On Veterans Day, on CNN, this smiley face came up with one of these sentences that seem to make sense as long as we don't stop to think too hard. It was along the lines of No matter where you stand on the Iraq War debate, you appreciate the sacrifice these soldiers are making to protect our freedom abroad.
And it's so easy to simply move on with our lives; to tell ourselves we oppose the war but support what the troops are doing for us, without ever asking what it is they are doing for us in Iraq. And who is this Us, anyway?So allow me to make one side of this debate a bit clearer: No matter where we stand on the Iraq War debate, we all appreciate the fact that a lot of people are risking their lives for what they initially thought would help protect their country. And no matter where we stand, we all wish they come back home with no physical or mental scars. But as sad as it may be to admit this fact, we have to face reality: The soldiers in Iraq are not protecting freedom in the US, they're not making my life better and they're not making your lives better. And as long as they stay in Iraq, they sacrifice their lives in vain.
And the least we can do as we continue our struggle to end the madness is to keep them in our thoughts when they return and fight for their welfare here, so fewer of them will have to suffer over there.
Read Jon Town's story. As if it's not enough that their President and Congress betrayed them, the soldiers are now being betrayed by the military.
And let's put an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
18 comments:
amen!
I'm sorry, but that is just too straight forward and logical. I prefer my news cryptic and confusing!
You said it brother. Bring them home NOW.
While we're working on getting them home, call your Congresspeople and Senators and demand that they provide the means to take care of the disabled soldiers NOW. For every loss of life in Iraq and Afghanistan there are 7 that are severely wounded and will be unable to work again, ever.
This -- THIS -- is Bush's legacy. All these young people who have the rest of their lives severely limited and face 2 years or more of waiting to get help once they return, due to backlogs and red tape and incompetencies in the bureaucracies that are supposed to help but instead are hindering.
Stop the carnage and help those who were used as IED fodder, please.
1) Someone stole the simple, 'Amen,' so I number
2) I love it when you get political
3) You had me from the beginning, but you shut the place down with putting and end to Don't Ask/Don't Tell
4) I love you
Interesting article.
You said it and yeah to all the other comments too
AND
I guess this means no baby yet.
:-0
Mel, thanks.
Dave, see, I don't believe CNN acts out of ignorance. I believe they deliberately misrepresent the views of those who oppose the war.
Rosemarie, so sad and messed up. Often, it's also very discouraging. I often move between anger and frustration when I think about the war. And as for the way the military treats its wounded, it's almost acceptable that in a giant bureaucracy like the military a few good people will fall through the cracks, but this is much more than that; this is a deliberate and criminal infliction of emotional, physical, and economical pain on the people who sacrificed the most.
Durante, thanks. I go back to politics every once in a while. I have to, or else I fall into the misguided thinking that politics does not involve me. But it's everything. It's the war and it's the price of our house and it's the doctor's office where pharmaceuticals giants try to sell me dreams of good parenting in the form of private cord blood banks. And as for the Don't Ask Don't Tell, that's just goddamn embarrassing. Here's Obama's answer to HRC.
Discover, okay.
Jill, no... two women she knew, who had the same due date as her had their babies two days ago. I hope no one tells her killing her husband will help induce the baby, because she will try it, at least once.
How dare you say the troops aren't fighting for our freedom! Saddam Hussein was Hitler reincarnated and he posed a direct threat to the United States! Without our troops in Iraq, Saddam will rise from the dead, the terrorists will follow us home like a foreign virus, and they'll nuke DisneyWorld. So now I suppose you hate Mickey Mouse too.
America, love it or leave it kkkomrade!
USAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSA!
Okay, so one of my biggest beefs with blogging and those that comment on blogs is that blog entries like this don't get half the comments that blogs on "Soda vs. Pop" or "Britney's Fat" get.
Is this too political? Is it what you said (what the troops are really doing; gays in the military; etc.?)
Regardless, it says a lot about people, our priorities, etc.
durante vita
Great post... I will admit that I was hoping to see a kids face here instead... but if not that... this was a worthy second place for sure!
Hope you had a great weekend!
amigo, you think they aren't defending your freedom just like they think they are.
Hi.
War is an awful thing. It's pretty bad when the citizens aren't sure about the real reason but it's a travesty when the soldiers aren't even sure about the real reason. If it was as simple as Saddam is a bad man, so many people wouldn't be so confused, unsure and have this nauseous feeling that our troops are being misled and that will definitely get them killed!
Does don't ask dont tell imply that the minute you tell you aren't the soldier you were yesterday? All of a sudden you go from GI Joe to Teletubby?
Woozie, you're saying the soldiers are there to guard the tunnel leading to Crawford, Texas? I'm pretty sure there's already a tunnel from there to Disney World.
Durante, I think the problem with political blogs and political posts is that there's just so much you can say that hasn't been said. I get a feeling of reading something fresh when I get to read Alexander Cockburn or Eric Alterman in The Nation, but otherwise, it's often the same old opinions. On the other hand, I think that when someone writes something personal people find it easier to relate to the content and to the honesty itself. So, I'm not blaming readers. And as for the idea that people stay away because what I wrote was controversial, I don't think it was very controversial... But then again, there are a lot of things I don't get.
Kate, thanks for checking up on me. Not yet... And my parents just arrived yesterday from Israel to see the baby. It'll never happen!
Tsedek, but I give soldiers more credit than that. I don't believe many of them now think their time in Iraq has anything to do with anyone's freedom.
Mickie, and it's not just offensive to gay soldiers. There's this idea that straight soldiers will lose their focus if they know they fight alongside gay people.
Good you have your freedom in Iraq being protected your freedom in the US doesn't get the same treatment ... phone taps anyone?
Glad to see someone else admit that "no matter where you stand" is bullshit.
I couldn't agree more. They need to come home. Now.
Hope that baby's shown up!
(And thanks for visiting my site.)
They aren't making anyones' lives any better, and in fact are making lives all over WORSE. That isn't their fault, of course, as they are pawns in a political game. But if one is going to tell the blunt truth about the situation, every day that they stay in Iraq is another nail in the coffin of the United States. They don't have the numbers to prevail, and we don't have the will to supply them with what they need. It's past time to stop abusing the soldiers. BRING THEM HOME.
SJ, I think some people would rather let the government wire their toilet bowls than admit there's a chance their government had made a mistake. Maybe this war is one of Bush's "Faith-Based Initiatives."
Christine, yep. I just wonder if the people at CNN are just being ignorant and lazy, or whether there's a systematic attempt to unify the country behind the failed "Well, we're there--might as well try to make the most of it" mantra.
Slouching, thanks. He's here. He took his time.
Roger, I feel that if people only knew what really goes on there, if there was a way people could live the life of a soldier in Iraq for a day, smell what he or she smells, experience the mental exhaustion the soldier experiences, the war would have ended a long time ago.
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