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Are we living in a fantasy?
Len Calderone
Len Calderone
Are we living in a fantasy? Maybe it was just the time and place where I grew up, but I don’t remember hearing our national leaders belittled as they are today.
I was born during WW II and the world was a scary place. Yet, we knew who the enemy was. We could point to Germany and Japan and say, “These countries are our enemy.” But that has all changed.
Our enemy today does not wear a uniform. Our enemy does not have a nation.  Our enemy does not want to control more land. Our enemy does not want to dominate us economically. Our enemy wants to kill us just because we do not believe what they believe. Because we have a faceless enemy, many Americans think we really do not have people out there who want to destroy America and kill us all. Many do not believe we are at war with radical Islam. This is dreadfully wrong.
Not all of the Islamists want this so called Jihad. It’s just about 2 percent who are extremists. Yet, that 2 percent adds up to 31 million potential terrorists. These extremists believe Islam will soon rise to dominate the world. They believe America, “the Great Satan,” is being defeated and humbled in Iraq. This belief has been reinforced by our last election. It wasn’t a pro-democrat election. It was an anti-Bush and anti-war statement.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called the Republican defeat a victory for Iran. America announced to the world we, as a nation, do not have the guts to do what is necessary to defeat terrorism.  We told the world we wanted instant victory and instant gratification; and if we don’t get it, we pick up our toys and go home. Do our new leaders in Congress really think there is no threat to us?
Iran is ruled by a madman. If we pull out of Iraq, Iran will fill the void; and the extremist will start plotting more attacks on American soil.
Our troops in Iraq have made it very difficult for the terrorists to attack America. If we withdraw our troops, the entire balance of world power will shift. North Korea, China, and Iran will see us as easy prey.  These countries and the Islamic terrorists will believe the American people are weak and can be defeated. Having the greatest military in the world means nothing if the American people do not use this might to keep our country safe. In Vietnam, the military never lost a battle, but we lost the war because the American people did not have the will to win.
Nancy Palosi called the president an “incompetent leader;” and in the San Francisco Chronicle, she said he is “not a leader.” This comes from a person who is bringing San Francisco values to Congress.  Actually, San Francisco has no values. We, in the South, have values. San Francisco is the most morally and spiritually bankrupt city in the country.  
Can anyone tell me what the Democrats offer in the way of a solution for Iraq, besides putting our tail between our legs and running? Can anyone tell me what the Democrats’ plan against terrorism is? Can anyone tell me how the democrats plan to discover the terrorists’ plans? Can anyone tell me what the Democrats plan is to safeguard our borders? Anyone? No ... because they have no plan.
History shows leadership defines national success. Poor leadership destroys nations.  Poor leadership tears down the willpower of a nation. In 1938, a letter to Winston Churchill read, “The public is so terrified of being bombed that they will support anyone who keeps them out of war.” We all know what happened to Great Britain in World War II.
Americans oppose the war because of the ultimate sacrifice of our youth. Yet the lack of resolve means the nation is destined to die.
Calderone, a Liberty County resident, may be contacted at lenc@coastalnow.net.
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