Sean Bossinger’s Doings

Or do I?

In order to quell sectarian violence, the 172nd Stryker Brigade from Alaska is being redeployed to Iraq. They were on their way home from Mosul when they got the notice that they'd be redeployed to Baghdad. Morale within this group is, understandably, low; however, they know what they signed up for… they're protecting our country. They're ready to go back as a team and fight the good fight. This time, in an area that is far more dangerous than the one they just left.

Now, while I've never been a fan of this war, I'm also not one to say we should pull out immediately. In fact, I firmly believe in what Colin Powell attempted to warn the President of, prior to our commencement of hostilities against the regime that was Saddam Hussein: “You break it, you own it.” However, I don't believe our troops should be placed in harm's way in order to resolve the infighting between the civilians that have been left to define their own destiny. Nationbuilding is not the job of a military funded by MY tax dollars. I already have a nation, thank you very much.

The key question that arises is this: “What defines a civil war?” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines a civil war as “A war between factions or regions of the same country.” Okay… that's an acceptable definition. American Heritage also gives a couple of other definitions, including a specific one about OUR civil war, but I think each civil war is unique, so let's cast a broader net when seeking the definition for which we are searching, and see what we come up with. For the sake of our argument, we'll go with the broader definition.

Now, in order to utilize this definition, we need to know what a faction is? Again, we'll consult our trusty American Heritage Dictionary, which defines a “faction” as “a group of persons forming a cohesive, usually contentious minority within a larger group.”

There. We've defined pretty much what a civil war is. It's a war between people of differing beliefs within the same state. Not unlike the United States civil war that was fought between the North and South back in the late 1800s, in which people of the south had differing beliefs from people in the north about what to do with slavery. Granted, there were more reasons than that for the fighting; but the literature on the war can be consulted to give you a more robust idea about that particular civil war.

So… in my title, I suggested that I repeat myself. But do I actually repeat myself when I say “to quell sectarian violence…” and “to quell a civil war…”? Well, let's, again, consult our American Heritage dictionary for the definition of a sect. American Heritage defines a sect as… well, this is VERY interesting… a sect is defined as “a faction united by common interests or beliefs.”

So…

Unfortunately, I DO repeat myself. Our troops ARE engaged in helping to put down a civil war. A civil war that our country's leaders refuse to acknowledge, at least in words. But I have seen through them.

I can only hope that others who so blindly voted for these people can now see the pain they have caused.