Support the Troops, Bring 'em Home

I have a few friends in the military. One is in the marines and the rest are in the army. They fly helicopters, repair tanks, and protect our military ports. They are normal people with families and friends. They will serve or have served in Iraq.

Back here in America we throw the phrase "support the troops" around all too easily. Some say being against the war is against our troops. Some support our troops through a fading magnet on their car that they have long forgotten about. But those who actually support the troops and care about their wellbeing want them home.

If you actually believe the majority of the troops want to be over in Iraq, then you are quite delusional and should seek professional help. They are over there doing their job, nothing more, nothing less. Some of them believe in the mission, many don't. They are not politicians, but soldiers, sworn to protect our country and constitution.

After the terrible things we put our soldiers through in Vietnam, you'd think we'd learn our lesson. Unfortunately, instead of spitting in their faces, this time around we keep their faces were we cannot seem them. We throw them into dilapidated military hospitals. We pretend we are doing them a favor my putting a yellow magnet on our car. We pretend they enjoy what they are doing over there and go about our daily lives, because the president has yet to ask the average American to sacrifice something for his "great cause".

The next time you tell someone you support the troops, make sure you infuse it with a bring them home sentiment. It's up to us to support the troops now. It is time for us to actually sacrifice something to support those who have done so much and ask for little in return. Congress does not support our troops. The president does not support our troops. We must pick up the gauntlet and support the troops by ending pointless wars and bringing them home. If we do nothing, how much better are we than those who sent them in to harms way to begin with?

Responsibility and War

I have a good friend, lets call him Bob, who is quite the Republican. He calls himself a conservative, but I know better, so I'll just stick with Republican. Last week he came over to watch the Seahawks vs Rams with me. During half time we started talking politics and eventually we were debating the war on Iraq, which as you can imagine became quite a heated "conversation". When it was over and the second half started, I realized that the whole discussion had actually been about responsibility.

You can debate to no end why we went to war, but in th end the American people supported it. If they did not support it, they obviously did not vote well enough in the 2004 election (I'm not getting into any voting conspiracy theories at this time). As far as I'm concerned anyone who did not vote against Bush, or anyone who initially voted for the war is just a culpable as those who ordered the first bombs dropped on Iraq.

Four and a half years later there is quite a bit of resentment towards the president and the war/occupation. But there are still those, such as Bob, whom still support the war and even starting another one with Iran. Bob is not stupid though, he doesn't argue that the war is about WMDs anymore. His argument now is about what will happen if we leave.

There are many theories out there concerning what will happen to Iraq and the Middle East if the US packs its bags and leaves. Most of the Republican theories revolve around utter chaos after we leave, which is the route Bob takes. He asks me, "Will you and the rest of your liberal buddies take responsibility for the horrible things that will occur if we just leave Iraq?" This poses an interesting question of responsibility, from a Republican nonetheless.

Responsibility is something that is completely ignored in a lot of corners of society, and Washington D.C. is a shining example of this. Very few politicians who voted for the war have taken responsibility for their actions. Thousands of our troops have died, while unthinkable numbers of civilians have died as a result.

So, to answer Bob's question, I have no problem taking responsibility for what happens if we leave Iraq today. The real question is, will he and the rest of his buddies who voted for the war take responsibility fore getting us into this mess in the first place. You can't just say we maid a mistake, now we're stuck. If your car gets stuck in mud, you don't just hit the accelerator and hope for the best. You reassess the situation and find a new solution for getting out of the mud.

Lets also not forget the Iraqis in all of this. It's their country as well and they must take responsibility once we leave. The country will not be able to heal overnight from the wound we have inflicted on it. There may be a continuing civil war after we leave. But how is our presence helping at all. Our troops are just targets. Once they are out of the picture, the nationals fighting us will move on to fighting the other foreign invaders, such as Al Qaeda.

We tried to stay the course in Vietnam and look how that turned out. We finally took responsibility for our failure and got our asses out of there. Did Vietnam turn into a utopia after we left? Obviously not. But, both sides were better off once the conflict was over.

