04/15/13

Ties That Bind

Arlene from Israel

Credit: Tomer Neuberg/Flash 90

Yom HaZikaron — Memorial Day, a day of national mourning — began last night with a siren at 8 PM.

You can see here a small video segment of ceremonies that took place at the Kotel last night:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/167110

Yom HaZikaron will end tonight, when the nation will turn in a flash to Yom Ha’Atzmaut — Independence Day, a day of national celebration.

I have commented several times on the startlingly abrupt shift in mood, which, while it is somehow emblematic of the Jewish people with the ups and downs of our national life, also seemed — what? — strange.

This year it has somehow come together for me with startling clarity:

Our nation survives because of these young people — soldiers on active duty and reserve soldiers — who come forward, knowing the risks to their own lives, so that the nation might live. Each mother who sees her child go off to serve understands this painful reality. It is the price to be paid for Israel. And what’s incredible is that most soldiers go willingly and proudly, even knowing.

Our nation’s debt to them is beyond measuring.

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This past week in its Magazine section, the JPost ran an article on “Defenders of the land.” One of these is Ran Bar- Yoshafat, who is now in the reserves.

Credit: Jewish Agency

“He carries on him at all times a list of comrades who have died in battle, including when and how they died.

“‘At first I thought, well, I’d just remember them all, but now then there were too many,’ he says. The list is up to 20 now.

“For Bar-Yoshafat, who considers the IDF ‘an absolute necessity’ and something that ‘teaches more than anything else about life,’ Yom HaZikaron is the holiest day of the year.

“‘I serve because I understand I save the lives of my friends, my family, and my countrymen.'” (Emphasis added)

And there it is.

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And so our people go by the millions to the military graves of those who have fallen — to honor them, to remember them, and to mourn them.

Credit: IDFblog

Credit: Haaretz

And then the Israeli people turn to celebration of our nation, which, I suspect, is precisely what those who have given their lives for it would want us to do. Surely their souls rejoice with us, because they made it possible.

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This is what Amotz Asa-El wrote, with regard to “Comfort my people”: (Emphasis added)

“One need not be Israeli to tremble as this heart-wrenching day’s siren ululates from Mount Hermon to the Red Sea…

“So palpable and pervasive is grief on this day that visitors who spend it with us take its memory with them for the rest of their lives.

“…Yet while we lament the loss of thousands of promising lives, we have all the right, indeed the duty, to see beyond grief and take stock of what they helped create…

“Back when the state was established, foreigners who cared for it wondered how the minuscule state would survive while under-populated, surrounded by enemies and lacking natural resources. Asking such a question today is an anachronism. Israel’s economy has matured, its currency is solid, its growth rate has been for the better part of a decade among the developed world’s highest, its unemployment and debt-to-GDP rates are among the world’s lowest, and its inventiveness has become the subject of legend.

“In the past decade…Israel has become home to the world’s largest Jewish community for the first time since the Second Temple era, and is now well on its way to becoming home to a majority of the Jewish people — for the first time …since the days of Jeremiah.

“Culturally, the Jewish state is a fountainhead of creation and exploration… None of this would have happened but for the sacrifice of the fallen.

“In 1967, then-chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin arrived at the Western Wall moments after its liberation. Surrounded by the exhausted troops, he said as the entire nation listened: ‘Our comrades’ sacrifices were not in vain; generations of Jews who were killed, slaughtered and fell sanctifying God’s name are now telling you, Comfort, comfort my people.’ (Isaiah 40:1)”

http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=309845

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We count now 23,085 who have fallen in defense of Israel. That’s not just IDF forces, but police and other security forces, including those operating before the formal establishment of modern Israel — counting since 1860. I believe those who have died as victims of terror attacks are added to this number.

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Sharing some meaningful videos.

