"For What Will We Fight?"

'For what will we fight?' '...I hate those infernal British troops as much as you do... But we are not going off into a civil war merely to get them out of Boston. Why are we going to fight? Why? Why?'[Otis to Sam Adams]

...'We will fight for the rights of Americans. England cannot take our money away by taxes.' [Adams to Otis]

'Why stop the Englishmen? ...For men and women and children from all over the world' '...There shall be no more tyranny. A handful of men cannot seize power over thousands. A man shall choose who it is shall rule over him.'[Otis]

- Johnny Tremain (ch. viii)

The people of America were torn as was the British Empire when the colonists revolted against their tax-wielding lords, demanding autonomy. The Revolution in the colonies opened the door to democracy throughout the west.

We have had our own war in the last few years. Iraq has torn our country and the world apart. Drawing to a head disctinct feelings and emotions, the war has a way of polarizing people and nations.

The initial justification for the war was tied to the "tyranny" of Saddam Hussein - a dictator who had ordered the death of thousands and was building weapons to threaten the west. With this as our call, many countries went together to Iraq to remove the tyrant and his army.

Time will tell whether America will be remembered as the liberators of the Iraqi people or an imperial state. France came to the aide of the colonists as they wrestled against England. England - a powerful army and imperial force - was routed by a resistant insurgency.

This is a modern revolution. Iraq must have its own revolution, find its identy, and build its own nation. We may or may not be helping, but we cannot determine their fate.