Letters to the Editor
cincinnatus
Published Letters: 51 Editor's Choice: 5
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@Anonymous, Polls, and Service
[Read the article: The expression "stuck pig" comes to mind]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Anonymous wrote "No REALLY, cincinnatus. I would love to have a very accurate poll of the people in the US. DO they want us to just stop and bail now or do they want to finsh it. I really would like to know."
I think there have been any number of accurate polls that suggest the American people want us out of Iraq. Even given the variances in statistical samplings and the varied wording of questions, this is the consensus.
"I keep hearing how the Democrats have a consensus from the American people to get out of Iraq. Well, I don't know much about that but most of the military guys I know would rather get in there and get the job done. Basically, to fail to do that means all the people they know who died and all the sacrafices of those who made it back were for absolutely nothing. That's part of the reason. Another part is honor and pride in our service...to quit without winning is just not in our makeup."
Well that's a pretty small and limited sampling of people, Anonymous -- people you know in the military likely don't even qualify as a statistically significant sample of the military let alone the country at large.
It's not surprising that members of the military want to stay and "win." It's not surprising that members of the military want to fight. That's what they've been trained for. It literally gives purpose to their work. I think you are right that there is also motivation to justify the sacrifice they've made. This is why it is so sad that we didn't take more care in committing our troops to begin with. This is why it is a mark of shame against the warmongers in our government that they so carelessly spent the time and lives of these brave men and women while giving lip service to how much they support them and shouting down as traitors people who actually care what happens to these men and women.
But I'd also caution you not to be so linear in your thinking. There is a difference between losing a battle and losing the war. Terrorism cannot be defeated any more than "shock and awe" can be defeated. These are tactics. There will be other battles with people who use this tactic.
I certainly don't want us to quit fighting against terrorists, but I don't think we're pursuing a good strategy right now. You mentioned in another post that there will always be people who don't like us for some reason. You are right. But the reasons for not liking us matter. We know the terrorists don't like us. What concerns me is when people who have traditionally supported us begin to withdraw their support. We can't stop irrational hatred, but we can act in a way that minimizes rational grievances against us and maximizes support for our just causes. (As an aside, I'm constantly amazed by the number of chickenhawks that bellow about not letting anyone tells us what to do, and then let a bunch of extremists bait us into a fight. We're acting like the drunken guy who doesn't listen to the advice of his best friends, but let's some yahoo at a bar goad him into a fight.)
But rest easy, Anonymous. Iraq isn't our biggest problem or the most important enemy we face. Our biggest problem right now is a complacent citizenry that has allowed the slow erosion of it rights and watched as it's government has pushed and pulled itself all out of shape. The people who govern us and their corporate shills are playing a shell game, keeping our attention on meaningless issues (not that Iraq is meaningless, but bans on gay marriage, the latest Britany sighting, and what Rush said this morning mean nothing) while power is consolidated in the Executive, the media becomes concentrated in the hands of the few, and corporations exercise rights beyond those properly reserved to human beings.
The machine that is your society (and mine) has become far more dangerous to your continued well-being in the long run than any terrorist. You can't detain Congress at the airport, and we don't seem to be able to make the President hand over memos, let alone empty his pockets. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party have sold us a bill of goods that there is a choice between them and only them. They've rigged the issues and chosen up sides. They have their mascots and their own jersey colors and we're supposed to pick a side and root while they conspire to take our money and freedoms. And we just sit an watch like it's bad reality television or a football game that hasn't been decided in advance.
There's enough left of the foundation to get it back on track, but we'd better start asking better questions and paying attention to real issues. Let's stop caring so much about who raised more money, and look at how our candidates are going to repair the damage to our government and the Constitution.
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Hold the Phone
[Read the article: A "loyal Bushie" surveys the field]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Before we consign Thompson to the trash heap of history, let's remember how far certain people have been able to take "dumb and folksy." Like it or not, the American public at large apparently doesn't put much stock in smarts. "Plain talk" and likeability count far more it would seem.