Support the Troops

...and let them come home.

They've been in Iraq for so long, and Bush is talking about extending their terms. What does he know anyway? He's never actually served. Ceremonially, he's the Commander-in-Chief, but did I mention that that's just a formality? This July, they're withdrawing the 5 extra units that were deployed, or at least, they were set to withdraw them all, but instead, Bush is talking about extensions. Petraeus needs to get his head checked before he continues to go on about the instability of the region. The area was unstable to begin with, and the US interference only served to make it worse, not better. Putting US troops in there has only succeeded in killing our troops. *Texas accent* That ain't real friendly behayvyer, sugar */Texas accent*. I just wish that we could set a final deadline, and begin an structured withdrawal of our troops. Unless we stay there for 100 years, basically 3 generations, nothing will be accomplished, and the strain on our forces for such an extended period of time is unnecessary. Also, dedicating our forces to one region increases the likelihood of attack on our soil, and also decreases our strength in the face of a new adversary. We've been there for 5 years now--we should be commencing withdrawal soon. It will take 5-10 for a properly structured withdrawal and hopefully the collapse of the Iraqi government won't be too sudden. Hell, if we're lucky, it won't happen, and democracy will hold. But where's our luck? A missile shield in Czechoslovakia? A wall on the US-Mexico border? Russia hates us and the Mexicans continue to get in here... we're not in Luck's favor, I'd say.

All this because yesterday on Marsh Plaza there were people protesting the war, and they had pasted a sign to a streetlight and left some chalk. I drew a heart-- I guess it was my way of sending symbolic love and support to the troops. They need support, and they need love. But most of all, they need to come home.

It's hard to lead the life you choose.
[All I wanted]
When all your luck's run out on you
[All I wanted]
You can't see when all your dreams are coming true