I Prefer Peace Over War
Posted: Saturday, March 07, 2009
by David Tanguay
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy." George Washington
All wars fought between countries are fought with the goal of bringing peace. For whether we fight for dominance over a people or region our distant goal is peace.
Therefore, why not get our objectives i.e. the truth about our engagement in war out in the open. We should negotiate before doing battle where many lives are lost on both sides. For take the Vietnam War although we as Americans have lost close to 60,000 lives in this conflict not to mention the lives lost from North Vietnamese soldiers and civilians.
I believe peace is inevitable for peace will always be the outcome in any war we are engaged in. the only way peace will not be the outcome is through nuclear war where we as the human race annihilate ourselves, God forbid that day never comes.
The men like Osama Bin Laden we are told must be dealt with harshly I truly believe diplomacy could work in an effort to unite us in peace and stop the bloodshed. What are we afraid of? Has any one from America tried to talk to this man? We may be able to unite as a people if we tried.
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Top-level comments on this article: (10 total)Um... yeah. I don't think negotiating and talking "peace" with Osama Bin Laden is an option. He needs to die. He is root of a lot of evil and he won't just change his ways.Please log in to respond to this comment.I disagree Mike, Osama is human no one from the US has tried to talk to him. I don't believe he is all evil.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Thank-you, David for your "disagreement" response with Mike from Colorado. I, too must admit that Mr. Bin Laden is human which is what the Bill of Rights, I believe, is pretty much all about. A lot of us out here just want this particular man to meet and face his peers in a secure and protected environment which would allow relaxed individuals to decide upon the breadth and consequences of such an iconic scenerio. What would the reactions be... if we kept this now and seemingly ficticious character alive instead of following America's past cultural decision-making process which chooses death over life? This is one area which I seem to sub-consciously react! If we could just choose life over death just once, we would be able to see the positive outcome with a more clear vision. "The Death Penalty" has remained because no one has been willing to be first to sacrifice death just once for life itself and then study the understanding of subsequaint... gratitude in order to share with those whose spiritual cycles had just shifted and saved their lives. This importance can be learned and understood through simple compassion! And guess what? We have what we need for that so, it is possible to accomplish!Please log in to respond to this comment.Osama Bin Laden is at war with us, he believes we as Americans are the great Satan. He believes his God is on his side although I myself being a Christian believe God is on my side as well. We need to find a mutual understanding among ourselves. A true Christian can negotiate with anyone, the good and the bad.Please log in to respond to this comment.
David,I wish for peace too but your comment that A true Christian can negotiate with anyone, the good and the bad is called a martyr.Osama does not think like us. In order to understand that, you must step out of the box. His desire is to get rid of the infidels who are us, the Christians as well as the Jews. They have been doing this for hundreds and hundreds of years but we are more aware of it today because of technology.I like Jack Bauer's comment from 24 which goes something like this: Sometimes you must look evil in the eye and deal with it.(By the way, had we not gotten involved in WWII, we would all be speaking German today!)NancyPlease log in to respond to this comment.Nancy, how do you know how Bin Layden thinks? You are going by what others believe. I still believe we could find common ground if we would talk to each other.Please log in to respond to this comment.David,
I just heard this morning about Muslim girls who were sprayed with acid on their faces for attending school. After a little research I saw the video on You Tube of 2 sisters who were burned. And you think we can reason with people like that?By the way, did you know that this was happening to Muslim girls who pursue education or how about the man in NY who beheaded his wife. She was seeking a divorce. Incidentally he was running a TV station in hopes of portraying the Muslim faith in a better light. I think he missed the boat on that one!NancyPlease log in to respond to this comment.So what's your solution Nancy, kill all Muslims? I don't believe anyone is born bad there must be a way to get through to them.Please log in to respond to this comment.
I agree with you David, that Osama is human, and in a world of eutopia, we could talk to him and make him understand that terroristic activities does not pave the road to Heaven (or his version of Heaven). But I have to agree also with Nancy. I don't believe he is a man that can be reasoned with. But as you said also, I don't know what he is thinking. But we all know he is a terrorist and maybe there are 'moderate terrorists' that may listen to reason; I just don't think Osama is one of them. I will pray for him and us and pray that I am wrong in my view of him.Thanks for a great and thought provoking article.SandraPlease log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for commenting Sandra, Ray Stevens had a hit song in the 60's titled "Everything is beautiful, under God's heaven love going to find a way" I believe peace is possible for everyonePlease log in to respond to this comment.
It seems to me that someone with the mindset to so easily dismember or scorch their own people are never going to positively respond to any kind of dialogue. I'll have to disagree with you here, David. There are some people in the world that want to see us, non-muslims that is, die. There is no negotiations or "dialogue" that can change that.Please log in to respond to this comment.What your saying Ken is that all Muslims are bad, I dissagree with you here.Please log in to respond to this comment.No sir, not all muslims. The ones who want me dead because I am not a muslim, or their brand of muslim, are absolutely bad. The ones who maim as a type of discipline are bad.Please log in to respond to this comment.Yeah Ken, there is good and bad in all of us. Do you believe anyone has the answers to heal our sick planet?Please log in to respond to this comment.
