They've started the military shipments again

[lastliberalintexas]

My office is only about 3 blocks from our Port, and the railroad that runs behind our building goes straight to the loading docks. For the past couple of weeks I've noticed a few more military shipments going out. But now, for the past couple of days, the shipments have been almost as regular as they were in the buildup to the Iraq invasion. With every new train load that goes by, I envision the new deployments of men and women who will be put in harm's way by this administration.

The saddest part for me, though, is that I am not as angry at this administration as I am at my own party, at those who enabled this administration in its bloodlust or were silent in opposition. As hard as it is for me to believe, whenever I see the humvees and tanks pass by my window, I don't hate Shrub even more. I expected this from him. But I do hate my own party's "leaders" even more deeply with each new shipment that goes out. And I just hope I can get past this by November.

Thankfully I don't personally know anyone who has been sent to the Middle East. I can't imagine how much more bitter I would feel about this invasion if I did. My prayers and thoughts go out to those here who have, and I hope you can find some peace soon.

Sorry for the mini-rant- I just couldn't take it anymore.

[Haviland_42]

1. We share your pain.

[lastknowngood]

2. hard to have to live with the constant reminder.

n/t

[izzie]

3. Little story, to show how things change.

I grew up on the coast of Maine and often you would see the fighters go over the house along the water flying downeast and I can recall my father getting us out on the lawn or rocks to see them. We would wave and they would dip their wings. This was when I was a kid WW2 so you can see how long ago it was and both my sister and I recall that. Kids would talk of it in school the next day.I guess it was a wing on the way to Europe and I have no thoughts on why they flew so low but you could see the men in them.

[madrchsod]

4. hey!!! lose lips-sink ships!!!!

don`t you feel so much better knowing george isn`t funding the upgrades for securing that railway behind your building?

[lastliberalintexas]

6. I thought about that AFTER I posted!

Hopefully the men in black won't show up at my office. But since these shipments are being done during the daytime, I doubt there is anything top secret about them!

[Ilsa]

5. Oh crap.

I remember the build up over a year ago. I live in Victoria, TX and we were coming up to the RR crossing. Had to wait about twenty minutes and several hundred RR cars with jeeps, lare trucks, and other stuff (covered), all freshly painted desert sand, were being shipped down to the port. It was downright spooky seeing it. Just about a year ago.

[greatauntoftriplets]

10. That happened to me in October of 2002,

at a railroad crossing in Chicago's western suburbs. Extremely lengthy train with a lot of construction and earth-moving equipment heading west.

[Postman]

7. They were lied to as we were, I empathize with you though.

The accusation that you are unpatriotic if you don't go along with the war was too strong to overcome.

As Samuel Johnston of Connecticut once said: The last vestige of a scoundrel is patriotism. It took extraordinary courage to stand against the propagandistic onslaught that was perpetrated on the Congress and the people.

Sort of like the courage to say "no" in resisting the war in Vietnam, like saying to Gen George Pickett at Gettysburg - I'm not crossing that field -

Sometimes, no, most of the time, it takes greater courage to resist the mainstream than to "go along".

The only friends of a person who takes those types of stands are -
"justice" and "morality". Neither of which Bush withholds

[lastliberalintexas]

12. I'm sorry, but I don't buy that

Probably 99% of the people who were posting at this board in Oct 2002 and a year ago KNEW that we were being pulled into an illegal invsion by this administration. I just don't buy the argument that the Dems in Congress went along because they were lied to.

If they were lied to, if Shrub's administration presented them with any false evidence (other than what was presented to the rest of the world that is), why haven't they told us? Why haven't they outed this administration? They need to go on national TV and directly say "The Bush administration told me X, Y and Z to get me to vote yes on the IWR. This information has turned out to be false, and I and the American public DEMAND an explanation."

Until they do something like that, they remain just as complicit as they were the day they cast their vote.

[hang a left]

8. Just wondering if it has anything to do with this

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1074745158639&p=1008596981749

By DOUGLAS DAVIS

US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is considering provoking a military confrontation with Syria by attacking Hizbullah bases near the Syrian border in Lebanon, according to the authoritative London-based Jane's Intelligence Digest.

In an article to be published on Friday, the journal said multi-faceted US attacks, which would be conducted within the framework of the global war on terrorism, are likely to focus on Hizbullah bases in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon.

It noted that the deployment of US special forces in the Bekaa Valley, where most of Syria's occupation forces in Lebanon are based, would be highly inflammatory and would "almost certainly involve a confrontation with Syrian troops."

Such a conflict might well prove to be the objective of the US, said the journal, which described Washington's strategic benefits from a confrontation with Syria. These include:

[burrowowl]

9. I was wondering the same thing

also apparently Jane's has noted the same thing.

[lastliberalintexas]

11. That is my fear

I wonder if this equipment is really headed to Iraq- or Syria or Iran? Or are we headed into an entirely different war that Shrub needs to win re-election? I'm afraid that is the easiest and best way for them to guarantee his approval numbers at 60%+ and therefore a second term. They know they can't get a second bouce out of Iraq, so are we going some place new?

And where in the hell are our party leaders? I don't have access to national TV time, but they do. Why aren't they using it to fight? Someone besides than each other, that is.