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.