"We finally got the troops there. Americans have got to understand, it takes a while to mobilize additional troops and move them from the United States to Iraq. We got them there, and now we're beginning to move."-President George W. Bush, Speech at the Naval War College, June 28, 2007.

With these words President Bush reminded the nation that the new security plan for Iraq, the so-called "surge," was only now really getting underway. Unfortunately, when the discussion concerns Iraq, many Americans tune the President out, his words no longer carrying the weight they once did. But perhaps the words of the senior counterinsurgency adviser in Iraq could prove insightful, or even useful, for those longing for an understanding of what's really going on in and around Baghdad. I'm not talking about General David Petraeus, the man charged with executing the current strategy. No, the guy I'm referring to is David Kilcullen, a former Australian Army officer and one of the world's foremost theorists on counterinsurgency strategy.

In a posting last month on the Small Wars Journal Blog, Mr. Kilcullen laid out for readers what he called a "basic understanding" of what's transpiring on the ground right now, from the perspective of the top guy advising Petraeus on counterinsurgency operations:

"This post is not about whether current ops are ‘working,'-for us here on the ground, time will tell, though some observers elsewhere seem to have already made up their minds (on the basis of what evidence, I'm not really sure). But for professional counterinsurgency operators...the thing to understand at this point is the intention and concept behind current ops in Iraq: if you grasp this, you can tell for yourself how the operations are going, without relying on armchair pundits. So in the interests of self-education...here is a field perspective on current operations."

Addressing those who are already calling the "surge" a failure, Kilcullen says:

"Ten days ago, speaking with Austin Bay, I made the following comment: ‘I know some people in the media are already starting to sort of write off the ‘surge' and say ‘Hey, hang on: we've been going since January, we haven't seen a massive turnaround; it mustn't be working'. What we've been doing to date is putting forces into position. We haven't actually started what I would call the ‘surge' yet. All we've been doing is building up forces and trying to secure the population. And what I would say to people who say that it's already failed is ‘watch this space'. Because you're going to see, in fairly short order, some changes in the way we're operating that will make what's been happening over the past few months look like what it is-just a preliminary build up."

Shortly after that comment, on June 15th, U.S.-led forces began a series of offensive operations in Baghdad and the surrounding areas, the true beginning of the President's "surge." Kilcullen then describes in detail in the post how the new strategy will work:

"These operations are qualitatively different from what we have done before. Our concept is to knock over several insurgent safe havens simultaneously, in order to prevent terrorists relocating their infrastructure from one to another, and to create an operational synergy between what we're doing in Baghdad and what's happening outside. Unlike on previous occasions, we don't plan to leave these areas once they're secured. These ops will run over months, and the key activity is to stand up viable local security forces in partnership with Iraqi Army and Police, as well as political and economic programs, to permanently secure them. The really decisive activity will be police work, registration of the population and counterintelligence in these areas, to comb out the insurgent sleeper cells and political cells that have ‘gone quiet' as we moved in, but which will try to survive through the op and emerge later. This will take operational patience, and it will be intelligence-led, and Iraqi government-led. It will probably not make the news (the really important stuff rarely does) but it will be the truly decisive action."

Currently, the counterinsurgency efforts Kilcullen describes are taking place not just in Baghdad, but throughout Iraq. Ongoing operations across the country continue to net insurgents, terrorists, and weapons that are perpetuating the ongoing violence and the offensives are producing an environment conducive to winning the support of the population. As Kilcullen says, "The point of the operations is to lift the pall of fear from population groups that have been intimidated and exploited by terrorists to date, then win them over and work with them in partnership to clean out the cells that remain...."

And keeping with classical counterinsurgency theory, Kilcullen makes it clear that the Iraqi population is the true target of the "surge":

"Therefore-and this is the major change in our strategy this year-protecting and controlling the population is do-able, but destroying the enemy is not. We can drive him off from the population, then introduce local security forces, population control, and economic and political development, and thereby ‘hard-wire' the enemy out of the environment, preventing his return. But chasing enemy cells around the countryside is not only a waste of time, it is precisely the sort of action he wants to provoke us into. That's why AQ cells leaving an area are not the main game-they are a distraction. We played the enemy's game for too long: not any more. Now it is time for him to play our game."