The invasion was a mistake and those responsible should understand the consequences of their actions. Everyday we stay there more and more people die because of those actions and for what? What noble cause is this all for? I hope one day those of you who caused, including you Bob, realize what you've done and try to make it right. For now, I'll take responsibility for my actions and continue to try and get our troops home.

Run Gore, Run

Whether you agree with Al Gore's politics, or not, you have to admit that his entering the 2008 presidential race would make things more interesting. The Democrats should be shaking in their boots if there is any sign that Gore is going to run.

Well, I woke up this morning to find three "Viewpoints" videos on Current.com's website from Al Gore himself. The three videos are on health care, protecting America/privacy, and Iraq. They almost read as campaign-style videos, which some people have labeled them, although I feel reluctant to. The videos are part of a group of them called Viewpoints on the site and he seems to just be adding his views up there. That being said, with him winning the Nobel Peace Prize and getting so much attention from the media, all this looks like a perfect storm of announcing his candidacy.

Back in April, it was reported that Gore's friends and former campaign relations began meeting secretly to set up and chance of him running. Gore, of course, has been saying he has no plans to run, leaving all but a slimmest possibility that he will. It would easy for him to kill any lingering thoughts of whether he'll run, and that would be to endorse a candidate. But he hasn't done that yet, and anybody can speculate why. From the mundane of not wanting to lock-in on anybody. To the over-the-top, "It's a sign he'll run for sure!"

I would just like to see sort of opposition to the current Democrats running who actually has a chance. Hillary keeps leading the polls, and I'm not sure she's much better than Bush. For now, though, the only hope of real political change is with either Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich, both of which actually stand for what they believe.

If you would like to see Al Gore run, then check out DraftGore.com and sign the petition.

Fox News' War Propaganda

Fox News has used the disguise of journalism to spread propaganda about various issues. This video sums up the direct message they've been sending about Iran and how they are following the same formula they did leading up to the invasion of Iraq.

Arab Journalist Discusses Iraq

Shadi Al-Kasim is an Arab freelance journalist who has worked in Iraq. He has a unique view on the war and occupation of Iraq that most Americans will never see in their media.

Al-Kasim on dealing with insurgence:

. . . the American government should start seriously think to negotiate, not the insurgents, not Al-Qaeda, because Al-Qaeda are terrorists. The organized fighters, resistance groups in Iraq, to reach a ceasefire with them and to start negotiating them and get to know exact what they want to do and what exactly the need from the American army, the American side.

Continuation of current course:

The killing will increase widely in Iraq and they will have civil war very soon.

Videos like this are supported by Alive in Baghdad, an organization supported by donations.

Cheney '94: Saddam Not Worth American Lives

God bless America.

Ron Paul the Peaceful Conservative

Ron Paul talking about our illegal Iraq war and occupation at the recent Republican debate.



Ron Paul on Fox News explaining his position of peace.


A little more about Paul on Fox News.

Congress Goes on Vacation. War Doesn't.

The 110th Congress hurried a new surveillance bill through Friday and Saturday so that they could go on vacation. I don't want to pass judgment on the bill itself (that's a whole other post in itself), but what disturbs me is the fact that congress thinks its okay to recess while people are still dying in Iraq.

The Iraqi parliament is also taking August off. This is even more disheartening than our own congress' betrayal of duty. We've created our government already and although its beginning to show cracks, it is still working. They are trying to create a peaceful democracy in a country that is thriving with violence and strife. Perhaps, that is not a simple 9-5 job in which month long vacations can be taken.

Their behavior sends a clear message to me; they are apathetic as to our sacrifice and their country's horrific problems. If that is the case, why are we still there? About 71% of Iraqis would like us out by September. I say Congress stays in session until our troops our home safely.

Why should our troops have to suffer long tours of duty in a country that doesn't want us, while the poor tired Congress gets to take a break? How many dead soldiers are 4 weeks of vacation worth? Come September, I guess we'll know the answer to that question.