Iraq War

Dear Editor: Mr. Brian Cooney repeatedly asserts that the President of the United States is a "liar," aided and abetted by our distinguished secretary of state, Mr. Colin Powell. I would like to know Mr. Cooney's credentials for making these assertions. What is his area of expertise? Is he experienced in the military, government or foreign affairs? He has frequently made some very serious charges. Where is his evidence that our president and secretary of state are liars? You want evidence that Saddam possessed WMDs?

Dear Editor: I do not consider myself to be extremely political. However, the state of American politics has become very ugly. As a liberal, I did not support the war in Iraq, and I get very angry when people call me un-American or unpatriotic. The talk radio clowns (Rush Limbaugh) are always accusing the liberal Democrats of launching a hateful Bush-bashing campaign. In fact, any criticism of Bush or his policies is seen by them as anti-American. To me, criticism is just good old fashion debate.

Dear Editor, In an interview recently, George W. Bush made the most stupid of all statements. Mr. Bush said, "When the history is written on the Iraq war, it will be recorded as a comma in the history books. " What a stupid, heartless and insensitive remark to make. Tell the families of the 2,700 plus U.S. troops KIA that this war will be recorded in history as a "comma. " Tell that to the 20,000 plus U.S. troops who have suffered horrible wounds, "it will be recorded in history.

Dear Editor: After reading the comments of Mr. Brousseau, I just thought I would add some perspective. 200,000 dead in the tsunami is "tragic. " 1,500 soldiers dead in the Iraq war is "tragic. " A mother losing her son to an unexpected illness is "tragic. " The Chateau Du Vieux Corbeau losing its license to sell packaged beer is certainly far from being tragic. Some would say it is an answer to prayers. From a narrow-minded Danvillian, Mark Saylor Danville

Dear Editor, In reply to the "Pride and patriotism" article written recently by Professor Brian Cooney of Centre College, I resent his comment that when he sees the American flag on a decal or a person's T-shirt, he assumes they are a supporter of the Iraq war. Assuming facts that are not true have gotten many people in deep water on many occasions. I am certainly not a college professor, nor have the education of one, but when I put a decal on my car or wear a shirt with the American flag on it, this certainly does not mean I support the Iraq war, or any other war for that matter.

Dear Editor, I wish to respond to the Oct. 17 letter by Barry Proctor in The Advocate-Messenger. It is obvious that Mr. Proctor and others like him do not care about an illegal war and what Bush has done and is doing to our nation. There is no greater issue we face today than the senseless and costly Iraq war. It has the potential to ignite World War III. Mr. Proctor called Bush "our" president. Bush is not my president. Under Bush we no longer have a democracy. We have autocracy.

Dear Editor, There is an alarming statistic that deeply and profoundly troubles me. It rips at my heart and disturbs me very much. It should disturb all of us. Since the so-called Bush war on terror began, there have been more than 600 U.S. troop suicides in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007, there were 115 U.S. troop suicides. The number increased to 143 in 2008. Why are so many of our troops resorting to suicide? It's simple. George W. Bush ran our military into the ground with his wars.

Dear Editor, I have just read Roger Bowman's monthly rerun of his hate Bush letter. Of course, he is within his rights, since we still have the freedom to express our opinions. If, as Mr. Bowman suggests, we lived in an autocracy, he would not have that right and would be jailed for his opinions. I know that nothing I say will change Mr. Bowman's one-track hate-Bush mind. Maybe I can influence others. Bowman says that President Bush is not his president. Of course he is. I detested President Clinton, but as an American citizen he was still my president.

Dear Editor: A recent letter by Brian Cooney compares our investment in the Iraq War to a bad financial investment. This comparison is so absurd it does make one wonder where the writer's priorities lie. What price do we put on freedom? Was World War II a bad investment? Would it have been cheaper and better if we had allowed the Germans and Japanese to divide our country at the Mississippi River? What is our freedom of religion worth? It would be much cheaper in terms of money and blood to just close all of our churches, with the exception of Islamic mosques, of course.

Dear Editor: Recent letters have implied that criticism of the Iraq War and the action plans of President George Bush were unpatriotic and harmful to our troops. One letter stated that the Democratic plan was to bring home the troops quickly. Don't the Republicans want the killing to stop and soldier families to be reunited as soon as possible? The difference, it would seem, would be the attitude of what indeed makes Americans safe. While democracy in the Middle East seems a good thing, by its very nature, democracy cannot be forced.

