If you all want this to be a numbers game let's look at the numbers. D-Day WWII 3,343 American soldiers KIA. That was one day folks. As far as innocent women and children estimates for Japan and Germany alone reach upwards of 10,000 daily from carpet bombings and other strikes.

In WWII we lost over 400,000* American lives, and had almost 670,000* wounded.

One of the biggest problems in Iraq faced by our military is a war unlike any ever fought. If we fought in Iraq to decisively win like in WWII there would be no Iraq. Our current military power is such that with conventional weapons we could decimate entire populations in just a matter of weeks. America and it's valiant allies are fighting this war with a level of restraint never before seen in the history of mankind.

How badly is this war hurting you here in America? Are the ration lines too long? Are you able to get to work on your fuel rations? Are you being cared for as the government annexes your business or materials for the war effort? No because this is a relatively low cost war. By comparison WWII again cost America approximately $2,091,300,000.00* in '90s dollars. Yes folks that’s over two trillion.

Can we win this new war? Only time will tell, and only history can judge.

*
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/other/stats/warcost.htm

Forget the sad stats of our wars, and remember that those folks are people like us. This war is a disaster plain and simple; and history will find no other verdict.

Datilis makes a very strong argument for the money and human price paid as well as the lack of impact on our American Way of Life. I agree, were this an all out war, Iraq would be a glass parking lot and there would be worldwide outrage over our actions. History has shown that the US military has undertaken more humanitarian effort in wartime, post-war and in peacetime than any other nation.

The problem is we are trying to offer democracy to a region which cannot tolerate democratic principles. Equality, tolerance, freedom and peace are counterintuitive to hundreds of years of Islamic rule. These are not people like us. These are people who punish, intimidate and subjugate any freedom. Prinicples they hold as a standard would be found criminal in our society. Yes, they are human beings, but their society, chosen or not, places them in direct conflict with any civilized society.

What we are presented with is factionalized, fanatic terrorism which has lead to anarchy. For us to presume we can politically stabilize this region looks good on paper but is unrealistic because we are no longer dealing with a society, rather a series of broken religious doctrine. These people are fighting to preserve intolerance, fear and ultimately ignorance. The idea of bombing these people back to the stone age is redundant as they are striving to remain there.

If this were war and not an attempt to bring democracy to people who don't understand it, it would have been over with many fewer US soldiers dead or injured and virtually all of the Iraqi male population dead. We are certainly capable of such an outcome but this goes against our principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, in that order.

If you want something to really be upset about, keep your eye on Bechtel and the other vultures who benifit from and feed the extended conflict. Watch the IMF, they really run the world.

HELLO OUT THERE IN THE LAND OF IN-SENSITIVITY: That's just one of the instigating problems fueling this inhumane 'war' of destruction to the Iraq country and MURDERS/WAR CRIMES
of the occupied/oppressed Iraqi peoples:HUMAN BEINGS
with real feelings JUST LIKE US!!! Who in God's name gives you, ( or the U.S.=us), the right to invade, "smart?bomb" to DEATH & MAIMING of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT (of ANY crimes against U.S.= us) CIVILIAN GOOD, YES GOOD!!!, GOD-FEARING HUMAN BEINGS??? What in God's name gives the U.S.=us the belligerant attitude of "superiority???" to, in absolute ignorance, JUDGE persons who may be "different" than we Americans, as regards THEIR beliefs, religious doctrines, & standards??? During these past, sad, 4 years, I have asked hundreds of times--as I ask again now: HOW THE ____ WOULD YOU, THE U.S.=US, FEEL IF OR WHEN ANOTHER NATION (ADJUDGING THE U.S.=US "goody-two-shoes-americans"
worthy of nothing less than extinction..a peoples ruled by & accepting & living by the lowest form of HYPOCRISIES,GREEDS,& CALLOUS INDIFFERENCE TO THE SUFFERINGS WE, THE U.S., INFLICT UPON OTHERS)--attack, destroy, "smart??bomb" OUR husbands, sons, wives, daughters? And NOT hundreds or 2-3 thousand, but HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of OUR civilians??? And, then, have the un-mitigated GALL to remain & OCCUPY OUR UNITED STATES OF AMERICA? And, not to mention other cruel & EVIL in-dignities perpetrated upon OUR little daughters, innocents raped & SEEING THEIR FAMILY MURDERED BY THE PERPETRATING 'BRAVE SOLDIERS' IN ORDER TO, (in the lowest cowardice), GET RID OF ADULT WITNESSES TO THEIR BARBAROUS & EVIL, YES EVIL!, ACTS??? I am asking ALL OF YOU to STOP your idiotic false judgements--STOP taking this non-thinking-follow-the-leader stance--retrieve whatever MORALITY your parents/grandparents/teachers/priests,rabbis,ministers/attempted to instill in you--and, for God's sake, ASK ASK ASK yourself: "HOW WOULD/WILL I FEEL? WHAT WOULD/WILL I DO?" If such a scenario should happen here, in our U.S.--& don't kid yourself, considering the enemies the U.S. HAS MADE abroad in not ONLY The Far East but in Europe, Asia..across the planet, it sure as ____ could AND MAY HAPPEN RIGHT HERE, TO YOU, TO ME!!! I believe in, and ascribe to, the ever-existant UNIVERSAL LAW OF RETRIBUTION: sooner OR later we get exactly, precisely WHAT WE GIVE! Do You?????? Put on your 'thinking caps', (if you have one..if not, PLEASE do find one). Most sincerely, With all the Love of my heart, I close by wishing each & EVERY fellow human: the quality of empathy & resultant actions toward one another beginning in 2007. Happy, Blessed with Peace & GOODwill toward all, NEW YEAR! WishComeTrue in Denver.