One of my earliest memories in school is learning the Pledge of Allegience.
The first song I learned in school was the Star Spangled Banner.
I currently serve my country in the U.S. Air Force.
I have earned the right to give my opinion, and be heard.
Funny thing is that one need not serve in the Armed Forces to be heard - it
is the Right of ALL American Citizens to voice their opinion.
It is no small thing, being an American Patriot. Citizenship here is a tough
thing, we have rights here that no where else in the world exist. People
have the right to stand up and yell out at the top of thier lungs to a crowd
of people that which you would spend a lifetime oppossing. We have the right
to defend ourselves, to bear arms, the right to protect us from unlawful
search and seizure, the right to confront our accussers, the right to a fair
and speedy trial before our peers.......
We have the right to exist with respect.
The actions on Sept 11, 2001 were an attack on those rights. They were an
attack on the very foundation of our country. It was as if to say, "we do
not respect your right to exist." As an American citizen, I am under threat
of death by those Muslim extreme groups who are being told that it is the
duty of all Muslims to kill Americans. By why right do these people have to
make this declaration? The words of The Koran do not say that we Americans
are evil - this is simply an interpretation of the facts to suit these
extremists' desires. I grieve for everyone that has not the freedoms that I
was born with. I feel badly that there are places in the world where freedom
is a dream and not a reality. I will not, however, be afraid. I will not
succumb to the will of cowards.
America over the years has always tried to broker PEACE. When two or more
groups oppose each other, in order to settle the disagreement, compromise is
always necessary. It's a give and take scenario. If the reasons behind these
acts are the policies of the U.S. towards the Middle East, if it is due to
the U.S. support of the state of Israel, then I can understand the anger,
but not the method of retribution. Do those that planned these acts actually
believe that this would cause a shift in U.S. policy? If they are smart
enough to plan and execute the deliberate destruction of the WTC and the
Pentagon, how can they be so stupid as to think this would cause the PEOPLE
of the U.S. to demand that we pull back from the Middle East, and allow
everyone there to kill each other? Has not the history of the U.S. taught
them anything?
We are a people that are slow to anger, but once aroused, woe be it to those
who have caused us pain and suffering. We move now to quickly and accurately
identify those that planned these events, and our actions thereafter will be
swift and just. Know this, and let those that hide from us now understand
that this is your only warning....
You can run.
You cannot hide.
We will find you.
We will put you on trial before the entire world.
We will have Justice.
I personally would prefer that we take those who are responsible, execute
them by slowly stripping the flesh from their bodies, and then placing thier
heads on pikes on the steps of the Supreme Court. That, however, is "cruel
and unusual punishment" - something our Constitution prevents, so I will
have to be satisfied with a simple execution.
We will not be satisifed until these people who have committed these "Crimes
against Humanity" pay for their actions.
To those Americans who believe that we should not take dramatic and decisive
action, that we should not empower our military to take retribution, you
have the right to your opinion, however, know that it is my belief that you
hold cheap your citizenship, that it is my opinion that you care more about
your own life than the freedom that our country provides hundreds of
millions of people over 2 millenium and more.
God Bless us all, and God Bless America
"Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit, because gratitude is
a burden and revenge a pleasure."
Tacitus, c. A.D. 55-120
Mark Smith,TSgt USAF
Osan AB, Korea
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:02:47 EDT