In response to the "Iraq Protests Disrespects Fallen Heroes" letter:

The sentiment that we should end the war now does not "directly disrespect" fallen soldiers, as your letter suggests.

Direct disrespect would come in the form of a statement like, "US soldiers and marines in Iraq don't need fully armored vehicles," or "US soldiers and marines in Iraq exaggerate the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," or "It's ok that the Bush administration changed its justification for sacrificing the lives of US soldiers and marines because no WMDs were ever found."

America is no more free or not free than any other country in the world. The great circulation of wealth in this country may lead the declining middle class to believe that our country is "freer' than other countries. However, our political and social freedoms do not stand out from any other country. In fact, in some ways we are considerably worse off than other industrialized nations with our huge prison population, lack of social welfare, lack of healthcare, unrepresentive government, ect.. what could we possibly impart in the way of freedom to a country with history like Iraq?

War also has nothing to do with imparting freedom. It is a socio-economic function of desperation that governments resort to when other tactics have failed.

As for disrespecting the alleged sacrifice of American Soldiers, the facts speak for themselves. Nearly 4000 U.S. soldiers dead, a roughly estimated 100,000 Iraqis dead, and a giant 'free for all' civil war in the what was once the cradle of civilization. Pointing out obvious facts does no disrespect to anyone, it just sheds light on the truth.

Lucas Carter
shipwrights local 1184

In response to the "Iraq Protests Disrespects Fallen Heroes" letter:

To those who suggest that speaking out against the war in Iraq is paramount to “not supporting the troops,” I wish to respond.
• Sending troops into battle to kill and be killed under false pretenses and in an illegal war does not support the troops.
• Sending troops into a war with no planning for the peace, or lack thereof, is not supporting the troops.
• Sending troops into battle without the proper supplies to keep from being killed or wounded does not support the troops.
• Sending reserves to fight on the front line and pushing our volunteer force to its brink is not supporting the troops.
• Keeping troops in the middle of a bloody civil war for the sake of saving face is not supporting the troops.
The argument is often made that to speak out in times of war is to undermine unity during a time of crisis. However, it is during these times, when lives are literally on the line every passing moment, that dissent and questioning our leaders is most necessary. The stakes are too high to pass on our responsibility as informed citizens. It is exactly because of the sacrifice of our troops that many of us feel the need to speak out against the war. In my mind, there is no greater act of support for them than that.

Nicholas Tichy
Junior, Political Science & Journalism

In response to the "Iraq Protests Disrespects Fallen Heroes" letter:
Yes, our troops are being dishonored, but not by a memorial which commemorates the fallen and reminds people that our young soldiers are dying while we're blithely going about our daily lives.
We are involved in a quagmire in Iraq which cannot be solved militarily. This administration was determined to depose Sadam Hussein. Intelligence was fabricated to sell the American people a bill of goods. Our troops were and are being sent into an illegal war that should never have happened in the first place. The war has become a breeding ground for terrorism. Our standing in the world community has fallen to an all-time low because of our occupation of Iraq. This is dishonoring our troops.

ohhh ya. whoever wrote this letter is a hottie. :)