March 17, 1999....
"Kosovo, Iraq and our fading
military"
Just a quick question... WHAT THE HELL are we doing in Kosovo? I
know what the given answers are. 'We're fighting for human rights'; 'the United States is
the backbone of NATO and the United Nations'; so on and so forth. I hear these arguments
all the time. Maybe it's the imperialism of youth, or maybe it's just common sense, but I
am thoroughly opposed to the entire Kosovo Conflict, which is sure to escalate to a war
should we continue our attacks.
But why, you may ask, would I be against what we're doing. Some would
believe I'm blatantly sadistic to oppose any action in the war ridden Kosovo. But I also
opposed further strikes against Iraq. Let me explain my position this way:
Firstly, it would be a severe understatement to say that our military
is in a piss poor condition. Most of the ships in our Naval Fleet are undermanned, people
are being promoted at an exponential rate while the experienced commanders of our Armed
Forces are seeking higher paying jobs in the private sector. And rightfully so. Over the
past few years, the military has been swept to all corners of the Earth, acting as
policemen and good Samaritans. So, it's not too terribly difficult to see how military men
and women become disgruntled with the system and choose to not re-enlist. And, as with all
things, lack of experience can prove embarrassing, if not fatal for the Armed Forces.
Secondly, in this country, there are people dying horrible
deaths. Street violence, gang war, and the like. Thousands in this country are homeless,
even more are unsure of where their next meal is going to be, and are lucky to have any
kind of shelter whatsoever. Yet, as a country, the politicrits believe that everyone in
this country supports policing the world. And this is untrue. I know of several people who
believe the same as me about this. We have no business in the scheme of things in Kosovo,
and now-a-days we don't have a great deal of reasoning for being in Iraq.
Third, the entire Iraq situation can be summed up like this: had we
done the job right in the first place, we wouldn't be going through this now, and if it
wasn't for the fact that we are so economically dependant on OPEC and the middle east,
would we have even ventured into a conflict with Iraq?
Personally, I am fed up with this "Big Brother", Orwellian
attitude which our government believes we all share as Americans. When the United States
Government can work out a Domestic Policy that can help ease the burden on the unemployed,
homeless, and those who are dying tragic deaths at HOME, maybe then I would support
military action elsewhere for the same concepts. However, until such time that the Monroe
Doctrine with the Roosevelt Corollary is revoked, you can expect our Government to keep
whisking the military to foreign lands without giving much of a damn about the state
of affairs within our own borders.
---Warnie L. Pritchett, II