Comments on: Well, My Friend Is In Iraq and He Says… http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/2006/11/24/well-my-friend-is-in-iraq-and-he-says/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:46:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Jerry C http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/2006/11/24/well-my-friend-is-in-iraq-and-he-says/#comment-79 Jerry C Sun, 26 Nov 2006 14:23:46 +0000 http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/?p=37#comment-79 Yeah, John, I've gotten that as well. I've also gotten the friends who have said that it's a bit better over there then what's on TV. They're in the minority. I think it may have something to do with what area guys spent the most time in and what their specialty in the service was/is as to how some people see the progress or lack there of. Going off of the world news, what I get told be friends who have come back and my own gut, I tend to agree with the "worse" crowd. Sean, Yeah, I've met more then a few like that myself. That's usually when I leave the room. Better then going to jail for slapping the stupid off of someone. :p Yeah, John, I’ve gotten that as well. I’ve also gotten the friends who have said that it’s a bit better over there then what’s on TV. They’re in the minority. I think it may have something to do with what area guys spent the most time in and what their specialty in the service was/is as to how some people see the progress or lack there of.

Going off of the world news, what I get told be friends who have come back and my own gut, I tend to agree with the “worse” crowd.

Sean,
Yeah, I’ve met more then a few like that myself. That’s usually when I leave the room. Better then going to jail for slapping the stupid off of someone.

:p

]]> By: John http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/2006/11/24/well-my-friend-is-in-iraq-and-he-says/#comment-78 John Sun, 26 Nov 2006 11:44:45 +0000 http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/?p=37#comment-78 I have friends over there also, there being Iraq. I have had a few come back from there and tell me that the place is worse than we can imagine. I talked to one guy and he was telling me how much the people over there hate us now. They tell me that the news isn't getting it right, they're not showing how bad it really is over there. I have friends over there also, there being Iraq. I have had a few come back from there and tell me that the place is worse than we can imagine. I talked to one guy and he was telling me how much the people over there hate us now. They tell me that the news isn’t getting it right, they’re not showing how bad it really is over there.

]]> By: Sean Scullion http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/2006/11/24/well-my-friend-is-in-iraq-and-he-says/#comment-77 Sean Scullion Sun, 26 Nov 2006 07:32:13 +0000 http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/?p=37#comment-77 The thing that I find funny and a little repulsive about the Bush supporters that I meet is they're very self-centered. I know one woman that swore she was the biggest Bush supporter just because her paycheck was bigger now than it was "under that other guy." I think that might be part of the problem with the administration of this war. They think, this is what we think is right, this is what should happen, get Saddam Hussein out of power and everyone loves us." Or "Look at what we did! We built a school!" Too bad you had to knock down a country to do it. What good is anything we've done over there if it all gets knocked down because the people we did it for can't share it? Yeah, we should've had a plan for after. Know what? We didn't. No use complaining about it now. What's needed is what should've happened right after Hussein was captured. There needs to be a table. Everyone needs to come to the table, state what they want, what they're willing to bend on, and how to share this little piece of land. Then, they all need to understand that if they give something up, so will everyone else at the table. I just don't know if it can happen after all that's happened already. The thing that I find funny and a little repulsive about the Bush supporters that I meet is they’re very self-centered. I know one woman that swore she was the biggest Bush supporter just because her paycheck was bigger now than it was “under that other guy.” I think that might be part of the problem with the administration of this war. They think, this is what we think is right, this is what should happen, get Saddam Hussein out of power and everyone loves us.” Or “Look at what we did! We built a school!” Too bad you had to knock down a country to do it. What good is anything we’ve done over there if it all gets knocked down because the people we did it for can’t share it?

Yeah, we should’ve had a plan for after. Know what? We didn’t. No use complaining about it now. What’s needed is what should’ve happened right after Hussein was captured. There needs to be a table. Everyone needs to come to the table, state what they want, what they’re willing to bend on, and how to share this little piece of land. Then, they all need to understand that if they give something up, so will everyone else at the table. I just don’t know if it can happen after all that’s happened already.

