We whom were skeptical about the run-up to war were for the most part convinced to support the policy at the very last moment by Colin Powell, a man whom nearly had his choose of being a candidate on either party’s ticket, we now know we were betrayed for having a hero’s worship for a hero turned scoundrel.

We are wounded not just because of our disappointment in Powell, but that we dropped our instinctive guard to believe him in the first place. We whom believed that Bush/Cheney were not the kind of men whom deserved to lead a nation into war.

Those whom made the argument that Iraq had no ability to project their power because of a decade U.N. sanctions & No-Fly Zones, felt the disaster on the nearing horizon. We were bullied into silence, ridiculed, and made to feel as though we were traitors for not joining in lock step.

I warned friends that a draft would be needed by the Summer of 2004, I told people that we could not deploy our National Guard & Reserves for this kind of occupation for long without the military screaming for new recruits. I never believed that the Congress and Pentagon would stand by while our glorious military would be allowed to dwindle this way. I just never believed 2004 would pass with this administration still in power and at war without a draft.

I was a sailor in the USN from ’77 to ’83 when much of this time we spent either in the Mediterranean off the shores of Lebanon, or Libya or in the Indian Ocean or in the Persian Gulf. After Reagan deployed the Marines to Beirut with orders to sit still for the snipers, but don’t shoot! In short order they bomb us in our barely secured Embassy killing 253 Marines. We had no clear objective and this showed the Arab world weakness for our resolve to deal with their brand of conflict.

We could have had bases on the Arab Peninsula with enough troops to deter any idea of premptive attack, the Turks in our camp, and Iran as a reluctant, but genuine ally in any effort against Saddam, had we just waited, taken our time while closing the noose on him simultaneously. We would have had the kind of resources needed to make Afghanistan a secure state, an example for the world to admire, with Osama on a spit; instead on TV taunting us.

We would have had Saddam bottled up like never before, as well as a World standing eagerly by to help us with the defeating of Terrorists networks worldwide, and yes, Saddam too!. We would have had the kind of financial and military support in a REAL coalition that Desert Storm had, with our Treasury still in tack. Instead our nation is nearly bankrupt, with a drained military, not to mention the huge brain drain in the government since the Republicans took complete power.

If we had Democratic leadership, we would be the natural leader of the world’s democracies, as we should, instead of a diminished democracy feared by our allies, despised by all whom could, and would have been our willing allies.

We would still have surpluses instead of record deficits, the stronger, healthier military, and the love and respect of our allies. We would be a stronger, healthier, respected America we should be, instead of the Republican shame we live with today.

We read now that the Shia’s are evacuating Sunni neighborhoods, and villages, and Sunni’s doing likewise in Shia neighborhoods. We read the streets are alive with the sale of weapons to both sides. Where are our troops?? In the middle! Thank you to the Republican righteous rule, on a race to the End of Days.

Save Democracy, Vote for a Democrat. We may not have another chance to turn this disastrous tide again!

Happy Thoughts;

Dan Grady

"War fixes nothing"?

Freeing Europe from the Nazis required a war on a massive scale.

You may feel good about advocating pacifism but in reality, it just allows one group of people to slaughter another group with abandon (e.g. Rwanda).

Having said that, of course, we did not need to invade Iraq nor do we need to invade Iran. Neither posed (or poses) a threat to the vital interests of the United States.

But if the democrats want to take back the congress and the presidency, then a policy of "No War Ever" is the road to perpetual minority status.

New rule!

Only presidents brave enough to GO TO WAR (not defending Biloxi bars from the Mexican Army) can declare war.

Sure, Bubba never went to war, but how many U.S. soldiers died in Bosnia?

Zero and we won that one.

The Bush cabal's lies are responsible for killing more Americans than alQaida. They have set up their buddies to rob us blind while doing it. They are still pouring millions into permanent bases in Iraq. Even if the republicans go down we'll probably be stuck with democrats with the same imperialist mind set like Leiberman or Clinton. If people don't get serious about taking to the streets and demonstrating, I don't have much hope for us getting out soon.

