Freedom Is Not Free

I think the inscription on a wall at the Korean War Memorial in Washington says it all - "Freedom is not free."

Let us not forget that our own country's fight for independence continued for another seven years after we declared it. And even then, the British came back again in 1812 to try and take it away.

Let us not forget the gargantuan issues our country faced for decades until it was finally resolved in violent struggle. The Civil War was nearly America's undoing; instead, an entire segment of the population was liberated, and we became a stronger nation.

Let us not forget the juggernaut of Nazi Germany and its evil Axis of fascist allies who sought to shape the world in their twisted image. The struggle was monumental - and came at a very high cost - but it was necessary.

The struggle against Communism and it oppresive ways has manifested in many ways. One of the most visible ways is in Korea, where many perished as two mighty powers vied for control of the peninsula. Even today, the struggle remains an unresolved stalemate as both sides stare at each other across a 54-year-old cease fire line.

We went into Vietnam hoping to stem the tide of Communist agression; failing this mission would start a domino effect of losing the rest of southeast Asia. We flinched. Vietnam fell. So did Laos. And Cambodia. And Burma. In Cambodia, some one to two million people were eliminated in the killing fields by that murderous regime.

So what about Iraq? Are we going to flinch there, too? Granted, the war has proved difficult. Probably because we're playing too nice, too politically correct. But this war has not been any more difficult than any previous struggle.

I admire my fellow Americans for wanting peace. It is a good cause. It is just. It is honorable. But peace - like freedom - is not free.

We are dealing with an enemy that thinks America has gone soft and are more than willing to prove it. They don't understand the freedoms we enjoy. They have no Bill of Rights. They are intolerant of any religion other than their own. Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, something else, nothing else, or even some sort of Muslim, you are on their hit list.

This is a small but tenacious enemy. They must be dealt with over there or we will be dealing with them over here. Perhaps it's already too late. But we must be prepared to struggle.

Freedom is not free. That's not a suggestion. It's a fact. Let's not forget that.