When I saw the title of this article, one thought popped into my head: "Purpose in Iraq? How about showing the defeatist scoundrels in the media for what they are? That's all the purpose I need now. Oh yeah, and world peace."

This is a poignant story that bears repeating - It is in the eyes. Those of us who have had similar experiences at other times in our life will tell you that it is enough that WE remember that friends are made one at a time, and that memories are made in the same way. It is a marvelous thing indeed, when the 'way' is a two-way - where you are both gaining much and losing nothing. Thank you to all the Chief Wiggles that have done their part, but most especially Chief Wiggles - who can tell all what only one can do or say.

if u guys just open your minds just a little u will see and alternative view.. the reason why news is so negative is because it is all bad news. there was a reason why the rest of the world was against this war.... because it will end in a humanitarian disaster.. iraq would be laid to waste, and that is exactly what is happening now. this was an illegal war. an act of naked aggression by the US. u will not hear any goodnews from iraq until US troops leave.

The good news in Iraq is how much these people hate peaceniks.

Dr Patel,

I assure you our minds are anything but closed. In fact we scour all available media, blogs, foreign papers, etc, to get a picture of what is going on inside Iraq. And the picture is mixed. I refer you to Salam Pax webchat, a report from Rev Ken Joseph Jt, an Assyrian Christian and peace activist, and a report by Don Walters, a federal Judge and opponent of the war. The picture painted these first hand observers is decidedly mixed, and the American performance in the aftermath of the war leaves alot to be desired.

Nonetheless, I cannot reconcile these accounts with your bald statement of moral and humanitarian catastrophe. You state there is "all bad news", and yet here is some good news, and I find it credible given the bias of the sources against the war. I look forward to your considered response.

Gee Dr. Patel,

You living in Iraq right now? How do you know all is bad news? Oh, yeah, your favorite media outlet told you so. Open your damn eyes! There is good and bad to any situation. If all you want to see is bad, guess what?

We want to see nothing but good, yet we know there has to be some bad along with it. Who is blind? Look in the mirror. Oh, wait, you can't see. Never mind.

An example of why the news is bad...

The below is excerpted from a 9/24/03 Washington Times article. It is in context insofar as there is now explantion of the conclusion written that I have excluded.

"Despite the collapse of government and civic institutions, looting and violence and shortages of water and electricity, 67 percent of 1,178 Iraqis told a Gallup survey team within five years, their lives will be better than before the U.S.-led invasion.

Only 8 percent of those queried said they believed their lives would be worse off as a result of the military campaign to remove Saddam and his Baath Party leadership, the New York Times reported.

The results revealed Iraqis in the capital still maintain a great deal of skepticism about the motives of the United States and Britain."

8% is a 'Great Deal'?

Something I penned (with a six-pack) on 9/11/03:

An Open Letter to Haters of America (External and Internal)

On this second anniversary of the greatest mass murder in the United States’ history, I took the time to review the foreign and domestic press for commemorative comments. Sadly, what I found did not surprise me. I found in the domestic press mawkishly false platitudes about the “humanity” of the event espoused by columnists who will tomorrow or next week return to their usual words of attack on the “failures”, the “costs” and the “lack of foresight” of the global war on terror. Next week they will again be writing columns asking “Can’t we all just get along?”

Perhaps if those domestic columnists took the time as I did today to read the foreign (the middle-eastern, in particular) columns, they would see that there is no just getting along with terrorists. Just as there is no intent on the part of Rodney King, the source of their quotation, to get along with anyone or anything remotely civilized, regardless of his published protestations.

Today I read columns and transcripts from France, Germany, the Palestinian Authority, and even Great Britain that called for the continued killing of Americans. The common theme seemed to be that 9-11-01 was the blow that woke the “sleeping giant” and called her into a battle in which the forces of Allah will prevail.

