Letter to the editor: War's costs include lost opportunities

We must stop fighting wars we have no intention of winning, and we must stop beginning wars with no clear strategy. The enite Middle East area is a bad nieghborhood. If we are going to fight for oil, let's conquer the whole area and get it over with, and stop pretending this whole thing is not about controlling the petro.

The technology to wean us off of oil already exists. Changing over to renewables will create another boom in this country. There is no reason to kill any more people in the Middle East!

Surely you don't mean to imply that we have a right to kill the people of the Middle East for having the audacity to live over "our" oil???

"Oil is too important to be left to the Arabs."
Henry Kissinger 1972

Dear ANGRY BOB,
It's obvious that you have studied the "Bush is to blame for everything handbook". You must remember to include the U.S. congress in your disapproval of the war in Iraq(that would include both political parties). Do you really believe American soldiers are at war with "innocent Iraqi people"? That surely would be a major world news story that even the Public Opinion would eventually print. It's obvious that you are in alot of pain Bob,hang in there,the men in the white coats will soon be there to help you. In the meantime, study world history from 1933 to present and you just may learn to accept the fact that although the U.S.A. isn't perfect,we are the GOOD GUYS.

Good letter, Bob. When is your next protest on the square, we'll be there. To cmypoint: Yes, there are many innocent Iraqi men, women and children being murdered every day by the invaders and occupiers of their homeland. Do you think these terrible insurgents, fighting from their homes, should just roll over and offer us their country to be used as we see fit? Most of the people we are murdering are not al Qaeda, they are citizens of Iraq defending their country. If the USA was invaded, you could call me an insurgent too. I'll fight the occupiers with everything I can muster. Never surrender on your own turf, is this so hard to understand? We are not there to make their life better or create a democracy, we want control of their oil and everybody else's we can get our lying thieven hands on. We are there to take their oil

President George W. Bush and seven of his administration's top officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Nearly five years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, an exhaustive examination of the record shows that the statements were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.

On at least 532 separate occasions (in speeches, briefings, interviews, testimony, and the like), Bush and these three key officials, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan, stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (or was trying to produce or obtain them), links to Al Qaeda, or both. This concerted effort was the underpinning of the Bush administration's case for war.
The conclusion is clear. They lied, blatantly and deliberately, to get us into a war that was NOT in our best interest, was NOT justified and which has turned into the greatest foreign policy and military blunder since the Vietnam war. And Osama bin Laden is STILL free. And John McCain supports Bush's Big Blunder. You hear far more from McCain about continuing the Iraq Quagmire for 100 more years, but very, very little about getting Osama bin Laden and stopping al-Qaeda. Remember: al-Qaeda attacked us. Iraq did not.

cmypoint wrote:

Dear ANGRY BOB,
It's obvious that you have studied the "Bush is to blame for everything handbook". You must remember to include the U.S. congress in your disapproval of the war in Iraq(that would include both political parties). Do you really believe American soldiers are at war with "innocent Iraqi people"? That surely would be a major world news story that even the Public Opinion would eventually print. It's obvious that you are in alot of pain Bob,hang in there,the men in the white coats will soon be there to help you. In the meantime, study world history from 1933 to present and you just may learn to accept the fact that although the U.S.A. isn't perfect,we are the GOOD GUYS.

I couldn't have said it better. Because my son is willing to lay down his life for this Country, I have more than earned the right to vote as I see fit. How dare anyone tell me that my choice could be a vote against my son! Bob, what are you willing to sacrifice for this great nation? I have heard numerous stories from soldiers that have served. Not one is ready for this to end. We have a job to do and they are willing to complete it. Shut up and let these great men an women do their jobs. My son is preparing for the biggest battle of his life and the only thing people like you are doing is making it harder for them. Btw; my son is voting for John McCain because he believes that he is the only one that understands what is happening. How much do you truly understand? Hillary Clinton was one of the first democrats to vote in favor of the war. She is not being truthful when she stated that if she were president we would not have gone to war. Btw; this is a war on terrorism and that means that wherever they go we go. Get it! What changes will Obama make? He keeps spouting about changes, but I never hear any solid solutions. Please enlighten me. Stop your propaganda bullshit and put your energy to good use. There are programs that you can volunteer for to help our deploying soldiers. Or are you just interested in spewing crap?

