I thought I’d share this. It’s an e-mail response I wrote to my friend Richard when he complimented “my boy Bush” for his speach last week. The response pretty much sums up a lot of my fears concerning what we’re getting ourselves into and I may be parinoid here, but I just wanted to share…
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And, yeah, it seems Bush has finally found his calling, war. I missed his big speech last week, but everyone’s told me it was great and the articles seemed to praise it. I just hope we’re ready for this mess we’re about to get into. I keep reading the high percentages in polls of folks who favor this war and wonder if people realize what we are getting ourselves into and that the WTC will be childs play if this thing heats up. That and the high number of folks supposedly supporting the reinstatement of the draft concerns me too. How many of the people polled were under 25? How many of those fully understood what they were saying they supported?
America thinks it’s ready for war, but wait until the casulty lists start growing. All of those numbers will drastically drop and even more so if the terrorists retaliate with more attacks on American soil. Obviously that would mean we aren’t doing our job and should bring our boys home. I don’t know. The whole thing’s a mess and I guess I just need to have a little more faith in the American people.
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Richard also shared with me this quote from Thomas Paine. Well, here’s how Richard said it.
Here is something you might want to post on your web sight. It’s by Thomas Pain, my favorite colonial rabble rouser. It was written 2 days before Christmas in 1776. The colonial army had seen nothing but defeat, congress was not supporting the Army and all enlistments were to run out on New Years day. I think it applies as mush now as it did then.
Crisis
These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain to cheap, we esteem to lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing it’s value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon it’s goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.
And, speaking of the President’s speech, you can read it here.