Think Progress

Strain on soldiers worse in Iraq than WWII.»

The authors of a new Army study say “the strains placed on troops in Iraq are in some ways more severe than those borne by the combat forces of World War II. ‘A considerable number of Soldiers and Marines are conducting combat operations everyday of the week, 10-12 hours per day seven days a week for months on end,’ wrote Col. Carl Castro and Maj. Dennis McGurk, both psychologists. ‘At no time in our military history have Soldiers or Marines been required to serve on the front line in any war for a period of 6-7 months.’”




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109 Responses to “Strain on soldiers worse in Iraq than WWII.”

  1. BottomBoy Says:

    That’s because there aren’t enough troops on the ground. Thank the dems who’ve just defunded the troops.


  2. Topper Harley Says:

    #1 , nice spin buttboy. Guess what, it’s 2007 and Bin Laden still isn’t in Iraq. By the way Buttboy, head down to your nearest recruiting station and put your money where your mouth is. Republicans, they stand behind the Iraq war as long as someone else is fighting that war.


  3. VerbalKint Says:

    I nominate comment #1 for stupidest of the week. To begin with the Democrats did not defund the troops. Even if they did it wouldn’t effect the troops for quite some time. But that is just a sideshow. The real reason there aren’t enough troops is that Bush removed all the generals who counseled him that 300-500K troops were needed and replaced them with sycophants and yes men.


  4. VerbalKint Says:

    #2 Well, Topper, I guarantee that Buttboy isn’t going to enlist, because he talks like the rest of the cowards and bedwetters who support their Coward-in-Chief.

    As for spin, Buttboy’s attempt at it is laughably pathetic. I keep thinking that the trolls must have finally scraped bottom, but then some freak like Buttboy pops up to burst my bubble.


  5. Topper Harley Says:

    #3

    You’ll have to excuse Buttboy. He’s a 28%er.


  6. Briseadh na Faire Says:

    Trolls, repeat after me:

    They volunteered for this. They knew what they were getting into when they signed up. We’re fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here. 9/11. Saddam Hussein. Yellowcake from Niger. Weapons of Mass Destruction. Tortures his own people. Spreading freedom and democracy across the middle east. Al Qaeda. bin Laden. Iran. Defeatocrats. Cut and Run. Date for surrender. Stay the Course.

    Repeat this mantra over and over, until it becomes an automatic response to any question and an integral part of your everyday conversation and you will have served your master well.


  7. VerbalKint Says:

    #5 He may be a 28 percenter now, but I suspect he will be a 15 percenter before its over.

    #6 I think the trolls have already accomplished what you suggest.


  8. Toxic Ed Says:

    ButtBoy is no different than the 24year old pu$$y at my local sandwich shop who LOVES G.W. and all his policies. When I asked local pu$$y why he isn’t in Iraq defending our freedoms (I almost vomited saying that), he replied “I’m not going unless they draft me. Anyways, I’d go if they really needed me.” The last words I said to him before never returning to the sandwich shop was “Pu$$y hypocrite.” I really couldn’t make out what he yelled at me as I left the shop.


  9. Gerald Gibson Jr Says:

    These soldiers would march into the heart of Saudi Arabia if we asked them to.

    Its a crime that our country has dishonored them by using their lives in a farse known as Iraq.


  10. BottomBoy Says:

    #8: I wouldn’t go even if I was asked. Why would I? I’ve got a nice career going. Too bad if your only option in life is to enlist.


  11. bob (not the hacker) Says:

    bottom boy is a bottom feeder. If there’s any justice his “career will get sent to India or Mexico.

    What do you want to bet he’s too fat to see his dick.


  12. david Says:

    Well, when I read that other report that said half the troops believe torture is okay, 2/3 wouldn’t rat on a war crime, and most didn’t think Iraqi civilians were to be treated decently as if they were human beings, I could see why they were stressed out. These guys are living in a First Person Shooter game. Everyone they meet is a potential threat and they don’t really care what happens as long as they survive.

    Come on, folks. Nobody was going to greet you as liberators if you thought they were all worthless heathen scum in the first place. Do you recall Franklin Graham had 30,000 missionaries lined up in early 2003 to go in and convert those damned Muslims. Who doesn’t think racism is at the heart of this? Compare the attitudes held by American troops to the Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese to the Germans and Italians.

