Bay of Tranquility

In yesterday’s magnificent article for elmundo.es, Mónica Bernabé explained the perilous tasks that American soldiers perform to prevent the Taliban from sowing the roads with bombs and other mortal traps in Afghanistan. Americans are deemed imperialists so often these days, yet I don’t know if people are aware of the fact that this is their job: preventing people from being killed.

When we discuss the war in Iraq, criticize the Americans and call for George W. Bush to be tried for genocide, I don’t know if people remember that the leaders of the free world brought down a murderous tyrant and established a democracy. What the irresponsible left wing calls resistance is a group of terrorists faithful to Saddam; they are like supporters of Franco trying to destroy our democracy. I also don’t know if people who criticize the recent military actions of Israel are aware of the fact that it is the only democracy in that area. When the right to self-defense is denied to a country, so is the right to exist. Hezbollah is still a terrorist group that is obsessed with the destruction of Israel and despises democracy and freedom.

Freedom, democracy and progress haven’t been easy achievements, nor has the job of keeping them safe gotten any easier. The threats are constant. Islam is an even more serious threat than communism was, not only for Israel and America but for all of us. Every time Israel or America wins a war, they take us away from certain defeat. Every time they bring down a tyrant or work to bring peace to a certain area, the conditions of our bay of tranquility improve. We have sailed that bay for centuries, and we consider it our vested right to do so. We have forgotten the sacrifices we have made to defend and protect that bay.