Why We Fight

There are many people who question why we have to go to Iraq to fight against terrorism. War is indeed a horrible thing which we do not undertake lightly. But the alternative is much, much worse.

If we do not go to war overseas to fight terrorism, we will be forced to wait to fight it until it comes to our shores. Merely waiting for an attack would put the kibosh on any and all economic development, so we would have to go on the offensive with a slew of Homeland Security measures. And for them to be truly effective, we would have to give up many of the liberties we now enjoy. If you think the Patriot Act is bad, think of what we would have to enact to catch all terrorists in the United States. Library records would not be enough. We would be looking at something positively Orwellian. You know how you can't stock up on Sudafed any more because some idiots use it to make speed? Make it that way with everything. You won't even be able to buy so much as a bag of manure to fertilize your garden without coming under scrutiny.

It is because of this that our troops overseas in Iraq are indeed fighting for freedom and liberty-- not just that of the Iraqis, but ours as well. Because the alternatives to taking the fight to the enemy are cowering in fear waiting for the enemy to attack us, or losing our freedoms.