Don't Forget to Vote!

I wish that we would impeach Bush. Can that happen in this day and age? Far worse heppened to Presidents in our not too distant past.

I could not have stated it better myself about removing Bush from office. Many fear we would be faced with the prospect of Cheney, post Bush, but the impeachment process would run until the next election and meanwhile at least Bush could be prevented from creating anymore worldwide disasters.

Although the cost of like is abhorent, burying our collective head in the sand will not win the war on terrorism either. History repeatedly shows that weakness or perceived weakness always breeds attacks. I never thought I would say this, but LBJ got it right by drawing the line in the sand in Viet Nam and the Communist countries showed remarkable restraint in their meddling thereafter. It is always easy to say I am against war or killing, but the hard part is defending the right to say I am against war and killing. All you will begat with such foolish resolutions will be problems for the next president that has to make a difficult choice and the other side will foment their own resolutions for impeachment.

Although the cost of war is abhorent, burying our collective head in the sand will not win the war on terrorism either. History repeatedly shows that weakness or perceived weakness always breeds attacks. I never thought I would say this, but LBJ got it right by drawing the line in the sand in Viet Nam and the Communist countries showed remarkable restraint in their meddling thereafter. It is always easy to say I am against war or killing, but the hard part is defending the right to say I am against war and killing. All you will begat with such foolish resolutions will be problems for the next president that has to make a difficult choice and the other side will foment their own resolutions for impeachment.

As long as there is no date for us leaving, there is no incentive for the iraqis to start supplying there own security. the real tradgedy is the total lack of pre war planning,and the idealogs ignored senior military advive and went in with too few troops.
A larger force could have stopped the looting and banditry and supplied true security for everyone. Unfortunately,it is now way too late and we have to live with the administration’s blunders and get out of a civil war.

I basically agree with the premise and recommendation in the barking blog. I earnestly believe that the evidence for frequently misleading, and occasionally outright and inexcusable lying to, the country in the lead-up and prosecution of war is TREASON. The malevolence of the White House is compounded by the war profiteering and theft of huge sums of money from the public treasury to benefit the few (though they number in the thousands) who are closely connected to those in power. Still, the greatest crime IMHO is that the deception took the country to an unnecessary and illegitemate war. The mere fact of war results in enormous depth and breadth of suffering, and that is a crime against humanity. Only those who have knowledge and understanding of that kind of suffering can appreciate just how evil it is to make up reasons for fear, for hatred, and for war, and then to send innocent people into battle against other innocents. A great tragedy has resulted from the crimes of this administration, and we americans (in particular, but others too) will be paying for it in many ways and for many years to come. Impeachment, let alone conviction for treason, will not change that fact. Nevertheless, justice demands that the liars, thieves, and murderers in and around the White House be held to account. We’ll see whether justice will be done…

Bush is a moron and a criminal. Impeach the sucker!

Right or wrong, we’re in Iraq and can’t pull out without leaving a vacuum. If we did, that hole would instantly be filled by “the insurgents” and a huge base of unhinderred terrorist operations would be born. Is this so difficult to understand? It seems to be, because people are piling onto the “cut and run” bandwagon. Even a shallow analysis of that action shows it to be one of certain disaster for many people groups (including the American people group). These Muslim anarchists are not bound by any other honor than the one they possess to destroy Israel and the US! This is not rocket science. In fact, it’s a matter of basic survival. Terrorists cannot be allowed to terrorize. It’s that simple.

As I watched Bob Woodruff the other night, all I could think of is this will be your legacy, Bush. All the killed, all the wounded, all the monetary cost, all because of one man. Could fooling around with a young girl be worse than this?

Remember 9/11? We were attacked and the terrorists will continue to attack us and our supporters. I am sad to see the responses from your readers. Will it take another major attack or bomb in the US before some people get it?

2005 saw the closing of the last of the refugee camps built after the fall of Saigon in 1975. As predicted, millions of Vietnamese were slaughtered, starved, tortured or raped after the American pullout.

The good news: Withdrawing before Iraq is capable of taking care of itself would finally produce the longed for parallel to the Vietnam war.

Steve (above) has it right.

I feel that the newspapers in this country need to have news about Bush and his cronies, plus the war news as the top headline every day. There is still the small minority who do not get the message and they need to be convinced. Read and re-read Molly Ivans’ last column and get out there and make some noise. Watch Fox news for an evening and get a whiff of how part of America is being brainwashed with lies, and believe it or not, for people who are home in the daytime, tune into The View to see why Fox news is doing it’s best to hush up Rosie O’Donnell- she speaks her mind about the war and has got the rest of the hosts doing the same, with facts to prove what they have to say.

