A Greatness taken for Granted

Jim, one of my amazing Caesar salad and Grape Juice customers, has repeatedly been bringing me down articles on the horrors of Islamic terrorism, so that I might read with wide eyes during my hour of ultimate boredom. The subject will not evade me, it seems, because I just came from listening to a Rush Limbaugh segment and he was conducting an interview with some guy who wrote a book. I think it was 'Jackson' somebody who wrote some book about the dangers of Islam; dangers most people aren't aware of. That's not what's important, though. What's important is all of that made me start thinking about how people take for granted the greatness of this country.

I think there's a great parallel between the World Trade Centers and America. Alot of people want to argue that since there have been no more major terrorist attacks on American soil since 2001, there is no longer a danger. In fact, they say there is so little danger that our troops have no business interfering on Iraqi soil. All I have to do is mention the word 'war', and many of my customers will get raised eyebrows and go off on a tangent about this 'sorry excuse of a war'. My boss' son is a soldier stationed in Iraq right now, though, so many of those customers will curb their vehemency in her presence. My point here is not that those customer do not have a right to anger, or to their opinion. Absolutely not. I think it's awesome that I can hear people contradict with me and talk about differences of opinion. I think I'm like alot of people in wishing that there wasn't such a thing as war, but I am not so clueless as to think that America is a country that can just sit by and remain great. Even our founding fathers were not sure that America would last for a few years... much less forever.

While the World Trade Center bombing of '93 frightened people, nobody took it as a declaration of war. The Trade Centers stood firm and were repaired. They were considered un-destructable. Life went on. Then 9/11 2001 came and went... the World Trade Centers sank to it's knees... and it sent American's to their knees in prayer and sorrow. The core of American resolve was shaken and on their knees they were strengthend. What happened since then? How has simply seven years weakened our resolve to keep on the offensive to prevent equally devestating attacks against our great country? I think it says alot for President Bush and our troops that America hasn't had any more major attacks on her soil since 2001. When I told one of my customers that, she exploded, "What do you call the anthrax attack?" lol. That was reaching a bit, to compare 'the anthrax attack' to 'the 9/11 attack'.

America is the greatest country in the world. There's no doubt of that. But are we seriously naive enough to think that the war has NOT been helping prevent attacks on our soil? Are we honestly content with the Jimmy Carters' of America conducting 'peace treaties' with Hamas? Are 'we the people' so content with being separated into our political parties, that when a republican in office happens to declare war, we cannot support him all the way to victory because of his political PARTY? Terrorists ARE dangerous... Islam DOES teach violence... All I can do when I hear people whine about how ritarded it is for our troops to be sacrificing themselves for a 'lost cause' is bite my tongue until it bleeds. I just feel so strongly that America is not a 'great' country that will last 'forever' unless we, the people of America, continue to fight for that greatness.

What happened to the unsinkable Titanic? It sank. What happened to the undestructable World Trade Centers? It was destroyed. Great America has been amply warned. The warm security of ignorance is no longer ours. There IS a war, and we ARE winning it. Daily, terrorists (who are often defined in the main stream media as 'innocents') are killed. That's awesome. You know why? Because terrorists are TRAINED to KILL Americans! This is not just a 'war' to them... it is a way of living. We may retire from war, but until they (and their way of thinking)are no longer living, innocent people are in danger. One terrorist killed is quite possibly two Americans saved. I wish these people could be 'untrained' and spared... but where the security of Americans and war is involved... it is not something we have the authority to risk. We cannot just introduce a Bible and immediately retrain the way these terrorists think. They are programmed for death.

I have often heard people complain that the democracy we are implementing there is pointless, and America has NO right to interfere with their politics. WHAT politics? I don't really care about the democracy... that's just something that's supposed to help the citizens get back on their feet. That is the compassion of America in action. Our OBJECTIVE is to destroy Al Qaida and other terrorist regimes. Their main objective is to oppress their citizens and inspire Muslim Extremists to eliminate the real INNOCENTS of America. It makes me sick when I think of how many journalists cannot sit back from their political bias and just look at America as their country that they must defend at all costs.

We want to secure a safe, strong nation for this generation, and the generations to come, don't we? Absolutely. So let's stop pretending that our good name is going to keep us safe. It is our good men and women that are fighting for us even as I write these humble words that are keeping us safe. Greatness is a pursuit, not a fact.