    It’s the demonization of the enemy that causes the real stress. It’s making every man, woman, and child who is not a white Christian a potential threat to Western Civilization. It’s arrogant Messianic thinking that America’s God is bigger, better, and bolder.

    The troops in Iraq don’t know why they’re there. They don’t know who the enemy is. They don’t speak the language. The culture, religion and climate is all exotic and alien. And most of the Americans have been raised to believe that all Arabs are godless assassins. What kind of training is that to give a boy or girl and them hand them weapons of deadly force?


  13. BottomBoy Says:

    #11: Oh, there’s a nice slur from a progressive. Be careful. You’re making the fat people feel bad.


  14. BottomBoy Says:

    #12: Oh please. It’s not demonization. It’s just reality. If you ask any troop on the ground, everyone they see really is a threat.


  15. barfly Says:

    And how does this scenario play out in the years ahead? Judging from the past, we’ll soon see physically and emotionally scarred soldiers trying to re-enter society, some more successfully than others, and some near unemployable because of their traumas. Large numbers of these “square-peg” vets will seek out situations (or jobs) that mimic in some way their past military positions, to take advantage of what they have learned. Look for more Blackwaters, and other paramilitary security outfits to spring up, offering “security services” that utilize their unique training in torture, and other information-gathering techniques. Also, expect the numbers and severity of police-abuse cases to rise, as once-military people take positions in police departments around the country.

    Recent polls indicate that large numbers of soldiers have little or no compunction against the use of torture to gather information, so new and creative torture techniques will be tacitly incorporated into police procedure, as these vets-turned-officers turn to battlefield techniques to extract information from recalcitrant prisoners. And then there are the others, the emotionally-damaged soldiers whose war-time experiences and training combine in very toxic ways. Anyone who has ever read the book, The Choirboys will recognize the character well: a war-scarred delusional officer, who, in a fit of alchol-fueled post-tramatic stress kills a good samaritan attempting to come to his aid. Police heirarchy ignore improprieties and mostly look the other way, until it is too late. Career beat cops cover up, and the public, viewed as generally lawless and ignorant, are kept in the dark. This newest act, however, will play out on America’s streets, and in it’s back-alleys. While conservatives talk of how much better America’s armed forces are now than in the “bad old days” of the draft, their past and current actions ensure an unending supply of the same sort of battle-damaged vets.


  16. barfly Says:

    11: Oh, there’s a nice slur from a progressive

    He’s just calling ‘em as he sees ‘em — or perhaps in your case, the reverse.


  17. Zooey Says:

    #8: I wouldn’t go even if I was asked. Why would I? I’ve got a nice career going. Too bad if your only option in life is to enlist.
    Comment by BottomBoy

    There we have it everyone — ButtBoy’s level of respect for the troops.

    ZERO


  18. Baboo Says:

    Great News. The more dead american soldiers the better, Then these killing fields can stop, The american army is the biggest bunch of racist untrained misfits that ever there was


  19. barfly Says:

    Too bad if your only option in life is to enlist.

    Comment by BottomBoy

    BottomBoy’s “only” option is to not enlist. He can visualize no other.

    Cluck, cluck.


  20. Baboo Says:

    More than a third of the 1,320 soldiers and 447 marines surveyed said that torture should be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or marine, while almost 38 per cent said torture should be allowed in order to gather “important information about insurgents”.

    death to all american soldiers useless pieces of shit that dont do this country any good


  21. barfly Says:

    Comment by Baboob

    The bad ones are only following Bush’s lead. Criticize the boob in charge.

    We didn’t have this happening during democratic administrations.


  22. barfly Says:

    death to all american soldiers useless pieces of shit that dont do this country any good

    Comment by Baboo

    The poll said a third surveyed, yet you’re willing to tar the entire military to make your point? Head back to the sticks, boob


  23. Baboo Says:

    Yes the military are the lowest forms of life in the US they are doing our nation a great service by dying then we dont have so many dumd ass
    F()cks around its EVOLUTION at its best


  24. david Says:

    BottomofhisclassBoy, what do you mean “everyone they see really is a threat”? What kind of liberator’s attitude is that? Does that explain why nice Yankee boys rape and murder? It doesn’t. It’s a reversion to the racist attitude that pervades Yankee hooliganism going back to The only good injun is a dead injun.

