"We've opened the door for you."

March 21, 2007 - This nation observed as anti-war protesters of varying stripes took to the streets over the weekend to voice their opposition to an Iraqi war that has now entered its fourth year. We are a nation, you see, that affords its citizens the inalienable rights to speak freely and assemble peacefully for the purpose of petitioning the government. This is a nation in which we are allowed to practice freely any religion we choose, or openly renounce it. People flock to the United States of America if for no other reason than to enjoy the rights and freedoms extended to each of its citizens. However, the First Amendment is quite nebulous when it comes to defining the degree to which protesters may advance their "cause". Left unchecked, a protest has the potential to reach a point where it not only loses its effectiveness, but becomes a security concern. At that point, it is no longer a "protest". It is a "mob".

Of particular interest was an anti-war demonstration held in Portland, Oregon under the guise of a "peace rally". No, this wasn't a case involving a group of loony, peace-loving flower sniffers sitting in a circle singing, "Kumbaya" whilst holding signs that read, "War is wrong, give peace a chance." No, this was a gutless mob whose members--most of whom could not have been over the age of 17, valiantly chose to don ski masks to protect their identity. Their message? Quite literally, "Stop Funding Israel Apartheid!", "F^*K the troops!" and "No God, No Country, No Masters", were the words written on just a few of the signs that were paraded around the streets of downtown Portland. It didn't stop there. These cowards chose to torch an American soldier in effigy, as well as an American flag. All of this happened as grown adults, sporting smiles while frantically grabbing for their camera phones, looked on and said nothing. Similar demonstrations were observed across the country over the weekend, including San Francisco, where over 50 anti-war protesters slathered themselves up with "fake blood" and pretended to lie dead on sidewalks.

This baffles me. That these people fail to see the unthinkable ramifications of a sudden troop withdrawal from Iraq is beyond my span of comprehension. But what really concerns me are the American men and women in uniform. How are our soldiers left to feel? Do anti-war protesters and demonstrators stop, if even for a moment, to think about that? What do their vitriolic demonstrations do to the morale of the soldiers who place themselves in harm's way, daily, to provide the very blanket of freedom under which American citizens--most of whom are spineless cowards who are about as close to serving their country as they are to eating it, are free to insult their great service by burning effigies of them along with the very flag for which they are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice?

To these anti-war demonstrators, I have but this to say: Know that your demonstrations did nothing to facilitate peace. They did nothing to modify our objectives in Iraq. Nothing. Your actions were seen, your message heard, and, one day soon, you will undoubtedly see the results. Unfortunately, they will not be the results you expected nor this country needs. You see, your mindless ramblings and cowardly actions have effectively sent a clear message not to our government, but to an enemy that has the same passion for death as you have for life--the same enemy whose entire ideology is predicated upon their successful infiltration and destruction of your country. Yes, they heard you loud and clear: "Come in, Brothers. We've opened the door for you."