Opinion on America-

This month we move away from typical business topics, but not as far as one might initially think. The business environment is always driven by the state of national affairs. I’m going to step up onto a soapbox to address an issue I find very disturbing about the country in which I was born and raised. This will be an uncharacteristic attack on the current state of our political system.  A system that I believe is in need of reform.

   Have we forgotten the lessons the past? If we have, then we are destined to repeat our mistakes. We live in nation at war, a war that is much different than any other we have fought, but a war nonetheless. Unfortunately, we are not acting like a nation that war. Our leaders are bickering over how to micromanage our involvement in a war against terrorism. This is a sign of failure.

   Sixty years ago we were involved in major wars in both Europe and Asia. It was called World War II and America rallied behind the troops to support the war effort, because we were fighting a form of barbarism.

   We were fighting Adolph Hitler's Nazi regime in Europe and the Imperial War Lords of Japan. There are many similarities between today's war and that of World War II, but there are many differences are very saddening.

   World War II began in Europe as Germany built its war machine and invaded other countries in Europe. The United States eventually entered the war in support of our allies in Europe. We initially supported the war by sending only materials and supplies, but we later became an active participant when it became clear that a failure to defeat the Nazi war machine would result in world domination and fighting on our own soil.

   Prior to the our involvement in World War II, Japan was similarly expanding its territories in Asia. Japan had invaded other countries, including China, as it expanded the Empire South into Asia and across the Pacific.

   We entered the war in the Pacific when Japan attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States found itself fighting a war on two fronts, which was a credit to our military, our people, and the strength of business.

   The American people signed up for military service in large quantities to be trained to fight for freedom throughout the world. Our military leaders rose to the occasion by focusing on the necessary tasks to win the war. Our businesses supported the war with an unending and rapidly escalating supply of materials needed to support our troops and assure victory. Our nation never forgot that we had first been attacked and that our citizens had been killed.

   In contrast to World War II, we entered into a partially supported conflict in a Vietnam. The Vietnam war began only 20 years after the end of World War II, but we had forgotten many of the lessons we learned during World War II. In World War II we let the military fight the war remain focused on the ultimate objective. In Vietnam, however, our enemy was different and they strove to divide the American people and reduce our resolve to win.

   By dividing our nation, providing a continuing series of negative stories about the war, inducing our national leaders to fight amongst themselves, and by promoting social unrest by our young people, our enemies were able to reduce our resolve to win.  We pulled out of Vietnam in apparent disgrace.

   One of the main reasons why the bifurcation of the American people was successful during the Vietnam war was that our reason for entering the war had seemed unclear. We now know that we entered the war for all the wrong reasons.

   During operation Desert Storm and during the initial operations of conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq, we saw the American people unified in their support of the war. We saw our national leaders unified in their support of our military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

   During the last few months, as we approach another presidential election, we once again see a country divided. We once again see very negative stories about our operations in Iraq. We are once again or seeing the news media and our political leaders placing their political agendas ahead of the needs of the nation. This is not our finest hour.

   Once again the people have forgotten that we are at war because we were attacked. The United States was attacked by terrorists when the terrorists attacked New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia. Thousands of U.S. citizens were killed in these attacks.

   Our president, who had won the election under clouded circumstances, rose to the occasion to identify our enemies and to take the war to our enemies. We attacked our enemies in Afghanistan and continue to seek the leaders of our opposing forces. Our president went on to justify taking the war to Iraq, a war that was initially supported by both political parties in Congress.

There is a reason why the president is sending troops to other countries.  We are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq because we are taking the war to our enemy instead of letting them bring the war to us as they did on September 11, 2001.  We agree with the president that this war is better fought on their soils than on our own.

   I was in a conversation the other day with a person who was very outspoken against our involvement in Iraq. This person, who has closely monitored our war through network news coverage, was of the opinion we should not have invaded Iraq. This person went on to lecture on how our current presidential administration is simply pursuing an expansionist agenda. This person, who is highly educated, had forgotten that our involvement in Iraq is part of the war against the United States that began with the attack on the states of New York and Virginia.

   Many people have forgotten that we in a war. We are in a war with a virtual nation that declared war on the United States by attacking our country. We are at war with a virtual nation that declared war on the United States by killing thousands of our citizens on our own soil.

   Let's not forget this fact: This was an attack on U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.  We were attacked and we are at war. It is only through the excellent efforts of our own civilian and military intelligence agencies that we have not seen further attacks on the people of United States while living peacefully in their own homes.

   Unfortunately, it is the success of these agencies that have prevented us from seeing the continuing series of reminders that we are at war. Like the fire department that is successful at preventing fires, they are soon regarded as no longer being needed.