It is not worth a another drop of our son's & daughter's blood while corrupt Iraqi officials argue over oil & money.

They produce 1.4 million barrels of oil a day and have a 60 billion dollar surplus. They can hire Blackwater.

BRING OUR TROOPPS HOME NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Dave wrote:

It is not worth a another drop of our son's & daughter's blood while corrupt Iraqi officials argue over oil & money.
They produce 1.4 million barrels of oil a day and have a 60 billion dollar surplus. They can hire Blackwater.
BRING OUR TROOPPS HOME NOW!!!!!!!!!!

I see Davey is still waving the white flag of surrendner

I guess you are still giddy over the terrorist group Hamas backing your boy Obama

Birds of a feather.......

Military Mom~I am placing my vote for Obama who wants to end the war rather than risk having more of the young men and women of our country killed. The answer to ending terrorism is not to "go where all the terrorists go" as you state that is just silly...they can not all be wiped off the face of the earth.

Military Mom~I have talked to many military members also (most of them are not the lower enlisted of the more testosterone than brains age either) and most of them think we need to get out of Iraq...it is a war that will not end otherwise. How many men are we going to have to loose to realize this.

I feel sad for you having to worry about your son everyday...my brother is leaving also for Iraq in a few months (he as an officer will be placing his vote for Obama to end the war)...I hope that someone can end the unnecessary risks that we are putting our military members through ASAP.

No patriotic American who has paid any attention at all to the past 7 years supports what Bob rightly calls our illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq.
It is sheer tragedy that our sons and daughters are being sent to Iraq for no reason except the corrupt military-industrial complex profits that the great Republican President and Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us against many years ago.
The reality is that this slow, sure destruction of the U.S.... and Iraq ... was caused by 8 percent our our population -- the 25 million out of our 300 million population -- who voted for Bush.
Or as one British newspaper headline put it after the '04 election, "HOW COULD 25 MILLION PEOPLE BE THAT STUPID."
Or as one of my favorite bumper stickers puts it: "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."
P.S.: Unlike Bush-Cheney, I served.
"Obama '08"

Does anyone have an idea of who Obama will install as Secretary of Defense, as SecState, Director of CIA, Director of FBI, etc., etc.? No.
Have any clue who Hillary Rotten would put into her cabinet and key posts? No. Both are Socialist Liberals. The Clintons are weak on national defense: they have a track record.

Sometime in the near future some enterprising news agency will put together the RECORDED FACTS about all the lies and deceptions of the Bush administration and tie that in to the current state of the United States and the damages Bush has done to the country and its reputation and integrity. We must keep in mind that it has been clearly established that Bush and his administration HAD ALREADY MADE THE DECISION TO INVADE IRAQ LONG BEFORE THE 9/11 ATTACK. The 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were regarded as "blessings" by Bush and his administration -- a "god-send." It gave them the "excuse" they needed and were looking for to attack and occupy Iraq and secure the Iraq’s oil for the oil companies. The plan was to first establish a "puppet" so-called democratic government in Iraq [such as the United States did with the Shaw of Iran] and then the United States would be next door to Iran and could secure the Iranian oil.

Paul Wolfowitz (as spokesman for the oil companies wanting Iraqi oil) tried to get the senior president George Bush to invade Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein back in the early 90’s. George, Sr. was not the brightest president the United States has had but he at least got good advice and followed it. He pointed out to Wolfowitz that the proposed plan was bad because it did NOT have an "EXIT STRATEGY" -- HOW TO "GET OUT" ONCE YOU "GOT IN!" George, Sr. wisely turned Wolfowitz and his oil buddies down. When Clinton came into the presidency Wolfowitz dragged out this plan for a regime change and presented it to Clinton. Clinton turned it down on the same basis as George, Sr. So, Wolfowitz and his oil buddies put the plan on hold until George W. came into the presidency.

Since George W. was totally ignorant of the facts of history and politics of the area and unqualified to be president of the United States, he gleefully swallowed the lies told him that he would become a national hero in Iraq, a champion of democracy in the Middle East and an instrument in God’s hand to convert to Christianity all those heathen in the area.

