Why Are We Still There?????

POPEYE

WHY ARE WE STILL THERE????

Every day there are news reports about more deaths. Every night on TV there are photos of death and destruction.

Why are we still there?

We occupied this land, which we had to take by force, but it causes us nothing but trouble.

Why are we still there?

Many of our children go there and never come back.

Why are we still there?

Their government was unstable, and they had loopy leadership.

Why are we still there?

Many of their people are uncivilized.

Why are we still there?

The place is subject to natural disasters, which we are supposed to bail them out of.

Why are we still there?

There are more than 1000 religious sects, which we do not understand.

Why are we still there?

Their folkways, foods and fads are unfathomable to ordinary Americans.

Why are we still there?

We can't even secure the borders.

Why are we still there?

They are billions of dollars in debt and it will cost billions more to rebuild, which we can't afford.

Why are we still there?

It is becoming clear ...

WE MUST PULL OUT OF CALIFORNIA

Gillian3

Ha! Ha!

Dasher

Well, at least California belongs to us!

LivindonSouth

Like most people, I assumed you meant Iraq. I don't know why we are still 'there' either, except that we probably can't figure out the right way to actually get out. It's surely not as simple as cutting and running. I don't know what the options might be. I'm not sorry we went in, just concerned that we can't figure out these things up-front with a way to do the thing and get out.



"Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot."
Charlie Chaplin

HRinFL

I guess my viewpoints are a little clearer after my post in the ACLU thread. I am not one that thinks the war in Iraq was wrong. We continue to get information that people that are known to pose a threat to us and our way of life spent time in Iraq, either because they felt the country was a safe harbor for them, or for training with terrorist cells, whether those were related to Bib Laden or other groups sponsored by Iran, Jordan, Sudan, Afghanistan, or whatever other -stan country they came from. I have watched and listened to the debates and believe that we are adding fuel to the fire by letting this issue divide our nation.


IMHO, we are still there because the Iraqi people have not been able to think for themselves for so long that they need someone to help maintain order, to give them time to work through developing a Consitution and government that will allow them the greatest chance to become a successful democracy. Our model will not work for them, because of the conditions resulting from their religion, so they need time to gain the tools to develop a system of government that can move forward independently. What a responsibility for those leaders to face! It serves no purpose for us, or any other nation, for the Iraqi people to gain this freddom that they tried unsuccessfully to achieve, to then fall back into the throws of power hungry Amins or warlords eager to rise to power. I wonder when we were fighting to gain our independence from the "Mother Country," if the French had this discussion about their soldiers here on our land helping us become the beacon of freedom we are today?

Whenever I start to feel blue, I start breathing again!