The Desert of the Real

How many of you, seeing that title, passed over it without a moments reaction? I would dare say that by now, there are very few Americans who even bother paying attention to the number of men dying over there anymore. If they still read the numbers, I doubt many are impacted by them. For certain, I know far too many who consider it not to be an issue, because after all, there are less dying now than there were even a few months ago right? So we should be happy about that.

But what seems to escape the notice of so many people is that even if there are fewer dying, they are still dying. It is probably getting old to a lot of people to hear this – but supporting the troops does not mean cheering for them as they go to their deaths. Yes we should absolutely support our troops. We believe in them. Yet we also owe it to them, to their families and to their friends to ensure that the reason they go to their deaths is a very very good one. That our cause is just and right. We ought to be certain that we have a goal, and that that goal is achievable. Every day of every war we ought to weigh the cause against the cost. The value of even an ideal outcome against the value of the lives of soldiers who are dying to achieve it.

Today I read a story, and I hope that you will read it too. I am not going to quote it here, because I think it needs to be read in its entirety and there is no introduction to it I can give that will do it justice. So read it now, before finishing this post and then come back.

We must remember that our soldiers are not expendable. When we see the death toll reported those are not just numbers. They are men. Many of them good men, with mothers and fathers, wives, children, and friends. All of whom will miss them. All of whom will have their lives turned upside down and destroyed. Mothers and Fathers that will never hear their son’s laughter again, never see him around their table at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Wives who will go on in empty houses, where their now deceased husband’s voice still hangs in the air, but will never be heard again. Children who will never be tucked into bed at night again by their father. Who will not receive another piggy-back ride. Daughters whose father won’t be there when they get married to give them away.

Consider this, consider it well. Then ask yourself two questions. I don’t want to hear the answers, and no comments will be allowed on this post regardless. These are questions for you to answer honestly, to yourself, and consider in your heart.

Why?

Having considered why, I ask you

Is it worth the cost?

Not just the financial cost, that’s a whole different question. Is it worth the cost in the lives of our best and brightest? Every one of us must answer this for ourselves. And every one of us will one day be called on to give an answer for it.

Basically, no big surprise.

Despite how prideful they are about their early caucus and their high opinion of their influence on the overall primary process they are bound and determined to cement themselves as irrelevant to it. Neither Obama nor Huckabee is going to get the nod from their respective parties. So all they’ve really done is thrown both parties into disarray.

First, Huckabee. I know how he came to get his part there. The Iowa voter base is largely made up of ignorant desperate evangelicals. People smart enough to realize that they’ve been abused at the hands of the Republican party as promises have regularly been made and broken in issues that are important to them yet stupid enough to buy into Huckabee’s “I’m-just-like-you” populism. Add to this their unbelievable foolishness in believing that A) the fair tax is somehow better than the income tax we have now and B) that its implementation would actually mean an end to the income tax. Then, throw in a little promises of redistribution of wealth for farmers in the form of subsidies and you’ve got a made for Iowa candidate. He’s credible enough on abortion and on certain evangelical non-political issues that he was an easy pick for those people. Sad that they couldn’t look past that to see his lack of integrity and utter ignorance on foreign policy. That’s without going into his immigration issues, pardoning of felons, and of course his rabid statist views. None of that matters because according to the AFA, God has annointed him so that’s where we vote right?

I’m not that upset about Ron being in 5th. He was within a few percentage points of third at 10%. Given that every poll in Iowa but two were putting him at 4%, and one of the remaining two only had him at 7% that’s pretty good. All of that in the face of concerted media effort to avoid talking about him, and his not doing hardly anything in that state. Plus it feels good to skunk Rudy, even if the victory is a little hollow since he wasn’t really putting any effort in there.

Romney coming in second and netting only around 25% of the vote to show for the tidy sum (six million I believe?) he spent in Iowa is good too. It hurts his ‘electable’ argument pretty badly going into NH. This is going to hurt his early primary strategy and leave him netting smaller numbers making Rudy’s strategy look pretty smart on the front end. Time will tell.

Huckabee won’t repeat this performance – though he may hit some high numbers in other states awash with historically and politically ignorant evangelicals. Romney won’t be riding any tidal waves of success either. This means every state’s primaries will be important this year, and frankly there’s only one man right now with sufficient funds and support to make that happen.

As for the democrats – well – basically the same thing. I don’t see Obama getting sufficient national support to take the nomination. Edwards has been in Iowa so much over the last year he might be able to file for residency, and he still only managed to take second. He’s definitely not going anywhere. Hillary is the easy and obvious choice for the democrats here, but this might be a sign of some backlash against the idea of her coronation. She may have to fight, but I’m pretty sure in the end she’s going to get it. If nothing else, Iowa strongly suggests this is going to be a three-way race for the Democrats.

Whatever else happens, this is definitely going to be one of the more interesting election years.

For my fellow patriots supporting Ron Paul, and fighting for the cause of liberty in the face of such odds, do not be discouraged. Remember the words of Thomas Pain,

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”