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FREE TO PROTEST
Citizens are free to protest; in France, in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovakia, Poland, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Iraq. Those citizens owe their freedom to Americas military might and the aid of our allies du jour. Without the sacrifice of Americans, our money and our lives, Europe would today be under a Hitlerine dictatorship. The Far East, including China, would be ruled by the Kingdom of Japan. Without the pressure and resolve of America during the Cold War, Russia would still be the oppressive USSR. Without America and her friends, Yugoslavian and Iraqi people would still be under the murderous thumb of evil tyrants.
When viewed over the long haul, America has given freedom to half the planet in the last 60 years. It seems to be a habit with us. We manage to elect leaders who can rise above politics long enough to do the greater good.
It is easy, in hindsight, to find flaws in FDRs complicity with Churchill, to express doubt over JFKs bravado during the Cuban Missile Crisis, to question Eisenhowers defense of South Korea in the face of a rabid Red China, to deride LBJs attempt to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam, to criticize Ronald Reagans arms buildup during the Cold War that broke the back of Russias war machine, to diminish the impact of George H. Bush saving Kuwait, to cheapen President Clintons motives for intervening in Yugoslavia, and to deliberately diminish the success our policies and soldiers have achieved in our first big retaliatory counter punch in the battle against radical Islamic terrorism.
America is a world power, not just because of its wealth and weapons, but because it will stand up and be counted when the chips are down. World-class bullies have been put on notice, since America grew into its pants, that humanity is watching. And these despots have had reason to be nervous; from Hitler to Tojo, from Khaddafy to Melosavich, from Saddam Hussein to Osama Bin Laden.
We do not, nor will we ever, I doubt, have the European Mentality of endless vacillation, fiddling while Rome burns. They are hamstrung by having too many cooks in the kitchen to be decisive. Democracy gave us a presidency that can react quickly. Our belief in God saddles us with the compassion and conscience to get involved. And our youth gives us the strength of a world champion who still has the muscle and heart to not back down from a righteous fight. We are what we are. We profess to believe that every man and woman has a right to be free and we put our money where our mouth is.
We are not the bad guys. Our record is a proud one. Remember that fact every time you hear of citizens protesting in Kosovo, Kabul, Krakow, Sarajevo, the Philippines, the Netherlands, in England, East Berlin, Baghdad and every other place on earth where we have won. It should come as no surprise that citizens are not free to protest in Ho Chi Minh City.
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