“We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.”
--Abigail Adams--
“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.”
--John Locke--
“Words without actions are the assassins of idealism.”
--Herbert Hoover--
You ask me why I do not write something....I think one's feelings waste themselves in words, they ought all to be distilled into actions and into actions which bring results.
--Florence Nightingale--
Mr. President, Members of Congress; can I let you all in on a little secret? The men and women of the armed forces are not pawns to be used in a political chess match. Both the President and members of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives claim to admire and support the troops. Well, now is the time to prove it. They must end the funding standoff before it results in a shortage of resources for the troops in Iraq.
I did not agree with going into Iraq. I thought it would jeopardize what the country was doing in Afghanistan and it would mean that too many young men and women would unnecessarily sacrifice their lives. But that is not the issue. There will be time in November of 2008 to hold those who would treat the men and women of our armed forces as cannon fodder to be used to progress their partisan power plays. Now is the time to protect the troops. If the proper funding is not procured for the troops then it will be them that will suffer. It will not be the President. It will not be members of Congress. It will be the average brother or sister that suffers. That is not right.
For the record I also feel that most of the blame falls squarely on the door steps of the White House. The President is directly responsible for putting our troops in "harms way" in Iraq. Our Commander-in-Chief should never have sent our troops into a war where there were no weapons of mass destruction, where they were not greeted as liberators, and where there was the foreseeable possibility of them being in the middle of a civil war. But that is not the issue right now. The health, safety, and welfare of the troops are the issue. Now is not the time to point fingers; instead it is the time to come of with solutions.
I had the honor of putting on a military uniform so when it comes to supporting the men and women in the armed forces I am a bit biased. I was a member of the United States Army in 1991 and 1994-1995. My Army service was cut short by medical complications during my training.
I mention this because it is not my intent to mislead anyone into believing that I am a veteran, war hero or expert on military matters. I am not. I am just someone that had opportunity to serve with the regular brother or sister that does the sacrificing for the country. While I have never seen wartime action I have seen the challenges that servicemen and women face when they return to civilian life regardless of whether they served during wartime. Most people do not join the military to be a hero. They usually join for many other reasons, the least of which is to serve their country as well as take advantage of opportunities to advance their careers or better their economic situation. That is not much to ask considering the risks they take.
I am appalled at how the troops are being treated as pawns in the partisan political tug-of-war between the Congress and the President of the United States. Contrary to popular belief by politicians the men and women of the armed forces are not political props, property, or puppets to be dangled in front of the country at their pleasure and convenience.
A person can not claim something with his or her lips but act contrary to what they claim and still expect people to believe what they say. Actions speak much louder than words. I am tired of hearing politicians give meaningless speeches and tributes but during critical times shrink away from making the tough decisions when it comes to the welfare of the men and women in the armed service. Now is another one of those critical times.
It is time for the Congress and the President to finally step out on faith and away from meaningless speeches and platitudes. It is time that the Congress and the President put their actions where their mouths have been. It is time that one of them blinks.
That is correct. It is time that one of them backed down. They should do it to make sure that the troops do not end up paying for the mistakes of their Commander-in-Chief. What I am asking is no easy task for a politician, but it is a no-brainer for a public official that respected and supported the troops. A public official that respected and supported the troops would be ready, willing, and able to put their support into action by risking suffering a political defeat in order to protect the well being of the troops. A public official that actually respected and supported the troops would be willing to risk their political career for the troops, because they would understand that is a minor risk when compared to what the troops are risking since they are in “harms way” in Iraq.
Mr. President, members of Congress; the time for words has passed. The time for action is upon you. Do not play chicken with the lives of the men and women in our armed forces in Iraq. Get the proper funding and decide how and when the troops will be either redeployed or returned home. That is the honorable thing to do.
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