First, a deeply moving — a remarkable — statement by Miriam Peretz, a mother who lost two soldier-sons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WWdqhg_t_I

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A beautiful prayer for IDF soldiers (a few years old, but so what):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24bOclbE_eg

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A video here of a soldier, Asael Lubotzky, who didn’t die, but came close. His remarkable spirit tells us a great deal about what Israelis are like.

http://www.aish.com/h/iid/This-is-Israel-Resilience.html

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A moving video of Israel’s history, with much old footage, starting with David Ben Gurion’s announcement of the independence of the State, and tracking the need for a strong defense to bring us to where we are today. You don’t need to understand the Hebrew to get it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M-KpcMmit8

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And lastly, Aish’s “Wave Your Flag”:

http://www.aish.com/h/iid/Israel_Wave_Your_Flag.html

04/15/13

Senator Ted Cruz: Pastors Targeted by Obama’s Justice Department

By: Sharon Sebastian

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is leading the fight and all Americans have a stake in the outcome. The junior Republican is already a frontrunner in the defense of faith, freedom and patriotism — all of which are under threat today in America. Cruz has exposed six attempts of unprecedented power grabs by the Obama administration in six cases before the Supreme Court:

“If the Department of Justice had won these cases, the federal government would be able to electronically track all of our movements, fine us without a fair hearing, dictate who churches choose as ministers, displace state laws based on the President’s whims, bring debilitating lawsuits against individuals based on events that occurred years ago, and destroy a person’s private property without just compensation.”

(Scribd.com posts the Senator’s full report, The Legal Limit: The Obama Administration’s Attempts To Expand Federal Power)

Cruz, a Harvard Law graduate whom Professor Alan Dershowitz calls “off-the-chart brilliant,” exposes the Obama Justice Department’s hit list. On the hit list is freedom of religion with Christianity as the primary target. Long a bane to the liberal Left is that the Ten Commandments — that are foundational to the Judeo-Christian faith — served as the biblical inspiration for both the U.S. Constitution and Capitalism. True Christians stand with Israel much to the disdain of Democrat Presidents from FDR, to Jimmy Carter, up to Obama who treats the Jewish nation as an irritant at minimum. True Christianity is a blockade to bigotry and tyrannical aspirations.

In an outrageous attempt to increase its power, the Obama administration attempted to usurp the right of a church to choose its own pastors. In the case, Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. EEOC, the Justice Department reportedly argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that it “had the right to oversee a church’s choosing of ministers.” The Supreme Court foiled Obama’s egregious attempt to curtail a fundamental right of churches. In a 9-0 opinion, the justices sided in favor of the Lutheran Church. For further details on the case, click here.

Christianity is under siege by the Obama administration. The day Barack Obama swore on the Bible to uphold the U.S. Constitution — which includes the freedoms of speech and religion — the assault began. Obama’s gibes at Judeo-Christian belief and scripture are well documented by a list of affronts, which are easily verified by existing video and audio recordings. Gaining control of who preaches in Christian churches would have given the Obama administration control of the message. Obama acolytes in the pulpit would be in position to convolute scripture to serve their political ideologies.

The takeover of churches has been a longtime goal of Socialist-Progressives in the Democrat Party. In early 2010, I wrote the article, Hijacking the Faith: The Obama Way. In it, I revealed the Obama administration’s assault on Christianity and what was to come:

“Years ago, the head of a major Gay rights organization told Pacifica radio that he thought Bill Clinton could deliver what his group wanted, but when a sitting president failed, he suggested he now understands that you “have to go after the churches.” That is a strategy that the Obama administration appears to have adopted.” (Read more…)

The article, Christian Purge: The Obama Factor, revealed that the hijacking was underway through Obama’s Socialist policy to “redistribute the wealth.” It reads in part:

Christianity is not a call to street activism or Socialism (social justice), Christianity is a call to the Cross. Coercing or manipulating the faith towards anything else is egregious to Biblical doctrine. The Obama administration would be wise to understand that administrations come and go, but no matter how doggedly they wage war against it – the Christian faith based on salvation by Jesus Christ – does not.” (Read more…)

As witnessed by the anti-God vote at the 2012 Democrat Convention, Progressives leading our government today are going to great lengths to escape the authority of God, preferring to live by their own countenance and self-devised morality while attempting to subjugate or eliminate God out of society. In a head-fake to voters, many assume the role as pretenders of faith. Those who outsmart themselves in matters eternal, including Presidents, cherry-pick the Bible and mismatch or purposely convolute scriptural intent to serve their political agenda. Both the Old and New Testaments are clear that God’s Word is the final authority and that He is unchanging. The Bible is the Word of God written through the instruction of the Holy Spirit. The Bible reveals that God, Jesus Christ, is the Word:

