Originally posted by Ann


Please read my original message as it was written. I say "The USA is masquerading etc.", not "The people of the USA is etc.".
This is a contradictory statement. The USA is a Republic. A Republic is a govenment that elects it representatives to represent them. If you refer to the govenment as being the masguerader then you ARE referring to the people since the people are the ones who elected those governing over us.

When America's government fails it is because the people failed to do their job in electing representatives with the general vision of our country in mind. It is called apathy when voter registration and turnout are at an all time low. It is called apathy when people do nothing until it is too late. In other words many Americans fail to understand the responsibilities that go hand in hand with having rights and freedoms. Let someone else worry about it is an easier attitude than actually doing something.

There has been blood shed and lives lost on our own soil trying to defend the price of freedom. I tell my son all the time, freedom is not free. It was bought with a very high price. Your Constitutional rights should mean something powerful enough within your being to prevent careless apathy. Something as simple as being informed and voting helps your voice to be heard. A small pet peeve of mine is to see Americans walking and talking during the playing of our National Anthem. How can we expect other countries to respect us when we don't always show respect from within our own borders for the smallest things such as standing at attention when our National Anthem is played?

People in general get weary when things do not go their way. We are not to be weary in doing good but to continue in what is right for the betterment of all man kind.

What if someone had done something sooner to stop Hitler when millions of Jews were being murdered. Why did so many Jews walk into the gas chambers without a fight? Why did the civilized world refuse to realize the attrocities that were occuring? Because it is easier to do nothing than to step up to the plate and actually do something. What would our world be like now if Hitler had not been stopped? Scarey thought!

If a battle with Iraq does happen, make no mistake, the price will be high on both sides. I speak as a mom with a son who is headed to the region as I write. Would I rather see my son home? You bet! But as an American he is the defender right now so that all Americans can continue to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a mother it is a hard thing to swallow. As an American I understand the need and sacrifice. If we go to war, I would like support for his efforts to perserve the way of life many take for granted. I do not want someone bashing him for defending our freedoms and treating him like he was wrong.

My opinion is Saddam is a danger. He kills those who do not agree with him in his own country. Facts are that he has used biological chemicals on the Kurdish people in Iraq. He has killed and performed senseless murders on people in his country that do not agree with him much like Hitler did to the Jews. Do I think Saddam would like to kill Americans if he could? Yes I do.

President Bush (I like to refer to him in his title to show respect) has a weight on his shoulders that no one else can fathom. He is faced with protecting Americans from harm. Harm such as the 911 attacks, harm from chemical warfare, harm from terrorism. Never before has the world been forced to deal with such terrible things. It is now possible to wipe out entire cities with the drop of a chemical. Believe what you may but it is a very heavy responsibility our President carries and one I do not think he is taking lightly even though some say he is. I know I would not want that weight on my shoulders!

In response to the Atom bomb being used in Japan. What about the attack on Pearl Harbor that started the conflict between Japan and the USA? Was that justified? In war you have to realize there are casualties on both sides. Yes, many lives were killed in a small instance. We have also taken the responsibility to help rebuild the area after war was over. Perhaps there are still to this day Japanese who feel the affects of the war and do not accept the help continued to be offered so many years after the war. It is personal for them and understandable. But the help is still offered for the good of the masses.

Did anyone try to rebuild the towers after the terrorist attacks? No! Why? Because there is a difference between an actual war and terroristic attacks! We are not being terrorists and just going in their and killing. We are giving them the opportunity to disarm the chemical weapons first. They know the consequences and so do we.

I am PROUD to be an AMERICAN! I make no apologies for it and will defend my country to my dying day so that all Americans can continue to live in a free world! Even with all the bad things associated with it, it is still the best way of life in the entire world or our borders would not be over flowing with immigrants trying to get in.