Tip of the week….3/25/03

Tip of the week….3/25/03

Here’s the tip of the week.
If you want to keep your car yours, don’t leave it unlocked in front of your house. Now onto more important stuff…..

Think back a couple years.
Like maybe to September.
Like maybe to September 11th.
Ring a bell?

Remember how you felt like puking when you saw those jetliners crashing into the twin towers. The death. The destruction. The horror.
The cold-blooded murderous act. You felt like you got the wind kicked out of you – because you did.

I remember an America that pulled together with each other.
I remember the American Flag being flown from thousands and thousands of vehicles, homes, offices, freeway overpasses.

I remember the streets having a strange calmness to them.
I remember Sporting events, TV shows, TV commercials, Public events, all expressing support for America. Rich people, Poor people, People in jail, People all over – all wanting to contribute to the cause.

And now…..
While we are in the midst of removing evil murdering scum from the planet…we have become a divided nation. Hey is there any truth to the saying – “Divide and conquer?”

You know what? I can’t say I’m in total support of the war. My first thoughts were more along the lines of – Why don’t we save our own country before we set out to save the world?
Why don’t we mind our own business?
Why don’t we let that miserable little country handle its own problems?
Why don’t we worry about repeat offender criminals, homelessness, and health care?

But…..
Then I remembered a little something.
That little country over there in the desert,
The one ruled by a murderous evil dictator,

Made their business – our business.

Hey Saddam,

Clean up your act or we’re coming over there and doing it for you.
We gave plenty of advance warning and notice.
The normal response would have been compliance….
But we’re not dealing with a normal mind.
We are dealing with a sick, twisted, gruesome and evil mind.

But little by little, one by one, many little whining voices within the United Nations started to get cold feet and pulled their support of taking action.

Except for the ones who believe in right over wrong.

Except for the ones who believe in Justice over Criminal acts.

Except for the ones who believe in Freedom over slavery and dictatorship.

You may not like the decision that was made to go to war – a war you may not believe is ours to fight…. But the decision was made.

You may not like the President in office who made that decision, but the decision was made.

The fact remains WE ARE THERE.
Our Military is there.

Our Military is fighting a battle never fought before.

But,

Our Military is trying to be humane.

“Let’s not bomb their power plants…. then they would be without power and lights.”
Can you imagine we are watching a city being bombed but we are careful to leave their lights on? Oh I know we aren’t after all the people, just some of the people…

Let’s not be aggressive when they surrender…. Welcome them with open arms… Oh wait, while opening our arms to the surrendering soldiers, they opened up on us with real “arms” and ambushed us.

Oh you might have missed the news coverage….

Talk of Iraqi video showing American soldiers taken captive being executed, being toyed with and being tortured.

Our response?
Neener, neener, neener, you better be following the rules of the Geneva Convention or you’re going to make us really mad…. We’ll make sure you’re properly punished….

Hey just so ya know……
There are no damn rules in that desert.
You think that country cares about following the rules?

I heard on the news, a warning (ok, it was a threat) from an Iraqi commander to American Soldiers….. “Turn yourself in, surrender while you have the chance, If we find you – we will kill you, and we will cut off your heads”. Hey, ya know what? THEY MEAN IT! You think they care about being humane?

We went over there soft – thinking we were going to cruise right in and take over. But we got our asses kicked and paid the price.
While we were getting our asses kicked, thousands and thousands of people across the U.S decided to make us look really good on national television around the world.

Stopping traffic, vomiting in the street, defecating in the street, attacking the police, mass chaos…
Instead of getting their point across in a productive effort, they go to the opposite end of the spectrum and make us look like complete idiots.

An American Sergeant in the military – oh sorry, he claims he’s a Muslim… Decided to get his 15 minutes of fame by lobbing some grenades into the tents of his fellow soldiers and then gunning them down with a machine gun…….. In Iraq! While already over there fighting – he decides to start his own fight!

Shock and Awe….. Hey this war gave us a new term….

But – isn’t that what we were back on September 11th 2001?
Weren’t we shocked and awed by what we saw?
Have we forgotten the pain and loss we suffered?
The firefighters, the cops, the civilians who lost their lives?
The destruction and havoc that tore apart our streets?
We haven’t forgotten that this quickly have we?
We still have that feeling of shock and awe lingering from our loss don’t we?

The media has to of course jump on every little detail, and just has to get the coverage of the father of an American soldier slain in Iraq, holding up a picture of his son, accusing President Bush of “taking his only son”….

Get your sorry heads out of your sorry butts and act like Americans!
Yes we are sorry you lost your son, no one wants to live that –
But your son died with honor and dignity as an American Soldier, fighting for his country.

Be proud of your son – don’t blemish the loss by blaming the President of the United States. War is an ugly thing – but it is a real thing. Your son was there by choice. He died doing what he wanted to do. He died with honor. Let’s just hope he can’t see you make those senseless stupid comments because he doesn’t deserve the embarrassment.

I salute your son – and I thank him for being there – for us, for Americans.
I salute all of the American soldiers and pilots who have lost their lives in Iraq. I salute the solders and pilots of Great Britain who gave their lives – for us.

Yes,

I’m not happy we’re there – but we are.

If you remember the shock and awe of 9-11-01,
If you remember the pain and loss we felt that day,
If you have one drop of American blood in your body, I ask you not to agree with the decision, but accept the decision, that we are at war against evil, and support the men and women in Iraq representing the United States of America.

Fly the Flag,
Act with dignity,
Pray to God this is over with quickly,
And remember that Shock and Awe may not be the term to describe a tactic used in this war.

Shock and Awe should be remembered as what we felt when the enemy, the one we are fighting now, made “their business, our business.”

Put the flags back on your cars.
Back on your homes,
Back on your office buildings,
Back on the freeway overpasses.

You have a choice in this.
You can be like the “politically correct” artificial and fake faces of Hollywood, who failed to mention any support of our country during the infamous viewing of the Oscars….

Or you can be like the class act of the Miss USA pageant whose “hosts” openly said on national TV before the show started –
“With everything going on in the world, we would like to express our love and prayers for all those in the armed forces fighting for our country over seas….

Let me get this straight….

Actors and actresses known throughout the world – sit there like little mice afraid to make any comment at all – one way or the other…..so let’s just not say anything at all…. Actors and actresses who have made more than their share of movies about war and violence.
Hmmm….if it’s fake, it’s OK, but if it’s for real, I’m an instant anti-war protester. You guys make me sick!

But at a beauty pageant……?
Open support and prayers for our troops…
Flags waved by thousands in the audience?
Miss USA pageant? I got nothing but love for you…..
Hollywood? I’m shocked and awed….

Doesn’t matter how we got there.

We’re there.

Doesn’t matter if you agree with it or not…

We’re there.

So
Show the love,
Show the support,
Show the patriotism
Show the class I know we have….
And support the American Flag while it is on the sands of Iraq.

Do it because you’re American.
Do it because our troops deserve it.

And if you’re undecided…..like I was?
Think back to the “Shock and Awe” of September 11th
That changed my mind real quick.
I hope it changes yours.

My partner at work just ordered a 10ft long banner that says
“God Bless Our Troops”. He’s putting it on his front porch next to his American Flag.

Why don’t we Shock and Awe Saddam,
Why don’t we Shock and Awe Iraq,
Why don’t we Shock and Awe all of our troops,
Why don’t we show the world that although we may not all agree – we are a nation that sticks together?

Why don’t we ALL go out and get those 10 ft banners and flags up…..?

God bless our troops. Our prayers, love, and support are with you.

Jim Lambert