Oops, They Did It Again!
The Associated Press reports that for the second time since August, the Army has announced that they will be extending the tour of duty for troops in Iraq, past the twelve month period that they were promised. Soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division will have their tour extended an extra 46 days in order to give their replacements more training time. Last month, members of the Army's 172nd Stryker Brigade had their tour extended by up to four months. Additionally, several units are being sent to Iraq ahead of schedule.
It should go without saying that these changes are incredibly disruptive to the lives of the men and women who serve, as well as to their families. We don't really get to hear their voices and more likely than not, they'd be reluctant to complain.
The news illustrates just what a cluster-insert F-Bomb here- George Bush and company, have made of our military situation.
• Years after proclaiming, "Mission Accomplished," the situation in Iraq has gotten more unstable and more violent. It is almost at the point where administration officials are willing to refer to it as a civil war.
• Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the Taliban is making a resurgence because we have diverted the majority of our military assets to Iraq. What once appeared to be a slam dunk, suddenly is looking like a ball game. And then there's the small matter that we never bothered to actually get Bin Laden, which was the prime motivation for going there in the first place.
• The administration continues to talk tough about Iran and nuclear weapons, which may be the most tangible threat that we actually face. How we are going to fight the Iranians, should it be necessary, is anybody's guess.
With all this in mind, is it any wonder that troops are being kept in harm's way for longer and longer periods of time? Can a draft be far behind? To those who would say that a draft will never happen and that mine is the voice of a defeatist, I ask this:
Are you willing to sacrifice the lives of your children or grandchildren to this cause?
It should go without saying that these changes are incredibly disruptive to the lives of the men and women who serve, as well as to their families. We don't really get to hear their voices and more likely than not, they'd be reluctant to complain.
The news illustrates just what a cluster-insert F-Bomb here- George Bush and company, have made of our military situation.
• Years after proclaiming, "Mission Accomplished," the situation in Iraq has gotten more unstable and more violent. It is almost at the point where administration officials are willing to refer to it as a civil war.
• Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the Taliban is making a resurgence because we have diverted the majority of our military assets to Iraq. What once appeared to be a slam dunk, suddenly is looking like a ball game. And then there's the small matter that we never bothered to actually get Bin Laden, which was the prime motivation for going there in the first place.
• The administration continues to talk tough about Iran and nuclear weapons, which may be the most tangible threat that we actually face. How we are going to fight the Iranians, should it be necessary, is anybody's guess.
With all this in mind, is it any wonder that troops are being kept in harm's way for longer and longer periods of time? Can a draft be far behind? To those who would say that a draft will never happen and that mine is the voice of a defeatist, I ask this:
Are you willing to sacrifice the lives of your children or grandchildren to this cause?
posted by John Fracchia at 2:10 PM
2 Comments:
Even worse, John, is the fact that we are about to ship out an armada to the Persian Gulf in the next few days. This battle group will arrive in the Gulf towards the end of October. Don't be surprised when things "suddenly" heat up over there in the next month.
I still don't think it's coincidence that right-wingers want to suppress abortion (in which case it would be the lower classes which would suffer, since the rich would always be able to afford to get them done somehow), and simultaneously we see efforts to dismantle public education and reduce government subsidization of higher education. Cannon fodder is what is needed, and the more poor uneducated no-alternative-but-to-enlist bodies we can find or produce, the better it is for those determined to unleash Armaggedon. Despite the best efforts of Republican cheerleaders (Hannity et al), I think we are seeing the tide of public opinion is turning. By the way, I am not entirely convinced that Bin Laden WAS the reason for an Afghan invasion.
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