The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

Well said, Duane.

And “ditto” from me!

Ditto from me to. So little is said about the courageous men and women that

fought and are still fighting this war. In the small farming community where I work in the high school many of our young men have graduated and went directly to the war. One in particular is now a quadriplegic as a result of his injuries. He came back to visit the school and in his speech he said that he would do it again and it was an honor to fight for our country. He was not bitter, but proud to have fought for freedom. It is stories like these that the media rarely broadcast.

OK, an 18 year old man that will never walk or have sexual intercourse again in his life. Not bitter! Of course he will tell you that he would do it all over again because that is all he is left to hold on too. His life will pertetually revolve around his desicion to serve his country.

Were do you find that Kool-aide you have been drinking!

“It is stories like these that the media rarely broadcast.”

Maybe it is because in reality no wishes to be in his situation and most folks fail to see the “glory” in having your body broken for they consider to be misguided and immoral colonialist expedition.

To honestly feel his pride is to neglete to feel any of the pain that this government and its armed forces have visited upon the Iraqi people. It is very easy to feel pride and wave the flag from the comfort of our nice warm heated homes, being secured by REAL police. At the same time there are thousands if not millions of Iraqis that were living lives just like you or me 5 years ago before the USA decided to send its war machine into the heart of their country on a mission of death and destruction. Today they are NOT morning the death or injury of their soldier sons they are morning the death or injury of the thousands upon thousands of non-combatant civilians (men, women, and CHILDREN) that our misguided adventure has caused.

Remember, like our great president love to point out, everyone of those US soldiers happily volunteered for service in the US armed forces. It was a choice for them to board an airplane travel thousands of miles to a country that never asked for their pressence. On the otherhand those regular Iraqi citizens had no where to run to as the bombs and bullets killed their children, mothers, aunts, and even grandparents.

I am sure if I were to tell a historical story here about how a slave trader in Africa or a Spanish Conquistidor in Mexico came to a bad end at the hands of the local native people most folks would be comfortable in their belief that those individuals got what they deserved. Yet somehow the same folks are unwilling to aspect the imperialist ambitions of our war in Iraq. In many way our soldiers in Iraq today are not mush different than the European armies that brought death and destruction to the Africa continent over 150 years ago.

I am assuming that I am conversing with other balck folks here so I will ask; Is it OK for us Black-Americans to take part in the destructions of other peoples lives under the flag and color of the same country that sbused the crap out of us?

I am surprised at myself for writing this, I am usually seen as the “black conservative” amoungst family and friends but enough is enough already with this damn war! It is OK for us to admit that we were wrong, we need to do so before we begin to cleanup this mess.

OK, an 18 year old man that will never walk or have sexual intercourse again in his life. Not bitter! Of course he will tell you that he would do it all over again because that is all he is left to hold on too. His life will pertetually revolve around his desicion to serve his country.

“It is stories like these that the media rarely broadcast.”

For starters, this is not the norm for all of our soldiers since you and the rest of the left only like to focus on instances such as this. Secondly, contrary to what you want to believe, our military is one that is based on volunteerism as you pointed out. Thirdly, the whole notion that poor Black folks are forced for economic reasons to join the military has already been proven as false. Like you, I agree that the execution of the war was not good, but the fact of the matter is that since the surge, things have been turning around for the better in Iraq, you just have to be willing to acknowledge it.

What I particularly find interesting about your comment is how you accuse our young men and women of indiscriminate bombings of innocent people almost as if it were the norm WITHOUT ONE SHRED OF PROOF while you neglect to mention how the enemy we are fighting over there have used women and children to kill hundreds. SAVE YOUR FREAKIN’ LECTURE FOR THEM!!!!

As far as you baseless complaint about such stories not making the headlines….uhh, you know about it, right?

Of course he will tell you that he would do it all over again because that is all he is left to hold on too.

Again, you belittle these young men and women in a attempt to speak for them. I guess you have not heard of the Band of Brothers phenomena that is one of the main reasons why re-enlistment has remained constant when compared to Vietnam.

At the same time there are thousands if not millions of Iraqis that were living lives just like you or me 5 years ago

I’ll let this one sit out there on its own. It speaks for itself

I am surprised at myself for writing this, I am usually seen as the “black conservative” amoungst family and friends but enough is enough already with this damn war! It is OK for us to admit that we were wrong, we need to do so before we begin to cleanup this mess.

Based on your other comments, I’m not surprised at all. You are like many Black folks who tend to be conservative on many social issues. But on issues as it pertains to the war (as demonstrated here) and economics, you tend to be more to the left.