watch out W... "Families' war support falters over troop casualties"

[leftchick]

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/nation/11826643.htm

The mounting numbers of dead and wounded is causing concern for those with loved ones in the regular military, National Guard or Reserve because they fear that the longer the war drags on, the more likely their relatives will end up fighting in it.

~snip~

"It scares the living daylights out of me," said McKenzie, whose son served a year and a half there with the Missouri National Guard before returning to the United States last year.

~snip~

Don Kositzke, a St. Louis resident who initially supported the invasion, is starting to have second thoughts.

"I'm beginning to waver as the facts come out," said Kositzke, 53, whose two sons have served in Iraq. One is now on his second tour. "I don't blame the Republican Party, I blame (Secretary of Defense Donald) Rumsfeld and the others. They fired the generals who said they didn't have the manpower, and now we're here."

His wife is just as bothered.

"When you hear the numbers, it doesn't sound like things are getting better," Sandy Kositzke said, "and the longer they're over there, the more discouraging it sounds. It's time for us here in the United States to do some rethinking. Maybe this wasn't the best idea."

.... The entire article is worth the read.

[acmavm]

1. "Maybe this wasn't the best idea"???? What and understatement!

.

[leftchick]

3. no kidding

:eyes:

[Auntie Bush]

7. Well it was the best idea he could come up with. ..since he has the

brains of a Chimp/Banana.

[tinymontgomery]

2. What's amazing is

What's amazing is Mr. Kositzke doesn't blame the Repuke party, just Rumsfield. So * didn't have anything to do with this mess, only rummy, not the repuke senators, congress persons, colonpow or any of the other war mongers, this guy needs to get a clue.

[trotsky]

5. Yes, I noticed that.

A good way for a Kool-Aid drinker to avoid questioning his belief that Republicans = Good, Democrats = Bad.

[leftchick]

6. A Maxine Water's quote...

"The administration is trying to paint the picture that they're in charge, and they're not," said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

(I am sure she had a lot more to say but at least we get a sentence!)

I agree he needs to get a clue as do a lot more US congress reps like some of them quoted here. They still think this freaking disaster is "winnable"! Maxine was the only sane one quoted from congress!

[Felix Mala]

19. Who does this guy think Bush, Rumsfeld, Powell and Rice were

pandering to in 2002 and 2004? They'll do it again next year, too, because they can.

[saltpoint]

4. Republican votes galore among these families. Next time, folks, go blue.

As long as they believe a loved one's death in uniform was for the noble march to freedom Bush et al claim it to be, there may be some comfort for them. If they cease to believe it, then no amount of fresh ice is going to make that KoolAid drinkable. They'll turn on Dubya and his dirty little war and those poll numbers, already kinda low, will fall further.

I only wish that human lives -- ours and the Iraqis' -- were not the price to pay for some people's political awareness.

[neurochaos]

8. The sad part is...

that many in the U.S. don't care about the troops in Iraq unless it's their loved ones in the line of fire or coming home dead.

[catmandu57]

11. They don't care because they don't know

Unless the masses are spoonfed with the news of death and destruction it's out of sight out of mind. We here at DU and other sites are aware of whats going on and what has gone before, but, our voice is not loud enough, yet.
With every day though more people are becoming aware of what is going on, it's hard to know when there is only a few minutes blurb on the news and that is mostly propaganda.
We've got a hell of a long way to go, but, every person who eyes are opened even a little bit should be counted as a victory for truth.
Welcome to DU.

[Mad_Dem_X]

12. Bingo - typical repub thinking

They don't care until it happens to them or someone they know personally.

[babylonsister]

9. These are really the people that

need to read the DSM. They would hopefully then realize how hoodwinked they actually were!

[Auntie Bush]

10. Since bush* thinks everything is going so well over there...I wish he

and Cheney would take a sight seeing tour around Iraq in an open convertible . Maybe that might wake some people up from this National nightmare.

[catmandu57]

14. I'd settle for an unaurmored humvee

or even one with hillbilly aurmor.

[leftchick]

15. I would settle for an announced

Helicopter ride over Baghdad. So he can wave to all of his adoring freedom lovers.

[deutsey]

13. Bush responds:

[Roland99]

17. What the...??? Photoshop?

[unhappycamper]

16. Here's an email I sent a few weeks ago to everyone in my address book

NOTE: The numbers were for May 14. The current military death toll in Iraq is 1677. Pictures - think pictures. The links in this email and the DU articles are worth forwarding.

<snip>

I was catching up on my reading this morning & one of
the first places I check is
http://icasualties.org/oif/

In case you are wondering, 1,622 of our soldiers have
been killed in Iraq. That means AT LEAST 1,622
families have gone through the agony of a daughter,
son, husband, wife, mother or father wrenched from
their lives. In May 2005, we are averaging 2.71 deaths
per day.

In Afghanistan, 182 of our soldiers have died since
inception of that war.

What amazes me is there is no outrage, no sadness.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm under the impression
we should put a yellow ribbon magnetic sticker on the
car and go shopping.

You do not understand the price our soldiers are being
asked to pay if you ignore the 'unpleasantness.' Take
a few moments to honor our soldiers by viewing their
sacrifices.

It took a Freedom Of Information Act to pry these
pictures out of our government:
http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/coffin_photos/dover/gallery.htm
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB152/index.htm

The following URL shows a few of our 12,000 wounded
and maimed soldiers. CAUTION- contains some VERY
graphic pictures:
http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/wounded/gallery.htm

I don't think an oil war is worth this much pain.

<end snip>

There were also a few recent DU articles worth forwarding:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1528011
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=158&topic_id=4928

This slaughter will continue unless we speak out and let everyone who can/will listen see the truth.

[tk2kewl]

18. "I don't blame the Republican Party", said Kositzke

You stupid fuck. I blame YOU for voting for them. :mad:

[kittenpants]

21. this might be cold, but I don't have a lot of sympathy

for a man who essentially sent his sons to die if he (& it sounds like he did)voted for bush. And he's still not smart enough to figure it out.

[Pockets]

20. I don't think it matters...

Since the war wasn't necessary in the first place, having fewer troops there shouldn't have much impact. For those who want to fight, W will provide them with the opportunity (I know this goes against the grain of why we 'think' America should go to war). Otherwise, there are alternatives to violence, just as there always have been.