This political race has drug up the issue of the war in Iraq once more.  One side says that we should leave another says we should stay but doesn't quite know why.  Many claim Islam a religion of peace, others condemn it as a religion of Facism.  I suspect the truth is in between, and my recent ponderings on the matter have lead me to write the following.

Coming from Birmingham, Alabama I have a rather unique perspective on religion and terrorism.  You see, a few years back a man made himself some pipe bombs and left them out front an abortion clinic the bomb killed a security guard and wounded many women.  

This, to me, is an example of how a person on the outside looking in could see a terrorist hijacking his faith and making others suffer for his twisted views.  Kind of like in the middle East.

Do I believe that most Muslims are vicious cruel animals? No.  I will say that I feel our views of the Muslim faith have been skewed to a degree by the mass media.  It is a faith where every nation has sworn a holy vow to remove the Jewish nation of Israel from the face of the Earth.  Now with the nuclear capabilities they are striving to achieve they can do this.  

There are private state funded "militias" in Lebanon, Palestine, Iran/ and Syria all comprised of people like our Baptist friend who bombed a clinic.  these unofficial arms of Muslim nations are their method of waging a conflict against the Israeli nation and maintain plausible deniability.

Why did our troops go there?  Was it for oil?  Then why the hell am I still paying 2.50 a gallon?  Was it to bring democracy and overthrow an evil dictator?  Probably not.  Was it to prevent weapons of mass destruction from making their way into terrorist hands?  Then why are we not more agressive against N. Korea/ Iran?  

In my heart I feel it was for all these reasons and many more we'll never know about.  War is not something someone steps into lightly; even self motivated politicians.  

One thing I am certain of is that now we are there and innocent American soldiers have bleed there it would be a disgrace to their memory to simply walk away for political convenience.  To do so would be a slap in the face of every man, woman, and child who believes in this nation with every fiber of their being.  Some good must come from this.  We must build something in place of the destruction we caused.  On average occupations last from 10-15 years before one can leave a region rebuilt.  Look to the occupation of Germany after WW2 or the restructuring period in the South after the civil war.  

Rebuilding is harder than the destruction.  We allowed our passions to rule us and lead us into Iraq.  TO allow our passions to remove us from the situation and abandon those whose lives we destroyed is irresponsible and tragic to say the least.  If we as a nation do not rise to the occasion, then we are no longer deserving of the great power we wield as a nation.