Later

Our people have not died for nothing. The U.S. needed to be defended from a lack of Iraq’s oil. Running out of oil would cause the deaths of tens of millions of Americans because without fuel, we can’t make and transport food. To protect us from the threat to our National Security, Cheney and other PNAC members consulted a super computer and/or a marketing think tank and figured out that the way to go would be to sacrifice people in the twin towers and use the 9/11 attacks as a pretext to liberate Iraq’s oil and to build that pipeline across Afghanistan to get the oil and gas from the Caspian Sea.

Would they do this? Sure, they ask soldiers to make the ultimate sacrifice to save other American lives. Collateral damage, civilian deaths, are seen as unfortunate, but not completely unacceptable.

The Americans who died in 9/11, I think were seen by the architects as American heroes who died for the greater good.

So, I think the way they really see it is that they are sacrificing 6 or 10 or even 50 thousand Americans when it is all done in order to save millions.

Other countries figured out the prize and they have been keeping the fighting going by backing various sides. But many of those others are also ahead of us on energy conservation so our demand may be highest.

Anyway the sacrifice our soldiers make is for a real cause, to save American lives over the next 10 or 20 years while we work on a different energy infrastructure.

I protested before the war because I saw that was going on and believed that the better way would have been to tell Americans the truth and to start converting our energy using some of the billions we have used fighting for the world’s last huge oil reserves.

The fact that we are running out of energy was, in fact, announced by the White House four months before 9/11 but who noticed?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/05/20010503-4.html

It seems your reluctance to “stand up” for freedom and righteousness within your own country and its policies is based on fear.
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The fear is understandable; to willing stand up against power, when all you want is security. As long as you can have your lifestyle and be comfortable in your homes and feel nice and safe until you die you’re willing to have ‘Big Brother’ take care of you from ‘cradle to grave’. ‘From cradle to grave’ your willing to sell out your children’s and grandchildren’s future liberty, national assets and climate in order ‘to keep things just the way they are’, to feel secure in your finances and lifestyle.
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You’re willing to give up freely what others, who came before you worked, suffered and died for. Why, because you’re afraid of the boogie man from the Middle East who has the strange religion and frightening ways. You’re willing to throw it all away because of fear mixed with a healthy dose of ignorance and a smattering of hate. No amount of evidence can convince you seriously misguided adherents of anything Bush that you are willing victims of propaganda and lies.
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You don’t realize you have foolishly surrendered your loyalty to a man. You’re too blind to see you are denying your faithfulness to what you so proudly proclaim as God and country. You are swept up by the passion of conflict and follow along aimlessly, duped into following because of your own voluntary ignorance and fear of going against what seems popular with your peers causing you to halt any questions you may have floating around in your conscience.
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Fear of the legitimate threat of terrorism is allowing you to be weak on protecting our most cherished gifts we possess as Americans; our freedoms as set forth in our constitution and its amendments. You’re allowing yourselves to be taken advantage of by those who would desire to see your freedoms lessened for their own lustful purposes.
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Woe to those whose spirit compels them to speak against the flood of popular vengeance. The desire to strike back against a foe is so strong anyone trying to quell the rising tsunami of violence is flooded with anger, revulsion and distrust. The courage it takes to express legitimate descent is ignored as is their deep felt loyalty and patriotism. Throughout history their lot has been plagued with torture, exile and death.
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Everyone who interferes is perceived as being less than loyal and you’re willing to destroy them to keep yourselves feeling safe and secure. You call yourselves good and them bad. You use your abundance of possessions comfortable lifestyle versus their lack of anything, in the third world, as proof that you are most beloved by God; proof that you are doing everything God’s way; proof that God is on your side.
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You’re asking a small group of others to bare the burden of making you feel safe and secure. Your only contribution is to feign support by flying the flag in front of your home or placing the yellow ribbon on your car. When I see it there I wonder what’s truly in your head and whether you are only flying it because you have been possessed by extreme right wing nonsense willingly voiding your brain of any idea of what the flag really stands for. Our fathers and grandfathers fought under this flag in WWII defeating fascism in Europe. They were truly supported by sacrifices from everyone at home; industry included.
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This same flag is now being dirtied because it is being used as a banner for creeping fascism in our own country. They do not embrace Hitler’s, Mussolini’s, Franco’s, or anyone else’s version of fascism. They are playing with their own Neoconservative version. Future historians and political scientist may develop a better name but, for us, for now, fascism is accurate enough. It has been disaster in every country it has existed in and ours would be no exception. You people who have welcomed this filthy ideology have disgraced our flag, our forefather’s sacrifices and the very dust of their bones.
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You good Republicans need to develop the courage to see the truth because these monsters are destroying you from within and along with you they’re dragging the whole nation into disgrace. These are not your fathers Republicans they’re essentially fascists and devastation is their mistress.
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If you love your country, ‘Speak truth to power!’

I’m a firm believer that we need to fight terrorism. That’s what we are doing in Afghanistan but no matter how you want to twist the truth, that IS NOT what we are doing in Iraq. Like I said before, the job of the United States military is to “protect and defend the country from attacks foreign and domestic”. How did we need defend ourselves from Iraq?

People want to talk so much about how this war is needed but they are saying that from the sidlines. I’ve been seeing the Army let people in recently up to the age of 42. That means the door is open for a lot of pro war people to join. But they won’t. they will just continue to talk from the side about it while others lose thier lives, kids are left without parents, and soldiers return home with mental illness. This is beyond the 4004 troops that have died. Way more lives are affected by this unneeded war.

With all that said, if the time comes for me to go back, I will buck up and do it again because that is my job. I will concentrate on getting the mission done. That’s what being a soldier is about, not keeping my mouth shut and sucking it up.