Hello all I would like to post a positive note on this note we are veterans and I am a chaplain of the american legion here in oregon here to get the word out since the media likes to focus on the negative Gods blessings Atkinson for Governor 06 Dear PFA Supporter,

When my son, Michael, left for Iraq, America was united in our determination to defeat the terrorists. We all supported the mission.

Sadly, some Americans - fueled by a steady diet of media negativism - seem to have lost our resolve.

Michael died on January 24, 2005 fighting for a cause he believed in. I know for a fact that he believed the cause was honorable because he told me so when he wrote a personal credo that explained,

"I want to carve out a niche for myself in the history books. I want to be remembered for the things I accomplished. I sometimes dream of being a soldier in a war. In this war I am helping to liberate people from oppression. In the end there is a big parade and a monument to immortalize us in stone. Other times I envision being a man you see out of the corner of your eye, dressed in black fatigues, entering a building full of terrorists. After everything is completed I slip out the back only to repeat this the next time that I am called. I might not be remembered in that scenario, but I will have helped people."

The mainstream media may have lost faith in the mission, but I haven't forgotten that Michael - who's friends called him Shrek - died to "liberate people from oppression."

I am hopeful that the media will use Iraqi Liberation Day on April 9th to remember all of the good things Michael and our troops have done in Iraq. You can also help going to www.FamiliesUnitedMission.com/letter and signing a letter encouraging the media to remember this historic milestone.

I believe that if enough of us join together and speak out we can make sure that our servicemen and women abroad today know just how much we support them and their mission. Please visit www.FamiliesUnitedMission.com/letter and forward this letter to your friends; April 9th is just around the corner, so please act now.

Sincerely,

Merrilee Carlson, Shrek's Mom

Gold Star Mother and Chair of Minnesota Families United

St. Paul, Minnesota

Hello all since the News media wants to focus on the negative and fed u on the negative were here to post on the positve, Gods blessings Dear PFA Supporter,

When my son, Michael, left for Iraq, America was united in our determination to defeat the terrorists. We all supported the mission.

Sadly, some Americans - fueled by a steady diet of media negativism - seem to have lost our resolve.

Michael died on January 24, 2005 fighting for a cause he believed in. I know for a fact that he believed the cause was honorable because he told me so when he wrote a personal credo that explained,

"I want to carve out a niche for myself in the history books. I want to be remembered for the things I accomplished. I sometimes dream of being a soldier in a war. In this war I am helping to liberate people from oppression. In the end there is a big parade and a monument to immortalize us in stone. Other times I envision being a man you see out of the corner of your eye, dressed in black fatigues, entering a building full of terrorists. After everything is completed I slip out the back only to repeat this the next time that I am called. I might not be remembered in that scenario, but I will have helped people."

The mainstream media may have lost faith in the mission, but I haven't forgotten that Michael - who's friends called him Shrek - died to "liberate people from oppression."

I am hopeful that the media will use Iraqi Liberation Day on April 9th to remember all of the good things Michael and our troops have done in Iraq. You can also help going to www.FamiliesUnitedMission.com/letter and signing a letter encouraging the media to remember this historic milestone.

I believe that if enough of us join together and speak out we can make sure that our servicemen and women abroad today know just how much we support them and their mission. Please visit www.FamiliesUnitedMission.com/letter and forward this letter to your friends; April 9th is just around the corner, so please act now.

Sincerely,

Merrilee Carlson, Shrek's Mom

Gold Star Mother and Chair of Minnesota Families United

St. Paul, Minnesota

Hello and this is another cindy sheehan take a look at this below Dear All,

Regarding the story sent from Jack Dampman, I thought you should hear from Journalist Jill Carroll regarding what was published in the Los Angeles Times April 2.