Well, two years ago today nineteen murderers did indeed awake a giant that had been insulated by the “comforters” of two oceans. Two years ago, the U.S. realized that having a cover or comforter over your head as does a child fearing monster in the closet doesn’t really work. Not even the two blankets provided by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans worked. Two years ago we discovered that those blankets had worn dangerously thin and were too porous to offer much protection from the brutal elements extant in the current world climate. We discovered that the monster was out of the closet. We also (well some of us, anyway) realized that we were the ones who left that danged closet door open and had eroded the effectiveness of the comforters. Hell, we pretty much nailed that closet door open and put out a welcome mat for the monsters on which to wipe and hone their claws as they arrived in response to our engraved invitations. We so frequently washed and picked so much lint off of our comforters/security blankets by way of budget cuts and political correctness, that they became inconsequential and ineffective barriers to murderous thugs. (Student visas, wide-open borders, ineffectual INS, ‘Come to California and get a driver’s license all illegals!’ Etc…).

Yes. “The Monster” came into our room because we let him.

Now that he is in our room, it is it or we. Now we must kill it or be killed by it. And now we must take steps to ensure that the closet door stays shut and barred so that we can sleep peacefully and secure in the knowledge that our borders are guarded and that those among us who will attempt to unman the security of our borders for the sake of diversity are disabled. Now we must come to grips with the fact that this country is at war. We can no longer mollycoddle those who would come here and hide in our closets until the time is ripe to kill us. No longer can we allow the monsters within our borders to facilitate the monster’s entrance into our abodes by our buying-into their politically correct, and seemingly Rodney King based policies.

When I read about allowing illegal aliens more and more rights normally reserved for U.S. citizens such as health care, driver licenses, and anything else that supports the “Get Along Agenda”, I recognize the writers and the politicians written about, as the monsters that they are. If a media representative or politician argues for the rights of someone who is in this country illegally in a time of war, I am forced to at least question the motives of that representative. Often as not, after I have researched the motives and background of that representative, I find that they are not mere accomplices to the monsters, they are themselves monsters. They have become possessed by the fearful forces that wish only to destroy us. And, unwittingly, and full of fervent good intent, they write and speak the word of the monsters. They promulgate the enemy’s evil screed. And they sleep well at night certain that they have done an important thing.

In their own minds they are happy as they sleep. I’ll not begrudge anyone the courage of their convictions and its resultant blissful sleep. But... I will tell these ‘enemies within' that they are not as safe as they think when they lie down each night. Their hubris and/or personal gain motive is facilitating the monster’s closet door lock picking ability, and hence their endangerment. Monsters have little use for sycophantic mouthpieces once their usefulness has expired.

I am not a columnist. I am not syndicated. I am merely a citizen of the United States that is far more representative of the true “Joe Six-Pack”/”Real American” than are the internal monsters masquerading as columnists or politicians of which I speak. I am not politically correct. I call ‘em like I see ‘em. And I see the following:

Our internal monsters are preoccupied with the ethics of Rodney King.

Our internal monsters think that we can “talk this thing out” with the terrorists.

Our external monsters are VERY real. And they VERY much appreciate the inside help from the internal monsters..

Real Americans don’t hide under the covers for very long. We might pull them up for a moment when first startled, but our history shows that when the threat is discovered to be real, we will take the higher ground and eliminate the threatening monsters.

Duck and cover monsters.

Rugged individualism is the most prevalent and auspicious trait innate in true Americans. Reference the firefighters, airline passengers, police, and rescuers, et al who died two years ago today. Reference those troops in Afghanistan and Iraq who have died for us. They died for our safety and for our security. I for one do not intend to allow the foreign or domestic monsters to take this rugged individualism away from me. I intend to do everything in my power to hang on to it, and to kill the monsters with it by supporting my country’s efforts.

kabar,
the 'Monster' came into your room because you bombed his. Who are we to deny the 'Monster' a roof over his head. A simple towel won't suffice.

This thread was started on the premise that the (presumably US) media is too negative in its coverage of the Iraq invasion. Sheesh! How sanitised do you want it? It's news, not light entertainment. Consider the extensive footage of missiles being launched from ships, planes and vehicles. Think about what happens at the other end.

"We all must re-evaluate how and where we find purpose and meaning in our life. There is always value to be found in whatever we are doing. There are always plans to be made, goals to set, projects to complete, ways to improve ourselves, things to learn, value to add, people to touch, ideas to make things better, and ways to change the value of our journey. It is up to the individual to create it."

