This is my third article with BrooWaha, New York Edition. The article will be published and appear sometime next week. However, as always it will appear on my website first, for you to enjoy

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

by Robert Amoroso, March 26, 2007

Those prolific words were eloquently spoken in June of 1858 (over a century ago) by Abraham Lincoln upon accepting the Republican nomination for the US Senate. Two years later President Lincoln presided over a house divided. He knew that a nation whose principles were founded on equality, while a segment of its population was still enslaved, could not stand, and within a few months of his presidency cultures clashed and carnage rained down upon a nation, and America was at war…North against South, father against son, brother against brother.

Fast forward to another time and another place in our history, a young girl kneeling on one knee, a pained and bewildered look upon her face, her arms reaching out, raised towards the heavens, leaning over the body of a young man and seemingly asking “why”? Her image forever etched into the psyche of a nation.

Two pivotal moments in our history that perhaps defined us as a nation, and yet both very different, one a courageous act of preserving the principles and ideals of a nation, the other a random act of violence that tore into those very principles and ideals.

And if history is any gauge then we must once again ask “is the war in Iraq a courageous act of preserving the principles and ideals of a nation” or “a random act of violence”, and how should we then be remembered?

As a nation that shed its own blood to preserve the freedoms of all men, or as a nation of storm troopers shooting into a crowd of young idealists, on a college campus.

I for one truly believe that we’re a flawed, yet courageous and principled nation, a nation of unsung heroes. Quick to respond to any crises around the world, magnanimous in our generosity, and resolute in our desire to preserve our freedoms, and yet we’re a nation divided.

Like our own Civil War (and a century later) Viet Nam, those conflicts defined our nation for generations to come, both divided a nation, and yet both were very different. One was a principled and courageous cause, the other a flawed policy.

Five years ago on a bright sunny morning in September, this nation was brutally attacked without provocation, and within hours of the attack over 3,000 civilians were murdered. Our enemies vowed to destroy us and our way of life, and yet even after the carnage of 9/11, we seem as a nation unwilling or unable to accept the fact that we’re at war fighting for our very survival.

Incredibly the Hollywood elite and the far left have declared war not against our enemies, but rather against our own institutions. I read with amusement comments by millionaire celebrities that they “support our troops, but not the war” and I wonder how can one separate the other”. It’s akin to another somewhat bazaar slogan that “the operation was a success, but the patient died”.

I watch and read the so called mainstream media, and I once again wonder how our enemies view the coverage, when beheadings of innocent civilians becomes less newsworthy then an American GI embarrassing an Iraqi detainee, when respected news organizations outline in detail secret and sensitive operational methods in fighting terrorism, and claim “our right to know”, when a spineless and self serving Congress threatens to cut off funding to our troops, and demands a date for withdrawal, and with the same breath “support our troops”…politics, like war is a nasty business, and yet I wonder how our enemies view us.

Certainly mistakes (as in all conflicts), have been made by this administration, and honest debate should always be welcomed, however for elected officials and leaders to suggest that this administration lied in order to get us into war or this president has done anything illegal to deceive the American people is indeed a serious charge, and should be investigated immediately. However if those allegations prove to be knowingly false and politically motivated by those same elected officials (in a time of war) should be tried for treason, a harsh punishment…perhaps?

However, I wonder how many of our young men and woman in uniform go into combat demoralized, because of what they see and hear at home. A recent photograph appeared on the front pages of many newspapers around the country, last week. The photo was that of a young Iraqi girl around seven years old looking pensive and a bit apprehensive peeking out of what seemed to be a doorway, her gaze fixed on the muzzle of an automatic weapon being held by an American GI, as he passed her. As I viewed the photo I couldn’t help but wonder what was the implication of this photo? What was the intent, what message was it trying to convey?

A photograph can chronicle a moment in time as was the case at Kent State or it can leave an impression which may or may not be accurate, and like the printed word can easily be taken out of context.

What is even more astounding is that some within the Hollywood community are now claiming that 9/11 wasn’t a terrorist act by a foreign entity, but rather a conspiracy by the United States Government, what is even more disturbing is that these renowned celebrities’ will be promoting this incredible and insane theory. Thankfully we live in a free and open society where anyone can be as foolish as they want, and still make a million bucks for playing “dress up” and “parroting” someone else’s words.