[Dean's World] Aziz P: phony soldiers: a timeline

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Posted by Aziz P:
phony soldiers: a timeline
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1190975772.shtml


   August 19th, [1]op-ed in the New York Times by seven soldiers of the
   U.S. Army 82nd Airborne serving in Iraq:

     In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have
     released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also
     robbed them of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the
     best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are -- an army of
     occupation -- and force our withdrawal.

     Until that happens, it would be prudent for us to increasingly let
     Iraqis take center stage in all matters, to come up with a nuanced
     policy in which we assist them from the margins but let them
     resolve their differences as they see fit. This suggestion is not
     meant to be defeatist, but rather to highlight our pursuit of
     incompatible policies to absurd ends without recognizing the
     incongruities.

     We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will
     see this mission through.

   September 12th: NYT reports that [2]two of those soldiers have made
   the ultimate sacrifice for their nation. September 26: from the
   [3]broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

     LIMBAUGH: There's a lot more than that that they don't understand.
     They can't even -- if -- the next guy that calls here, I'm gonna
     ask him: Why should we pull -- what is the imperative for pulling
     out? What's in it for the United States to pull out? They can't --
     I don't think they have an answer for that other than, "Well, we
     just gotta bring the troops home."

     CALLER 2: Yeah, and, you know what --

     LIMBAUGH: "Save the -- keep the troops safe" or whatever. I -- it's
     not possible, intellectually, to follow these people.

     CALLER 2: No, it's not, and what's really funny is, they never talk
     to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out
     of the blue and talk to the media.

     LIMBAUGH: The phony soldiers.

     CALLER 2: The phony soldiers. If you talk to a real soldier, they
     are proud to serve. They want to be over in Iraq. They understand
     their sacrifice, and they're willing to sacrifice for their
     country.

   [4]audio of Limbaugh's comments here.

References

   1. http://mediamatters.org/rd?http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/opinion/19jayamaha.html?8qa
   2. http://mediamatters.org/rd?http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/washington/13troops.html?ref=middleeast
   3. http://mediamatters.org/items/200709270010?f=h_top
   4. http://mediamatters.org/static/audio/limbaugh-20070926-soldiers.mp3