What planet is Dan Thomasson from calling the Iraq war a “misguided adventure” (Record-Bee, Feb. 7)? This is no ill-fated camping trip gone awry. This war is likely an international war crime, the kind we prosecuted after World War II. Now we know from the Libby trial and the new Pentagon report about Feith”s work that the American people and the Congress were misled into a war of choice that, according to the British medical journal, has likely killed 650,000 Iraqis on top of the death and destruction to our own troops.
How long would Americans fight an invading force that refused to talk about when they would leave? Forever, I think we can safely assume. And in Iraq we have the additional issue of a religious war between two groups of Muslims, who have been at it for 1,400 years, still fighting over who should have succeeded the prophet Mohammed. Thomasson compares this war to Vietnam but neglects to mention that we killed 1.4 million Vietnamese who took exception to our armed presence in their country and they were still coming when we finally withdrew.
Some who oppose the troop surge believe that it only adds to the number of brave young Americans that the geniuses in the White House have managed to get surrounded by millions of angry Muslims.
Why would we want American soldiers going door to door in urban fighting along side Iraqis who are untrained, unreliable, and downright dangerous to our troops?
Thomasson states that debate in this country is making the troops feel “unsupported and unappreciated”. Horse pucky. Our brave troops are in Iraq in support of our way of life, protecting and defending the Constitution, which requires that we have an ongoing dialogue about the wisdom of continuing down this path. The troops are a cross section of this country so it is insulting to suggest that they don”t have the same cross section of opinion as we have here … I”ll bet many feel terribly betrayed even though the only news running 24/7 in mess halls is Fox. … General Pete Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said in the strongest terms I”ve ever heard him speak that he “had no doubt” that this debate was good for our democracy. I wonder just how strongly people like Mr. Thomasson believe in the Constitution when they try to stifle debate and good old American-style democracy using such an unseemly tactic as implying such discussion is harming the troops.
Jay K. Marie
Lakeport