You cannot win nor lose a war on terrorism, as terrorism is a tactic, not a state nor group (we cannot see “terrorism” signing a peace treaty). I cannot think of a case in which it has been proven that weakness or perceived weakness has bred an attack, but I see cases in which policies do. Israel is not a weak country, yet it sees many terrorist attacks. Terrorism is the last bastion of those who feel oppressed for whatever reason, legitimately or not.

A hole would be filled by the insurgents? There are no insurgents now? We are not allowing terrorism in Iraq now, yet doesn’t it happen now, and frequently? Israel is not so weak that it can be destroyed by anarchists (which they’re not; a few I’ve seen protesting the invasion certainly are), nor is the United States.

Don’s post had nothing to do with terrorism; Don was talking about Iraq, which saw little terrorism before the United States invasion, and had nothing to do with 9/11. Monetary rewards for terrorists against Israel, yes. But terrorism itself? No. Rewards for terrorists against the United States? No.

Personally, I’m not in favor of impeaching anyone in the Bush administration, but I am in favor of a congress with the backbone to oppose any bad ideas from the Bush administration. Congress was not duped by this administration in 2003, as many people had been saying that there’s no evidence for WMDs in Iraq. Many supporters of invasion countered that this administration had information that we couldn’t know. Turns out, as many suspected, they didn’t.

Remember Afghanistan? That was the sanctuary of those who plotted 9/11. Remember Osama bin Laden? He was the one who masterminded 9/11. Though many have tried, no one has ever been able to prove a cooperative connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

We’re in Iraq for as long as I live. PNAC specified a reason to attack Iraq: permanent bases. Permanent bases we now have, and shall have, whether it hurts the United States or not.

There are 2 different issues: is Bush guilty of impeachable crimes, and what do we do about the war given that we are in it. First one is easy: yes, Bush and his team are guilty and shoudl be prosecuted. The second is sooo much harder to figure out what is the best thing to do.
I think that we need to do much more local middle-east diplomacy; without that, no war will solve the problem. If we can’t do the diplomacy, then pull the troops out because the war is not working by itself. If we use LOTS of political tools, then maybe the troops can help with providing security.

Diane, I think that YOU have forgotten that 9/11 has nothing to do with the Iraq war, and everything to do with the Afganistan war. The right response was then, and is now, to deal with the Taliban and Al Quaeda, and work on all possible diplomatic channels throughout the region. The war on Iraq was rationalized by lies, and the association between 9/11 and Iraq was a White House fabrication that still appears to be convincing people like you. Read the books by people who were there: Richard Clarke(?), Bob Woodruff, etc. and you’ll learn about the lies of Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, Pearle, and Cheney, and Rice… as well as Bush.

I believe that way too many of you have forgotten what happened on 9/11/2001. Let me ask you ask you this – please respond just to the question – how significant to you is it that since 9/11/2001 there has not been a single attack on American soil by terrorists? C’mon people, it’s a simple question. I speak to this a veteran of Vietnam, a U.S.Navy Corpsman who was a Combat Field Medic with the First Marines and one of few who survived Khe Sanh. We CAN win this war, but not if you give up. Don’t buy into the BDS bullshit (Bush Derangement Syndrome). Be a man and stand up and support your President and your Country. Support your troops.

I bow to Don’s opinion, based on his extensive experience as head of state of a major nation and commander in chief of a very large armed force. Remember, everybody is entitled to an opinion – but pay attention to an informed opinion from a person experienced in the subject of which he, or she, speaks.

How significant is the fact that the US hasn’t been attacked on its shores since 9/11? Considering that there was no attack on our shores between 1993 and 2001, and considering that were were a series of terrorist attacks on our shores in the days after 9/11 (anthrax sent through the mail), not that significant.

I agree that Bush should be impeached. I have been saying that for the last two years. How can we do it and is there a petition in place that I can sign?
Upset in North Carolina

Let’s remember we are not waging war on radical Islam, they are at war with us. This international War on Islamic terror stops the minute they decide to stop trying to attack us. Until then, time to leave Iraq, on to Iran!!!!

As satisfying as it would be to see the smirking idiot impeached, too many people would come unglued during the process. But we desperately need to get our people out of Iraq where we’re doing ourselves more harm than good.

Donald Rumsfeld has a long history as Secretary of Defense, and was a naval aviator. This is a man with military experience that’s undeniable.

