Middle East

The other day a helicopter flew over the house and shook the picture frames on the wall and rattled the TV. A few hours latter another helicopter came over the house and did the same thing. It's very rare for something like that to happen, but when it does I know that it is just our military practicing or testing out the chopper. I don't have to worry about that helicopter belonging to another country, a country that is invading, or has invaded, and that the people in the helicopter would like to kill me for my beliefs.

What if I lived in Israel? Israel has a great military and is technologically advanced but since they live right next door to countries that want to exterminate them, I might be a little timid when that helicopter flies over. Israel is surrounded by Muslim countries, and those countries are loaded with extremist who want to wipe out the Jewish homeland, Israel.

Does Islam teach its followers to be civil and respectful of other religions? --it's hard to tell because the Koran may say one thing but Muslim leaders teach another. But does it really matter what Islam teaches? Should we, as Americans, hang our hopes on Islam being a peaceful religion and the radicals who inflict terror on others will fade out? I don't think we should allow them to figure things out on their own as long as they are seeking ways to kill people outside their borders.

The biggest threat Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern countries pose is their desire to build a nuclear weapon. Their immediate target is Israel, because it is home of the Jews. Israel is surrounded, and they are a small nation. The United States must protect Israel because of this, and I believe it is our duty to protect them as a Christian nation. This entire conflict goes back thousands of years. When Abraham went against God's wishes and had a son, Ishmael, with his maidservent, Hagar, that act went on to create the Arab race. His promised son, Issac created the Jewish race. Decedents of Ishmael and Issac flourished because of God's promise to Abraham that his offspring would build many nations. The Arab people have always resented the Jews, and their conflicts remain today. Because of this, I do not believe this problem will ever end, the Arab people will always be hostile...especially towards the Jews.

So with countries like Iran getting close to having a nuclear weapon, what should we do? How does America respond to their emerging strength? Should we just leave them alone and secure our borders to protect ourselves? I don't believe this would be a good idea at all. Our stance during the 1930s was isolationism, and because of this Hilter was able to build up a great power in Germany and create the Axis powers. For years while this was going on we sat on the sidelines, and then Japan made the mistake of invading Pearl Harbor....who knows where we'd be if they hadn't done that.

Many people question George W. Bush's motives for invading Iraq and continuing our presence there long after we had overthrown Saddam Hussein. Some claim that his 'Axis of Evil' is just a fabricated illusion for Americans to buy into. I think Bush made plenty of mistakes, just like all presidents, but one of them isn't giving us a presence in the Middle East. As long as we are strong over there, Iran will always have a fear of us. If we leave, they will gain momentum and power as they aim for Israel...then America. It may sound awful to always have our military stationed there, but that is the reality of the world today.

There is one thing in American politics that goes beyond partisanship, and that is protecting our country. The strength of our military has always been one of our strongest assets, and I believe sending billions of dollars to continue our presence in the Middle East is well worth it. There are so many areas to cut back within our own borders, we shouldn't think about taking away one cent from our military budget. We can peel back the layers of bureaucracy and take away some of the money we waste on government.

There are people all over the globe who have devoted their entire lives to finding ways to kill off America. Most of these people are in the Middle East. We are the most powerful nation in the world, and with that power comes the ability and responsibility to protect the world from evil. We must realize just how fragile our power is, how quickly it can be taken away. America is the greatest country in the world because of all the great things we do for others, and one of those great things is protection. If we don't protect ourselves and others we are looking at a disastrous outcome.

JB