A Thought on the War on Terror...

Saw this on Facebook earlier this evening and it got me to thinking a bit about a few things. However, before I get to involved in telling you all about that, I want to make a few things clear. First, I don't like war. I find war is about the biggest waste of life, money, and resources in the history of humanity and seldom gains us anything. Second, I think we could have avoided a lot of the problems we have today if we would have never stuck our noses in where it really didn't belong. Third, I do believe that there are times when war is necessary. Please keep these in mind.

As I said, I don't like war and I seldom think it is the right answer. However, there are times when war is really the only option we have. While I wish I could go back in time and undo the things we did to get involved, I can't, and this means I have to look at what is, not what I wish was. The fact is that right now Isis presents a very real danger. I know there are some that think this danger is only about Iraq, but they would be wrong.

The thing is, that yes, right now Isis is really only active in Iraq. However, if they gain victory there imagine what that will do for the other terrorist organizations that already have taken action against us. Imagine what a group of extremists actually winning that war over in the middle east would do for nations such as Iran. It's not a good thing.

I wish I had a better answer than war but right now I just don't see one. I really think the only way to deal with Isis is to take off the gloves and just let them have it. I don't like the thought of the toll that will raise. I don't like the thought of how many of my country people have to die in the doing. However, what I like less than that is the thought of another 9/11 or an even more aggressive Iran.

War is ugly, war is hell, war sucks but the only way to win war is to completely commit to destroying the enemy completely. If you look at world history you will know the truth in this. I wish the radicals were reasonable people I wish that we had never started messing around over there, but I also wish there was a cure for cancer. None of those things are going to happen right now and this means we have to choose one super ugly option.

Maybe, just maybe, if we do enough damage to them, maybe if we cost ourselves enough money, maybe then we can look at other options. However, until both sides are willing to see reason, the only choice we really have is complete and total devastation of the enemy.

What is the Proper Role of Government?

Government, there might not be a word that inspires more opinion or passion as this single word. What is it about the concept of government that inspires so much emotion? Why does the idea of government cause so many people to spend so much time and energy trying to understand its place and function in our world?

The answer is pretty self evident when you think about it. We spend so much time trying to understand the role of government because government has a great deal of influence in our lives. While there are some people that would say you can have a world without government, most people seem to want at least some government in their lives. Yet, while many people agree that government is a benefit, there is a great deal of argument over exactly what government should and shouldn't do. Look at the evening news or your face book page and you will see that there are as many views on what the government should look like and what it shouldn't do. While they may not realize it, most people are arguing about one simple question. What is the proper role of government?

Whenever I think about this question, as an American I think about the first three words in the Constitution, we the people. These three words truly do sum up what the role of government should be in the United States. Like Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address our government is of the people, by the people, for the people and it shouldn't be any other way. In other words, the proper role of government is exactly what we the people decide it is, and we decide what it is through the democratic process of voting.

Is a government by the people a perfect thing? No, people are not perfect and their government won't be either. However, I would much rather live in a nation where I have a voice in what my government is and what my government isn't than to live in a nation where laws are made without my say so. Does this mean I always get things the way I want them? No, but it does mean I have a voice either way and that is better than not being allowed a voice.

In the end, I really do believe that the proper role of government is whatever we decide it is. While this doesn't always make people happy, it does hold to the spirit in which our country was founded, and that is to create a country in which the people determine the course of their government.