While I'm all for forcing the enemy to react to us for a change, I fear that Mr. Kilcullen is placing too much stock in Iraqi security forces that have thus far shown little willingness to put national well-being ahead of tribal or sectarian loyalties. But then he has far more expertise in counterinsurgency operations than I do, and I for one am willing to defer to his knowledge, experience and on-the-ground sense of what's really happening in Iraq.

Kilcullen also gives readers a sense of what's expected of the Iraqi government, and a realistic outlook for what lies ahead:

"It will be a long, hard summer, with much pain and loss to come, and things could still go either way. But the population-centric approach is the beginning of a process that aims to put the overall campaign onto a sustainable long-term footing. The politics of the matter then can be decisive, provided the Iraqis use the time we have bought for them to reach the essential accommodation. The Embassy and MNF-I continue to work on these issues at the highest levels but fundamentally, this is something that only Iraqis can resolve: our role is to provide an environment in which it becomes possible."

While I don't think there's any doubt about the ability of American troops to give Iraqis some breathing space, there are serious doubts about the ability of al-Maliki's government to do what is necessary to capitalize on our investment of additional American lives. Will the Iraqis, after more than four years of brutal fighting, finally put aside their differences and work together for a greater Iraq? I don't know, and so far the signs have not been encouraging.

But that doesn't mean we should just throw our hands in the air and walk away from the mess that has been created. The consequences of such an action are too severe, and too frightening, for us and for the rest of the world. Instead, we should stop the pointless partisan bickering and listen to experts like David Kilcullen. We have some very intelligent people in place in Iraq, and they know their business. Now is the time to let them do what they do best.

By: Greg Reeson
http://reeson.townhall.com
Greg Reeson is a Senior Writer for The New Media Journal and a Featured Author for The Veterans' Voice. He also regularly contributes to GOPUSA and The Land of the Free.

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It seems that saying the Iraq war was already "lost" was just not quite enough for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Apparently he and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) sent a letter to President Bush saying, "...the escalation has failed to produce the intended results." So final judgment has been passed, as far as Reid and Pelosi are concerned, even though the last of the so-called "surge" troops involved in the President's security plan for Baghdad and al-Anbar Province have just arrived in Iraq's capital.

Breitbart.com quotes the two Democratic congressional leaders as saying that "The increase in US forces has had little impact in curbing the violence or fostering political reconciliation." Maybe I'm a little bit on the slow side here, but I just don't understand how someone can definitively declare a strategy dead before it has even had a chance to be implemented in its entirety. What happened to waiting for General Petraeus's report on progress, or the lack thereof, due to the Congress in September?

If our elected leaders actually have a little patience and wait for the full plan to be put into action, they may be surprised at the results. In an interview with USATODAY on June 13, Petraeus said he was seeing "astonishing signs of normalcy" in at least half, and perhaps as much as two-thirds of Baghdad.

According to the paper Petraeus said, "I'm talking about professional soccer leagues with real grass field stadiums, several amusement parks-big ones, markets that are very vibrant." Soccer leagues? Amusement parks? Vibrant markets? How can that possibly be the case if Baghdad is the center of what has been described as a country engulfed in a chaotic civil war where sectarian executions in the street are common occurrences and where people are afraid to leave their homes out of fear of being caught in the running battles between insurgents, militias and coalition forces? Is General Petraeus lying to us (a claim that is probably not far from the Senate Majority Leader's lips)? More importantly, what basis would he have for doing so? No, the likelihood is that the general sees a glimmer of hope and is merely reporting what he is sensing as the head guy on the ground in Baghdad.

Now, this is not to say that everything is rosy in Baghdad, or elsewhere in Iraq for that matter. But it is a sign of possible progress in a country desperately seeking an end to the ongoing bloodshed and violence. And while Petraeus conceded in the interview that many problems still exist, he also said that what he sees is a sign that the new strategy in Iraq is working.

What General Petraeus is seeing in Baghdad should come as no surprise, even to the casual observer of the conflict. The American military can pacify virtually any city in the world, but only for a limited amount of time. The key to success for the "surge" security plan is, and always has been, the Iraqis themselves.