Yet, I can’t think of anything about the Iraq invasion that he hasn’t screwed up.

Bush should be horse whipped then impeached. But then we would be stuck with Cheney. Bummer. If he too were run out of town on a rail, after being tarred, feathered, and impeached would we be better off with what the Democrats have to offer. The tragic reality is that for six years the Democrats have been satisfied with complaining about the Republicans but have offered precious little in the form of concrete viable solutions.

Dear God what to do?

What are the Libertarians up to? Maybe the socialists, communists, Ross Perot’s Reform party, the Greens?

Haven’t we got anybody with a plan?

Possibly you would like to put this in soapbox.

Well Forrest, I submit that ludicrous comment make you yet another idiot. A “series of anthrax sent through the mail” attacks? Would you care to document those, along with laboratory verification? And if those were indeed terrorist attacks, using anthrax, why in the “F” would you consider that “not that significant? HELLO? Do you have a brain? Forrest, baby, I have a feeling you are not seein the Forrest for the Trees!!!

9/11 and the anthrax attacks were significant. The fact that we haven’t been attacked on our shores since 2001 is what I said wasn’t that signficant, as it’s not true.

According to the FBI, yes, that was real anthrax. People died. Not hard to find the references.

That’s really funny. Now I’ve got guys in their mid 50’s serving a 2nd and 3rd term in Irag to protect the pussies in their 20’s and 30’s wearing too much metal in their faces and burning the U.S. Flag to show how anti-war they are and suckin off all the benefits they can of being a non-contributory U.S Citizen… what I’d dearly love is to see all the anti treason laws be flouted to maximum extent, and all of you stinking, 60’s anti-war f’stinkikng hippies hauled off to prison for treason. Actually, I’d happily volunteer to be the sole volunteer to do the hangings and firing squad trigger.

I don’t see how the war in Iraq has prevented terrorist attacks in USA. Other covert operations have likely done this. If anything, the tremendous expense of the war, coupled with the huge burden on our armed forces has weakened our ability to wage an effective war on terror. Also, sending our troops to police a civil war is just plain foolish. Our troops are not going to stop this sectarian violence. Maybe if we sent over 100,000 or more troops we could temporarily tamp the damper down. But our efforts now are raindrops in the ocean. The sea of madness.

Comments with swears, racial attacks, etc, will be removed. Be angry, passionate, etc – but keep it clean.

Ed:
Exactly how much experience do you have in the U.S. Miiltary? I’d suspect that would be NONE!!!

Racial attacks? WTF are you plugging in here? I don’t see ANYTHING regarding an attack by race. This must be an ATTACK by liberals to stack the deck so they can’t answer legitimate questions without claiming they’ve somehow been “attacked”. Please. Get a life, and get a legitimate argument.

Still waitin’ for a rational response that doesn’t include BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome)

Throw mud at something long enough and repeatedly enough and eventually some of it begins to stick.

Everyone keeps trying to say that he “mislead” us, when in fact he was quoting the same intellegence as Clinton (both of them), Kerry, Pelosi, Kennedy, et al.

And like one of your own said at that town hall meeting, we walk out of Iraq before the job is done, they will follow us here, as they did all through the 90s and culminating on 9/11/01.

If there was one lesson learned in WWII it’s that appeasement doesn’t work.

Everyone says that Bush/Cheney/Rove/Libby outed Valerie Plame. First off, she wasn’t covert and her “secret” identity was Valerie Plame Wilson. Second, no one brings up Wilson downplayed anything HE found, because HE had an agenda, which was to make Bush look bad, so of course he’s going to say he didn’t find anything.

Don’t dismiss something just because you don’t like the source. It’s pretty clear you don’t like Bush. But don’t dismiss everything he says because of it. We CANNOT back down in Iraq until the job is done, and if we need more people there (including making the Iraqi forces step it up a bit), then so be it. The more committed we are now, the LESS time it will take to get the job done and get out.

Contrary to what you said in your post, though, the commanders there DO say that more troops are needed there to get the job done. It’s about time we listen and not make the same mistakes we made in Viet Nam, which was letting the Kerrys of the world short circuit our efforts to win the war, and enouraging our enemies. This death by a thousand cuts is what they’re hoping will drive us out. We have to show it will not work and we WILL succeed. Then watch their recruiting number drop through the floor.

Thank you Joseph.

Published on Friday, March 9, 2007 by CommonDreams.org
Your Genitals: The Great Moral Issue of our Time
by David Michael Green

You liberals are such losers.

Like His Holiness Reagan used to say, “There you go again!” Even after a quarter-century of us regressives running the country, you still don’t get it.

