Don't think for a minute I don't empathize with Cindy Sheehan, the 48 year-old mother whose son Casey was killed in Iraq. She, as we all would in the same circumstance, hurts deeply and rightfully so. But her one woman crusade to try to move public opinion and the will of the administration to give up the cause for freedom in the Middle East is just nuts.
The MSM first focused on her desire to meet with President Bush to discuss the death of her son. They were painfully slow in clarifying(say ten or more days after the coverage started) that she ALREADY met with the President last year. She's using the willing media to help carry her water in promoting her anti-war stance. Nothing wrong with being anti-war, mind you, but look at what she said yesterday:
"You get America out of Iraq and Israel out of Palestine and you'll stop the terrorism...
"My son was killed in 2004. I am not paying my taxes for 2004. You killed my son, George Bush, and I don't owe you a penny...you give my son back and I'll pay my taxes. Come after me (for back taxes) and we'll put this war on trial."
"And now I'm going to use another 'I' word - impeachment - because we cannot have these people pardoned. They need to be tried on war crimes and go to jail."
MEMO to Ms. Sheehan: You're not the only parent to lose a child in the cause of freedom in Iraq. Yes, it hurts, horribly. To you the actions of the administration in fighting the GWOT were personally devastating -- but your son and the near 2,000 other Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan volunteered for service to the country. He believed in something that you, quite obviously, do not. We did not start this war. It's been building for years. On 9/11/01 it came to us. We have no choice but to fight back. AND WIN. Whatever it takes.
By the way, getting America out of Iraq will do nothing to stop terrorism. In case you forgot, 9/11 occurred well before we went in to Iraq. As did the bombing of our Embassys, the attack on the Cole, the first World Trade Center attacks, and on and on. The terrorists have been after us and our way of life for years. Long before Gulf War 1, even. So let's be real. Us out of Iraq won't stop them from trying to erradicate us from the planet. You must know that, don't you?
Your son Casey was in Iraq helping to build a free society in a country where oppression was once the rule. Freedom that will allow people there to enjoy the same kind of freedom you have here -- which allows you to protest as you do. They did not enjoy that freedom before. With your hatred and vitriol, one can only presume you'd prefer them not to have it in the future. Fortunately for them, President Bush is not listening to you.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
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5 comments:
wow, i found your post so strange. correct me if i am wrong, but aren't you contradicting yourself a bit, not to mention mixing up facts. let's see:
We did not start this war. It's been building for years. On 9/11/01 it came to us. We have no choice but to fight back. AND WIN. Whatever it takes.
none of the 9/11 hijackers were Iraqi. most of them were Saudi Arabian, but we are not at war with Saudi Arabia (another extermist goverment btw). How do you WIN a war, as you put it, when you aren't even fighting the right people. In fact, Saddam Husseium and Bin Laddin actually kind of despise each other.
sorry, one more comment for you. you said:
By the way, getting America out of Iraq will do nothing to stop terrorism. In case you forgot, 9/11 occurred well before we went in to Iraq. As did the bombing of our Embassys, the attack on the Cole, the first World Trade Center attacks, and on and on. The terrorists have been after us and our way of life for years. Long before Gulf War 1, even. So let's be real. Us out of Iraq won't stop them from trying to erradicate us from the planet. You must know that, don't you?
Since the US invaded Iraq, terrorists have flooded the borders to help the insurgents battle the US. Go going to Iraq actually drew the terrorists out.
I agree, terrorism against the U.S. started long before the first Gulf War. The real thing we need to analyze is why we are targets of terrorism. If you can answer that question, we should just stop doing that thing, and not be targets anymore.
By your post, you will probably say, "the terrorists are after our way of life." What does that even mean? Do they want our money, our government, our land? I don't think so. Bin Laddin published a few demands years ago. There were: U.S. troops out of Saudi Arabia, Israel (and U.S. support) out of Palestine.
Let's talk about the real issues people are pissed at us. We sell the Israeli's incredible weapons technology while Palestinian kids throw rocks at tanks or blow themselves up with homemade bombs just to try and get a place to live free of tanks.
