Lt.

Colonel Allen West: "Of Lambs and Lions"

Our man West, slaying dragons on the information battle space, a warrior, litera
lly and figuratively. It's November or never.
Washingtoons
15 June 2010
Lieutenant Colonel Allen B West (US Army, Retired)
Of Lambs and Lions
"I do not fear an army of lions if they are led by a lamb. I do fear an army of
sheep if they are led by a lion. Alexander the Great
Greetings Wheels on the Road readers, fellow South Floridians, and indeed all Am
ericans. It is time for our monthly political assessment and this one is rather
personal. Last month we addressed what is at stake, and the response was the f
uture of America. One of the factors affecting our Country right now relates to
Alexander's quote mentioned above.
Attorney General Eric Holder once lamented that America is a "nation of cowards"
, that is far from the truth. The problem we have in America is that we are bei
ng led by lambs, by an effete ruling class elite. America is a nation of lions,
warriors, but when we find ourselves being led by a cabal of weak, ineffective,
and indecisive appeasers the result is evident.
Sure, the liberal progressives are dogged ideologues and tenacious poodles when
it comes to nationalizing our production; healthcare, financial sector, energy s
ector, and automobile industry. They stand strong against the rule of law regar
ding illegal immigration. And there is no doubt no group will fight harder to r
edistribute wealth and turn America into a collective "balkanized" socialist Cou
ntry.
However, what scares the liberals more than anything else is the "Warrior Class"
. They abhor the men and women who find a commitment and conviction in believin
g in this Constitutional Republic and the principles which make America exceptio
nal. This is a sentiment which over the past 30 days we witnessed being manifes
ted from the highest office in our land, the President.
When Barack Hussein Obama made the decision to take a "vacation" back to Chicago
rather than attend Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington National cemetery that
was a complete disregard and disrespect to those who gave the "last full measure
of devotion". I know those who suffer from Bush Derangement Syndrome are froth
ing and recounting that Pres GW Bush missed an Arlington ceremony....but he was
at Normandy, a very appropriate place to be.
But it was not just the missing Memorial Day, it was also the lack of any recogn
ition of the 66th anniversary of D-Day. It was the failure to address Flag Day
which was also the 235th birthday of the US Army. Lastly, Obama's refusal for t
he second year in a row to attend the "Gold Star Family" events clearly telegrap
hs his regard for our military does not go beyond photo opportunities. The mali
gnant narcissism of the President, and the liberal progressives, is laser focuse
d on the disrespect and the destruction of the American Warrior class. They det
est anyone who has the courage of conviction and love of America, something whic
h they find unconscionable.

It starts with a national security strategy which refuses to address the enemy o
f our Nation, Islamic totalitarianism and radical Islamic state sponsored terror
ism. We have sheep who are so oblivious to the threats to our security that the
Obama administration s terrorism expert, John Brennan, stated that "terrorism is
a state of mind and jihadism is a legitimate tenet of Islam". When at the highe
st levels we project a recalcitrance to confront our enemy, you only embolden th
em.
When an enemy is emboldened, such as this one, they launch a "humanitarian aid"
flotilla which is nothing more than a cover to supply a terrorist organization,
Hamas. When you have a Sovereign State seek to protect itself, and even institu
te insidious rules of engagement, and yet is condemned for protecting its warrio
rs, we are upside down......we are being led by sheep. Nothing pleasures wolves
more than fresh lamb meat, and we are serving that up at every instance.
This seemingly is not just an American phenomenon, but a worldwide epidemic. No
rth Korea sinks a South Korean naval vessel and we ask for an apology. The inte
rnational community demands that Israel apologize and submit to an investigation
.
We have created rules of engagement in Afghanistan which allows the enemy every
opportunity to kill our men and women. We have considered such horrible ideas s
uch as an award for "courageous restraint". We even allow former Taliban member
s who have attacked, and maybe even killed, our troops to be released from detai
nment based upon a "pledge" signed by their fathers and tribal leaders.
Yet, we have our own Warriors such an Army 1LT Michael Behenna serving a 15-year
prison sentence for killing a known Al Qaeda operative who attacked him. Worse
however, is the fact that exculpatory evidence in his case was withheld by the
Army prosecutors who also withheld a key witness. There in the military prison
at Ft Leavenworth sit 10 Army Soldiers while Taliban fighters are being released
. We just witnessed some of our finest Warriors, US Navy SEALS, having to endur
e a courts-martial because they "punched" a terrorist.
That is why I will be heading to Ft Leavenworth in September to rally for the re
lease of our Soldiers so that they can be reunited with their families. Those f
amilies who willingly sacrificed their loved ones, believing that they could be
severely wounded, or even killed....but never imprisoned for doing what we ask W
arriors to do.
In the past 30 days, we watched the House of Representatives so concerned about
the military that they just could not wait, and voted to repeal "Don t Ask Don t Tel
l". This was done against the counsel of the Service Chiefs who asked for an op
portunity to allow the men and women in uniform to offer their suggestions and i
nsights. No, it is more important to have the military accommodate behavior rat
her than respect the professionalism of those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines
, and Coast Guardsmen.
We have seen the President nominate someone for Supreme Court justice who attack
ed the Solomon Amendment, allowing ROTC activities on our college campuses. We
are willing to allow an Islamic victory tribute to be erected at Ground Zero in
New York City because we have leaders who just cannot find the courage to stand.
...sheep.
We have a running gun battle occurring on our southern border but we allowed a f
oreign leader to demean our laws and attack a Governor of a sovereign American S
tate.
There has never been a more critical time for our Republic and yet we find the w
orse possible individuals in control for this time. We have a Nation of men and
women who embrace victory and detest the stench of defeat. However, all we get
is more speeches, talk, empty rhetoric, and never an action plan....at least no
t an action plan which is commensurate with the foundational principles of Ameri
ca.
I stated earlier that this subject is personal to me and that is because of my s
tory from Iraq in 2003. Yes, I fired my service 9mm over the head of a detainee
to ensure my men were protected. Yes, I was removed from command and fined $50
00. Yes, I withstood the attacks from the liberal sheep and will continue to do
so because I am part of the Warrior class. I retired with Honor and remain a r
espected member of that group of men and women who feel pride when the National
Anthem is played, and tear up at Taps.
When I look at Pelosi, Frank, Weiner, Clyburn, Klein, and Obama, I see lambs, ce
rtainly not leaders. I see mundane deliberators, not decisive people of charact
er. This 2010 election cycle has the most Veterans running for office since WW
II and there is a simple reason.
America will not survive as a Nation in a world of wolves being led by sheep, it
will take Lions.
Steadfast and Loyal, LTC(R) A B West