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Based on conversations I've had over the last week with my Canadian friends, I felt this would be apreciated.

"We" and "Our" in this letter relates to the US.

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An open letter to those protesting the war in Iraq:
By Bob Hubbard
Webmaster, MartialTalk.com

I don’t agree with the reasons I’ve seen either. There are certainly other causes or risks closer to home to be dealt with. Our economies at a low, businesses are failing, homelessness and unemployment are rising. In the west, a hostile nation has weapons that can easily reach our western shores. So, why are we in Iraq?

“No Blood for Oil” you cry.
It’s not about the oil.
We get less than 11% of our oil from the Middle East.

“No Blood for Israel” you cry.
It’s not about Israel.
Israel has been told to keep out of this conflict, and allow US forces to handle it.

So…what is it ‘really’ about?

Its about a dictator who for over a decade has refused to comply with the demands of a world body whose goals are peaceful resolution.

Its about a sadist who maintains dungeons and torture that would shock the Spanish Inquisition.
Quote:
quote: Witnesses had told them about prisoners of the regime having finger and toenails torn out, being given electric shocks to the genitals, tortured with boiling water and beaten.
Women were suspended by the hair or legs in front of their families and raped while their husbands were forced to watch.
Saddam's son Qusay – the head of Iraq's security and intelligence agencies – had administered mustard gas on prisoners, including a 12-year-old boy whose father heard his screams from a neighbouring cell, they were told.

Saddam's special adviser Barzan al-Tikriti, Iraq's former representative on the UN Commission on Human Rights, had personally taken part in the torture of detainees before their execution.
One witness, who spent 15 years in jail after being accused of using a false surname, described a particularly horrific method of execution: "There was a machine designed for shredding plastic. Men were dropped into it and we were . . . made to watch.
"Sometimes they went in head first and died quickly. Sometimes they went in feet first and died screaming. It was horrible. I saw 30 people die like this.
"Their remains would be placed in plastic bags and we were told they would be used as fish food."

Its about a government that forces its people at gunpoint to wave their flag.

In the US, no one makes you wave a flag, or turn out for a parade. In Iraq, if you don’t you may pay with your life.

I’ve heard it said that we’re only in it for the $$ that will be pumped into the big corporations. Maybe. But..Iraq has been decaying for over a decade. Its infrastructure is broken down, jury rigged, obsolete and backwards. It will take hundreds of billions of $$ to update and repair…Estimates run into the decades time wise. Its definitely not a good short term venture.

The United States is doing what it has to do.

Who gave us the right? The rest of the world did. By sitting there in committees, and debates, and giving Saddam chance after chance after chance. How many chances do you give before you say enough is enough? How long do you wait? The rest of the world gave us the right by sitting there on their asses and doing nothing, or worse.

When no one else would step up to the plate, we took charge.

And now, people are crying because a few dozen soldiers have died…screaming about the cost.

Hogwash!

The United States Military is the finest trained, best equipped, and most motivated of any in the world.

Despite what you may think of George W. Bush, and his government, the generals in the field will not spend their mens lives foolishly. The fact that we have to date covered over 200 miles into enemy held territory and only suffered light losses is a testament to the training, and equipment and planning that is going on. We must be prepared for higher losses, especially if they are forced to take cities. The British lost just under 240 KIA in 72 days in the Falklands. During WW2, The Allies sustained about 22,800 casualties in their conquest of Sicily. The Axis powers suffered about 165,000 casualties, of whom 30,000 were Germans. Remember, Sicily is only 110 square miles, slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC and took 38 days to conquer. Iraq is 271,596 sq miles. Thats a lot of ground to cover.

Despite what you may think of this war, or what you may personally believe is behind it please support our troops. They are doing what we can or will not. They deserve our support, our prayers and our well wishes. It is because of their bravery and sacrifice that we can enjoy the freedoms we have. It is because they go to places like Bosnia, Serbia, Afghanistan, and Iraq that we can sit at home in comfort and complain. When you have donned the uniform, and gone thru the training, and put your time in, perhaps then you can judge them. But for now, whether you support the cause or not, support the troops.

Protest all you want. Hold your candlelight vigils, march in the streets, wave your flags, whatever. But, do it peacefully. And, when this war is over, welcome those brave souls home with open arms. They will have been through a hell we can not imagine, nor do we want to. Give them your love, support and prayers. They deserve it.

Peace.

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