The United States of America has a history of going to war to protect innocent people–to defend right, and to defeat wrong. The Revolutionary War earned our freedom from the tyranny of Great Britain. World War II freed innocent people who were being killed. And the Gulf War was fought to free Kuwait from Saddam Hussein’s power. Now we are in another war–the war against Iraq–fought to free the Iraqis once and for all, fought to protect our country and others from the weapons of mass destruction.
President George W. Bush closed his address to the nation tonight with these words: “May God bless our country and all who defend her.” These words represent why I support our president and our troops: I support President Bush because he trusts in God, and I support our troops because they are defending us.
I have great respect for President Bush–as a man, as a leader, and as a Christian. I am grateful for a president who stands up for what is right, who defends our country against danger, and who fights for freedom. No matter a person’s political persuasion, no matter their thoughts on whether or not we should have attacked first, as citizens of the United States of America, we should have only one choice: support our president wholeheartedly.
I don’t like war. No one does, least of all President Bush. Yet as philosopher John Stuart Mill once observed, “War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares about more than his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men.”
I am thankful for the men and women who think freedom is worth fighting a war for. It is because of soldiers like these that our nation began, and has continued, as a free country. And it is because of their sacrifices, their willingness to put their life on the line for my freedom, and that of my children and grandchildren someday, that I pray for and support our troops. These men and women are risking their lives for me, as well as for their own families–how could I not show them my complete gratitude?
Yes, my beloved country is at war once again. But I look forward to someday telling my children about how our president trusted God and disarmed our enemies. I will tell them how thankful I am for the soldiers who fought for our freedom. And most of all, I will teach them to pray that God will continue to guide and bless America and all who defend her.
Statesman Journal
Guest Opinion
March 22, 2003
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