Nobody here knows me, but I have been a DU’er since 2001. I check in many times a day to get my DU fix; I don’t think I could survive without it.
I need your help! I have stirred up a firestorm in the local little freebie throwaway rag here in Simi Valley, CA. (yes, the home of the Ronnie Ray-gun shrine) I am so tempted to just give up and let the righties have the last word. Should I? I am old, tired and depressed. Here’s the story:
Someone in Simi sent a letter in to “The Acorn” a few weeks ago from a soldier-friend in Afghanistan.
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2008/0125/Letters/ I hope it’s ok for me to post the whole thing.
See if you can find the part that made me blow my stack:
<<In October of 2007 my daughter, a 12th-grader at Simi Valley High, came home from school very upset because of comments made by
students in her government class during a discussion regarding the war we are currently fighting.
Word got to a close family friend currently serving his third tour in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne; he also attended SVHS and graduated in 2000. The following letter was sent home in response:
"Hey, Tiffany, my Mom told me you were having some issues with some people in your government class, and some of them were talking about what they think goes on over here. I'll try to keep this short and to the point because I could go on for hours.
"Supposedly someone was talking about soldiers committing suicide. It has happened, but it's rare. We are half the world away from friends and family. People try to kill us, the weather/climate is horrible, we can't go to a bar or ballgame, etc., etc. Some people's spouses or girlfriends cheat on them and/or leave them.
"Even with all those factors, which are only a few, more people will off themselves in sunny Simi Valley this year than over here. I don't know that for a fact, but I would put money on it.
"As far as how soldiers feel about being over here, I haven't met anyone who has a problem with being in Afghanistan. I would say Iraq has a 60 percent to 70 percent approval rating among those of us who have been there.
"The deal with Iraq isn't why we went in, but some wonder why we are still there. Sadaam was a psycho who killed as he pleased for pleasure and personal gain. I've seen one of his torture chambers, which can only be described as elaborate.
"I've heard stories from Iraqi people about his sons pulling up to college campuses, picking some women, forcing them in their vehicles, then raping, torturing and/ or killing them.
"As far as WMDs go, he had the capability to acquire nuclear weapons, and we found chemical and biological weapons, which we know he used on the Kurds in the North. Well he's gone and so are his weapons, so why are we still there?
"People who say 'oil' are ignorant because, although Iraq does produce some oil, they primarily get it from other countries and refine it there. We can't just go in and take someone's oil for ourselves anyway. There is an organization called O.P.E.C. (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) that regulates the number of barrels of crude oil that a country can produce. So tell your peers to do a little research before they go to a protest holding a 'No More Blood For Oil' sign.
"We are still there because if we leave before Iraq can truly govern itself, it will likely go back to being a hotbed for anti-western teachings, a staging area to plan and prep for terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S., and economically dormant when it has the potential to play a substantial role in the world economy.
"Some people say 'Who cares?' Others don't want to see that happen because we'll just have to go back in 10 or 20 years. And there lies the debate; like I said earlier, most of us soldiers would like to finish now rather than our kids finish it.
"And finally I'll say this: People, especially the media, need to realize that we are at war. Most of the military is made up of people 18 to 24 years old, the majority of which joined after Sept. 11, 2001, so they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into.
"If someone can't support this effort completely they need to shut their mouths. Americans aren't the only people with satellite televisions, and when these people see the protests and all the negative reactions and statements made by our public (because the media will never show anything positive about what we're doing) it boosts the morale of the enemy and helps with their recruiting effort while having the opposite effect on our own military.
"That's all I've got for now. If you or your friends have any specific questions feel free to write and I'll do my best to answer them and get back to you. I hope this gives you some 'ammo' for your next debate. But remember, you can't fix stupid. Tell the family I said hello and send my love . . .
"Sincerely, Jeremiah, Sergeant, 82nd Airborne-Recon."
Jeremiah Waggoner graduated in 2000 from Simi Valley High School. He enlisted in the Army six months after graduation, served his country, was released and then reinlisted less than a year later and went back to serve with the 82nd Airborne again.
At this time he is scheduled to be sent to Ranger training in Spring 2008 after this tour in Afghanistan.
Jeremiah has ambitions of going into politics sometime in the future; Tiffany has promised to work on his campaign. Heather C Simi Valley >>
My response:
<<Sgt. Jeremiah Waggoner, Simi soldier proudly serving in Afghanistan, wants me to "shut my mouth." With all due respect, sir, I cannot.
I am an American, too. I pay taxes. While the First Amendment is still somewhat intact, I will not sit silently while $500,000 a minute is flushed into the cesspool of, not a war, but an illegal occupation.
