thedrifter
02-06-05, 09:11 AM
02-01-2005
Be Proud
By Jim Simpson
Every American should stand up and be proud today. Never mind the naysayers, never mind the terrorists targeting women and children; the nation of Iraq held successful elections on Sunday – they are free! And they have the United States of America and our allies in the Coalition of the Willing to thank for it.
We have prevailed in Iraq. We prevailed due to the superior quality of our men and women in uniform. We prevailed because they grimly persisted in their difficult task, many making the supreme sacrifice. We prevailed because, despite the blizzard of contempt from our own sarcastic, conceited and presumptuous news media, we maintained our focus. We prevailed because our leaders refused to shrink from their responsibilities in the face of worldwide condemnation.
This event marks a turning point in our relationship with the volatile Middle East. It revealed so many things. It revealed the extent to which the Iraqi people were yearning to be free. Like people everywhere, their greatest aspiration is merely to be shepherds of their own futures – not under the thumb of some monster, even if he claims to offer “free” health care.
It put the lie to those who see the Middle East as a cauldron of hatred for the West. Do the leaders hate us? Some do. Do the terrorists hate us? Certainly. But the people? The dancing in the streets witnessed all over Iraq today conveys something else entirely: joy at their newfound freedom, and something few cynics dare even whisper: gratitude.
As has been repeated ad infinitum on these pages, the vast majority of Iraqis and for that matter, Iranians, Syrians and anyone else under the totalitarian thumb, do not sympathize with these monsters; they remain mute and compliant primarily out of fear.
The Western media does no one a favor by mischaracterizing their sentiments as anything else. The burning flags, the burning effigies, the maniacal chanting are the staged propaganda of a lunatic, fanatic fringe that could never gain power legitimately. However, as always with the gullible Western media, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, especially when it is a vitriolically anti-American squeak.
In the most recent example, the Iraqi terrorists orchestrated a massive psychological campaign of terror in which our vaunted Fourth Estate became willing, if somewhat clueless, participants. I say “clueless” to give them the benefit of the doubt, because I still can’t get my mind around the idea that any American would deliberately attempt to sabotage our efforts, solely for the purpose of seeing the United States lose.
Yet that is what our media was doing. They relentlessly highlighted the continuing shortcomings in Iraqi infrastructure, like roads, electricity and water, ignoring the fact that most basic services in Iraq are in better shape than they ever were under Saddam, thanks to our reconstruction efforts being conducted in the midst of a violent insurgency.
They relentlessly reported every single incident of violence and blithely ignored our astounding successes. The most reported event in the U.S. Marine assault on Fallujah was not their bravery, sacrifice and unprecedented success in extremely difficult urban combat, but the hasty trigger of one, tired, wounded Marine who had seen a friend killed by slower reaction in a similar circumstance one day earlier. What would the reporter done himself in that situation? I doubt that any reporter, anywhere, could demonstrate the fire discipline of any Marine under any circumstances.
Can’t you hear the mantra: “U.S. Imperial Aggressor! U.S. Out of Iraq! Iraq for the Iraqis!” The voice of today’s media is simply the voice of those arrogant college Leftists now grown up. No smarter, no more humble, just better grammar.
Consider what would have happened had we listened to them. As with Vietnam, Lebanon, Somalia and other places, we would have packed up and left when it got too hot. Remember: we lost those conflicts in the court of the U.S. media and the timid halls of Congress, never on the ground.
In each case, we left the country worse off than when we arrived. People who trusted our word and put their faith in our help were abandoned to the mercies of an unmerciful enemy. Soldiers who knew better were forced to swallow the bitter pill of defeat thrust on them by leaders who abdicated their responsibilities in an inexcusable fit of moral cowardice. But worst of all was the absolutely inexcusable waste in young lives, sacrificed for nothing. Nothing! How can any politician or journalist justify that?
Our citizens felt fury, shame and disgrace, and rightfully so. It is inimical to the American spirit to abandon our allies for any reason. More so when in the face of an easily beatable enemy. We were also fearful for our future. For if leaders could so easily discard the blood sacrifices of our treasured youth merely out of fear of criticism from a hostile press, what would they do in the face of a real enemy?
We instinctively know this is the wrong way to behave, yet armies of “journalists,” analysts, pundits, professors and politicians barrage us with wave after wave of questions, criticisms, threats and ridicule. These fear-mongers are more afraid of our success than our failure, for if we succeed then their messages become irrelevant. They want us to go home defeated.
This time we did something different. We ignored them. We ignored their arrogance. We ignored their ignorance. We ignored their self-serving criticism. We ignored their wall of hate. We persevered.
While our disloyal, unpatriotic media attempted to discourage our troops with relentless accusations of “quagmire,” “prisoner abuse” and “war crimes”; and while media Leftists called the terrorists, “Minutemen,” our troops relentlessly and unapologetically cleaned their clocks.
We stared down the terrorists. We revealed them for the scum they are. But more importantly, we revealed that the Iraqi people feel the same way!
We won. We should be proud.
