Posted by Ashur Bar Ninvayah from adsl-64-109-165-214.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net (64.109.165.214) on Monday, October 21, 2002 at 7:09PM :
Every day I think about my Assyrian brothers and sisters in Northern Iraq and I wonder, "Will they suffer the same fate as Simel?" I think all the time about how vulnerable they are to their neighbors who vastly outnumber them, most of whom covet our ancestral homeland of Assyria. Then I think about the rest of us, myself especially, in our comfortable, relatively safe communities of the freedom loving Western societies. Then I wonder again, if history will one day repeat itself for our people. No one wants war. No one wants to suffer the ravages of war, but does any Assyrian want our innocent brothers and sisters in Northern Iraq or anywhere else in the world to be harmed again like our people were at Simel? Does anyone want our religious clerics to suffer the same fate that, Mar Benyamin Shimun XIX and three hundred of his bodyguards, did when they were cowardly assassinated by the Kurdish Dog, Simko, in Persia in 1918? And why doesn't anyone want to know the truth about the assassination of Mar Eshai Shimun XXI either? Who was really behind this cold blooded murder and what was their true motive? If tomorrow another Assyrian tragedy should befall us in some remote corner of the world, who will rush to help us? The British who betrayed us? The Americans who ignore us? We must have a global military force to protect ourselves and we must begin today to raise such a force. Have we become so fat, dumb, lazy and blind that we can't see the handwriting on the wall? Are we afraid? It seems that we have lost our courage. Too many Assyrians have adopted the decadent, liberal view of the Democratic Party in this country. Too many Assyrians have forgotten or no longer care what happened to our people in the last 100 years. If and when another tragedy occurs will all of our wimpy organizations march down the streets carrying signs of protest? The very thought makes me want to vomit! I'm disgusted. Where are our heroes? If we want to protect our people, then talk is not enough, we need to show the world that we are willing to fight for our nation. I'm not saying that everyone should quit their jobs and move to northern Iraq. We can stay where we are for now, but start to train and be ready to protect ourselves and our people. We can create an elite, mobile military force that is ready to move to any trouble spot in the world to defend our people if they are threatened. We can do it and maybe the governments of the west will even help us if we show them that we are determined to do it with or without their support. Now is the appointed time. It's now or never. Since I brought up the issue of the Assyrian Defense League and how it was sabotaged 25 years ago in Chicago, I have received exactly one email and that was from a young girl who is ready to sacrifice everything for her nation and people. I received one other email from a male Assyrian, who was mostly neutral. If this is the best we can do then every Assyrian on this Forum should forget about Assyria, because it is dead. And those few who do care, we have only one other option move to northern Iraq and prepare to die with our brave brothers and sisters who remain there. This is all I have to say, but for your consideration I have also included the following which was written by a U.S. Marine Sargeant. What he has to say might may inspire a few more Assyrians to think a little harder about this subject. May Almighty God Help Us...
Ashur Bar Ninvayah
"DO NOT FORGET"
I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List," and I asked myself, "Why didn't the Jews fight back?"
Now I know why.
I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor" and asked myself, "Why weren't we prepared?"
Now I know why.
Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil people.
On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists because they did not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their captors.
On September 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered because too many Americans naively reject the reality that some nations are dedicated to the dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists and media personnel want us to forget the carnage. They say we must focus on the bravery of the rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the killers. They implore us to understand the motivation of the perpetrators. Major television stations have announced they will assist the healing process by not replaying devastating footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers.
I will not be manipulated.
I will not pretend to understand.
I will not forget.
I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.
I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush's address to the nation with the snide remark, "No matter how you feel about him, he is still our president."
I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings questioned President Bush's motives for not returning immediately to Washington, DC and commented, "We're all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."
And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if reporters weren't informed of every little detail of this war, they aren't "likely -- nor should they be expected -- to show deference."
I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States of America.
I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the world's most sophisticated telecommunications equipment and encryption technology, thereby compromising America's
ability to trace terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem communications.
I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes like those perfected by the previous administration.
I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do nothing" regulations like the silly "Have your bags been under your control?" question at the airport.
I will not be influenced by so called, "antiwar demonstrators" who exploit the right of expression to chant anti-American obscenities.
I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by American war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines.
I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose reassurance over reality.
I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told Labor Party conference, "They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?
There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be
defeated by it. And defeat it we must!"
I will force myself to:
hear the weeping
feel the helplessness
imagine the terror
sense the panic
smell the burning flesh
experience the loss
remember the hatred.
I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and asked myself, "Where did they find the courage?"
Now I know.
We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.
Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.)
Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.
-- Ashur Bar Ninvayah
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