JOHN 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

All of us, including those claiming world-class intelligence, fall desperately short of the wisdom of God. Time and again, many of higher intelligence have proven that they are not wise. The tragedy is that that the arrogant have outsmarted themselves and want the rest of us to join them. They have become too smart for the narrow gate as they fancy themselves superior to their Creator. Christianity is a loving faith that looks to share its great blessings. Christians pray for all who may never understand the teachings of Jesus to: “Love one another, even as I have loved you.” Matthew 7:13-15 reveals that it is a narrow gate that leads to Him and all should take heed:

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

God’s message to all is: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55: 8-9

Everyone hears the echo of eternity – even Liberal politicians seeking to deny religious freedom to others. Deeming themselves a greater power over the people than God — is a presumption of all Socialists-Marxists in government. Called pastors belong in the pulpit, not frauds seeking to distort, mock or obscure scripture. To understand the history of the radical Left’s battle against God, read the book, Darwin’s Racists – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. For wisdom, guidance, and the way to salvation, read the Bible – then step forward and broadly advance the true Word of God.

For YouTube discussion on the dismantling of America: Click here.

Sharon Sebastian (www.DarwinsRacists.com) is a columnist, commentator, author, and contributor to various forms of media including cultural and political broadcasts, print, and online websites. In addition to the heated global debate on creation vs. evolution, her second book, “Darwin’s Racists: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow,” highlights the impact of Social Darwinism’s Marxist/Socialist underpinnings on the culture, the faith and current policy out of Washington. Critics are calling Darwin’s Racists, “Incredibly Timely” and “A Book for our Times.” Sebastian is a featured guest on broadcasts nationwide on topics ranging from politics, the economy, healthcare, culture, religion and evolution to Agenda 21’s global green movement. Sebastian’s political and cultural analyses on a wide range of national and global events are published nationally and internationally. Website: www.DarwinsRacists.com. “Darwin’s Racists – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” may be purchased at: www.DarwinsRacists.com, www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com and at bookstores online and worldwide.

04/15/13

Bombings at the Boston Marathon

2 dead, 23 injured. 10 lost limbs. 2 bombs went off and a 3rd was found. And the authorities THINK it MIGHT be terrorism. Asshats.

‘Unspeakable horror’ at Boston Marathon

At least 2 dead, dozens injured after two bombs explode at Boston Marathon

BOSTON POLICE FIND MORE UNEXPLODED DEVICES

Report: Saudi National Arrested in Boston Terror Attack Today

Two Explosions Reported at Boston Marathon, Multiple Injuries, Casualties Reported

Aftermath Footage of Boston Bombs

04/15/13

The Modoggies on Tour

Soon coming to a town near you!

The TOUR – Lars Vilks Mohammad dog on the run!

The Roundabout Dog TOUR – ”The Tour” – is an active campaign aimed at creating awareness about the vulnerability of Freedom of Speech in the “new” multicultural world.

Using the Swedish artist Lars Vilks’ known seal, The Roundabout Dog (Rondellhunden), as the crucial pivot point, the TOUR will visit seven countries in Europe, from 1 April to 30 September, 2013, beginning in Sweden. The other six countries are Norway, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Austria and Switzerland.

The TOUR began in Malmö on March 26th with a visit to the Islamic Center founded by the deceased Qaddafi and still owned by the Libya-based World Islamic Call Society.

“Due to security concerns, we cannot disclose our tour plan, but the Roundabout Dog was always about surprise, so we will continue in that spirit,” says Hans Erling Jensen, the initiator of the project. “It is our hope, of course, to start discussions about freedom of speech. Do we Europeans really want the artists to continue their self-censorship, or do we want a society where everything can be criticized and made fun of?”

For more pictures which you are free to use: http://en.freespeech.nu/press

Purpose

THE TOUR has more than one purpose. We wish to draw attention to the fact that freedom of expression has increasingly tighter conditions in the easily offended multicultural Europe.

Another objective is to generate public interest in Lars Vilks and his art, which we believe – with Lars Vilks vulnerable position as a fatwa-persecuted artist – deserves to be seen and acknowledged by a much wider audience than it is now possible to reach because of the prevailing political correctness in the existing artistic environment.

