Letter: We are fiddling as the world burns

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006 | 7:08 a.m.

It's gut-check time, folks. Our parents and grandparents did not take a pass on World War II and leave it up to us. They sucked it up and won. Are we going to leave the War against Terrorism to a future generation?

If the current attitudes of many letter writers to the Las Vegas Sun prevail - instead of being remembered as the next "Greatest Generation," we will be reviled as self-centered, weak willed, head-in-the-sand pacifists and appeasers. Neville Chamberlain comes to mind. If Americans decide to cut and run from Iraq (which appears to be the case), a future generation of Americans will eventually have to fight the war on American soil against a much larger, much better armed (nukes?) enemy. Osama bin Laden is sitting in his cave wallowing in his good fortune.

I guess if you kick the can down the road far enough, you and I won't be around to witness the ridicule. A shameful historical character once fiddled while Rome burned. How many Americans and Europeans are currently fiddling while the world burns?

Apparently a majority of Americans are now prepared to accept "Peace with Honor" (again) and move on to more important issues such as the high price of gasoline and the minimum wage.

The men and women in our all-volunteer armed forces are demonstrably ready, willing and able to win. What do we tell our grandchildren? Sorry? We had more important issues to address than peace and freedom?

F. Jay Harrell, Las Vegas