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To the mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, brothers, sisters and friends of American soldiers
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by Helen & Harry Highwater, Unknown News
Sept. 20, 2006
I would like to address this brief note to the mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, brothers, sisters, friends, and other loved ones of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines deployed in Iraq. I'd like to ask a simple, straightforward question:
Do you love your soldier in Iraq?
If the answer is yes, thank you for speaking out against this stupid never-ending waste-of-life occupation of Iraq.
If you're not speaking out against the Iraq obscenity, I can't comprehend how that's love.
We were against the invasion of Iraq from the start — we didn't believe a word from Bush and Cheney about any great threat to America from puny Iraq. But a lot of people believed Bush and Cheney's lines, and it was at least plausible.
By now, though, everyone who's brighter than a broomstick knows that every reason Bush and Cheney offered for attacking Iraq in the first place was untrue.
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The war was won in a matter of days, the "mission accomplished," in Bush's words — accomplished quickly, efficiently, and accomplished in full. Three and a half years ago. And three and a half years ago was the time to bring our loved ones home.
I believe, pretty damn strongly, that there's no higher patriotism than a willingness to put your life on the line for your country. That's a sacrifice that ought to be honored, and that's what motivates most of America's fighting men and women.
But I don't know what motivates the men in the White House, men who take soldiers' sacred sacrifice and squander it on horsecrap like the senseless occupation of Iraq — a cause that gains America nothing but world-wide hatred. The occupation of Iraq wasn't worth the first American soldier's life, let alone the thousands who've died there. It's a cause that won't be worth the next soldier's life, and sure as hell isn't worth my loved ones' lives. But as the chaos and bloodshed continues, more and more Americans are dying — dying to protect each other and dying for each other, but beyond that dying for a mission based on nothing but lies.
Tell yourselves the cause in Iraq is gallant — it isn't. The cause in Iraq is a pack of lies. Tell yourself your loved ones are fighting for America — they're not. They're fighting for lies. They're fighting to hold Iraq, from Iraqis. And the longer the US occupation of Iraq continues, the more Americans will die, for what?
Maybe your loved ones will be among the lucky, and come home in one piece and in good health. I hope and pray so.
But maybe they won't. And there's no maybe about this: You know your loved ones risking life and limb for reasons that make no sense. If you're OK with that, you're complicit in sending soldiers to risk their lives for squat. That's what you call "love"? It's horsecrap.
If you give a damn about your friends and loved ones in Iraq, it's time to speak out against having them killed or maimed for horsecrap.
© by the authors.
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This is an archived Unknown News page. For newest material, visit our main page.
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The war was won in a matter of days, the "mission accomplished," in Bush's words — accomplished quickly, efficiently, and accomplished in full.
Three and a half years ago.
And three and a half years ago was the time to bring our loved ones home.
* * *
You know your loved ones risking life and limb for reasons that make no sense.
If you're OK with that, you're complicit in sending soldiers to risk their lives for squat.
That's what you call "love"? It's horsecrap.
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There's much more than this at Unknown News.
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I can't afford therapy, but boy do I need it. So as an affordable alternative, I pound my anger into a weekly column here.
Fair warning: My parents were repressed -- using any bad words would get my mouth washed out with soap, literally. I still remember the sickly flavor of DoveTM. So as an adult, vulgarity helps with the healing. If naughty language offends you, beat the rush and get offended now.
This page is for my own good, not yours, so you may not like it, but I don't care.
About the authors
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Helen and Harry Highwater have published Unknown News since 1997. We're a married couple sharing a byline à la Lennon and McCartney, and "I" can be either of us, or both of us. If you're consumed by curiosity, it's safe to assume the more boisterous and aggressive bits come from Helen, and anything ladylike or demure is probably Harry's work.
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We appreciate the heck out of everyone who helps.
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Previous articles by Helen & Harry Highwater:
Sept. 1, 2006:
Air America fires Mike Malloy
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Are you stupid enough to believe one word from Bush & Cheney?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Net Neutrality newsflash:
It's dangerous, and you can help stop it
by Helen & Harry Highwater
For the robber-baron right-wing, illegal immigration works
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Another day of distractions
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Judge Judy, George Bush, and nineteen nutballs with boxcutters
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Cutbacks coming
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Asleep all over America
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Comparing Bush and Hitler, and the monsters behind the curtain
by Helen & Harry Highwater
CNN is committing treason
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Is the President an adult?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
We interrupt the bad news for a brief pep talk
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Stand up for something, damn it
by Helen & Harry Highwater
What kind of 'patriot' supports a tyrant?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Time to oppose the phony opposition
by Helen & Harry Highwater
President Charles Manson
by Helen & Harry Highwater
What's for dinner at the Hanoi Hilton?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
The bully at the bully pulpit
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Truth or dare, America
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Bush administration spying targets reporters, activists
by Helen & Harry Highwater
No, Virginia,
we're not libertarians
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Letter to the editor
by Proud American, with a response from Helen & Harry Highwater
A whisper of optimism
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Muhammad Ali is a scumbag
by Helen & Harry Highwater
On behalf of God Himself, I endorse Alito for Supreme Court
by Helen & Harry Highwater, as Jerry Falwell
The old guy in a sweatshirt
by Helen & Harry Highwater
The emperor wears no mental clothes
by Helen & Harry Highwater
I'm filing bankruptcy
by Helen Highwater
Our long national nightmare is just beginning
by Helen & Harry Highwater
"Mission accomplished" for FEMA
by Harry Highwater
Police roadblock freedom in America
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Our phone number
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Fuck you, George W. Bush
by Helen & Harry Highwater
A forgotten man, one of many
by Helen & Harry Highwater
The daily compromise
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Are you for freedom, or against it?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
The unspoken subtext of Karl Rove's treason:
Support your local CIA
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Cabbages don't count
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Back to basics: Question authority
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Anatomy of another lie
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Constipated and liquefied logic
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Be careful crossing the street, ya damn kids!
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Monsters in America,
from Deep Throat to James Watt to Christopher Cox
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Mainstream media:
Completely on board with Bush administration lies
by Helen & Harry Highwater
A Pope to be ashamed of
by Helen & Harry Highwater
What can we do about the stolen election?
by Atomicktom and
Helen & Harry Highwater
The President who cried "wolf!"
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Defeating terrorists without wars
by Helen & Harry Highwater
If you're not for Bush, you're French ... or al Qaeda
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Rescuing America from tyranny
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Separation of church and state
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Who would Jesus vote for?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Godless hippie scumbag
traitors who hate the troops
by Helen & Harry Highwater
To tell the truth
by Helen & Harry Highwater
What kind of bloody savages
would kill people and drag
their corpses along the road?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Our serial killer nation
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Judging Judging Amy
by Helen & Harry Highwater
An apology and an endorsement
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Rights, responsibilities, and acknowledgement
by Peace-Thru-Reason and
Helen & Harry Highwater
Los Angeles Times memo orders reporters to fudge the truth
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Our perspective on Terri Schiavo
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Who deserves freedom of speech? And who doesn't?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Two years of lies about Sept. 11
The new Warren Commission
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Criticizing Israel
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Is it terrorism to be a patriot?
Or is it just like Red Dawn, only with turbans?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Bush knocks on Armageddon's back door
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Why I won't be at the victory parade
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Company fined $6,000 for
answering customer's questions
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Clint Eastwood, and US foreign policy
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Do you love America? Do you?
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Google refuses our ad
by Helen & Harry Highwater
Reasonable deaths in a nonsense war
by Helen & Harry Highwater
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