You can’t tell the difference between what is truly important for this country and what is not. You still can’t distinguish the great moral issues of our time from your petty bleeding-heart concerns.

Oh, I know how you guys think.

You’re probably sitting there right now whining about how the massive carnage that is consuming citizens and soldiers in Iraq by the hundreds of thousands is a big deal. Wrong.

You probably think that the ongoing failure of the president to provide adequate armor for the troops he sent to fight in this four year-old war is important. Wrong again.

Or maybe you got yourself all worked up when the horrific treatment our wounded soldiers are receiving at Walter Reed Hospital and elsewhere proved that Bush couldn’t care less about the troops. Still wrong.

I bet you think it’s a big deal that al Qaeda and the Taliban – you know, the folks we said did 9/11 – are regrouping in Afghanistan, and that Osama bin Laden remains a free man five years later. So?

Are you upset again about the loss of jobs in America and the growing pressures on the struggling middle class? We’re not.

How about all the corruption scandals and gross incompetence of George Bush’s crony government? Get over it.

I’ve heard you guys ranting on and on about the mountain of debt we’re leaving for your children to pay off, plus interest, in order to finance our twin extravaganzas of huge tax cuts for the wealthy and a useless war costing $1-2 trillion. What’s wrong that?

Ah, then there’s healthcare! All you whack-job lefty clones seem to think its important to provide decent healthcare for our country, especially the 50 million people who have no coverage whatsoever, a large bunch of whom are children. No doubt Hillary told you to think that, so you did. We say, “Let them eat Band-Aids!”

And don’t go getting a bee in your bonnet just because so many people are suffering and dying needlessly from diseases that could be prevented and treated if only stem cell research was permitted. Do you really think the health of millions is such a big deal?

Please don’t go off again about the destruction of American civil liberties. Man, I hate that. You’re always spouting all those goofy ideas from the Bill of Rights – habeas corpus, right to trial, right to an attorney, protection against torture, search warrant requirements, and everything else you learned about in your fifth grade civics class. Who cares?

And then there’s the Constitution itself – all that stuff about separation of powers, checks and balances, and so on. So you’re all in a lather because the president has secretly appended close to a thousand “signing statements” to congressional bills, declaring all by himself how he interprets those laws, and which parts of them he intends to ignore. But what country can’t benefit from a good stiff shot of monarchism every now and then?

Oh, and please don’t play that tired Katrina card again. You think that the failure to protect, save and restore one of America’s great cities from the ravages of a hurricane is a pretty big deal, don’t you? Christ, you liberals are so sanctimonious! Yadda, yadda, New Orleans. Yadda, yadda, Schmew Orleans.

Or maybe it’s the economic polarization of America that’s got your undies all in a bundle. What’s the difference if the top one percent of the country grows fantastically rich while the rest are stagnant or sinking? That just shows your failure to understand the beauty of our capitalist free market system!

What next? You’re bothered that the Mid-East is in flames? That North Korea has gone nuclear, and that Iran is doing the same while growing in power because we destroyed its rival, Iraq? Typical liberal appeasement naiveté about tough foreign policy questions. Stop talking French, wouldya?

Don’t tell me you’re ashamed that genocide is occurring again while we stand by and do nothing? So what if the same government that moved heaven and earth to “bring democracy to Iraq” can’t be bothered to lift its little finger for Darfur after 400,000 people have been slaughtered? Enough with the bleeding-heart routine already.

Okay, so it must be global warming, then, right? Ozone Man gets an Oscar and you think that saving the entire planet from vast, lethal and massively expensive environmental destruction is one of the great moral issues of our time, eh? Well, that’s where you’re especially wrong.

See, if you really want to know what matters in the moral universe, you should take your cues from us conservatives, especially those of us from the religious right. We can tell you.

And what we say is that the great moral issues of our time are not war, peace, protecting our children, fiscal responsibility, caring for our soldiers or defending the constitution. And especially not pulling the Earth off the planetary grill.

No, the great moral issues of our time are: Your genitals. Yeah, you heard me right. Your genitals.

Surprised? You wouldn’t be if you’d been following the news during your lifetime. And especially if you heard what happened just last week.

Seems that one of our own by the name of Reverend Richard Cizik strayed off the reservation and got himself in some unexpected trouble. Unexpected because he is a longtime advocate for the Christian right, now serving as Vice-President for Government Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals.