Iraqi security forces must be able to hold on to the areas cleared by American soldiers, and they must be non-sectarian in their administration of Iraqi law. They must put the nation of Iraq above their loyalties to sheikh, tribe, militia, or sectarian affiliation. And the Iraqi government must live up to its responsibilities as well. That means providing services to the Iraqi people in a fair and just manner, and not based on whether they are Sunni, Shi'a or Kurd. It means making the political concessions necessary to achieve national reconciliation, including the distribution of oil revenues, adjustments to the Iraqi Constitution, and revision of de-Baathification policies. It means getting control of the militia death squads that are perpetuating the cycle of violence. And it means treating all Iraqis as Iraqis, fairly and equitably.

It is a tall order, to be sure. We can buy some time for the government in Baghdad, but only Iraqis can do what it takes to move their country forward. The breathing room we are providing for political progress is being paid for with the sweat and blood of our sons and daughters. The patience of America's citizens is quickly running out, and Iraqis should be cognizant of this fact. But as the final "surge" troops move into place this weekend, the least we can do as Americans is wait until they've had a chance to execute their mission before passing judgment on their success or failure.

By: Greg Reeson
http://reeson.townhall.com
Greg Reeson is a Featured Author for The Veterans' Voice and a regular contributor to The New Media Journal, GOPUSA, and The Land of the Free.

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Imagine this not-so-unimaginable scenario: A police officer pulls up to a house where a domestic disturbance has been reported. As the officer approaches the house, a man wielding a gun bursts out the front door, aims his weapon at the officer, and screams, “I’m going to kill you!” The officer has no place to take cover. What would a reasonable law enforcement official do in such a situation?

Any officer will tell you that if a man is pointing a gun at him and yelling that he is going to shoot the officer, the policeman is well within his legal rights to shoot first in self defence. All that is required to justify lethal force is that the officer fears for his life. He does not have to wait for the gunman to fire before the policeman can shoot at the attacker.

But imagine how different—and tragic—the outcome of this scenario could be if the Attorney General of the United States, the highest ranking law enforcement official in the country, had declared a new policy that no sheriff, deputy, police officer, FBI agent, U.S. Marshall, or Secret Service agent could fire their gun at someone unless the assailant fired first. Any law enforcement official that shot before being shot at would be prosecuted. Under this policy law enforcement officials would be wholly justified in resigning immediately and getting another job. Criminals would have a heyday if they knew they had one free shot before being in danger themselves. Obviously absurd, right?

Unless you happen to be politicians overseeing the war in Iraq.

That’s right! I have received e-mails from the family members of military personal fighting in Iraq telling me that the military has politically coerced, non-sensical “rules of engagement.” It has been reported that the men and women fighting in Iraq do not have the right to shoot at the enemy until the enemy shoots at them first. I recently heard a well-documented report in which an enemy terrorist was observed pointing a rocket launcher at American troops, clearly preparing to fire at the watching soldiers. Yet U. S. servicemen were not able to take him out before he fired. Only after the enemy fired his rocket, killing several U. S. soldiers, were the remaining troops allowed to destroy the enemy. The Americans involved in the incident were all too aware that any soldier who fires a weapon before being fired upon can face a court-martial.

Depriving soldiers of their Biblical and Constitutional right of self-defence is inexcusable. (Exodus 22:2)

Think about this for a minute. Troops have to wait until their fellow soldiers are killed before they can defend themselves by shooting back. But wait, it gets worse. If a solider does shoot at the enemy, they have to fill out a stack of paper work that would make any Washington bureaucrat proud.

Why would you ever give your soldiers an order not to fire until fired upon? Wars are won by killing the other guy first, not by waiting to see what he’ll do. You already know the enemy wants to kill you. That’s why you get into wars to begin with.

I doubt any father or mother would encourage a son or daughter to join the military knowing what I have just reported, and I dare say this deadly policy was not presented to recruits before they joined the military. Since the government has changed the assumptions upon which someone signs up to fight, then you should give the soldiers the option to stay and fight or to catch the first flight home, now that they know what the new rules are.

And what do the rules signal to the enemy? The foes you face are shrewd, vicious people who know these “rules of engagement” and will use them to their advantage—and to the destruction of men in uniform. Can you win this war with such an irresponsible, politically correct policy? Did you win in Vietnam with politician’s micromanaging the war? These sickening rules of engagement must be changed now, or the soldiers need to come home before any more die from the national leaders’ love of politically correct fighting.

Military family members have told me that soldiers are afraid to speak out about these foolish and deadly “rules of engagement” because they fear retaliation that will damage their military careers. Please contact your members of Congress and the White House and ask them to change these deadly and politically correct “rules of engagement”.