A mother asking the leader of the free world to stop killing people across the world, and to prevent the deaths of more Americans seems pretty noble to me.
Anonymous:
Perhaps you need to remember the "War" of which I am speaking is the Global War on Terrorism, not Gulf War 1 or even GW2 as some refer to our 2003 action in Iraq. This is much bigger in scope. Iraq is a battleground -- not the entirety.
You say we're therefore not "fighting the right war" since we're in Iraq and the 9-11 hijackers were Saudis, and you trumpet many of the Michael Moore/dKos/DU beliefs when you say "Saddam and bin Laden kind of despise each other". I suppose you also believe there was no linkage between OBL/AQ and Saddam/Iraq. Let me refer you to this and this and this, which notes the 9-11 Commission did NOT, as many on your side believe, say there was no tie between the two.
The first front in the WOT was Afghanistan, where the bulk of AQ were hiding. Iraq is the current front, because Saddam refused to abide by UN sanctions on weapons inspections, and because he had a track record of harboring terrorists. It was NEVER said that we went into Iraq because they were involved in AQ's attacks on New York and Washington on 9-11.
You mention the number of terrorists flooding the borders since the 2003 Iraq action -- well GOOD. It helps that so many are coming to fight us there, so we don't have to go looking for them. Don't tell me you'd rather face them over here.
As for why we are targets of terrorism, let's get one thing straight: the terrorists are militant extremist Muslims. They believe their religion is the only way and not just that, but that all of the infidels (non-Muslims) must be destroyed. Period. To do as you say, we must become Islamists ourselves if we hope to placate them. Nothing else would do. But even that would not keep them at bay. They don't mind killing other Muslims, either, if it helps in their cause.
To answer your comment about OBL's list of "demands", do you really think if we could do those things he'd disband AQ and become a peace-loving idealist? I doubt it seriously. There would always be more demands for us to give in to, and the appeasers (as you appear to be by your comments) would gladly give away everything "for peace". Show me where this has ever worked in the long term on a big scale. Like it or not "peace" can only be secured by aggressive use of force when necessary, or the threat of it when it's clear it will be used when all else fails.
Also, "a mother asking the leader of the free world to stop killing people across the world, and to prevent the deaths of more Americans seems pretty noble to me." No argument there. BUT no matter who the President is, he or she cannot stop people killing each other across the world. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.
i am not sure why people think that wars can destroy terrorism. every time we bomb, recruitment in terrorist organizations goes through the roof.
same kind of thing happens in gaza. israel kills a palestinian terrorist in an airstrike, and 5 people show up to fill his place.
there are better ways.
take the cold war from the U.S. perspective:
Soviets are building nuclear weapons. shit! we better build more than they have so they can't use theirs on us.
Soviet perspective: Shit! Americans are building more bombs, we better go crazy building even MORE bombs.
end game: Soviets spend so much on bombs they never want to use, that they bankrupt one of largest economies in the world
US nearly bankrupts itself.
INSTEAD: negotiate not to build the damns bombs in the first place, spend the money on education, on programs to build solidarity between the nations and avoid thet catastrophes that occurred.
you cannot simultaneously prepare for and prevent war. i can't remember who said it, but how true it is.
we are spending more money than ever before arming our police to the teeth, building prisons (which corporations now run, so there is profit in the picture), and closing schools. of course kids are going to go the wrong way, there is no focus on peaceful society.
sorry to go in so many directions, but we just keep walking further and further down the path of people wanting to kill us from the outside, and from people having nothing to live for on the inside.
Surely you can't mean that last part. Americans not having anything to live for here? Right... Some country, this old USA. Bad place to be: No opportunity, terrible economy, no future... Oh yeah, wanna bet? Then what's that commotion down south? Oh, right... tell that to the respondents of this Pew Poll.
More than 40% of adult Mexicans say they would move here if they could, and nearly 20% say they would do so illegally. Sounds like we've got real problems. Maybe we should show Mexico how to be more like US.
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