DIGG THIS

Let's say it straight out: Virtually every architect and supporter of today's neo-con-game of endless war is a coward.

Why? Because anyone who advocates a policy of military invasion, yet studiously avoids joining the soldiers on the battlefield, is, by definition, a coward.

What kind of a person believes that a cause is worth (someone else) dying for, yet not only refuses to face the "enemy," but remains, at all times, in the cool shadow of security? I'll tell you what kind — a coward.

What kind of a person can't wait to send America's youth to die in Iraq for a series of absurd, constantly evolving fabrications, yet finds it more prudent to receive lobbyists than to fire a rifle? I'll tell you what kind — a raw coward.

We've all heard the deranged platitudes: "Sorry I can't join ya over there…but I'll be stayin' here, representin' ya, makin' sure the homeland is secure, and that the economy stays on track. Believe me, I'm gonna be doin' everything I can to keep you and your buddies well-supplied — with everything you need for victory. So…God's speed. We'll all be thinkin' about ya. And prayin' for ya. You're all just fabulous!"

Another classic: "I've already served my country in the military. I've done my duty. Now, someone else can do his. I'm entitled to voice my support for this war. But, right now, I'm just too old to return to battle! And too busy with my job!"

And my all-time favorite? "Well…I haven't really had any military training. I think it's best to leave the actual fighting to professionals."

How much training does it take to blow a hole in an eight-year-old girl?

So…soccer mom, construction worker, US Senator, software engineer, grade school teacher, Vice-President of the United States, young, old…whatever you are. You think defeating worldwide "terrorism" is a life-or-death issue for America? Then put your courage where your mouth is.

Join-up, or shut-up.

Just look around. And listen. Listen to all of America's neo-conned, warriors-in-theory. Their numbers are legion. They're in Congress. They're in the White House. They're wearing the black robes of justice. They're walking the streets of America, safely preaching genocide. What do they all have in common?

There's never a doubt, and never a scratch. Cowards, each and every one.

I hereby issue a challenge: I challenge any supporter of our current Middle East blood fest to tell me exactly why he is still here — and not over there.

Do you hear a sudden eerie silence? Of course you do. It's the silence of cowards.

Have you noticed how the rationale for war these days is becoming less and less important? At this very moment, we are committing mass-extermination in Iraq — for no discernable reason whatsoever.

Except for one — profit.

When our nation's very existence rests in the balance (as the "War on Terror" drum-beaters repeatedly claim), precisely why is any kind of profit-taking permitted? Why isn't the military-industrial complex offering its materials and services at cost?

This is a question the cowards would rather not answer, because answering it would reveal the truth: If you take the profit out of war…there is no war. Today's cowardly patriotism resides only within the perimeter of profit — and safety.

And there's also a corollary, just for cowards: If you require those calling loudest for war to fire the first shot, the guns remain silent.

Our "War on Terror" has absolutely nothing to do with "terrorists." It has absolutely nothing to do with preventing another 9/11. (The proof? The neo-cowards' refusal to secure our wide-open borders, due to their love affair with slave labor.) It has nothing to do with a "Clash of Civilizations."

It has everything to do with making money. Lots and lots of money. (And let's never forget: There's oil in them-thar hills!)

And it has to do with a new type of "failure." Just as cowardice is now the new bravery, today, failure has also been rebranded. It's now called "success."

The more American soldiers who die, the longer that innocent blood is spilled, the longer the cycle of destruction and rebuilding, in other words, the longer the horror — the bigger the profit. A normal person believes that he is witnessing chaos in Iraq. Not at all. Success is everywhere in sight.

Of course, it's a coward's success. And a coward's profit.

With every gut-shot Iraqi child, limp in a grieving parent's arms, we see a bullet that is sold. And a profit that is made. With every suffering, limbless soldier, the military-industrial complex sees a reason to persist. And finds more profits to be made. With every tank that's ripped-apart, with every screaming, dying civilian, the White House imagines a "surge" that is working. And sees a profit for a friend.

A government that endorses mass murder for profit, and calls it war, deserves no latitude. It deserves a cage.

And so do we, if we stand by in passive assent. Every American deserves what he tolerates. The time for tolerance is over.

There's only one candidate for President of the United States in 2008 who has the depth of understanding, and the character, necessary to place meaningful restraints upon our profit-centered system of cowardly warmongering — Ron Paul.

Positions of Dr. Paul's that would help achieve this objective include:

Getting rid of the Federal Reserve, which functions as the financial enabler of war, as well as its head-coach. Forcing politicians in favor of war to make a formal declaration of war, as specified in the Constitution.

To which I would add:

Patriotism requires that the profit-motive be put-aside in time of war. Therefore, financially profiting from a soldier's courage, and, possibly, from the sacrifice of a soldier's life, should be forbidden by law. By law, every elected representative espousing war must either personally ship-off to battle, or, send a close family member in his stead.

The Ron Paul Revolution is, among other things, a revolution to reclaim our original American spirit, a spirit mangled, at least since the time of Lincoln, by the passive acceptance, and tacit encouragement, of state-sponsored mass-murder for profit.

With God's help, it is a revolution that will come to pass.

September 28, 2007

The Best of James N. Herndon