I do not put “stuff” on the Net unless I am begging for Operation In As Much (Mars Hill Baptist Church). But here goes…..

Lately I have become increasingly tired of having the “bullwhip” laid on my back from everyone with a “cause.” As tax time rolls around and I find I still owe the “Feds” a check, my patience runs shorter. Mind you, I have never been one of those people who find every tax dodge in the world to avoid paying taxes. I do not own a few acres of ground and count all my vehicles, grass seed, fertilizer, etc. as farm deductions while working on a fulltime public job (I realize these are legitimate deductions, but are they ethical?).

I have never counted anything on my tax that was not beyond the shadow of a doubt a legitimate and ethical deduction. The only tax shelter I have or have ever had is an IRA/401 Keough plan. I support my church, foreign missions, and most every other good cause that comes to my attention. I have never been on the receiving end of welfare; and except for a few short weeks, have never drawn unemployment (not that there is any shame in either if the need is there). I have never committed a crime, except for a speeding violation.

I do not begrudge that a large portion of my taxes goes to benefit people the world over who call me a big, bad, ugly American. For the past few years I have been making monthly donations to an organization that provides food, clothing, and medical care to Third World countries. I am not alone. There are millions like me all across the United States. We are mainstream Americans who quietly go about our lives—being the backbone of America. By now, you are probably wondering what this tirade is all about. Well, it’s about world peace and impending war of course! I have come to realize that… I have had a bellyful of so-called “stars”, a goodly portion who have little enough sense (nice old mountain phrase) not to burn their nostrils out with cocaine, who travel to Iraq and thus become experts on world affairs---Sean Penn. Ditto for “stars” who use their popularity to get on TV shows and rant and rave like idiots against President Bush. Martin Sheen really is just an actor! Susan Sarandon? Just exactly the person I want to consult on foreign affairs. I must admit Mike Farrell at least has a mind and is polite enough to listen when other people talk. “Stars” tell us “it is a war of oil.”

If they believe this to be true, I have some really good advice for them: sell your palatial homes and buy a small house; get rid of your fleet of cars and drive a small economy car. I have a VW diesel that gets 54 miles per gallon. Sell your private jet or if you don’t own a jet, stop jetting all over the world; use the Internet or telephone. Quit heating your swimming pool; California’s warmer than Mars Hill: I know because sometimes the big heater doesn’t work in the MHC pool.

I have had a bellyful of pious clergy and selected laity telling Christians what bad boys and girls we all are if we do not share their political opinions (and that is just what they are, political opinions). There is probably more of a case to be made for pro-war than anti-war in the Bible. What’s wrong with staying at home and helping the Iraqis in Michigan and those scattered about the US who were tortured at the hands of Hussein?

I saw some of these people interviewed on TV. They would like to go back home. One man stated that since he has been in America and has a taste of freedom, he is anxious to go back to Iraq and put freedom in place for all his countrymen. As a matter of fact, I saw the man on “Good Morning America” who would like to take Hussein’s place. His statement was that the Iraqis would see the Americans as liberators and would welcome them. Since he is currently in hiding in Iraq and is an Iraqi, I believe he knows more than we about how the Iraqi people feel.

We could send him a little aid or personally go over to “shield” him from Saddam. After all, he is well educated (holds a doctorate) and would like to see a democratic government in place in Iraq. But I guess silent help is just not glamorous enough for some. Just this morning (2/26/03), the man (I didn’t quite catch his name but believe it is O’Keefe) who started the current human shield idea in Iraq was on “Good Morning America”; he is a former marine who gives new meaning to the term “jarhead.”

When asked what the human shield people would do if Saddam Hussein places them at military installations (Iraq’s foreign minister has already said that these people would be placed at strategic locations), O’Keefe replied that they would just leave. Now, there’s a guy that I want insuring the safety of my life. I did a quick look to see if Alice and the Mad Hatter were there, but it turned out to be a little old lady who was not quite sure why she was in Iraq except that she is for non-violence. Get a grip! ALL CHRISTIANS are for non-violence. The human shield people’s lack of an intelligent thought process is an embarrassment to the United States. Most of the time I am aware that a lot of my actions are un-Christian, no matter how hard I try for them not to be. However, Christ doesn’t teach that we need to be perfect; we just need to strive to be more Christ-like; we are already forgiven. I do puzzle over how Christians determine it is better to support an evil dictator who plays them like a harp than to go with a democracy that has provided safe haven for many of the world’s distressed. One night last week, while watching a TV news program, I heard a clergyman say that President Bush mentions God too much. I have to imagine that the loving God I know chuckled at the idiocy of that statement. I have had a bellyful of marchers who, when interviewed say “You’re not the one who has to go; I don’t want to go.” We didn’t ask you to go. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION: the draft is gone; no one wants the draft reinstated, not even the Secretary of Defense; the military is now classified as a career. You won’t go unless: GUESS WHAT?---- you volunteer. By the way, if you do volunteer, military service means that you might be called upon to defend your country and fight for freedom around the world. Military service does not mean that you play soldier; YOU ARE A SOLDIER AND I AM PROUD OF YOU! If your mother wants to march in protest against the war so that you won’t have to go, she should have convinced you not to join the military in the first place. No, I don’t have to go. Neither do you. My family and friends “already went” so that you don’t have to go! Yes, I do know that’s bad grammar.

