Right On The Right

I attend a high school of between 400 and 450 students. Yes, it's small. Our high school journalism class, of which I'm not a member, puts out the yearbook and occassionally a school newspaper. The paper normally centers around new teachers, activities, and a few editorials about things people find annoying. To put it mildly, it's normally a quick read during lunch then a toss into the garbage can. I was somehow struck to hold on to my copy however when I read a biased anti-war editorial on the back. I'm willing to bet there's no Conservative answer to it coming out of the journalism staff any time soon.

DOWNLOAD THE EDITORIAL: IT'S TIME TO GET INVOLVED IN THE SOLUTION

So since I have no real way of answering this biased piece of garbage in school, I'm going to reply online, and distribute my reply through myspace and some other venues. Allow me to slam this piece by piece, and I'll slam the content, not the horrific grammatical and spelling errors.

However, there are two nation-changing events that should take precedence over everything mentioned. They would be the tragedy of September 11, 2001 and March 17, 2003, the day our President declared our occupation of Iraq.

I'll give Heather (the author) a point for using the phrase "our President." Most liberals won't do that. What you see here is the beginning of a common theme however. She doesn't use the phrase "war" or "operation," she uses the phrase "occupation." She sees us as occupiers, not liberators. We're not "occupying" Iraq. There was a case for war in Iraq. We're assisting a government in setting up a stable government and strong economy (something she mentions later.)

It isn't hard to see why these two events are so important to our nation. If our nation's business capitol would not have been destroyed, killing nearly 3,000 of our mothers, fathers and workers, our current administration would not have the support to send our troops overseas.

Now, at this point, it's pertinent to point out that Heather is a "truther." Truthers believe that 9/11 was an inside job, and that the Bush administration was responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Perhaps she should pick up a book, like THIS ONE by Popular Mechanics, which explains why certain buildings fell and explains the physics of the attacks. Because Heather is a truther, she chose to say "if 9/11 didn't happen, the administration wouldn't of had the support to send troops to Iraq." The phrase isn't exactly untrue, but her motivations are conspiratorial.

When Bush declared our occupation, the mission presented seemed easy. Restore sovereignty to the citizens of Iraq and create a democracy to give their country structure and a strong economic market.

I would prefer the word President in front of Bush, but I might just be nitpicking. Note again that she says he declared our occupation, not our liberation of Iraq or our operation in Iraq. Also, many Generals expected a more complicated mission which included helping the new government. We've exceeded in 2 out of 3 of goals so far, including the two she mentions.

It is now four years later and we are still occupying Iraq. We seem to be unable to combat the sectarian violence and there has been the emergence of new weapons, like I.E.D's. We are also unable to give their society a solid government and police force which is able to assure them safety without our intervention.

"Occupying." We are fighting sectarian violence in Baghdad, but Heather fails to mention that 90% of Iraq is safe. If you leave Baghdad and the Anbar province, you'll enter a safe and free Iraq. Surely much more free than when under the control of the tyrannical dictator Saddam Hussein. The government is solid everywhere, and the police force (along with the Iraqi Army) are working to maintain control. Check and check.

Also, the amount of death spewing out of this 'mission' is disturbing. As of March 28, 2007, 3,233 service men and women have lost their lives at the hands of the G.W.O.T (Global War on Terror), and thousands more have been injured or are suffering from ailments caused by their presence overseas.

She finally uses a word I like to describe Iraq, mission, but she has to offset it in quotations. Notice that she says that 3,233 men and women lost their lives at the hands of the Global War on Terror. Heather is diluting the argument and blaming President Bush for deaths, as opposed to saying that 3,233 men and women died fighting for freedom AGAINST TERRORISTS. She also says people are suffering from ailments caused by their presence overseas. Ailments come from war, and war is necessary. Wake up.

The Veterans Affairs office has been bombared by patients and requests for benefits, compensation, and rehabilitation forcing some 151,000 veterans of the Iraq conflict to be placed on a waiting list. For many, the progress made during their stay at the hospital has regressed.

Progress in the hospital has regressed for MANY? Where? Sources? Any evidence whatsoever to say that MANY people are going backwards because of their treatment?

This sad state of affairs has led me to join forces with the thousands who are displeased with our involvement in Iraq, the possibility of involvement in Iran, and the treatement of our service personnel at home and on location.

On March 17, 2007, I traveled to Washington D.C. to take part in my second anti-war rally. This was sponsored by the A.N.S.W.E.R coalition in partnership with ImpeachBush.org, and 911truth.org. When I arrived into the city I met up with nearly thirty-thousand individuals on the corner of Constitution Ave. and 23rd St. who were in attendance for the same reason. Booths were set up across the National Mall, where volunteers were distributing things like rally signs, flyers, stickers, buttons, and other informational papers. The march commenced at 12:30 P.M. and we marched from the Lincoln Memorial, across the Arlington Memorial Bridge, to the North parking lot of the Pentagon. There, the rally itself began.

I was in Washington D.C. on March 17, and I saw her rally. First off, she did not meet up with nearly thirty-thousand individuals. That was our side, The Gathering of Eagles. Her rally didn't take up nearly as much space as ours did, and they basically penned themselves off while the Eagles spread across the National Mall. Most of the information passed out at that rally was propaganda claiming we were planning on attacking Iran or "truther" documentation. The conspiracy loons were out in force.

To the left, you can see a picture of Heather in D.C.. She's carrying one of those wonderful "9/11 was an Inside Job" posters. She was joined by members of International A.N.S.W.E.R. which was founded by communists, and outright anarchists and socialists. Here was her side. Here was mine. They really didn't start their march at the Lincoln Memorial, because that site was surrounded by members of the Gathering.

The rally was the first time I've ever witnessed animosity from a police force patrolling an event. They deterred pedestrians from joining the rally, re-routed busses away from the parking lot which the A.N.S.W.E.R coalition obtained permits for, and in one instance, they used physical force to break up a group of youth activists.

The only incident that I read about, and the only incident I seem to be able to find, is when police broke up a group of Black Bloc Anarchists who chose to move cement police barricades. As for rerouting pedestrians and buses, they did it to our side also. We were prevented from gathering in an area next to the anti-war protest, despite the fact that we had permits. We listened to the police, because we knew it was for our own safety and to prevent conflict. I suppose Heather sees it from a different angle because the police are "government" and "government is the enemy."

The current shape of our nation is something un-recognizable from what the forefathers set out to create many years ago. They fought to create a society with a voice, a voice to choose who represented them, a voice to choose laws which would affect them, and a voice to live in a personally indepedent nation.

The American people spoke and re-elected President George W. Bush. The forefathers even knew the threats of the Islamofascism, and they combated the barbary pirates way back in the early 1800s. The American people spoke on March 17th and out-numbered Heather's little anti-war rally. To your right, you can see what happens when Americans speak, and choose to turn their backs on the "truthers" and on the socialists and the communists. People do speak, and Democracy DOES live.

I'm asking you - a student or staff member of Brookfield High School to become more aware of the current events happening around the world. There are many media outlets available to you to accomplish this. Newscasts, magazines, and even reading the headlines of your daily paper will help to keep you informed. Most importantly, - REGISTER TO VOTE! Casting your opinion is the most valuable right you have as an American citizen.

I believe that if people step up and fulfill the duties they have as Americans, the shape of things to come will have a much more optimistic outlook.

I can finally agree with Heather. You SHOULD vote, and you should get your opinion out there. I'm confident that if people were more involved, Heather would see her article backfiring, and more Americans voting to support victory as opposed to anti-war rhetoric. We're winning the war.