Paul McManigal

Ex-Hostage Is Free to Speak Her Mind Now

Journalist Jill Carroll, safe in U.S. jurisdiction, says she was forced by her captors in Iraq to make anti-American statements in a video. By Jonathan Peterson, Times Staff Writer April 2, 2006

WASHINGTON — Jill Carroll, the American journalist who was held in captivity for 82 days in Iraq, on Saturday sharply disavowed comments she had made as a hostage that were critical of the United States and sympathetic to Islamist rebels.

The remarks were made under extreme duress, said Carroll, 28, a freelance journalist who was working for the Christian Science Monitor in Baghdad when she was kidnapped Jan. 7.

"They told me they would let me go if I cooperated," Carroll said in a statement from Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she had been brought by a U.S. military transport plane two days after being freed by her captors. "I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. I agreed.

"Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not."

A video of Carroll speaking kindly about the cause of her captors and criticizing the U.S. military presence in Iraq has appeared on Islamist websites, sparking an angry reaction from some bloggers and conservative commentators.

In the video made the night before her release, Carroll said of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq: "He knows it was illegal from the very beginning. He knows it is built on a mountain of lies." She also declared that insurgents were "only trying to defend their country" against "an illegal and dangerous and deadly occupation."

She called on President Bush to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. "Tens of thousands … have lost their lives here because of the occupation," she said in the video. "Americans need to think about that and realize day-to-day how difficult life is … here."

But on Saturday, free from the threats of her abductors and under U.S. military protection, she had a completely different message. In the statement released by the Christian Science Monitor, Carroll said her captors "forced me to participate in a propaganda video," during her final night in captivity.

She also distanced herself from comments she had made in a television interview she gave to the Iraqi Islamic Party shortly after her release. "Out of fear, I said [in the interview] I wasn't threatened," Carroll said. "In fact, I was threatened many times."

She said the political party had promised her the interview would not be aired "and broke their word. At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely."

In her statement, Carroll asserted her independence as a journalist, saying: "I want to be judged as a journalist, not as a hostage. I remain as committed as ever to fairness and accuracy — to discovering the truth — and so I will not engage in polemics. But let me be clear: I abhor all who kidnap and murder civilians, and my captors are clearly guilty of both crimes."

On Jan. 7, Carroll and her interpreter traveled to a neighborhood in western Baghdad to interview a Sunni Arab politician, who did not show up. After they left, they were attacked by gunmen nearby. Her interpreter, Allan Enwiyah, was killed.

A previously unknown group calling itself the Revenge Brigades had threatened to kill Carroll unless the U.S. released all female Iraqi prisoners by Feb. 26. Some prisoners were released, in what U.S. officials insisted was an unrelated move.

Carroll's abduction sparked an outpouring of sympathy and support for the idealistic young journalist, who had studied Arabic and was said to have developed close ties with many Iraqis.

On Thursday, her captors released her at a Iraqi Islamic Party branch office. The U.S. military later escorted her to the U.S.-controlled Green Zone. A State Department spokesman declined Saturday to comment on the Carroll situation.

In her statement, Carroll pleaded to be allowed time to recover from her ordeal. "Now, I ask for the time to heal. This has been a taxing 12 weeks for me and my family. Please allow us some quiet time alone, together."

Hello all Hello all since the News media wants to focus on the negative and fed u on the negative were here to post on the positve, Gods blessings Dear PFA Supporter,

When my son, Michael, left for Iraq, America was united in our determination to defeat the terrorists. We all supported the mission.

Sadly, some Americans - fueled by a steady diet of media negativism - seem to have lost our resolve.

Michael died on January 24, 2005 fighting for a cause he believed in. I know for a fact that he believed the cause was honorable because he told me so when he wrote a personal credo that explained,

"I want to carve out a niche for myself in the history books. I want to be remembered for the things I accomplished. I sometimes dream of being a soldier in a war. In this war I am helping to liberate people from oppression. In the end there is a big parade and a monument to immortalize us in stone. Other times I envision being a man you see out of the corner of your eye, dressed in black fatigues, entering a building full of terrorists. After everything is completed I slip out the back only to repeat this the next time that I am called. I might not be remembered in that scenario, but I will have helped people."

