Fighting to preserve the life and liberty of others is something that I do support.
"Vietnam defeated the US" -- actually the objective of the US was to prevent North Vietnam from conquering South Vietnam. Failed because South Vietnam lost the will to preserve itself. Can't make people fight for their rights if they don't want to do it. We did not intend to conquer North Vietnam, nor did they intend to conquer us. They wanted to be left alone, and they were. That was their victory.
Taliban stalemate? Well, they are no longer in control of Afghanistan. The Afghans in the liberated areas still have the will to preserve themselves. As long as the Pashtun in the Afghan-Pakistan border support the Taliban, then the Taliban has a place to hide. I don't call that victory, myself. They survive, and live to fight another day.
Is there a country on earth that has not experienced terrorist attacks? Iceland, maybe?
If fighting to preserve the life and liberty of others makes us targets, well, that is no surprise, and nothing to cause us to shirk our responsibilities.
On an individual level, if I tried to save a woman from being raped or a child from being kidnapped or an elderly person from being robbed, I would not expect to do so in perfect safety, either. Some actions require us to step outside our personal safety zone. It is our duty. Mine, at least. You may be honest that you would never engage in such actions even to save the life and liberty of others, and you may be honest that you are not actually a coward, but if I did what you suggest, I could not live with my conscience. The blood of the guilty transgressor is not superior to the blood of the innocent. |
