To trans-parere

Submitted by mariana (United States), Dec 17, 2006 at 13:21

Been gone for awhile and just received your missive. It's a lot to think about, but here goes:

I cannot disagree with a great deal of what you've [finally] said; especilly Green Zone and the futility of taking and retaking the same ground. The brilliant Dem "strategy" of retreating to "Okinawa" and "Kuwait" and going in country on "raids as needed," would only exacerbate this already prominent problem of not knowing the lay of the land or mood of the people one needs to conquer. Yes, I've said that word. The biggest problem, it seems to me is that we don't want to be considered "conquorers" and "occupiers" [i.e. Imperialists] and Iraqi's and the rest of the world, will not respect us UNTIL we've beaten them, thoroughly and indisputably. For example, Sadr City and any other area over which Muqtadr al-Sadr holds sway needs to become a large, flat parking lot, and Sadr himself and all his top henchmen should be specifically targeted and dispatched, martyrdom be damned. Ditto any of the incorrigable Sunni triangle cities.

I don't think it will take more than one each of these examples for things to settle down. We've been judged to be unserious, and the judgement is apt. There are times that only cruelty can be compassionate; it's the Middle Eastern way. Think of Soddom and Gamorrah...even G-d lost patience, and we are only human. There was a time when no one would dare injure, kidnap, kill an American abroad for fear of the terrible consequences in retribution. We've lost that and had better get it back rather soon. Hearing Osama and AhmadiNejad laugh at our fickle unseriousness, turns my stomach, and I believe there should be a special place in H-ll for those elected officials who've made us this way, and who continue to spill blood of our military in purposeless forays into darkness.

You've ignored facts on the ground at the time, such as Saddam's parting shot -opening the prisons, releasing 150,000 criminals to run the streets and create chaos. I believe the assessment at that time, was that these creatures were the base of the looting, and the decision makers didn't want the American military to be arresting citizens for petit crimes. Their "culture" was not stolen [the museum], rather it had been placed in vaults for protection, as the curators obviously knew better what to expect of their "people" than we. Re Bush's priorities failing him: I think his CIA, State Dept., media, elected politicians of both parties and beaurocracy failed him, by undermining him in every way they could manage; especially with "leaking" of classified materials.

We can no longer be considered a serious people. Latest example: Just why is it important for retired generals and elected officials to keep saying over and over that we cannot do any more than one quick "surge" with our manpower. There was a time when our motto was "Loose lips sink ships," and such defeatest talk and/or exposure of troop strength or "weakness" would have been considered treason, and they'd have been shot. One more thing about the early time frame. If you recall, we'd deployed troops in the area, waiting for the 4th [?] Army to come in from the north. At that time, the gov't in Turkey changed, and our "good friends the Turks" refused to let us enter N.Iraq from their territory, UNLESS WE'D LET THEM OCCUPY [annex] KURDISTAN. This is still their goal, and they've actually, brazenly stated it flat out. We've been given [by the T. Amb. to UN] "a couple of months" to get the violence under control, whereupon Turkey will enter Iraq from the north. It's incredible: even our "friends" feel free to threaten us.

Re: the elites and the citizens. I'm afraid I despair of the "Iraqi" citizenry, and have come to believe that nothing will convince them except pain. Lots and lots of pain. It will be inflicted sooner or later, by us or by the lunatics. If the latter, we shall have lost all. Re: "Bush was wrong. Republicans are all war mongers and were only there for the oil." Why do you say such things? One of the first things our military did was "secure" the oilfields, so Saddam could not repeat the ecodisaster he created in Kuwait. Okay, having "secured" the oilfields, WHY DIDN'T WE KEEP THEM, RUN THEM, and solve, at least one of our problems? For the same reason that Bush tried to enstablish an elected, democratic govenment with a decent Constitution, based in Law. Americans don't covet: we see our selves as "liberators" and not "occupiers" or "conquorers," to our detriment, alas. I think it would be much better, as with Germany and Japan, to defeat them utterly, and then forcefully run the place until we can "graciously" turn it over to an elected gov't. [when we think they're "ready"].

Bush and the Reps have their faults, but LOOK AT THE ALTERNATIVES! The greatest sin the Reps have committed is that they've become "Dems Lite." They worry about polls instead of studying and explaining the threats we're really facing; they've lost conviction. As a warmongering Republican, let me tell you that I am a very peaceful person....actually, rather "laissez-faire" in my personal orientation and want nothing more than "to be left alone;" however, I tell you out front, that it is better to have me as friend than be my enemy. Anyone who raises a threat to myself or anyone/anything I hold dear, is in the fight of his life [and, quite probably, for his life]. No guilt what-so-ever. I promise. "Winning" is a concept that most Americans have lost; have actually had beaten out of them with the political correctness that is stuffed down children's throats, along with sex education, from kindegarten on up [They can't read, but they can put a condom on a banana by 2nd grade!]. Even the staunchest of parents are powerless when confronted by the state required indoctrination their hostage children are forced to undergo. Children who do not "conform" are punished with bad grades and permanent personnel records branding them as anti-social, behavioral problems often "requiring drugs" until they "submit."

Like you, I've lived through all of the "police action" stupidities you mentioned, and, it is my belief that unless we are willing to WIN a conflict, it should not be faught. It is immoral and sinful to spill the blood of our children and husbands for on-again, off-again convictions. I do not believe in "compromise" or "consensus," as they translate to mean lack of conviction and will. If you're dealing with consequential matters -as the reasons one goes to war- there's a right and a wrong involved; "relativism" just doesn't cut it, and this also, is something pounded out of our children. So, now, where are we? America has elected a Dem Congress that's seriously discussing DE-FUNDING. Our magnificent military are fighting to successfully make a silk purse of this sow's ear, while having the ground taken out from under them by their elected representatives. Israel has an equally disgraceful and foolish government in place that's willing to ignore basic imperatives and give up land critical for defense, while lunatic Islamo-Fascists [Iran incl.] have "organized" "resistance" in S. Lebanon, Gaza, W. Bank, Afghanistan's border with our friends in Pakistan, and Turkey is actively planning to put down Kurdistan for hegemony over the oil fields and their "ethnics" in N.Iraq. Nobody cares, no one of consequence listens.

We talk to ourselves and worry about the things we've seriously overpaid our government to handle. Thank G-d GW at least has convictions. He's trying earnestly, having staked his presidency on protecting Western Civilization from the onslaught to come, with very little help from anyone but the troops in the front lines. And one more thing. I will be forever grateful for Donald Rumsfeld. This man has always been serious, far seeing and a patriot. Gates, unfortunately, is an aparatchik who manoeuvres well through the nomenclatura, and knows whose "hands" to kiss in Congress. This does not bode well for our Republic or the world. ma

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