Email for help from Marine in Iraq.
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| Mon, 05-03-2004 - 9:08pm |
I am taking time to ask you all for your help.
First off, I'd like to say that this is not a political message. I'm not concerned about domestic politics right now. We have much bigger things to deal with, and we need your help.
It seems that despite the tremendous and heroic efforts of the men and women serving here in Iraq to bring much needed peace and stability to this region, we are losing the war of perception with the media and American people. Our enemy has learned that the key to defeating the mighty American military is by swaying public opinion at home and abroad. We are a people that cherish the democratic system of government and therefore hold the will of the people in the highest regard. We love to criticize ourselves almost to an endless degree, because we care what others think. Our enemies see this as a weakness and are trying to exploit it.
When we ask ourselves questions like, "Why do they hate us?" or "What did we do wrong?" we are playing into our enemies' hands. Our natural tendency to question ourselves is being used against us to undermine our effort to do good in the world. How far would we have gotten if after the surprise attacks on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, we would have asked, "Why do the Japanese hate us so much?" or "How can we change ourselves so that they won't do that again?" Here in Iraq the enemy is trying very hard to portray our efforts as failing and fruitless. They kill innocents and desecrate their bodies in hopes that the people back home will lose the will to fight for liberty. They are betting on our perceived weakness as a thoughtful, considerate people. Unfortunately our media only serves to further their cause.
In an industry that feeds on ratings and bad news, a failure in Iraq would be a goldmine. When our so-called "trusted" American media takes a quote from an Iraqi doctor as the gospel truth over that of the men and women that are daily fighting to protect the right to freedom of press, you know something is wrong. That doctor claimed that out of 600 Iraqis, that were casualties of the fighting, the vast majority of them were women, children and the elderly. This is totally absurd. In the history of man, no one has spent more time and effort, often to the detriment of our own mission, to be more discriminate in our targeting of the enemy than the American military. The Marines and Soldiers serving in Iraq have gone through extensive training in order to limit the amount of innocent casualties and collateral damage.
Yet, despite all of this, our media consistently sides with those who openly lie and directly challenge the honor of our brave heroes fighting for liberty and peace. What we have to remember is that peace is not defined as an absence of war. It is the presence of liberty, stability, and prosperity. In the face of the horrendous tyranny of the former Iraqi regime, the only way true peace was able to come to this region was through force. That is what the American Revolution was all about. Have we forgotten? Freedom is not free and "peace" without principle is not peace. The peace that so-called "peace advocates" support can only be brought to Iraq through the military. And we are doing it, if only the world will let us! If the American people believe we are failing, even if we are not, then we will ultimately fail.
That is why I am asking for your support. Become a voice of truth in your community. Wherever you are fight the lies of the enemy. Don't buy into the pessimism and apathy that says, "It's hopeless," "They hate us too much," "That part of the world is just too messed up," "It's our fault anyway," "We're to blame," and so forth. Whether you're in middle school, working at a 9-5 job, retired, or a stay-at-home mom you can make a huge difference! There is nothing more powerful than the truth. So, when you watch the news and see doomsday predictions and spiteful opinions on our efforts over here, you can refute them by knowing that we are doing a tremendous amount of good. Spread the word. No one is poised to make such an amazing contribution to the everyday lives of Iraqis and the rest of the Arab world than the American Armed Forces. By making this a place where liberty can finally grow, we are making the whole world safer. Your efforts at home are directly tied to our success. You are the soldiers at home fighting the war of perception. So I'm asking you as a fellow fighting man: Do your duty. Stop the attempts of the enemy wherever you are. You are a mighty force for good, because truth is on your side. Together we will win this fight and ensure a better world for the future.
God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
1st Lt. Robert L. Nofsinger USMC
Ramadi, Iraq "

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And if we don't speak up now, we may remain there.
How dare you make statements like that. Exactly what proof do you have to back up that statement. 'Bring it on' showed exactly the cowboy sentiment of this administration. He was gloating then but not when this whole Iraq mess is about to blow up in his face. I am an American left winger as you put it and I am by far not a terrorists best friend. I would like you please provide some facts to prove what you are saying.
C
Well, if Cons had not been so anxious to lead us into an unnecessary war, the soldiers wouldn't be in Iraq.
Couldn't agree with you more.....fear mongering and untruths to fight a war they had no business getting involved ing.
And I dare to make statements like this because this is what I believe. I have a freedom here in America to express my opinions. My opinion is absolutely that the American left-wing is the terrorists' best friend.
OUR left wing feeds the enemy propaganda to use. OUR left wing has made a bigger story out of the mistreatment of the Iraqi soldiers than aobut the dragging of INNOCENT Americans through the streets naked and hanging them from bridges. Why is there MORE outrage for the mistreatment of murderous thugs than for innocent Americans? To me its like saying that you take a guy here that has maliciously mass murdered innocent people, for example say Jeffrey Dahmer. If it had come out that the prison guards had humiliated him and even beat him up, I don't see much outrage about it here because the focus was on the crimes HE committed. Not so with these murderers. I'm not condoning mistreating them, but I do say that this story is feeding the Anti-American propaganda machine and OUR left wing is largely responsible. This is just one example. They also propagandize FOR the enemy by constantly comparing this conflict to a war THAT WE LOST. This really gives the enemy hope. They can listen to their own propaganda and OUR propaganda against our own country and be inspired to keep on fighting. To kill more Americans.
minnie
You do realize that it turns out to be more than just this one prison?
I am concerned about the uneven coverage from the news media, as I have expressed before. When our INNOCENTS were dragged through the streets and hung on bridges it didn't get a scintilla of the amount of new coverage this has gotten. When the "mainstream" muslims dance in the streets when our innocents are murdered, very little coverage. When a pregnant Israeli woman is murdered with her four children, the story is practically ignored. The fact that it has now been discovered that the "no" votes from the UN Security council came from countries who were BRIBED by Saddam Hussain is practically ignored by our press.... But give them something that could dishearten Americans against this war and it gets coverage 24/7.
This has not been "swept under the rug". The president has personally guaranteed that these people will be held accountable. We are talking about a very few, not even close to the entire military, and I resent all implications and innuendo that this is widespread among our brave men and women who are risking their lives.
All I can say is that we can only control our own behavior...and perhaps that is why there is such a response to this.
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