Navy corpsman's e-mail dissuades
his mother from attending anti-war demonstration
Dear Mom,
It's really your decision to march if you want to or not. You are the one who
has to decide if what we are doing out here is right or not. My opinion is not
yours.
I do, however, have things I would like for you and Grandma and everyone else
at home to know.
I am a
What type of country would we be if we didn't defend the rights and freedoms of
others, not because they're Americans, but how about just because they're
human?
We live in a country where people feel secure with their daily lives. They do
business like usual and don't worry about the thought of terrorism actually
happening to them.
The people of 9-11 thought the same thing. We now know that it can happen to
anyone at any time.
Yet as Americans we're afraid of losing our soldiers to defend our security. I
can only speak for myself when I say that my life is an easy expense to ensure
that my family and friends can live in peace.
I strongly believe in what we are doing and wish you were here to see for
yourselves the honor and privilege that American soldiers aboard this ship are
feeling, knowing that we are going to be a part of something so strong and so
meaningful to the safety of our loved ones. Then you would know what this
potential war is about.
We will stand tall in front of terrorism and defeat it. We as soldiers are not
afraid of what may happen. We are only afraid of Americans not being able to
understand why we are here.
I ask for your courage as Americans to be strong for us; I ask for your
understanding in what we believe is right. I ask for your support in what we
are sworn to do: defend our country and the life of all.
We will succeed in our task and will end the threat of terrorism in our back
yard. We will also end the threat of terrorism in our neighbors'.
We have to remind ourselves of what this country stands for: life, liberty and
justice for all. In order to maintain those rights we have to stop the threat
of terrorism.
I am proud to be here. I will be coming home, but not until I know that it's
going to be safe for all Americans and for everyone I love.
My family is first. My country is where they live. I will defend it.
Lonnie J. Lewis
Navy corpsman
C Co. 1/4 WPN PLT
UIC 39726
FPO AP 966139726
P.S. Mom, please send this to everyone who has a hard time understanding why we
are here. Ask the paper to put what I've said in a column so that others will
know why we are here and what we are here for.
I love you all and will be home soon. I left my address so that if anyone feels
like writing to let me know how they feel, they can.
Soldier's Letter to Kerry
Dear
Senator Kerry:
Since it has become clear that you will probably be the Democratic Nominee for
President, I have spent a great deal of time researching your war record and
your record as a professional politician. The reason is simple, you aspire to
be the Commander in Chief who would lead my sons and their fellow soldiers in
time of war. I simply wanted to know if you possess the necessary
qualifications to be trusted in that respect.
You see, I belong to a family of proud
In looking at your record I found myself comparing it not only to that of my
father and my sons, but to the people they served with. My father served with
the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion in
You earned a Silver Star in
My sons and father have never had anything but the highest regard and respect
for their fellow soldiers. Yet, you came home to publicly charge your fellow
fighting men with being war criminals and to urge their defeat by the enemy.
You even wrote a book that had a cover which mocked the heroism of the U.S.
Marines who raised the flag on
As a Senator you voted against the 1991 Gulf War, and have repeatedly voted
against funds to supply our troops with the best equipment, and against money
to improve our intelligence capability. I find this particularly ironic since
as a Presidential candidate you are highly critical of our pre-war intelligence
in
Our country is at war Senator, and as has been the case in every war since the
American Revolution, a member of my family is serving their Country during the
war. Now you want me to trust you to lead my sons in this fight. Sorry Senator,
but when I compare your record to those who have fought and died for this
nation, and are currently fighting and dying, the answer is not just no, but
Hell No!
Sincerely, Michael Connelly
February 14, 2004
This is a letter from Ray
Reynolds, a medic in the
As I head off to
(Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your
paper is producing.)
* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so
education can occur.
* The
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the
war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in
place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US
soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent
the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in
30 years.
Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met
many, many people from
Ray Reynolds, SFC
Iowa Army National Guard
234th Signal Battalion"
An Email from a Captain in
We knew there was a dinner planned with ambassador Bremer and LTG Sanchez.
