The Smug Baldy Speaks

So the 5 year anniversary of the September 11 attack on the US has come and gone. With it came many statements about how we will never forget, how we’ll win the war on terror, and how good it is that God has blessed America so. Then I see General Tommy Franks at the site of the Flight 93 crash, honoring those brave passengers who fought the first battle against terror on that morning 5 years ago. I thought we’ve been battling terror for longer than that.

Of course, the tears welled up. Not because of the sacrifice those passengers made, nor for the thousands of Americans who were killed and wounded on 9/11. I cried for them long ago.

No - my sadness is now reserved for those of us who cannot or will not get past the spin and hype surrounding America’s actions in the world - particularly in the Middle East. If we’re truely at war with an evil ideology, why is it that this war isn’t being fought with the tools of a better, less evil ideology? Supposedly, if we simply say we’re bringing democratic values and ideals to the Middle East, then the teeming multitudes in the Islamic world will somehow turn the corner in their hearts, and suddenly disregard the decades we have spent siding - rightly or wrongly - with their hated enemy. Apparently, our strategy is to drop enough bombs and clear enough neighborhoods, so the people of the Middle East will then be free to like us.

No. Friendship is based on trust and mutual understanding. The US trusts and understands Isreal, and Isreal, for its part, understands the US. They might trust us to a point, but they’re also perfectly willing and able to make their own decisions as they see fit.

On the other hand, we have few such real friends among the Islamic world. We ask them to trust us, but have a nasty habit of kicking them in the teeth and asking them to not be upset about it while we’re doing it. If we had any real concern for the plight of the average person in the Islamic world, we would ask them why they’re in pain, and try to make it stop. We would respect their faith and traditions - even if they have none for ours - because that’s what our faith and traditions demand. We would speak truth at all times, and seek justice for those without any power or political connections. This is because, as a people, we know that the people are the true source of all real power.

We would not invoke the favor of God in our dealings, since we understand that God has always been content to allow us to settle our own affairs - whether by befriending our neighbors or by buthchering them. No - we would simply demonstrate what is best in ourselves, and allow them - and whatever Gods may be - to decide on their own if they ought to share some of our ideals.

So, what about the extremists, and the violent terrorists? Do we simply show them that we’re nice, and expect them to stop their jihad against us?

No. We don’t.

What we do is embrace our own ethical ideal that war is evil. We then accept that - in an imperfect world - we have to resort to evil in order to combat evil. I’m perfectly OK with this. I’m not OK with my leaders performing evil and trying to tell me that it’s good. Please. War isn’t won by the good guys - they’re always won by the baddest of the bad. You can put lipstick and flowers on it, but that’s the way it is: war is evil - and to win any war - you have to accept that you must be more evil than your advesary. If not, then you get the honor of dying for your ideals rather than he.

Trust this: Truth and Justice are the American Way. So is the willingness to put our enemies in the ground. We’d make more friends in this world if we started acting a bit more like we remember the Truth and Justice part.