Just My Two Cents

I've been catching up on some of my newspaper reading here lately. I've run into a number of articles concerning war protesters , mainly the week-end after the 6th anniversary of the US's involvement in Iraq. Now , I love a good protest just as much as the next guy but tell me a time when protesting a war has had any affect. Do you think Obama is going to look out the window and see 1,400 protesters and say "Oh my gosh they are SO right! Get the General on the phone and tell them I want our boys home TODAY!" You know when they'll be home from Iraq? In 2011 , that is if we can believe our government.
So while the focus seems to be on our withdrawal from Iraq the coverage of our involvement in Afghanistan and the fact that we are sending in something like 17,000 more troops seems a bit light. Let's take thousands of our troops , many already worn from too many tours in Iraq and send them into Afghanistan to do what a huge Russian army wasn't even able to do. We're sending boys back now who have artificial limbs and enough medical problems they shouldn't be allowed to deploy.
You'll never see a group of protesters with signs saying " Enough of the peace we want war!". No one likes war. ( normal people anyway) But what we need to look into as a country is the idea of a draft. If we are going to continue supporting politicians who send us to this country and that rather than focusing on the needs of our own people then make sure everyone gets a shot at having their loved one coming home in a box. And college isn't going to get you out of the running. The Army will let you go to college while you serve. It used to be the elite having a General in their family was the same as an Irish Catholic family having a priest in the family , it was mandatory.
Sure there are plenty of men and women who joined our armed services for no other reason but that they want to serve our country. But, there are many more kids who are poor and a recruiter dangles the promise of a $10,000 sign on bonus in their face ( any how many got screwed out of it?). And with the economy going the way it is we're going to see more and more people signing up for the money or promise of it. Soldiers who have left the service and joined the work force only to be laid off are having to rejoin to support their families. Single mothers leaving babies at home to join in hopes of building a better life for their families. Do we really want a nation whose poor feel that joining the military is the only way out of the hole they're in?
Take the billions of dollars we are sinking into these god forsaken countries and dump the money into our schools. Give our kids the best educations possible so that they will have better lives and grow into tomorrow's leaders , leaders who will help lead this nation in prosperity and not war.
And for those who love chanting 9-11 take the time to look at this website: www.sweetalicia.org Not all families of the victims of 9-11 saw war as the only option. Alicia Titus's family are honoring her memory by exploring " responses to violence that go beyond retribution and to learn about ways of understanding and resolving conflict that could break the cycle of violence."
War should always be a last option.

As always I don't support war but I support our soldiers.

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And now on to life for Brendan. I sent him a long email the other day. Haven't heard back from him but word from Rachel who he obviously loves more than his own mother , the woman who carried him for 9 months and labored for 12 hours ( I was born to be a Jewish mother! lol) is that they set out on patrol but had to turn around for some reason. I'm sure they could tell us why but then they'ld have to kill us. They'll be setting back out sometime this week , I suppose. I have a feeling Brendan will be packing many more wet wipes this time out. Wet wipes are as close as he's going to get to a shower for a couple of weeks. Can't we pump water out of the Euphrates River and haul it to the boys in tankers. Just give them a good spray down at least!
I love my son to death but 2 weeks in the desert with no shower and he's not getting within 100 yards of me without showering first!
It's a beautiful , sunny Monday here in the sticks of Ohio. Hope you all have a great week!