First let me retract a bit and say that I respect your position on this war, Mr. Grimes. You were the only one who responded intellectually and maturely and I, for one, appreciate it. You did not call me a fool nor did you spout rambling incantations that made absolutely no sense. You simply said that we will have to agree to disagree and for that you have my admiration and respect. It’s difficult to find a Liberal and a Conservative that can debate calmly on politics. As a response to the numerous emails I have received and the few articles posted in rebuttal I hope I can return the favor to you and respond just as courteously.

I do agree with you that statistics do not matter when it is your son/daughter/brother/sister/husband/wife that has paid the ultimate price. Unfortunately peace does not come freely, and I say this as a person who has loved ones overseas fighting the war. I know for a fact that should any one of them die, they would not want me to respond the way Cindy Sheehan has. No, that doesn’t speak for her son, but I can’t think of what else he would believe in when he reenlisted against her wishes. To do so tells me that he had faith in what he was doing. I’m sure there is one person in your family, or perhaps one of your friends, who you disagree with on some level in some way. Can you imagine that person speaking out for you, using your image and your death, with beliefs that weren’t even your own and you powerless to do anything to stop it? I disagree wholeheartedly with your point that since it was her son that died she has liberty to speak for him. Let his actions speak for himself and not a grieving mother. I address you and the others that say our government has sent our boys to their deaths for “imaginary egos.” Each soldier fighting over in Iraq signed up by his own accord and I have yet to meet a soldier that says we are wasting our time in Iraq. They are the ones over there and their opinions are the only ones I take into account, not the media, not even the government, but the soldiers and if they say we have a purpose then they have my full support.

To the person who said I needed to look up the word volunteer and that “unless you totally agree that your leaders could send you into a country to kill and fight combat, you have no business standing there and taking that oath” let me ask you this; have you ever disagreed with your boss? Your parents? Your teachers? Ever oppose anyone in authority but obeyed nonetheless. Of course you have as I have for if you are an adult at some point in your life you had to go along with a person who you differed in opinion. Yes, I know a job is quite different from risking your life overseas, I was merely trying to find an example you could understand. Finally you cannot say that President Bush should have “just sent Special Forces over there” without completely recanting your view on the war. The men and women in SF have family and are in the exact same boat as every soldier over there.

A major point of contention with everyone is that I dared to compare Hitler to Saddam. (sigh) I was NOT saying that their exact actions run down the same course nor was I saying that their politics or their purpose was identical. All I said was that their tyrannical views, their disregard for human life, their dictatorship was similar. They have killed thousands of innocents without blinking an eye. In that form are they alike. Let me guess, you still don’t understand. It still offends you. Ok, another way to explain; Ted Bundy and BTK are two very different serial killers from two very different time periods who acted in two very different ways YET they are alike in the fact that they ARE serial killers who brutally murdered innocents, get it? No. Hmmmm ok, I’ll shoot for simplicity, an apple is different from an orange but yet they are still fruits. Is it sinking in now? I know. I’m being condescending. Don’t bother repeating yourself with a litany of angry emails and know that I’m speaking to you as you spoke to me.

Now, onto a point that I found most ironic and paradoxical. The majority of you, who disagree with me, threw up Africa, Iran, Korea and any other country that had a dictatorship with the words “Why isn’t anything being done over there?” How can you even say such a thing when we are trying to help one country and this is the response we are getting? You say righteously that we have no right to invade Iraq for they were apparently not a threat to us and then in the same breath ask why nothing is done with these other countries that are no danger to us as well. Do you not see the hypocrisy in these words!

Next in line is one of my favorites; Jimmy Lewis. I must admit that during the whole of your article I sat, head tilted, and a smile on my lips. Not at the subject, dear boy, but at the tone. You, who are oh so proud of that IQ, fail to show it by critiquing my writing style and beliefs. And please tell me, where DO you get your sources? I could list off hundreds of books and articles that state clearly that contrary to what was believed, the US did in fact know of the Holocaust, but because of beliefs like yours we stayed neutral. During that time America had strong banking ties, and also exported materials, to these countries and to stop would be an economic hardship on the US. Germany was not a threat to our country in the beginning. Finally, we were not going to tell the Germans what they could do with their citizens. To put into a few simple words it wasn’t any of our business. Doesn’t this all sound a bit too familiar? I apologize for the history lesson, for this is an entirely different debate, but my credibility was being questioned. It seems you, Jimmy, need to upgrade YOUR information.

Now, try to keep up, Jimmy, for I’m now talking about Iraq. My ENTIRE purpose of mentioning WWII is that your arguments are practically verbatim of why we waited so long to join WWII and help end the slaughter. Yes they are two completely different wars with two very different dictators, but the fact remains that tens of thousands of people were dying cruelly at their hands and we were doing nothing. Can you not see how incredibly wrong that is?

You quoted a woman who said that she loved Saddam and how good he was for women. Again I sigh and shake my head, of course they will say that when his cruelty is still fresh in their minds. You don’t even have to take my word for it. Read this article that was in USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-04-20-saddam-usat_x.htm

I admit, it is a bit dated, but let me quote what was said in that article that sums it all up; "For 23 years we lived in paranoia, and until we see Saddam's limp body, we will not be free," says Suha Al-Barazngi, 33, a Baghdad physician who says she spends more than half her time counseling Iraqis who have been tortured by Saddam for political or religious reasons. "We are still trapped by our fears . . “

Would you like another one? Easily done, but this time it’s from TIME Magazine.

http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030414/wmccarthy.html

I quote; “Others tell of a city where bands of young Fedayeen Saddam militia patrol in white trucks, shooting anyone who defies them. Residents talk of their fears of anarchy and looting and of the terror at the sounds of mortars, rockets and gunfire that crack day and night across this city of 1.3 million. Underneath it all is the unfathomable, almost irrational fear that Saddam Hussein could still survive this war and return to wreak terrible vengeance on anyone who turns against his regime, as he did after U.S. forces left in 1991.”

I suggest that you quit taking everything at face value and actually research the subject you are debating for your kindergarten belief that the Iraqi women who walked around in burqa’s and were constantly beaten and murdered actually preferred that to a life of freedom tells me of your foolish naiveté. What that woman said was out of fear for her own life and if on the off chance that she actually believed it, then for her one comment, I will supply thousands of others that disagree. For the rest of my response to your article, Jimmy, read Ken Hughes “Here We Go Again . . .” My sentiments exactly.

Last but not least I apparently need to state once again that I do NOT completely agree with the government. They are far from perfect and I’ll be the first to admit it. However the mere fact that we are able to debate the way we do on this website, that artists such as Eminem and Green Day can verbally attack our President and not get chastised for it should tell you of the greatness of our country. What I don’t understand is that those of you who despise our government, why oh why do you live here? You, I’m sure will spout free speech and blah blah. Yes, I know, but once again, why live with a government that you absolutely hate? I find it curious that not one Liberal answered my question of what they would do other than pull out. Yes, I got that, but after leaving Iraq, please tell me what other options there are to stop what is going on. Or is it “none of our business” because they haven’t threatened us . . . yet. I’m still waiting for my answer.

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