MY LIFE IN JAPAN a blog from kyoto for friends and family

This editorial from the Army Times calling for the removal of Donald Rumsfeld prompted the following post of mine
to their discussion board...

I am a civilian who stumbled across this discussion board after reading about the editorial via google news. I am far left of most democrats, most people in fact, and most of the readers of this board, I imagine, by virtue of being, for one, a lifelong pacifist.


One of the most insidious charges that is made against people of my political (stars and) stripe is that we "dont support the troops" by holding or speaking out publicly about our objections to this war, or war in general.


It is possibly true that those of my persuasion, perhaps, might be likely to have different mindsets, concerns, and values (partly) of those whose lives have led them to be in the military. However, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the editorial, or whether it reflects the "general" sentiment of those serving, the fact is that it coming from where and when it did does get our attention to focus on being concerned with the lives and struggles of those in uniform. Ironically, perhaps, given what you might expect from my politics, I do think that is where our attention should be right now.


I know thats a pretty longwinded paragraph. Sorry. In short, where Im heading is that I think this editorial is a good thing overall, even if you disagree with it. Those who champion this war often sound as if disagreement is treason, and worse, aiding and abetting the enemy, and yet worse, undermining our troops. I can avow this is not so. WE do care about you, as well as the lives of all those who will suffer, for good or ill, as a result of this adventure. On both (????) sides of the spectrum there is often too much rhetoric, invective, and recriminations, and not enough working together to get us out of the shithole we should all agree we're in.


That being said, sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make mayonnaise. Even those who support the POTUS and his SOD are admitting mistakes have been made...which begs the question, which I think is the critical one, of whether there is a need for a different approach, as in lead by a new leadership.


the current leadership seems to have its head stuck in their shitholes, with few signs of knowing which direction to pull to get us out. It is their intransigency that is the problem, and the main reason that calling for a change at the top makes sense. They don't have a vision going forward, and that is what really matters. Their perspective and attention span never got beyond shock and awe.


Goat fuck indeed.


In the end though, i hope all of you serving out there will take heart in one thing. This is not just America's war, it is the world's. I am living in Japan right now, and people all the way on this side of the earth seem just as aware and concerned about what is happening where you are, as over stateside. In the end, everyone is pulling for you, so don't believe what they tell you about there not being support for you when you get back home. If you look, you will find it. Maybe not where you expected it, but it will be there. Hang in there...your friends are legion.

Labels: US politics