Email from Rob Kall: Petraeus, the Military and the Iraq War

[Demeter]

Did Petraeus bore you to death with his numbers and charts. Did the adulation all the dems cast upon Petraeus make you sick? Me, I'm tired of all the institutional lip service paid to "our troops." They are seeing record pay and bonuses. They are over there because they like it. They like the money. The like to kill. Today's Wall Street Journal's Op-Ed, Our New National Divide,
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118955933611724574.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
glorifies soldiers who revel in killing, citing one soldier,

Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec was famously profiled by the Los Angeles Times's Tony Perry as an "unapologetic warrior" who was ferocious while fighting al Qaeda in Iraq from house-to-house. "One of the most noble things you can do is kill the enemy,"

We know that back in world war two, only about 15-20% of soldiers actually killed the enemy. The rest just couldn't stand the idea. So, starting with the Vietnam war, the US military began using different training approaches so the percentage was brought up to past 85%-- troops who would shoot to kill. It's not some time honored part of war, that all troops kill the enemy.

I have to wonder if all the shoot and kill video games have something to do with this. Do we want soldiers who kill for the joy and honor of it? Yes, there is no doubt that a soldier should be able to kill. But should soldiers enjoy it or look forward to it? Somehow, there's something wrong with that picture.

And I wonder how many of the remaining supporters of the war are supporting it for the wrong reasons-- wanting to see "ragheads" killed, wanting to continue the fight, the crusade against non-christians. I wonder how many of the men who support Bush are, underneath, using support and relating to Bush for their personal Viagra, feeling more manly calling for more fighting, more killing.

There are few if any heroes in Iraq. I'm sorry. Getting killed because you took a big bonus and went to Iraq does not make you a hero. I feel sorry for the parents who have lost their children. When my son, on a bad day, mentioned he was considering enlisting, I did all I could to talk him out of it, even bought him a book on why he shouldn't enlist. He chose not to and continued with his education. ( I think he said it partly to piss me off. <g>)

I've written an article today about losers who want to win-- Time to Confront the Desperate Losers Who Speak of Victory in Iraq. http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_070912_time_to_confront_the.htm

Let's face it, the suckups who plied Petraeus with compliments are all losers, failures who are bringing America down with them. Some will be gone by January of 2009. Some come from such rightwing backwards states, usually representing far fewer constituents than the ones supporting withdrawal from Iraq. These losers must be called the name they deserve and the Dems must find the spine to take them on.

It's time.

Bush started the war in Iraq to "make us safer." A republican senator, John Warner, asked the key question. Will it make America Safer?

Petraeus could only answer, "I don't know."

Two trillion dollars, close to 4000 americans dead, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead.

It's not good enough. Time to tell the losers in congress who support bush to get the hell out of here. They are not "bad" for America. They are horrible.

Do all you can TODAY to make a difference. Tell your legislator to refuse to fund the war. That's something the dems can do now. Tell the media to talk about this way the dems can stop the war. ask them why they're not discussing it.

rob kall