But when the good reverend made the mistake of fretting in public about your so-called global warming, well, we came down on him hard. No less than those great moral arbiters of our time, James Dobson, Gary Bauer, Tony Perkins and Paul Weyrich called for Reverend Cizik to resign if he “cannot be trusted to articulate the views of American evangelicals”.

What are those views? What did they identify as the “great moral issues of our time”? I thought you’d never ask. Opposition to abortion and gay marriage, of course. And “the teaching of sexual abstinence to our children”. In short, everything to do with your genitals.

And I do mean, of course, YOUR genitals. Not ours.

Reverend Cizik was actually supported during this controversy by Reverend Leith Anderson, the new president of the association. Why new? Seems the old one – a certain Ted Haggard – loved to preach about your sexual morality but had a slightly different agenda when he found himself inside hotel rooms snorting drugs with gay prostitutes.

Kinda like Newt Gingrich, Robert Livingston, Henry Hyde and the others who chased Bill Clinton down for chasing down Monica Lewinsky, while they themselves were fathering children outside their marriages, having serial affairs, and dumping their wives for new ones, as the old ones lay in the hospital, post-cancer surgery. Kinda like the Catholic dioceses across America that are declaring bankruptcy so they can avoid paying legal claims for all the damage caused by the sexual predators they hired, ignored and protected for decades.

Dummies! Don’t they know you’re not supposed to get caught?

Listen, you get a sixer or two of Coors in me and even I’d admit it’s a pretty good rule of thumb that anyone who is publicly obsessed with your sexuality is actually totally freaked out (at least) about their own. But, hey, what’s the point of being a conservative if you can’t be a hypocrite?! Y’know?

You liberals, though – you’re hopeless. You keep thinking that hundreds of thousands of deaths from war and genocide are more important than dudes marrying other dudes. You keep thinking that preserving democracy is more important than preventing premarital sex. You keep thinking that saving the planet is more crucial than discouraging masturbation.

You keep thinking there are greater and weightier moral issues than what you do with your genitals.

But you’re wrong, and our country is falling apart because of all those misplaced priorities Satan got you to believe in. And Hillary.

It’s time to restore the moral greatness of America again. We need a new campaign of sexual authoritarianism to purge this country of our evil influences. We need to purify our precious bodily fluids and refocus our priorities.

Only then can we safely turn to lesser national priorities. Only then can we plot for our next invasion, our next raid upon the treasury, our next abandoned city, our next ignored genocide, our next assault upon the ecosphere.

Sure, all that stuff’s important. But none of it can happen until we first get our moral house in order.

David Michael Green is a professor of political science at Hofstra University in New York. He is delighted to receive readers’ reactions to his articles, but regrets that time constraints do not always allow him to respond. More of his work can be found at his website.

Doc-How significant is the fact that the US hasn’t been attacked on its shores since 9/11? I see no significance. It happened once. It hasn’t happened again. It’s hard to draw conclusions from a one-time event. I don’t see how the war in Iraq has prevented another attack here. if you do, I think you should explain your position with the same thoroughness that Don did in his post. Also explain how we can win in Iraq. Joseph-please explain how the Kerrys short-circuited our efforts to win the Vietnam war. What could we done differently to win. The Curtis Lemay solution?
One last comment. I don’t see any trite slogans in Don’s posting. I would like to see those of you who who disagree with him avoid slogans and trite expressions such “Support the Troops.”“Be a Man” “Cut and Run”.

Remember what Bush said at Yale during his first year in office? “Even a C student can become president.” He’s not even a C president. More like an F! He and his buddies dragged us into the wrong war. We should be fighting world wide terrorism, wherever the terrorists are, putting money into uncovering them and their plans and helping people to suceed at whatever they need so that they will look up to the U.S., rather than to the terrorists.

I agree completely. Impeach the president and bring the troops home!!

Rember the original patriots did not blindly follow leaders that were wrong. There is nothing unpatriotic about pointing out that our leaders are bankrupting our beloved country in almost any way (fiscally, morally) one can think of.

It is sad to see an American in the whitehouse with a Pathalogical Narcissistic Disorder…
It makes mr bush:
1. Insensitive
2. Arrogant
3. Ignorant
I agree it is time for him to leave before he generates any more wreckage. Now we must motivate our new congress to stop his madness!

YES! Impeach Bush, impeach Cheney (Ex CEO of the “No Bid” company getting the most from war profitteering) and bring the troops home.

Sorry to see your opinion of such a great man. Maybe if you believed in the same God as we “Bush and my family” you would understand that 99% ( the other 1% have converted and are Christian’s) of the muslim community want all americans dead! So after we finish in Iraq, yes Iran will be next, then North Korea …..next …. and possibly even France as they continue to let the muslim community grow.

