'Nam Vet with Something to Say

I went to Viet Nam when I was 18 years old. My wife is always after me to get political, and Associated Content seems really political to me so I'm going to speak my mind.

Viet Nam is the latest banner for the Democrats to wave every time Iraq comes up. They aren't the same thing by any means. We went to Viet Nam during the Eisenhower presidency and added "advisors" during the JFK years. Under the "leadership" of Lyndon Johnson, the war escalated into a nightmare. I enlisted in 1969 when I turned 18. We had "rules of engagement" that forced us to fight a part time war while being attacked full time by the Viet Cong. You can't win a war against an enemy who uses everyone and everything available against you if you don't do the same thing. "Fight fire with fire" is true. Our P.O.W.'s were held in horrific prison camps, just ask John McCain (some still, if they survived) while we extended much better treatment and the Geneva Conventions to their forces. It didn't work then and it won't work now. They use "human shields" and we back off. Why? Anyone stupid enough to get between armed aggressors (whatever their politics) deserves to be blown to kingdom come!

The War in Iraq is a vital part of the War on Terror, yet there are a few people so stupid they can't see it. Let me try to make it a little clearer for those morons. If we abandon the Iraqi people (and their new government) before they can do the job themselves, we are telling the Taliban and al Qeida and all the other Muslim insurgents that we can't stop them. Does anyone really believe that allowing bullies like them free rein will make them nicer? Only people as stupid as John Murtha and Howard Dean could believe that letting the terrorists have a new country to control would be a good thing. Osama bin Laden had a foothold in Iraq, whatever you have been told to the contrary, and his forces would be rolling a day or two after our foolish withdrawal. Thanks to the coalition, they had to abandon their stronghold in Afghanistan. Where are they now? Scattered all over the Middle East, just waiting until the liberal Democrat wimps decide to cut and run. They launch a few forays and attack us when they can... but mostly they're into killing innocent civilians who just want to live in peace and have their country back. If the new Democrat leaders have their way, we'll leave and they'll return. Is that what you really want? A new country filled with Muslim extremists who want Israel and everything democratic dead? Don't think it matters?

Newsflash for the cut and run supporters! Ahmadinejad wants everything western to die or be converted. He's developing nukes to take out anyone in the area that wants freedom. Don't think the two are connected? Think again. If Iraq is abandoned and the terrorists get to take over, they'll be with Iran when it comes to destroying all the democracies in their area. They'll be happy to make peace with old enemies in order to kill as many of the new enemies as possible.

We can't defeat the terrorists alone, honestly. The Iraqi government has to get a little busier with training and educating their troops, police and population to fight the deadly attackers. They need to step up before we can stand down. Abandoning them is not the answer! President Bush is ordering 20,000 more of our troops to win the battles. If he allows the soldiers to fight this war to win it, we could succeed. I repeat what I said at the beginning, we can't win with Geneva Conventions and rules of engagement when the enemy has none. It can't be done. We might as well send our troops into battle with coloring books and crayons to draw pictures for the terrorists as to hold back when there is fighting to be done. They obey NO RULES! We have to fight them on their terms or risk the loss of another country to their Muslim extremist regimes.

Maybe during the Viet Nam remembrances that the Democrats are so fond of dredging up in reference to Iraq, someone should mention that Democrats got us into that war, kept us in it, prevented us from winning it and cost the lives of 58,000 Americans in the process. In case you have forgotten, it was a Republican who saw the senselessness of it and got us out. Does anyone remember the carnage that followed? The Viet Namese who supported us were tortured and killed by the thousands. That's the same thing that would happen in Iraq. The 11 million who braved death threats and danger to vote would be executed as would their entire families. Do you cut and run morons really want that on your consciences? Do you even have consciences?

The way to win this war on terror is to fight fire with fire. They show no mercy to anyone. Why do we show it to them? And for all you whiners who didn't like the execution of Saddam Hussein, were you happy to see Danny Pearl or any other US citizen slowly beheaded? Did it make you all happy inside? Why should we be held back from winning a war by obeying rules that the enemy doesn't even understand?

As far as the idiots who claim that we "created the terrorists", have they forgotten history so quickly? Bill Clinton kissed ass and caved in at every turn. Hell, if they'd offered him some of their women, he would probably have turned the USA into the US of Muslims. Did that slow them down even for a second? Hell no! They attacked us repeatedly, the final assault being the disaster of 9-11. They assumed that George Bush would be like Clinton and wimp out, refusing to fight back. They thought they had us! We DID NOT create the terrorists in any way. Our lack of action when they attacked did encourage them, however. If we fail to continue the fight and win it in Iraq, they will get even braver and attack us again. Is that what you really want? Maybe next time it will be a dirty bomb or a port and maybe you or your loved ones will be the next victims. What would you like us to do then? Kiss some more terrorist butts, like Clinton did? Like the Democrats want to do now? Or fight back like George Bush has done and is doing? Maybe you and those you care about are expendable and you'd want us to keep the ass kissing process up or convert to make it stop. If so, I pity you.

More troops on the ground may force the end of the war. Not by capitulation but by a clear and decisive victory. If we lose or give up, future generations will pay for our foolishness. What legacy do you want for the next few generations? That we all died when Ahmadinejad finally was able to nuke us? That we ran away from terrorists and they followed us all the way home? That we converted to Islam to make the terrorists love us? Or that we fought against terrorism and defeated it, making the world a better place?