There were 600 seats available and all the units in the division were tasked
with filling a few tables. Naturally, the 501st MI battalion got our table.
Soldiers were grumbling about having to sit through another dog-and-pony show,
so we had to pick soldiers to attend. I chose not to go.
But, about 1500 the G2, LTC Devan, came up to me and with a smile, asked me to
come to dinner with him, to meet him in his office at 1600 and bring a camera.
I didn't really care about getting a picture with Sanchez or Bremer, but when
the division's senior intelligence officer asks you to go, you go. We were
seated in the chow hall, fully decorated for thanksgiving when aaaaallllll
kinds of secret service guys showed up.
That was my first clue, because Bremer's been here before and his personal
security detachment is not that big. Then BG Dempsey got up to speak, and he
welcomed ambassador Bremer and LTG Sanchez. Bremer thanked us all and pulled
out a piece of paper as if to give a speech. He mentioned that the President
had given him this thanksgiving speech to give to the troops. He then paused
and said that the senior man present should be the one to give it. He then
looked at Sanchez, who just smiled.
Bremer then said that we should probably get someone more senior to read the
speech. Then, from behind the camouflage netting, the President of the
Soldiers were hollering, cheering, and a lot of them were crying. There was not
a dry eye at my table. When he stepped up to the cheering, I could clearly see
tears running down his cheeks. It was the most surreal moment I've had in
years. Not since my wedding and Aaron being born. Here was this man, our
President, came all the way around the world, spending 17 hours on an airplane
and landing in the most dangerous airport in the world, where a plane was shot
out of the sky not six days before.
Just to spend two hours with his troops. Only to get on a plane and spend
another 17 hours flying back. It was a great moment, and I will never forget
it. He delivered his speech, which we all loved, when he looked right at me and
held his eyes on me. Then he stepped down and was just mobbed by the soldiers.
He slowly worked his way all the way around the chow hall and shook every last
hand extended. Every soldier who wanted a photo with the President got one. I
made my way through the line, got dinner, then wolfed it down as he was still
working the room.
You could tell he was really enjoying himself. It wasn't just a photo
opportunity. This man was actually enjoying himself! He worked his way over the
course of about 90 minutes towards my side of the room. Meanwhile, I took the
opportunity to shake a few hands. I got a picture with Ambassador Bremer,
Talabani (acting Iraqi president) and Achmed Chalabi (another member of the
ruling council) and Condaleeza Rice, who was there with him.
I felt like I was drunk. He was getting closer to my table so I went back over
to my seat. As he passed and posed for photos, he looked me in the eye and
"How you doin', captain." I smiled and said "God bless you,
sir." To which he responded "I'm proud of what you do, captain."
Then moved on.
Letter from U.S. Army Maj. Eric Rydbom in Iraq to the
First Lutheran Church of Richmond Beach in Shoreline, Wash.
Rydbom is
Deputy Division Engineer of the 4th Infantry Division.
It has been a while since I have written to my friends at
The stuff you don't hear about on CNN?
Let's start with electrical power production in
Then there is water purification. In central
So some people got pool water to drink and some people got water with lots of
little things floating around in it. We are slowly but surely solving that.
Contracts for repairs to facilities that are only 50 percent or less
operational are being let, chemicals are being delivered, although we don't
have the metering problem solved yet ( ... but again, it's only been 45 days).
How about oil and fuel? Well the war was all about oil wasn't it? You bet it
was. It was all about oil for the Iraqi people! They have no other income, they
produce nothing else. Oil is 95 percent of the Iraqi GNP. For this nation to
survive, it must sell oil.
The Refinery at Bayji is [operating] at 75 percent of capacity producing
gasoline. The crude pipeline between
You have to remember that only three months ago, all these things were used by
the Saddam regime as weapons against the population to keep them in line. If
your town misbehaved, gasoline shipments stopped, LPG pipelines and trucks
stopped, water was turned off, power was turned off.
