During the recent Oscars telecast, actors and other movie professionals wielded golden statues and used their 35 seconds of "thank you" time to voice their views on the war.

Most celebrities were subdued, but Michael Moore ranted against the president and the war.

These Hollywood elite and other anti-war protesters should remember their right to free speech was won by soldiers fighting an oppressive ruler and that freedom has been defended by soldiers throughout U.S. history.

This is a war, not a photo opportunity.

Television networks that run war coverage on the same screen with a stock market ticker ought to be ashamed. What are viewers supposed to do, see bombs dropping and run to the phone to call their stockbrokers?

This is a war, not a business opportunity.

Iraqi soldiers who faked their surrender have ambushed American soldiers. American prisoners of war are being exploited and embarrassed on Iraqi television, blatantly disregarding the Geneva Convention.

Iraqi forces are using our own humanity against us. The instructions for surrender on leaflets distributed by the United States have now been used to draw our troops closer to their deaths.

If Iraq cannot follow the rules of warfare, can there be any question they did not follow the rules of disarmament?

Many war protests continue in the United States and throughout the world. There are as many reasons against war as there are people who oppose it.

This does not change the fact that the war has already begun.

Our troops deserve all our support, no matter what some people might think about politics. This is not about politics, and it has not been since our first soldier set foot in Iraq. It has not been about politics since Saddam failed to disarm when he was given chance after chance to do so.

Our soldiers are dying, being injured and being taken prisoner. Their families are trying to get through without them, maybe for a year, maybe forever.

Some 18-year-old men and women are now trying to sleep on the ground with the sound of artillery nearby. Some joined the military to fight the bad guys while some joined because they had nowhere else to go after high school.

They are scared. They are homesick. But at least, for now, they are alive.

The gratitude of their country can get them by.

The support of their country can get them through.

We need to back our soldiers and their families who have made a great sacrifice for our country.

No matter what we as individuals might think of the war, we as a free and just community of Americans must show our support.

And hopefully, when all is said and done, the Iraqi people will have a free and democratic government.

Freedom is what we stand for. It is what we fight for. It is what we die for.

This is a war, and it is an opportunity... for freedom.