    Islamophobia is part of this. How can you send young boys and girls into a land where they don’t speak the language and the culture is exotic and alien while the poor children have been taught that Islam is the enemy of all they hold dear? That was a recipe for disaster. No wonder the Iraqis think you’re there to enslave them and steal their oil.

    It’s time Americans ditched this xenophobia and learned that most of the world isn’t WASP. Did you, Buttboy, read that more news outlets are disabling the comments sections when running stories about Obama? The vile racist comments have exposed the rotten underbelly of American society. And I certainly don’t want Buttboy to enlist –I’d hate to think of the war crimes he might be tempted to commit when he found himself in a real First Person Shooter game.


  25. Scott Says:

    ooo battle of the trolls, methinks that baboo and bottomboy are the same troll, maybe he’s a schizo in a mental hospital!


  26. Baboo Says:

    Pope Benedict XVI supports Iran’s right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, reports a local news agency.
    The pope was speaking in a meeting in the Vatican with former Iranian president and head of the International Centre of Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations Mohammad Khatami on Friday.

    Like other big states, Iran should use peaceful nuclear energy, he said.

    He pointed to freedom of religions in Iran and added there was peaceful coexistence and respect among religions in the country.

    He said he was informed that religious minorities have MPs in Iran’s parliament and their rights are respected.


  27. katy Says:

    the baboo is here to pepper this site with hate speech
    that can then be referred to as an example of
    the “left’s hate”…


  28. BottomBoy Says:

    #24: Islam IS dangerous. Islam is the enemy. I don’t see how anyone can question that today.

    There is no such thing as moderate Islam. It is written in the very core of that particular faith that the infidels must convert or die. Period. I’d like to see you REFUTE that.


  29. Toxic Ed Says:

    #10. So, ButtBoy, why do YOU hate our freedom? Why do YOU hate the USA? If you were asked to got to Iraq to defend freedom and democracy and the USA you wouldn’t go? Your career is more important? Your money is worth more than freedom and democracy and the USA? You will let others die for your freedom and career, but you are no willing to do it yourself. You are a pu$$y.


  30. david Says:

    Baboo, who are you kidding? You’re just spouting outrageous nonsense so you can quote it back under another handle as why TP is unpatriotic.

    If racism and demonisation is rampant in the US army, it’s the fault of basic training and leadership. Gonzales and Rumsfeld both authorized this kind of racist disrespect.

    Of course, good leadership would know that respect for the occupied people is essential to maintaining peace, order and good government. The growing insurgency is proof that arbitrary arrest, confinement, torture, and extrajudicial murder will not go unpunished.

    Consider that one Iraqi who welcome the Americans as liberators now believes that the US replaced one tyrant with 40 thieves.


  31. BottomBoy Says:

    #29: I serve my country best by being right where I am now.


  32. Baboo Says:

    BottomBoy you are a gleeming example of the demon within the US, you should be fighting and dying for this country instead of leaving the fighting for women

    http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e81_1178366247

    people like you deserve to die in the name of America


  33. Toxic Ed Says:

    #39. Yeah, right. Here’s 30 pieces of silver….


  34. Zooey Says:

    I serve my country best by being right where I am now.
    Comment by BottomBoy

    How convenient!

    Got a job?

    Got a boyfriend? Too bad you’re alone on a Saturday afternoon…


  35. Baboo Says:

    BottomBoy you prefer to see women fighting and dying because you are a yellow bellied Homo


  36. Tobey Tall Says:

    Half of Americans Want Immediate Exit from Iraq

    (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe the coalition effort should draw to a close as soon as possible, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 53 per cent of respondents think all U.S. troops should be brought home from Iraq immediately.

    http://www.angus-reid.com/ polls/ index.cfm/ fuseaction/ viewItem/ itemID/ 15624

    democrats should not give in to Bush


  37. BottomBoy Says:

    #34: Getting a little personal there, Zooey.
    #35: Hot damn. A homo slur from a progressive!? I thought I’d never see that…


  38. david Says:

    Islam IS dangerous. Islam is the enemy. I don’t see how anyone can question that today.

    There is no such thing as moderate Islam. It is written in the very core of that particular faith that the infidels must convert or die. Period. I’d like to see you REFUTE that.