Grow up, it’s not about lies or oil profits, it’s about the moral character of our country as posted above. Sure you live in one of those screwed up states that supports all those crazy ideas of marriage. I feel sorry for all of you that don’t see the big picture. Unfortunately we will never meet in the one place that really counts. For the others I look forward to meeting you in heaven!
Sorry smalldog, you have just lost me as a customer.

Ray, being in heaven with you would be … well, it wouldn’t be heaven!

Strange, many people keep restating the obvious & already well known- “President Bush sold us this war based upon fear of weapons of mass destruction.” (You will find tens of thousands of Kurds that’ll tell you Sadam had & used WMD’s.) – “The President lied about the intelligence leading up to the war ….”. everyone already knows this & most will agree that it’s true, but instead of re-hashing the past, let’s talk about ‘now’ & what can & should be done.

Don, it’s very strange about your & my interpretations of what General David Petraeus said today; your statement is out of context- “Today General David Petraeus, the new US Commander in Iraq said that attacks were intensifying and that there was no military solution in Iraq.”

Attacks by Al Queda have intensified, but attacks between different cultural groups (Sunni, Shites, Kurds) of the Iraqi population are greatly reduced; the overall out come is that many fewer Iraqi citizens have been killed recently, when compared to previous months.

Today, General David Petraeus said “there is no ‘immediate’ solution.” Did any of us expect the General to posess a ‘magic wand’ that would yield an instant fix?

Why do I watch the pentagon briefings so closely? (no, not the distorted news entertainment channels).

#1- I have the time. I’m disabled, spend most of my life in bed & have the ‘opportunaty’ to watch factual TV programs & visit factual web sites.

#2- I have 3 children that are U.S. Soldiers. “NONE” of them want to be at war! 1 is in Afghanistan. 2 will be returning to Iraq on their 3rd deployments, within 2 months.
NO, I’ve never been in the military. YES, I ‘LOATHE’ war!! Only a fool would like an un-necessary war!

When I ask my 3 Soldiers, seperately, “Do you think it’s the right thing for us to be at war in Iraq?” or “Are we helping in Iraq?” or “Do you feel we’re making progress in Afghanistan?”

To summorize their answers, they say, “Yes, we’re fighting & killing the enemy over there, instead of having to fight them at home.” They never talk in terms of ‘re-forming’ governments or – ‘re-establishing’ nations. They speak in terms of killing, hunting down top targets, destroying weapon caches of the enemy, before the enemy can continue to build in force to form a greater, more powerful terror network that will attack your & my homeland.

Do they want to be there?- NO!
Do they want to protect the people of the U.S.A.?- DEFINATELY!
Are they scared when they’re over there?- CERTAINLY, but it’s a job they said they would do for our country. 2 of them joined the day after 9/11, the other, shortly later.

They’re not beginners at their trade, 2 are Sgt.’s, 1 is a Staff Sgt.

On his last deployment to Iraq (his 2nd) 1 of my soldiers was caught several times in cross-fire ambushes, he was blown up 5 times by I.E.D.’s, sometimes injured – sometimes not injured.

Step into my shoes, for a moment, & hear this story told to you by your 22 year old, battle hardened, 5 times blown up, drunk son (the only time he speaks of his time in Iraq is if he’s had too much to drink), who just returned into my waiting arms 2 days earlier.
He & I are alone in the motel room, Mom has stepped out.
The Soldier begins, in a quiet tone, “I don’t want Mom & you to think that I’m not happy that you’re here or that I’m not happy to be home, but not all of ‘us’ came home. Good men died, and were left behind & can’t be here, happy with their families. In one of the I.E.D. explosions, some of us got hurt, but 2 men were killed. I was in charge of that gun truck, we were all freinds. When I policed the road of their body parts I was as careful as I could to make sure the right parts went in the right body bags, ‘cuz they deserved it; they were good men & their families deserve it.”

Do I wish my 3 soldiers were home, doing some job like flipping burgers at Burger King!? I PRAY FOR IT! all day & all night, I have all this ‘disabled’ time laying in my room in my hospital bed……….thinking.

So please, don’t speak of Presidential WMD lies, twisted intelligence reports of years ago & how we all opposed this war from the beginning Hoor-Ah, you were right, & idle chatter of impeaching the President. And don’t talk to “ME” about war costs in terms of dollars- I have ‘priceless’, non-replaceable ‘people’ invested in these wars.

