Wars wars and more wars

Has anyone noticed that since McCain lost the 2008 election, he's been a bitter old man who smiles and uses any possible opportunity to try to convince people what a mistake they made not choosing him and Palin. Figuratively he regularly stabs Obama in the back. Latest example is we should get involved in Syria by sending arms to... well there you go-- which side? Whoever is fighting the dictator except is there only one side doing that?

Should America get involved in more wars in the Middle East? Should we put ground troops or even our weaponry in the hands of anybody in Libya, Egypt, Syria or anywhere else over there? Can we afford to get into another situation that escalates into us having another ground war?

Here's one take on it: Take a deep breath America

We should have learned this lesson before but more powerful nations rarely do. They intervene with what they hope will be a side more friendly to theirs (or profitable) except wasn't that the argument in Afghanistan when we helped the Taliban against the Soviets. Although technically speaking, that was not a civil war but an invaded country. Still look at who we aided-- bin Laden.

So we see these terrible massacres in Syria, and they have been terrible. We read about the election and the argument going on in Egypt with two sides trying to claim power.  

We must do something. 

 Must we? 

That's the debate we should be having. Ours is a nation that claims it has a nearly crippling debt, cannot maintain its infrastructure or care for its weak, cannot even govern itself because of the disagreement between two warring (with words) sides, and yet our people are easily stirred into thinking they need to fight somewhere in the world to right wrongs and bring peace... and you know the spiel as well as I do by now.

Can we even afford to think of getting into the Syrian or Egyptian potential civil wars. Both have a potential to get very ugly fast and pull us into another land war. Good idea or bad?

Yes, it matters

Although I try to keep this blog from upsetting topics, I have to write about what I just heard tonight. I understand there are those who feel no death is ever justified, but I believe that of Osama bin Laden was, not just for the potential he had to kill again but because of for what he stands.

We in this country, and really anywhere around the world, should have the attitude that when someone acts like an animal, they are treated like one. Obama said he made getting Osama bin Laden a priority as I would imagine did Bush. We went where we had to go to finally get him and frankly territorial borders should not have stopped us and they did not.

Sometimes we, as caring human beings, have to do things we really don't want to do. When someone attacks us, when they kill people around the world, they are a threat to all human beings. You take out predators, ideally before they take out you.

Our military and our intelligence has once again proven their strength and value to us and yes to the world. It found him and then Obama took the kind of nuanced approach that I expect from him-- he ordered the action to take him out.

This action might cause some to attack us, might make it more dangerous to be Americans with a certain segment of the Arab population, but it was the right thing to do; and I am glad they didn't take him alive. This business of alive or dead isn't so great when it's someone like him. This is a man who had no respect for human life and he deserved none from us.

When I heard that the president had an announcement to make, I turned on the television to hear what it was. When I learned what it was going to be, I knew, as with 9/11, I would always remember where I was when I heard it.

Yes, to Americans, I think it does matter. It is the kind of thing that makes us proud to be Americans. I feel a sense of resolve that it is done now. I understand there are more out there, they may attack us, but this one, he won't order it again.

Obama took responsibility for the action and that meant for ordering someone's death, for putting others at risk. That's not a light thing to do, and he's a deep enough man to know that. I though take that responsibility alongside him as do most Americans, I think-- regardless of partisanship.

Yes, I am glad Obama authorized the action that let our amazing American forces take him out. Good for the men and women who had the capability to do that job. It is something for which I am glad as I would be glad when I killed a coyote going after my sheep.

And yes, I feel proud to be an American tonight and it's not with joy but with a sense of satisfaction that the job was done. John Wayne would have been proud!