    Comment by BottomBoy — May 5, 2007 @ 2:29 pm

    BottomofhisclassBoy, this is easy to refute. And you don’t have a source for this nonsense, do you? Islam doesn’t not engage in forced conversion. Indeed, throughout the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, Jews prefered to live under Islam than Christiandom. It was known as the Jewish Golden Age.

    This business of “convert or die” is projection. It was the Crusaders that slaughtered infidels and forced conversion onto all non-believers. And this was true from the moment the Roman Empire became officially Christian. Read Edward Gibbon for some truly grotesque tales of Christian ‘charity’ toward the heathen.

    Try reading the Koran, Buttboy. Try reading some history not told from a Christian bias. Don’t give me Pat Robertson’s or Franklin Graham’s crap about Islamofascism. That’s a laugh. Osama bin Laden and Sayyid Qutb are to Islam what Robertson & Graham are to Christianity. *snort* Enough said.


  39. david Says:

    Come on. It’s pretty obvious ButtomBoy and Baboo are the same person. Good cop, bad cop.


  40. BottomBoy Says:

    david: Uh. You’re talking about history.

    Are you up to date what MODERN Islam talks about? It is all about forced conversion.

    You’re a prime example of a liberal who talks about how great Islam WAS but doesn’t realize what it HAS BECOME.


  41. Zooey Says:

    #34: Getting a little personal there, Zooey.

    I believe in equal opportunity personal questions.

    #35: Hot damn. A homo slur from a progressive!? I thought I’d never see that…
    Comment by BottomBoy

    Baboo is what is known as a troll. You should introduce yourselves to each other, maybe you live under the same bridge.


  42. Tobey Tall Says:

    US troops admit abusing Iraqis

    http://english.aljazeera.net/English

    bit much for an arab newschannel - me thinks

    Row over Iraq oil law

    http://english.aljazeera.net/ NR/ exeres/ 0D09B919-D28A-4CC4-A79F-0EE500239225.htm

    But he said the situation would be reversed when Iraqis regained their “true sovereignty”.


  43. BottomBoy Says:

    #41: Oooh… you are pretty cool for a liberal, Zooey. Too bad we were made for different worlds.


  44. VerbalKint Says:

    Thanks for revealing your true self in comment #10, Buttboy, even though it is sickening to see such moral bankruptcy on display.


  45. Zooey Says:

    Oooh… you are pretty cool for a liberal, Zooey. Too bad we were made for different worlds.
    Comment by BottomBoy

    Yeah, we both go for guys — but not the same guys.


  46. VerbalKint Says:

    #12 Superb comment, David. No wonder Buttboy soiled himself reading it.

    #27 Katy, I think you are right. I’ve seen this kind of behavior before. I think this type of troll is also trying to stir up others to say unfortunate things, much like undercover FBI agents try to provoke anti-war and environmental groups to commit violent crimes.


  47. VerbalKint Says:

    By the way, Buttboy, don’t you realize that whatever tiny shred of credibility you might have had flew right out the window with your preposterously stupid comment #1?


  48. BottomBoy Says:

    Well, I haven’t been REFUTED yet.


  49. david Says:

    BoottoomBoyBaboo: What has Islam become? You talk like some ignorant clown who thinks there’s some monolithic structure known as Islam. Ha. Don’t be so silly. Did you even get the Robertson/Graham comparison to bin Laden/Qutb? I bet not.

    So, what has Christianity become? Is it placard waving white trash standing outside a Planned Parenthood office screaming abuse at everyone who enters or leaves; tossing red paint on them; mailing anthrax and bombs to abortion clinics? Is it homophobes demanding homosexuality be outlawed and queers quarantined? Is it men like Koop sniping doctors in their homes? Is it laws demanding prayer in school and Christian messages in public places and restriction on aid that doesn’t carry Christian overtones?

    Don’t make me laugh. The bin Ladens and Qutbs of the Muslim world are but a response to American aggression and the unresolved issues of the Six Day War. And, with the 40th anniversary looming, expect the protests to accelerate. Just as the Civil Rights movement exploded as America approach the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.


  50. VerbalKint Says:

    #48 There’s nothing to refute, idiot. Your words are self-debunking.