Adding 20,000, 30,000 or 100,000 new troops will not change the outcome of this war unless the politicians stop managing the war like a bunch of politically correct, liberals.

Although I don’t have a son in Iraq, the nation has thousands of sons and daughters serving there, and you at home owe it to them to speak up since they can’t. If you expect to continue being served by an all voluntary military, the politicians had better untie the hands of your soldiers so they can defend themselves, win this war, and come home alive! You owe nothing less to the great American soldiers and their families.

By: N.W. Smith
http://seagullpublishing.blogspot.com
I am a biblical researcher, author, and free lance writer who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and theology and has spent the past 25 years doing Biblical research.
I live in Russia with his wife and children and devotes my time and energy to biblical writing and research.
As an ordained minister, author, and speaker, my use of a vibrant Christian worldview in analyzing some of the key issues of our time has brought me before audiences at churches, schools, and college campuses.
Along with speaking and ministering, I have written on issues ranging from revival to rap music; science to sex. As an experienced writer, my ability of laying "the axe to the root" concerning many of the most critical issues of our day.
I am engaged in an assortment of activities relating to Bible research, exploration and public education.

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Taking a lunch break yesterday, I turned on the news and watched while ABC News announced, "Today, three more Americans were killed in Iraq." We all get this daily war scorecard on the network news channels every day.

Immediately, my mind created a new scenario. Imagine with me how it would look if we could do a time warp and have our current communication and television technology bring today's network news anchors and politicians, to the war scenes of World War 2.

Stay with me now, this is how the news would have been beamed to you if there had been live television coverage of World War 2.

Turn on your television and let's watch as the ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN news anchors announce, "Today, on Iwo Jima, another 1000 Americans were killed. This brings the total for this week to 8226 Americans killed on Iwo Jima this week, with another 19,189 wounded. To make matters even worse, there were 20,703 Japanese soldiers killed this week. Do you think America should be in this unjust war?"

Then, another news anchor, who is having a live interview with John Kerry, is saying, "We have live news from Midway Island. In the naval battle of Midway, so far America has had 1 aircraft carrier sunk, 1 destroyer sunk, 98 aircraft destroyed, and 307 killed. The misunderstood Imperial Fleet of Japan has had 4 aircraft carriers sunk, 1 cruiser sunk, 228 aircraft destroyed, and 3,057 killed. Why is America fighting in this foreign war? What do you think, Senator?" Senator Kerry, with a very serious straight face, replies, "Well, Charles, I have always said that we should not be fighting in the Pacific. Our sailors are killing innocent Japanese men, women, and children. They should have to answer for that atrocity." News Flash, Dateline 18 April 1942. "It has just been learned that an air assault has been launched against the innocent men and women of Japan. Sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers were launched, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, to bomb and destroy homes of innocent people in the city of Tokyo, Japan. At least 50 are dead and 400 injured in this unwarranted attack against the sovereign nation of Japan. Senator Clinton, what is your opinion of this dastardly attack?"

With her shy, but authoritative smile, Senator Clinton responds to the news anchor, "There is no justification whatsoever for America being in this unethical war against the nation of Japan. We should immediately recall all of our troops and let them return home to their families!" Now let us switch to our CNN European news anchor. "Today, America and her Allied friends sent 1,452,000 soldiers to attack the peace loving German soldiers who are stationed in France. In this Battle of Normandy, also called the D-Day Attack, America and her Allied friends launched this massive attack against the 380,000 German troops who are trying to help the people of France live a better life. America and her Allied friends had 57,200 killed and 173,000 wounded or missing in launching this sneak attack against the peaceful German soldiers who had 23,019 killed, 67,060 wounded, and 198,616 missing and captured." "We have Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton in the studio today. Senator Clinton, what do you think of this war America is fighting in Europe?"

Senator Clinton, sitting straight and stiff, replies, "Well, as I told Billy when we were president, America should not be wasting money on war. We have lots of people on welfare here in America who need us to support them. Keep in mind, every child needs a village to raise them. And, just imagine how many new abortion centers we could build with that money, how many more condoms we could supply to the children in our schools. Just imagine how much that money could help the ACLU bring America back into our secular way of thinking. We must demand the president bring our troops home now. Or, when you elect me, I will bring them all home. Let the Japanese and Chinese, the Germans, the British, and the French do their own fighting. What we are witnessing is a civil war in the Pacific and another civil war in Europe. America should not be involved in someone else's civil war."

