[SmilingBluEyes]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Again, I say....Mission accomplished.........long ago. No weapons of mass destruction. Time to leave. Time to leave now.

You alone have not said that......

President Bush said it, the day they captured Saddam. Does anyone remember his moment of triumph when he declared "mission accomplished"? cause I sure do.

[Mkue]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Marie, I'm not so naive to think that we can pull out quickly. It would be nice instead of always hearing "we'll be pulling out next year" or "soon" that "we're starting the process NOW and it's going to take x-number of weeks/months to do wrap things up."

It would be nice to have an expected time of arrival for the troops instead of just "2006" which is just 6 months away. I suppose with any job especially construction and security there are unexpected delays. What can be do about it? I think we need to continue to make our voices heard by writing our congressmen or whoever will listen to our pleas to bring our troops home as soon as humanly possible.

[pickledpepperRN]

Originally Posted by Mkue

It would be nice to have an expected time of arrival for the troops instead of just "2006" which is just 6 months away. I suppose with any job especially construction and security there are unexpected delays. What can be do about it? I think we need to continue to make our voices heard by writing our congressmen or whoever will listen to our pleas to bring our troops home as soon as humanly possible.

I am heartened that regardless of our differences we can work to do the right thing now.

I am writing my Senators and Congressmember today.

I sure would be great if my cousins little grand daughter could have her parents home for her first day of school!
And all the children whose Mommy and/or Daddy are in Iraq could come home!

[SmilingBluEyes]

Let me say how grateful to you I am, Spacenurse, for your thoughtful, informed posts/news items, and for your activism. I appreciate them. All of us, as Americans, would do well to take a more activist, rather than complaintist, stance, as you are. No matter what "side of the aisle" we may sit on----this is what makes our country so great. That right and ability to take a responsibly activist stance for what we hold dear.

[Roy Fokker]

Originally Posted by Brotherbob

This is something I can not understand, how could she willingly go participate in a war she believes is wrong. What that is the honour in fighting, maybe dying for a big mistake, something that might not even make your country more safe, but less, especially when you know it. Take no offence it is just that I do not have your patriotic feelings. I do have a strong sence of right and wrong and from my view it does not look right. I see more and more suffering. I agree with you in most of the things you have said but why are you proud of sending your kid into something you believe is wrong?

I certainly cannot (and am not) answer(ing) for mjlrn.

But were I in her daughters shoes, I would go.

What I believe about the war is immaterial. I cannot and will not leave my comrades. My buddies. My brothers through bonds forged stonger than those of blood relations.

My men look upto and depend on me. I cannot let them down.

Through heaven, high seas or hell - we will go through them together, just as we swore to.

No NCO of the Light Infantry ever quit his post or let his men down.... I don't intend to start a precedent!

[pickledpepperRN]

Originally Posted by SmilingBluEyes

Let me say how grateful to you I am, Spacenurse, for your thoughtful, informed posts/news items, and for your activism. I appreciate them. All of us, as Americans, would do well to take a more activist, rather than complaintist, stance, as you are. No matter what "side of the aisle" we may sit on----this is what makes our country so great. That right and ability to take a responsibly activist stance for what we hold dear.

This time it was Marie who gave me the idea.
Now with computers I admit to having envelopes already addressed with state, federal, and local officials making it easy to write or type a letter. I used to use carbon paper.

I think of long term education and activism as an ongoing responsibility of citizens,
That is how women got the vote and the Civil Rights law of 1964 were brought about by MANY people.
That is how we got a safe staffing law in California.

Do people still look down on women and minorities? Sure.
Do hospitals break the law with unsafe staffing? Sure, but it's getting better.

Some day safe staffing will be as usual as integrated lunch counters and women at the polls.

[Brotherbob]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Again, I say....Mission accomplished.........long ago. No weapons of mass destruction. Time to leave. Time to leave now.

To leave now would give the terrorists the opportunity to say they chased US out. I don´t think Bush wants to do that just yet.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Originally Posted by spacenurse

This time it was Marie who gave me the idea.
Now with computers I admit to having envelopes already addressed with state, federal, and local officials making it easy to write or type a letter. I used to use carbon paper.

I think of long term education and activism as an ongoing responsibility of citizens,
That is how women got the vote and the Civil Rights law of 1964 were brought about by MANY people.
That is how we got a safe staffing law in California.

Do people still look down on women and minorities? Sure.
Do hospitals break the law with unsafe staffing? Sure, but it's getting better.

Some day safe staffing will be as usual as integrated lunch counters and women at the polls.

well said. I feel such a great sense of hope when I read your posts, Spacenurse.

[pickledpepperRN]

Originally Posted by SmilingBluEyes

well said. I feel such a great sense of hope when I read your posts, Spacenurse.

Thank my parents, grandparents, and Sister Mary Alice.

I get down sometimes like everyone. But, Remember 'locus of control' from psych?
I think AA and other 12 Step programs teach that too.
I don't think God created us to be evil. We have free will.
Both my grandmothers remembered when women were first allowed to vote. One was an abolitionist and suffragette. The other loved her whisky and rebelled. Both had high moral standards for themselves and their family. Both were honest as were their children.

Smiling Blue Eyes:
I am often moved by a post and want to respond. Wanting to show appreciation to the poster i cannot think of what to say.
Then you post just the right thing.

[jnette]

hmmmmmm....hmmmmmmmm... hmmmm....................................

After just returning from Washington DC and placing my hands on the names of those who gave their lives in the utterly useless war in Vietnam (not 30 some thousand, Marie... try 58, 245)... ...nearly DOUBLE... and after the tremendous privilege (and overwhelming sadness) of seeing the exhibit by various artists of the nearly 2000 portraits of those who have given their young, vibrant lives in Iraq... this is all just SO overwhelming.

I'm with Tweety, Deb, Sue and others here who cry out for an end to the waste of human life.. on BOTH sides. Let us NOT overlook the COUNTLESS numbers of Iraqi civilians, women, and innocent children who have died and continue to die in our attempt to bring our way of life to a country/region so thoroughly resistant to it.

No number of McDonalds in Iraq would ever justify such loss of life.. nor do I see any hope for continued democracy there.. regardless of how hard we push, cajole, or bribe. One cannot change the nature of an ageless culture, they will return to their roots. Nor should we attempt to do so.

Myself coming from a strong military background.. father, ex husband, myself, and now my dear son... like the others here with similar backgrounds, I wholly support our men and women in uniform and honor their decision to serve their country. But I do also know that MANY.............. MANY.................. of those serving are NOT in favor of this war and never have been.

I just hate to see these young lives being used as mere pawns for a misguided vision.. discarded lives... lip service only paid to those brave souls who fought so valiantly for an administration who uses our young so carelessly. For an administration who places such high value on "life" and "morals".. I cannot help but note the contradiction.

And if this administration truly honors our men and women in uniform as they so loudly proclaim.. then why is it that the countless numbers who are wounded in Iraq.. while not directly under attack, but combat related (overturned Humvees, etc.) are not given the same medical benefits given to any other soldier in a war zone? These walking wounded, paralyzed, etc. are not even COUNTED in the war wounded statistics.

Yes... I, too, love my country, and am proud to have served it.. and I, too, support our troops wholeheartedly.. but I do not have to support the ideas and actions of an administration who in MY eyes is portraying themselves as wholesome on the outside, while decaying and rotting from corruption, lies, and and deceit on the inside.

Just my .. it's been a LONG time since I've jumped in on a current events topic, I feel SO much better when I avoid them. But this will be my pittance of a contribution for a good while again.