]]> By: Bill Myers http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/2006/11/24/well-my-friend-is-in-iraq-and-he-says/#comment-76 Bill Myers Sat, 25 Nov 2006 20:04:38 +0000 http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/?p=37#comment-76 I was watching "Washington Week" on PBS last night, and thinking about George W. Bush's new-found willingness to listen to different points of view on the Iraq war. Bush is doing all the right things at the wrong time. He's about four years too late. It appears that the "Iraq Study Group" is coming to the conclusion that a political solution is needed. Gee, y'think? The Sunnis largely rejected the new Iraqi constitution. They were promised that there would be revisions to that document that would safeguard their interests, but said revisions never materialized. Hence, the ethnic fighting. If we had had a plan to work out the political problems from the start, we may have been able to avoid some of this bloodshed. But now? With each new wave of sectarian killings, the other side vows revenge. The flames of hatred are burning in people's hearts. I'm not sure we'll be able to douse them at this late date. I hope I'm wrong. As an aside, by allowing recent developments to shake your certainty in your beliefs, you are demonstrating yourself to be an extremely intelligent person. I love the fact that I get the most intelligent posters participating in my blog -- and, as yet, no trolls. If George W. Bush had the same ability to question his beliefs every now and again, we might not be in this mess. I was watching “Washington Week” on PBS last night, and thinking about George W. Bush’s new-found willingness to listen to different points of view on the Iraq war. Bush is doing all the right things at the wrong time. He’s about four years too late.

It appears that the “Iraq Study Group” is coming to the conclusion that a political solution is needed. Gee, y’think? The Sunnis largely rejected the new Iraqi constitution. They were promised that there would be revisions to that document that would safeguard their interests, but said revisions never materialized. Hence, the ethnic fighting.

If we had had a plan to work out the political problems from the start, we may have been able to avoid some of this bloodshed. But now? With each new wave of sectarian killings, the other side vows revenge. The flames of hatred are burning in people’s hearts. I’m not sure we’ll be able to douse them at this late date.

I hope I’m wrong.

As an aside, by allowing recent developments to shake your certainty in your beliefs, you are demonstrating yourself to be an extremely intelligent person. I love the fact that I get the most intelligent posters participating in my blog — and, as yet, no trolls.

If George W. Bush had the same ability to question his beliefs every now and again, we might not be in this mess.

]]> By: Jerry C http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/2006/11/24/well-my-friend-is-in-iraq-and-he-says/#comment-75 Jerry C Sat, 25 Nov 2006 14:12:10 +0000 http://billmyerscreations.com/blog/?p=37#comment-75 Yeah, the news from the last seventy-two plus hours hasn't been good at all. What good is a school or a hospital if the people around it manage to half destroy it while trying to kill each other? I've argued or stated here, over at PAD's blog and with friends and family that we should be looking at staying in Iraq, increasing our troop strength and securing as much of Iraq as needed to be able to begin the rebuilding job that we should have been doing from day one of Bush and Rummy's mismanaged crusade. The last three to four days news has me wondering if it really is too little too late. We may be seeing the signs of the tipping point that signals the passing of the point of no return. I pray that this weeks events are an isolated incident of increased violence, carnage and societal fractures rather then just the beginning of the coming storm. The next sixty days will give us the answer to that. But either way, we may be facing the very real possibility that nothing we do or can do will ultimately salvage the mess that was created in Iraq. Heh, it'll give future philosophy professors an interesting class debate decades from now. What was the greater evil? What was the least damaging course of action. Would leaving Saddam in place have been a better and less destructive course to follow then the one that was taken? I've always hoped that the answer would be a solid, "no." I still hope that that's the answer that will come out of this. I'm just far less sure of myself and my belief in that being a possible outcome now at the end of this week then I was at the start of this week. Yeah, the news from the last seventy-two plus hours hasn’t been good at all. What good is a school or a hospital if the people around it manage to half destroy it while trying to kill each other?

I’ve argued or stated here, over at PAD’s blog and with friends and family that we should be looking at staying in Iraq, increasing our troop strength and securing as much of Iraq as needed to be able to begin the rebuilding job that we should have been doing from day one of Bush and Rummy’s mismanaged crusade. The last three to four days news has me wondering if it really is too little too late.

We may be seeing the signs of the tipping point that signals the passing of the point of no return. I pray that this weeks events are an isolated incident of increased violence, carnage and societal fractures rather then just the beginning of the coming storm. The next sixty days will give us the answer to that. But either way, we may be facing the very real possibility that nothing we do or can do will ultimately salvage the mess that was created in Iraq.

Heh, it’ll give future philosophy professors an interesting class debate decades from now. What was the greater evil? What was the least damaging course of action. Would leaving Saddam in place have been a better and less destructive course to follow then the one that was taken? I’ve always hoped that the answer would be a solid, “no.” I still hope that that’s the answer that will come out of this.

I’m just far less sure of myself and my belief in that being a possible outcome now at the end of this week then I was at the start of this week.

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