Tomas Young's "Last Letter"

[SHRED]

I joined the Army two days after the 9/11 attacks. I joined the Army because our country had been attacked. I wanted to strike back at those who had killed some 3,000 of my fellow citizens. I did not join the Army to go to Iraq, a country that had no part in the September 2001 attacks and did not pose a threat to its neighbors, much less to the United States. I did not join the Army to “liberate” Iraqis or to shut down mythical weapons-of-mass-destruction facilities or to implant what you cynically called “democracy” in Baghdad and the Middle East. I did not join the Army to rebuild Iraq, which at the time you told us could be paid for by Iraq’s oil revenues. Instead, this war has cost the United States over $3 trillion. I especially did not join the Army to carry out pre-emptive war. Pre-emptive war is illegal under international law. And as a soldier in Iraq I was, I now know, abetting your idiocy and your crimes. The Iraq War is the largest strategic blunder in U.S. history. It obliterated the balance of power in the Middle East. It installed a corrupt and brutal pro-Iranian government in Baghdad, one cemented in power through the use of torture, death squads and terror. And it has left Iran as the dominant force in the region. On every level—moral, strategic, military and economic—Iraq was a failure. And it was you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, who started this war. It is you who should pay the consequences.

http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/the_last_letter_20130318/

--

Powerful.

[Frustratedlady]

1. Powerful, indeed!

What an intelligent and powerful letter. Too bad Bush/Cheney can't be forced to read it, although there is no way you could ensure that those words would bounce around in their empty heads until the day they die.

What a waste.

[Dellmartin]

2. Consequences?

Bush and Cheney are both guilty of war crimes. When asked, Cheney said he would do the same thing all over again and wouldn't change a thing. He has no conscience. God bless Mr. Young and may he rest in peace. He can at least get some comfort knowing he won't have to see these two men in the afterlife since they will certainly not be going to the same place he is.

[MindPilot]

3. Hartman read it on his show earlier today.

and gave a shout out to DU for re-posting it.

[Kolesar]

4. IIRC, prowar types used to tease Tomas because he was in a wheelchair

Tomas had become a notable peace activist.

[representativepress]

5. New Video: I read Tomas Young's full letter

NEW VIDEO: Iraq War Veteran's Last Letter to Bush & Cheney "I hope you will be put on trial."
Please share the video with others, I worked on it many hours to help get his message out and spreading it on Youtube will help expose more people to his powerful message.
He says he hopes Bush and Cheney will be put on trial, I'm trying to use the Youtube platform to get that to happen.