From Wired:
Grave Situation
The rising death toll in Iraq has reached a sobering benchmark: More American soldiers have been killed in Iraq than were killed during the first three years of the Vietnam War. The U.S. Defense Department recorded 392 U.S. fatalities in Vietnam from 1962 through 1964, when approximately 17,000 American troops were deployed in Indochina. As of Wednesday, American deaths in Iraq totaled 397. About 130,000 U.S. soldiers are positioned in Iraq now. Another 91 soldiers have died in battle zones outside Iraq since Oct. 7, 2001, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. As the death toll escalates, recent polls show concern over the situation in Iraq is growing and public support for President Bush is eroding.
Just fucking great. Gee, I could have sworn They told us the war was over?
Just for a little perspective…
Remind me again how many died at the WTC in a single day? Some things are worth fighting for.
Re: Just for a little perspective…
Remind me again how many Iraqis were involved in the WTC.
Re: Just for a little perspective…
Remind me again why you think the 9/11 attacks are the last terrorist acts that will ever be committed against Americans? 9/11 just woke (some) people up to the very real dangers of terrorism.
Saddam Hussein’s regime was one of the world’s major sponsors of terrorism.
If there’s someone out there with a lot of money offering contracts on my head then I see no reason to wait until the contract killer is actually in my house with a gun to the heads of my loved ones before I respond. I’m going to hunt him down and kill him, removing the incentive for anyone to fulfill that contract, and providing an example to anyone else contemplating offering such a price on my head.
Re: Just for a little perspective…
One of the largest (if not *THE* largest) sponsors of terrorism is the Saudi Royal family. Why Iraq and not Saudi Arabia?
Why hasn’t North Korea been invaded yet? They’ve been posturing with nukes.
Every single excuse that has been presented for Iraq by the government has better targets with the exact same justification.
Re: Just for a little perspective…
Only to those who know nothing about strategy.
The Saudi Royals aren’t militaristic. They’re merely decadent and corrupt. They rely on the West for the expertise to pull the oil out of the ground that supports their lavish lifestyle. They can be leveraged that way, and they are being leveraged that way. While military intervention there may be necessary someday, there are many other things that can be tried first. Note that economic sanctions against Saddam had already been tried, and found to fail. Moreover, because Saddam was militaristic, invading Saudi with Iraq on our flank would have been very dangerous. Even if we wanted to use the military option against the Saudis, Saddam had to go first.
North Korea not only has nukes, they have enough conventional artillery within range of Seoul to level it in about 10 minutes flat. To take them out without destroying our allies in South Korea would require a surprise nuclear strike. Probably launched from stealth aircraft and subs, because intercontinental ICBMs wouldn’t be fast enough. It is certain that no conventional forces could be dropped in fast enough to prevent it. It’s a situation completely different from what we face in Iraq.
Curse Bush all you like, but he’s got a bunch of very sharp military minds on his team. Minds that have planned and executed the single fastest military advance in the history of the human race. Do you really believe that they haven’t thought about these things? Don’t let your hatred of Bush make you underestimate him or his people.
Re: Just for a little perspective…
Doh! “Intercontinental ICBMs” is as redundant as “PIN number”.
fuck bush
and the horse he rode in on!!!
oh i love the 1984 icon , btw
Feh….
I have no clue why we’re there. None. I don’t think it’s oil or Haliburton. Could be, though. But I think deeper and more somewhat horrifying reasons are to blame. Establishing a “colony” there, so we can control that region, is what might be happening.
If so – we’re horrible. Should know better. Overextending Empire, it all gets mixed up, then all fall down. (Being as brief as possible.. LOL!)
Time to stop the nonsense. Really.