"Stars and Stripes" letters (Bush gets slammed again, & Dr. Laura, too)

[lebkuchen]

A little selective amnesia

This is regarding the Deroy Murdock column “… but if Iraq’s dead could talk, they’d thank Bush” (March 22). Selective amnesia seems to be the hallmark of the Bush administration’s apologists these days. Last May, it was the media that broke the news of mass graves in Iraq. Busy pursuing rumors of weapons of mass destruction stockpiles, U.S. authorities had neither the time nor the resources to secure the sites for proper forensic study. Only later, when the fearful weapons failed to appear, did the tombs acquire political value.

A careful reading of the cited U.S. Agency for International Development report reveals a curious fact. The dates of these tragic events began in the 1980s and ended in 1991, the years of the Reagan and first Bush administrations. Certainly Saddam Hussein was responsible for murders and tortures until the day he took up residence in his hole. But the mass graves date from the Iran-Iraq War, the first Gulf War, and the Kurdish and Shiite rebellions.

Many of us with unimpaired memories recall the outrage we felt in 1991 watching the massacre of thousands of brave Iraqis by the Republican Guard. This outrage was not, however, directed at Saddam, who after all was only acting true to form. Rather, it was due to the inaction of the victorious U.S. military, led by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, and President George H.W. Bush. This was unconscionable. It is a curious argument the current Bush administration now makes that its war was justified by crimes that George W. Bush’s father could have prevented.

Richard Bareford
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=21231

Spend more for protection

On March 20 there was a large “Bring the troops home” rally in my neighborhood. I didn’t expect to be moved so greatly by one group of speakers. The group consisted of mothers of servicemembers stationed in Iraq. One woman spoke eloquently. She said that her son, who she supported completely in his commitment to serve in Iraq for more than a year, brought home unbelievable news of conditions for American soldiers fighting there.

She said he described soldiers who were lacking the most basic equipment, such as helmets and two-way radios, to do their jobs. She further explained that her son had spent nearly $4,000 out of his own pocket to buy badly-needed equipment for himself and other members of his division. Furthermore, he felt completely unable to speak out about this problem. His family members were very upset and thought it imperative to tell others.

This information, if it can be verified, was truly shocking to me. I didn’t write to oppose or support any debate. I’m only writing to express my deepest concern for the men and women who are doing their jobs in Iraq. I’m also writing to ask a few very important questions:

1. Why aren’t the troops being supported better?

2. Where are the trillions spent for this war going?

I thank the soldiers and their families. God bless them. We love and support them every day in every way.

Noel Terrell
San Francisco


Dr. Laura and the military

I was recently listening to “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger’s radio show and heard an interesting call from a listener. Apparently a former military man was thinking about re-entering the Navy. He told Dr. Laura that if he were to re-enter, it would mean that he’d probably face a family separation every three years for about six months. She told him point-blank that he shouldn’t rejoin because it would mean being separated from his child. Dr. Laura said he should have done the Navy stuff before he became a dad.

In short, it appears that everyone in the military should be single or else separate from the military once they have children, according to the great Dr. Laura. I wonder what kind of military we’d have if that were the case. Quite obviously, we’d always have shortages. Plus we’d have a number of troops requesting early discharges because their wives just had babies and the troops might be sent on assignments that would separate them from their families. How many of our troops in Iraq would be there today if all military fathers refused to go?

We must not forget all the other professions that could be affected by Dr. Laura’s way of thinking. What about firemen, truckers, lawyers, and countless others whose jobs require family separations? Congressmen and senators, not to mention a few presidents who had children while in office, have left their families behind to visit places. Let’s just be glad that Dr. Laura is not in charge, or the defense of the United States would come tumbling down.

James Martin
Landstuhl, Germany

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=21232

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. "If Iraq's dead could talk, they'd thank Bush."

Disgraceful.

[RapidCreek]

2. Yep...I'd guess the 20,000 civilians he just got done murdering

would be quite gracious.

RC