Jump forward, quickly, to today! Tell us how to stop a world wide network of terrorists. Tell us ‘your’ choice of countries in which to fight them; these terrorists that slaughter entire, non-combatant families because they spoke to a member of the Iraqi, Afghan or U.S. Army. These people that blow 3,000 Americans, as they work at their normal- everyday jobs, to their deaths or terrible injuries. But most of all, tell me, when you choose the country in which to fight these terrorists, which country’s citizens will you have the terror & death of war, innocents befall?
It’s your choice & ‘you know’ for as long as man has been at war, very often, the innocent pay the highest price.

Yes, please tell me, by what measure do you determine which country should have the curse of fighting terrorism, if you could confine that war to just one country.

Tell, me Don, would it be here, in the U.S.A? Beginning in Vermont? Of course not! That’s foolishness! So thought the Afghan citizens until they found their country under the terriny rule of the Taliban. “It’ll never happen to me”, right?

-Wayne 2007 -03-10 05:50

I agree with you Don, wholeheartedly. The only problem is that if we impeach George Bush we are stuck with Dick Cheney and I do believe he is the Darth Vader of the Regime!

Don – your values make it so easy to be loyal to Smalldog. As a business person, your courage is not just courageous, but hopefully it will be contagious. We can and should impeach both Bush and Cheney.

There are two pieces to this puzzle; the first involves how we got into this mess, the second involves how to best get out.

For the “How we got in” story, this piece is a must read.

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0306-38.htm

Remember this simple fact – regardless of the current situation we find ourselves in, Sadam and Iraq played no role in 9/11. The Iraq war was part of a much bigger plan going back well before Bush became president. If you want proof, just read the September 2000, PNAC (Project for a New American Century) report entitled “Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategies, Forces, And Resources For A New Century”, which lays it all out – including the need for a “Pearl Harbor” event. You can find that report here;

http://www.newamericancentury.org/

Note the names on this site.

Impeaching Bush alone for these treasonous acts will not do. Cheney is also involved.

As to how to get out? We have unleashed a civil war in Iraq and at the same time we have taken our focus from the real root of terrorism. Iraq is a fake country created by the British for the purpose of extracting oil. It needs to be partitioned into three countries – one for the Shi’ites, one for the Sunni’s and one for the Kurds. Of course this will be difficult and result in some pain and displacement – but it is the only solution with any chance for long term success.

Next we need to get the people of the area back to work. When we went in we shut down their factories and business and moved in with our own contractors and outside labor. Why is Halliburton rebuilding Iraq? The Iraqi’s built their country in the first place – they can rebuild it. Put them to work and they won’t be as interested in killing each other.

Finally we need to learn to work with the people from this region. They hate us, not for our freedom but because of years of our taking advantage of them. We have been extracting their resources for our own benefit. Why shouldn’t they hate us? We need to recognize this and change.

Let’s see now… Bush misled the country into a conflict that has cost the lives of over 3,000 US troops and countless Iraqis and disabled many, many more Americans and Iraqis. Saddam Hussein was convicted for “crimes against humanity”, specifically the killing of 240 fellow Iraqis. He was hung and Bush goes free. Hmmm!

Thanks Don, I was already a loyal customer, now I’m a loyal customer for life. You may lose a few customers like Ray, but at least you can live with yourself.

Bush is like a Windows 3.1 computer with a bad virus. The sooner we “re-format” this guy, the better.

Don, you speak my mind.
Thank you. Mark

Americans voted for the President. Twice. Whether you like him or not, disagree with him or not: “You asked for it, you got it…” Put your efforts into improving our SAD education system, and maybe some thought into why our choices for elected offices are not filled with the best of us. Just my two cents.

I made a comment earlier (XLIII),; I’m the father of 3 Soldiers at war. I feel I have a ‘very’ big investment in the Iraq & Afghanistan wars – my children.

Then I read here, because Don Mayor has one opinion, and others have a different opinion, some people will be taking their business to a different company, than Small Dog, just because of these varying opinions.

Why don’t people understand that some of us will “never” see ‘eye to eye’ and agree with one another? That’s the nature of our “great” nation! We ‘can’ disagree & say it out loud!

Of course we each have the choice of what company we want to do business with, too.

But I find no longer doing business with such a reputable company, such as Small Dog, simply because you may not agree with Don Mayor’s opinion, some what foolish.

If you read my earlier post, (XLIII), you’ll notice that Don and I don’t agree on too many points; but his differing opinion from mine, has absolutely no bearing on the “excellent” service and customer assistance that I have ‘always’ received from the Small Dog staff, over the many years I’ve done business with them, on both large & small value purchases.

