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11/01/2005
Listening to the Radio - Iraq
Talk radio is the disinformation side of the radio spectrum. However, there have been several interesting radio shows that have recently aired on NPR. I have written about the Commonwealth Club’s speaker in a recent blog. And over the weekend I heard an interesting show on “This American Life.” For the majority of you out there I assume you don’t know about the radio show: “This American Life.” This radio show is in a reality radio type format where the reporter talks to a person and asks questions in a timeline order in order to tell a story. In general there are usually three different stories in an hour-long show. Each show usually has a theme. This week the theme was the life of a soldier in Iraq. I missed the first story, but I heard the last two.
The most interesting story was based on a National Guard unit from Arkansas. The reporters interviewed several soldiers in this unit. He asked the commanding officer questions about the soldier’s physical stature when he first saw them. He asked them about the unit’s attitude and how it developed over about eight months. The unit started out as a rather older group of guys that had become set in their ways. They weren’t interested in working out or getting into shape. They were under the impression that they would never actually go over to the actual war zone. They believed that they were to old – being in their late thirties and early forties. Gradually they got into better shape, and they were shipped to Iraq. The whole thing didn’t seem real to most of the guys until at their tenth hour in Iraq one of the guys in their unit was killed by a roadside bomb. The death shocked the whole unit into the reality of the situation.
One of the guys in the unit began to suffer loss of feeling on one side of his body. They sent him to Germany where the doctors discovered that one of his discs in his back was rubbing up against his spinal cord, causing the numbness. He was sent home, and the other guys in his unit thought that he had lied to get out of Iraq. There was great animosity that is documented in the radio program.
Several more members of their unit were killed and the story is just compellingly sad. It just makes you want to scream at George W Bush and show him the pain he is causing without anything to show for it.
This American Life Archive - Jan 7, 2005
14:15 Posted in Politics | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this | Tags: Politics
Comments
I am in the Navy (soon to retire). I was completeing a tour of the Persian Gulf when 9/11 happened. I was on the aircraft carrier that started the liberation of Afhganistan and we bombed the taliban and rebels for 2-1/2 months before being relieved. That was my 4th deployment, it was almost 8 months long. Granted, I have not sacrificed as much as many of these national guard guys, or as much as some marines and army and special forces but.......I will try to explain to you while it is necessary to do this.
Terrorism is the result of fanatics who are financed by wealthy individuals and organizations who are basically fighting a war for their economic/power status quo. The governments and organizations that give money and protection to these individuals who sponser, train, and recruit these fanatics must be stopped. The only way to stop terrorism is by the will of the people or by overwhelming force(Sadam Hussien Vs. Kurds and Mussolini Vs. Mafia). Since America doesn't like to slaughter people (i know some who read this will disagree), We are attempting to install a democracy smack dab in the middle of it all. This will allow freedom to spread and the will of the people to defeat terrorism. Also, we promised those very same people support after Gulf war I and then failed to deliver on our promise (we three kings). That is the plan. I for one, believe in it.
Posted by: tfreridge | 11/01/2005
"We are attempting to install a democracy smack dab in the middle of it all. "
There are 72 countries in the world without Democracy. Are we supposed to invade them all and impose our will on them until they come up with a government that we like? The plan makes no sense. George W Bush invaded a country in the Middle East out of his admittedly emotional reasons. We, the citizens of the US are paying for his mistake. After we leave there won't be a Democracy, instead it will be a Theocracy and we will still be in danger after we spent all of this blood and treasure.
Terrorists can not be forced out of existence. The people need to won over, and we are doing the exact opposite of what is needed to be done.
Posted by: Dr. Forbush | 11/01/2005
Dr. Forbush,
I'd be interested in hear your criticism of Dr. Barnett, who was a Gore and Kerry voter
"What that Big Bang strategy really means is that we are trying to start a profound, region-wide tumult that will reorder the Middle East for the better. Guess what? That means more terrorism, instability, and mass violence in the short-run, not less. This reality gets lost in all the nonsensical talk about “bringing democracy to Iraq.” The Big Bang may eventually trigger such long-term developments, but in the short and medium run, it’s all about triggering change by destabilizing the brittle, authoritarian status quo that generates so much insecurity within the region and terrorism directed abroad. In short, the Big Bang purposefully seeks to redirect that terrorism back to the source."
http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives2/000191.html
Posted by: Dan | 12/01/2005
Fascinating article Dan, I guess that explains the insurgancy and sudden increase in activity.....that and the fact that Zaquari said that if the elections happen then they will have lost the war.
Posted by: tfreridge | 13/01/2005