Pretty hard if that individual is spread across 100 square yards of rubble.

Dirk,
As I remember the events leading up to the resumption of hostilities in Iraq, they defied several U.N. resolutions and viloated the truce.

When i was in the military, I prayed every night that I would never be called upon to fulfill my "prime directive" as a soldier. 20 years later, I am still reticent to use military force when diplomatic alternatives have some hope of becoming viable.

The "monster" we are fighting is not Iraq. That's why it is called a Global War on Terror. Kicking Iraq's Baathists out and establishing an (albeit expensive) democracy in the midst of the middle east though is priceless. It sends (will send) an horrific message to Jordan, Syria, and the other (ad nauseum) regimes that grow, harbor, and support terrorists.

My personal mantra is to have the courage of my conviction. Well, one of my convictions is that there is no talking an animal out of a state of dangerous rabidity. All that animal lives for is to bite and spread the infection. And the surest way to stop a rabid animal and its infection is to put a bullet or Tomohawk missle in its head and into the heads of those who succor it.

kabar,

You rightly assert that Iraq under Saddam defied UN resolutions. But Israel defied and still defies more resolutions without US criticism. What is more, Israel receives several billions of US taxpayers' dollars per annum. When members of your family or your friends or even your mere compatriots are killed using high tech weaponry it is natural to question where the ordnance came from or who financed its purchase. This is one major reason for Arab antipathy towards the US.

You state "The "monster" we are fighting is not Iraq." I agree. I took your term "monster" to mean terrorists, specifically Arab terrorists. I venture to suggest all terrorists are essentially reactive in nature. If anyone can interject with an official description of terrorism I'm willing to listen. But it seems to me terrorism is often a result of colonial interposition. Whether it is interposition by finacial proxy as exemplified by the flexing of Israeli muscle or interposition by the rapid and technically illegal usurpation of a national government such as the undemocratic regime of Saddam, such intervention will ALWAYS provoke hostility. I don't believe any nation on earth reported a majority of public opinion in favour of the invasion of Iraq, even the staunch ally the UK, because everyone in the world knows being invaded is utterly horrendous and involves the death of thousands of people. We may never know how many died during the Iraq invasion or the percentage of innocent i.e. non-combatant citizens. I have just stated that eveyone in the world has experienced the terrible humiliation of invasion, and wish to qualify that statement. The US is one of the few nations on this earth that has not undergone that particular experience, due in part to its youth and in main to its power, and I hope that had it had such experience its foreign policy would be less confrontational.

kabar,
the dangerously rabid animal is rabid due to US influence in the Gulf borne of a need for cheap oil. The choice is clear - remove the dependence on cheap oil or kill every Arab. The regimes that grow, harbour and support terrorism, whether state-sanctioned or not, will do so de facto whether it is govt policy or not. The war on terrorism is unwinnable as long as Arabs live and resent Western influence, just as US insurrection would be a direct result of foreign intervention in US domestic affairs. But hey, its a vote-winner! A war against an unseeable, unbeatable enemy represented in the media by an iconic face and a few slogans. Eric Blair would be proud. No, make that disappointed.

I think a lot of people are sheep and they are
the majority just like in nature and there is
saftey in numbers. Listening to a letter from a
sea Bee in Iraq on a conserve talk show, he said
that Iraq is all repairs with utilities at 100%
and No crime. I laughed through the whole thing
But some will take that and believe it because
a GI wouldn't lie..would He or was the letter
written by a speach writer for the admin ? Odd
that an Iraqi who was interviewed and asked what
he thought about Bush's speach at the UN said, He didn't
hear much of it because his power went off. Now
he Had power and was it on for all but the speach
or on a few hrs/day ? You have to decide. He said
security is good but I just heard about a bomb
at a hotel and gunshot deaths are double than
before the war

