The war mongerers are the real bed wetters

In corporate media presentations, I can't help but notice the often indirectly stated "narrative" that those of us who have opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning, or have sought alternatives to the endless retribution wars among Arabs and Israelis, are viewed as being not as "tough" as those who want to continue those wars--as if dissent to power is easy and conformity is hard. However, it should be becoming clear to more and more Americans that the real wimps are the people pushing for endless war. These war mongerers are the ones shivering with fear, worried about American resolve (and now Israel's resolve), and are sitting in the wet bed they themselves have made.

Read these two articles, first from Charles "the Mad Doctor" Krauthammer and then this other article from David Horowitz, who has shown us that Stalinists and McCarthyites have much in common in terms of political style. Notice the abject fear contained within the words uttered by these two men. It is stunning once you see it--and how similar it is in tone to others who keep telling us we need to stay in Iraq and expand the war against terrorism into Iran and Syria.

For me, I have no doubt our nation and other nations can defeat most of the terror movements on this planet over the next five years--but for vastly different reasons than the bed wetting war mongers. We (Americans) simply need to start with the proposition that people are people, whether Arab, Israeli, Iraqi, Iranian or American. Then, we need to immediately move to end our dependence on Arab oil, do a Manhattan Project for electric cars (which will create lots of jobs for semi- and unskilled workers), become an honest broker for Israel and the Palestinians, get the hell out of Iraq, and, instead of dropping bombs for awhile, start dropping food and DVD/CDs and players and blue jeans for people in impoverished areas. People around the globe want to like America and often do. Such folks get angry (more bewildered) that we keep electing idiotic, hateful people and dropping bombs on them. That's why Israel's leaders are learning that dropping bombs only made people in Lebanon like Hezbollah more than before.

Am I a pacifist? No, sorry. Pacifists are often brave individuals, but they are like war mongers to the extent they are inflexible. I supported our incursion into Afghanistan in 2001. I supported the first Gulf War. Practically speaking, it is sometimes necessary to directly confront, with war, those who are trying to kill you. But, here, there is something different going on in this twilight war against terrorist acts that, at least for now, requires political and economic responses more than (though not fully) military ones.

The Busheviks are not merely ignorant and malicious. What they are is reckless because, while they claim to want this "clash of civilizations," they won't even attempt to mobilize our nation with a draft to put more troops on the ground or take the steps of rationing and focus that makes for a war footing. Instead, they tell us to go shopping and buy Hummers, blame the messengers when things go wrong in their wars, deliberately confuse honest dissent with treason and then attempt to criminalize that dissent, and drop some bombs on places and people, thinking that will help them reach their stated goal of defeating violent Islamicists.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, a man in a wheelchair who fought the effects of polio every waking moment of his presidency, told us that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. That should be our mantra and it should be why we cannot listen to the war mongering voices who are increasingly exposing themselves as the fearful, paranoiac people they are.

Some may respond, "Oh, that's who we should fear--the Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, etc. crowd." Well, maybe. But even there, lots of Americans already have had enough of those guys and gals. Those of us who believe in what I am saying need to be more confident, too, and say, "We can create more stability and more peace on this planet. It will never be free of strife, but we must--and can--show the world our better side. The side that makes people look to America with hope and appreciation. That gives us credibility more than bombs and allows other leaders of people and nations to take chances for peace instead of war."

In a world that is televised, we may be surprised to learn how effective that can be. Plus, our soldiers could use some rest after Iraq, don't ya think?

(Edited)