B36 News - 25 August 2006

I was watching the news this morning and I heard one of the "experts" say that the issue of the war in Iraq should be avoided by those who supported it because of the fact that it's a failure. He supported his claim by citing recent polling data that shows that most (51%) Americans don't associate the war in Iraq with the war on terrorism.

This is extremely disheartening, but it's also very motivating. We're winning the war in Iraq. I'm willing to listen to a logical argument to the contrary, but I have yet to hear one. If we're winning the war, why do so many people think we aren't? Because they get their information from the media. Why is the media telling the American public that we're losing the war? What does it benefit the media to mislead the public? The motivation for this lie is an interesting topic, but what concerns me more is result of the lie and that is that the American media is truely and undeniably stabbing troops in the back.

The troops are the war. We are here to win the war. When the media portrays the war as being lost they are portraying the troops as losers. Please don't believe this lie and help your friends see through it as well.

And on a final note before I get to the news from Iraq, forgive me for a moment while I get a little tactical and call it like I see it:

Opposing the war and supporting the troops is bullshit. You spineless wimps who mindlessly bleat this motto need to stop and think for a second ... well, maybe longer in your case. How can you oppose the reason for the troops being here AND support the troops? The troops support the war, we're fighting it. If you don't support the war, you don't support me. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

MSM Good News?
As good as it can get I guess. I'll take what I can get with these people though. Baby steps, remember?

Amazingly, CBS had this to say about the progress of Together Forward:

"...in one west Baghdad neighborhood, killings have plummeted 85 percent. Since the security crackdown began in Baghdad, the murder rate citywide is down 41 percent. It's progress — but it's been less than three weeks..."

The whole article follows pretty much the same track. Talk of progress with a smattering of negativity. The tone of the article led me to believe that this progress upset the reporter and, try as he might, he just couldn't twist it into another knife to stab us in the back with.

MORE MSM Good News?!
Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. In this one, the reporter only takes one subtle jab at negativity, claiming that...

"The scene of American forces sitting casually with Iraqis is a rare sight in many parts of Iraq, especially in dangerous Baghdad and Anbar province, where the little that American troops see of the country is usually through bulletproof glass."

(picture is of me standing casually with Iraqis in "dangerous Baghdad", see the smiles?)

I'd like to know how she came to that conclusion. Probably not from the hundreds of convoys she went on to visit local leaders. Anyway, to the reporter's credit she quickly turns that frown upside-down:

"In the relative quiet of Shiite-dominated southern Iraq, the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, is moving forward with ambitious reconstruction efforts, planning to spend $15 million in a yearlong deployment compared to $2 million spent by the units it replaced over the previous 18 months."

Going Towards the Gunshots
How many people do you know that upon hearing gunfire or explosions would move towards those sounds? That's exactly what these troops in Ramadi are doing. These guys rolled into the middle of downtown Ramadi and started setting up a base camp. As one company commander put it:

“This is like the enemy putting a little safe house next to our chow hall,” said Capt. Michael P. McCusker, commander of Warrior Company, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment. “They don’t like this at all. Things will be getting very energetic here over the next few days.”

"Energetic," that's code for "lots of fighting." Ladies and gentlemen, running away from the fight will not win anything. Moving towards the fight, towards the bombs and bullets is how we win. It's how we stop those who plant bombs and fire bullets.

In whatever manner you pray, say a special prayer for these guys. They're getting rid of bad guys that would cut your throat as quick as they would swat a fly if they could.