Why Is The United States Expected To Sacrifice Our Young Men And Women For Countries Who Do Not Take Care Of Their Own Problems?

As a mother of two young boys, I can’t help but ask this question every time I read an article of more Americans killed on foreign land. Do not misunderstand me, I love my country and would die to defend it, but I have to ask myself, “How are we defending America in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and other countries?”

I personally believe that we should not be taking care of other countries' problems when we have so many of our own. Imagine the possibilities if all the men and women that are deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq were used to benefit our country, here on our homeland. Imagine what we could have accomplished in our Nation with all the money we’ve spent and are continuing to spend on wars on foreign lands.

We could have more man power to help fight the war on drugs that is invading the United States and attacking children as young as kindergarten right in our own backyard. To believe that we can reduce the drug production in other countries is ludicrous. We do not have control, nor will we ever have control, of what others are doing in their country. We can make a difference in America if we quit wasting our efforts on unattainable causes. Most important we need to quit sending our children to die for causes that the people of those country are not willing to fight themselves.

We have more than enough issues to keep our military busy here in our own land. Our military could be used to make America a safer place in our own homeland, than to be used for countries that have no intention of changing their way of thinking and who do not appreciate nor feel the pain of the sacrifices that thousands of American mothers and fathers have made, when their child comes back in a body bag.

We need to realize that change comes from within. If the citizens of Iraq, Afghanistan and other nations are not willing to stand-up for their own Nation and fight for change themselves, then change will never happen. No amount of force will change the mind of one single person, let alone millions. Change has to come from inside and only then can a country in turmoil flourish to become a great nation, like America.

I think it is time that we leave these countries to take ownership of their own problems and find their own resolutions that will benefit their countries as a whole.

by: Geneva Nannapaneni

On Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

National Review Online’s
The Agenda Blog

Published: Friday October 9, 2009
by: Reihan Salam

http://agenda.nationalreview.com/

The Agenda, which focuses on debates by the Obama White House and conservatives, is written by Reihan Salam. Mr. Salam, who works at the New America Foundation, writes on politics, culture, and technology. A few of Salam’s creditials include previous associate editor at The Atlantic, a producer for NBC News, worked for the New York Times, a research associate at the Council of Foreign Relations and a reporter-researcher at The New Republic. He also writes regularly for Forbes.com, The Daily Beast, Slate, and Foreign Policy, and is the editor of The American Scene.

Mr. Salam is criticizing the Nobel Peace Prize committee for choosing President Barack Obama for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. I think Mr. Salam’s intended audiences are conservatives.

Mr. Salam is amazed that the Nobel Peace Prize Committee chose President Obama. He even goes on say that he agreed with the Committee’s 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights activist, but does not know “why” President Obama won, when there are so many human rights activists out there who deserve to win.

I have to admit that when my husband first told me on Friday morning that President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, I too was surprised, as was my husband. We both asked ourselves, “What did he do?” I did not know much about the kind of things President Obama, might have been involved with, which would have caught the attention of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee.

Apparently, Mr. Salam and I are both ignorant on “why” the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually according to Alfred Nobel’s will, "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

Nobel officials said their stunning pick was meant to build momentum behind President Obama's initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism.

President Obama is not being recognized for any life long break through, but rather for his courageous efforts toward the peaceful cooperation between all nations. That is “why” President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize and that is “why” he deserves it.