The mainstream media may have lost faith in the mission, but I haven't forgotten that Michael - who's friends called him Shrek - died to "liberate people from oppression."

I am hopeful that the media will use Iraqi Liberation Day on April 9th to remember all of the good things Michael and our troops have done in Iraq. You can also help going to www.FamiliesUnitedMission.com/letter and signing a letter encouraging the media to remember this historic milestone.

I believe that if enough of us join together and speak out we can make sure that our servicemen and women abroad today know just how much we support them and their mission. Please visit www.FamiliesUnitedMission.com/letter and forward this letter to your friends; April 9th is just around the corner, so please act now.

Sincerely,

Merrilee Carlson, Shrek's Mom

Gold Star Mother and Chair of Minnesota Families United

St. Paul, Minnesota

Hello did you ever hear of the chaplains who baptized the soilders in Bosnia or what the chaplains of the military have done???? Just curious

I hope the Gold Star Moms find some solace in the truth, like... Iraq has No WMD, No Nukes, No WMD program and ABSOLUTELY positively no connection to Al-Qaeda and 9/11, according to Shakes and Deadeye Dick, our fearsome leaders.

But don't worry, GSM, my beautiful nieces and nephews are busy studying Farsi and they'll be ready to go when we nuke Iran, like the White House is threatening to do.

Unlike their pappies.

How do you all feel about the fact that Casey Sheehan willfully wanted to be a Warrior? He wanted to do what he died doing. How does it make you all feel to know that there is a very large percent of young men ( and even some women ) that have signed up for military service just to get the chance to go to Iraq and weild weapons of mass desrruction and other assorted assault weapons of choice - and they love it! They love every second of it because they are warriors and proud members of The Gun Culture. You may not like The Gun Culture ...but they don't seem to really care if any of us like them or not ...and they're armed. There are young men signing up with The National Guard and other military service units right this very moment from places like Ohio, S. Dakota, Utah, Detroit, Atlanta and Miami just to get a chance to go to Iraq and kill some muslims. Not bring them Democracy, they just want to whack some towel heads. The Gun Culture lives for Battle and bloodlust. How does that make you feel? Kinda gives me the chills. And what does on do about it? What will it mean when this whole new generation of war vets come home ...like the Vietnam vets and Desert Storm vets before them ...only more disabled, more crippled, and perhaps more vengeful of the society that wrote the check they cashed with blood, bullets and bombs. Our taxes finance this carnage. Half our citizens don't even vote. Do we deserve the government we have because we deserve the government we have?

Heya Teabag.

W told Casey Iraq did 9/11. LIE 1.

W told Casey Iraq had WMD. LIE 2.

W told Casey Iraq has nukes. LIE 3.

W told Casey he would be greeted as a liberator with flowers thrown at him. LIE 4.

W told Casey he found WMD in a broken-down trailer. LIE 5.

W told Casey the war would be fast and cost less than a big lunch at Deadeye Dick's. LIE 6.

Get it, teabag???

Heya Sid-bag,

1) Casey didn't care about W's LIES. 2) Casey liked the military and using it's weapons. 3) Casey was a warrior with bloodlust looking for a war, any war. 4) There are a lot of other Caseys out there too, just like that.

The Caseys of the military don't care about Dubya's lies anymore that the average pro football player cares about what color the team owner's underwear is ...they just care about playing football and destroying the other team and winning.

And that is the mindset of a great many in the military today. They don't care about Dubya's lies or if the Iraq war is just or right. They just care about getting a chance to kill muslims and fight. They love their weapons and they love using them. The Gun Culture.

Get it, Sidbag?

Ah....more posts from Sid Leader. I hope you get laid off in the next round of budget cuts at PPS.

Actually, I'll be getting a five percent pay raise, courtesy of the po schmucks who pay 90percent of the taxes in Oregon -- citizens -- not greedy "W is my God" businesses.