It was in 1991 that Saddam Hussein ordered the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait with the intention to seize control of the oil-rich country and the money that such oil resources generated.
In response to this act of aggression, the United States launched Operation Desert Storm, with one massive yet straightforward objective: push Saddam Hussein's military forces back across the Iraqi border. With help from its allies, American forces pulverized the Iraqi army with over two thousand air strikes per day. It was no surprise to anyone that it took hardly a month to drive the tattered remains of Saddam's army back into Iraq. This stunning victory proved that if we as a nation have the willpower to defeat a dangerous enemy, we can do so swiftly and efficiently.
Those who believe that we crushed the threat of radical Islam in the years following 9/11 were proven dead wrong after Sunday morning. Whether we want to admit it or not, radical Islam is at war with America. It will not stop, it will not negotiate, it will, however, fight tooth and nail until America is on its knees.
Peace should not come at the price of us having to live in fear of the next terrorist attack. I for one would rather die on my feet fighting this barbaric enemy than have to live on my knees begging for them not to attack me. We should be willing to negotiate for peace, fight for peace, die for it, but we should NEVER surrender for peace.
If the peace and freedom we as Americans cherish so much are not worth fighting and dying for, what is worth dying for? Should the Colonists have thrown down their weapons and refused to fight for freedom from the British? Should we have stood by idly in the face of the Nazi advance into Europe?
I do not fear how ISIS will retaliate to an American response; I am afraid of how ISIS will retaliate if we do nothing.
The worst mistake we can make in the aftermath of the Orlando terrorist attack is to do nothing. It is simply un-American for us to respond with inaction to the senseless slaughter of Americans. America can no longer afford to be indifferent and afraid in the face of such a determined and dangerous enemy. Now is a time for actions, not words. Now is a time to face the reality that we live in and not let political correctness adversely affect our judgment.
It is a tragic fact that civilians will inevitably become stuck in the crossfire. Yes, American servicemen might perish in the line of duty during such an operation, but continuing our current policy of pinprick strikes will only ensure that we will someday find ourselves on the defensive against ISIS. When that day comes, they will have become so dangerous and spread out that any operation would force us to commit hundreds of thousands of American troops into what could very well become one of the bloodiest wars we have fought in decades. ISIS has had its fun; now it is the time we light up their world like the Forth of July and bring the full might of the American military down on their heads before they become an enemy we can hardly even imagine.
The future of America and the free world as we know it is in our hands. We can either pick up our heads and preserve this freedom and peace for our children; or we can look the others way, refuse to fight back, and seal the fate for America's future.