Truman's Conscience

Validity questioned of video depicting Navy encounter with Iranian speedboats

And Juan Cole sighs.

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the U.S. military rolled into Baghdad in victorious Roman fashion back in May of 2003. I was standing in the production room at the newspaper I was working for at the time where two large TV sets had been set up like some big ballgame was on. The bellicose jingoism of the FauxNews announcers echoed in the large work area as the bragged about our military prowess. I was fascinated, not by what was happening on TV, but with the people standing around watching this with awe, grinning from ear to ear.

I could hardly contain my disgust. Before I left, I taunted them with a question as the FauxNews crew went into orgasmic spasms watching the Saddam statue being brought down I asked aloud, "You know why they are really bringing that statue down don't you?" One of the production personell standing near me whirled around in mid "Ooooo's and Ahhhh's and a huge big smile of wonderment, "What? Oh, alright, let's hear it, why are they really taking it down?" she asked almost laughing. I shot back, "They were tipped off that all the weapons of mass destruction are hidden in it's base."I was met with whirling bodies shooting back cold angry stares. I was nearly overwhelmed with disgust at their fake anger.

Someone needs to explain to me how the lone superpower in the world crushing a third world like cut rate military force is a cause for awe and elation. It would be no different if I went down the street and beat the hell out of an eight year old neighborhood boy and then strutted around looking for people to marvel and my power, prowess, and agility as I pummeled this poor kid into oblivion.Real combat veterans must have been revolted by such a display, especially those WWII vets still alive with vivid memories of what a formidable military force was really composed of.

What an insult to those veterans and to the military as a whole. We fought a two ocean war against world power militaries that were unequaled at the outset of the war. Yet, we managed to overpower them, with great and almost overwhelming losses mind you, and prevail after four bloody years that make the Iraq war look like a neighborhood shootout.Well according to the MSM, things are going so swimmingly now, surely I must be able to go down to my local travel agent and make some Baghdad bookings for the summer. The way I hear it on the nightly news now, going to Baghdad is like an “E” ticket ride at Disney World. Oh, and bring the kids! I really don’t know how worse one could be over the other, a malevolent government invading a country without provocation like its some kewl video game or a compliant media that passes along the propaganda and treats it as news.

My god what have we come to.