Sam’s injuries and significantly changed life are not “just part of the job”. Every member of the military understands the possibilities of war when they sign the dotted line. I am so tired of reading or hearing the naysayers disrespect our men and women who fight for our very right to be free. Sam’s dedication and sacrifice not only make me respect him more, it allows me another avenue to understand why we are fighting in a foreign land. He may never be the “same guy” again, but he’s still Sam. He’s still here and you can see that in his eyes. My husband has come home twice without visible injuries and he’s not the same man either. War changes people….it’s a horrible reality we all have to accept.

Sam’s in-laws are extremely patriotic and dedicated to those who serve our country. It just seems so disrespectful to criticize and speak poorly of the war our heroes like Sam have chosen to fight.

As for your duty as a soldier, Mike, I don’t believe that includes criticizing and demeaning your Commander-in-Chief. That’s your right, yes, and you can freely speak your little mind. Even though you are a soldier, you don’t strike me as a man who is very pro-military. Perhaps you should think twice about reenlisting this next time around so you won’t have to feel as though you are just a pawn who may be killed as just part of the job.

My post on your blog today originally came as a response to your inappropriate and irresponsible post on the blog of a close friend who wholeheartedly serves his country as a member of the United States Marine Corps. This man has come home injured, yet he’s still strong and proud to have done what he has for America and Iraq. I find it interesting how you can disgrace him so easily by posting your disdain for our Commander-in-Chief openly on a blog being written to keep us informed and updated on his progress. This is most certainly a great faux pas on your part and it’s in very bad form. Honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself. Post to support his service, his path to recovery, or to show you sincerely understand the great sacrifice he has taken on for his family and country. Do not use the amazing dedication his family shows with his website to announce your contempt for the sacrifices others like him have made. It only shows a great deal of ignorance and bad manners.

After having read your feeble post, I feel more honored now than I ever have for the service of my husband and our friends. It is the sacrifices these people make that allow you to blast and disrespect the very core of our nation with your uneducated and insensitive posts. The 4,000 plus that have now died have allowed you to trivialize their choice to fight for, and sometimes die for freedom and democracy. I may not agree with every aspect this war encompasses, but I dare any one of you to look me in the eye and tell me what my husband and his brothers have done to help the Iraqi people is wrong or immoral. Helping those who are less fortunate and not able to protect themselves is the responsibility of those who can…namely America.

I wonder what has happened to you that you feel it necessary to use your right to free speech in this manner. To those of you that have served in Iraq….what injustice was served you that you feel the need to criticize a president’s actions so vocally and disrespectfully? I sincerely invite you to place yourself in his shoes for a day and see the outcome of your perception of how things ought to be carried out. No one is ever going to agree wholeheartedly with the actions of any leader we have; however, when it comes to the greater good of a nation, said leader has an immense amount of responsibility to ensure as many people as possible are being served fairly. Democracy is what gives us the privilege to vote and whine accordingly. Imagine if you weren’t afforded this right; how loudly would you object then?

To mirror Lynne’s post, I wonder how many of you have actually taken further action than simply blogging away your inadequacy to fully comprehend how this nation’s democratic system works. If you’re going to criticize President Bush for his actions, you had better be ready to throw that accusatory lasso around a whole bunch of other folks, too. It is not his decision alone that places our husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, etc. in harms way. Congress, filled with Democrats and Republicans (and I believe 1 Independent), voted to send our troops to war. This was not the push of one man alone. Ultimately, though, he is our leader. How many times have you ever stood up to take full responsibility for actions you knew had included those around you as well?

As for your choice to believe your service to our country makes you nothing but a “pawn”, I am confused. Likely, this is just the verbiage that allows you to justify your tantrum or just feel better about it. Having been a member of a military family every day of my 30 years, I have never once viewed those who serve as pawns who have simply said, “(h)ere’s my life to throw away as you choose.” I believe those are your words, Mr. Belgrove, and it is unfortunate to hear you feel that way. On the day you signed the dotted line and chose to become a soldier in the US Army, you did not become a pawn. Instead, you chose to become an important member of an intricate military system which utilizes its resources to their fullest extent. You swore to protect this nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic, and you have by deploying and serving in Iraq. Your choice to see yourself as a pawn should be your own opinion of your own actions and not that of our nation’s defenders as a whole. My husband follows orders, but he is not a pawn and he is not controlled. He is a United States Marine, and perhaps that is all the difference there need be between you two. For you to remain an active duty soldier who promises to protect me is an insult to me and your fellow comrades in arms. If your feelings regarding the mission of our nation’s troops are truly as venomous as they appear to be, you may consider removing yourself from the equation. This is not to say you should not have the right to disagree; it is simply a request to remember there is a time and most certainly a place to voice such opinions. A tribute to an injured Marine is simply not one of those places.

“When history is written, Iraq will look just like a comma.”
Zed Jones Unit
http://iraqjustacomma.cf.huffingtonpost.com/

Supporting the misguided Bush Administration has nothing to do with supporting the troops. The Republican party has made it very plain to every person that has served in the military, is currently serving in the military or ever will serve in the military that no act of heroism for your country or act of heroism for your home or act of heroism for your brothers and sisters in arms is worth ‘a hill of beans’ unless you submit to a particular agenda masquerading as conservative Republican.

Even the soldier who falls on the grenade is un-American if he’s found out to be a suspected liberal. After all if he’s Democrat it must have been some cowardly liberal plot that led that person to commit self assisted suicide.

The sad thing is they’ve made very clear to any soldiers, airman, seaman, or marines that may have been tempted to tell the American people the truth, whether it’s about the war, lack of proper military equipment, or their own mistreatment through sub-par states-side medical treatment, to keep they’re mouths shut except when regurgitating the Neoconservative talking points because they’re testimony is worthless and threatening to the Bush administrations public image.