Now, until exports start, every drop of gasoline produced goes to the Iraqi
people. Crude oil is being stored and the country is at 75 percent capacity
right now. They need to export or stop pumping soon, so thank the U.N. for the
delay.
All LPG goes to the Iraqi people everywhere. Water is being purified as best it
can be, but at least its running all the time to everyone.
Are we still getting shot at? Yep.
Are American soldiers still dying? Yep, about one a day from my outfit, the 4th
Infantry Division, most in accidents, but dead is dead.
If we are doing all this for the Iraqis, why are they shooting at us?
The general Iraqi population isn't shooting at us. There are still bad guys who
won't let go of the old regime. They are Ba'ath party members (Read Nazi Party,
but not as nice) who have known nothing but and supported nothing but the
regime all of their lives. These are the thugs for the regime who caused many
to disappear in the night. They have no other skills. At least the Nazis [in
There is no Christian way to say this, but they must be eliminated and we are
doing so with all the efficiency we can muster. Our troops are shot at
literally everyday by small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs). We
respond. One hundred percent of the time, the Ba''ath party guys come out with
the short end of the stick.
The most amazing thing to me is that they don't realize that if they stopped
shooting at us, we would focus on fixing things more quickly and then leave
back to the land of the Big PX. The more they shoot at us, the longer we will
have to stay.
Lastly, all of you please realize that 90 percent of the damage you see on TV
was caused by Iraqis, not by us and not by the war. Sure, we took out a few
bridges from military necessity, we took out a few power and phone lines to
disrupt communications, sure we drilled a few palaces and government
headquarters buildings with 2000 lb. laser guided bombs (I work 100 yards from
where two hit the Tikrit Palace), [but] he had plenty to spare.
But, any damage you see to schools, hospitals, power generation facilities,
refineries, pipelines, was all caused either by the Iraqi Army in its death
throes or from much of the Iraqi civilians looting the places.
Could we have prevented it? Nope.
We can and do now, but 45 days ago, the average soldier was fighting for his
own survival and trying to get to his objectives as fast as possible. He was
lucky to know what town he was in much less be informed enough to know who
owned what or have the power to stop 1,000 people from looting and burning a
building by himself.
The
I've already talked the weapons of mass destruction thing to death - bottom
line, who cares? This country was one big conventional weapons ammo dump
anyway. We have probably destroyed more weapons and ammo in the last 30 days
than the U.S. Army has ever fired in the last 30 years (remember, this is a
country the size of
I'm living in a "guest palace" on a 500-acre palace compound with 20
palaces with like facilities built in half a dozen towns all over Iraq that
were built for one man. Drive down the street and out into the countryside five
miles away like I have and see all the families of 10 or more, all living in
mud huts and herding the two dozen sheep on which their very existence depends
..then tell me why you think we are here.
WMD is an important issue. We have to find them wherever they may be (in
Respectfully,
ERIC RYDBOM MAJOR, ENGINEER
Deputy Division Engineer
4th Infantry Division
Meet Brian Chontosh One of the
Great Heroes of
And a genuine hero.
The secretary of the Navy said so yesterday.
At 29 Palms in California Brian Chontosh was presented with the Navy Cross, the
second highest award for combat bravery the
That's a big deal.
But you won't see it on the network news tonight, and all you read in Brian's
hometown newspaper was two paragraphs of nothing. Instead, it was more blather
about some mental defective MPs who acted like animals.
The odd fact about the American media in this war is that it's not covering the
American military. The most plugged-in nation in the world is receiving
virtually no true information about what its warriors are doing.
Oh, sure, there's a body count. We know how many Americans have fallen. And we
see those same casket pictures day in and day out. And we're almost on a
first-name basis with the pukes who abused the Iraqi prisoners. And we know all
about improvised explosive devices and how we lost Fallujah and what Arab
public-opinion polls say about us and how the world hates us.
