LTTE that pissed me off, and my reply:

[krispos42]

DEATHS IN IRAQ

Put them in perspective

The Nov. 7 Star Tribune proclaimed in big bold type proclaims that 853 soldiers were killed in Iraq this year.

How about a headline which puts the war dead in perspective? Minnesota alone is on target for a total of 500 people to be killed in traffic accidents this year. More than 12,000 people have been murdered in the United States since January.

A total of 853 soldiers killed protecting this country from terrorist attacks doesn't seem so bad compared to the carnage that occurs every day in the United States. It is probably safer to be in Iraq that walking down a street in a major U.S. city or driving on one of our overcrowded roads. So let's not get so excited about casualties in Iraq.

HAROLD OLSON, MINNEAPOLIS

http://www.startribune.com/563/story/1540826.html

This is my response that I sent in. I don't know if they'll print it or not. But it made me feel damn good to write it!!!!

This is in response to Saturday's letter by Harold Olson.

Mr. Olson, the entire worth of your "put them in perspective" letter is that the soldiers died "protecting this country from terrorists attacks." If this were true, then your letter would be accurate.

However, they our boys engaged in the occupation of Iraq are not dying to protect us from terrorism. They are dying to secure long-term American oil companies control of MidEast oil, and in the process making Republican industries such as Big Oil, Big Defense, and security & military contractors rich with "cost-plus" contracts, no auditing, and no oversight. They are dying so that Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney can claim sweeping powers and immunity to criticism as a "war president" and continue to terrorize the populace. They are dying so Republicans can rape the Treasury then shrug and say "Gee, looks like there's no money for S-CHIP or infrastructure. I guess they're going to have to go private instead!" And they are dying because the inflated egos of the Republicans will not admit they were wrong to invade in the first place.

And, ultimately, we are losing in Iraq because the warmongering Republicans do not have the moral or political courage to do what is necessary to "win" (as they define it) in Iraq, namely, instituting a draft to flood Iraq with troops for a decade, nationalizing the defense industry to keep them supplied, and creating war taxes to pay for it. The Republicans don't even have the moral courage to take care of our wounded boys properly.

Regardless of original intent, the Iraq Invasion and Occupation that we were lied into is now a cash cow for Republican-dominated industries, businessmen and corporations that, in the next few election cycles, will have tons of money to give to the GOP. And that is the most shameful aspect of this entire endeavor.

[unpossibles]

1. bravo

I suggest that anyone who declares that Iraq is safer should go over there and help it be even more so.

[NMMNG]

2. Mr. Olson also forgets

That there are more than 300,000,000 people in the USA, nearly 5,000,000 in Minnesota, and about 150,000 US troops in Iraq. That's a substantial difference that explains why there are more deaths here than there. But don't expect RWers to understand it.

[ThoughtCriminal]

3. They are REALLY bad at math

Which also helps explain the national debt. Right wingers suffer from innumeracy.

[NMMNG]

6. They're really bad at everything

Except hating and harming.

[baldguy]

10. How many college students in MN have died this year?

I doubt more than 50

[Clark2008]

4. You have a typo

You wrote:

"However, they our boys engaged in the occupation of Iraq are not dying to protect us from terrorism."

Shouldn't that be:

However, our boys engaged in the occupation of Iraq are not dying to protect us from terrorism. No "they?"

[krispos42]

7. Ah, shit.

Well, I already sent it. Oopsie! :banghead:

[Joe Chi Minh]

12. Commas after "they" and "boys", to denote apposition, would have corrected

the sense of the words, wouldn't they? I imagine the "our boys" was interpolated by way of clarification.

[krispos42]

13. I mean to change "they" to "our boys"

And of course I forgot to delete the "they".

<slaps forehead>

[Joe Chi Minh]

14. I imagine most of us have done that sort of thing; well, do it all the time!

[RoBear]

15. Not to beat a dead horse, but

the commas should be after boys and Iraq.

However, parentheses before boys and after Iraq would be better.

Best solution is just to omit the "they," as you suggest.

GOOD LETTER, THOUGH!!!

[krispos42]

16. *whipcrack*

:rofl:

Yeah, it either needed a deleted word or a couple of commas! Well, maybe the folks up at the Strib will fix it for me...

[Jane Austin]

5. That is a GREAT letter!

I'm going to save it for reference.

[MasonJar]

8. They certainly should print it. Let us know!!!!!!!!!

[krispos42]

17. Oh, I'm sure it's too long or something. Or too "inflammatory".

<sigh> Well, the struggle goes on...

[NanceGreggs]

9. Off to the Greatest Page with ya!

Excellent letter!

:applause:

[krispos42]

11. Thank you!

An honor, coming from a distinguised essayist such as yourself!

:-)

[alteredstate]

18. Thank you for responding to the LTTE

Harold Olson is an asshole.

[immoderate]

19. Harold Olson not only doesn't care about the war dead...

He appears to be unmoved by the accident and murder victims. Apparently it's all OK with him.

The only thing he left out is that if these people were not in the war they might have been either run down or shot (or both) in Minnesota.

On edit: I forgot to say your letter was good.

--IMM

[Vickers]

20. "It is probably safer to be in Iraq that walking down a street in a major U.S. city"

Every Repuke that I have ever heard say something like this has never been in a combat zone (or even in the military).

[krispos42]

21. Yeah, if you're walking in an armed and armored convory

Of course, I'd feel pretty safe walking throuogh Detroit with a white robe and hood if I had an armed and armored convoy with me as well.

He's a loony, definately. I hope he's enjoying the black Muslim representing him in Congress... :evilgrin:

[krispos42]

22. Update: not published today

Tomorrow, hopefully.