“We the people”…know not much
I had a very interesting chat the other day with a dear friend who is in the military. Currently he is stationed in Korea and should be home soon for his new base location. Somehow we got on the subject of the war of in Iraq and surrounding countries. I told him I was tired of the war and I was quickly corrected that I didn’t really know what was going on. He is so right. We the people of this country don’t know that much about the war. We are only given little tidbits here and there and only what the government and media want, more so allow (by the government). I was also reassured that at least 80% of the troops WANT to be there and that less then 15% only went into the military to get help with money for college and never expected to see “battle”. I think it takes A LOT for someone to join up no matter what. Not everyone can do that. Not everyone does! But what really gets me is that the government wants our support, but they don’t tell us everything. Give it to us straight! We REALLY want to know. Tell us the good the bad and the ugly. We are adults and we can handle it! I believe God doesn’t give us more then what we can handle, so I believe divine intervention would help with those who don’t want to know or can’t handle the truth. If you don’t want to see it or hear about it, don’t watch the world news or open that section of the paper; it’s that simple.
I want to hear what everyone else thinks. Don’t spare me my feelings, I really want to know. Tell it to me straight!
jadedsoul said,
24 August 2007 at 10:09 am
I understand how many people feel that we need to bring our troops home. No one likes to lose a loved one, and war is an ugly/scary thing. It takes a courageous and honorable person to become part of the military. They know the pros and cons of their positions. But I feel that it is a slap in the face of our military when Americans voice negativity and anger toward the ones that are fighting for our freedom, the ones who willingly put theirselves in harms way in an effort help those in need, and rid other countries of evil rulers and help them to rebuild their nations. How is their NOT honor in that??
Calling Him Out said,
24 August 2007 at 10:13 am
There is honor in what our troops do. Most people support them. It’s our government and the reasons or lack thereof that the problems lie. Our government, in my opinion, don’t have the honor to tell us everything.
jadedsoul said,
24 August 2007 at 10:25 am
Yes, I agree with that!! They like to either sugar-coat things, exagerate things, or keep us totally in the dark. Unfortunatley not much we can really do there! But the media is so accessible that what they let us know, they will know. It is more than likely condisered a threat to our national security to let us know everything.
Calling Him Out said,
24 August 2007 at 10:36 am
Just some news to update us on:
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration and the Pentagon could be headed for a showdown over troop levels in Iraq.
The Los Angeles Times said Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace wants to cut the number of American forces in Iraq next year by nearly half.
There are currently more than 160,000 U.S. troops there.
Government and military officials cited by the paper say the Pentagon’s top brass agree that the Army is under too much of a strain. But they are also described as reluctant to pick a fight with either the president or commanders in Iraq.
The Army’s David Petraeus, the top general there, delivers a progress report to Congress next month. It’s expected he’ll call for a heavy troop commitment even after the current 30,000 troop surge ends.
“Petraeus and [Ambassador to Iraq Ryan] Crocker are coming to testify, but this is the president’s decision,” a senior military official in the Pentagon told the newspaper. “As the chairman, Gen. Pace, by law, has a big role in that and he will provide his advice to the president.”
One senior administration official quoted by the LA Times said if the U.S. can’t afford to “walk away,” it’s going to have to get itself “structured for the long haul.”
Sen. John Warner, R-Va. is adding to pressure on the White House, proposing that at least some of the troops be brought home by Christmas. He said Iraq’s government needs to know the U.S. commitment is not open-ended.
Report: Progress Uneven
Thursday’s release of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq reported uneven improvements since the January 2007 report.
“The steep escalation of rates of violence has been checked for now, and overall attack levels across Iraq have fallen during seven of the last nine weeks,” the report said. “However, the level of overall violence, including attacks on and casualties among civilians, remains high; Iraq’s sectarian groups remain unreconciled; al-Qaida in Iraq retains the ability to conduct high-profile attacks; and to date, Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively.”
President George W. Bush backed Iraqi Prime Nouri al-Maliki in a Thursday speech.
“Prime Minister Maliki is a good guy, a good man with a difficult job, and I support him,” he said. “And it’s not up to politicians in Washington, D.C., to say whether he will remain in his position — that is up to the Iraqi people who now live in a democracy, and not a dictatorship.”
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
source: http://www.wftv.com/news/13965623/detail.html