  51. BottomBoy Says:

    david: you may talk about Christianity until your face turns blue. You didn’t say anything about my claim that modern Islam is a threat because it expects people to either convert or die. Even if Christianity is whatever you think it is, it doesn’t mean that Islam isn’t a threat.


  52. Zooey Says:

    Well, I haven’t been REFUTED yet.
    Comment by BottomBoy

    Has anyone refuted the fact that BottomBoy is a piss-soaked troll?


  53. david Says:

    But, BoozyBoy, how can I refute a fictitious opinion. Where do you get this ‘covert or die’ crap? If you want to look at the history of Muslim countries, the greatest threat has been the European nations to them. They’ve been brutalized and carved up and their oil offered to various Western concerns. All attempts at Freedom and Democracy were quashed by the West. It’s the West that has been on a Convert or Die kick. Look at the late Shah of Iran, a real sweetie, wasn’t he? And he was the West’s model ruler for the Middle East.


  54. BottomBoy Says:

    Hey. Maybe I actually get to see what’s going on in my neighborhood. Believe me. You’re just a goddamn pollyanna if you believe that muslims are all goodwill and sunshine.


  55. Zooey Says:

    Hey. Maybe I actually get to see what’s going on in my neighborhood. Believe me. You’re just a goddamn pollyanna if you believe that muslims are all goodwill and sunshine.
    Comment by BottomBoy

    I have neighbors who are Muslims, and I go to school with Muslims. Wow! I’m not dead! We’re on friendly neighborly terms, and we study together sometimes. No one ever tried convert me, or make me cover my head, button up my blouse, or tell me what I ought to be doing. Amazing!

    No, we’ve got Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and Fundamental Christians to do all that shit, don’t we?


  56. Tobey Tall Says:

    US Troops Support Torture - Iran Daily front page

    Forty-four percent of Marines and 41 percent of soldiers said torture should be allowed to save the life of a soldier or Marine.

    http://www.iran-daily.com/

    considering the story started in the Washington post

    All muslims will be up in arms about America soldiers mentality

    THE WAR NOW STARTS WITH - NO QUARTER GIVEN

    next they will be boiling their enemy in boiling water


  57. katy Says:

    No, we’ve got Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and Fundamental Christians to do all that shit, don’t we?
    Comment by Zooey — May 5, 2007 @ 3:38 pm

    ***ZING!***

    .


  58. NatteringNabob Says:

    I made friends with a group of Muslim girls at university–this was about 15 years ago–they were some of the coolest, cleverest people I’ve ever met. They were feminists fighting against the ‘modern’ segregation tradition, wanting to go back to the progressive roots of the time of the prophet. I had no idea about the history of Arab women being more progressive at that time–the praying wasn’t segregated, they could own property, be intellectuals, fight–than anywhere on earth. Sadly, they had more equality and rights then than now. THESE are the people we need to support if we want to stop the radicalization of the entire religion.


  59. MAF54 Says:

    Heh. “Progressive roots of the prophet”. The prophet had only one “root” and, if you read a little bit of history, you’ll know that he liked to share it with underage girls.


  60. Marie Says:

    On a related matter: today I learned of two high school seniors, 18 years old, who were recruited and signed up without telling their parents. They are off to basic training in a couple of weeks. They expect to go to Iraq.
    Another young man was recruited with the promise of a $5000 bonus along with the assurance he’d never go to Iraq. They reneged on the bonus. He went off to Iraq after SIX WEEKS of basic training. His mother heard from him for the first time in four months last week.


  61. Marie Says:

    #1 bottomboy
    The Dems did not defund the troops — in fact they gave MORE $$ than Bush requested; including additional funds for veterans.
    It was your moronic, warmonger, Bush, who vetoed the bill. HE, AND HE ALONE, IS RESPONSIBLE.
    The pigheaded boy-king is too stubborn to compromise.
    Hell, he won’t even put Iraq funding into the budget — after FIVE years!
    He still wants unlimited, unconditional money from Americans to fund his misbegotten, deadly adventure. So dry up Bottomboy. You and people like you are the problem. Wake up, then tell your boy-king to get real.


  62. Jamin Says:

    I’m leaving for Baghdad tomorrow at 0500.

    Buttboy — try and grow one, OK?

    Tropmeister - Out.


