Warning: This may make your blood boil

I don't care what your political affiliation is, but today is a reminder of the sad condition of the world. As we all know, today marks 6 years since the September 11 attacks. What have we learned since then? We've learned that the mighty, invincible United States is just as vulnerable as any other country. We've learned that the more liberties & freedoms we claim, the greater our risk becomes of allowing terrorists to work their evil towards us. We have learned that people will gladly give up certain freedoms to secure a feeling of safety. We have learned what true heroes are. No longer are only great athletes held up in childhood aspirations. People are now willingly joining the armed forces and first response units. Children have returned to pretending to be firefighters or police officers or Marines or Army Rangers, not just Tiger Woods or Lebron James, or, dare I say it, Barry Bonds. We have seen a change in the way that our nation as a whole thinks. My children will grow up in a war/post-war era. Unfortunately, it will be more post-Vietnam rather than post WW2. It's ironic to see where this blessed country is headed. We faced enormous tragedy not seen since Pearl Harbor. We came together as one. We mourned the loss of thousands we did not know. Churches opened their doors to the community for prayer. We came together so beautifully that I thought we were going to rise to the level of patriotism seen in the early 40s. In those days, people gladly went to food rations. They switched jobs to make equipment to help us fight those Germans and Japanese. We were a country truly unified.

It appears now, though, that FDR had it right when he censored the newspapers, radio waves, and movies. I'm usually not one to approve of Democratic policy or allow the government to stick its big nose in my business, however, on this one thing, I'm not so sure. I don't want the government telling me what my kids can and can't learn at school. If you're going to teach evolution, you have to open the door to other possibilities. If you're going to allow footbaths to be installed at public universities to accommodate Muslim students, you have to allow the 10 Commandments to be posted or allow Christian students to pray to God. (Sorry. I'm off that box and back on my other one.) Anyway, I have seen previews for movies that FDR would have NEVER allowed to be produced in a time of combat. Now, before my 1st amendment advocates come crashing down my door, I'm as big of a fan of the 1st amend as the next guy (except I agree you can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater). (See my previous ramblings about big noses.) However, for the sake of the country, stuff like this needs to be kept in the vault until our involvement in the war is over. I think movie producers have the right to earn money and I think people have a right to not see a movie they don't support, however, I also believe in the good of the country. As Lincoln quoted from the Bible, "a country divided against itself cannot stand." What good is a movie doing that propagates the "big, bad United States" and the atrocities that our troops inflict on poor Arab women and families. We all understand that there are good people and bad people in every job under the sun. Why make a movie highlighting those few bad troops while our country is ripping apart at its very seams? It's bad enough that the 2 dominant political parties are polarizing the country, and then throw in there some questionable movies. Are we begging for another civil war? Unfortunately, this one won't be so nice and neat as the one a century and a half ago. There won't be a nice line dividing the nation. Have you seen a red states-blue states map recently? It's crazy. We're talking the messiness of the Middle East in our own backyards.

"What got you going on this tangent?" you ask. Well, it was the O'Reilly Factor from last night. On the eve of September 11, the far left loons at moveon.org posted this of General Petraeus. Once again, I refer to my comments about free speech. However, for the sake of the country, let's keep all betrayal talk for after the war. I'm not saying that you need to support the war, but I do ask that you at least support the troops. Could you imagine if this would have been printed under the Roosevelt era? He would have had the group disbanded and thrown in jail for treason. Whether you agree with his findings or think that he's just cooking the books, you have to give the man credit for standing over there in harms way doing what he was trained to do. If you think you have a better plan, feel free to go to the Middle East, to stand in the front lines with our other brave soldiers, dodge heavy assaults, get an adequate evaluation of the WHOLE situation (not just what the media reports!), and then come back to D.C. and give your solution to get the U.S. out of there, without causing more harm to us or the world.

Seriously folks, just shut up already and support the troops and their families. Save you anti-war comments for after the war is over.

P.S. if the picture at the very top of the post doesn't show up on your computer, click on the little box and it should open for you.