We now have protest people in the State of Washington who are going to do acts of terrorism if the war erupts. This answers a question I have had for a long time----why do so many serial killers come from the Pacific Northwest?---must be all the rain or lack of brain.

I do know that part of the marchers are professional. My cousin’s daughter is a professional protestor. When she graduated from high school at 16 (IQ out the roof) she decided she didn’t want to waste her time in college but would travel the US and the world as a protestor. She and her group protest anything and everything. And yes, she has been around the globe, although I’m not sure she has enough common sense to go around the block. Bet you never knew these professional protestors exist in numbers larger than you would believe. I didn’t either until Ellen joined their numbers.

I have had a bellyful of “allies” who are never there unless we “ante up” with billions of dollars in foodstuffs, loans that will never be repaid, or anything else we promise in order to “buy” a so- called peace for the world.

I don’t like French wine or French cuisine and have never had a desire to visit Paris. I will admit that I do like German cars and Belgian waffles; however, I can do without them if necessity demands. Now, about all the industry we’ve sent out of the country (you know, the goose that laid the golden egg during the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s). I’m ready to have that returned to us any day, in fact, the sooner the better. My husband is tired of driving 65 miles one way to work every day, although I do blame the greedy rich for this.

The reason France and Germany are acting so snotty should not surprise anyone. The French are heavily invested in Iraq and don’t want to help pay for any restoration after the war. Ditto for Germany who has had a hard time building its economy back after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s always about US dollars. Even Turkey is holding out for twenty billion instead of the promised five, with five more to come.

A word for President Fox, our “ally” directly to the south, the one who is holding out for open borders and no-trade restrictions. We have 33,000 military personnel protecting the borders of South Korea who would love to come home and patrol our borders. We could kill two birds with one stone: South and North Korea “happy and united” once again, as they tell the whole world they want to be, and our military back home in the good old US of A keeping out illegal aliens who are bankrupting our hospital and healthcare systems, our welfare system, etc., etc., etc.

I’m really getting scared because I’m starting to sound so much like Pat Buchanan. I’ve always considered my political stance as moderately liberal or liberally moderate. Egads! I fear I’m developing isolationist tendencies!

The United States has been blackmailed by every demagogue in the world, simply because we don’t have enough guts anymore to say “enough already.” Example: North Korea is willing to “consider” doing away with her nuclear weapons if the United States sends foodstuffs, gives North Korea low interest loans, (we’ve already given them 2 nuclear reactors during a prior administration) etc., etc., etc. The foodstuffs we send never get to the people; they go to the North Korean troops, the same people who want to lob nuclear missiles at us. We continuously give the schoolyard bully more lunch money to appease our good old American conscience. North Korea, let mainstream America tell you where to put your nuclear weapons.

We ALL came from some other country to the United States, with the exception of the Native Americans. My ancestors escaped Scotland in the dark of night during the Scottish Rebellion. Once we landed on “the shores,” we became Americans. I don’t refer to myself as Scottish, I AM AN AMERICAN! SO ARE YOU! Americans should have some guts and be proud of what our country has accomplished. Americans, don’t degrade our nation to the whole world. (Ramsey Clark, the past 30 years of your life show an obvious dislike for anything American. If you hate America so much, get out!) No, Americans are not without flaw 0R fault, but we basically try to do what is right for our country and for the world. Yes, we fail. Again, get a grip! Bad things happen sometimes; the innocent will often suffer; hard decisions have to be made for the greater good. The world will not be perfect until Christ comes again!

Now that I have vented, I would like to suggest that you read the two columns that follow. A friend sent me via email the column dated September 11, 2002, from a British newspaper. Yes, I got on the net and The Daily Mirror really is a London paper and Tony Parsons is one of its columnists. Yes, I know British papers are notorious for their “yellow journalism.” Have you read Asheville’s daily paper? I have, most of my life. Not a lot of difference. At least, after I read Tony Parsons’ September 11th column, I felt a little bit better. Maybe now I can go back to letting the “Cause People” tell me yet again that I am a big, bad, ugly American (shudder, shudder — the scourge of the earth).

In case you think Tony Parsons is for the war in Iraq, I have also included a portion from his February 17th column. I know all this is a long read. I also realize that Tony Parsons may be “dumb as a stump.” I have no way of knowing for sure. The worst that can happen is that you have expended a little time; however, you might end up feeling better about being a big, bad, ugly American. I know I do, at least for a little while or until I once again read email, watch the news, read the papers and on, and on, and on.

Oh, lest I forget, darned right I’m for war if negotiating fails (especially after 12 years). My talons grow longer every day. To loosely quote Abigail Adams when she wrote to John just before the Revolution, what we need are fewer men with lofty oration and more men of action, and she wasn’t talking about marching in protests; she was talking about taking up arms. - Written for the “Silent Americans” by Nancy Hyatt

Editor's note: The Hilltop publishes original letters but not articles from other publications. Thus, we have not included the columns by Tony Parsons.