Effects of Iraq war vary dramatically in USA
By Rick Hampson, USA TODAY
Fri Mar 17, 6:52 AM ET
Snip...
Fourteen percent say they've been personally affected for the better (down from 37% in April 2003) and 39% for worse (up from 16%). More than half say they have close friends, relatives or co-workers who have served in Iraq, and 12% say one of those people was killed or wounded there. Snip...
Feelings pour out
Asked how the war has touched them, many people talk about their feelings:
• Impotence. "There's a feeling that we're the last superpower, but we can't get the lights on in Baghdad," says Mueller, the Ohio State professor. "You don't even hear the word 'superpower' as much any more."
•Patriotism. "We saw a convoy from Fort Campbell the other day, and there was a lot of honkin' and wavin' " from the passing vehicles, says Ron Johnson, 68, of Eddyville, Ky. "It was good to see."
•Apprehension. "During Vietnam, Lyndon Johnson said we can fight them there or fight them here, but no one believed it," Kazin says. "This time, there's more fear about what happens next..."
•Gratitude. The U.S. military effort in Iraq "makes me feel more secure about the problem of terrorism," says Nira Rubin, who drives to high school in North Miami Beach with three yellow ribbon magnets on her van...
• Discouragement. "For a generation, Americans will be much less apt to support missions like Iraq," Segal says...
•Guilt. "We have the luxury of being over here, griping about how the war's going...
•Conflict. "The war has polarized people," says Sam Duncan, 35, of Houston...
•Grief. Lee is among the 50% in the poll who say they've cried because of something related to the war....
more..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060317/ts_usatoday/effectsofiraqwarvarydramaticallyinusa
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