War on Terrorism is too Soft to Insure Victory :: essays research papers

America seems to have learned nothing from Vietnam. A few troops here and there, appeasement of protesters and an overall mediocre effort by the "forces of freedom" led to the debacle known as the Vietnam War. Our war veterans, who are truly heroes, fought for freedom, while a lack of impetus and an overflow of politics and propaganda in Washington fought the same war on the wrong side. Once again, America seems to have found a way to make a mess of foreign policy, and similarly, a way to disregard the ideals of freedom, truth and morality that provide the basis for the United States of America. My generation's Vietnam is called "The War on Terrorism." I have not heard such a blatant misnomer since California called its command-market power schemes "deregulation." It seems to me, only mere months after the climax of Sept. 11, that the United States had no real intention of waging war on terrorism. This fact is no bother to President Bush, who, as long as he keeps up appearances, garners better approval ratings than even Clinton (when he was impeached, no less). The fact that everyone loves to ignore is, quite simply, that governments that harbor, aid, abet or even condone terrorism must be eliminated swiftly and unequivocally. When gone, the Taliban and its sister regimes must be replaced with governments that allow the freedoms we take for granted in the West. Make no mistake; this is as close to imperialism as it gets. Anti-Western, liberal hatemongers who protest war and clamor for a peace that amounts to murder will absolutely hate this idea a fact I find ironic given the relative condition of the Western world. Putting it simply, the Islamic fundamentalist countries that harbor and condone terrorists are putrid hellholes by comparison to the United States. Those who call for peace only seek to deny the blessings of freedom, self-interest and individuality to those who now suffer under these bloodthirsty regimes. There is no question that those who call for peace when the United States' very moral fabric has been attacked are lacking proper priorities. There must be a moral code in the life of every human being, which takes absolute precedence over every action. Without a moral code, human life is aimless and wasted. Those who would trade morality for a shaky peace must question their rationale. Unfortunately, the worst of the anti-war protesters are those who claim to be for a compassionate sort of war.