Elections

On Friday, the Iraqis voted in large numbers to elect their own parliament. I applaud their courage and hope that those elected representatives show the same courage as their supporters.

It is my belief that we, in this country, ought to demonstrate the same democratic principles that we are encouraging from the Iraqi people. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Congress passed a bill forbidding inhumane treatment of any prisoner held by ANY U.S. entity and clarified in the Military field manuals what proper interrogation procedures entail. It is sad that our government did not appear to know any better when it scuttled the Geneva Conventions as they pertained to Iraq and Afghanistan. Extraordinary Renditions, CIA torture planes and sending people off to states where torture is permissable are not American values...and have proven to be poor substitutions for good intelligence.

This week the New York Times reported that the President had approved spying on Americans living in the U.S. Following the scandals of the Nixon era, laws were passed to stop that behavior. Appearantly, once again, our President feels himself "above the law" because on the extraordinary threat of terrorism. No public official is above the law and it is my strong hope that the Congress will inquire into this matter and sanction any violations of our laws in a non-partisan manner.

Closer to home, a group of 12 citizens delivered a petition from residents in our congressional district to our congresswoman who has stated that this district supports the President's mission in Iraq. Our petition requested an open debate to honestly discuss Congressman Murtha's proposal to withdraw troops back to a position that would protect innocent Iraqi citizens while giving the new elected government more room to establish its leadership role. Among those chosen to deliver this petition were 5 Military Family members representing all branches of the military, 1 Active Duty Military member, three vets representing service to this country since Korea, a flight attendant who serves on flights that take our young servicepeople to Kuwait and assists in bring wounded soldiers back from Germany and four peace activists representing different groups in the district. The petition had signatures of several hundred residents who live in the district. Similar petitions were delivered all over the U.S. to the offices of Congressional Representatives. We will have to wait and see what, if any impact, the petition will have on our hawkish Congresswoman. Happily, the district is fielding a couple of candidates who feel that war is not the first option of diplomacy.

On a personal level, rumor and speculation abound that deployment orders and dates will be cancelled and/or delayed while we re-evaluate our presence. My son's unit was one mentioned by name as slated for cancellation. However, they continue to pack their gear in preparation for war in anticipation of deployment early next year.

Hopefully, 2006 will be marked by peace and diplomacy in Iraq and Afghanistan....and the U.S.

It is time to bring our soldiers home. Merry Christmas, Happy Chunakah, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all. May it be marked with peace, prosperity and hope.

Strategy - What Strategy?

The Administration published a booklet called the "National Strategy on Victory in Iraq" (available on the whitehouse.gov site). All I can say after reading all thirty five pages is "wow, are we really paying these guys for putting out this stuff?" Basically, it was a neatly bulleted document encouraging the public to "stay the course" even as the Congress moves to cut funding to programs that benefit the poor and elderly in this country.

Further, there was no explanation of what victory looked like. It is important in a strategy to have a clear goal in mind. There was no explanation of how that victory will be achieved and who is going to achieve it. If it is the Military, that could be a problem: reports indicate an ongoing decline in recruitment which has lead to decreasing standards for enlistees. National Guard units will not, under law, be permitted to return to combat IF they have already spent a specified time away. Congressman Murtha, who is quite knowledgable about Military Affairs, has stated that the Military is tired...and reaching a breaking point. Others in Washington state that within 6 months, the numbers deployed will HAVE to be cut back...citing lack of adequately trained replacements, fatique and other issues

If victory is to be achieved politically, that too presents a problem. In case the reader has missed it, our President is unable to go anywhere in the world without protesters following. Even in carefully venued places in the US, opposition voices are heard. The Vice President is hardly ever heard from. Rice is going to face the hot button issue of CIA secret prisons in European countries who face expulsion from the EU if found complicit.

And then there is the ongoing loss of life in Iraq...on both sides. And for what? An incomplete strategy that only serves to document the inadequacies of this Administration? A strategy that goes against the will of the majority of Americans?

It is time for both new leadership...and a new strategy. It is time to bring our soldiers home and care for them when they get here.

Thanksgiving...and after

I know that I don't talk in specifics about my son...and where he is or where he is going. He will be deployed within the next couple of months...and that is scary. His job will put him in danger since he is an infantry soldier.

However, due to some good fortune (at least to my way of thinking) he was home unexpectedly for Thanksgiving this year. My son is a drama king when it comes to travel, however. His travel arrangements never work out as planned and this trip was no exception. On the day before Thanksgiving, the busiest travel day of the year, he arrived at the airport 10 minutes AFTER his flight was scheduled to depart, due to car problems. Since there was bad weather in various places in the US, the flight was delayed and he made it home to the most traveled airport in the country. Picking him up was a challenge.

But this year, his chair was occupied at Thanksgiving and for that I am grateful. Too many friends have chairs at their Thanksgiving tables that will be permantly empty.

It is time to bring our soldiers home.

"Cooked Hard Drives"

I have always known that stuff breaks only when you need it the most. Therefore, all I can say is when it comes to computers, back it up!

Mine broke as I worked to research information for an event to "Honor the Troops but Not the War". My talk was the "warm up" to a Gold Star Dad - whose elloquence was not in what he said - but rather in the fact that he said anything at all.

He spoke of his beautiful young son with a life yet unlived taken from his family and the young woman he planned to marry. He spoke with pride of his son's accomplishments: graduation from college, passing the certification test to become a Certified Public Accountant after first serving his country in Kosovo. He spoke of his son's last call home - making plans to leave for the US in just 12 days...but returning instead in a flag draped coffin. He spoke of the mystery surrounding his son's death...on an American airbase in the shower.

And then he told the audience why he now speaks out against the war. To honor his son's life, he believes he must "adopt" his son's comrades and become responsible for their lives. He believes that he must work to educate young people about military service and caution parents of the possibly devastating outcome.

Although he was not born in this country, he and his family have paid the ultimate price for living the American dream. He is a patriot and a friend.