5 More

[Florence]

I read this morning that 5 more Americans were killed in Afghanistan. That is 5 more families who will never again see or talk with their father or son or brother. I wonder how many children will now have no father. And if 5 were killed, most likely there were at least as many wounded. The news rarely tells us how many arms or legs were lost or how many blinded or burned. They said it was "friendly fire" from an air strike by "coalition" forces. What on earth are we doing there?? Can we not just stop this madness??





Write your Congressmen, Senators, President, & newspaper.

[IshbelRobertson]

Looking at what is happening in Iraq proves that we should never have gone in there on the word of Mr Bush and our own Tony Bliar...

[peggy]

We're trying. Unfortunately, once entangled into something like this it's exceedingly difficult to extract ourselves. It's a very, very complicated issue. Look what's happening in Iraq now. When we leave Afghanistan it will be just the same. Don't really need a crystal ball to predict that. but I agree, we need to get out.
Maybe I'm being pessimistic here but looking at the history of that part of the world, things rarely change. It is as it was and always will be. Blood feuds and pay back, and now we are in the mix by killing tens of thousands of Iraqi for no apparent reason, plus those in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even if we completely left tomorrow, we have enemies who NEVER forget. Or forgive.

Problem is, they happen to be sitting on 'our' oil. The quicker we become energy independent, the quicker these people become irrelevant. And the way to become energy independent is to vote democratic, cause republicans will never do anything that might threaten big oil, and everything in their power to stop solar/wind/whatever technologies.
If we had invested even a tenth of what we wasted in Iraq in alternative energy, we would be very nearly there now. We have some great minds in this country. And the beauty of alternative energy is that it is still/always will be a tinkerers technology. You don 't need a million dollars and giant lab to 'fiddle' with it. Amazing things are accomplished in small workshops and garages by folks who have the desire and ability.

OK, this really isn't a diversion from the topic. Everything is connected. Other than oil, we have no reason to be in the mid-east. None! And without oil, they have no income stream to spend on even more and clever ways to kill us.

[Spartana]

Oil, oil and more oil. Yep, it's all connected to pretty much one thing. More complex then that of course (terrorism, 9/11, support worldwide democracy, suppression of fundamental Islam, human rights, etc.. hmm.. and if all that were true then why aren't we at war with Saudi Arabia too??).

[CathyA]

Now we're sending air support. :(

[iris lilies]

[QUOTE=peggy;177816]... The quicker we become energy independent, the quicker these people become irrelevant. And the way to become energy independent is to vote democratic, cause republicans will never do anything that might threaten big oil, and everything in their power to stop solar/wind/whatever technologies...
[quote]

Drill baby, drill!

[Florence]

[QUOTE=peggy;177816]... The quicker we become energy independent, the quicker these people become irrelevant. And the way to become energy independent is to vote democratic, cause republicans will never do anything that might threaten big oil, and everything in their power to stop solar/wind/whatever technologies...
[quote]

Drill baby, drill!

Solar, baby, solar. Wind, baby, wind.

[Rogar]

Becoming energy independent will help, but any more there is one big global barrel of oil supply that all of the world accesses. And we are all economically connected to the rest of the world. It isn't us and them any more, it's we. The solution isn't drill baby drill, but decrease dependence on fossil fuels.

[pinkytoe]

If we have ancestors someday, they will marvel at how stupid humans were overall.

[CathyA]

And why would we even send equipment? They've already shown that the bad guys have taken over alot of our tanks, etc.

[Rogar]

The Iraq situation is utterly amazing to me. We spend trillions, years, and several thousand lives and as I understand it, basically 10,000 armed rebels have undone a large part of it in a few days. Was it all for nothing? The news I watched said the Iraqi forces that we helped train and equip dropped their weapons, shed their uniforms and fled with hardly any resistance. I'm sure there are reasons, but I don't get how a half million refugees would flee their homes without giving a little bit of a fight to what seems like a small band of armed bullies.