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Sunday
March 21, 2010 Since 1922 |
Letters for July 24, 2005
Letters to the Editor published in Baytown Sun:
I believe that in a country as large as Iraq, with more than 100,000 U.S. troops and thousands of U.S. civilian contractors, fighting and working there, that surely something good is being done.
But if you believe our media (TV and newspapers), only bad and terrible things are happening there.
It seems to me that the news media is determined to see the U.S. fail in Iraq; no matter what effect this will have on our armed forces.
If a scared 18-year-old kid, in the heat of battle and trying to stay alive, shoots the wrong person, well let’s crucify him. If the terrorists are not treated humanely, just court martial the guards and soldiers. Some of our politicians compare our U.S. soldiers to Hitler’s SS and of course the news media gives them headlines.
The media and politicians sold the American soldier out in Vietnam; the politicians tried to run the war instead of the military and the media covered demonstrations against the war instead of covering our troops fighting for their country.
There is one big difference in the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq; we had a draft during Vietnam and our soldiers had no choice but to go. The troops in Iraq are volunteers and they do not have to re-enlist.
Without volunteers, Congress may have to reinstate the draft in order to keep our armed forces in full strength. Think about this, what if Congress made the draft fair and the wealthy could not hide in college or go to Canada?
Oh my, we would hear the screaming and wailing all the way to Iraq!
The news media’s one-sided and irresponsible coverage of this war could eventually put enough public pressure on our politicians to force the president to pull out of Iraq.
But do not worry folks, when the terrorists begin blowing up bridges, buildings, the port of Houston, and chemical plants here in Baytown and Houston, we can just run to Dallas.
And then later, if there is any thing left in this country, we can build another wall on the mall in Washington, D.C. with thousands of names on it.
Another wall people can look at and say, “what a terrible waste.”
Floyd Rhodes, ‘A sad, disgusted veteran,' Beach City
I believe that in a country as large as Iraq, with more than 100,000 U.S. troops and thousands of U.S. civilian contractors, fighting and working there, that surely something good is being done.
But if you believe our media (TV and newspapers), only bad and terrible things are happening there.
It seems to me that the news media is determined to see the U.S. fail in Iraq; no matter what effect this will have on our armed forces.
If a scared 18-year-old kid, in the heat of battle and trying to stay alive, shoots the wrong person, well let’s crucify him. If the terrorists are not treated humanely, just court martial the guards and soldiers. Some of our politicians compare our U.S. soldiers to Hitler’s SS and of course the news media gives them headlines.
The media and politicians sold the American soldier out in Vietnam; the politicians tried to run the war instead of the military and the media covered demonstrations against the war instead of covering our troops fighting for their country.
There is one big difference in the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq; we had a draft during Vietnam and our soldiers had no choice but to go. The troops in Iraq are volunteers and they do not have to re-enlist.
Without volunteers, Congress may have to reinstate the draft in order to keep our armed forces in full strength. Think about this, what if Congress made the draft fair and the wealthy could not hide in college or go to Canada?
Oh my, we would hear the screaming and wailing all the way to Iraq!
The news media’s one-sided and irresponsible coverage of this war could eventually put enough public pressure on our politicians to force the president to pull out of Iraq.
But do not worry folks, when the terrorists begin blowing up bridges, buildings, the port of Houston, and chemical plants here in Baytown and Houston, we can just run to Dallas.
And then later, if there is any thing left in this country, we can build another wall on the mall in Washington, D.C. with thousands of names on it.
Another wall people can look at and say, “what a terrible waste.”
Floyd Rhodes, ‘A sad, disgusted veteran,' Beach City