Cowards, Nothing More Maybe A Lot Less

In her opinion piece titled “AWOL and AINO (American in Name Only)” Michelle Malkin takes a deserter to task. She starts:

Fugitive U.S. soldier Jeremy Hinzman is an unrepentant embarrassment to his country of birth. Last year, he deserted from the 82nd Airborne Division, fled to Canada and became the anti-war movement's sexiest man alive. Now, in a desperate bid for refugee status, this AWOL poster boy is collectively smearing our brave men and women in Iraq as war criminals to save his hide.

She contrasts these deserters from the “draft dodges” of the Vietnam War (another group of sniveling cowards). She points out that in the 60’s the dodgers were not volunteers like they are today. Not that would make a difference. In my opinion, they are all cowards. Although, it does make Hinzelman more of an idiot, it was all good for him while the military was another part time job for him. When the call came, as it inevitably would, he begrudgingly went to Afghanistan after all of a sudden deciding he was a conscientious-objector.

As I said, I believe these people are nothing more than cowards at worst or they just don’t want to have their comfortable life upset. It is a real hardship to be over here away from all the people you love. I have two boys in middle school that I miss terribly. I have missed many things including baseball and football games. I am missing a choir concert tomorrow where my youngest has a small solo. However, I believe there are some things much bigger than my comfort and convenience. I want a better world for the very children I miss. I hope that in some small way my contribution here will pay big dividends for my children and grandchildren.

The peace at any cost fools say “war does not solve anything.” My reply is just how do you solve tyranny? A dictator hell bent on domination will not be placated. That cluster of clowns conveniently overlooks all the problems the Hussein regime caused and wanted to continue to cause. To not see the evil of the Hussein and the terrorist who support him is foolish in the extreme. I remain optimistic that there will be a change for the better over here in Iraq and it will foster change for the better in the whole region, only time will tell. I am also confident that Hinzelman and his ilk are in the minority. They have a privilege to their opinion, however wrong it may be. I fight for the freedom of wrongheaded opinionated fools as much as every other American. It is funny, but Hinzelman types want freedom to express opinions but don’t want to fight for it when the time comes. That’s alright, there are over 130,000 of us over here who are willing and able to fight.

The entire article is at Townhall.com at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/mm20041208.shtml

Can Bush 41 Get Peace on the Road Again?

George Bush Can Save The Middle East. Bush 41, That Is.
By Jonathan Rauch, National Journal

Jonathan Rauch in National Journal says that Bush 41 could be the key to moving forward the peace process in the Middle East. Now that Arafat is gone, the road seems to be cleared of some of the obstacles that where there while he was in power. However, it will take bold action to get the process moving in the right direction. After citing others including Clinton as possible candidates and giving the reason why they would not work, Rauch hits upon Bush 41 and says;

Only one person hits every bull's-eye, and that is former President Bush. His authority, experience, and stature are beyond dispute. As for time, what does he have to do that's more important? Israelis view him as pro-Arab, but Arabs view his son as pro-Israel, so the two would form a balanced ticket. His very presence would transform the diplomatic scene by signaling a new level of U.S. involvement.

After reading the opinion, I agree, I would join Rauch in urging President Bush to ask his father to come back to public office to help facilitate this endeavor. In my mind, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is one of the big keys to LASTING peace in this whole region. Without that conflict to constantly inflame the Arab populace, the whole region could be much more peaceful. One can only hope.

You can find the whole article here: http://nationaljournal.com/rauch.htm

Are there any Heros in Iraq or how about just some Good News?

I have written about this before, but today Thomas Sowell brings it up again eloquently in his piece “No heroes?” at www.Townhall.com.

It is reprehensible the way the media is covering this war. They play up the American military deaths and any news about a bad apple in the military but hardly ever have any good news fit to print on the “Front Page.” When I mobilized to come over here back in February the media made it seem every convoy was getting hit and if you went out on the roads you were almost certain to die or get maimed in a horrible road side bombing. When I finally got over here after some fear and trepidation, I quickly realized the media had blown the situation WAY out of proportion. There are literally hundreds of convoys running around this country. Not only that, in most areas the military convoy is sort of an armored parade for the local Iraqis. It is entertainment for the kids who all come out and cheer and jump up and down when a convoy passes. Getting hit in a convoy is somewhat less likly than getting into a car accident in the US. (Now saying this, I hope I have not jinxed myself to prove an ironic point:) But I digress from the main point of this post….Tom Sowell says in his piece:

You cannot fight a war without many brave men taking risks with their lives in order to try to accomplish their mission. Yet can you name a single American hero in either of the two wars going on today in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Chances are you can't -- not if you rely on the mainstream media. You may be able to name someone from the little band of people involved in the prison scandal in Iraq or perhaps Jessica Lynch who was rescued, but not those who rescued her.

There are apparently no heroes among the more than 100,000 men and women fighting for us overseas -- only victims. At least, that is how the news gets filtered and spun in most of the media.

He goes on to what I think is the main point….

Those who are busy "honoring" the deaths of American troops in Iraq seldom have much to say about what those troops accomplished. The restoration of electricity, the re-opening of hospitals and schools, and all the other things being done to try to restore a war-devastated country get little attention, and everything that has gone wrong makes the front pages and TV news for weeks on end.

I would recommend reading the whole article here:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20041202.shtml

As a soldier who has been over here for 10 months, I am extremely upset at the portrayal of this war in the MSM. Like Tom Sowell, I say any one has the right to oppose this war, but to only play up the bad facts that are taking place over here while down playing the good facts on the front page is just plain wrong for the troops. Taking a more balanced approach to reporting the facts and leaving the opinion to editorialist would be a smart move.