The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not reflect in any way those of the Tiger Media Network, its staff or Fort Hays State University.
By Dr. Glenn Mollette
President Trump must not authorize troops on the ground in Syria. Once our troops are moved to a country they never leave. Iraq and Afghanistan are cases in point. Part of our economic despair in our country can be traced to the trillions of dollars we’ve spent on foreign soil the last sixteen or so years. This doesn’t include all the countries where we have troops and billions of dollars invested in military bases. America is scattered out around the world.
Our soldiers go and are killed or are maimed for life. We reverence all they do for America but in the meantime, our government continues to send thousands of troops overseas.
There is now a buildup of troops in Poland on the Russian border. I am sure Poland does not appreciate Russian aggression against them. Is it America’s job to send thousands of troops to this region of the world? More is now being said about troops on the ground in Syria. Once we start we will be there for years and maybe forever.
What will be the defining moment that stops our country from making every world problem and conflict our problem? Will it be when all Americans are poor and hungry? Will it be when we no longer have bridges that we feel safe crossing or roads in such shambles we can’t drive on them? Will it be when we are so drained from spreading ourselves around the world so thinly that we can no longer defend ourselves?
Inside of our own nation, we are spread too thin. We have welcomed the world to come here for many years. Many of our major cities are beyond recognition, as thousands of internationals have become a major presence in our country. They need money, medical care, housing and on and on. In the meantime, we have hungry Veterans and homeless Americans sleeping in cars, under bridges, and in city parks. I see it all the time and it’s not pretty.
I understand life is not pretty in Syria or many other places on the planet. We cannot fix them all. ISIS is a threat to America and destroying their oil refineries, bridges, communication abilities and airports is something we can do from the sky. That doesn’t require military bases and thousands of troops stationed in Syria. Plus, we can’t kill them all. There is not a silver bullet that will eliminate the entire ISIS cell groups scattered in Syria and now in other parts of the Middle East.
Please, President Trump, do not put our troops on the ground in Syria. We don’t want to lose another thousand American lives, spend another trillion dollars and try to police another nation that we will later have to rebuild.
Glenn Mollette is an American Syndicated Columnist and Author. This column does not necessarily reflect the view of any organization, institution or this paper or media source.