Peace activists, give me a break

This archived article was written by: Austin Palmer

A few weeks ago I was going through the intersection near 100 north near Wendy’s when I noticed a bunch of people holding signs asking motorists to: “Honk for Peace,” “Bring Our Soldiers Home,” “Peace Not War,” etc. At the moment it was infuriating that people could be so stupid as to assume that bringing our troops home would have the effect of bringing about peace. It was an obvious sign that they were completely ignorant of the cause they were hoping to promote.
In the following weeks I asked several people about what they thought the reasons were for the violence in the Middle East and read many articles on the topic. It was immediately clear that people in general have no idea why American troops are fighting in Iraq. Why Al-Qaeda chose to target the United States and why there seems to be constant tension in that region of the world. In a country that prides itself on being number one, you would expect to find individuals who would at least attempt to educate themselves on important topics. There wasn’t a single person who I talked to who could give correct answers to the questions I was asking.
I don’t assume to know every detail involved in the conflict but I do have a firm grip on many of the core issues. We were not targeted by members of Al-Qaeda on 9/11 because they all hate Americans. We are not helping people in Iraq accept democracy and the constant conflicts in that portion of the world do not involve religious differences. In every lie there exists a certain amount of truth. What the majority of Americans seem to accept as truth is nothing more than a smoke screen to hide them from the reality that politicians in Washington D.C. have been trying to hide since the end of World War II.
The root of nearly every problem involving the U.S. and the Middle East stems from the support that the U.S. has given in the past and continues to give Israel. In this article I will not attempt to explain why the U.S. has chosen to support a country that doesn’t give us anything in return. Does Israel supply natural or technological resources or any other valuable commodity that the U.S. could not get on its own? Hopefully those who read this will have enough concern for their country to do some research of their own.
While I’m sure many of the terrorists involved in the 9/11 plot do indeed hate Americans, it is not the reason they attacked us. They were simple pawns doing the work of a much larger group who has a less obvious strategy. Ever since the U.S. opted to help Israel, other countries in the Middle East and surrounding areas have been trying via diplomacy to convince the U.S. to let Israel and Palestine work things out on their own without U.S. involvement. Through the years the U.S. has been an unwavering ally to the Israelis. (I hope once more that this prompts those who read this to find out why.) When the diplomatic strategy failed, those who appose U.S. involvement in the region chose a more abrupt strategy. A strategy intended to draw national attention.
After the smoke faded and the dust settled in New York, there was a common call for justice. Americans wanted those involved in the terrorist attack caught and punished. It was such an emotionally charged event that in all the chaos nobody stopped to ask why the U.S. had suddenly become a target. Everyone agreed that the terrorists needed to be caught and punished but never stopped to consider that even terrorist groups have agendas.
The new strategy is slowly beginning to work in the way the terrorists first intended. The American people have slowly but surely begun to question their government leaders and are currently screaming for some type of change. In a democratic society you shouldn’t waste time with politicians when it is the public that needs to be made aware of the need for adjustments. It won’t be long before the rest of the country begins to see the real cause of the problem and starts to demand solutions.
As long as the U.S. continues to support and defend Israel we will be a target. Bringing troops home from Iraq will not end the violence. A democratic Iraqi people will not stem the flow of blood. Everyone has a hidden agenda. The U.S. is no exception to the rule. If you expect to get the truth you can never accept what you are given as the whole story. Our government will only give us the information they feel we need to know. We as a people are losing the war on ignorance.