GranolaBox

I was eating breakfast one morning and all I had to read was a paper from August 16 that I hadn’t recycled yet. Since I read most of my news online, I just scan the printed paper. I only bought this because there was an article about some of my students who’d been killed in a car wreck a couple months ago. I’d prefer not to go THERE today.

In a little box on the front page is the headline “Suicide attacks kill hundreds in Iraqi Province.” At this point it was 250, but they were still sorting through the substantial amount of rubble. This was apparently in an area that our occupation forces thought was “under control” and were anticipating reducing the number of American troops. Sorry fellas, you’re not going home, you’re staying in Hell.

On to page 5A, where we see “Army suicides highest in 16 years.” More than a quarter of these were done “in country” in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women soldiers currently in the war zone were twice as likely to commit suicide as their non-combat counterparts. Sorry ladies, you too, are staying in Hell.

On page 9A we see that General “Petraeus says troop cuts will be proposed in September report.”
This wouldn’t be the one that he’s coincidentally giving Congress on September 11 would it? He doesn’t want to do it too quickly, or he would “surrender the gains we’ve made so far.” Like the ones we made on page 1A, Dave? They’re just not proceeding fast enough with their Vietnamization (oops, wrong war — sorry) Iraqification. Sorry, ladies and gentlemen: some of you might be coming home, but don’t hold your breath waiting to get out of Hell.

But here’s something you CAN do. On page 5B we see “Iraq-averse GI won’t face felony charges after paying to get shot.” Private Jonathan Aponte, age 21 from the Bronx, was joking with his wife that if he got shot in the leg he wouldn’t have to go back. Turns out, his wife knew this guy Felix who would do the job for $500, so Private Aponte claimed to be robbed and shot on July 9. The grand jury sympathized with him, but not his wife and buddy Felix, who face felony charges. You’ll probably go to jail, Jon, but that’s better than Hell.

Finally on page 13a, my Congressman, “guest essayist” Randy Kuhl warns that “Congress mustn’t micromanage war.” Congressman Kuhl is unabashedly pro-Bush, and prefers to ignore his constituents’ wishes and to use the principle of checks and balances to bring the President’s unpopular war to an end. Kuhl claims that by giving troops a specific amount of time between deployments, we’re undercutting our wise general’s ability to manage the war. I guess the American people, through their elected representatives, should just shut up and let the President run the war, right, Randy?

Sorry all you troops from the New York’s 29th electoral district serving in disproportionate numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Congressman a slim majority of us elected doesn’t want give you a break from the hell you’re in. If you want to get away from Hell (Vice President Cheney called it a “quagmire”), you’ll have to wait a little longer, kill yourself, or find someone to shoot you in the leg.

I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m sick of saying “sorry” to our soldiers.

COMMENT!
Maybe I’m missing something. Could someone specifically explain how keeping our soldiers in Iraq makes them safer?

Technorati Tags: occupation forces, General “Petraeus, September 11, Jonathan Aponte, Randy Kuhl, quagmire

Filed under: Politics on August 27th, 2007