My Plan to End the War in Iraq

Here it is.

First off, let me tell you that I am against the War in Iraq, and nearly every member of the Bush Administration should be tried for war crimes and/or convicted of treason, in my opinion.

But please hear me out.

The US Congress should re-institute the draft. Every young man (I still think women should be allowed to volunteer for combat, but not be drafted) between the ages of 19 and 25 should be eligible, with no exceptions and no exemptions. Birthdays should be drawn every year in a nationwide lottery.

Next, congress should pass a special tax or surcharge, separate from your income tax, and charge every tax payer their share of the war. Sort of pay as you go, for as long as the war continues. There should be no bonding or deficit spending to fund this conflict.

Now, here's what will happen. If Americans truly support the President and Rumfeld's war in Iraq, they will now be able to share the sacrifice.

I believe it is too convenient for these fair weather fake Patriots to support this ill conceived, deceitful war. If the average American can support this conflict and carnage while their own sons are safe at home, with no threat to their safety, and can avoid any financial sacrifice by passing the cost of the war on to the deficit, they can mouth all that high sounding, jingoistic nonsense and get away with it.

But let each have to share the burden with their sons in harms' way, or even have to face the anxiety as their boys' birthdays come due on lottery day, and see paychecks $65 dollars lighter every week, then we'll see who is actually in favor of this war.

Well, that's how I feel. I'm sick of all these fake Patriots' bull-shit while someone else, or someone else's kid is fighting and dying.
Not one of those mother f**kers in the Administration has their kids in Iraq, so let's start there. No one can hide a birthday.

I kinda thought this was going to generate some response here.

It did at work today.

if the taxpayers donate their $ and flesh and blood to fight in wars, corporations should donate their bombs. As it is now, they only profit by it and don't hurt at all like everyone else involved. Would sure cut down on wars.

that the only way to end the war is by winning an election or persuading the assholes who are in now to end it.

If the voters don't feel the pain or share the burden, personally, they figure they can stay ill informed, put a "support the troops" bumper sticker on their cars, and call it a day.

Too many folks don't really care until it affects them directly and immediately.

We have drafted our kids to serve. Corporations have the rights of "persons", so we should also draft them.

Draft a GM assembly line to make tanks.

Draft a Dell Computer assembly line to make military electronics.

Draft a Halliburton subsidiary to get fuel to the war theater.

You get the idea ..... a corporate draft.

that kind of country now. People LIKE the faux patriotism and B.S. They like the little flags fluttering from their SUV antennae.

Pictures of amputee American soldiers, and extra tax money to fund the quagmire they don't like so much.

their kids and their money.

And then we will lose the war because not enough was at stake. The Iraqi people have everything at stake. This is why we lost Vietnam, and it is why we will lose Iraq.

The Pentagon has already come out and said we've lost the psychological war. Nearly all of the Iraqi people are becoming "insurgents." They are fighting for their lives and independence. If they give up, they will be accepting a government that is not their own and who will allow American military bases to reside in their country for an indeterministic period. What would Americans do if a country invaded the United States because they felt and believed (maybe even with false evidence) that George Bush was a war criminal by international law and an imminent threat to their nation. Would we all sit down and allow it to happen? What would we do if they captured our men and tortured them as we did to the Iraqis. Would we believe it was just a handful of soldiers. I think not.

Except for the soldiers and their families, the American people are making no sacrifices for this war. It's easy to support a war when you don't feel the pain the war is inflicting. You can't experience the financial pain of your children and their children because the financial repurcussions of this war will devastate our future economy.

Remember what happened to the other country that tried to spread an ideaology throughout Europe by waging pre-emptive wars...? Remember what happened to them and their country's economy after the war? What happened to our country after the Vietnam war was finally over? There is a price to pay, but you and I are not bearing that cost. Our children will, for many years to come. It is really quite tragic that the current administration will continue taking us on this path into darkness.

everything of a few and nothing of most in America” – Myra McPherson

My grandfather sent four sons into WWII. He was no different than most other Americans at the time.

They believed in their cause. They sacrificed together. They paid their tax increase without complaining. They knew what was at stake.

They rationed and shared.

People will do that for what they believe in.

This war is wrong, unjust, illegal, and poorly planned.

Once a majority of Americans are forced to share in the sacrifice, they would pay attention, confront the facts and demand an end.

now. They think shrub is great (deep red area in a red state). They believe in the war (although even they recognize it's not so great). They are rich. (Definitely inside the top one percent income wise.) They would never make any sacrifice for this war voluntarily. Tax cuts are a fetish with these folks. You'll never catch them recommending any of their kids join the service.

I'm all in favor of getting out of Iraq as soon as possible, but do we just split and leave the civilians in the hole, with limited defense forces, a weak government, and a fractured infrastructure?

Same argument I heard for ten years during that war.

Whatever vacuum will exist if we leave today, will be there ten years and 50,000 American lives from now.

The vacuum will be filled by Shiite Muslims, either now or later. Bush f**ked up and no amount of brave soldiers can bail out his sorry ass.

honest, by the Constitution, government. We aren't anymore. We have to become subversives to get our government back. We don't even need military, honestly we don't.

that's the way it should be. If it's so righteous, all for one, one for all. It blows; we should not even be there to begin with.

BC'04 bumper stickers, doncha know. :silly: Now that's a sacrifice. :eyes:

I was listening to some radio program go on about some Support the Troops effort they were running, and they talked about bumper stickers you could put on your car, with some special adhesive on the back that was guaranteed not to mess up your paint, so you really had nothing to lose by sporting one.

Just seemed rather fucked up when I heard it.

Not even willing to mess up the paint on their precious vehicles! True patriots! :silly:

The invasion and occupation is a disaster yet you still believe it's "winnable"

Why wait for the draft? Just go sign-up now.

You're living in fantasyland if you think there would be a draft with no deferments.

We both agree that the war was a mistake and a miscalculation of monumental proportions. However, when you realize you are running in the wrong direction the solution is not to double your speed.

Too many Americans support the war because there is no personal risk.

Add the risk, end the war.