Give ‘em a job

March 5th, 2006 | Filed under Podcasts, Politics, Quotes

I was listening to the Meet the Press podcast this evening while I worked on a couple of projects and a quote reminded me of something a good friend of mine had said close to three years ago. It was true then and it is still true today:

If you have an opportunity to have a job and feed your family you’re much less likely to accept a $100 to go plant a bomb on the side of a road. This is not about ideology it is about sustaining your family.
-General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

For me this sums up more about the plight of the Iraqi people than any other statement. People will do crazy things to ensure the safety of their families…it doesn’t justify it one bit…but the Iraqi people need a reason to get up in the morning. They needs jobs and stability and only then will they be able to move on and have a more normal life. I’m not saying we should still be there, or that we should have gone in the first place. But it is not going to get better until people have a way, and means to live.