I am sure your son and others are there "to help the people of Iraq" unfortunately we had to slaughter tens of thousands of them first. the real truth is that they are there to help corporate America get rich. The ten billion or so a week being sucked out of the economy is going into the pockets of Haliburten, Lockheed Martin, Brown and Root, Bechtel, Rayethon etc. War profiteers one and all. Now we have billions unaccounted for, fraud and Americans murdering civilians in retalitation. Of course the Iraqis are beaten down; that is the only way we could have been able to come in and beat them down some more. . Ever wonder why there is no "exit strategy"? Duh, no exit was ever intended. The neoconartists running the show and needing a PERMANENT foothold in the middle east choose Iraq because the country was very weak after ten years of sanctions. I worked in a place where twice a year a former ambassador to North Africa gave lectures to aspiring foreign area officers. He said repeatedly that the reason the US did not remove Sadam in the early 90's was because he was the only force keep opposing factions from creating civil war and chaos. So the neocons knew what they were doing when they chose Iraq; it was a weakened country ready to explode into civil war. It is scary that people have totally forgotten that the invasion of Iraq was sold to the public as being the only way to prevent an immediated attack from Iraq. After the lies were exposed no one got outraged that the President subverted the consitution by declaring an unjust, illegal and immoral war. As for the press: until now they have sucked up to the president ( Judith Miller, NY times) ; supported the war and kept information from the people. It is only now that any mainstream press dares to
finally report something approaching the truth, thousands and thousands of deaths later. Just remember Sadam was our friend (SPECIAL friend of Mr. Rumsfeld!) in the 80's; why we even sold him chemicals for making mustard gas and did not raise a cry when he gassed the Kurds with it!
Your son and the armed forces in Iraq are the last ones to know the real story. Yes they know the day to day dangers; their lives are on the line but they only know what they are told by the higher ups and unless they are skilled Arab linguists they don't know squat about the people because they can't talk to them. I am sure being in Iraq is hellish and I am sorry your son or any one's son is there but no matter how noble their hearts may be, no matter how good their intentions are they are being used for an evil evil cause and we are all going to be paying for it a real long time...oh yea that former abassador also said the people in that region are very unforgiving and carry resentmentsts and grudges for hundreds of years. I wonder how long it will take an Iraq to "get over" watching his family and home be blown to bits by an American missle? Trying to help the Iraq's is a myth not too many people believe anymore; just those that have to so they won't have to face the fact that their son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father died to protect the deep pockets of American war profiteers.
And as for that freedom to speak you better watch your back because those rights are rapidly eroding thanks to the present administration.
