What "Conservative" Price, Iraq?

Let's talk about the cost of the United States being in Iraq. Money....good grief, and lives...good Lord. If you are going to talk about one over the other, lives are more important, hands down. You can't put a price on people (unless you are an insurance actuator or the VA). That is an abstract value which conservatives only see as valuable in one narrow context...abortion. When it comes to the lives of innocent people in jail or soldiers...it is whatever the market will bear...translation...soldiers, prisoners, and the homeless can die until there is rebellion in the streets; even then the blame will be to the rebellion in their minds, as everyone else made a choice to end up where they did. In the end, your choices lead to your fate...that is how they sleep at night. Now let's ask them....your collective choices have led to the current situation in Iraq, the defunding of all Federal regulatory agencies, the housing/mortgage fiasco, and the mis-management of the war in Afghanistan to the point that no one seems to know which way is up anymore. Are they living with the weight of their choices, or passing the buck? If they are passing the buck...they should be called on it. They will use their own motto, when backed into a corner the eventual excuse will come whailing...."it was your choice, too...you did it to yourself by letting us run things." Either that, or it was Bill Clinton's fault. That is how they sleep at night.

The War, The Election, "The Economy, Stupid".

This country has no shortage of issues. When I was in school at The University of Mississippi (no, that's not an oxymoron), I had the privilege to work on campus in the physics department. There was a girl there who was from Jamaica, and she always commented on how Americans "have to have a cause, and believe others should follow it, too." I tried to explain that Americans are a spoiled bunch, but good hearted and that is how we sleep at night. I think Amily had a point. We all get so worked up. The war in Iraq holds certain signifigance for me as a grave issue facing our nation....there is nothing wrong with (putting a halt to) global warming or saving animals from torture, or chaining yourself to a tree....I mean, this is America for Christ's sake. In this time, however, of all consuming issue-overload furthered by self-serving campaign-savvy talking heads, we need to take a moment to put it all in perspective. There are people dying in Iraq for this "war". There are people from America killing and being killed in OUR NAMES, as the government here is, what?...that's right OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people. All issues in the up and coming presidential election go through Iraq. One way or antother..all issues seem to. The soldiers are there fighting for the tree hugger and the hunter, the policeman and the repo-man, alike. They are there on our behalf, under orders from the man we should be assessing for proof of sanity. Our next president will have to deal with this fiasco and there is little room left for error. With what this president has spent and earmarked for Iraq alone....every American citizen could have free healthcare and a weekly makeover for twenty years. What president wouldn't love to do that...hell, we could even throw in the illegals, I mean...it's A LOT of money. Now the next president gets the bill and the country of Iraq, and a massive budget defficit. How different would our Economy be if, instead of invading Iraq full scale, we had moved the troops stationed there in the no-fly zones to Afghanistan, used full time army and let the reservists stay home? It is purely an excersise in wishful thinking, but let's put this into perspective....cost of war in Iraq is a site calculating the costs and estimating the interest on this war. Prepare for Shock and Awe...bean-counter style. Which of this countries Ills could have been solved had this war been avoided? The answer to the troubling economy?????? "IT'S THE WAR, STUPID!" At end of the day today....dow jones industrial average down a whopping 306 points from where it started this morning. It's going to dip below 12,000 soon and keep going. There aren't even 20% anymore who think Bush is doing a good job....are there?

The War On Iraq

We have been fighting a war for over six years now. What have we gained? The war in Iraq, or like my friend JP says the war ON Iraq has become a symbol of the manner in which this administration operates on ALL fronts. Deceipt, secrecy, and manipulation of fear have been the key tools of this embarrasing chapter of American government. That is my opinion, for the most part. The reason i joined the discussion in another forum on this topic is the death of my little brother just over a year ago. He came home from Iraq war #1 with problems that were never acknowledged or treated by the VA untill it was to late to make a difference. He was 34. When we went in to Iraq for the second time...I was apprehensive to say the least. My apprehension has proven correct as politicians play on the short attention span of the masses....covering up the corruption and spinning the truth. By the time most people see the spin for what it is, the crooks are too far gone to answer the charges. America is way better than torture and wars fought on flimsy footing. We are a community who cares; military and non military, conservative and liberal. Freedom of speech is sacrosanct on my blog....say what you will, but defend it with facts. We're all only human. TOSing will get you the boot....permanent-like.