No WMD's, Military Industrial Complex awash in corruption and cash,$120 barrel of oil, mega record profits for Big Oil, Israel military aid always increasing, the dollar at all time lows, National debt nearing 10 Trillion dollars, inflation and for what???????

May all you armchair warrior chicken hawks, neocon wannabee Bu$h sycophants never forget your support for the destruction and death your lying murdering great leader has wrought.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24428155/

Former Chambersburg Girl wrote:

Military Mom~I have talked to many military members also (most of them are not the lower enlisted of the more testosterone than brains age either) and most of them think we need to get out of Iraq...it is a war that will not end otherwise. How many men are we going to have to loose to realize this.
I feel sad for you having to worry about your son everyday...my brother is leaving also for Iraq in a few months (he as an officer will be placing his vote for Obama to end the war)...I hope that someone can end the unnecessary risks that we are putting our military members through ASAP.

What makes you think my son is lower enlisted? Did I say that. I'm sure he isn't as highly ranked as your brother. However, he is an officer. I know the heartache that family members are forced to endure. Because of this, I also know that our soldiers job is much easier when they are not faced with loud mouthes who insist on spewing propaganda bull----. You say this war is unnecessary, but I say that we are no longer a United Nation because of the unnecessary crap that the democrats are feeding us. I am open to change my opinion as to who our next president will be; but I need a good reason. Obama is talking the talk; but I haven't heard any suggestions on how he plans to make all these great changes. As for Hillary....I remember the Clinton era. We might not be in an "unnecessary" war if Billy would have done his job correctly to begin with. How quickly we forget!

Knick Knack is back with all the kook left conspiracy crap.

How does it feel to be part of the surrender at all cost party that is racking up endorsements from terrorist groups in the Middle East?

This then brings us to other reasons why invading and occupying Iraq was totally wrong and dangerous. The "West" meddled in the Middle East at the beginning of the 20th century and set up rulers that led to the current problems faced by the entire world. In more recent times the United States was the force (through the efforts of the CIA) that put Saddam Hussein in power in Iraq. Saddam was in exile in Egypt due to a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Iraq. CIA agents sought him out and offered to help him gain power in Iraq -- which he gladly accepted. The CIA helped him gain power. The CIA thought they could control him (no one bothered to look at his background and history. Had they done so they would have learned he was a ruthless and an uncontrollable tyrant).

Once the CIA got him in power it then provided him with all kinds of United States weaponry INCLUDING BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL AGENTS which we wanted him to use on Iran -- which he gladly did! Thus, in reality, the hundreds of thousands of people killed by Saddam Hussein, with American weapons, can and should be laid directly at the door of the United States and its CIA operatives. If Saddam had been tried in an objective tribunal he could correctly demand that the United States Government and its leaders go on trial right along with him as codefendants. Sadly, officials of the United States government could and should be tried as war criminals and they would have no valid defense since the evidence would clearly support conviction.

Now we are back to the "Blame America" talking points

Liberals stil want to fight terrorism like it is a crime and not an act of war

They want to offer terrorists understanding and therapy instead of killing or capturing them

Realize, that NOW more than ever, IN TODAY’S WORLD AS THE MIDDLE EAST GOES SO GOES THE REST OF THE WORLD. You need to stop and carefully evaluate that last statement. Today’s industrialized world is totally dependent of the oil reserves in the Middle East. Now India, Japan and China are competing with the United States and Europe for shares of this oil. If the Middle East erupts in total warfare across the region then all the industrialized nations will begin hurting ECONOMICALLY almost immediately. When this happens - - and it will happen- - then we will see the major powers of the earth willing to go to war to gain control of these reserves and the Muslims are more than willing to destroy that oil rather than allow it to fall into the hands of the United States and Europe. The frightening fact is that all of you reading this will see it come to pass in the very near future. And this onslaught will have been brought about by the president who destroyed the United States - - who is George W. Bush.

Who are you Bush haters going to hate after 1/20/09?

How will you release your anger?

I wonder how you people go through life consumed with so much hate and rage inside you

You people are beyond belief