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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Augustus Gloop who wrote (16292)	4/20/2004 10:17:28 AM
From: lorne	Respond to of 81568

Front Sight Focus – February 2004 Rise of the Barbarians and the New Dark Ages Martin L. Strong sealstrike.com Do the security of the American homeland and the future of the dream that is the American experience rely on the billions of dollars in technical hardware that protects us or do they rely instead on a clear understanding of human history? Let me answer by asking another question. Did the walls and legions of Rome secure the future of that glorious republic? We learned in school that the Dark Ages began with the fall of the Roman Empire, a fall which ushered in hundreds of years of lawlessness and chaos as hordes of migrating humanity sought refuge from one aggressor after another. For a thousand years the power that was Rome served as policeman of the civilized world. The Roman Republic was a natural extension of classical Greek thought in science, medicine, philosophy, law, and politics. But after eight hundred years of vitality the Roman Republic became soft. With Romans no longer praising citizen participation in the military it was now acceptable to buy your way out of service. Standing armies and navies had become an expensive drain on the national treasury, so politicians began to draw down the once invincible Roman military machine. This was gleefully noted by Rome’s enemies and greatly appreciated by the increasingly hostile barbarians, Goths and Vandals, pressing on Rome’s borders. Still it was clear to the leaders of the once-great nation that no one would dare challenge Roman power. After all, the barbarians were poor and penniless, hardly a real threat to the might and grandeur of Rome. The decision to pull back the legions and cut defense spending was a mistake of epic proportions. The plump and lethargic political leadership of Rome had initiated a countdown to the end of Empire and the beginning of the age of darkness and ignorance. It still took roughly four hundred years for Rome to fall, a fall well documented by historians who lived through the turbulent times. The political leadership of Rome ruled against re-arming to fight for their border lands and their colonial territories, deciding instead to forge defensive alliances with their friends and nonaggression pacts with their enemies. It was hoped that peace and security could be won through the proper application of clever diplomacy. In the end these politicians were proven wrong yet again. In the twilight years of Rome’s reign over the Italian peninsula barbarians were paid off by the political leaders of the faltering Republic, and became mercenary armies, the last legions of the Roman Empire, their barbarian generals the last Caesars. These surrogate soldiers had little reason to love Rome, and, in the end they invaded and destroyed the wounded lion, thus ending almost a thousand years of cultural growth and enlightenment. So why the history lesson? Simple: to answer the question posed at the beginning of this discussion. Is the United States an empire like Rome? No, not exactly. However, the parallels are striking. Wealth, military power, and the absence of clear adversaries convinced some political leaders in the 1990’s that America was on the threshold of a New World Order. The "Peace Dividend" was touted as the common benefit all of us received as the defense and intelligence budgets were slashed and cut. Forward basing and power projection were out of fashion, replaced with diplomatic alliances, international understanding, loose sanctions regimes, and the criminalization of terrorism. America was safe and we could all focus on the great issues of the day – cable or direct TV? It might seem a stretch to make the comparison between Rome and America, but one thing is clear - the objective of our enemies is our annihilation - the destruction of America. The barbarians of the new millennium seek to create a new Dark Age. They seek to stamp out the idea that is America. The key to protecting our homeland is not procurement of better security hardware, nor is it dependent on better policy development. The key to protecting our homeland lies in Americans understanding the cold, hard lessons of history. It is the height of arrogance to believe our society can somehow survive this new barbarian challenge by ignoring the true strategic nature of the threat. It is foolish for us to ask others in the world to fight our battles for us, and it is naïve to hope our enemies eventually get tired and give up their fight against us. Rome was a symbol and an idea. America is also a symbol and an idea, an idea in direct conflict with radical Islamic terrorism. Recognition of this simple fact by the American electorate is the first step on the path to stability and peace, for it will lend credence to our current war footing and give our current or future Commander-in-Chief the support needed to see this fight through to the end. Martin L. Strong

To: Augustus Gloop who wrote (16292)	4/20/2004 10:32:18 AM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81568

Chiraq and the French aren't against the US at all, they're only against being bullied into a rushed invasion of Iraq without proper cause or preparation. Can't the French be level-headed and rational? Does everyone have to be an obsessive reckless non-diplomat like Cheney-Bush? The Iraq War may turn out to be the worst foreign policy decision since Vietnam. If we're lucky, it will only cost us 2,500 dead, 25,000 wounded and about 300 billion dollars, that's if we're lucky. If we're not it could get worse, including creating thousands of new terrorists. One thing we DO need no matter what is a new president. Kerry will be tough on Iraq but will be able to bring in the international coimmunity (iuncluding the French) and share the burdens going forward. One thing for sure, our troops need a break.