This photo ran ten years ago in The Interior Journal, about one month after the U.S. invaded Iraq in search of weapons of mass destruction. Ten years later, after more than $1 trillion in spending and an estimated 189,000 deaths (including 134,000 civilian deaths), U.S. military forces have withdrawn from Iraq but the country continues to writhe in the throes of an insurgency. But the specter that the Iraq War would become isn't what this photo is about - this photo is about connecting with your hometown, even if you're thousands of miles away, as the cutline reveals:   On the road to Baghdad STOPPING FOR REST on their way through Iraq, this tank crew included two U.S. Marine Corps reservists from Stanford.

Flags will fly, parades will pass, and the post office and banks will close. Veterans Day has become a part of the fabric of American life, and it should always be so. I've long been an Andy Rooney fan, mostly because I always thought that one day his eyebrows would take over his face. Because I know that he died last week, I tuned in to “60 Minutes” for the inevitable tribute. The story I saw about wounded soldiers returning to Iraq had a profound effect on me. Perhaps because I didn't expect it, one soldier's gripping, personal story of dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder moved me to tears.

I finally had my blood pressure under control until I read Roger Bowman's recent letter to the editor. I served 21 years in the Air Force, 13 years of which we were at war under Democratic presidents. I have great respect for the office of president. I would never, as Mr. Bowman did, call the president an idiot, even when he is. Of course, Mr. Bowman was referring to G.W. Bush. The highest responsibility of any president is to protect the American people as Roosevelt and Truman, both Democrats, did during World War II. They used the full force of American power to end the war. We could end the Afghan war in a few days if our current president was willing to do that.

Letters, never a letter I get no letters in the mail I've been forgotten, yes, forgotten Now I'm a soldier, a lonely soldier Away from home through no wish of my own ? Bobby Vinton I recently found that families of military people pay regular postage and shipping costs when they mail packages to soldiers in a war zone. America ships soldiers off to Afghanistan and Iraq for free. If you come back in a body bag, they ship that back for free. However, we make families who send soldiers socks, food and underwear pay shipping costs.

To the editor, To those yelling "liar" you are the ones lying to yourselves. May I remind you it was George Bush who put us into a $3 trillion debt with the Iraq war. To suit his oil cronies down in Texas. Why did you people sit on your hands the last eight years and do nothing against the dictator? Let's not forget that he killed 5,000 and maimed 250,000 of our young people which increased the debt. George Bush allowed big business to make a "killing" off of the poor people.

To the editor, I am a bit mystified by a couple comments in the column, "Moderation is for dessert" (Sept. 10). One is the reference to "the wildest spending spree this nation has ever seen. " I would have thought that honor went to the Iraq war, not to the current U.S. administration. The other statement suggests that we Americans are losing "our liberties, one by one. " I have lived in the United States for almost 70 years, and it seems to me I have more liberty now than ever.

Dear Editor, There is an alarming statistic that deeply and profoundly troubles me. It rips at my heart and disturbs me very much. It should disturb all of us. Since the so-called Bush war on terror began, there have been more than 600 U.S. troop suicides in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007, there were 115 U.S. troop suicides. The number increased to 143 in 2008. Why are so many of our troops resorting to suicide? It's simple. George W. Bush ran our military into the ground with his wars.

Dear Editor, In reply to the "Pride and patriotism" article written recently by Professor Brian Cooney of Centre College, I resent his comment that when he sees the American flag on a decal or a person's T-shirt, he assumes they are a supporter of the Iraq war. Assuming facts that are not true have gotten many people in deep water on many occasions. I am certainly not a college professor, nor have the education of one, but when I put a decal on my car or wear a shirt with the American flag on it, this certainly does not mean I support the Iraq war, or any other war for that matter.

Election Day 2008 must have been filled with rueful paradoxes for the sitting president. Iraq - the issue that dominated George W. Bush's presidency for five and a half bitter, controversial years - is on the verge of a miraculous peace. Yet this accomplishment did little to revive Bush's political standing - or to prevent his party from relegating him to a silent role. The achievement is historic. In 2006, Iraq had descended into a sectarian killing spree that seemed likely to stop only when the supply of victims was exhausted.

Last Tuesday, the nation went to the polls to elect a new president after a long campaign that paid relatively little attention to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the economy took center stage. This Tuesday, people will go to cemeteries across the nation to pay tribute to the men and women who gave their lives so we can keep having Election Day, no matter what issues are under the spotlight. All veterans should be remembered, dating back to those who fought in the Revolutionary War and on down through the Civil War, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the two wars that currently are being waged.