It's good to know that terrorism is weaker since
invading Iraq, in Iraq and around the world but
then how come the terrorists are blowing up
things in iraq Now and that camp in the north was
in Kurdish held territory and Not Saddams but it
Was In Iraq so Saddam's buddied he allowed to
stay there and shared WMD's with. WMD's, those
elusive things that he had TONS of but Now can't
be found. Just wonder if Al quida came in and
carried them away as the country was being Looted
and the police and army were in disary and
runing for their lives as the coalition atatcked
to Secure the WMD's. Splat..All over the world is
where they probably went like Russia's chems and
nukes when They collapsed. Sounds like the Cold
War was a Lot better than disorganized war. At
least you knew who the bad guys were. Now it can
be Anyone, even GI's in the army. Welcome to
chaos. Enjoy the show.

dirk I see by the above that you are followed by another 'misguided' BottleRocket skewing to port on your short-lived flight. There is a NewYorker article that is at least a year old now, about a fellow named Zawahiri. He is OBL's second in cowardice, and an Egyptian physician who signed what is called a 'fatwa'. This document promises death to US and Israeli citizens, no matter they be women, children or men in and out of uniform, and ANYWHERE on this planet. IslamicFundamentalists have declared war on US anywhere and everywhere. President Bush in turn, declared war against Terrorists anywhere and everywhere, including those who would harbor terrorists - meaning Saddam's regime. So. Remind me in two sentences what your major complaint is, please. Both of you. VF That means sentences that are properly constructed, ending with some proper punctuation, okay?

Cap'n,

Good luck getting a coherent response from VileFeces or DickweedStorm. VF is a crackhead and Dickwad is heavy into x. I can conclude nothing else from their vacuous comments.

cap'n,

Well, if i must reiterate the reasons for Arab enmity toward the US I can do it in one sentence: the bankrolling of Israel and US military occupation and/or invasion of Arab territories.

If neither of those conditions obtained I don't believe Al Qaeda would have perpetrated 9/11. I've not yet read the New Yorker article (a link would be handy) but my understanding of fatwas is that they are issued to those who desecrate Islam or persecute Muslims. Rushdie's Satanic Verses earned him one, now retracted as I recall. Parking thousands of US troops in OBLs homeland, which contains Islam's most sacred sites and relics, birthplace of the Prophet and all that would certainly have a bearing on Zawahiri's actions. Zawahiri is a terrorist involved in heinous acts of murder, but at least seems to be doing things by the book.

Maybe Al Qaeda would attack US targets if the 2 conditions i mention did not apply, purely due to hatred of the US way of life. I think that's unlikely. Their hatred of the US way of life seems to be because that way of life is in their face. If Arab tanks were patrolling US streets or parked in large bases on US soil would Arabs and their property be targeted by US citizens? I think they would be. This is basically my point, not my complaint
.
The war on terrorism can be won only by removing the cause of terrorism. It is not winnable by invading countries, bombing hideouts or tapping phones. If you're a US citizen and are happy to see billions of your tax dollars spent on that self-defeating approach to terrorist murder then I think you will have a long wait for the result you crave. Meanwhile, thousands of lives, Arab, American and others, will be lost every year.
Islamic fundamentalism, like all fundamentalism, is fiercely self-protective and cannot be extinguished. Invading Islamic countries is like trying to put fundamentalist fire out with gasoline. How many OBLs were created by the invasion of Iraq?

Rumsfeld:"We may never know the unknowable"

Thanks for that Don. Regards to Saddam next time you see him.

dirk I'm not going to continually hand out suckers to little kids - likewise if you wish to find evidence of Mr. Zawahiri (sometimes spelled Zawahri) in print (NewYorker in particular), Google it up. It may no longer be available on the web, but was as late as 3 months ago. Islamic Fundamentalists have declared WAR on the US - and on their terms, no one is safe from their wrath. That includes you. Now, I've been to war, and I clearly understand what a war is and ought to be, but this present war is unlike any previous. Our enemy knows no boundaries, and respects no moral boundaries either. Therefore dirk, the gloves are off. If the President sees fit to execute orders which are legitimate (and they are), then my duty and responsiblility (and yours too) is to respect the man and the office, and carry them out to the best of our ability. Our military men and women are doing just that. They owe us nothing, for they are the ones that are putting their lives on the line as they must. We owe them everything. Ours is a very small price to pay for the peace of mind we enjoy.

Buildings burn. People die. But real love is forever.

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