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May 14 , 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels February 13, 2004 They aren't leading, we can Some months ago George Bush strutted out on the flight deck of a carrier off the coast of San Diego and said "mission accomplished." Maybe he miss spoke. He might have meant to say, "quagmire accomplished ." I remember in the prelude to war thinking "it just talk, George must realize that if we invade, it's bound to turn into a complete quagmire...he can't really be serious about invading another country without being attacked first." For most of us 12,000 miles away from the violence it's just a $200 billion quagmire. For the Iraqi people it's over 8,000 people dead and thousands more injured. People just like us living their lives as best they can in a world that isn't perfect. Imagine how your life would change if a bomb fell from the sky and you where left without your wife, husband, daughter, son, aunt, uncle, grandparent, friend or neighbor. This is what happened to some of us on Sept. 11. Add to that the incredible destruction done by the thousands of bombs dropped, 12 years of economic sanctions, and the fact that their homeland is being occupied and dictated to by a foreign country leaves the Iraqis' destiny at the mercy of others. Add to that over 500 U.S. solders dead and thousands more injured. Who of our leaders who chose to send our people to fight this war in Iraq actually have loved ones on the front lines? How many of our leaders would give their life for this cause? My broken heart is amplified by the fact that so many leaders in this world won't tell us honestly what their cause is. If George Bush thinks Jesus Christ would rationalize all this suffering by the good it creates he is mistaken. After all this suffering, if George Bush thinks more people in this world see the United States as a kind and generous nation, he is mistaken. If George Bush now believes there are less people in the world who would like to do us harm he is mistaken. If George Bush thinks the use of force can bring us real security he is mistaken. If George Bush thinks using all of the power, might and the money of the United States of America to exert our will on the rest of the world will make the Earth a better place for all the peoples of the of the Earth, he is mistaken. If leaders have to be forced to make the world a better place, then they are not leaders. Let's lead them. We can wake each morning and ask ourselves "what small thing can I do today to make this a better world for my children and my neighbors children?" If we thought of the children of this world first and what kind of environment would be best for them to live in then it may be an easier thing to try something other than the status quo to attain security. For the benefit of our children we could start by turning off the television, shutting down the computer and by playing a game of cards with our kids. Tom Freeman Ashland DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams