On Iraq, My Birthday, and Ketchup

On Iraq

I have always prided myself in my ability to understand abstract ideas… to pick apart logic and find a solution. One thing I will never understand is the liberal mind. It’s too twisted… It’s convoluted. I have this burning question in my mind that I will prolly never have answered… “Do they even think about things before they spew politics, or do they just adopt any idiotic idea that flies their way?”

I am currently rather frustrated by an anti-war bumper sticker that I saw. It said “Iraq is costing US an arm and a leg”… First of all, they used horrible grammar, false causation and it’s a falacy… it should read “The war on terrorism is costing the US a lot of money”Yes, we all know that the term “Arm and a leg” Is cute, and we do all understand the meaning but, don’t you think that’s in bad taste? “Iraq” a.k.a. the war on terrorism has costed the US a lot more than an arm and a leg. It’s costed us families, it’s costed us lives, it’s costed us brothers and fathers and sons, and husbands and best friends… What do you tell a weaping wife and mother? “Yeah, we lost an arm and a leg.”… That’s not funny… that’s not NICE… that’s just down right in bad taste… What they meant is that it’s cost us a lot of time, effort, money, and lives… Even that is flawed. Comparitively this war has had very little cost. Stick the stats of the war on terror up to the stats of WWII and this war looks like an afternoon picnic. And speaking of pointless wars, The war on terror has more point then the first world war did. Frankly, the US didn’t have to get into the first world war. It wasn’t really our business. We were just floating along like good Americans. The war on terror? September 11 2001. Terrorists made it our business when they knocked down our towers and killed our innocent civillians. The war on terror has two purposes. 1) protect innocent people in Iraq from the tyrany of their terrorist leaders and 2) prevent terrorism from spreading to our beloved America. it’s our business… Innocent people are dying. It has to stop. “But Grace! People are dying from the war!” Yes, people are dying from the war. But have you ever heard the song “cruel to be kind”? The answer to that is simply, in order to preserve innocent life, we must sacrifice the guilty… and there will also be sacrifices in the military, but you know what, the agreed to it. They didn’t go onto the battlefield and not understand that there is a chance that they might lay down their life for their country. They weighed the risk, and they are willing to pay the price for freedom. yes, there will be people killed. but the number of people killed in the war is miniscule compared to how many people would be killed under the tyrany that we’re fighting to iradicate. Up until this point I have been enlightening you. What I am REALLY mad about is the fact that, if Obama pulls out before the war is over, then we will lose all ground we have gained during these years at war. Every man who died on the battlefield will have died for NOTHING! Absolutely nothing. Nada! Zip! Zilch! Zero! Their life would be worth nothing more then the average person that dies! They don’t gain anything for themselves, their country, their family by dying for a cause that is lost. They gain a brick in a memorial, a folded flag, and a place to rest eternally. Their family gains a lot of heartache and maybe a handout from the government, that is, if the government is still in place. This is all IF they died in vain. If we succeed(Which, if we stay in Iraq, we will.), then their life will have meant something. They can say they died so that the iraqi people, the american people, and countless others can live free from terrorism. That, my friend, is something worth dying for. That is something worth giving up a loved one for. 

These Liberals, they say we have to pull out of Iraq because of all the lives lost… That’s completely backwards. We have to stay in because of the lives lost. We have to finish the story and give it a happy ending. We have to give the people that died a reason to have died. We have to give them honor in death. 

To all you veterans, servicemen and women, to all you families of those who have suffered losses, to all you who have given of yourselves for the fight against terror, and most importantly all who have died for the cause, I salute you. Thanks for your sacrifice. I pray most fervently to the only true God that it hasn’t been in vain.

On My Birthday:

Thank you all who wished me a happy birthday, who gave a gift, who made a beautiful meal of my favorite BBQ pork and rich chocolate cake with fudge frosting(mom), who sang me songs, who gave me hugs, who took the time to pick out or make cards, who gave love. It means a lot to me. For those of you who know me, you’ll testify to the fact that I don’t do landmarks in time well. I don’t like to be reminded of how old I’m getting, and how slow I’m going. The ratio of time:growth is rather depressing. Let’s just say three years ago I was anorexic… Today I still struggle with it. On every landmark there is an accompanying bad memory/remeniscence. To put it blatantly, I’m a very nostalgic person. I think about my days of innocence with a regretful eye. There are days when I honestly wish I could do it over again. I would do over my twelfth year…. and my thirteenth… last summer… bits and pieces of my single digit years… like the part where my innocence got trashed and my mind became defiled. On the other hand, I’ve grown a lot spiritually. I’ve talked with people, I’ve talked with God, I’ve grown with people, I’ve grown with God… I wouldn’t trade those experiences for all the innocence in the world.

Long story short. I don’t like Birthdays, Christmasses, New Years, Easter(nothing to do with nostalgia, btw), Halloween(I never liked that holiday, I have to watch kids have fun that I never had because of my parents… not blaming you Mom and Dad… I Just don’t like giving selfish children candy), November 16-19. The only one that I like really is Thanksgiving, because it’s not focused on me. It’s focused on all the important people in life. There’s no reason for me to be nostalgic, just gushy about how all you guys have stuck to me like glue through all the storms.

Long story short made even shorter, I don’t like my birthday because it makes me feel old and like I’ve been running in circles and gained nothing at all in the long run.

The moral of the story is, thanks for making my birthday memorable and different from all the other years. Thanks for giving me something positive to look forward to next year.

Honorable mentions: Mom, for making me the yummiest meal made out of pork and chocolate EVER! You’re the best, I love you. Anna, Bekah, Casandra, and Mary, for brainstorming all those cards/gag gifts that made me laugh my head off. You’re all amazing! Claire, for making the cutest homemade birthday card ever that I will cherish always(It has a whirlwind, and a loaf of bread, and a car, and a rainbow, some musical note stickers, and a bunch of letters that she wrote all by herself(they spell “Happy Birthday” “Grace” and “Claire”. That’s pretty impressive for a four year old.) I love you Claire, You will always hold a very special place in my heart. Thanks to the lifegroup that I babysit for, It was sweet to remember me on my birthday and get me the shampoo, conditioner and body wash(They’re my favorite scent). Thanks also for singing the birthday song and some of you also sang a personalized rendition of “Amazing Grace”. That was the perfect finish to a perfect birthday. Last but not least, to all my friends who were in Italy over my birthday, thanks for sending my a facebook message informing me that you were all thinking of me on my birthday.

I’m about to cry. I know that each person contributed a small amount to it, and that most of you didn’t go out of your way much. But it’s all the little things put together that were done subconsciously that make it mean all the more. There aren’t any remains of a shadow of a doubt that I’m loved. Thanks.

On Ketchup:

That’s right, I’m going to talk about that sticky red stuff that you put on hamburgers…. jk.

Basically, I’ve been having a good week. I’ve eaten more than I thought humanly possible. I’ve slept more then a tree sloth. I’ve laughed more then a laughing hyena. I’ve loved more then Barney, and I’ve thanked so many people that I’m about to burst open with gratitude.

Over and Out.

~Grace