How about one more scandal?

With all the radical exposures going on around Orange
County and the nation, we wonder, maybe just one more
scandal won’t hurt that much.

As we sit here eyeballing partisan concerns regarding
personal conduct unbefitting those so elected or even
appointed….we have to say: Shouldn’t we be doing
something to actually fix something in the midst of
all these bathroom irregularities?

The latest edition of the Army Times, dated September 3rd
just came in the mail today. Hey, a lot of the usual bad
news: we lost 17 brave Americans in combat operations from
August 17th – August 23rd in Iraqi Freedom. We lost one
soldier in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The
totals run: Since March 19th, 2003 to August 23rd this year:
3,699 Killed; 27,506 wounded in action. To be fair, more
than half of those wounded were returned to duty within 30
days.

General David Petraeus is scheduled to report to Congress
and the President the first week of September regarding the
effects of the “Surge” and give the American people an idea
of the positives and the negatives. My old unit; the 2nd
Armored Stryker Brigade has been deployed for a 15 month
tour in Baghdad and there abouts. Our prayers are with these
flower of American youth. We wish them all safe return from
Harm’s Way……and bless them for their angelic devotion to
duty and the honor of these United States. Sometimes we
remember the words from “Full Metal Jacket”…about a Marine
unit that when interviewed said: “These little yellow people
are the greatest human beings we will ever know! When we win
this war…we will be forced to go back to a country where no
one there is worth killing!” Sadly, every one of our soldiers
killed breaks our heart. Every one that comes home and is
treated less than honorably….breaks our heart even more!

With these things in mind, Major Morgan Smiley is presently
assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas and posted a full page OP Ed
regarding what we needed to do in the War on Terror. Major
Smiley brings a new/old idea into the conversation and we
support his perceptions. The Major says: “I’m going out on
a limb and recommend a radical move in order to win in Iraq
and subsequently, defeat Islamic terrorists!” he opines. The
Major suggests in no uncertain terms “Protectorate” is the key
word relating to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of the past
“Protectorates” that yielded great success includes: Hawaii,
the Philippines, the Virgin Islands, Wake Island and a variety
of other Island groups! Whether you agree with the Major or
not – this, thinking out of the box is a good thing!

Joe Biden’s idea to divide Iraq into three separate countries
makes no sense…without dividing the wealth of the entire
country three ways – which is not going to happen! Major
Smiley believes that by taking up residence for the foreseeable
future in Iraq…we can take our time – reward those areas that
play ball and chastise those that don’t. We can let the many
civilian authorities decide basic laws – as long as they match
our view point. We can stop baby sitting Mouqtah Al-Sadr and
any other “self styled militias”. We can take our time and have
them either play ball or be taken out smartly. We can cut down
the number of troops deployed by half and “cherry pick” who, when
and what we want to hit….and when we want to hit them.

When we left Vietnam….over 2.5 million people died in either
Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam – by either ethnic cleansing or by
political fiat. If we don’t mind having Iraqi or Taliban
terrorist groups repeating that kind activity..no problem.
Whoever wins the next US election will have their opportunity
– to make that call. Major Smiley…thinks we can do better.
He thinks we should not relinquish our military advantage
….but make this an opportunity for Iraq to indeed decide its
own future. As a “Protectorate” America has made a commitment
that is not going away…until there is peace and law and
order in those countries! Any other choice, leaves us with
guilt, a major power vacuum in the Middle East and millions
of innocents dead. The US Senate would make this call, with
the approval of the President!

Whatever will be decided for Iraq and Afghanistan should include
the safety of all those who wish to be saved! No International
Peacekeeping Group can do it……the buck stops here! We made
the spill – and we need to clean it up. Our prayers and wishes
for divine protection of our troops – always! Thanks Major
Smiley….for thinking creatively! We like your idea!