Jim Simpson is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at
one.wonders@verizon.net. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
Ellie
Be Proud
By Jim Simpson
Every American should stand up and be proud today. Never mind the naysayers, never mind the terrorists targeting women and children; the nation of Iraq held successful elections on Sunday – they are free! And they have the United States of America and our allies in the Coalition of the Willing to thank for it.
We have prevailed in Iraq. We prevailed due to the superior quality of our men and women in uniform. We prevailed because they grimly persisted in their difficult task, many making the supreme sacrifice. We prevailed because, despite the blizzard of contempt from our own sarcastic, conceited and presumptuous news media, we maintained our focus. We prevailed because our leaders refused to shrink from their responsibilities in the face of worldwide condemnation.
This event marks a turning point in our relationship with the volatile Middle East. It revealed so many things. It revealed the extent to which the Iraqi people were yearning to be free. Like people everywhere, their greatest aspiration is merely to be shepherds of their own futures – not under the thumb of some monster, even if he claims to offer “free” health care.
It put the lie to those who see the Middle East as a cauldron of hatred for the West. Do the leaders hate us? Some do. Do the terrorists hate us? Certainly. But the people? The dancing in the streets witnessed all over Iraq today conveys something else entirely: joy at their newfound freedom, and something few cynics dare even whisper: gratitude.
As has been repeated ad infinitum on these pages, the vast majority of Iraqis and for that matter, Iranians, Syrians and anyone else under the totalitarian thumb, do not sympathize with these monsters; they remain mute and compliant primarily out of fear.
The Western media does no one a favor by mischaracterizing their sentiments as anything else. The burning flags, the burning effigies, the maniacal chanting are the staged propaganda of a lunatic, fanatic fringe that could never gain power legitimately. However, as always with the gullible Western media, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, especially when it is a vitriolically anti-American squeak.
In the most recent example, the Iraqi terrorists orchestrated a massive psychological campaign of terror in which our vaunted Fourth Estate became willing, if somewhat clueless, participants. I say “clueless” to give them the benefit of the doubt, because I still can’t get my mind around the idea that any American would deliberately attempt to sabotage our efforts, solely for the purpose of seeing the United States lose.
Yet that is what our media was doing. They relentlessly highlighted the continuing shortcomings in Iraqi infrastructure, like roads, electricity and water, ignoring the fact that most basic services in Iraq are in better shape than they ever were under Saddam, thanks to our reconstruction efforts being conducted in the midst of a violent insurgency.
They relentlessly reported every single incident of violence and blithely ignored our astounding successes. The most reported event in the U.S. Marine assault on Fallujah was not their bravery, sacrifice and unprecedented success in extremely difficult urban combat, but the hasty trigger of one, tired, wounded Marine who had seen a friend killed by slower reaction in a similar circumstance one day earlier. What would the reporter done himself in that situation? I doubt that any reporter, anywhere, could demonstrate the fire discipline of any Marine under any circumstances.
Can’t you hear the mantra: “U.S. Imperial Aggressor! U.S. Out of Iraq! Iraq for the Iraqis!” The voice of today’s media is simply the voice of those arrogant college Leftists now grown up. No smarter, no more humble, just better grammar.
Consider what would have happened had we listened to them. As with Vietnam, Lebanon, Somalia and other places, we would have packed up and left when it got too hot. Remember: we lost those conflicts in the court of the U.S. media and the timid halls of Congress, never on the ground.
In each case, we left the country worse off than when we arrived. People who trusted our word and put their faith in our help were abandoned to the mercies of an unmerciful enemy. Soldiers who knew better were forced to swallow the bitter pill of defeat thrust on them by leaders who abdicated their responsibilities in an inexcusable fit of moral cowardice. But worst of all was the absolutely inexcusable waste in young lives, sacrificed for nothing. Nothing! How can any politician or journalist justify that?
Our citizens felt fury, shame and disgrace, and rightfully so. It is inimical to the American spirit to abandon our allies for any reason. More so when in the face of an easily beatable enemy. We were also fearful for our future. For if leaders could so easily discard the blood sacrifices of our treasured youth merely out of fear of criticism from a hostile press, what would they do in the face of a real enemy?
We instinctively know this is the wrong way to behave, yet armies of “journalists,” analysts, pundits, professors and politicians barrage us with wave after wave of questions, criticisms, threats and ridicule. These fear-mongers are more afraid of our success than our failure, for if we succeed then their messages become irrelevant. They want us to go home defeated.
This time we did something different. We ignored them. We ignored their arrogance. We ignored their ignorance. We ignored their self-serving criticism. We ignored their wall of hate. We persevered.
While our disloyal, unpatriotic media attempted to discourage our troops with relentless accusations of “quagmire,” “prisoner abuse” and “war crimes”; and while media Leftists called the terrorists, “Minutemen,” our troops relentlessly and unapologetically cleaned their clocks.
We stared down the terrorists. We revealed them for the scum they are. But more importantly, we revealed that the Iraqi people feel the same way!
We won. We should be proud.
Jim Simpson is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at
one.wonders@verizon.net. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
Ellie