Don't Let It Bring You Down

[WilliamPitt]

Don’t let it bring you down,
It’s only castles burning,
Find someone who’s turning,
And you will come around…

- Neil Young

Wolf Blitzer got up on his hind legs during his Sunday morning confab with Senator Biden on CNN and expressed his outrage that the Iraqi people and their so-called leaders have not thanked the United States for invading and occupying their country. “There was not one word of appreciation,” said Blitzer, “to the United States for liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein.” Wolf went on to ask Biden if the Senator found this as alarming and depressing as he did.

The disconnection is staggering, the comment so two years ago. Remember when Dick Cheney told us before the war that, “My belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators”? The vast gulf between our present reality and Cheney’s pre-invasion optimism is wide enough to sail the Sixth Fleet through with room to spare. Yet there was Wolf, still waiting for the hearts and flowers.

Blitzer, one can assume, would be appalled by another video on the ‘net of a caravan of oil tankers being driven by US troops through Iraq. One troop, driving the tanker and narrating the video, tells the viewer to be ready for the next stretch of road. Children, it seems, gather on that stretch of road to throw rocks at the passing soldiers. The video clearly shows young Iraqis pelting the truck as it rolls along; one rock smashes the windshield. The soldier in the video is vocally frustrated by the rules of engagement which keep him from shooting the rock-throwers.

Maybe those kids are foreign fighters, insurgents shipped in from Iran and Syria to disrupt the march of democracy.

Let’s see. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and maimed during this occupation. 70% of the population is unemployed. Long gas lines are the rule of the day. Hospitals don’t work. Electricity is intermittent. Potable water is hard to come by. Bombs go off every day, slaying civilians, police and soldiers indiscriminately. Iraqis disappear into torture chambers. Religious factions growl at each other like dogs in a fighting pit. Even the children throw rocks.

Where’s the love, Wolf? Where’s the thanks?

Don’t let it bring you down, Wolf. It’s merely an accent in the symphony. There are a number of people walking around these days groaning for a little love, for those good old days when things like rules and laws were for other people. The Abramoff scandal has a whole pile of Republican trough-diggers in Congress thinking about keeping a bail-bondsman on speed dial. It didn’t used to be this way for them, and more than a few are wondering when the rug is going to get jerked out from under them.

Big George and the boys are likewise feeling the heat, and have coughed up a scattered bag of platitudes and blue-sky predictions in the form of a “plan” to “win” in Iraq. Rep. Murtha put a burr under their collective saddle when he demanded a withdrawal from Iraq, and the White House PR mavens still haven’t quite figured out how to deal with him. The old chestnuts about elitist liberal weenies don’t scan with Murtha; the only time he ever stuck his pinkie finger out while drinking a latte was so he could pick up the Distinguished Service Cross he earned after a lifetime in the Marine Corps.

There is video from Al Jazeera floating around on the ‘net allegedly showing the explosion that killed ten Marines in Fallujah last week. The Pentagon folks are vehemently denying that this video actually shows those ten Marines getting blown up. Perhaps they are correct, but one thing is certain. The video definitely shows a crowd of American soldiers and a Humvee disappearing into the vortex of a terrible detonation.

Those ten Marines who died last week, by the way, had names and homes. Almost half of them were not old enough to legally buy a beer in America when they died in Iraq.

Adam Kaiser was 19, and was from Naperville, Illinois. Andrew Patten was also 19, and was from Byron, Illinois. Anthony McElveen was 20, and was from Little Falls, Minnesota. Robert Martinez was also 20, and was from Splendora, Texas. Craig Watson was 21, and was from Union City, Michigan. John Holmason was also 21, and was from Scappoose, Oregon. Scott Modeen was 24, and was from Hennepin, Minnesota. David Huhn was also 24, and was from Portland, Michigan. Daniel Clay was 27, and was from Pensacola, Florida. Andy Stevens was 29, and was from Tomah, Wisconsin.

It is important to know their names, because you will never get to meet them.

Since January 2001, we have lost faith in the idea that our votes matter, we have lost two towers in New York, we have lost an entire city in Louisiana, we have lost two thousand one hundred and twenty nine soldiers to Iraq, somewhere along the way we lost a whole pile of weapons of mass destruction those soldiers died trying to find, we have lost a substantial portion of our children’s future by spending hundreds of billions of dollars so those soldiers could die far from home, we have lost our standing with the international community, and a good portion of the planet looks long and hard at us, wondering if we have also lost our minds.

Don’t let it bring you down, though. We’re staying the course, fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them here, spreading democracy, rolling with the noble cause, doing the Lord’s work and saving Christmas, all at the same time. It’s all good.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. Thank you Will. ck ---> John Holmason is from Oregon...

and 21. :shrug:



FALLUJAH, Iraq -- A 21-year old Marine from Oregon was among 10 Marines killed when a roadside bomb detonated while they were on a foot patrol near Fallujah, family and friends told KGW on Friday.