Lars Vilks

Lars Vilks has faced numerous death threats and a suspected assassination plot since his drawing of the Muslim prophet with the body of a dog which was first published by Swedish regional daily, Nerikes Allehanda, in 2007.

FREE SPEECH EUROPE has planned a series of quick-exhibitions for the “Grand Tour” where Lars Vilks will be present introducing his original art work and will speak about his life under siege! Denmark, Germany, Austria and London are actual locations.

About Free Speech Europe

The initiative to FREE SPEECH EUROPE was taken in the Fall of 2012. The association is non-political and its purpose is to promote freedom of speech by supporting people who are victims of “blacklisting” or other forms of persecution because of their artistic or political expression.

Our focus is on Lars Vilks, who, when his Roundabout dog was born in 2007, lost his livelihood; this can hardly surprise anyone.

Partners & Support

We cooperate with a number of organizations, blogs and individuals with regard to promoting the TOUR and to helping us market the Lars Vilks art package that will help to ensure the economy of the tour.

We want to do much more, but our funds are limited. Our heroes Lars Vilks, Kurt Westergaard, Robert Redeker, Flemming Rose, Salman Rushdie, Lars Hedegaard and many others, are persecuted all year round by those who would prefer to see our freedom limited. Sign up for membership here!

It is possible to support Free Speech Europe and the tour by buying copies of four beautiful Vilks paintings depicting Muhammed as a dog on a table, as a dog on a bed with a naked lady, on a t-shirt on a lady and his chopped off head in the hand of what looks like an androgynous version of the Goddess of Justice.

Source: The Roundabout Dog TOUR’s News team.

Official WEB-site: http://freespeech.nu

For Interviews and additional information contact:

Hans Erling Jensen
Phone: +46 707 85 57 50
Skype: “snowhans” /Hans Erling Jensen
E-mail: [email protected]

Pics and other stuff for downloading, free to use in its meaning!
http://en.freespeech.nu/press

Links regarding the Modoggies!
http://en.freespeech.nu/links

04/15/13

Ready, Aim Fire

By: T F Stern
T F Stern’s Rantings

There’s a news article by Mark Sappenfield shown on the Yahoo news page, originally posted to the Christian Science Monitor, regarding a police officer who was fired from his department for bringing targets that looked like Trayvon Martin to the pistol range. According to the latest version of the story the targets were intended to be used for “no-shoot training aids.”

“Now, the officer has responded in an online video, suggesting that he brought the pictures as a “no-shoot training aid,” and that he might be a pawn in a broader conspiracy to bring down the chief of the Port Canaveral Police Department.”

If the target had the name Trayvon Martin printed on the hoodie or perhaps an exact likeness of his face then perhaps the department can make a case against the officer. That said; what about Homeland Security ordering “non-traditional threat” targets of pregnant women, old retired men with shot guns and other civilian settings which are to be used in training police officers to shoot their fellow citizens?

Should we fire anyone with Homeland Security associated with the purchase of “non-traditional threat” targets on the basis their presence is politically incorrect, just as the Port Canaveral Police Department believes a target of an individual resembling Trayvon Martin is a rather poor choice and shows a lack of common sense? Just wondering.

Would anyone be offended if folks started using targets that resembled, let’s say, Janet Napolitano at the local pistol range? Would a team of FBI agents show up at your door to haul you away or would the secret police squad from Homeland Security handle that?

I remember a scene from an old Jack Lemon movie, How to Murder Your Wife; the scene where Lemon’s character, acting as his own defense attorney, draws a chalk dot on the railing and suggests to his hen pecked friend, “All you have to do is push that button… nobody will know it was you that pushed the button…”

Would anyone really use a target of Janet Napolitano at the pistol range, or substitute some other notable figure? Just putting the thought down in writing will set off alarms in that fancy new information gathering unit out in the desert. Is that a helicopter hovering over my house and would somebody see who’s at the door pounding away?

04/15/13

Demonstration In London Against Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Regime – 20 April 2013

By: Aeneas Lavinium
ICLA

A demonstration against the regime of Mohamed Morsi will take place in London opposite the House of Lords on Saturday 20 April 2013 from 12-3pm. It is an opportunity for people to voice their opposition to the human rights abuses that have become a regular occurrence since the Muslim Brotherhood regime came to power. More information can be found at the website UK Copts where we found out about this demonstration.

