put it off. Those who disagree be warned, if you wait until the next phase is underway (i.e. Syria and/or Iran), there will be no turning back.

Ezekiel 7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

Anonymous Coward
User ID: 42280 (OP)
11/17/2005 6:04 PM

Re: <<< THE REALITY OF WAR >>>	Quote

Elijah Subscriber

Forum Moderator
User ID: 27353
11/18/2005 4:50 PM

Re: <<< THE REALITY OF WAR >>>	Quote
Ezekiel 7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

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