Opinion:

I've lost patience with my fellow citizens

As is sadly often the case, events are outpacing the time I have to write about them in a considered manner. I am also disappointed my the emotional reactions I'm seeing in the writings of many bloggers.

The two events that are causing my disappointment in how people are reacting are the revelation of the photos of the abuses of prisoners by US troops, and the video of the murder of a US citizen by Islamist extremists. I have one thing to say in response to all of those who are crying either "see, the US is no better than what we claim to be fighting" AND to those who are saying "Islam is a religion of violence and we need to wipe them all out." My statement:

Grow the FUCK up!

There is an incredible simple minded reaction on BOTH sides of the political spectrum that is making me positively ill. Consistently there is a blanket condemnation of an entire group, nation, religion for the actions of a few.

GROW THE FUCK UP!!

You know, it should be a surprise to NO ONE there were abuses being committed in the name of "interrogation" by our troops. We have been doing things to prisoners in US custody that if committed against our troops we would decry as abuse and violations of the laws of war, but since they are committed against our ostensible enemies in the name of getting information and therefore "saving lives", the simple minded are saying, "well, it's OK because our enemies do far worse." How the fuck do you think we have been getting our information? Do you honestly think that these psychos who have been attacking us have suddenly decided "Oh, I was wrong, here, let me tell you all."???? ARE YOU THAT NAIVE?

GROW THE FUCK UP!!!

We hold ourselves rightly to a higher standard than our enemies. If we do not, if we say that committing heinous acts is OK as long as it's not as heinous as the acts committed by our enemies then we are no better than our enemies. That is moral relativism of the most dangerous kind, moral relativism that led to many abuses of freedoms and even torture. A simple analogy here: adults are derided and lose respect for behaving immaturely, even if children behave far worse. There ARE absolute standards, as has been proclaimed by many, but some of those who have proclaimed that there are absolute standards are the first to abandon them and resort to moral relativism when something comes along that conflicts with their world-view of morally upright US soldiers saving the world from evil.

GROW THE FUCK UP!!!!

It's a mean, cold, hard, nasty world out there. I cannot believe that anyone was expecting a reaction to the photos of US troops abusing prisoners different than the publishing of a video of a murder, graphically showing the slitting of a throat and beheading of a US citizen. These are people, radicals, who are willing to send people who are their own supporters on suicide missions flying planes into buildings. These are people who are willing to explode bombs in areas where other followers if Islam are certain to be maimed and killed. This is not the first US citizen murdered by these psychos, and this isn't even the first beheading of a US citizen. What it is, however, is what we say we are fighting, so WHY are we saying "This is an outrage" rather than "This is what we expected"? Does the action of slitting the throat of a US citizen and bragging about it make it any more morally correct to annihilate every follower of Islam as some bloggers have advocated? NO!!!! Is this action any different than the hundreds and thousands of atrocities committed by these people? NO!!! Why are we doing anything other than what our heros, the characters played by Gary Cooper and John Wayne, would do, silently recognize that this is part of the territory, this is what we are fighting, and get on with fighting it without whining about it, without saying "I feel discouraged" when our troops are seen abusing prisoners and those we disagree with cry havoc, without saying "all of Islam should be destroyed" when we don't say "all troops should be killed" because of the actions of a few?

GROW THE FUCK UP!!!!!

This is real life, boys and girls...

For the vast majority of the human race for the entire time of existence of our race life has never been certain, it has been hard, brutal, and short. Those of us who have been blessed (yes, we are blessed) to have been born in the US have absolutely no conception of what most of humanity experiences every day. We can go to bed with a reasonable assurance that we will not awake to a boot knocking down our bedroom door and having a gun thrust in our face. We can walk about every day with a reasonable assurance that women will not be raped, men will not be drafted for labor, and children will not be kidnapped. We can wake up in the morning realizing that we will go through our day and feel no more hunger than a single missed meal.

GROW THE FUCK UP!!!!!

Most of the world? They do not have these blessings. We wonder why we are hated? We are hated because we have what they do not. We have the certainty that we can live out lives without a constant fear. We exacerbate the hatred by proclaiming our moral superiority and then proving that we have feet of clay just as the rest of the human race.

GROW THE FUCK UP!!!!!!

STOP YOUR FUCKING WHINING, WAKE UP, AND LOOK AT THE WORLD AROUND YOU!!!!

This constant whining from BOTH sides of the political spectrum disgusts me. Get on with the job of changing the world to suit ourselves, because THAT is the mission we have undertaken, and stop complaining when things don't always go our way. If you do not recognize your true enemy, you have no hope of victory.

Update: John of Argghhh! says "Wahabism Delenda Est" which I can agree with. "Islam Delenda Est" is not the battle we are fighting, although many are asking for that battle.