Michael Yon & Uninformed Americans

"There is a side to this war that cannot be captured in any kind of statistics. The importance of personal relationships among the soldiers and their Iraqi counterparts cannot be captured in quick stories or numbers. A huge part of this war comes down to personal relationships and respect. It’s not about killing. That’s only a small part of it. It’s about building: building bonds that build societies. Giving Iraqi civilians a real alternative to those who create and then flee from civil havoc. Terrorists don’t pick up the trash on the way back from blowing up the electrical stations."

Quote from www.michaelyon-online.com

If you've never had the chance to check out any of Mike's postings, you've missed some of the best inside information that you'll ever get about what's going on in Iraq. An ex-soldier, Michael Yon has been in and out of Iraq since the start of the war and he offers a unique perspective that you won't get anywhere else. Unvarnished and forthright, his primary focus is our men and women in uniform, and he does a great job.

On the other end of the spectrum are millions of Americans. Those of us who really pay attention to what's going on in the world sometimes make the fallacious assumption that just about everyone else is like us - and we couldn't be more wrong.

I was having breakfast with my Dad at Lloyd's of Lowville yesterday. For those of you not familiar with Lowville, New York, Lloyd's has been a Lowville landmark for over 70 years, and they've been feeding folks and keeping them regular all that time. The quintessential "greasy spoon", breakfast at Lloyd's is an experience that should not be missed.

As we sipped our coffee, my father mentioned that he had seen my letter to the editor that was posted in last weeks' Journal & Republican, which you can read by going to "Harry Reid - A Man for All Treasons" - my first posting on this blog. Although the Journal did not keep my title, they did publish the letter as written. My father happened to mention the letter to a fellow county employee, who's reply was: "Who's Harry Reid?".

At that point, incredulity under control, my father explained that Mr. Reid was the Senate Majority Leader, and then the conversation continued. As a member of the US Marine contingent aboard the U.S.S. Iowa during WWII, Dad apparently did not believe in ear plugs, and apparently had his right ear towards those 16" guns when they fired. This is quite evident, because he can hear next to nothing out of his right ear. After years of encouraging him to contact the Veteran's Administration, he finally did so and will be going to Syracuse in the next few weeks to see what benefits are available to him.

This was the topic to which the conversation had turned, and my Dad made the point that since all of the uproar concerning "Walter Reed", he'd probably get speedy action on his claim. At this point, his co-worker replied, "Walter Reed - is he Harry Reid's brother?"

You can't make this stuff up.

When a society no longer cares about it's offspring (800,000+ abortions every year), when it ignores time-tested traditions that provide the foundation for the civilization (Gov. Spitzer & his gay-marriage bill), when elements in that society fail to remember the basis upon which they were founded (Judeo-Christian principles), when it's citizenry pays no attention to the issues facing them, that civilization will soon begin, or has already begun, its decline.

I truly believe that if we abandon the people of Iraq, the decline of America will be a fait accompli, and the leadership of the free world, if it still exists, will fall on the shoulders of another people. We will no longer deserve that mantel, as we will have proven to the world that America can not be trusted to stay the course and defend freedom. We will pass from pariah of radical Islam to a nation of little consequence, subject to the unending assault against our society, until we crumble and pass into history as a great concept that could not, or would not, sustain itself.

If I've accomplished nothing else in this life, I have raised children who are politically aware. They have been taught that reading is not only essential - it's fun! They know that voting is not only a right, it's a duty that must be performed with the power of knowledge. They have been taught to question and not take as gospel everything I tell them (not that they needed that instruction), and they know that goes double for politicians and triple for the media. They have a healthy disregard for authority; a disregard not for the law, but for those who would corrupt the essence of law for their own agendas(Specifically, the ACLU, perhaps a greater threat to America than radical Islam - more on that on a later date).

If you're reading this, chances are you are not one of the great, unwashed blivets that make up the ignorant portion of our society - Congratulations! (Blivet - as I'm sure most of you know, is defined as something annoying, ridiculous or useless - I define it as 5 pounds of bulls*** in a 3 pound bag).

Keep up the good work, stay informed and make sure you pass it on to your children, unless you relish the idea of becoming a third-rate-has-been nation.