[.BatteryPoison.]

Iraq - Do you know what this place was like while Saddam ruled? Do you know how many people died for absolutely nothing? Do you remember when he had thousands upon thousands of political prisoners, then said to his country, "I've decided to free them all"? All their families came to the gates and no one came out because they were all dead. A dictatorship was not what Iraq was while Saddam was in power. It was a totalitarianism. You couldn't say something without it eventually entering the wrong ear. And if it did, you'd be dragged out of your home and shot in the street. He has seen to it that nearly a million Iraqis died. Yes, the entire country is a war-zone now and there's chaos running rampid, but at least the people are getting a taste of freedom* for the first time.

Saddam - He sat in an Iraqi courtroom where he was read the charges on which he was being put on trial for. Right now he's trying to seek a neutral country to hold him until his trial in Iraq because he's worried someone is going to smother him in the night.

Afganistan - There's actually a government there and structure to the country. There are civil rights and the nation isn't being run by a bunch of criminals who have helped to fund terrorist organizations. The government is just getting established (like in Iraq), but they're obviously still weak and that means oportunity for regimes and other organizations to enter in an operate. Right now the DEA is in Afghanistan trying to deal with the Opium problem. I'd rather have Opium coming out of that country rather than trained terrorists who know how to infiltrate the US and launch multi-million dollar attacks that cripple the nation.

Terrorist-Supporting regimes - I read this after I posted this morning (right before I had to leap out the door and go to work) and knew the pluralization (which I didn't really mean) was gong to come back and bite me on the ass. What I intended (though didn't convey) is just in refference to the Taliban.

War Agains Terror - the US is a major player in this effort. No doubt that Britain has had to put up with having their airport security carry around loaded sub-machine guns for a long time now. Just has most other European nations have had to battle terrorists long before 9/11.

Patriotism - For a while, it was popular to sit around and do what Moore and Kerry do. Critize the government and march around, stomp up and down, and protest everything they do. But for a nice brief period, most of the nation stood behind Bush and all said, "Let's get these fuckers." We were united in a cause. There was an alarming amount of support for us going into Afghanistan and kicking the shit out of their regime. It didn't make the world better, but I feel at that time, our nation stood more united than it has in a long time.

(They have rights and freedom of speech - which is actually causing more problems FOR the Iraqi government and US troops)