Differing opinions = changing people!!?

I’m sure glad that doesn’t apply to husbands and wives! Wives are way too hard to train, to keep changing her everytime we have a difference of opinion!!

NOTE: Just kidding Honey, and yes, I ‘would’ like to sleep indoors after you read this.

“Why don’t people understand that some of us will “never” see ‘eye to eye’ and agree with one another? That’s the nature of our “great” nation! We ‘can’ disagree & say it out loud!” I agree 100% – and I love that about our country. That’s a really important point. And actually, our country is far stronger for the debate.

I am thinking of your three children at war. What a tremendous sacrifice. What bravery. I hope they make it home safe and sound. Also –
I hope you get to sleep inside soon!

Invading a country on false pretenses is not like going to the beach because somebody told you the sun was shining and it wasnt.
But thats what we are being sold right now.
The question we should be asking is,knowing absolutely that the initial reasons were totally trumped up,wht else are these people capable of?

I’m in agreement with Don and others in Vermont (where I lived in the winter of ‘57-58), and say let the first woman President come from succession (House of Rep., after The Shrub and Chain-y are impeached — don’t they deserve it more than Nixon or Clinton!?). Look at WorldCantWait.org and other national organizations online. Look at BlackBoxVoting.org. Help alternative political parties (I’m a Green) by promoting RangeVoting.org, an I.R.V. concept. And lastly, visit Harry Braun’s sites, PhoenixProjectPAC.US and HarryBraunShow.com/

Ten two-letter words of responsibility:
“If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me”

The 2000 election was stolen from the legitimate winner, who would NOT have destroyed the honor of the USA, so saying Bush “won” twice has no value in the discussion.

It’s time to start the investigation of their crimes. It has to be done.

Stop the ad hominum attacks! Debate our involvement in Iraq on the issues.
I believe in and support the war against terrorism for several reasons. First, I have been there and have a good understanding of what the militant Islamic groups intend for the US. I have also read the Koran to attempt a better understanding of Islam. And please don’t give me the “Bible is violent” argument. Please read both the Old Testament and the Gospels and then decide where you think Jesus would stand. The Koran is full of hate and deceit and instructs true believers that they are free from the restrictions placed on them in their interactions with other true believers when they are dealing with infidels. Don’t go off on me, buy a Koran and READ.

When will people realize and understand? Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11! The terrorists were all from Saudi Arabia and in fact bin laden had nothing to do with Saddam Hussein. While we are worrying about Iraq, the real threats continue to mount – Iraq, North Korea and Syria. Not to mention the hundreds of billions of dollars wasted every day, but someone’s getting rich!

How does impeaching Bush lead to Cheney being president? Was Al Gore president after Clinton got impeached? Me thinks not… BTW, I disagree entirely with you Don. I do commend you for putting your right to free speach to use though.

I assume that everyone who is making their liberal dissension against President Bushes Iraq action knows that more attacks were planned on the Chicago Towers and San Francisco. And that President Bushes actions to attack Iraq messed up those plans. I guess those who keep making complaints against the President would rather we fought the war in this country. Heck, you may get your wish yet, and if the same of you who want to take the 2nd Amendment and gun ownership away also, will really have a fine time because then you can rely on your local police to protect you. NOT. Red China, North Korea, AlQueda already in this country? Where will it come from? Hopefully it won’t, but right now the whiners are playing right into the enemies hands. If I new all I had to do is hang on for a few more months, I’d keep right on going.

As a gun owner who is formally versed in the national and international law of self-defense, I happen to agree with your opinion on the wrongness of waging a “pre-emptive” war. However, I also happen to disagree with what I consider your ill-informed opinion on semi-automatic firearms. And I was offended when you recently proposed that Washington DC force(!) the rest of the country to adopt the kind of Daylight Savings you wanted (an authoritarian, elitist approach that places micromanagement over local self-governance). My state doesn’t even do DST, and I can say that since moving here, I have not missed that semi-annual ethnic fire drill for one minute.

What really puzzles the heck out of me is why you keep sticking your neck out in your newsletters to make statements that risk alienating roughly half your customer base. It’s not just bad business, it’s foolish business.

If you were a member of one of my political discussion groups, I’d be glad to swap political debating points with you. But in this forum, the best relationship I can have with you is that I buy Mac stuff from you, and you sell Mac stuff to me. Anything that gets in the way of that is a disservice to us both (though mostly to you, since there is no shortage of places I can buy Mac stuff).