You know, I’ve had it just up to here with those tree hugging, terrorist supporting, lib’rul, hippie, blame America first, chickenhawk, er, troops?
Yup, brave republican (and CFL) “victory-supporters”, it is now our own troops (in addition to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the generals on the ground, the Iraqi Prime Minister and government, 70%+ of Americans and a great majority of Congress) who are questioning the direction and “winability” of the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam (yes, that applies to the escalation, but it certainly also applies to the current occupation).
Yes, our own troops. Calling for a withdrawal. Or questioning whether the US can “win this war” and what “winning” even means.
Of course, they shouldn’t ask new republican Senator Joe Lieberman (cause, let’s just call it like it is). But Lieberman can tell them that there is no timeframe for victory, so they shouldn’t worry.
Over the past couple of days, I have been relatively hopeful not only that this little failed experiment of world domination by neoconservatives and their cronies has officially jumped the shark but also that there is a glimmer of hope that the entire Middle East isn’t going to implode and that sanity will prevail. There is overwhelming protest, from every article to every news story, to every news web site, blog community and in discussions everywhere that this shit has to stop.
And this week, there has been a very high number of instances where the troops are actually speaking out against this occupation – and not only in terms of the future direction, but the entire underlying purpose and goal of the occupation. Needless to say, this is huge, regardless of whether it is a small, mid-level or large percentage of our troops. It is the fact that they are being vocal about this. As are their families, friends and communities.
A google search of “military”, “speak”, “against” and “Iraq” yielded nearly 4,000 news category hits with a good number dealing with troops not giving the Boy King the warm and fuzzies.
Just look at some of these quotes from the troops:
“It’s hard to tell what’s right here anymore,” said Case Dewinkel, a 23-year-old Army specialist from Madison, Wis.
—snip—
“There are a lot of reasons why we’re here, but they’re complex. This isn’t a war like they used to be, like in World War II when there was good and evil and the direction was clear,” Dewinkel said, scuffling his feet on the muddy schoolhouse floor. Rain poured outside.
—snip—
“It’s hard to tell who the good guys are,” Dewinkel said.
”It’s hard to tell who the good guys are”. Nearly two months ago, I wrote a diary titled “We’re…being shot at by both sides” which portrays a similar line of thinking. That is because they are stuck in the middle of people that want to kill each other and there are no “good guys” or “bad guys”. Just “guys” that are really pissed at each other, at the troops who are there, at the prospect of no job and no future.
Or even those troops who still believe that a withdrawal isn’t a viable option?
Maj. Web Wright, 39, an Annapolis, Md., native also assigned to the 2nd Brigade.
—snip—
“I don’t want to see what we’ve done go to waste,” he said. “What’s the solution then? If we pull the troops out, who fills that void?”
Wright said he worries that it is difficult to define what victory would mean in Iraq.
“I’ve spent two years here, and I want to see us win,” he said. “I don’t want to rush to get it over with. The problem is, what’s a win here, in this a counterinsurgency fight?”
I guess when you never lay out any goals other than “delivering freedom” and “promoting democracy”, it’s tough for the ones who you send off to kill and die for your greed, lies and monumental lack of planning.
And what about those troops who feel so strongly that they signed and delivered a petition to a sitting Congressman?:
Sgt. Jabbar Magruder of Los Angeles, a member of the Army National Guard who served about a year in Iraq beginning in late 2004, was recently promoted and respects the military but does not believe in the war because he believes the United States presence in Iraq is only making things worse.
“I cannot allow my fellow serviceman to continue to have to fight in Iraq when it’s in no way winnable,” Magruder said. “This might come at a great moral cost to me, but I’m willing to do that so they may be able to come home.”
Sgt. Liam Madden, 22, an active-duty Marine and Iraq war veteran, said the petition had about 1,000 signatures, about 70 percent of which are active-duty military, while the rest are reservists or members of the National Guard.
“We will not be silent while thousands die,” Madden told reporters. “If the war is to end, there needs to be a movement from within the military that is heard from.”
Now, pardon me for thinking this is a wee bit, shall we say out of the ordinary? Active military members presenting petitions to “end this war”.
And just what does this petition say?:
“As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of American military forces and bases from Iraq.
“Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.”
Why, oh why do our troops hate America?