   We all saw the vivid images of the attacks on New York and Virginia, but we haven't seen these reminders in recent months. When reminded, many people can remember the film footage of planes crashing into the World Trade Center and the upper floors of the buildings collapsing to the ground. We did not see images of the thousands of Americans as their ground to their deaths in the tons of collapsing concrete and steel. We must never forget. We must never forget that we were viciously attacked by our enemy.

   What makes this so complex is the fact that our enemy is a virtual nation. It is not a single country with a leader we can point at to say they are responsible. It is a virtual nation of terrorists who hide within the borders of many countries. It is virtual nation of people who hate the United States and have sworn to effect the elimination of our way of life by killing us. It is a virtual nation of radical Muslim extremists who hate the United States, the American people, and everything we represent. The members of this virtual nation will not rest until all Americans are dead.

   I am not suggesting that all Muslims are against our country and our way of life. It is a small group of extremists who wish us harm. It is probably only a few thousand of these extremists who are actively fighting the war against the United States, but their tactics are to recruit disadvantaged people throughout the world and feed on those people's situation to breed their extreme hatred of the United States. This is this virtual nation that we must defeat.

   I watch with disappointment as our political leaders attempt to exploit situations for personal gain. I watch with disappointment as our political leaders make a public spectacle over every little thing that appears to be going wrong in the war. Their focus is not on our victory, but on the little mistakes that can be exploited for political gain.

   The situation in the prison in Iraq is regrettable, but it is a part of the unclear side of this war. Despite the appearances that have been displayed on a public media, and despite a few people in the prison who may have been victimized to some extent, the tactics shown on the American media are  tactics that can be used to soften up prisoners so they will provide information that is critical to our success in this war on terrorism. The same war that was brought to our shores in New York in Virginia.

   Interrogation is a part of the ugly side of warfare. Critical intelligence information has been obtained through the use of these tactics. That is not the point. The point is that regardless of how we may feel about what has occurred there, it is an example of poor leadership to publicly display this and turn it into a political debate while our men and women in uniform are still in harm's way. Our military is still fighting a war.

   The Vietnam War required a focused effort on the part of our enemy to divide the people of the United States. This is no longer necessary as our political leaders are doing the job for them, but they cannot do this alone.

   The terrorists need the assistance of the American news media, and the media has willingly provided that support.  I have listened to many soldiers who  have returned from Iraq only to see the news coverage and become angry. They become angry because of highly slanted reporting. If the news media reports only our failures and problems in Iraq we would believe that we are failing in the war. Such is not the case as we are not failing. The American people should be proud of the work we have done in Iraq, but the news media has not shown us the positive fruits of our efforts. It is shameful that it is difficult to obtain accurate information in our information society.

   There are those who think the occupation and liberation of the people of Iraq is a failure because of reports that the Iraqi people don't like having us there.  The situation in Iraq is very much the same as that of Germany during the occupation after World War II.  We were hated by those who had been defeated and they wanted us to leave quickly.  We must have the resolve to maintain our course of action to keep this war on foreign soil instead of our own.

   We may have not agreed with the justifications used to wage war on Iraq. But we should be able to agree it is in the best interests of the world that Saddam Hussein not be in power. Regardless of our opinions about our entering the war with Iraq, we should support the efforts of our troops and refuse to join in the public debacle that can only lead to reduced morale and losses in the field. I call upon our political leaders behave like leaders, and not like bickering children.

   We ask that the readers of this publication not focus on the news media coverage coming from the network news teams. I've listened to several veterans of the Iraq war tell me that the coverage by the Fox news media is probably the most accurate and unbiased.

   Again, let's not forget that our nation is at war because we were attacked. Although the news media avoids showing any images of our people being attacked, we must not forget. Let us not ever forget the image of our enemy destroying crowded offices of the World Trade Center in New York City. Let us not ever forget the images of our enemy destroying a section of the Pentagon military headquarters in Virginia. Let us not ever forget the heroic efforts of the passengers on a crowded airliner who chose to sacrifice their own lives to deny our enemy another weapon with which to attack the people of the United States.

   Let's not ever forget that it is our enemy who brought this war to our shores and to our people. Let us not ever forget that our news media dividing the public against those who are defending us from our enemies.  let us never forget that the news media is supporting those who wish to destroying our way of life. Let us never forget the childish spectacle of our own public leaders degrading the memory of those thousands of people who were killed when America was attacked at how they are attempting to uses for their own political gain. Shame on our political leaders for they have forgotten the lessons we should have learned about Vietnam.

The American people have enjoyed our freedom since winning the Revolutionary War with England and becoming an independent nation.   Americans have fought for freedom since the very beginnings of this nation.  Unfortunately, many people in politics want the right to enjoy their freedom, but they feel it should come without a price.  

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