  63. Marie Says:

    In a new Internet video, Osama bin Laden’s second-in-command jeers at the Iraq war funding bill vetoed by President George W. Bush that called for a U.S. troop pullout in Iraq, ABC News said on Saturday.

    “This bill will deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces which we have caught in a historic trap,” al Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri is quoted as saying on ABC’s Web site, http://abcnews.go.com/.


  64. theswan Says:

    The compasionate conman


  65. david Says:

    Well, Zbig could have told Bush the same Marie. The CIA trained Osama bin Laden to trap the Soviets in Afghanistan and bleed them dry. It was to be their Vietnam.

    Americans don’t realize that their economy nearly collapsed due to Vietnam. Nixon devalued the dollar. There was stagflation and double digit interest rates.

    Carter admitted the situation was dire. And for that he was vilified. Reagan chuckled and pretended all was fine in the best Calvin Coolidge impersonation ever. And for that he was sainted.

    America can’t afford a lost generation. Global Warming will not wait. We need cleverness and inventive solutions now. In ten years we will be working on sustainable retreat. And our military resources will be spent on disaster relief and not securing oil fields.


  66. paul Says:

    ‘Four in 10 said they approve of such illegal abuse if it would save the life of a fellow soldier.’

    War is ugly. But, come on. If this is what we have to be concerned with; the war in Iraq may be the prettiest of ugly wars.

    P.S. I would mistreat an Iraqi insurgent if I could save the life of an American troop. Call me crazy.


  67. jeff Says:

    SO MANY eligible Republicans not serving.


  68. david Says:

    Paul, YOU’RE CRAZY.
    So, how do you tell the difference between an Iraqi civilian and an Iraqi insurgent? And how does torture save the life of an American soldier? Of all the strawman arguments, this takes the cake! Just how on earth do you get this crazy ideas?

    The idea that torture, mistreatment, and indecent acts are somehow beneficial to the war effort only encourages Americans to commit war crimes. And crimesainst humanity only endangers the lives of American troops. The big fact that Bush wants you to ignore is that his War on Terror has provoked even MORE TERRORIST ACTS.


  69. Zooey Says:

    War is ugly. But, come on. If this is what we have to be concerned with; the war in Iraq may be the prettiest of ugly wars.
    Comment by paul

    Those same troops will come home one day, and they will take that attitude into their own homes, and they will living next door to you.

    That’s the whole point of this thread, paul. We have created this.


  70. paul Says:

    david. when they asked the question to the marines, it wasn’t a strawman argument. I’ll go out on another limb. I don’t even know you, but I would mistreat an Iraqi insurgent to save your life.


  71. Shawn Says:

    The occupation of Iraq is illegal. It was a pre-emptive strike on a country that did not attack us. It was sold to the American people based on lies. One of these lies is that Iraq had ties to the 9/11 attack.

    We are not being told the truth regarding the evidence of September 11th by my government in the United States. I would hope you would investigate some of the inaccurate claims of the 9/11 commission report for yourself.

    I have been researching 9/11 for over four years and there are serious unanswered questions from that day. Although, most in the mainstream media and lots of others call anyone that questions the official story a nut job, crazy or unpatriotic I appreciate that you would involve yourself in this delicate subject. People are attacked for proposing alternative theories without discussing the subject matter of what the person is proposing. See ad hominem logical argument.

    There are many important unanswered questions from 9/11, I will propose 5. I hope you investigate these for yourself.

    1) Never in the history of steel structures has a building collapsed from fire yet 3 did on 9/11; WTC tower 1,2 & 7. All three buildings came down at free fall speed with no resistance, tower 7 was never hit by an airplane yet came down symmetrically in seven seconds? Additionally odd, tower 2 fell before tower 1 although tower 1 was hit first and tower 2 was hit with a glancing blow. The explosion/ collapse in tower 2 started above where the plane hit the tower? Jet fuel burns at only about 1500 Degrees Fahrenheit in the open air and structural steel does not melt or even get significantly weakened until more than a thousand degrees hotter with a melting point of near 3300 degrees F.

