Viewpoint: Fair-weather supporters

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    By Jared Emfield

    Provo

    I am disappointed when I read about Americans who support the war in Afghanistan only so far as U.S. casualties remain minimal. This sentiment was illustrated well by a BYU student quoted in The Daily Universe Nov. 2. The student said, “When people start dying, we should probably pause and look at other options.”

    Have we forgotten the now infamous date of Sept. 11, 2001? People have already started dying by the thousands. At least the Americans in Afghanistan have the opportunity to shoot back.

    In Maxwell Anderson’s play, “Valley Forge,” General Washington says, “This liberty will look easy by and by, when nobody dies to get it.” American liberty is only secure when enough Americans are willing to go and get it, even if it costs them their lives.

    The family members of those who died on Sept. 11 have a deep understanding of the cost of liberty. Do the rest of us have to lose family or friends before we are willing to see U.S. casualties in a war that we did not start? These tyrants will not stop — they must be stopped. Throughout the 1990s, each attack led by al Qaida experienced greater success. Our lack of response encouraged them, and thousands of Americans died.

    The choice is simple. We must be willing to see soldiers die in combat or we will see thousands more die on the home front. Backing off now will only delay the inevitable and make it much worse. For those who do not fully support this war, I ask: Have you forgotten? I expect you will remember when death is literally at your door.

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