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War in Iraq
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| Yes | 66% | 218 votes | Total: 330 votes | |
| No | 34% | 112 votes |
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Add to FavoritesI will be the very first to say that i hate to admit defeat. I will also be the very first to step outside of myself and see a no win situation for what it is... a no win situation. While i believe that Americans on the whole are a patriotic people, and we support our troops and government, how much is to much? I remember watching CNN religiously since the towers were struck and destroyed. This particular action effected me two-fold in that i'm a native New Yorker and an American that until that day believed my country was unstoppable and untouchable; Least of all by individuals that couldn't hope to compete militarilly with us. I watched as tomahawk cruise missles launched from a battleship in the Persian Gulf, i watched as B-2 Stealth Bombers unleashed the equivelant of biblical hellfire and brimstone on Baghdad. I watched with a mix of wonder and pride as the most awesome military machine to ever walk this earth fixated its fury on an army that thought it had a chance. That was the last time i remember being proud of the actions of my President. Now, six years later... where are we? What are we doing?
At the risk of sounding unpatriotic, enough is enough! Our troops are tired, we are tired. The division of sides on this issue is as obvious as the difference between light and dark. It has become unnervingly obvious that we cannot hope to win this war, how can you defeat a people that will, by any and all means, destroy itself in order to win? The answer to that question is, we can't. While we hope to bring democracy to the world, we can't force feed the ideal to different cultures. Insurgencies fight by less than honorable methods and the administrations answer to that is throw more troops into the theater of opperations. Well if they couldn't tell by now... thats a flawed theory. It wasn't the answer then and its not the answer now.
The Bush administration would have us believe that everything is going according to plan in Iraq. Nothing could be further from the truth, i have yet to see a piece of news that suggests we are making any sort of head way. This war has been cut up and spliced together on so many different levels its impossible to tell whats the truth and what is the governments "version" of the truth. I will relent in saying that this war happened entirely to fast for anyone to prepare for it... if you don't buy into the conspiracy theories concerning it, but to not have an exit strategy? We still don't have a workable idea on how to defeat the insurgencies. Sure, we incorporated urban combat training into our military's training regiment, but its no where near comprehensive enough. Sure we have the most well trained military in the world fighting this war, but we are sending young Americans over there to fight and die. I know what your going to say... they volunteered to do this right? Of course they did, they decided to fight for their country and i applaud that with every bit of my being, it isn't right though.
The Bush administration has talked at length about staying the course until such time as the Iraqie government is capable of taking control. While its a solid idea, its not conceivable. Why should the Iraqie's take charge when they have the U.S. there to do their dirty work? Its time to start phasing troops out, its time to bring our boys home. Many Americans realize we can't win this war, we don't want to admit we can't, but we know deep down that we can't. How many more troops do we have to send to their deaths before Bush realizes it?
I truly applaud Bushs' resolve to "stay the course", but Bush needs recognize a no win situation when he sees one. This war will continue to divide this country and our troops will continue to come home to "babykiller" chants until we pull our men and women out of there. The middle eastern people have been fighting each other since before recorded history, whatever makes this man think he can just change a cultures way of life is beyond my scope of reasoning. That being said... lets get back on target over there and take care of the original threat. Lets bring Bin Laden back so he can be brought to justice for thinking he could get away with killing 3,000 innocent Americans.
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No
It is an irrefutable fact, we are a world at war. I find it strange to know this while going through my day to day life as I watch it go on as if we were in a nation at peace. Having grown up in an era when going to war was not only unpopular but treated with disdain was a difficult time. Especially while my father, voluntarily served in Viet Nam. I remember the protests, the riots and the turmoil as people of passion spoke their peace whether for or against the efforts. At least there was passion, however, unlike today where disinterest seems more the issue.
As an adult, I just missed going to the original Gulf War myself by only a few years. I am a non-wartime veteran, a status that sometimes leaves me with a sense of guilt as I read about and watch my brother and sister soldiers making the sacrifices I never had the chance to, though would have without a second thought. What hurts even worse is watching the bizarre sense of detachment our folks at home have toward the war effort. It truly scares me that much of the American public, either uninformed due to lack of interest, mis-informed by a biased media, or mis-led by self-serving political rhetoric, choose to bow down to our enemies rather than stand up for the things that used to define what it meant to be an American.
Should Bush relent on Iraq and announce a plan for troop withdrawals? It is very hard for me to grasp that I even have to answer such a question. Of course not. Why should we quit and run when we are making such progress? Why should we send the world the message that when we get bored with a crisis we walk away. How can such an unpatriotic attitude like surrender even be an option for the most powerful nation in the world? How is it that in an age of vast resources for information unlike there has ever existed in the history of mankind, our people can make decisions based on bias, greed and a complete lack of effort to find the truth for themselves?
We know the news media is sensationalized and biased. Yet many continue to use it as their sole source of information. We know our politicians, other than a few that remain for the right reasons, are only out for our votes, and use our fears and desires against us to achieve their own twisted agendas. Yet rather than seek to find out the truth for ourselves, most Americans seem to choose the path of the sheep and allow themselves to be told what is what rather than use the resources God and science have given us to make informed decisions for ourselves.
Should Bush relent on Iraq and announce a plan for troop withdrawals? Absolutely not! We are winning this war, even the skeptics admit this. Sure, it hasn't been easy. Mistakes have been made, lives have been lost and it has proven to be a great expense to our country. This is war, these issues are a part of war, always have been always will. It is NOT politically correct to back down after such sacrifices have been made. It is not in the best interest of our nation to turn tail and run because we feel uncomfortable. It would be a travesty to think that the precious lives lost would be wasted because of the fear of a misinformed ignorant section of our nation, that isn't even a majority, feels that it may cost them something out of pocket if it were to continue.
We are a nation at war. Iraq is no longer our enemy and, as a whole, wants the things we have to offer. Think it is difficult here? I assure you it's no picnic over there and the majority want and need the aid we offer. They know the turmoil they would face if we were to cut and run, leaving them to the lack of mercy that will be shown by the radical Islamic wolves around them. They know that countries like Iran and Syria, along with the terrorist organizations they support, can't wait for America to abandon its efforts leaving the remnants, of a nation that was, to be picked over by the vultures they are.
We are a world at war. It may not always seem so, but the facts are what they are, our enemies know it and are determined to finish it, whether we choose to or not. Like it or not, America is the leader in this war for the side of good and what is right, against the evil that would strip everyone of their rights to choose their own destinies. If we bow down, it will be their religion or death, their laws or death, their warped ideals or death. This is the truth, these are the things they promise, this is whats in store for everyone everywhere if we fail in our resolve now or in the future.
This is no time to cut and run. If you as an individual think we are failing to meet the challenge, the correct action is not retreat but rather find out what you can do to support the effort. Whether it is as simple as sending a cell phone to one of our soldiers so they can talk to their family, or volunteer your lives in this fight for freedom and everything we stand for, it is up to us as a nation, as a world, to stand up and tell our enemies we will not waiver, we will not surrender, we will not fail.
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