We get a non-stop feed of gloom and doom.
But we don't hear about the heroes.
The incredibly brave GIs who honorably do their duty. The ones our grandparents
would have carried on their shoulders down
The ones we completely ignore.
Like Brian Chontosh.
It was a year ago on the march into
When all hell broke loose.
Ambush city.
The young Marines were being cut to ribbons. Mortars, machine guns, rocket
propelled grenades. And the kid out of Churchville was in charge. It was do or
die and it was up to him.
So he moved to the side of his column, looking for a way to lead his men to
safety. As he tried to poke a hole through the Iraqi line his humvee came under
direct enemy machine gun fire.
It was fish in a barrel and the Marines were the fish.
And Brian Chontosh gave the order to attack. He told his driver to floor the
humvee directly at the machine gun emplacement that was firing at them. And he
had the guy on top with the .50 cal unload on them.
Within moments there were Iraqis slumped across the machine gun and Chontosh
was still advancing, ordering his driver now to take the humvee directly into
the Iraqi trench that was attacking his Marines. Over into the battlement the
humvee went and out the door Brian Chontosh bailed, carrying an M16 and a
Beretta and 228 years of Marine Corps pride.
And he ran down the trench.
With its mortars and riflemen, machineguns and grenadiers.
And he killed them all.
He fought with the M16 until it was out of ammo. Then he fought with the
Beretta until it was out of ammo. Then he picked up a dead man's AK47 and
fought with that until it was out of ammo. Then he picked up another dead man's
AK47 and fought with that until it was out of ammo.
At one point he even fired a discarded Iraqi RPG into an enemy cluster, sending
attackers flying with its grenade explosion.
When he was done Brian Chontosh had cleared 200 yards of entrenched Iraqis from
his platoon's flank. He had killed more than 20 and wounded at least as many
more.
But that's probably not how he would tell it.
He would probably merely say that his Marines were in trouble, and he got them
out of trouble. Hoo-ah, and drive on.
"By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in
the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, 1st Lt. Chontosh
reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the
Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."
That's what the citation says.
And that's what nobody will hear.
That's what doesn't seem to be making the evening news. Accounts of American
valor are dismissed by the press as propaganda, yet accounts of American
difficulties are heralded as objectivity. It makes you wonder if the role of
the media is to inform, or to depress ? to report or to deride. To tell the
truth, or to feed us lies.
But I guess it doesn't matter.
We're going to turn out all right.
As long as men like Brian Chontosh wear our uniform.
A Navy airman wrote 'An Open
Letter to the
Earlier
this week, while performing in
I serve my country as an officer in the United States Navy. Specifically, I fly
F-14 Tomcats off carriers around the world, executing the missions that
preserve the very freedom you claim to exercise.
I have proudly fought for my country in the skies over
But for you to travel to a foreign land and publicly criticize our Commander in
Chief is cowardice behavior. Would you have so willingly made those comments
while performing for a patriotic, flag-waving crowd of Texans in
How dare you pocket profits off songs about soldiers, their deaths and
patriotism while criticizing their Commander in Chief abroad, even while they
prepare to give their lives to ensure your own freedom of speech.
Please ask yourself, what have you done to deserve that sacrifice? Do not try
to justify your comments by claiming that you made them only because you care
about innocent lives.
Never once in our history have we committed troops to war for the purpose of
taking innocent lives. We do it to protect innocent lives, even yours. If the
world leaders of the late 1930's had the vision and courage of our present
Commander in Chief, perhaps the evil men who caused the death of millions in
WWII would have never had the opportunity to harm a soul.
The potential loss of millions of lives in the future at the hands of today's
evil men necessitate action. In a separate correspondence, I am returning to you
each and every Dixie Chicks CD and cassette that I have ever purchased.
Never again will I allow my funds to support your behavior. All you have done
is to add your name to a growing list of American "Celebrities" who
have failed to realize that they have obtained their successes on the backs of
the American blue-collar workers such as our servicemen and women.
