Tortured Iraqis

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Tonio
When our citizens are treated like that, it's like all our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq have been in vain.

Not much of a big picture person, are you, Tonio?

Repeat after me: Sh*t happens. Bad things happen and you cannot prevent it nor can you do anything about it. You can impede your life by living in fear and rage or you can say, "Hey. These things happen rarely and the chances that it will ever happen to me are next to zero. I think I'll have a cookout this weekend. "

 

[DoWhat]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
I think I'll have a cookout this weekend. "

What time do you want me there?

 

[Tonio]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
Not much of a big picture person, are you, Tonio?

Repeat after me: Sh*t happens. Bad things happen and you cannot prevent it nor can you do anything about it. You can impede your life by living in fear and rage or you can say, "Hey. These things happen rarely and the chances that it will ever happen to me are next to zero. I think I'll have a cookout this weekend. "

I'm not talking about fear. I feel like the Fallujans were mocking us, laughing at us. So our job is to say to the Fallujans metaphorically, "Laugh at us, will you? Shut your goddamn mouths or we'll knock your phuquin' teeth out."

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Tonio
I feel like the Fallujans were mocking us, laughing at us.

Who cares? We're killing them fairly systematically - so who's getting the last laugh?

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by DoWhat
What time do you want me there?

The beer comes out at 6:30 and the burgers go on about 7.

 

[Ken King]

Just read an interesting observation. Of all US and allied deaths so far in Iraq 1/4 of them have happened in the past two months. This coincides with the end of the Democratic primary campaign when Kerry switched from bashing his opponents to nothing but a dedicated bashing of involvement in Iraq. Is it possible and even likely that his voice has inspired those hard-core loyalists of Saddam's to step up action to sway the American election process?

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Ken King
Is it possible and even likely that his voice has inspired those hard-core loyalists of Saddam's to step up action to sway the American election process?

Of course. They're not a bunch of complete idiots - they know American history just as well as we do. Plus they just had a victory in Spain.

 

[DoWhat]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
burgers go on about 7.

No steaks?

 

[Larry Gude]

Ohhhhh Ken...

...didn't you know? It is patriotic to question and take issue with the administration but is is Mcarthyism to ANSWER the questions.

We're already hearing that most of this was planned for LONG before the invasion started. Sounds rational and I'm sure our intel people war gamed this which is why it is NOT working very good for the Hard Cases.

Their side KNOWS how it works over here; public opinion is very, very powerful in free nations.

I think it is perfectly rational to ask what affect Kerry has on both our peoples morale and the bad guys just like it is perfectly rational for Kerry, who wants to be President, to try to make things worse in order to achieve his goals. I just happen to think it makes him despicable.

Hanoi John.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by DoWhat
No steaks?

Sure. I'll send Larry to the store.

 

[Tonio]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
Who cares? We're killing them fairly systematically - so who's getting the last laugh?

My point is that we as a nation keep getting humiliated--at the American Embassy in Tehran, in Mogadishu, at the WTC (twice), in Yemen, and now in Fallujah. Doesn't part of you take this personally as an American? Don't you believe that we as a nation are entitled to be enraged at the people who think they can push us around?

 

[DoWhat]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
Sure. I'll send Larry to the store.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by Ken King
Just read an interesting observation. Of all US and allied deaths so far in Iraq 1/4 of them have happened in the past two months. This coincides with the end of the Democratic primary campaign when Kerry switched from bashing his opponents to nothing but a dedicated bashing of involvement in Iraq. Is it possible and even likely that his voice has inspired those hard-core loyalists of Saddam's to step up action to sway the American election process?

I've also heard arguments the other way. Terrorists will be terrorists, regardless of who is in office in the U.S.A. Same goes for the Iraqi soldiers. But they know that large portions of the muslim world either don't like Bush, or at the very least don't care enough about him to stop violence against us. So keeping Bush in power is actually a big plus for them because it offers them less resistance and greater support for what they do. Right now, nothing would make the anti-american groups happier than to keep Bush in office if for nothing else to give them "justification" for what they do.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Tonio
My point is that we as a nation keep getting humiliated

But see....I don't feel humiliated. "Humiliation" means shame, degradation, low self-respect, undignified. Why would I feel any of those things just because of a bunch of killers?

 

[Tonio]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
But see....I don't feel humiliated. "Humiliation" means shame, degradation, low self-respect, undignified. Why would I feel any of those things just because of a bunch of killers?

Because they think we're weak and soft. They only push us around because they think they can get away with it.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Tonio
They only push us around because they think they can get away with it.

I don't feel pushed around by them, either. I haven't done anything different in my life since 9-11. I didn't even do anything different when the Beltway Snipers were running amok. The only time you are "pushed around" is when you change your behavior to accommodate a bully. That's not me and that's not the US.

 

[vraiblonde]

PS, I DEFINITELY don't think the terrorists think we're weak and soft. Especially after Shock and Awe. They probably think American Democrats are weak and soft. They certainly think Spain is weak and soft. But they can't possibly think Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice or Powell are weak and soft after the way we've gone after them.

 

[Tonio]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
I don't feel pushed around by them, either. I haven't done anything different in my life since 9-11. I didn't even do anything different when the Beltway Snipers were running amok. The only time you are "pushed around" is when you change your behavior to accommodate a bully. That's not me and that's not the US.

Excellent point. Still, the Americans in Fallujah experienced the ultimate form of pushing around. Isn't an attack on one American an attack on all Americans, in terms of refusing to let our citizens be treated like that?

 

[Hessian]

Operation Hot Spot

An ambush yields two burning Humvees and a dead soldier...
20 minutes later: All US personel are cleared away from the site by air lift and armored support.
25 minutes late, large mob comes to burn Humvees, parade US goods looted, and chant their defiance of American Cowards.
25:05: three thermal guided Air-ground missles obliterate the two Humvees and torch 145 locals, leaving 100 more scarred.

End of demonstrations near US sabotage sites.
US offers burn medicine in exchange for weapons/for information.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Tonio
Isn't an attack on one American an attack on all Americans, in terms of refusing to let our citizens be treated like that?

You can't "refuse to let" killers kill. You can only refuse to let them get away with it (which is what we're doing - not letting them get away with it).