Lessons From Winston Churchill On The War On Terror

After all, my friends, only a few hours away by air there dwell a nation of nearly seventy millions of the most educated, industrious, scientific, disciplined people in the world, who are being taught from childhood to think of war as a glorious exercise and death in battle as the noblest fate for man.

This quote is from Winston Churchill in a speech he gave on November 16, 1934. In the face of insufferable pacifism led by Neville Chamberlain, Churchill stood his ground for what he knew to be right. Britain declared war on September 2, 1939, unprepared. Churchill stood his ground for five years, vastly unpopular.

Readers, although we do not fight the most educated, industrious, and scientific people, we do face the most dedicated, fanatic, and heartless people in the world. Prior to September 11, 2001, the United States practiced a policy of appeasement. After the first attack on the World Trade Center, then president Bill Clinton treated the incident as a law enforcement issue. This was a major failure to see the world as it was and is. The result, thousands of innocent lives lost.

Today I write in disappointment in my fellow Americans. I am disappointed to see so many fail to understand how the world works. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq is a war to rid the region of terrorists. Sure, I would love to hear of Osama’s demise, but Osama is no more than a symbol now. This war has no foreseeable end. There is no objective that can be met to declare victory. Victory is preventing terrorist attacks on our homeland. Victory is in knowing there is one less madman living in some godforsaken country planning the death of American civilians. Victory is in our continued freedom and safety from those who would strip it away in hate and intolerance.

I agree with Rush Limbaugh that around four to six percent of this country carry the rest of the country on their backs. Where am I going with this? My point is that doing the right thing, as your mommy and daddy have told you, is always the hardest path to take, and few do. Sending American soldiers to potentially die in Iraq and Afghanistan is hard, but it is the right thing to do. I am embarrassed at how so many Americans turned their support away from the war when it was convenient to do so. Sure, you have your reasons. I’ve heard about weapons of mass destruction, terrorist links, oil conspiracies, etc, etc. You don’t get it. Neville Chamberlin didn’t get it. Churchill stood virtually alone, and Britain paid the price.

I pray that our soon to be president Barrack Obama is wise enough to understand this reality. But, I fear he will withdrawal our forces as soon as possible and not pursue terrorists wherever they may be. Failure to understand the severity of the hate for the United Stated in the Middle East under Bill Clinton led to the disastrous event of September 11, 2001. It led to a nuclear North Korea and soon, Iran.

I appeal to all Americans to search your souls and detach yourself from the need to fit in. Taking the easy road, the road of appeasement is a historical failure, time and time again. I leave you with this final excerpt from Churchill’s speech, which to me, is our warning of impending disaster without action.

There is a nation which has abandoned all its liberties in order to augment its collective strength. There is a nation which, with all its strength and virtue, is in the grip of a group of ruthless men, preaching a gospel of intolerance and racial pride, unrestrained by law, by parliament, or by public opinion. In that country all pacifist speeches, all morbid war books are forbidden or suppressed, and their authors rigorously imprisoned. From their new table of commandments they have omitted "thou shall not kill."