    2) There is no large plane wreckage in front of the Pentagon from the 757 that hit it. Taking from the official story, the 757 that hit the pentagon flew over a highway, parallel and 15 to 20 feet above the ground and impacted the pentagon between the 1st and 2nd floor. (Official story) The airplane did not leave any markings or large debris (ex wings) on the front of the pentagon. The 757 supposedly was sucked into a 16ft by 24ft hole, before the ceiling collapsed a 1/2 hour later, and incinerated. How did this plane hit only 15 ft above the ground after descending so rapidly without ever hitting the ground and flown by an amateur pilot? The 3 slides the pentagon released to the public shows a small shaped device flying horizontally, very low to the ground and leaving a small smoke trail. Just recently Pilots for 9/11 Truth, an international organization of pilots and aviation professionals, petitioned the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) in regards to the flight data recovered from Flight 77. The data provided by the NTSB contradicts the flight path given by the 9/11 commission report. The flight data that the NTSB provided shows the 757 that hit the pentagon at 300 feet above the highway and could not have clipped the light poles and subsequently struck the pentagon between the first and second floor. Please see the article here- http://www.axisoflogic.com/ artman/ publish/ article_24288.shtml . How come the Pentagon has not released video from the cameras mounted on the roof? Lastly, after traveling through three rings of the Pentagon, the plane or whatever it was left a small circular exit hole in the third ring.

    3. All four hijacked planes flew for an average of 40 minutes, 1 hour 50 minutes total, without any fighter jet intercept over NY and Washington. As you are aware, NY and Washington are some of the most protected airspace in the world.

    4. Where is the plane wreckage from the plane crash in Shanksville, PA? In pictures and video all you see is a small ditch with no fires, plane debris, seats, bodies, etc.?

    5. How were the Patriot Act and the War on Terror so quickly developed after 9/11? Was this new program a reaction to 9/11 or something that was worked on before September 11th and just conveniently ready for a terrorist attack?

    9/11 was an inside job, a false flag operation. Sadly, the sophistication of this operation points more towards state sponsored terrorism than a small group of bandits inside a cave. I continue to hear government and military officials saying we are fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq and globally. Does this mean as the lone superpower we supposedly were attacked by this rag tag group on September 11th and have been fighting them for the last 6 years without ‘mission accomplished’? How often have our leaders evoked the memory of 9/11 to rally our people for certain causes (i.e. Iraq)?

    Fight on in peace. I hope you decide to investigate the truth of 9/11 for yourself.

    Namaste
    Shawn Cooper

    PS For a summary and the best documentary of 9/11 I recommend watching Loose Change 2. You can watch it for free here-

    http://video.google.com/ videoplay?docid=7866929448192753501&q=loose+change+2&hl=en

    Or visit http://www.wtc7.net or http://www.st911.org and start your own research…

    Lastly, allot of the public does not know that Rosie O’Donnell and Charlie Sheen are not the only ones questioning the official story of 9/11. Hundreds of scholars, public representatives, high ranking officials and survivors are questioning it as well. Please see http://www.patriotsquestion911.com for more on this.


  72. paul Says:

    Zooey. I know you are to bright to be one of the 9/11 conspiracy proponents, so I will assume you are not. Iraq wasn’t involved in 9/11, but it is a front on the war on terror. There is an ideology in the middle east that espouses violence against western ideas and an end to your freedoms and lifestyle. That ideology has been simmering since the middle ages. If your goal is to be an absolute apologist for the west, I guess you could point to the crusades as justification for surrendering our rights to terrorists. But, my point is this. We didn’t create this. The ideology we face in the middle east is abhorent (if you really believe in freedom). You can choose to fight it now or wait until western society becomes more complacent in accomodating an increasingly better armed Islamic fundamentalist movement. The problem is, at some point you become to weak to fight. Then, I guess, all that is left, is to praise Allah, throw on you burka, and hope you don’t become the honest victim of an honor killing.


  73. Zooey Says:

    #71 - That’s intellectually dishonest, paul. Can work out for yourself why?


  74. david Says:

    Paul, I wouldn’t want you torturing anyone for my sake. Indeed, I would try my best to stop you.

    Your understanding of Islam is pathetic. Try reading the Koran for a change. And the ideology behind the terrorist attacks hasn’t been simmering for centuries. Sayyid Qutb created his Muslim Brotherhood in response to Western Imperialism and the deliberate subversion of democracy and freedom by America’s CIA, Britain’s MI6, and Israel’s Mossad.

