MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

War is Hell

• Posted by Beth on August 12th, 2006 filed in Afghanistan, General, Iraq, Islamofascism, Israel, Lebanon, Support the Troops, The War    

Some of y’all won’t like this post at Blackfive, based on what I’ve seen in some of the trackbacks and comments. People say it’s a “tough read.” I don’t think so, and I say that as a mother, myself. I don’t think it’s as tough of a read because first, nobody said war is pretty, but mainly because we–the civilized world–don’t use our children as “shields” in combat. Children die in war, and the villains are those who put them in harm’s way. If this isn’t the truth, if this isn’t how we resolve to fight, then how can we ever expect the survival of children, including our own? Read it.

“It must be,” I tell her sadly, “Here: That we pursue war without thought of the children. That we do not turn aside from the death of the innocent, but push on to the conclusion, through all fearful fire. If we do that, the children will lose their value as hostages, and as targets: if we love them, we must harden our hearts against their loss. Ours and theirs.”

Wars drag on because of our fear of killing people and breaking things; our humanity. Wars drag on because we allow the enemy to fight without rules. We can still fight the enemy “by the rules,” but remove one of their most potent weapons–their innocents–by making those innocents less “useful” to them. If we ever expect to defeat the brutal, bloodthirsty animals that place NO value on human life, we must stop playing to their knowledge that we are afraid to fight. Look around the world–in every single instance of Islamist violence against “the infidels,” they have employed the use of innocents, including helpless children, to maximize the impact. Whether they directly attack children themselves, as in Beslan, or use children as “shields” in Lebanon, or attack civilian targets as on 9/11, 3/11, and 7/11 (not to mention in Israel), they know that what will incite opposition to our fighting them is the slaughter of innocents. How many times have you heard opponents of the war talk about the dead civilians, including children? Every time? Of course. Nobody–especially those who want this enemy defeated–wants to see the death of innocents. Nobody does, despite what the “antiwar” side thinks. The very idea of children–sweet, innocent children, who love candy and toys and their mommies and still find wide-eyed wonder in the world–being killed is horrifying, painful, and nearly impossible to even contemplate. Nobody wants it, except for the very people with whom we are at war.

If you value human lives, you will want this enemy defeated, and you will be willing and able to take away their tactic of callously using and ending innocent lives to advance their cause. There can be no peace from being “soft.” Again, when the Islamists see that we will bomb them no matter what they use as a shield, then their shield becomes useless. The sooner we (and Israel) bite that bullet and start fighting this war without allowing the enemy to tie our hands, the sooner it will be OVER.

UPDATE: Expanding from this thesis, see Victor Davis Hanson on “Surreal Rules“:

Any death — enemy or friendly, accidental or deliberate, civilian or soldier — favors the terrorists. The Islamists have no claim on morality; Westerners do and show it hourly. So, in a strange way, images of the dead and dying are attributed only to our failing. If ours are killed, it is because those in power were not careful (inadequate body armor, unarmored humvees, etc), most likely due to some supposed conspiracy (Halliburton profiteering, blood for oil, wars for Israel , etc.). When Muslim enemies are killed, whether by intent or accidentally, the whole arsenal of Western postmodern thought comes into play. For the United States to have such power over life and death, the enemy appears to the world as weak, sympathetic, and victimized; we as strong and oppressive. Terrorists are still “constructed” as “the other” and thus are seen as suffering — doctored photos or not — through the grim prism of Western colonialism, racism, and imperialism.

Read the whole thing.

Dr. Sanity works from this thought, and says the “new rules” are as being defined as:

-Wars must be won by soldiers who should not die; and who must not kill

-US (and Israeli) soldiers are alternately helpless victims of the oppressive capitalistic society of America/Israel; and oppressive savages indiscriminantly killing helpless women and children

-The enemy can brutally and indiscriminantly kill 100’s, even 1000’s of innocent Americans/Israelis, but they are justified in doing so because of our oppression; while American/Israeli forces who use special caution and effort to spare innocents in their attacks on the enemy are guilty of heinous war crimes.

This is exactly the problem. We (the US and Israel) ARE fighting by these “surreal rules,” and not only is it the path to our own defeat, it’s exacting an enormous human toll in the process. Those who demand these “humane” laws of combat are simply increasing the bloodshed, while preaching “peace” at all costs. Clearly, they don’t understand the enemy or warfare in general, or even humanity at all. And WHY? Because they believe we–the “humane” ones, even!–are inherently immoral and inhumane! I cannot accept in good faith that those who idealize these “surreal rules” of engagement aren’t explicitly on the side of those who fight for our destruction.

We get peace through strength, not through surrender. Not ever, and not now.

Tags: military, jihad, terrorism, hezbollah, hizballah, al qaeda