Originally Posted by AFBLUE

You know, I like what you did. Why is it that all the people out there demonstrating/screaming, getting emotional are those that hate America or think it's goverment and/or president are evil? I think those that love their country need to start standing up for it and defending it (peacefully but firmly). You may not be in the military, but you can still defend/standup for what you know is right and stand against what you know is wrong.
I also respect and defend their right to believe whatever kind of crap they want and their right to make public asses out of themselves. But I would hope that most of my fellow Americans would be outraged. Newsflash! it's ok to express anger when it is directed at things that are just wrong. Even Jesus expressed anger at outrageous behaviour he saw at the temple (I'm not avocating that you start flipping over tables and whipping people like Jesus did ).

Speaking of outrage, it's ok...no, it's good and right to be outraged by evil (for example bin Laden's attack on 9/11). Some folks get uncomfortable by that word "evil". "Who are we to call someone else evil?" "We shouldn't judge other people" If you can't figure out that intentionally killing innocent men/women/children is evil then you are an idiot. Even most Sunnis in Iraqis now believe that Al Qaeda's tactics are evil (more on this below). The ends do not justify the means.
Yes, the US military has killed innocent men women and children too, but there is a difference. We aren't intentionally targeting them. We try very hard not to harm them. It's against the rules of armed conflict for us to do so. We will be punished if we intentionally do. In other words we (your US military) are taught from day one that it is wrong. The "evil doers" are taught that it's ok to kill innocent people that don't share their beliefs. In fact, in their belief system, they will earn rewards in paradise if they do. They also justify killing people that share their beliefs (as they do everyday in Iraq with suicide bombs placed in civilian areas).

I'm very surprised (not really) that their wasn't an outrage in the US when bin Laden said we should all convert to Islam. I mean, so many people freak out if you have a nativity scene or mention the word "Christ" during Christmas, but where are these people when a person that orchestrated the deaths of over 2000 innocent people wants them to convert to his religion. Where's their outrage? Why aren't they in the streets demonstrating/screaming about that? Instead of burning the US flag, why don't they burn bin Laden in effigy for a change?
Just to set the record straight, the good guys are winning in Iraq. By good guys I don't just mean the US. I mean ordinary Iraqis that are turning against Al Qada's ideology in Iraq. They are turning against them in droves. They want a safe/secure place to live and are sick of the the murderous tactics of Al Qada.

You may not like how the Iraq War has gone. I don't either, but the time to pull out is not when many Iraqis that used to attack US forces, now are asking for help to defeat our common enemy. We must overcome our recent impatient American tendency to want to end things quick regardless of the consequences.

This is just one battle front in a larger war. Not the Global War on Terror, but the war within Islam between those that advocate violence against innocent people and those that reject it. Since 9/11, we in the US have wondered why there aren't more Muslims forcefully speaking out against Al Qada. Well, now they are not only speaking out, they are rising up to fight our common enemy. We should support those that share our belief in rejecting violent extremist methods. We may not agree on democracy, free trade, religion, Israel, etc., but most Americans, Russians, Chinese, Muslims, Israelis, Europeans, Africans, etc. can come together to fight this common threat.
Let's not screw up in Iraq and ****** defeat from the jaws of victory. Remember it took us from over 7 years to defeat the British in the Revolutionary War and things looked bleak for the first 6 years. In Iraq, we are playing the role of the French Fleet in our Revolutionary War i.e. helping the Iraqis defeat Al Qada, just as the French helped us defeat the British.
The Sunni Iraqis are demostrating to their brethern around the world that it's possible for the good guys (every day Muslims) to successfully fight against and defeat the bad guys (violent extremists). As Churchill said after the British defeated Rommel in Egypt "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

This will take decades. Sorry folks, but that's just the way it is. We Americans, just want to get this over and get back to our peaceful lives. Sorry but those days ended on 11 September 2001.