Well, it is now 2007, a new year. I had put off posting during the holidays to wait and see what the Shrub would do about his wars.
The Baker Hamilton report has been discussed by many. It did seem somewhat reasonable in the recommendations, of course that meant that Shrub would ignore it out of hand.
Now we are told that the "decider" has the urge to surge. More than 21,000 more troops will be sent to Iraq. He also wants to increase the Marines and Army by some 92,000 new troops as well. More recruits will need to be found among the population. Good luck on that. I hadn't checked on this lately, but for many months they were not able to meet the recruitment quotas in the past years, how are they going to increase the size of those organizations now?
Being anti war, myself, I hope they will not find any willing people to meet this new increased Army and Marine Corps. If it was truly for national defence, they would be swamped with willing volunteers. Hell they would even find veterans of past wars ready to enlist to fight off an invasion of our country. All the Shrub thinks of is his "legacy". Ha! His legacy is already insured. He will go down as the absolute worst "leader" we have had up to this date. Yes, there may, in the future, be an even worse president. I know, that is almost beyond belief, but it IS possible. How so? Well, I am constantly amazed by the stupidity of some of our fellow human beings. Every time I think I have seen the worst or the stupidest, some one will do something that tops what I had seen before. Our species seems to have an unlimited capacity to do stupid things.
Back to the surge. This increase of 21,000 plus new troops to Iraq just means 21,000 more targets for the Iraqis. It is too few to control the country, and way too many new targets.Even the Shrub admitted in his speech that with the troop increase the violence and killing will continue. So why send more targets? He still keeps on with his idea that we(?) must succeed in Iraq. OK, but what IS meant by success in Iraq today? I have yet to hear any true measure of this "success". The goals in Iraq keep changing. First it was WMD, then to topple Saddam, then to install democracy. What is the current "idea" of this "victory"?
If any one knows, please share it with the rest of us.
One thing I have noticed, on a very personal level, this war is waking up old memories. Things that were "put away" in the darkest closet of my mind. They were put there and left to be untouched in this life. Now, thanks to the constant war we are in, they have come out to haunt me. The bad memories of the fighting in Viet Nam have resurfaced. Not in the last weeks, but many months ago. I had not spoken of this before, but feel the need to do so now. If only for my own personal benefit. Yes, some times talking about "bad experiences" helps. The flashbacks and nightmares have returned. Some would say, stop watching the news, quit reading the web sites that report the war, stop following it on the net and the TV. Would that it were that easy.This war is like the old saying about the train wreck. You don't want to see the carnage, but feel compelled to look anyway.
If the veterans of other wars,looked away, or tried to ignore the current war, they would find that it is not possible.Those of us who have been to war feel compelled to stay informed on this one. We cannot turn our backs on this disaster. Hell, our children are fighting this war. How could we choose to ignore that?
Lucky me, in that respect. I have only one child living. She is 36 years old and has children of her own. Many other veterans have children who ARE in the military and are in Iraq or Afghanistan. Will they be in Somalia next?
The scar of war run deep. They are not easily healed. Even time does not lessen them very much.
Somehow, someway, we the people MUST put and end to war.
semper fi,
charlie