Almost 4,000 brave Americans are dead; millions of Iraqis have been killed or forced to flee from a decimated homeland; international terrorist attacks have increased; our national security has been compromised, and our economic structure is ready to implode.
How long will we continue to feed the grotesque appetites of the multinational corporate war-profiteers while our democracy crumbles?
According to the American Friends Service Committee website, www.afsc.org, we can pay for one day in Iraq or:
-84 new elementary schools
-12,478 elementary school teachers
-34,904 four-year scholarships for university students
-1,153,846 children with free school lunches
-423,529 children with healthcare
-95,364 Head Start places for children
-6,482 families with homes
Quoting Dante, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal . . .”
No, Sgt. Waggoner, I will not shut my mouth. Jody K, Simi Valley >>
Well, needless to say, the proverbial shit hit the fan. The letters in response to mine were a testament to the power of Fox News and Karl Rove. OMG, every talking point you can imagine. This little snippet was the piece de resistance, from the mom of a Marine:
<<A stable Iraq means a more stable Middle East. According to Ms. K, because of us, millions of Iraqis have been killed or forced to leave Iraq. Where are you getting your facts?
I do believe that thousands of Kurds and countless other Iraqis were tortured and/or killed under Saddam Hussein, not by us. And I'm sorry, but I don't believe that we have been attacked since 9/11, so I beg to differ that our national security has been compromised.>>
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2008/0208/Letters/007.htmlWhere am I getting my facts?????? I know where she’s getting hers – Fixed NOISE!! Well, I spent hours writing a great response about the Iraq refugee crisis, with a link to refugeesinternational.com. (I even threw in a tidbit about Angelina on CNN last week) I also cited Iraq Veterans against the War, ivaw.org, for my stats about casualties. It was an f-ing work of art. Well, surprise, surprise, they didn’t publish it. They chose instead to give us the response from the soldier in Afghanistan, which I admit is only fair. His first letter did appear before mine. But check it out. My head is spinning:
<<I was told that the letter I wrote to a family friend as well as a rebuttal of sorts was printed in the Acorn. We all know politics is always a fiery topic, and I hadn't intended on all of this getting blown up with my name being used amongst people I do not know.
I do however feel compelled to respond to the Jody K’s and Mark L’s out there.
First let me respond to Ms. K by apologizing for the cost of this war. Unfortunately, aircraft, bullets and body armor are not cheap but are required to win a war. You can put dollars and cents on it all day, and say that your tax money is being wasted, but that's just a poor excuse.
When was the last time you really needed a cop or a fireman? Their salaries are more than double mine. I pay taxes, too, and I haven't required the assistance of any public service in quite some time.
Imagine all the free schooling that could be provided if we stopped paying police officers and firefighters. You might not, but personally I think they're worth the money. The ultimate price is, of course, human life.
And I have had to put body bags with dead American soldiers on MEDEVAC helicopters. I am well aware of the cost of this war, and make no mistake about it, Mr. L, I have not forgot why I fight.
What are you doing to make sure your kids will always have a place to play ball? Like it or not, this enemy is real and poses a very real threat.
Without a doubt, it was our reaction as a country after Sept. 11 that has made nations like North Korea think twice before acting on impulse. It is now known the world over that the United States will not tolerate being threatened or attacked and the consequences for such actions are immense.
Check your facts about millions killed and who is doing the killing. The insurgents in Iraq are killing thousands of innocent people every year. Meanwhile, I am told to not fire unless fired upon.
I would like to rephrase my "shut your mouth" comment, to "please watch what you say." I wasn't joking about the enemy getting motivated and U.S. troops getting demoralized by all the negative press from back home.
So please do us a favor and protest from your comfortable living rooms, or on the phone to friends and family- not on the evening news.
Finally, I want to thank people like Chris S and Kathy M(and her son in the Marines) for their support. It's people like you who make us proud to do what we do. Sgt. Jeremiah Waggoner U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Afghanistan >>
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2008/0215/Letters/012.htmlSo, "my friends", what do you think? Should I respond again? Try to make it known that I am not making stuff up? The Editor actually weighed in on this issue today as well and his comments got me even more riled up:
<<So whether you agree with Waggoner's feelings on the war or you don't, the most important thing is that his opinion, and all your opinions, counts. And they can be expressed without fear of retribution.>>
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2008/0215/Editorials/010.htmlSay, whaaaaaaaat? Are we both on the same planet? I am thinking about just letting it go, but after that remark,it would be very difficult. What do you think? Can you help me with some additional info? I just don’t have hours (and frankly, the strength) to spend on research. I would like to give some examples of the retribution some of us loony lefties have experienced. Oh wait, that doesn't happen, right?
Thank you, all, for helping me stay sane. (and keeping my response to the paper under 400 words!)
jsk