Soon after the last US troops pulled out of Vietnam, the war continued, Vietnam and Cambodia fought one another.  We were, basically, not involved anymore.  We were not threatened by the situation either; except for the world having to deal with a flood of boat people trying to escape conflict. 

Ending US occupation of Iraq is tempting, given this scenario.  Iraq may not be much of a threat to the U.S. as it would be preoccupied fighting with-in itself.  Vietnam has not been a threat since we pulled out.  It is now becoming a tourist destination.  Reading about mountain bike adventures on the Ho Chi Men Trail is a shift in consciousness. 

What happened to the so called "domino theory?"  That theory kept the US in Vietnam for many years.  They thought, "if Vietnam falls to communists, Thailand will be next, then Indonesia, Australia and eventually USA."  It never happened, partially due to different brands of communism quarreling among themselves. 

Now, we hear a similar theory about Iraq only this time the threat is terrorism.  Yes, terrorism is a bit different than the monolithic threat of a communist empire, but the best strategy to prevent terrorism is disputed.  Some say we are just stirring up trouble occupying Iraq.  Our efforts could be more productive with security at US borders.   For instance, more inspectors for shipping containers passing through our ports. 

One could argue that we are safer if the terrorists fight among one another, rather than having our occupying presence, to gang up against.

Some say we need to occupy Iraq because of the people we would leave behind if we left.  Among the vast multitudes of Iraqi people, there may still be some folks yearning for George Bush's vision of the "new Iraq."  I remember hearing news reports, at the end of the Vietnam War, about the last personnel leaving the US embassy in Saigon.  As helicopters evacuated embassy staff, solders had to shoot the fingers off of some Vietnamese people who were grabbing onto the helicopters, like stowaways, trying to get out of Vietnam. 

As was asked, during the boat people era, is USA capable of taking on all the human rights issues in the world? 

Some, of course, say the USA is causing much of the human rights abuses in the world, but that's another tangent. 

At best, we are stretched thin, if people believe we are still that "beacon of freedom in the world."  Currently there is a genocide taking place in Sudan.  Arabic Sudanese are trying to exterminate black Sudanese.  Most of the world is so involved with other things that this killing goes on unchecked.  The US is even still co-operating with the Sudanese government that allows this to happen.  US is trying to offer them brownie points if they give us information on where terrorists are located. 

Our hands are definitely tainted as we engage ourselves with brutal governments around the world. 

Speaking of engagement, the question of oil supply keeps coming up.  That "beacon of freedom" is tainted by our need for stable oil supplies.  This is one reason why Iraq and the Middle East has become so important to us.  President Bush seems so preoccupied by the middle east that he basically neglects paying attention to domestic issues.  As we play "policeman to the world" our own house is not in order.  Huge federal deficits are one manifestation of this. 

Recent problems with the Iraqi occupation bring up this question.  "Are we up to the task of building a new Iraq?"  I would say not.  Especially if American people think we can do it while giving ourselves tax cuts and having an economy so dependent on cheap foreign oil. 

The American economy is a fragile thing to maintain.  To a large extent, it depends on vast consumption of world resources, thus tainting our foreign policy.  We need to pay more attention to some domestic issues in order to develop a more sustainable economy. 

Paying more attention to our home front doesn't necessarily mean a bigger domestic economy; as some would think.  That is part of the problem.  Many, among the American people, expect consumption to keep rising while the war is just a little distraction on TV sets. 

Instead of a bigger economy, we need to learn to create a better economy.  Pay attention to things like "how are people getting to work?"  "Maybe alternative transportation is better," for instance.  We are too car dependent. 

America's beacon of freedom needs to be used for innovation on the home front. 

Let us learn how to use more efficient, and maybe even better, light emitting diodes in our beacon of freedom. 

If we can pay attention to reinventing our domestic lives, we will be in a better position to take on injustices in the rest of this world.