http://www.fringeblog.com/2004/09/no-time-news-roundup/ The fringe is where the real resides, where substance and style are made one. Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:08:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://www.fringeblog.com/2004/09/no-time-news-roundup/comment-page-1/#comment-1403 Jeremiah Mon, 20 Sep 2004 21:07:13 +0000 http://www.fringeblog.com/2004/09/no-time-news-roundup/#comment-1403 More than two-thirds of Iraq is as peaceful as Oxford on a summer day, and the regions that are in ferment are fairly limited to zones where the US has allowed Iraqi forces to begin taking over operations. It is slowly working. I find it difficult to understand how one can support the troops without supporting their mission. That's like supporting getting a triple bypass even though you think that it's wrong to unclog your arteries through invasive surgery. What's it going to be, a heart attack or your "principles" intact? I'm not sure you can have both. I don't know if bin Laden is alive or dead. I do know that the uS hasn't suffered a terrorist attack in 3 years, and though Al Quaeda is still active, it's been severely limited in its reach and abilities. How many UK troops have been killed? How many Poles? I don't know, but I know it is far fewer than the US. Does that mean their sacrifice is less? It's this sort of quantifying that makes me suspicious of "compassionate" liberals. They're all heart unless it countermands their beliefs about a subject, then it's stats and numbers. I am skeptical of the Bush administration's future plans for Iraq, or rather, what seems to be a lack of a plan. However, I don't see what's currently going on as a "quagmire". What war is carefully planned and orchestrated? What conflict does not contain these self same elements as what we're seeing today? WWII was just as fraught with problems and difficulties, if not more, than this conflict. This too shall pass. More than two-thirds of Iraq is as peaceful as Oxford on a summer day, and the regions that are in ferment are fairly limited to zones where the US has allowed Iraqi forces to begin taking over operations. It is slowly working. I find it difficult to understand how one can support the troops without supporting their mission. That’s like supporting getting a triple bypass even though you think that it’s wrong to unclog your arteries through invasive surgery. What’s it going to be, a heart attack or your “principles” intact? I’m not sure you can have both.
I don’t know if bin Laden is alive or dead. I do know that the uS hasn’t suffered a terrorist attack in 3 years, and though Al Quaeda is still active, it’s been severely limited in its reach and abilities.
How many UK troops have been killed? How many Poles? I don’t know, but I know it is far fewer than the US.
Does that mean their sacrifice is less? It’s this sort of quantifying that makes me suspicious of “compassionate” liberals. They’re all heart unless it countermands their beliefs about a subject, then it’s stats and numbers.
I am skeptical of the Bush administration’s future plans for Iraq, or rather, what seems to be a lack of a plan. However, I don’t see what’s currently going on as a “quagmire”. What war is carefully planned and orchestrated? What conflict does not contain these self same elements as what we’re seeing today? WWII was just as fraught with problems and difficulties, if not more, than this conflict. This too shall pass.

]]> http://www.fringeblog.com/2004/09/no-time-news-roundup/comment-page-1/#comment-1402 Shooter5 Mon, 20 Sep 2004 20:24:47 +0000 http://www.fringeblog.com/2004/09/no-time-news-roundup/#comment-1402 I couldn't help but agree with much of what was said in the article link to 1000 Bin Ladens in every cell. It is quite true that we have done a lot of good in Iraq...but I believe more harm than good. The Physician's oath "First do no harm" might have been thought about before launching into a conflict with no end in sight and no direction on how to find an end. It is very disturbing to me that people who openly criticize our actions in Iraq are often assailed as "unpatriotic" or worse. I can easily support the troops but not support the underlying decisions that sent the troops into action. The two are not mutually exclusive. Bin Laden is alive and Al Queada (in whatever form) is very much alive and well. Insurgents/militants continue to cut the lifeblood of Iraq (oil) and continue to spill the blood of civilians and allied military alike. Let's be realistic, when we say "allied" we really mean US military. How many UK troops have been killed? How many Poles? I don't know, but I know it is far fewer than the US. I TRULY TRULY hope that the sacrifices made by our troops and the families that support them are not in vain. I hope that the administration has some plan for cleaning up the quagmire that exists, despite their best attempts at glossing over the very real and very serious problems that exist. I hope that I am proven completely wrong and off base in my opinions. Nothing would make me happier. I couldn’t help but agree with much of what was said in the article link to 1000 Bin Ladens in every cell. It is quite true that we have done a lot of good in Iraq…but I believe more harm than good. The Physician’s oath “First do no harm” might have been thought about before launching into a conflict with no end in sight and no direction on how to find an end. It is very disturbing to me that people who openly criticize our actions in Iraq are often assailed as “unpatriotic” or worse. I can easily support the troops but not support the underlying decisions that sent the troops into action. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Bin Laden is alive and Al Queada (in whatever form) is very much alive and well. Insurgents/militants continue to cut the lifeblood of Iraq (oil) and continue to spill the blood of civilians and allied military alike. Let’s be realistic, when we say “allied” we really mean US military. How many UK troops have been killed? How many Poles? I don’t know, but I know it is far fewer than the US.
I TRULY TRULY hope that the sacrifices made by our troops and the families that support them are not in vain. I hope that the administration has some plan for cleaning up the quagmire that exists, despite their best attempts at glossing over the very real and very serious problems that exist. I hope that I am proven completely wrong and off base in my opinions. Nothing would make me happier.

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