It would be easier to make the case to talk with him if bin Laden were repentant, yet I doubt that is true. His goal is the eradication of the United States in response for the American's 'soiling' of Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War. My question would be this: What has stopped bin Laden from talking with us (as opposed to talking to us)? 911 was not some random car bomb in a market, it was an orchestrated attempt to dismember the United States. Should he not be held accountable?Please log in to respond to this comment.To me Mike, 911 was an act of war. In all wars we try to seek peace through negotiation not force. However at this point I don't know what to think anymore.thanks for commentingPlease log in to respond to this comment.
hi david,this was a good article, and one that interests me, as my son may be one of our men in combat.i believe anyone can be talked to, and reasoned with. whether they take that information in the right manner is up to them, but the ones who talk for war and destruction first, maybe don't have a son they love more than life that will possibly be getting shot at, as well as shooting at other human beings simply because a few top men say it is so.they sleep well at night. i don't.i doubt my son will.i pray there is some peaceful solution.my best regards,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.Yes Susan, I do hope for a peaceful solution to this mess we're in. Thanks for commentingPlease log in to respond to this comment.
I find it troubling that so many believe that a little compassion and listening will make someone like Osama bin Laden understand and like us. As we lose our faith and walk away from our religions, he has unshakeable faith and a to-the-death commitment to his religion. Islam is a monotheistic religion; ie, a firm belief that there is only one God. Those who do not believe in their God are infidels and must be dealt with through jihad. Guess what? Americans, Jews, Christians, the West--basically anyone who isn't a Muslim--are infidels. Co-opting planes loaded with human life and flying them into buildings is not the act of a hateful man. It's the act of a man committed to his religion, someone who was indoctrinated into his faith at a very young age. Not someone who, like we in the U.S., sit down and talk about our different beliefs. We grew up with religious freedom, and acceptance of different faiths. He did not. Failing to understand this will put us at a great disadvantage in the future. Look to Western Europe where lax immigration laws and political correctness have allowed Muslim fundamentalism to explode, both literally and figuratively. Large and segregated Muslim communities are thriving NOT because there's a desire to be one, happy integrated world. They're thriving because the means are there to continue indoctrinating their children into the rigid Islamic belief that there is only one God--their God. I recommend a book called "While Europe Slept" by Bruce Bawer, an American liberal who left the US with his partner in 1998 to get away from the Religious Right...only to find something far more dangerous and insidious in the European Muslim community. So we need to quit acting like bin Laden and other Muslims are mixed-up and misunderstood people who can be fixed, and start understanding the basis from which he and they operate. It's eye-opening.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for commenting Janet, I'll try to get this book you speak of.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Okay David, you got me on this one....I'm on the fence, trying to be objective and looking on both sides. I have a poem, that I believe answers this, perhaps not in its entirety, but more or less express what I invision, and here is the poem...see what you think.Nine/Eleven
Where were you,
on this fateful day,
When hell showed up,
and took them away.
The Twin Towers,
is what I'm talking about,
The most wicked disaster,
without a doubt.
Thousands of people,
were lost that day,
In the most gruesome,
devastating way.
Planes dove into those,
two massive towers,
What would only be minutes,
turned into hours.
For those responsible,
God would know,
And in the end,
he will show,
That murdering thousands,
is not the answer,
But the hatred that this represents,
Is a menacing cancer.
It's got to stop,
this is so true,
Is war and more killing,
the right thing to do?
I'm not so sure,
that is the answer,
Cause if we kill thousands,
Are we spreading the same Cancer?Ask yourself what God would do,
If you look at the bible,
you'll find the clue.
Thou shall not kill,
is the definitive answer.
To stop the spreading,
of this devastating cancer.
Let's pray for the loved ones,
that we have lost,
Don't let their death's go in vain,
Keep this in mind, at all cost.
Let's end this Cancer,
that's cause's so much pain,
For in death and war,
there is nothing to gain!
I'm not sure what the answer is, but spreading the cancer of hate, is not the definative answer. I think that Obama, will pay for his sins in the end, if we truly believe in God, then my friends, we need to let God be the judge. And believe me, He will judge harshly, on the insanity waged against humanity by Obama. I believe that, and that is the way I see it. Doing some of the things that I have read here, both in content of the article, and comments. I think there is allot of emotions controlling our thoughts, but, we need to practice what we preach. Let God decide his fate. I am sure it will be dealt with in his own way. We are not the judge, he is. "So Let It Be Written, So Let it Be Done"Your friend in pen.......and fan.......Gary. I love the article David, very thought provoking. These thoughts are coming from a Vietnam Veteran, (me) 18 months in combat, on a River Boat. I've seen it all. Hate is not the answer to this soldier.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Sorry, I didn't mean Obama, I meant Osama, it was a honest mistake....my bad. I voted for Obama!!!! Lol...sorry bout thatPlease log in to respond to this comment.Gary I'm responding from my sister in law's computer. My computer is down untill Wendsday or Thursday, I'll get bck to you then on your comment. I like your poemPlease log in to respond to this comment.
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