The demonstration should be an opportunity for Muslims and non-Muslims to come together and signal their opposition to Islamic extremism with a single voice. The Coptic population of Egypt which descends from the Ancient Egyptians was subject to abuse under Mubarak but the situation got dramatically worse with the accession of the Muslim Brotherhood. But with an Islamist regime in power even Muslims could potentially be persecuted if they are not deemed to be pure enough for the Brotherhood. The people of Egypt of whatever faith background deserve to live under the rule of law rather than laws and practices inspired by the inequality of the Sharia. They deserve to live under a system that is both secular and democratic.

The anti-sharia community predicted the Muslim Brotherhood would come to power in Egypt on the back of Western interference in North Africa. It also predicted that this would be bad for the people of Egypt, for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. They were criticised at the time as being alarmist, Islamophobic, or ‘far right’ due to such predictions. They were told by ‘those who know best’ that the Muslim Brotherhood were ‘moderate Islamists’ – a ridiculous act of circumlocution! It was the equivalent of someone in the 1930s saying that there were Moderate Nazis in Germany and as a result there was nothing to be concerned about.

At a time when the British and other Western governments are in the process of trying to install an Islamist regime in Syria it is quite appropriate for a demonstration to take place in the British capital.

The British Government’s current pro-Islamist policy and its support for the hypocrisy of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) needs to be brought to public attention.

The people of Egypt are suffering because the real threat posed by Islamism and groups like the Muslim Brotherhood has been ignored in the West. In fact, if anything Western opinion formers have been bending over backwards to make Islamists sound like progressive, forward looking humanitarians. However, the reality on the ground speaks for itself.

Demonstration opposite the House of Lords on Saturday 20 April 2013 from 12-3pm.

04/15/13

Forum: The 10th Anniversary of the Iraq War just passed. Was the Iraq Invasion Worthwhile?

The Watcher’s Council

Every week on Monday morning, the Council and our invited guests weigh in at the Watcher’s Forum with short takes on a major issue of the day. This week’s question: The 10th Anniversary of the Iraq War just passed. Was the Iraq Invasion Worthwhile?

The Razor: I’ll admit I was wrong about the Iraq war. I took the politically correct view that Arabs weren’t savages and was proven wrong.

That’s overly simplistic. I was wrong about Iraq because we weren’t willing to do two things we did in Germany and Japan after World War 2.

1. We treated the regimes we replaced as losers.

2. We discredited the cultures that lead to militarism. Neither Germany nor Japan had strong democratic roots, so instead we imposed superior cultures on them, particularly the British parliamentary system.

In Iraq we were doomed because of the politically correct view that all cultures are equal. Ditto Afghanistan. Sorry, but Arab states are based on corruption, violence and kleptocracy and by refusing to impose a superior culture on them we allowed their culture to flourish.

In fact, I would argue that at this time we cannot accomplish any nation building anywhere under our cultural relativist beliefs.

The Colossus of Rhodey: Well, let’s see: was Iraq under Saddam Hussein really that much of a threat? Sure, as long as he remained in power he could be a nuisance and a potential menace, but to what degree? The coalition from the first Iraq War had Iraq “boxed in,” so to speak, primarily via the “no-fly zone.” And, yes, Saddam had defied the UN upwards of over fifteen times since the Gulf War’s end in 1991. The US tried to make its case to the UN for military action against Saddam in ’02 and ’03, but Kofi and the gang wouldn’t go for it. So as a result, why does this mean that WE — the US — must do it alone? Why must US forces risk their lives because the weak-kneed, yellow-bellied and milksop UN refuses to act to enforce its own sanctions and edicts?

And this brings me to my primary reason why I am against the Iraq War: Removing a dictator and instituting democracy to a country that’s never had it is NOT — NOT — a job for the US military. Not a single US soldier’s life is worth it. It’s “nation-building,” after all. Aren’t conservatives supposed to be against ”nation-building”? Representative Ron Paul makes a good case conservatives should consider here. Furthermore, James L. Payne demonstrates that “nation-building” has been effective only 27% of the time since 1850 and he argues that these successes were not the products of military intervention. In addition, he notes:

One group of countries that seem especially resistant to democracy-building efforts are the Arab lands. There have been are nine interventions in Arab countries in the past century. In no case did stable democracy follow the military occupation.

