This is Success???????

Dear editor:

Just the other day, the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney, glorified the planned withdrawal of British Troops from Iraq as a “success story.” This comes on the heels of President Bush’s “troop surge” as a “new way forward,” that will bring “victory” to our country in our war against terrorism in Iraq. But what about our troops who are living with this so called “success” and “surge?” One only has to check statistics to find out the rest of the story.

The last three months have proven to be the second deadliest Dec/Jan/Feb period for our brave fighting men and women. The record shows that in 2004 the three month total was 67 American troops killed; in 2005 the total was 165; in 2006 it was 117; and in 2007 the total for the period once again shot up to 160, only five behind 2005. This is progress? This is success?

The Real Flip-Flopper

Ran across an interesting political cartoon, originally from the Seattle Post, and reproduced in our local paper. It begs the question “Hey, folks, it’s time to play WHO SAID THIS?”

The question is: “I think for us to get American military personnel involved in a civil war inside Iraq would literally be a quagmire. Once we got to Baghdad, what would we do?...I do not think the United States wants to have U.S. military forces accept casualties and accept responsibility of trying to govern Iraq. It makes no sense at all.”

Who said this after the Gulf War in 1991?
a) Sen. John Kerry?
b) Sen. Ted Kennedy?
c) Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney? (Under Daddy Bush)

The answer is ‘c’, Dick Cheney. Amazing what misplaced power does to people.

Iraq another Vietnam?

Dear editor:

Our Congressman, Representative Charles Boustany (R-LA) has been quoted on the discussion of Iraq in Congress as saying that Iraq is on the verge of “anarchic fragmentation” and that “Precipitous withdrawal from Iraq will spill over to neighboring countries such as Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia." Obviously, the congressman is parroting the White House/Republican Party line and ignoring history and facts.

During the Vietnam War, which ended with the United States unilaterally pulling out, we constantly heard from the White House (both Democratic and Republican administrations) that if we left that country without a “victory” that all of Southeast Asia would fall with a “domino effect,” and we would face a loss of allies and influence in the area. In addition, it would give communism another base from which to threaten our country. Now some thirty years later President Bush visited Vietnam and praised it for its progress, and pointed out how they accomplished all of this on their own. Did Rep. Boustany hear that? We pulled out precipitously and they accomplished ON THEIR OWN. And no dominos.

Now, we are hearing the same routine, but instead of the “domino effect” it is called a “spill over to neighboring countries.” After almost four years, over 3,100 Americans killed, over 23,000 Americans wounded, and a cost about to total over half a trillion dollars Rep. Boustany and his cohorts in Congress are trying to use the same old scare tactics foisted on us by the White House since the lies that justified starting that pre-emptive war..

We are also hearing from this group that no alternative is being offered. If they opened their minds and ears they would hear the alternative very plainly…..GET OUT OF IRAQ. Let another president, thirty years from now, go back and glory in how much the Iraqis have accomplished on their own.

Unsustainable Growth in Wrong Place

Dear editor:

It has been reported that in his latest budget request, President Bush expressed alarm about what he called “the unsustainable growth of federal entitlement programs,” and he proposes savings in Medicare and Medicaid that far surpasses what he or any other president has sought. The president contends that he can make the rules changes of paying less to medical providers and hospitals without any action by Congress.

Amazing that Mr. Bush can recognize this “unsustainable growth” but cannot see the same in his request for an additional $245,000,000,000 for HIS war in Iraq. And it keeps growing. Shouldn’t he be able to see that the growth of Medicare and Medicaid helps to care for and save American lives while the growth of his money request for HIS war brings nothing but death and dismemberment to American troops? His priorities are way out of whack. But then again, Medicare and Medicaid don’t benefit his buddies in the oil and defense industries as HIS war does.