Well said, Simon!  Especially regarding the President - just because one doesn't happen to agree with the war policies doesn't mean that there must have been some evil ulterior motive.

Okay, I have to point some things out here!  If Iraq were located the middle of Africa and didn't have any oil, do you think we would have invaded or even really given a crap?  There are brutal dictators all over the world.  Why don't we go after them?  This is about oil or more specifically, the price of oil.  Oh, if we managed to establish a democracy and a good base of operations in the Middle East as a side result, so much the better.  

I'm with you on the troops.  Being a former Navy Seabee I can sympathize with their situation.

Oh, one more thing.  Before you paint me as a peacenik, while I think that we need to do everything possible to cut our dependence on oil and other carbon based fuels, I understand that this might not be possible in the short run and that we need to make sure that we have the oil that we need to keep our country functioning.  If that means stepping on some toes as we block out the lane, then so be it.

I do think that our government should be honest with us as a people as to why they are doing what they are doing.  Also, I know that I already said "one more thing", if we are going to go on a foreign adventure such as this where we are bullying our way in order make sure that we get what we need, then we should go in with the force it takes to make a decisive victory.  

I for one can't understand why we as a country can't seem to figure out that going in half-assed doesn't make us any friends and usually ends up with us getting mud on our faces and more American Soldiers and Sailors dead.

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc. 

Bob - if this were about the price of oil, then it would be a complete and utter failure. In case you didn't notice, the price went up a great deal. Also, perhaps you can tell me exactly how much oil there was in the former Yugoslavia? Yes there are brutal dictators all over the world, but some of them have the potential to threaten the entire globe. Saddam was one such.

About the only thing I do agree with you I already posted - when we get into these things we need to do it to win it and not tie one hand behind our military's backs.

Finally, I genuinely thank you for your service to our country.

Yugoslavia is part of Europe and that makes a difference.  I was paging through the newspaper one day and buried pages and pages in I found a head line that went something like, "10,000 people macheted to death" about the genocide in Sudan.  That was probably 8 or 10 years ago now.  Where's are troop build up there?

Saddam couldn't fly from one end of his country to another without our permission!  How much of a threat could he really have been?  We can contain the Soviet Block for 50 years, but Saddam was too much for us?  I don't think so! 

As far as oil prices go, look back and see where prices were at when the Bush Administration took office and where they are at now.

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc. 

How about gas prices pre and post Iraq war? Also the former Yugoslavia. You are seriously telling me we went in because it was in Europe? We again went in because the threat to the Globe was present. We mix doing the right thing with national interest. 'm not defending it, but it is simply a fact. An unstable Europe is not in our interests and you are right - Africa does not pose the same threat to us. or the Globe. I'm not saying it's right, merely that it is.

As for Saddam - he had rockets that could reach Israel. We did not know what he could arm them with. He didn't need to fly.

Perhaps we just need to agree to differ on this one.

We can disagree and I'm cool with that.  Our debate is not going to have any effect on the outcome one way or the other.  That said, people are dying and while my voice being raised in opposition probably won't make a difference, I feel that it's my moral duty to raise it.

Having been in the Navy during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm I, as well as having a son who is 21 years old allows me the bully pulpit to, with a straight and solemn face to ask you and any body else who adopts your position to objectively examine your position and to ask yourself some pretty serious questions.

If it were YOUR son or daughter who was going into harm's way or possibly even dying, would you feel the same way? Would you be so sure of your position?  People think that because they heard Rush defending this moron's position and that it is the official position of a particular political class that it's true.

This simply isn't the case.  This administration is beyond belief in the out and out LIES that they have told in order to justify this war.  People knew, Vice President Chaney knew that if we continued with our assault back in Desert Storm I that it was going to be a cluster fxck.  There's tape of him saying it back them!

Before you shake your head and rattle off the same old battle lines that have been tossed about, I want you to do me a favor.  Get a pen and a piece of paper and think of all of the bridges, water supplies, high school football games, county fairs, street festivals, crowded buses, bowling alley's, day care centers, shopping malls, real estate office sales meetings, etc. (places where people congregate) that you, if you so desired to, could disrupt if you were a "terrorist"?

You seem like an intelligent guy.  I'm sure that you could come up with quite a few.  That's the fly in this oil!  We're being sold a bill of goods in order for certain people to make more money!  This is all fine and good, as long as you're not the people who are dying in order to make it happen!

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.