"How about you, Senator Obama, what are your thought on these wars against Japan and Germany?"

Senator Obama stares icily into the camera and declares, "Well, you must realize that I have no experience in fighting a war. Like Senator Clinton's husband and former co-president, I have never been in the military. So, I have no experience to call upon regarding fighting a war. Come to think of it, I really have no experience running anything --- I was just elected to the senate because my name is Muslim and my state wanted to be politically correct. However, if elected president, I will bring all of our troops home and let the other countries fight their own wars."

Back on the home front, we visit our network affiliate in Washington DC, where we have Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and her sidekick, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid.

The network news anchor asks, "Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, we have just a few moments left in our live broadcast of World War 2. What is your opinion of that war? Why is America, after four years still fighting in a foreign country's war?"

Speaker Pelosi, showing her best San Francisco smile, answers, "Well, you know that we in San Francisco do not believe in war. You will see that San Francisco will become a haven for the peace loving Flower Children in the 1960s. And we believe in love, love everybody, love everything --- just love, baby, love. Let's bring all of our soldiers home and send flowers to the Japanese and Germans. After all, they do not want this horrible war." "How about you, Senator Reid, what is your opinion of this administration's war?"

"Everyone knows I am against this administration, sorry, I mean, against this war. This war is lost! Bring our troops home today!"

There you have it, folks. We have brought you World War 2 using our latest communications technology. Now, don't forget; this show was brought to you by Naughty Lingerie and their nationwide dealers. Remember the Naughty Lingerie motto: "A world in thongs is a peaceful world."

Yes, my Friend, this was a spoof, a parody. But, can you see how the American "politically correct" thinking has warped our sense of reality? War is horrible; war should be the last thing any nation or people desires. However, when your homeland has been attacked, as America was in 2001; when your homeland, your city, your community, your own home is constantly under the imminent threat of attack by a militant group, whether it be a nation with armies in uniform, or it be a militant religious army wearing suits or rag-tag clothing --- we, as a nation must take the war to them, rather than letting them bring it to our neighborhoods.

If you saw a rabid dog running in your yard where your children are playing; would you just say, "Just leave it alone. It will go away soon." Or would you want your local authorities, your police or your military, to come and take that rabid dog out? You know the truth of this question, regardless of whether you are Liberal or Conservative, regardless of whether you are Democrat or Republican. Protection of our homes and family, protection of our cities and communities; protection of our nation --- should not be a political issue. It should be a high priority for everyone; not an issue one can use to work up the masses, just to win an election. Watch for those who are doing this --- and keep this in mind when you vote in the 2008 election.

Share this wee "spoof of truth" with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors --- all your FRANs. Let's keep our nations and our world free from terrorism, or any other kind of war --- by being ready to defend our nation and to take the war to them.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day

By: Bill Gray
Since becoming a born-again Christian in 1987, I have been doing a Christian writing ministry. After spending 42 years in the computer industry -- field engineering, sales, and marketing -- I retired in 1998 and began doing a full time Christian writing ministry via an e-mail ministry I call my Friends Ministry, a prayer chain I call the Worldwide Prayer Chain, and our Bill & Dory Gray Christian Ministries web site. You may reach me via e-mail at: billdory@pacbell.net or you may view our ministry web site.
http://www.BillDory-Christian-Ministries.com.

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Imagine you're a Special Op's Marine in Iraq. They're known as Force Recon. You're patrolling in the dead of night along the Tigress River. You're in a Humvee with three others, lookin’ for bad guys. It's hairy work. You often end up in the river inside your Humvee. You gotta' get out right now!

But wait a minute, the door won't open. You know why? Because the sucker weighs 500 pounds! That's with all the new armor plate placed on it, thanks to the news media and incompetent leadership that allows this kind of thing to happen. What does it all mean if you’re a Force Recon Marine?

Not to worry, there is a standard operating procedure for everything. You’re highly trained so what is one more nonsensical order. Our Force Recon Marines are scuba trained. They now carry scuba tanks (yes, in the desert) at the ready, in their Humvee’s. If they should find themselves in the water and in need of exiting their vehicle, they just suck air from their scuba tanks, find the special little shape charge they carry for this purpose and simply blow open, yes blow open, the 500 friggin’ pound door. Unbelievable! But it’s happening in our 'war on terror' as we speak. Do you think these warriors might be a little cynical?