John Holmason of Scappoose died from the blast, which was the deadliest attack against American troops in four months. In addition to the 10 Marines dead, 11 others were injured.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_120205_news_scappoose_marine_killed_iraq.30e3eda0.html

[WilliamPitt]

3. Thanks

I got the names and info from an AP story from a few days ago. I hope the rest aren't as wildly wrong.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. I now can claim to be

on your research staff! :rofl:

[WilliamPitt]

45. Feel the power

and put it on your resume. :)

Thanks again.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

49. Don't tempt me! I just got laid off today....

If they call, just say "Yes, she's an amazing worker, almost as smart as me." :P

[WilliamPitt]

50. Seriously?

I'm really sorry to hear that.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

51. seriously. check it out

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5525852&mesg_id=5525852

I pity-posted. I love DU. I'm feeling stronger already. (I don't know if it's because of all the replies, or because I've have 3 straight shots of Southern Comfort since I got home. :shrug: :rofl: )

[WilliamPitt]

52. Well, cheers

and best of luck.

:toast:

[renate]

40. the flag at my kid's school flies at half-staff

Every time an Oregon soldier dies, the flags around the state fly at half-staff. It makes my heart hurt every time I see the flag that way when I drop my kid off at school. That soldier was once a little kindergartener too.

[LoKnLoD]

2. Wow Great Post Will

Well done...:thumbsup:

[stillcool]

4. may I provide a side-dish?...

http://www.yuricareport.com/Media/OnPatRobertsonWolfeBlitzerAndDavidCorn.html

But it’s sort of strange to realize that Pat and Wolf Blitzer go way back together. Yep! Wolf used to work for Pat Robertson's CBN way back when Pat was setting up his news bureau and Wolf was the 700 Club’s reporter from the Middle East. He was a lot younger in those days, but in those beginning days Pat exposed Wolf Blitzer to a viewing audience that topped the Nielsen ratings at 28.7 million monthly viewers! That’s a great way to launch one’s career. But Wolf Blitzer likes to keep that part of his career kind of quiet. He doesn’t list the 700 Club’s news bureau in his biography. He doesn’t tell CNN’s audience that Pat was like an angel to him when he was just an independent reporter starting out. But those of us who watched Pat’s show could never forget Wolf Blitzer’s reports. He was presented to us as such an expert—we were just so proud of him! And look how high he’s gone. You’d think he’d give Pat a little credit. No doubt he says “Thanks” by inviting him on CNN!
After all, Pat started a J-School (Journalism School) and Bob Slosser, who had worked for the New York Times became the President of CBN University and Bob Slosser shared Pat’s vision of a new America. Slosser was at the graduation of the first graduate from the Institute of Journalism, it was a young lady named Eliza Wright. And the Governor of Missouri, a fellow named John Ashcroft gave the graduation speech on May 20, 1985! (My how these folks go way back together—and it shows what loyalty can do!) Bob Slosser told the 700 Club audience that day:
“We’re going to change the way the country thinks, we’ve bought into this secularism thing and that’s taken us right down the wrong path. I believe that this institution and those like this…will change the way this country thinks!”

[checks-n-balances]

30. Wolf & Pat Robertson go way back, eh? How bizarre, but not unbelieveable

No wonder he's being such a shill (with no apparent sense of humor, btw). Thanks for unearthing & posting this connection...

[itzamirakul]

5. I do hope that a copy of this post was sent to Blitzer as well as

cafferty and cnn.

Also, copies should be emailed to the NYT, Daily News, Air America and all tv stations.

We have to show our outrage by email!

[BrotherBuzz]

7. It should be noted that Noble Cause has morphed into Important Cause

Q Can I ask, when the President came to the Rose Garden this morning, about 10:45 a.m., at that hour did the White House already know about this attack on the Marines in Fallujah?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, we did. The President was informed about the loss of the Marines last night, and those that were injured, and then he was briefed again this morning. We are saddened by the loss of life, whether it's one soldier who loses his or her life, or 10 or 11. We are saddened to hear that news. Our heart and prayers go out to the families. Their loved ones paid the ultimate sacrifice for an important cause, and we are forever grateful for their service and sacrifice.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051202-2.html


Hey, Will, it may not be germane to your post, but I thought it significant when I read it in the Friday press briefing. Think they are trying to distance themselves from Cindy Sheehan's pressing question?

[TahitiNut]

8. More Frenchmen welcomed the Nazis than Iraqis welcomed the US.

That should be a clue.

[dutchdemocrat]

10. I highly doubt that

Anti-Gallic rhetoric is still pumping on DU I see.

Tell that to the French lads who are over in Afghanistan fighting real terrorists.

