Wednesday August 22, 2007 Almost four and a half years.

We entered World War 1 In 1917 and by November, 1918 it was over. We helped save Europe.(many countries never paid us for war debts)

We entered World War 2 in December 1941 and by August 1945 it was over. We helped save and rebuild Europe. We helped rebuild Japan. (We still have troops there after 62 years)

We entered the Korean War in 1950 and by 1953 it had ended. (We still have troops there 54 years later)

We entered into the Vietnam War in 1964, after the gulf of Tonkin incident, and pulled out in 1973 (the civil war in Vietnam ended in 1975). They found their own peace and we have no troops there. They rebuilt their own country.

4½ years ago we invaded Iraq. Our boys are still dying over there. There is still no peace. There is still no security. This could go on forever.

The conflict between Sunnis and Shiites has been going on for over 1300 years and it isn't going to end because of our interference. The Sunnis have been in control for most of those 1300 years(Saddam was a Sunni and had nationalized the oil industry, taking it away from western owners) and the Shiites want revenge. The Sunnis believe that they are right and the Shiites believe they are right and we are smack dab in the middle. We need to get out of there and let them come to their own conclusion.(without leaving any troops there)

As of Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2007, at least 3,707 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 3,046 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.


The British military has reported 168 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, South Korea, one death each.

Since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq, 27,506 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department's weekly tally.

Many of the wounded will carry extensive disabilities with them for decades to come. Their lives will always be altered by this war. There are many more emotional scars that don't show and will affect their lives as long as they live. These are the hidden wounds that don't show in the statistics.

Meanwhile, while we throw more lives and more money into the conflict, we ignore the sick and hungry and homeless people in our own country. We waste our resources on weapons and destruction when it could help to rescue our own. People are dying here at home from hunger and disease. Many people are still homeless in New Orleans. Many children don't get proper nutrition or health services. Many people don't know where their next meal will come from. And all the time, we overlook them to focus on another nation's problems and try to act as the world's police force. England tried that once. It didn't work.