As I sit in class, day after day, it becomes obvious to me that my generation has become engrossed in a new wave of anti-American propaganda. Saddam Hussein was a horrible dictator who murdered his own people with chemical weapons, and yet when I traveled to Ardmore, Pa., to see President Bush on the campaign trail, I was horrified to hear protestors shout “Slaughterer!” at our President.
To think that at a time of war we have these people criticizing our Commander in Chief is disgraceful. Not only are they dividing this country, as terrorist organizations had hoped, but they are lowering morale, which is detrimental to the men and women still fighting. To think that these protestors are heartbroken for the troops overseas, and for the six hundred American lives that have been lost since last year, makes me sick.
These anti-Bush, anti-war mongers are the same few who demonstrated during the Vietnam War and treated the returning veterans like criminals, and they have recruited a new, twisted generation of followers. These imbeciles tell valiant stories of how they or their fathers dodged the draft by jumping off the boats heading towards Vietnam or by fleeing to Canada. Honestly, how can they sleep at night knowing that many men braver than themselves fought, were killed or were wounded serving their country, while they smoked pot and demonstrated against those soldiers’ patriotism?
If they really want to aid the troops, then they should put their Bush-bashing signs down and adopt a soldier to let them know that their country stands behind them! That’s what will keep their morale up, and that’s what will help save lives.
I’m reminded of a quote by Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, Sergeant, USMC:
It’s the Soldier, not the reporter, who gives you the freedom of the press.
It’s the Soldier, not the poet, who gives you the freedom of speech.
It’s the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who allows you to demonstrate.
It’s the Soldier who salutes the flag, serves the flag, whose coffin is draped with the flag that allows the protestor to burn the flag.
All over the media we see interviews with comments from prominent left-wing officials claiming that the Bush administration has failed the people and the troops of this country, and in some cases, these figures even go so far as to say that the September 11th attacks were deserved. Any American who believes that Al Qaeda’s actions were justified in the thousands of lives lost in that vicious attack should be branded a traitor. The truth of the matter is that if you think our country is such a horrible place that it deserves such measures to be taken against it, then you shouldn’t be here in the first place!
It’s been a year since we entered the war with Iraq, and public opinion on this matter seems to be shifting. Many say we need to pull out of Iraq, because we shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Yet, approximately one year ago, the president’s approval rates were in the nineties on his tactics of defeating terrorism.
Liberals claim that the Bush administration lied about key issues, such as the weapons of mass destruction. Now, let’s be realistic: Is there anyone who can honestly say that they do not believe that Saddam Hussein did at one time possess any kind of weapons of mass destruction? Will anyone vouch for his character, depicting him as a wonderful leader loved by all?
Well, some will state that because the WMD have not yet been found, they don’t exist. I say, better to be safe than sorry. I undoubtedly believe that Saddam Hussein was harboring these nuclear weapons, but I, unlike others, do not need to see them at my front door to prove it!
Remember the brave men who fight for your freedom, and the lives they and all their loved ones put on hold to try to make this world a safer place for future generations. No one is for war, but sometimes it is necessary to bring about a drastic change. The citizens of Iraq are now free, thanks to American military forces, and no protestor can take that achievement away from our troops. They have done a great thing, and for those who feel the need to rise up against them, or to hide behind them in order to take an anti-American stance, they should realize one thing: They can always move to France!
Francine Nolan is a student at Villanova University.
