Bring the Troops Home

Get out now! Remove all of our troops from Iraq immediately!

So says a plethora of anti-War activists. It is interesting to see that people who oppose war and favor peace do not specify what sort of peace is acceptable. I would say that certain peaces are destructive to mankind. The paramount example would have to be the Versailles peace treaty post-WWI. Perhaps the "peace" after, granting that the choruses of Lefty voices are heard, the troops in Iraq leave will become far worse than Weimar Republic would ever create.

There is nothing worse than a civil war. Dating from Ancient Rome to current Third World power struggles, civil strife is always horrific! Yet, there is a brewing storm between the Muslim factions within Iraq that could spill over into the surrounding nations. I hope that I am wrong, but if things go according to Jane Fonda and the Hollywood Commie-Liberals crowd, bloodshed under the new form of anarchy that would increase.

You honestly think that George Bush is a brutal killer? Well, just wait until the troops leave and murder will ensue on a larger scale than Darfur ever was. Simply put, Darfur is a place that Muslims in Sudan are slaughtering Christians wholesale. Within Iraq, there will be Shiites and Sunnis battling for power, with other minorities coming under the crosshairs. With Iran growing as a regional hegemony, the Shiite nation would move to back their brethren in the area. Of course, we know from reports that Iran has been meddling within the Iraqi affairs. Do you think the Saudis, Egyptians and Jordanians, who are Sunnis, would stand for that? Let alone, Israel would be a little hesitant to say the least!

By withdrawing from Iraq, slaughter would dramatically increase. However, by staying there the Iraqi government, which is more or less an experiment in the annals of democracy, would continue to flounder along the path. Some cultures are more fertile ground for democracy, while others would take more time- like within an authoritarian nation (Japan, for example). There is bloodshed either way, and I can honestly thank God that I am not a policymaker right now! Turbulent times are ahead, and how incredibly insane is it that the clash of worldviews, Jihad vs McWorld as Benjamin Barber would say, is taking place. American and other Western troops are within the crosshairs of Islamic extremists. Yes, I concur that Bush made a mistake by not planning for the worst- but we are in Iraq now. How do we get out of here, without promoting greater bloodshed? Left and Right, I invite you to debate!

What Life Should Mean

What use is it if one would pursue the grandest of political dreams and in the end die- as everyone else? Ecclesiastes paints a bleak picture of human accomplishment, laying down foundations for this thought. What does it matter if I or anyone else toils with our hands and constructs something immaculate and beautiful in terms of politics or ruling?

"For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!"

William Wallace in the movie Braveheart did say it best, "All men die. But not all men truly live." A brilliantly true and profound statement, but sadly in the end all men die. So what then truly matters for the person? Does legacy even count, if one would be forgotten eventually. (Sadly in this illiterate historical age, where people do not know greats in any tradition)

The ultimate act of political life is to live one's life untainted from the world. To live in harmonious accord with Christ and to be transformed by Him is what truly matters. We ought to be informed by that understanding and look at the very core of the world through the eyes of a Believer and devout follower of Christ. That is what life is all about.