Tuesday, October 10, 2006

It was suppose to be a quick conflict. That was the lie the short, stuttering man from Texas and his shady band of whacky compadres sold us, and sadly we bought it hook, line, and sinker. With all the WMD propaganda and by using the events of September 11, 2001 to their favor, the Bush Administration has driven us up the proverbial shit creek with the debacle in the Middle East.

Vice President Cheney once estimated that it would all be over in a matter of weeks. We now know that that is far from the truth. The truth is that this is going to be a long and drawn out conflict. We will be lucky to get out by the end of this decade. With the way the current war machine is looking at Iran, my seven year old may end up seeing action in the Middle East before we finally see peace again.

We were once told that this would not be another Vietnam, and now it looks as though it has the capabilities of becoming much worse. That is the very thing we were afraid of in the beginning. A lot of our younger generation will be sent overseas to die in the next few years. All politics aside, whether you are Republican or Democrat, nobody wants to see American soldiers continue to die in combat.

At this point, however, it is all irrelevant. We have gone much too far to turn back now. We will be there for at least five years, and if Iran’s borders are breached we can expect this country to be involved in conflict for the better part of our natural lives. We may never be able to sleep in an America that is not at war again.

History tells us that conflicts can last longer than the people who started them. Others will inevitably pick up the torch and help to fuel the fires of hate. There are people all around the world who will always hate America and will teach their children and children’s children to hate us as well. The repercussions of this thing go deeper and further into the future than any of us can fathom. We have witnessed the beginning of something that we will not live long enough to see the end of.

Wars have a way of repeating themselves. The jungles of Hanoi have been replaced with the streets of Baghdad. The only element missing is the draft. I believe that one more attack on American soil and that will not be a problem for Mr. Bush anymore. If that doesn’t happen, there is always a potential conflict in Iran that would constitute the need for more troops.

We’re headed down a long, dark road that doesn’t end and we have left our jumper cables at home. The bridge is out behind us and we have no choice but to continue on our ill fated path. A lot of people are going to die in the next few years. It will be displayed for all to see on live news reports and random internet websites. Get use to it, it’s not going away. We can only hope that our civilization makes it out intact.

Yes, it is that serious.

Shoutwire

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