Struggle For Civilization

From CNN:

President Bush told the American people Monday night that the country faces "a struggle for civilization" as it fights the war on terrorism sparked by the 9/11 attacks five years ago.

What the President doesn't understand is that we could win the "war" on terrorism and still lose the struggle for civilization. It is how we respond to the external and internal threats that defines us as a civilization. With the bulk of our nation's budget devoted to keeping us armed to the teeth at the expense of our social welfare, in a state of perpetual war, fear used as a tool to keep us constantly afraid, political opponents named as traitors and appeasers - this is the civilization we are fighting for? We are becoming less and less civilized. And there isn't any hope of moving in a different direction until we have new leadership at the top.