    If you’d care to pick up a basic theology of Islam, you’ll see that Qutb’s philiosophy embraces a number of heresies. He was essentially a nationalist trying to drive out the West from Holy Land by any means and found the Marxist ideology of Nasser repugnant. In that respect, Qutbism is not very different from the Christian fundamentalists in the Republican party. And they sure don’t act like Christians.

    I don’t even think you know who you are Paul. Western values? What are they? Remember: the neo-cons who were most eager to start this adventure against Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan are also the ones who think the US Constitution is just “a goddam piece of paper”, “an outdated document”, find the Geneva Conventions “quaint”, and have gutted the Bill of Rights to allow warrantless wiretaps and have suspended habeas corpus. If that’s what you mean by Western values of “freedom & democracy”, I say to hell with it.


  75. Joe Says:

    The war on Iraq was evil - the ones that did it are evil - and anyone that supported it are evil - this from a Christian -


  76. angryvietnamvet Says:

    During the Vietnam War, marines were in country for 13 months and soldiers for 12…so I don’t understand the stament that ” At no time in our military history have Soldiers or Marines been required to serve on the front line in any war for a period of 6-7 months.” “Front line” is a traditional war term that does not apply to either Vietnam or Iraq in the sense of a static and well defined “line” to separate the combatants. Civil wars in which foreign troops participate will never resolve the underlying problems. The Vietnamese war of independence which became a north-south civil war ended only when the foreign troops were withdrawn. Its known that one of the contributors to PTSD is the severity and lenght of exposure to traumatic situations, with the immersion in a combat situation 24×7 one of the most significant causive agents….I am afraid that one of the long term consequences of the Iraq insanity will be a tremendous incidence of PTSD affected veterans which will cause havoc in their lives and in our society. This will be very costly not only in human terms but financially as well for it will require long, complex and expensive therapy. Thanks George ! Thanks republican scum, thanks you 30% sheepidiots.!


  77. Joe Says:

    As for the ones that visited this evil on the people people of Iraq - except they repent, they will burn in Hell - Dubya - Not so dead eye Dick - Ronald Rambo and Wolfman - to name a few - get out of Iraq now - and don’t go using the “troops” as pawns to say I don’t support them - I do - bring them home. Enough is enough. Joe - (A Christian Believer)


  78. Dude Says:

    Somebody mentioned soldiers thinking they might not nark on their comrades if they witness war crimes. Do I need to point out to you that every rube, ditto-head or otherwise ignorant fool that has voted for and/or supports George Bush’s autocratic war is an accessory to war crimes? This is an inarguable truth. If you want to talk about war criminals, talk about your president. Leave the poor used & abused soldiers to fight for their lives in peace, so to speak.


  79. Joe Says:

    Evil men in lofty realms
    Told the word a lie
    To justify pre-emptive war
    Now many more shall die
    Before this unjust war shall end
    T’will be an awful toll
    Do they not know or even care
    What happens to their soul

    Joe - (from a Christian perspective)


  80. jericho Says:

    Lmao, hell yeah, it’s hard fighting an invisible, invincible enemy and your conscience at the same time.


  81. Joe Says:

    Ohhhhhh Jericho - You hit the nail right on the head - The “war on terror” is like fighting a phantom, you can kill the terrorist but terror lives on and grows. Kill Bin Laden and more will pop up. Dubya declared war on terror, so he ought not be shocked when terror strikes. Iraq has been scarred beyond repair by the most powerful nation on Earth. Shame on George for this evil act. To bad he listened to his warmonger advisors. I keep hearing the statment “we will stay till the job is done” ; what may I ask is that? Get a life you warmongers. It’s over, bring the troops home where they belong. The entire Middle East is not worth one drop of American blood.
    Joe -


  82. jexter Says:

    Republicans stand behind the troops - way, way behind the troops! [rim-shot] “Thank you , thank you - I got a million of ‘em!”

    As combat troops express it so elegantly: “If you haven’t been there, shut the f*ck up.”

    (Yes, I’ve served.)


  83. Joe Says:

    Good shot Jexster - It’s easy to stand behind the troops while we are being wined and dined back home.
    I have never been in a casino in my life,but I won’t “shut up” about it,and I won’t shut up about this ungodly-unjust-illegal-whatever they call it war.
    70 year old Joe


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