To Natalie
Quotes made by Democratic leaders
about Saddam Hussein's acquisition or possession of weapons of mass destruction
"One
way or the other, we are determined to deny
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998.
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear.
We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.
"
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times
since 1983."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the
U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if
appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond
effectively to the threat posed by
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom
Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass
destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has
made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.
"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass
destruction and palaces for his cronies."
Madeline Albright,
"There is no doubt that . Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons
programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs
continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam
continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a
licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the
Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and
others, Dec, 5, 2001.
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a
threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of
the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of
delivering them."
Sen. Carl Levin (d, MI), Sept. 19, 2002.
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical
weapons throughout his country."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
"
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seing and developing
weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.
"The last UN weapons inspectors left
Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002.
"I will be voting to give the President of the
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002.
"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working
aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons
within the next five years . We also should remember we have alway s
underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass
destruction."
Sen. Jay Rockerfeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002,
"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years,
every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy
his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has
refused to do."
Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002.
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show
that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons
stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also
given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It
is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to
increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep
trying to develop nuclear weapons."
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that
Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity
for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction. "[W]ithout
question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator,
leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat
because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. And now he has continued
deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the
threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ...
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003.
NOW THE DEMOCRATS SAY PRESIDENT BUSH LIED, THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WMD'S AND
HE TOOK US TO WAR FOR HIS OIL BUDDIES??? Right!!!
Retired federal judge delivers
lecture about his experience setting up a new legal system in Iraq
A
Shreveport Judge's Report on Iraq
Last Wednesday night, I attended a lecture by Judge Don Walter, a federal judge
who was asked to serve as part of a 12 man team in Iraq to evaluate their
justice system. It was most interesting, and afterwards, I asked if he had a
book or a recording of any of his lectures. Since he did not, he was generous
enough to give me his notes from the evening. For those of you interested, I
will give you a slightly abridged version of his lecture which I found
difficult to cut down due to its wealth of information.
THE LECTURE: I really am not into public speaking as I am sure you are about to
find out. But my adventures in
In mid-April, I got a call from DoJ asking if I would be willing to go to
Let me begin with a disclaimer, I was in Iraq for fewer than 40 days, I was in
Baghdad for a little over three weeks and in the three provinces of the far
south for two weeks. I am limited in what I saw and heard. Needless to say, the
opinions are my own. I want to make it clear that, initially, I vehemently
opposed the war. The team of 12 that went to
We were divided into 4 teams. We were the southern team: Mike Farhang, an AUSA
from
During the first two weeks, we talked to a few hundred Iraqis and interviewed
about 60 judges. Our help came from our Danish colleagues and the First Armored
Division (UK), not from the civil authorities - OPCA, Office of the Provisional
Coalition Authority, (formerly ORHA), Ambassador Brenner's group. Despite my
initial opposition to the war, I am now convinced, whether we find any weapons
of mass destruction or prove Saddam sheltered and financed terrorists,
absolutely, we should have overthrown the Baathists, indeed, we should have
done it sooner.
What changed my mind? When we left mid June, 57 mass graves had been found, one
with the bodies of 1200 children. There have been credible reports of murder,
brutality and torture of hundreds of thousands of ordinary Iraqi citizens.
There is poverty on a monumental scale and fear on a larger one. That fear is
still palpable. I have seen the machines and places of torture. I will tell you
one story told to me by the Chief of Pediatrics at the
Worse things happened with the knowledge, indeed with the participation, of
Saddam, his family and the Baathist regime. Thousands suffered while we were
messing about with
We must have the moral courage to see this through, to do whatever it takes to
secure responsible government for the Iraqi people. Having decided to topple
Saddam, we cannot abandon those who trust us. I fear we will quit as the
horrors of war come into our living rooms. Look at the stories you are getting
from the media today. The steady drip, drip, drip of bad news may destroy our
will to fulfill the obligations we have assumed.
