We're Hated

21 April 2004

I saw in a news article yesterday that Egyptian President Mubarak was talking to the French. First, ain't that a combination. But more important was what he said. He said that we are hated in the mideast ( golly gee whillikers!) and that the hatred was growing due to the war in Iraq and our continuing support of Israel.

At first, I was a bit annoyed, but I'm now rather pleased.

We've known we were hated, but now it's worse. It's grown since we took out Saddam.

Saddam was such a pinnacle of virtue. Systematic rape, torture, and murder. Mass graves. He invaded his islamic neighbor to the east, thus launching a war that cost over a million lives. He used poison gas in that war. Later he invaded another islamic neighbor, this time to the south. He threatened to invade another southern islamic nation. That was only averted because that nation asked us for help. Not long after he again used poison gas, but this time to kill thousands who desired freedom from his tyranny.

There must be a simple, one word description of such a man and regime. Let's ponder a moment. Could it be, oh.......

Evil?

And they're pissed because we took him out.

They're also angry because we won't roll over while they destroy Israel.

In the Holocaust eleven million were murdered. Six million of them were jews. Today there are about forty million Israelis.

Our enemies want to wipe out a mere forty million people.

Evil.

Ethnic cleansing is too sterile a word. It sounds like you want to dust a bookcase. "Dear, we've got to do the ethnic cleansing before your mother arrives." Genocide is also too timid. "To get rid of streaks, use Fred's Window Cleaner, now stronger with Genocide."

What they want to do is murder, with premeditation, forty million souls. To give you a taste of what I'm talking about, please write the word murder forty million times. Each time you write the word, put a unique face on a person. Give them hopes, dreams, and families. Then imagine that person's charred, bullet riddled corpse. Forty million times. Call me when you're done.

They want to perpetrate the holocaust all over again, just four times worse.

Evil.

Our enemies hate us because we stand up to evil. I have a black hat in my truck. But I may have to go buy a white one. If we stand up to evil, I think that makes us the good guys. So I'm rather pleased.

And our enemies support evil. Wouldn't that make them the bad guys?

Okay, so here we have it. We're the good guys. Our enemies are the evil bad guys. Clear cut.

But what about our own people who want us to back down, or those around the world who protest so vigorously anytime America acts? There I'm not so clear cut. Are they misguided or evil too? Their behavior confuses poor old me.

They don't like war. Ok, neither do I. Nor any sane person. But war is the chosen recourse of our enemy. Murder, kidnapping, bombs. They didn't ask to negotiate or send a strongly worded letter.

But where were the anti-war activists when Iraq invaded Iran? Or Kuwait? Or when Saddam was gassing the Kurds? Were there thousands marching in Paris and Prague to denounce the bombing of Khobar? Or the Marine barracks in Beiruit?

Apparently, they dislike war only when America stands firm. For anyone else it's OK. Maybe I'm too simple, but those people's actions seem more anti-American then anti-war. Seriously, look at their actions. Their level of hatred for the president is frightful. Where is that level of emotion against Osama or the terrorists who murdered three thousand of our neighbors and friends? When civilian contractors in Iraq are murdered and their bodies set on fire and dragged through the streets, they are silent. But mention, shh ,(Florida) just one time and watch the reaction.

In case you are one of those, you must make a decision. Sixty years ago we did nothing. Europe did nothing. All while a tremendous threat gathered. It cost eleven million just in the holocaust. That doesn't count the Chinese, Koreans, Russians, and countless others who were murdered. Or the millions who died to stop the evil.

Today doing nothing will cost far more. Will you just sit idly by singing Peter, Paul and Mary while millions die? Do you care so little for your fellow man?

And if you choose this course, is it because you are anti-war? Or anti American. Or just evil?

Until later,

Dr. Peter Grout