Provocations

By pbobby

It used to be the consensus that war was the most hellish activity in which humankind could participate. Countries and consortiums have for centuries conducted wars both covertly and declared. The purposes have been many, including ethnic cleansing, territorial control, control of natural resources and for the liberation of people from tyranny. Many have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and the mangling of many more people than those killed.

War is so horrific that most of the surviving participants are reluctant to even talk about their experiences. I imagine these survivors have had more than enough flashbacks of their most painful and traumatic experiences.

Each re-calling of such horrible events can trigger a 3D re-living of extreme pain, sickening sights, stenches, sounds, and panicked feelings. Each re-calling is the same as being there again and again when it seemed to be more than the psyche could endure at the time it originally occurred. So most battlefield soldiers don't go there very often.

The United States is in a war for its life. Many more soldiers will be killed than anyone suspected when we chose to take Saddam Hussein down. For about a week now we have thrown tons of bombs on the Iraqi's, and we have sent our men into the dessert to do battle head to head with the enemy. They were supposed to surrender from the Shock and Awe poundings, but they have refused to capitulate. Instead they have employed tactics of treacherous butchery on our captured men and women and their own people who have in many instances attempted to surrender to troops that looked like Americans, British and other coalition forces, only to be shot on the spot by their own army. They have even blown up markets full of their own people claiming that the coalition forces inflicted this dastardly mass murder with its bombs or missiles.

Our form of freedom is terribly lacking when it comes to war. Twelve years ago a Muslim volunteered to become an American soldier. He waited and waited until he could find the best opportunity to kill Americans. Into one of our command posts, he rolled four hand grenades killing two high command officers, seriously wounding about a dozen more, some of which may also die. Did he just snap at the idea of killing other Muslim's? Or was this his deceitful plan from the get-go to surreptitiously attack us from inside?

We generally follow the Geneva Convention Rules of War. Thus far it seems that the Iraqi's Military has no intention of abiding by the rules of engagement. Deceit and trickery are their equalizers for our superior weapons. These two weapons are maximized when the people will fight us to keep their own army from killing them. To pagan heartless in-humanitarians these elements make them all the more malicious. We will be fighting rag-tag savage guerillas for years to come.

Some Americans will capitulate to the attritions of this kind of war. But we have no choice but to fight now and evermore, if necessary, for our survival throughout the remaining days of our terroristic environment. The oceans can no longer protect us from the enemies already within our land and the hordes yet to come. Pre-emptive actions are now a necessity.

Our enemies now see us with everything to lose while they feel they have nothing to lose. And make no mistake, an enemy that has no respect for human life (even their own) will be America's most formidable foe in the history of our existence. We must unite to keep most of our freedoms and a sense of security. The War without end has come to our land and way of life.

We cannot win without strong uncompromising determination and an unwavering resolute life of spirituality. Some of us will have physical losses, but our spirits of love will never die. That's why we can have peace in our hearts in the midst of this vitriolic time.

A friend of mine told me that if the war ends in a few months, the Extremist Muslim Movement would lose much of its power, leading to more peaceful times in the future. I'm not sure that the history of the Middle East with its numerous factions and continuing wars generation after generation gives pbobby any real hope for such a period of peace. Too many cultures and too many fiercely exclusive religious groups hate each other for this to happen.

Fear not, for the Creator will be with us through all that we may face. Without this perspective we will find that terror and fear are more hellish than war.