Sunday, November 19, 2006

Honor



I’m confounded by the thought process of “cut and run” that seems to have taken the prevailing mindset of our national leadership today. The democratic majority have espoused the idea of withdrawing our troops from Iraq, citing the loss of lives we suffer there as one of the main reasons for leaving. Do they EXPECT to conduct military operations without loss of lives? Do they not realize that the loss of lives in Iraq is lower than any other sustained, large scale operations we have conducted since the inception of our military? Or are there other reasons behind this mindset?


I have to admit, when this first started in Iraq, I was skeptical. Not because I wasn’t behind our troops and the mission, but because we didn’t have a “clear cut exit strategy” in place for ending the operation. But, being the student of history that I am, I referred back to the World Wars to look for “exit strategies.” I can’t say that I was truly surprised not to find anything concrete in place for one. I came to the conclusion, in my research, that there is a reason for this, that being that one side cannot truly and fully predict the actions and reactions of an opposing force, and military leadership has to have the flexibility and capability of adapting strategies in the face of an enemy that is constantly adapting and changing their own strategies.

It was also pointed out to me, in my research, that the Second World War ended in 1945, but we STILL TODAY have bases in both Germany and Japan. Do the cut and run democrats propose that we withdraw our troops from these strategic locations as well (actually, a great many of them would love nothing more than for that to happen, but that is a discussion for another time)? Does it matter that we, as a nation, as a government, as a people, gave our word that we would find those responsible for 9/11 and take them to task for their actions? Where is the honor found in a cut and run policy?

Our nation has, since the inception of the modern day Jewish State, been committed to the defense of and the alliance with the nation of Israel. Is there honor in abandoning the Middle East as rogue nations such as Syria, Lebanon, and Iran maintain that their purpose is to rid the world of the nation of Israel?

Our country, our nation, a nation comprised of peoples from literally every other nation on the face of the planet, is being bested by a number of our parent nations, who have declared that they will continue to offer their support and defense of the work that has been done to date in the Middle East in the years since 9/11. We have forgotten so much of the heritage that our ancestors brought with them from these countries, the concept of honor being one of them. Our military understands honor; the members of our armed forces stand ready and willing to continue the fight for as long as necessary that freedom might be the law of the land for people other than those just on our own shores. They stand ready to fight an enemy willing and committed to our total and complete annihilation. Honor dictates that we support those willing to defend us as a people, and yet the mindset of cut and run has so heavily infected our thought processes that we have no concept of the lack of honor that we are showing not only to our troops, but to the world.

The message we send is “when the going gets tough, the Americans will cut and run.”

Men and women of honor, stand up, stand tall, and proclaim loudly in a unified voice, “we are a nation of honor and commitment, and we will stay the course and defend that which is right and just, and defeat that which is vile and evil.”

If the silent majority remains silent, cut and run will not be an option; the enemy will bring the fight to us, rather than us taking it to them. When this happens, there will BE no place to which we can cut and run.

Stand ye warned, America, reclaim the path of Honor and Valor that we once walked, or we invite with open arms our own destruction.

Once and always, an American Fighting Man…

Hawk Coeur de Lion

From Merriam-Websters Online.

Main Entry: hon·or
Pronunciation: 'ä-n&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French onur, honur, from Latin honos, honor
1 a : good name or public esteem : REPUTATION b : a showing of usually merited respect : RECOGNITION honor to our founder
2 : PRIVILEGE honor of joining the captain for dinner
3 : a person of superior standing -- now used especially as a title for a holder of high office Honor please
4 : one whose worth brings respect or fame : CREDIT honor to the profession
5 : the center point of the upper half of an armorial escutcheon
6 : an evidence or symbol of distinction: as a : an exalted title or rank b (1) : BADGE, DECORATION (2) : a ceremonial rite or observance honors c : an award in a contest or field of competition d archaic : a gesture of deference : BOW e plural (1) : an academic distinction conferred on a superior student (2) : a course of study for superior students supplementing or replacing a regular course
7 : CHASTITY, PURITY honor and her life -- Barton Black
8 a : a keen sense of ethical conduct : INTEGRITY honor b : one's word given as a guarantee of performance honor, I will be there
9 plural : social courtesies or civilities extended by a host honors
10 a (1) : an ace, king, queen, jack, or ten especially of the trump suit in bridge (2) : the scoring value of honors held in bridge -- usually used in plural b : the privilege of playing first from the tee in golf
synonyms HOMAGE, REVERENCE, DEFERENCE mean respect and esteem shown to another. HONOR may apply to the recognition of one's right to great respect or to any expression of such recognition honor. HOMAGE adds the implication of accompanying praise homage to Shakespeare. REVERENCE implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion, or awe reverence for my father. DEFERENCE implies a yielding or submitting to another's judgment or preference out of respect or reverence deference to their elders synonym see in addition HONESTY

Main Entry: val·or
Pronunciation: 'va-l&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English valour worth, worthiness, bravery, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin valor, from Latin valEre to be of worth, be strong -- more at WIELD
: strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness : personal bravery

Quick item of interest: Syria and the Democrats seem to be on the same page. Syria sponsors terrorism...what does that say about the cut and run party? Just an observation here.-----

[UPDATE] Then you have a man with NO honor that once again, in a political stunt wishes to send a bill to the floor, reinstating the draft. Yep, you got it... Charlie Rangel.

[UPDATE #2]- Knowing the nature of our enemy means we will need to at least consider this, because if we do not handle Iran, Isreal will.

Others Discussing this:
Reuters.
AP.
Blue Crab Boulevard.
Rottweiler.
WizBang.
Keep track of these discussions here.


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Linkfest Haven.
Woman Honor Thyself.
Conservative Cat.
The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns.
123 Beta.

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Democrats and "Vietnam Issues" from Mensa Barbie Welcomes You...