"The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit."--Proverbs 15:4 (NIV)
Irrational outbursts and commentary are prevalent these days. People lash out emotionally without thinking of the consequences of their words. No matter how passionate one feels about an issue, it is never an excuse to cross the line into the outrageous.
Outlandish remarks made by Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) around Memorial Day regarding a supposed incident of a group of US Marines killing innocents (Haditha), show the disregard that Murtha has for our fighting forces and their families. Memorial Day is supposed to be a time when our nation looks back on the many sacrifices of those in our armed forces, and instead, Murtha screams that US Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." While an investigation continues into whether this was true, Murtha took the opportunity to slam our troops instead of congratulating them on a job well done for their overall efforts to stabilize Iraq.
Murtha's comments only further isolate our troops in the world's eyes as "baby killers", or murderers. The aunt of a soldier who died in the roadside bombing in Haditha before the alleged killings took place said that Murtha's statements "come across as though they are facts at this point and it's a little bit unfair."
Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki reportedly called the alleged Haditha killings "a horrible crime," and said he's losing patience with news of killings in Iraq. This he said after recently vowing to crush terrorism in Iraq. Well if that's the case, I would like to see the Iraqi government significantly step up in leadership mode, and go after the real perpetrators and relieve the pressure off of US forces (and those of our allies) so that they can finally come home.
US troops and our allies have been more than accommodating through the hardships Iraqis have had to endure. At times, when our troops feel they are threatened, they have no choice but to respond with force. We do not know what happened after the roadside bombing in Haditha last November, if troops intentionally killed innocent Iraqis, or if they were engaging in a firefight afterward that resulted in the deaths of Iraqis. But let us allow all the facts to be presented before making rash comments about our troops.
Spewing venom at President Bush
The anti-war crowd and Bush-haters have been in overdrive to discredit President Bush as many of us are aware. I have been critical of he President's many decisions lately, but I would NEVER indicate that he should be removed from this earth.
At a graduation ceremony at Queen's college in New York City, New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi described Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) as one who would "put a bullet between the president's eyes if he could get away with it."
That horrible comment was said in front of a graduating class of whom was looking to hear seeds of wisdom from their leaders. But the damage was done even as Hevesi apologized for the stupid remark.
For making such a reckless comment, Hevesi should have resigned or some similar penalty should have been issued. To mention in the same sentence "bullet" and "President" is unfathomable and downright vile!
There are many who are causing harm by the words of their mouth and the regret and fallout from those words could have been prevented in the first place. That's why I refuse to join the forces of the anti-war left, and I will continue to stand by the troops and their job in Iraq. I supported regime change in Iraq, but I believe that it's time to come up with a plan to finish the job so our troops will come home.
No matter what happens, we have the best fighting force in the world, and the most compassionate. President Bush is courageous in his fight to eliminate terror, and I will continue to support him in that area. He is still the President and deserves respect for the office he holds.
Let's be wise in how we present our views, we can do more damage than we realize with our tongue.
Related Reading:
Slain Marine's Kin Blasts John Murtha:
http://newsmax.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?s=pf&page=http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/6/1/182839.shtml
Iraq's PM Vows to Use 'Maximum Force' to End Terrorism:
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-05-21-voa4.cfm
NY Dem: Put 'Bullet Between Bush's Eyes':
http://newsmax.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?s=pf&page=http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/6/1/175047.shtml?s=ic
*Felicia (Fee) Benamon is a political columnist who writes for various conservative sites including RenewAmerica.us, Daley-Times Post, TheRealityCheck.org, Capitolhillcoffeehouse.com, TheConservativeVoice.com, Mensnewsdaily.com, and many more. Felicia is currently branching out, and hopes to do more freelance writing, and eventually carry a column in her local newspaper. She hails from a military background, and has been politically active since the 2000 elections. Felicia is also an occasional guest speaker on KYAL2K, conservative talk radio (www.k-talk.com), Salt Lake City, UT.
You may email Felicia: Feereports@aol.com
