Our Men in Blue!

We very rarely praise our men in blue. They put their lives on the line every day without knowing when a routine traffic stop will erupt in a fusillade of bullets, or when an outraged spouse will emerge brandishing a shotgun when they respond to a domestic disturbance.

We argue giving them a pittance of a pay raise. We debate their right to free speech. We angrily point our fingers when the rare bad apple gets caught with their hand ‘in the till’.

One fact we often forget, is that our men in blue are all volunteers. They accept the danger, they accept the pay, they accept the criticism, and they accept the toll their job takes on their families, all for the thankless task of keeping us safe.

Imagine the men in blue in Iraq. Whether gathering in their headquarters, manning a checkpoint, or responding to a call, imagine how they feel as they wonder when they will be hit yet again by a chlorine truck bomb. Imagine the thrill of life they enjoy being one of the top targets of al-Qaeda terrorists.

Why are they targeted? Because it is these men in blue who will eventually bring the peace in Iraq. Politicians may set the rules, but the men in blue enforce them. The imams may talk peace, but it is the men in blue who act to bring it about.

The US Military is there to help, but the Iraqi men in blue are those constantly manning the front lines. And they also are volunteers.

They are not conscripts forced into serving at the pleasure of a dictator. They are not peons made to follow their masters bidding. They are men trying to make a country safe for its people.
They need our help. Will we turn our back on them as the democratic congress wants to do? Let them ‘sink or swim’ on their own? Or will we stand beside them and let them know that we are a country faithful to our promises, and that we will be faithful to those who are fighting to earn their countries freedom.

President Bush’s ‘troop surge’ is working. Even the most liberal pundits in the world of the press are beginning to report on the growing areas of peace throughout areas that were previously too dangerous to enter.

The Iraqi people are starting to feel safe. People fill the newly reopened coffee shops, the newly reopened book stores, and yes, even the newly reopened amusement park in Baghdad.
Is our job in Iraq complete? Not yet. Will the killing stop? Once again, not yet. But things are looking up. Baghdad and the citizens of Iraq deserve every chance they can get. Like the Jews realizing their freedom as they walked out of the death camps of Germany, the Iraqi citizens are finally smelling the wonderful aroma of freedom.