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War As A Way Of Life (WWIII Coverage, Part 2)

August 2, 2006 by Bruce Carroll

Jules Crittenden of the Boston Herald and I seem to be on the same wavelength lately with regard to World War III (formerly known as “War on Terror”).

In my posting, Let Israel (and the USA) Win WWIII, I argued…

It is time for a war to be waged on all fronts in World War III.  A war where there is nothing demanded of our enemies (nations and their terror-backed groups alike) except total and unconditional surrender.

That posting prompted some good comments about what it would take by the US military, as well as us civilians, to properly fight and win World War III.  

Crittenden took on that very subject in a July 14 column: War As A Way Of Life (read the whole thing!):

Get ready for it.  You will have to pay more to drive your car. Everything will cost more.  You will need to make a choice.

The time for easy “war is bad, peace is good” choices is passing. This could be the end of button-pinning, sign-painting, street marching anti-war vs. quiet, stay at home silent majority pro-war kind of choices, where you can “support the troops” and despise their mission; being glad Saddam is gone, but hating Bush for doing it. Where you can loudly parrot the “Bush lied” line and secretly think things were better when Saddam was politely torturing people to death behind closed doors and plotting his next move toward domination of the world’s primary oilfields. Or conversely, where you can drive around with an American flag and a W’04 sticker on your SUV, drop a remark now and then, and maybe even know someone whose son or daughter is over there. This difficult insurgency in Iraq may come to look like the prelude.

War is ugly, but it is not the worst of options. That would be acquiescence. The situation, while dangerous, is not bleak, and total war may not be the outcome. Iran, like an unruly child who has never been disciplined, is making some serious miscalculations. The Iraq War has shown us that the Arab street has limited interest in rising against the West … only a handful of zealots over the past three years — several thousands among the hundreds of millions — have opted for martyrdom in Iraq. Most Arab nations have learned that openly confronting either the United States or Israel is a bad idea, and are not likely to rise to take sides with Persians and Palestinians. Iran is also dealing with two highly capable adversaries, the United States and Israel, that have shown they are capable of decisive, targeted action.

Should the situation escalate into open warfare throughout the Middle East, including the frontiers where United States forces now face Iran directly in Iraq and Afghanistan, should the U.S. Army find itself extended and in need of more troops, we will see a push in Congress for more money to boost the size of the volunteer army. Then, the American left in its desire to hobble the Bush administration, will push for a draft. They should be careful what they wish for. Even in periods of prevalent isolationism — and this is not one of them — Americans have shown themselves willing to rise to the needs of the nation.

That would include us gay Americans shut out by Clinton’s military policy…..

The time has come to prepare. To get ready for it. War brings hardship, loss and hard choices. War spares no one. War requires both mental and physical preparation. We are far from done with this one, and perhaps only in the early stages of it.

This is a very poignant observation and it is as scary as it sounds.  Yes, my fellow Americans, the “phony war” stage of World War III is coming to an end.  Whether you are in denial or not.

**UPDATE** – In an email to me this morning, Crittenden joins with those who label the War on Terror as World War IV, and the Cold War as World War III.  Valid argument for that point of view.  I think World War III fits only because the Cold War was the Cold War and never properly labeled WWIII.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Filed Under: Post 9-11 America, War On Terror, World History, World War III

Comments

  1. Patrick (Gryph) says

    August 2, 2006 at 9:04 pm - August 2, 2006

    “That would include us gay Americans shut out by Clinton’s military policy…..”

    It’s more Sam Nunn’s law, but since he’s a Democrat you can still play the blame game.

    Ignoring of course, that the policy in some form has existed since WWII.

    But feel free to go back and blame every Democrat since the beginning of time since blame is all that you appear to be willing to do to change the policy.

  2. Patrick (Gryph) says

    August 2, 2006 at 9:08 pm - August 2, 2006

    Oh and as far ask WW IV goes, you will find I suggested it quite some time ago.

    http://gaypatriot.net/?comments_popup=1539#comment-87403

    You should pay more attention to your trolls.

  3. Scott says

    August 2, 2006 at 10:17 pm - August 2, 2006

    Thanks for posting this Bruce. Since we are throwing some blame around here tonight :0) I do blame the administration for not making the case from September 12, 2001 until this very moment that we are in a total, global war that will demand “blood, sweat, toil and tears”. I think the Bush Administration probably handled things as aggressively as any alternative could ever hope to, but, in hindsight, they have not done nearly enough to guide the public toward the reality we do now face. My fear is that future administrations will be less inclined to pursue the total war strategy having seen the fallout from the Bush Admininstration’s shortcomings. Sadly, I think it is going to take a much bigger kick in the ass than September 11th to refocus America on the full implications/demands of the War Against Islamofacism. I think the President has missed many opportunities to better prepare the country for the hard work and sacrifice that lies ahead.

  4. REB 84 says

    August 2, 2006 at 10:45 pm - August 2, 2006

    “Nobody Comes Home From War Unchanged” This quote is from Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America IAVA.org/. It links to a short eight minute film about his organization.

    Regardless of your political affiliation or opinion of our involvement in Iraq you owe it to yourself and to American’s military men and women to watch this video. It helps summarize “The True Cost of War.”

    QuestionItNow – Still In Iraq

  5. Trace Phelps says

    August 3, 2006 at 12:25 am - August 3, 2006

    One of the things that’s disappointed me about President Bush was his failure after 9/11 and the commencement of the WOT to challenge the American people. Unlike previous war presidents, he did not ask Americans to make sacrifices for the war effort. Thus only the men and women in the military, and their families, are making sacrifices. Most of the rest of us, sadly, probably don’t think any sacrifices are necessary. Ask an American in any shopping center what he or she is doing to help in the WOT and he or she will stare at you with a dumb look.

    The president, unfortunately, is no longer in a position to inspire most Americans to take the WOT seriously. I hope not, but it may take another terrorist attack on American soil to wake us up.

  6. raj says

    August 3, 2006 at 1:56 pm - August 3, 2006

    [Comment deleted.]

  7. vaara says

    August 5, 2006 at 8:47 am - August 5, 2006

    “gay Americans shut out by Clinton’s military policy…”

    Which Bush has now had 5 1/2 years to change. But he hasn’t.

  8. Peter Hughes says

    August 6, 2006 at 3:18 pm - August 6, 2006

    The question is, viarra, why Der Schlickmeister Clinton actually put DADT in place to begin with. I don’t think Bush would have enacted it if Clinton hadn’t. After all, Reagan and Bush 41 certainly didn’t put it into place, and their worldview was much more conservative than Bush 43’s is right now.

    Try again.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

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