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I keep hearing and seeing on the news about the hordes of Minnesotans and people all over America who spend their spare time protesting a potential war on Iraq.
I keep hearing people blast President George W. Bush for his pushing for an attack on Iraqi interests.
I keep seeing famous people from New York and Hollywood taking the anti-war position.
And Iím really tired of it.
Iím really tired of people abusing their freedom of speech by degrading U.S. soldiers.
Iím really tired of people taking advantage of that freedom without even realizing where it came from; and how hypocritical they really are being.
The only reason people in America can protest a war without much fear of retaliation from anyone is because of what our military fought for.
The only reason I can write this editorial is because I have the freedom of speech and of the press.
These basic freedoms were born out of war. Our country was birthed from the blood of generations long dead ñ and some not so far past.
We do live in the greatest country in the world, but that greatness was developed from years of conflict ñ both within and outside our borders.
Protesters, including many celebrities, stand up and say they donít want to see Americaís ìchildrenî killed in battle.
Unfortunately, that argument doesnít make much sense to me.
In any given context, a person of 18 is considered an adult. Of course, they are someoneís child, but they are no longer looked at as children.
Those who have volunteered to put their lives on the line to protect Americaís interests did so of their own free will.
The soldiers enlisted now in the largest volunteer army in the world did so because the vast majority of them really believe in the concepts, the promises and the intentions of the ideals represented in the American flag.
No one really wants to go to war, but if it becomes necessary, I am thankful that we live in America and not some other country that supports empowering a tyrant who kills and oppresses his own people.
Many protesters I have heard do not see the connection between Iraq and Osama bin Laden.
However, if Iraq is funding terrorist activity, as has been reported, I think they are just as much a target in the War on Terrorism as bin Laden and his henchmen.
These past few weeks, President Bush has seen his most staunch critics rise up to lash out at his efforts for United Nations support of military attacks against a non-compliant Iraq.
Watching the news and live press conferences of the President and Britainís Prime Minister Tony Blair, I fully support their efforts to get the world on board for strikes against Iraq.
Blair may have said it best when he said over the weekend that perpetual talk will simply lead Saddam and other tyrannical world leaders to believe the U.S., Britain and the U.N. will stand idly by as they terrorize their citizens and the citizens of the world.
If we do not stand up for our ultimatum, the war still will come, but America just may be the killing fields.
I donít want to see a repeat of Sept. 11, but I am afraid if America and the rest of the world donít stand up now and follow through on the promise to do all we can to stop terrorism, all we can expect is more attacks here and abroad.

Barbara Brown

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