Certain groups want to destroy our country. They have told us and shown us. They fly planes into buildings, behead individuals and broadcast the killings, and blow themselves up in places that will kill as many as possible. They brainwash their youth to hate.
They believe we don’t have the will to stop them. They count on our unwillingness to take time away from our “pursuits of Happiness”, our willingness to see others being slaughtered but not act because it isn’t affecting us – yet, and our willingness to be intimidated. They count on our misguided sense of how a civilized nation should fight a war. The reality is a civilized nation does whatever is necessary to survive even if that involves actions the nation doesn’t embrace under peaceful circumstances. The British learned this when they thought the civilized way to fight a war was to wear red uniform coats and line up in rows when attacking.
200,000 Americans are fighting these groups abroad and here at home, but it’s not enough to defeat this threat. Their sacrifices and their family’s sacrifices are enormous. No country should ask only some of its citizens to fight a war for its existence. However, 300,000,000 Americans can defeat this threat. In a democracy of, by and for the people, each citizen must to do things to protect the nations “life” and “liberty” as the Declaration of Independence calls our “security” and our “freedom”.
“Out of sight, out of mind” won’t work anymore.. And appeasement only emboldens our enemies. It tells them Americans don’t have the will to fight – to give up their earthly comforts. Churchill’s description of appeasement is right on. “An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile in the hope of being the last one eaten.”
After 911, many of our leaders told us the best thing to do was to get back to normal. While we understand what they meant, the last thing we needed after 911 was to get back to our pursuit of happiness. Each of us needs to fight this war. If we don’t, get ready for a suicide bombing at your favorite mall, an IED exploding on a nearby freeway, your child’s school being blown up, or someone you know getting kidnapped and beheaded. Don’t worry about how this will impact your 401K because you won’t have anything to spend it on.
Here are 9 things each of us can do to help fight terrorism.
Save Gas and Energy There are a myriad of ways to save gasoline and oil many of which will also save you money. The Progress Reports website – www.progress.org/2005/energy44.htm – has many fuel savings tips which include keeping your vehicles as light as possible, keeping their tires properly inflated, and keeping them tuned.
Write a note or send a care package to troops Knowing Americans are thinking of them is so important and there are many organizations that make it so simple! Here are some of them.
• www.americasupportsyou.mil
•www.anysoldier.com
•www.operationgratitude.org
•www.soldiersangels.org
Divest yourself of stocks or mutual funds of companies that do business with states that support terror and don’t use their services or products.
Many state, public and private sector company pension portfolios contain stocks of organizations that do business with states that shelter or actively support terrorists. Contact the organization that manages your 401K and ask them to divest themselves of these stocks. The Divest Terror Initiative part of the Center for Security Policy has a “dirty dozen” list. http://www.divestterror.org/dirtydozen.html
Don’t hire individuals who are in this country illegally and don’t do businesses with companies that do.
How do you know? It’s simple, just ask. There are plenty of good, hard-working Americans and individuals who are in the country legally who need work.
Don’t buy the products or use the services of companies that do things that lessen our security.
This includes churches that harbor illegals, media outlets that report in a way that makes us less safe, financial institutions that allow illegals to open checking accounts and get credit cards, companies that hire illegals, companies that put profit ahead of integrity.
Email elected officials and tell them to do whatever is necessary to destroy the terrorist threat and secure our borders and that if they don’t this is their last term in office.
Unfortunately, most of our elected officials are driven more by power and getting re-elected than on doing what is good for the country. The good news is that we elect them so they usually listen when enough of us take the time to make our wishes known.
Boycott the products services from countries that harbor or support terrorists and which don’t respect our borders.
Often the only thing countries react to things that adversely affect their economy. Why vacation in a country that doesn’t support or help with the global war on terror.
Vote American, not Democratic or Republican
Be an American first and then a Democrat or Republican or whatever. Don’t vote for candidates simply because they are running under a certain banner. Vote for them because they have character, because they can lead, because they have a mind of their own and because they act in a way that will keep the country secure. If you are a single-issue voter, let that single issue be the security of this country. If we aren’t safe as a country, not much else will matter. Unfortunately, most elected individuals face enormous pressure to act and vote in lock-step with their party’s so-called “leaders”.
Notify the police when you see something suspicious.
Each of us is part of the nation’s law enforcement capability. We need to be the eyes and ears of the country and let law enforcement know of situations or individuals that seem suspicious.
(March 2007)