George W. Bush himself declared that “We’re not into nation building. We’re focused on justice” – shortly after the 9/11 attacks. And Claudia Rosett in the conservative Wall Street Journal opinion pages said about W’s claim (my emphasis):

That’s a crucial distinction. Nation building entails America trying to construct an entire way of life for others. And though building a free and democratic world would be a wondrous thing, experience suggests that for any nation it is a vastly complex project that must come mainly from within. America can serve as an example and an ally. But we cannot reliably reengineer other societies, and we risk enormous resentment when we try. No amount of social or political engineering can produce a paradise in which evil urges will never intrude, and though a more widely free and benign world order would produce fewer monsters, we can hardly arrange that within the week. But if we cannot quickly fix all creation, we can at least minimize the opportunities and maximize the penalties for evil actions–something we have not done for a decade now.

Of course, not too soon after, President Bush did a 180 on his above claim regarding Iraq. And, predictably, many — most? — conservatives fell in line behind him. This is understandable, certainly — the need to put up a “united front” — but it’s very intellectually and philosophically dishonest for conservatives. After all, didn’t conservatives flame Bill Clinton for his efforts in Haiti? Somalia? Kosovo? They sure did.

At least I believe I’m consistent. I’m against all instances of “nation-building,” whether they be attempted under a liberal administration or a conservative one. The only exceptions would be examples such as Japan and Germany which were utterly destroyed after total war and, frankly, needed a major degree of “nation-[re]building.”

US soldiers are there to FIGHT, not to police foreign lands or to engage in “building” democracy. Removing Saddam was a good thing, yes, but consider the long-term consequences.

Bookworm Room: I’m reading Paul Fussell’s marvelous The Great War and Modern Memory. It is a reminder of deadly wars, fought for stupid reasons, with disastrous consequences. Iraq wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last.

Rhymes With Right: As I noted over at my blog, I certainly understand those who look upon our nation’s military action in Iraq to have been a disaster. We discovered that our leaders had for at least a decade believed things that were untrue because our nation’s intelligence services had supplied wrong information. We watched as a quick victory became a much tougher slog due to a rising insurgency. And there was the financial toll on our country that weakened our government and our economy. One can make the case that the Iraq war “was not worth it.”

But while our media an opinion leaders are willing to look upon the question from a very American – and very political – perspective, what we don’t often hear is the answer to that question from Iraqis. Take this response from one of Saddam Hussein’s many victims – Kurdish activist Barham Salih, who suffered in the torture chambers of the Iraqi dictator, who notes that:

“From the perspective of the Kurdish people — and I dare say the majority of the Iraqi people — it was worth it,” he said. “War is never a good option, but given our history and the brutality of Saddam’s regime, it may have been the only other option to end the genocidal campaign waged by Saddam against the Kurds and other communities in Iraq.”

So no, Iraq certainly is not the stable democracy and steadfast ally that we hoped for a decade ago. Acts of terrorism still take place there on a regular basis. But there are no government torture chambers in operation. There is a democracy of a sort, and opportunities for Iraqis that did not exist in 2003. So, while maybe the most imperialist view of what “worth it” (ironically adopted by the Left who opposed the war from practically the beginning), the war ended up improving the human rights situation of millions of Iraqis. And if that doesn’t make the war “worth it” from an American point of view, doesn’t it at least constitute an improvement on what was in place before it began?

JoshuaPundit: Sorry, but IMO this is sheer horse manure. It’s what I would expect from Jeffrey Goldberg.

Since when do we engage in wars – let alone non-constitutional ones – for things other than our own national interest? If that’s the case, I guess I missed our invasion of Sudan to protect Darfur, or our taking out of Hamas or Iran.

And what did we ‘liberate’ in Iraq, exactly? Or accomplish, aside from building a brand new infrastructure and a shiny new Muslim army at the American taxpayer’s expense for a Shi’ite Islamic republic with its laws based on Sharia? Meanwhile we’re out a trillion dollars and over 4,000 lives.

We replaced a Sunni dictator with a Shi’ite one (read up on the last ‘elections’) who’s close to Iran and whose power base is militias like the Mahdi Army and Moqtada al-Sadr. Iraq is in the process of becoming an Iranian colony.

