I am old enough so that I can remember a few old movies where people in New York City acted like the western part of the United States was still experiencing Indian attacks. There are smart and not so smart people in every single state in this country. Texas is a state the same as California. When do people get tired of believing in the same old stereotypes?
My father was there in World War II, and so was my uncle. My father was there in North Africa and on the Normandy beach. My uncle was there on an aircraft carrier in the Coral Sea. If I remember correctly some 400,000 Americans died in that war. Something like 50,000 in Korea. Almost 60,000 in Vietnam. I can't remember the figure for World War I. If you count the Confederate losses, something like 1,000,000 in the Civil War, in a country with something like a 30 million population.
Now, every death of an American soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, is a tragedy. But trying to compare Iraq with Vietnam is just plain silly.
I don't know what is going to happen in Iraq. There are certainly some evil people trying to make sure it does not become a democracy. What is happening right now cannot be called a civil war. At least not yet. We have to try to finish the job in Iraq. If that becomes impossible, then we leave. The plan currently calls for power to go to the new Iraqi government in June.
I do know one thing. Did you see the video of the three Japanese hostages with the disguised terrorists in the background, with their weapons? Did you see one terrorist threaten one of the Japanese with a knife held to the man's throat? I am certain of one thing. We are on the right side.
