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Jewish World Review Oct. 27, 2005 / 24 Tishrei, 5766 2,000: A bogus number, a bitter cause By Michelle Malkin
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The anti-war Left can't wait for the death of the 2,000th soldier in Iraq.
Peace activists have been gearing up for protests, vigils, and other events
this week to mark the completely bogus milestone. Why 2,000? Was the 2nd or
555th or 1,678th death not as worth mourning as any other death with nice
round numbers?
Cindy Sheehan can barely contain her macabre lust for the spotlight in
preparation for the artificially constructed, media-hyped occasion. "I'm
going to go to Washington, D.C. and I'm going to give a speech at the White
House, and after I do, I'm going to tie myself to the fence and refuse to
leave until they agree to bring our troops home," Sheehan told a reporter
last week as the death count neared her lottery number pick.
"And I'll probably get arrested, and when I get out, I'll go back and do
the same thing," she vowed.
This time, Sheehan's public relations team would be wise to make sure she
tries not to look like she's having so much fun. The carnival-like
atmosphere that surrounded her arrest at the White House last month did
little to convince military families that Sheehan and her pink
lingerie-clad Bush-bashing brigade have the troops' best interest at heart.
Those "911 was an inside job" and "Castrate Cheney" signs didn't help much
either.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, director of the force's combined press
center, is pushing back against the inevitable media tide. He deserves our
support. In an e-mail to the press that should be disseminated far and
wide, he properly challenged the anti-war movement's number as a phony
excuse to protest.
"I ask that when you report on the events, take a moment to think about the
effects on the families and those serving in Iraq," Boylan wrote on
Tuesday, according to the Associated Press (which has been among Sheehan's
most ardent sycophants). "The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone. It is an artificial
mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and
ulterior motives."
Indeed. These are people, remember, who liken Iraqi terrorists to America's
Minutemen during the Revolutionary War.
Who oppose not only the war in Iraq, but also the invasion of Afghanistan
after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Who believe the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and
at Shanksville, Pa., were a Bush conspiracy with Israel and/or Saudi Arabia.
Who applaud when left-wing professor Ward Churchill gloats about "chickens
coming home to roost" and suggests that the peace movement should support
the fragging of American troops.
Who use the names and images of dead American soldiers against their
families' wishes to propagate anti-Bush hatred.
Who believe Saddam Hussein should be freed and Guantanamo Bay emptied.
Who carry around banners that proclaim "WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS WHEN THEY
SHOOT THEIR OFFICERS."
Lt. Col. Boylan reminded the media that "the 2,000th Soldier, Sailor,
Airman, or Marine that is killed in action is just as important as the
first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this
war against terrorism and to ensure freedom for a people who have not known
freedom in over two generations." He advised journalists to pay as much
attention to the true milestones in the war including the momentous events
of Iraqis voting, training for the police and security forces, and joining
the new government.
"Celebrate the daily milestones, the accomplishments they have secured and
look to the future of a free and democratic Iraq and to the day that all of
our troops return home to the heroes welcome they deserve," Boylan urged.
For the "peace activists" who hate the president with far more energy they
could ever muster in genuine support of our troops, this simple request to
appreciate the fruits of hard-fought freedom is too much to ask. And too
much for them to bear.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Michelle Malkin is the author of, most recently, "In Defense of Internment: The Case for Racial Profiling in World War II and the War on Terror". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.)
© 2005, Creators Syndicate |
Mitch Albom | |||||||||||
