Escalation of the war in Afghanistan

[Doreen Peri]

I was Hoping for Change.... I'm disappointed.

More war. More murder.

[stilltrucking]

"one tin soldier rode away"

Hurts my head to hear the "perps" from the Bush administration praising the move.

[mtmynd]

And so begins Obama's fight against the tide of opposition, much as he did when he initially ran for the office he now inhabits.

I can only 'hope' what he now proposes is ultimately for the good of all involved. Do I have any other choice..? Would bashing him and dissing his proposal do the man any good? I think not.

[Doreen Peri]

I'm not bashing him and dissing him. I'm just disappointed.

I don't think this effort is necessary. I'm hoping it won't be a bloodbath. I fear it will.

He just won the Nobel Peace prize. I want peace.

He's the President. We voted him in. And I'm glad we did. He was the best man for the job. AND I still believe in all the ideals he ran for.

But I just don't think this war effort fits with those ideals.

[Doreen Peri]

That's one of the beauties of the USA. To be able to speak out and say what you feel about the decisions of the government.

[stilltrucking]

Doreen Obama made it clear during the campaign in 2008 where he stood on Afghanistan. this from july 2008

"The Afghan government needs to do more. But we have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent here in Afghanistan. And I believe this has to be our central focus, the central front, on our battle against terrorism," Obama said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."

"I think one of the biggest mistakes we've made strategically after 9/11 was to fail to finish the job here, focus our attention here. We got distracted by Iraq," he said.

Obama said troop levels must increase in Afghanistan.

"For at least a year now, I have called for two additional brigades, perhaps three," he told CBS. "I think it's very important that we unify command more effectively to coordinate our military activities. But military alone is not going to be enough."

Obama met Sunday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a leader the Democratic senator has criticized for not doing enough to rebuild the war-torn nation.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee met with Karzai in Kabul, the capital city, during Obama's first visit to the Asian nation.

Karzai's spokesman characterized the senator's message as pleasant.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/20/ ... ghanistan/

[Doreen Peri]

This whole situation just ruined our dinner.

Earlier tonight, I saw a soldier in the restaurant where my daughter was performing with her a cappella singing group. I looked at him and my face got sad. She asked me what was wrong. I said, "I'll tell you later."

Just now we were having dinner. She asked me what was wrong in the restaurant. I told her I saw the soldier and all I could think of was Obama's speech last night, explaining how he's going to send more troops into Afghanistan. I told her I was worried about the soldier.

She asked, "Well why is he going to send them there?" I answered the best I could, explaining the reasons as they were relayed to the audience listening to last night's speech.

She got up from the table and said, "I can't eat. I'm sick on my stomach." I got offended because she didn't want to eat with me any more. I got upset because I got her upset and I didn't mean to.

Now I can't eat. I'm sick on my stomach.

So much for dinner.

I think I should write the White House a letter and tell them this story.

[Doreen Peri]

Yeah, I know, Jack. I remember that he did say that. I was just hoping it wasn't going to happen. I focused more on his words when he talked of peace. I live in a dream world, I guess. Shame on me.

[stilltrucking]

Doreen Obama made it clear during the campaign in 2008 where he stood on Afghanistan. this from july 2008

See above

I still get sick when I think about Bush. So I try not to think about it. Ha.

[stilltrucking]

So now they call it Obama's war. When it was bush who created the situation by pulling the troops out to go after the oil in Iraq.

I am plenty sick. I wish it would affect my appetite but it does not

[Doreen Peri]

Yeah, sorry... I was typing when you were posting. I did reply to your statement in my next post.

Yeah, I know, Jack. I remember that he did say that. I was just hoping it wasn't going to happen. I focused more on his words when he talked of peace. I live in a dream world, I guess. Shame on me.

I think I'll do what Dr. Weil recommends and turn off the news for a while. Maybe for the next couple of years. Obviously war doesn't sit well with me and it's unhealthy to get upset.

[stilltrucking]

Sorry I missed your reply

It is a dream world we all live in Doreen. Just my opinion.

[Barry]

Almost every night I watch The News Hour on PBS. At the end of the broadcast they have a roll call of soldiers who've died in first Iraq and now Afghanistan. When I see one close to my age I think, "He had a family, kids, a wife, maybe grandkids," and it breaks my heart. My wife feels the same thing when she sees the really young ones, 19, 20, 21, because she's a mom. I think of the dads who died, the kids they leave behind. She thinks of the moms who live on, the children they lost. It's a terrible thing, but it's part of life. I also know all those soldiers are there by choice, from a sense of duty, and I highly respect them for their choice and am eternally grateful. You know, Doreen, that I do this balloon release for peace thing every year. When I'm doing it, filling up the balloons, every year so far, I think of the soldiers now and in the past who fought and in some cases died so that I can enjoy the freedom to do that, to protest, dissent, and to try to make one small gesture toward peace on their behalf. I don't like war; I don't support the concept; but I respect the soldiers who fight and understand the necessity of their sacrifice.

Peace,
Barry

[Doreen Peri]

It's a terrible thing, but it's part of life.

That's where I think differently. I don't think it needs to be a part of life.

I don't like war; I don't support the concept; but I respect the soldiers who fight and understand the necessity of their sacrifice.

I respect them, also, but they're brainwashed. Here's another place I think differently. I don't think their sacrifices are necessary at all. Not one bit.

[Doreen Peri]

Now, I hope nobody thinks I'm being disrespectful toward the troops. I'm not at all doing that.

I'm just saying that they're really hired killers... hired to "defend" us? In this case, from what? From Osama bin Laden? They haven't been able to find him for 8 years. Will killing more people in Afghanistan help us find him?

To protect us from who? The Taliban? Are they threatening us? Sure there are human rights issues but we really need to kill them to help enforce human rights issues in the world?

To protect us from Al Qaida? Is part of the plan in Afghanistan to hunt down Al Qaida members and kill them? Really? I didn't hear that in Obama's speech. If that's the case, how do they plan on finding them? Just wondering. AND will killing more people help the US find them? AND... if they DO find any of them, what do they do with them? Kill them? Try them? For what? For being terrorists? For being involved in 911?

NOW.. there's a worthy goal! That's the ONLY worthy goal, in my opinion. Find the actual people who were responsible for 911 and capture them and try them for their crimes.

Will killing more people, more American soldier deaths, more civilian deaths, more Afghani deaths, more deaths from troops from the UK and Canada, and other supporting countries .... will more of these troops and civilians in Afghanistan really help us find the people responsible for 911 so we can capture them? (Or kill them. ... I mean maybe those people deserve to die, OK? But before a trial? Before we know if it's really THEM?)... but either way... will any of these deaths HELP ONE BIT to resolve that issue and find the people who were responsible? I don't think so.

So why are the troops going there? What's the war for? To protect the world from Pakistan because they have nuclear weapons? Or DO they? Why do we need protection from Pakistan? And if they have nuclear weapons, why is that not OK if the US has nuclear weapons? I never got that part. So many countries are supposed to disarm but it's OK for the US to be armed with nuclear weapons. Totally baffling to me.

And if Pakistan is such a threat, why are we sending more troops into Afghanistan?

Frankly, I think it has to do with a pipeline that's being built in that area.... control of real estate and resources... oil.

If the US *really* wants to help Afghanistan create a stable government, why don't they just do that? Why do they need guns and bombs and dead bodies?

AND.... what gives the US the right to tell countries of the world what type of government to have anyway?... come to think of it