I just talked to my Dad

[lazarus]

He lives in San Antonio. Used to be a Republican.

Told me he just got back from Brook Army Medical Center to pick up a prescription (he's retired military). And said that every time he goes there, he gets pissed off about the war all over again.

Seeing all the young men with artificial/missing limbs, it just pisses him off. He went on to say that we went to war because were made about 3,000 dead (yeah, he knows it was the wrong place), and soon we're going to have 3,000 troops dead, and that doesn't make any sense.

Went on to say he favours an immediate pull-out. When I mentioned the civil war and religious dictatorship to follow, he said it's going to happen whenever we leave, why not cut our losses now?

I have to say I agree with him.

[Dhalgren]

1. Me, too. I agree with your Dad.

Why the US thinks that it can dictate and control events like this is beyond me. The US has already lost this war, it needs now to cut its losses...

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

2. Yes, I agree with your dad on that too.

[ulysses]

3. I'd have disagreed a while back

but yeah - we're not doing any damned good, and probably making things worse than they'll be the longer we stay.

[Generator]

4. Me too

They keep saying, we broke, we must fix it. But is it really our responsiblity to insure that Iraq has the government we deem is the best? What about America? We need that national guard to protect us. This debate is never had. What about protecting Americans? Is Iraq a threat to me? NO. Is making sure Iraq has a Democracy is that going to stop some fundamentlist from bombing the subway or getting on a plane? HOW? What are we doing there? It's all big, big, hypothetical. IF we establish a friendly democracy there in the middle east we can have cheap oil again? They won't hate us? Al queda will disband? What? And how many years? 10? Twenty? A hundred? How many deaths? How do you measure this stuff? I guess until America sees YEARS of war and mass casualties..it won't matter enough. I know the body damage of this war is the highest ever. The unseen that aren't dead but are scared for life. On the McGloughin (can't spell it) show on PBS he always mentions EVERY SHOW the number dead and WOUNDED. He even mentions the Iraqi dead. Oh for a world that evolves. We haven't learned anything since Vietnam. We can't make a country accept our type of life. And it's not our job. The job of the military is to protect Americans. Are there Americans in Iraq? Oh yeah..the ones working for Halliburton and KKR..and the ones dying to protect that.

[seabeyond]

5. unfortunately, and not with pleasure, i have to agree

with you father too.

[Straight Shooter]

6. But but but ...... that means those already dead will have died in vain.

We don't honor them if we walk out. It will mean they died for nothing. It's almost as if ....... as if ...... as if they died for a pack of lies.

:sarcasm:

[Shoeempress]

7. Your dad is a wise and honest man, no wonder he no longer is a

republican

[MADem]

8. Yeah, the lobby at Walter Reed is a real tableau as well

Between the youngsters who are ambulatory and their families, it is just one sad story after another. The wards and specialty clinics are even more profound. This shit has just got to end...