WE ARE NOT GETTING THE WHOLE TRUTH FROM THE NEWS MEDIA. The news you watch,
listen to and read is highly selective. Good news doesn't sell. 90% of the
damage you see on tv was caused by Iraqis, not by US. All the damage you see to
schools, hospitals, power generation facilities, refineries, pipelines and
water supplies, as well as shops, museums, and semi-public buildings (like
hotels) was caused either by the Iraqi army in its death throes or Iraqi
civilians looting and rioting. The day after the war was over, there was nearly
0 power being generated in
If we are doing all this for the people, why are they shooting us? The general
population isn't. By my sample, 90% are glad we came and the majority doesn't
want us to leave for some time to come, but there are still plenty of bad guys,
the Baathists who lived well under Saddam. The thugs of the old regime still
hope to return to power, and there are plenty of them, mostly located in Sunni
areas. Then too, Saddam, in the Ramadan amnesty, let every murderer, butcher,
rapist and violent criminal loose on his own people. There are interests,
including organized crime, with a desire for anarchy and profit. There are
disruptive forces from
I saw one little girl: she was slender, very pretty, about 5 or 6 years old, in
a tattered dress with a broad red hem, part of which was torn and dragging in
the dirt. She would touch her heart and make hungry gestures. She was
duplicated a thousand times during the journey. The poverty in
We went to a second palace by the airport. It is surrounded by a lake which was
created by diverting the
Consequently, it is easier for the Brits to govern, unlike
I find it difficult to explain how differently they think. I remember telling
Mike, "I don't think we are on the same page with this fellow." Mike
said, "Don, I am not sure we are in the same library." For a large
percentage of the Iraqi people, and they are most adamant, family and tribe are
everything, religion and state are one and the same. That they don't understand
us is our biggest problem in the middle east. They perceive our way of life as
a threat to theirs,...and it is. They fear the modern world is about to run
over them, destroying family life as they know it, educating and freeing their
women, forbidding honor killing...coca colas, jeans, lack of parental respect
and respect for the old ways and religion. And to defend their way of life and
their religion, they will die with the same fervor with which the Christians
marched to the lions. In their fear of western life, some will fight and kill
us; but I remain convinced that the majority want a secular society and the
best that the west has to offer.
We are not hated by everyone. Of the hundreds I talked to, the overwhelming
majority thanked us for being there. Hundreds of adults and children on the
roads waved and smiled as we passed by. We went to the law school with about
300 students, about ten of whom were female. There we were, three Americans and
they wanted us to fix their school and they thought we could. They thought
Americans could do anything. They were like children expecting the genie from
the bottle to immediately gratify their needs. The law students were the finest
example of hope that I encountered. They told me that the future was theirs and
that they needed and wanted our help. I believe we should be paying more
attention and giving greater effort to restoring higher education. These law
students are the immediate future. When we met with them a week later, they had
formed a protective association, a bus for transportation, found a disused
grammar school for classes, and got their assistant dean to round up some
professors who were teaching them.
Still they need help and I am trying to get some help for them from our law
schools. LSU has refused, Seton Hall and
Upon returning to
I got a few nods from the judges, but the translator said to me: "Thank you.
I have been waiting for someone to tell them that." Our soldiers, God love
them and keep them; they smiled every time I got a chance to talk to them. They
want to come home, but I did not hear one word of complaint nor a question as
to why they were there. This is boring, HOT, dirty, and dangerous work. They
stand in 120 plus degrees in full body armor. They are amazing. Their
entertainment was largely self-generated; boredom doesn't stop when they stand
down. Write a letter, send a note or email; send a book, cd, tape, or magazine;
do something. Thank you.
My Take On The Prisoner Abuse In
If hooking up an Iraqi prisoner's scrotum to a car's battery cables
will save one American GI's life, then I have just two things to say — red is
positive, black is negative. If you have
a problem with that, seek Osama Bin Laden for counseling!