As a young Marine back in 1965 a few months out of boot camp I found myself in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was in response to a Grenada like uprising in the filthy streets of the old Dominican city. It lasted maybe four days. I lasted one day before being wounded in the first act of political correctness I’d experienced. It was the first time I saw the stupidity of our modern version of war. It probably all began in the Korean War, whose participants in this country are truly the forgotten warriors.

In Santo Domingo, the 'rebels' had taken over the city in an attempt to overthrow the government. Our unit’s assignment was to go in and take back the radio station while other Marine units and the 82nd Airborne attended to other duties. Our rules of engagement for the conflict were that we could not use anything larger than our M-14's, an M-60 machine gun or grenades. That was it.

We were all young and didn’t know what we didn’t know, so off we went off full of adrenaline and excitement. We were crossing a couple hundred meters of dirt, advancing towards an old two story wooden building, when we were raked with machine gun fire. We did what Marines do, a frontal assault. It was really scary. They pinned us down for awhile but we advanced through the fire and eventually took the gun out.

Here is where it is well to note we had tanks. The big ones like in the movies. They could have removed the machine gun raking us with one big round of fire. But rules are rules and we assaulted the old way, pretending we didn’t have superior fire power, and the result ... four killed and thirty-six wounded. All self inflicted wounded because of our own rules of engagement. But I am proud to say we didn’t damage that old, dilapidated building.

The current Marine sniper ‘rules of engagement’ in Iraq is a booklet twenty-eight pages long. That's a short story. In Iraq the number of Marine snipers killed is approaching thirty. In Vietnam where I was a Marine sniper for two consecutive years, in all the years over there we didn’t have half that number. Our leaders would say "it's a different kind of war". It is different, political correctness has gone mad.

I doubt that the Marines landing on Iwo Jima had a twenty eight page rules of engagement booklet. I doubt that the soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy had JAG legal officers over their shoulders second guessing their every move from back in the land of Starbucks and 31 Flavors. It is awful for these brave young men and women.

One soldier recently told me of being on a patrol in Baghdad trying to set up defensive position using concertina razor wire and was stopped by a higher up who said, "You can't use that, it looks too aggressive." Last time I checked you win wars by imposing your will on the enemy. Too aggressive, that’s BS?

If we’re going to win the war on terror it’s not going to be under the direction of the low life John Edwards types, standing back cherry picking everyone’s action, then trying to use our western laws against our fighting men and women. We’re civil people but war isn't very civilized. It's a dirty business. If you’re going to commit our nation’s youth to battle then turn them loose and let them do the job. Bush wants a troop surge, send home the lawyers, make the bureaucrats in the green zone get out in the field and you have enough troops to win the war.

It is time to let your Congressman and Senators know that the political correctness of the war on terror is costing well over half the lives lost ... ask any returning vet. A young late thirties CIA dude home for a month from Iraq, told me recently that it is far easier to arrest someone for drunk driving than it is a terrorist in Iraq. As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that working for you?”

Come on America, wake up and make our leaders either do this thing right or get out.

By: Ed Kugler
Ed Kugler has been living change since the jungles of Vietnam where he was a Marine Sniper for two-years in the Vietnam War. He came home to a country he hadn't left and began work as a mechanic and truck driver. Since then he has worked his way into the executive suite of Frito Lay, Pepsi Cola and Compaq Computer where he was Vice President of Worldwide Logistics. He is the author of Dead Center - A Marine Sniper's Two Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War and many others. He makes change happen. http://www.nomorebs.com.

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My wife and I just got back from Washington DC, Memorial Day. We attended the 20th Anniversary of Rolling Thunder. That's the annual motorcycle event honoring POW's and MIA's from the Vietnam Era. That's the guys our government left behind. Unbelievable! The Park Service announced there were between 275,000 and 300,000 motorcycles riding up Constitution Avenue, past the Capitol and back down the other side to the Wall. You know the Wall, the one with over 58,000 names of those killed in Vietnam.

We went on the invitation of my old Gunny from Nam. He trained us as snipers in 1966. It turns out he is one of the founders of this great event. So me and a couple of my sniper team had a reunion of sorts with us and about a million other people who made the trek to DC. It was something, riding up front with the Gunny. It was even more so seeing the hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets in support of the effort.

