Interesting Letter

Andrew Sullivan posted a letter from a chaplain working in the Fallujah area:

B) Saddam could not and did not control Faluja. He bought off those he could, killed those he couldn't and played all leaders against one another. It was and is a 'difficult' town. Nothing new about that. What is new is that outside people have come in to stir up unrest. How many are there is classified, but let me tell you this: there are more people in the northeast Minneapolis gangs than there are causing havoc in Faluja. Surprised?

Actually, I am surprised.

I grew up in Northeast Minneapolis, I didn't know that there are organized gangs operating there. In fact I now routinely deliver pizzas to areas of Minneapolis that are far worse than "Nordeast".

So why are our guys getting shot at in Iraq?

1) This country became a welfare state under Saddam. If you cared about your well-fare, you towed the line or died. The state did your thinking and your bidding. Want a job? Pledge allegiance to the Ba’ath party. Want an apartment, a car, etc? Show loyalty. Electricity, water, sewage, etc. was paid by the state. Go with the flow: life is good. Don't and you're dead. Now, what does that do to initiative? drive? industry?

So, we come along and lock up sugar daddy and give these people the toughest challenge in the world, FREEDOM. You want a job? Earn it! A house? Buy it or build it! Security? Build a police force, army and militia and give it to yourself. Risk your lives and earn freedom. The good news is that millions of Iraqis are doing just that, and some pay with their lives. But many, many are struggling with freedom (just like East Germans, Russians, Czechs, etc.) and they want a sugar daddy, the U.S.A., to do it all. We refuse. We don't want to be plantation owners. We make it clear we are here to help, not own or stay. They get mad about that, sometimes.

It no surprise to hear that some of the adherents of the "sugar daddy" party are talking about staging an armed uprising if Comrade Kerry doesn't win or otherwise obtain victory in the next election.

Bring it on. I have over 4000 rounds of NATO (mostly British) surplus .308 that are waiting to be put to good use.

And just to put some things in perspective:

Hey, America, don't go weak kneed on us: 585 dead American's made an investment here. That's a whole lot less than were killed on American highways last month. Their lives are honored when we stay the course and do the job we came to do; namely, set the conditions for a new government and empower these people to be the great nation they are capable of being.

Whether we win or lose in this struggle depends on the folks at home. If we don't allow our guys to win in Iraq then we will be shooting it out Islamic terror gangs here at home.

Defeat in Iraq is not an option.