"Think About This"

Yesterday, Alan Kirby of Delhi had a letter to the editor published in the County Shopper entitled “Think about this”. As a peace vigil participant, I’m pleased that our efforts inspired him to write such a remarkably spontaneous and meaningful letter. Mr. Kirby wrote:

“A couple of Saturdays ago, I was driving through Delhi and passed a small group of people on the square. They were demonstrating against the war in Iraq. Quite frankly I was moved by their effort. Moved to dismay because this group was much too small. I flashed my lights, hit the horn a couple times, gave them a big thumbs up, then went on my way. That’s what we do isn’t it? Just go on our way and let a few dedicated people voice our despair. Every day we’re losing young Americans, their lives cut short for what and why? Are we really guiding Iraq on a quest to democracy? Think about this, I mean really think about this.

When this great country made the move toward freedom from King George Rex, it was the unwavering will of the people that eventually prevailed to lay the ground work of this great country. We are a united people of different races, religious beliefs, and social status.

I’ve not seen any movement by the Iraqi people to bring about the fundamentals of democracy. Instead we have a group of entities who have for countless centuries acted with barbarous hostility and contempt towards each other. They are quite content to be ruled by despots and mullahs. For these people it is a normal state of affairs.

Ok, we disposed a despot, cruel he was, but not more cruel than those who came before. Now we have a loose group of individuals paying lip service to this government until the time is right. You will see in the future another fundamentalist Islamic state. You can rest assured this will come to pass. I’ve not seen any indications that the Iraqis have the will to move in any other direction.

Our new King George Rex is trying to impose a “democracy” from the top down. History has proven democracies evolve from the bottom up. In our case much of our encouragement towards freedom came from the local pulpit. What do the majority of Islamic clerics in that part of the world have to say about us?

Folks, we are there to secure government interests. Have we created stability in the area? No, we’ve created a very unstable area. Are we bringing the murderous bleeping coward Osama Bin Laden to justice? No quite to the contrary, he’s sitting on the Pakistani border laughing at our sheer stupidity.

Oil, Texas tea. We have a Texas oilman in office. What motives would this cowboy have to avenge a threat to his father and ensure the oil resources. He has none of the altruism of Gene Autry or Hopalong Cassidy. We have a dedicated servant to business at the expense of young American lives.

This cowboy made a pledge on 9/11 to get those who perpetrated this heinous crime, has he kept this pledge? No no no instead he has opened a ripe breeding ground for every Islamic terrorist to capitalize on. “Stay the course George”!

If I’ve insulted a president, I cannot and will not apologize. I am a disabled Vietnam veteran. I have a son-in-law serving as a Marine in Iraq. I love this young man and would trade places with him in a nono second if it would bring him home to my daughter and granddaughter.”