While I was there I met a young Marine, a sniper no less. I was a sniper and served two consecutive years in the Vietnam War. So this guy was one of my own. Get this ... 25 years old and home from his fourth, countem', four seven month tours in Iraq. A Marine, a sniper, lots of combat. I wish everyone could meet him and hear what I heard. What an honor for me to listen to this guy make more sense than our President.

He says to me, "What’s wrong with the American People?" Now that's a good question. He says, "They're up the street there on Capitol Hill wasting time talking about how long we'll have to stay in Iraq. Hell, we're still in Korea, Japan and Germany. What's wrong with us?" He's got one heckuva’ point. What is wrong with us? I guess other than being the spoiled brats of the world.

You see we have the luxury in this country to debate crap like that. We debate gay rights, animal rights, environmental rights, you name it. All while people are starving everywhere, even in our country. Forget your politics for a minute. I'm a Marine and before you write me off to be some right wing war monger, I’m not. I didn’t think we should go to Iraq. Saddam was already a paper tiger. But you know what, we did. We did! And 99.5% of the bozos in DC we elected voted to go to war.

So where does that leave us? We removed a horrible Dictator. We established a presence next to Iran’s Abinnanutjob. We screwed up the prosecution of the war because there are more Chief’s than in any war and way too few Indians to fight it. What you don’t see on TV is that in the ‘Green Zone’, the safe part of Baghdad, they have Starbucks and 31 Flavors while the guys on the outside get blown to bits. We have more lawyers over there ‘advising’ than we do medics. I met a CIA fellow home for a month from Iraq who told me that he couldn’t count the pages in his Rules of Engagement Manual. He said it is far easier to arrest someone for DUI than it is to detain a terrorist. What is wrong with the American People?

And now we have Congress debating publicly exactly when we should leave a war. For Gods sake this isn’t a picnic we’re talking about. Didn’t we learn anything from Vietnam? Every single Iraqi who ever supported us is dead if we pullout. It's that simple. My 25 year old Sergeant friend knows it. Why don’t we? Where is our illustrious media? Why aren’t they informing the American people what happened on the fall of Saigon? Or maybe it’s not politically correct to paint the North Vietnamese to be the murderers they really were. At a cookout while in DC I met a Vietnamese woman who was rescued as a child escaping after the fall of Saigon. Her father was just released from a ‘reeducation camp’ three years ago. He served nearly 30 years. His crime? He was a South Vietnamese Army Officer. The fate of the Iraqi’s will be far worse given the enemy over there.

I talk about and teach change to businesses across America. So to the masses I say, its time for a change. Forget Republican and Democrat ... that's what got us into this mess. We have to stop putting up with the never ending talk in Washington. Let’s let them know its time for a change. Write your Congressman and Senators, email them; crash their inboxes. What is wrong with America? We’re asleep at the wheel.

It's been said that evil conquers when good men do nothing. We live in a time when the news covers more of Paris Hilton going to jail, poor thing, than digging up the do nothing officials we have spending our money in Washington. You have moron’s out there who have made the Marine humvee’s so heavy with armor that our Recon teams have to carry scuba gear in case end up in the river they can suck air while they set a charge to blow their 500 pound doors open – under water!

I'm not for war and I'm not for the Iraq War. But you know what, we started it, so lets let these kids end it. If you go to war then let them fight. I heard stories from some Army guys who couldn’t put up concertina wire around their night positions in the streets because it would look ‘too aggressive’. It’s a shame. These kids are fired up to help democracy prevail, let's finish what we started or we’ll have choppers on the rooftops all over again. It’ll be welcome to Saigon 1975 for the good people of Iraq. Don’t sit back and let it happen again. Wake up and smell the cordite from the battles a half a world away. The time is now!

By: Ed Kugler
Ed Kugler has been living change since the jungles of Vietnam where he was a Marine Sniper for two-years in the Vietnam War. He came home to a country he hadn't left and began work as a mechanic and truck driver. Since then he has worked his way into the executive suite of Frito Lay, Pepsi Cola and Compaq Computer where he was Vice President of Worldwide Logistics. He is the author of Dead Center - A Marine Sniper's Two Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War and many others. He makes change happen. http://www.nomorebs.com.

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