What are we to do?

Today we stand on the edge of war, a wider war, world war III. When I think of how this could have been stopped I know that the chances to stop this war most likely past us by 20 some odd years ago when we knew Iran had direct responsibility in the Lebanon barracks bombing and we did nothing. After that all of our enemies tested us, pushed us, and we held or wrath. Then 9/11 and we had to respond we did well, our enemy backed off for a bit then they saw a weakness return. We don't see it as a weakness and really it isn't but to our enemies they saw it as such. Groups like ANSWER formed just days after 9/11 to fight any attempt to show strength, at first they failed, but with time and with the constant media attacks on our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq (for partisan political advantage) We began to question our response, we thought of ways to lessen the negative impact on our enemies. To us it was a strength showing thru we found compassion as a way to combat hate. But the hate only grew and was emboldened by our compassion and soon that hate took steps to use our compassion against us... as they turned their weapons against their own people and then pointed our cameras to the carnage, we turned our compassion to sympathy for the victims of this dreadful violence... the enemy then took up the mantel of victimhood. He began to fight where the cameras could see where the reporters could hear. Taping and sending images of the death and destruction to CNN. The fact that every night we find only calls for our surrender on the news now has put us on the brink of a wider war. Emboldened, Iran is sending solders to fight in Iraq, providing bombs to kill our people and the only outrage here is that we can't get out fast enough? They take people and hold them on trumped up charges, force them to make confessions in violation of Geneva. And here we say that maybe the Britons were on the wrong side of the river? That maybe Iran is just trying to get us to stop being mean to them? I hope we see soon that fighting a war with compassion is the only way to surely lose that war. America is a strong nation and any enemy who thinks our compassion will lead us to suicide will very quickly find that line he could not cross, and find America and her allies at their doorstep. If the anti-war left wants to live in the peace and security they have enjoyed for these many years, when they come home from their rally they should pray for our anger to be brought forth in a manner that unites us fully as one nation in a war that must be won. If we fail to rally in time, if the enemy can drive us away from the fight, then our friends who oppose this war should pray that those who thought this battle was going to be settled by talking with madmen will be able to find for them a safe place to pray 5 times a day.