It is 'Liberty's Century' once again with Bush
Ventura Star, October 17, 2004
By Terry Paulson, PhD

As I watched Iraq's Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's address to Congress and press conference earlier this month, I had a growing sense that I was listening to a founding father of liberty in the Middle East. His words did not convey the rosy picture that John Kerry would have us believe. He painted a difficult but determined road to democracy in Iraq. Like all great patriotic leaders, Allawi knows the cost of freedom and the importance of keeping hope alive for those who fight and struggle to achieve it.

"If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." -- Patriot Samuel Adams

In our success, have we forgotten the cost our Founding Fathers paid to achieve American independence? Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes destroyed or burned. Two lost their sons serving in the war; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships as a result of the war. These men signed that declaration pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. They paid the price for the freedom we cherish today. They had security, but they valued liberty more. In our fight for freedom from English tyranny, the French stood by us and provided vital aid to the American insurgents in our war for independence.

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." -- Patriot Benjamin Franklin

Today, we stand with Britain and our other allies in support of liberty in Iraq. President Bush has challenged the world to make this "Liberty's Century." He has never said that the road would be easy or that there would not be setbacks, but his resolve is clear: "To retreat now would betray our mission, our word and our friends. ... America will keep its commitments.'"

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -- Patriot Thomas Jefferson

Allawi made it clear to a joint meeting of Congress that there is more to the story in Iraq than what the world sees on their nightly news: "On television sets around the world, we see acts of violence, yet, in most of Iraq, children are about to go back to school, parents are going back to work and new businesses are being opened."

As always, true optimism is not based on Pollyanna thinking; it is based on a track record of overcoming obstacles on the road to success and believing that with hard work, liberty will succeed again. This is a time for optimism. Allawi is asking America and the allies to stand with them and to fight for their freedom.

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." -- Patriot Thomas Paine

Allawi knows the cost of pessimism: "When political leaders sound the sirens of defeatism in the face of terrorism, it only encourages more violence."

For all Kerry's talk about support for Iraq and his promise to involve more allies in the cause, his remarks have done nothing but demean the allies we do have! Instead of honoring Allawi, Kerry questions his sincerity: "The prime minister and the president are here, obviously, to put their best face on the policy. But the fact is that the CIA estimates, the reporting, the ground operations and the troops all tell a different story."

As Allawi stays the course toward elections in January, he knows that they will not be perfect and that terrorist violence may well escalate as the date draws near. But Allawi and Bush both know that having elections will be a dramatic defeat for terrorism and an opportunity for democracy to take root in Iraq! That is worth fighting for!

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." -- Patriot Thomas Paine

Kerry's recent comments and past track record give those who support Allawi but one choice this November. Kerry's only plan is a call for enlisting allies, accelerating training of Iraqi security forces and speeding preparations for Iraqi national elections -- goals already supported by Bush.

Bush walks the talk of leadership. Kerry does not exhibit the resolve, the determination or the leadership to prevail in this war for liberty. Maybe that is why the likes of Zel Miller and Ed Koch, longtime loyal Democrats, have already taken a stand for liberty by supporting the re-election of Bush in November. May we as Americans proudly take our place in Iraq's future history books as a country that stood for liberty once again!

Terry Paulson, Ph.D., from Agoura Hills, CA, is a professional speaker on making change work and author of The Dinner: The Political Conversation Your Mother Told You Never to Have

—May we never forget how truly blessed we are!