The Sunnis, including those who we bribed to fight with us in the Awakening movement have been completely marginalized, which is why al-Qaeda in Iraq is a growing force again.

Iraq’s Christians were horribly persecuted under our watch, and the majority have fled or are trying to.

We empower our real allies in Iraq, the Kurds.

We didn’t even ‘liberate’ the oil from the wells Halliburton saved after Saddam torched them. China got that.

So what did we ‘liberate’?

Things turned out badly because we set things up that way. We didn’t make Syria regret they ever let Jihadis into Iraq. We didn’t put in place a firm military governor to enforce a real occupation for the time it took. We didn’t hang insurgents on either side – Moqtada al-Sadr for instance – when they caused violence and act ruthlessly to suppress it. Instead, we saddled our troops with ridiculous Rules of Engagement.

We didn’t empower women particularly, or work to discredit Islamism and because of Bush’s fetish for ‘Arab Democracy’ we rushed the Iraqis into an election they were in no way ready for.

Bush was unsuited to be a war president. And Iraq was a huge strategic mistake. We would have done far better to not get embroiled there in the first place unless we were going to use it as a base to take on Iran, who actually was complicit in 9/11. Even the 9/11 Commission’s report mentioned that.

I give tremendous credit to Patraeus and Ordiano for allowing us a gracious retreat, but that was what it was.

The Noisy Room: I supported President Bush when we invaded Iraq. I still believe it was a terrorist pit that needed cleaning out, however… I said at the time and I still believe that it was the wrong initial target. Iran should have been first on our dance card. We did not deal with the ‘head’ of the snake and now the snake is threatening to devour the world.

Furthermore, we did not finish the job in Iraq. We were so concerned with not offending anyone, that we offended everyone. After the death of Saddam Hussein, we should have packed our bags and gone home. Instead, we stayed, training their military and rebuilding their country. Not only was that a financial black hole for us (and still is), it was militarily foolish and pointless. In the end, we are still ‘sort of’ there, but the real winners are Iran, who now basically control Iraq. War should be treated as well, war. You go in fight, kill, break things and leave. You don’t grovel and nation build afterwards. You only preemptively strike a clear and present threat as well. Such as, let’s see… North Korea or Iran, who are threatening to nuke us. But instead, we take the real threats to our country and either talk them to death or try and buy them off, both of which ALWAYS FAIL.

We have lost many, many of our warriors and we still don’t have a clearly defined enemy. We were never allowed to declare actual ‘war.’ The real perpetrators of 9-11 have not been brought to justice. Saudi Arabia, where the majority of the terrorists came from, received no punishment at all. Neither did the backers and primary instigators of the terrorism, Iran (I don’t consider ‘sanctions’ real punishment). The terrorist masterminds who were captured still sit in jail (if you can even call it that as every need and want is met for them) and there is a good chance under the Obama-friendly regime that they will wind up in U.S. courts, rather than military tribunals. This means they could walk, get greatly reduced sentences or wind up in Club Med for wayward Jihadist radicals.

Although I feel for the Iraqis and their plight, I now no longer believe invasion of Iraq was worthwhile. Their country is based on a theocratic and militaristic barbarism that is employed throughout the Islamic world. It is a mindset that the West cannot seem to wrap their viewpoint around: “You love Pepsi, we love death.” Our invasion did nothing to make us safer or bring closure to the murders of nearly 3,000 Americans. We spilled our warriors life-blood for little to no gain and ended up doing nothing but entangling ourselves in more pointless conflicts we will not be allowed to win and further bankrupting our nation. The current conflicts in the Middle East are engineered for wealth and power redistribution. I now believe the only way to win in the Middle East is with massive bombing runs and perhaps a judicious nuke or two. Even then it won’t end the threat, just delay the conflict to end all conflicts.

The Glittering Eye: Simply stated, no, it was not worthwhile. There were better ways of spending the money, lives and time. Our failure to pacify the country harmed our reputation. A reputation for invincibility is hard to recover once lost.

Granted, it could have been worse, for example, if we had bolted in 2005 or 2006 when the
post-war was degenerating so badly. That still doesn’t make it a strategic victory.

Well, there you have it.

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