Fed up

Recently in Iraq a Koran was found on a US firing range, and it had been used by a sniper for target practice. The Iraqis were very offended and the US military has disciplined the soldier and removed him from Iraq. After that, the top American commander in Baghdad and some of his officers held a formal ceremony apologizing to tribal chiefs in Radwaniyah, the area where the incident happened. Yesterday, President Bush called al - Maliki the Prime Minister of Iraq and personally apologized, and also told Maliki "The sniper would be put on trial".

I am not condoning what the soldier did, no one should deface any holy book. But for our President to announce to the world that we will put this soldier on trial? Ridiculous. Our soldiers are on their second, third, or fourth tours to a miserable place, fighting a war that has been totally mismanaged, watching captured comrades be tortured and killed, coping with IEDs and homicide bombers, so in this writers opinion we should give them some slack. Would the response be the same if one of our enemies defaced a bible? Would the President of that country call and make a personal apology to our President? I don't think so.

I for one am fed up with the "over sensitivity" and political correctness we apply when dealing with anything Muslim. Many Mideast countries including our "allies" Saudi Arabia, do not even allow a bible in their countries. Theo Van Gough in Holland takes a stand against the treatment of woman by Muslims, and is viciously murdered. A Danish newspaper prints some cartoons of Mohammad and they are now under constant security protection because of death threats. A Dutch politician makes a short movie criticizing Islam and cannot even leave his home now because of a "fatwa" or Muslim holy order for his murder.

I am watching a newscast from the Mideast this evening and people there are up in arms over this incident. They want the US "occupiers" out of Iraq and the rest of the Mideast. They are calling for this soldier to be punished by cutting his hands off - a real civilized approach to discipline.

Why do we kneel down to these people? Oil, that's why. Without Mideast oil the US economy would be hurt bad and they know it. Maybe we should just say "the hell with the Mideast", pull out, and let them go back to the 15th century. This will never happen because the consequences for us (and them) would be bad. But why keep helping people that turn around and spit in our face? Pulling out of the Mideast would hurt us bad but maybe that's the wake up call the USA needs to get their act together and become energy self sufficient again.