[leesa]

27. Nah..they're fighting Afghans...it's all a PNAC scam.

[dutchdemocrat]

36. I hate to break this to you

But Islamic terrorism exists.

There are 'bad' people in the Middle East too.

Cole in Yemen, Tanzania and Kenya... not everything is a psyop PNAC calculation.

There are people that are aiming for the West and Europe is particularly vulnerable now the the US and UK have goosestepped all over Iraq. The Arab League was supportive of the invasion of Afghanistan because most of them don't like the brand of Islam that the Taliban was selling and it was a hotbed of militarism due to the long war with the Soviets.

However Iraq is another story.

Terrorism is nothing new in Europe BTW... it's been around since the sixties but has pretty much been snuffed out.

ETA, CCC, Action Directe, Brigate Rosse, ETA, IRA, The Bel­gian Cellules Communistes Combattantes (CCC), the French Direct Action (Action Directe), the Italian Red Brigades and First Line (Prima Linea), The Red Army Fraction (RAF), Baader-Meinhof-Group... etc. etc.

[Fovea]

21. Of course, those Vichy French, men and women

frequently decorated lamposts after the occupation.

The Iraqis are not waiting for the occupation to end.
They are fomenting civil war, and if we cannot stop the civil war, we will be right in the middle of an uprising that we simply will not have the wherewithal to control.

That is, unless we commit to destroying Iraq, in order to save it.

The question that does not get asked, when the NeoCons talk about showing American resolve is...

Which sends a more important lesson to the world about Democracy--
stiff-necked bellicosity in the name of Baby Jesus Bush's 'Murika, or the ability to recall our insanely large military from a charlie foxtrot of historical size and microcephalic stupidity?

During the Clenus presidency, the world was willing to have us maintain our military footing because we represented a world police force. Now that the cops are obviously on the take and stealing smack from the local pushers, will the world continue to applaud when the squad car rolls down the street?

And when we force the rest of the world to re-arm, to choose guns over butter, who do we think they will wind up pointing them at?

[TahitiNut]

35. Yep. Those later called Vichy and eastern French with mixed heritage ...

... and France's own fascists. Not many ... but more than turned out in Iraq. (In some part, the 'greeting' was leavened with those coerced to turn out.)

[dutchdemocrat]

9. Brilliant work

Brilliant piece Will.

link to the videos in question (mentioned in this article are here)

Scotty at Friday's press briefing. Keep in mind... as Condi is in Europe basically saying there's a few camps where we do some illegal interrogating, but butt out.

The President has made it very clear that we do not torture, he would never condone torture or authorize the use of torture. If someone doesn't abide by our laws, they're held accountable, and we have done that.

That's the difference between us and others. When it comes to human rights, there is no greater leader than the United States of America, and we show that by holding people accountable when they break the law or they violate human rights. And we show that by supporting the advance of freedom and democracy and supporting those in countries that are having their human rights denied or violated, like North Korea. We show that by liberating people in Afghanistan and Iraq, some 50 million people. And no one has done more when it comes to human rights than the United States of America.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051202-2.html

[EFerrari]

11. Will Pitt, we are STAYING THE COURSE!

[ngGale]

12. Will, excellent.....

you took my breath away. Not that you don't always write well, but you have been on a roll the past few weeks. Your passion, compassion, for those we lose in battle and those who still await the flowers <sigh>
- writing straight from your heart.:loveya:

:yourock:

[EFerrari]

13. Okay all you Eggnoggers, read this and enjoy.

:kick:

[ultraist]

14. K&R

:kick:

[kentuck]

15. They call it ......VICTORY....

"Let’s see. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and maimed during this occupation. 70% of the population is unemployed. Long gas lines are the rule of the day. Hospitals don’t work. Electricity is intermittent. Potable water is hard to come by. Bombs go off every day, slaying civilians, police and soldiers indiscriminately. Iraqis disappear into torture chambers. Religious factions growl at each other like dogs in a fighting pit. Even the children throw rocks."
=========================================================

Good writing, Will Pitt!

[Gregorian]

16. Thanks.

Your perspective is right on, as always.

Don't cry, Wolf. Wow. Insane.

[Autonomy]

18. Heh. Cry Wolf. How ironic.

I wonder if anyone will believe him from now on.

[DinahMoeHum]

17. Wolf Blitzer can blow it out his ass. . ."not one word of appreciation"

sheeesh, what a dumb douchebag. What a goddamn loser.

:nopity:

[Old and In the Way]

19. Maybe CNN can send Wolf on an extended assignment to ask the

Iraqi people that very question. I really think the response would be very enlightening. Maybe we can start a "Let's Send Leslie to Iraq" drive here on DU.

[renate]

39. No kidding! That would be a GREAT CNN special!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[bonito]

20. All good from an infections stand point

This is ugly, I hope we all can be more diligent in keeping washington cleaner for the future.

[sandnsea]

22. good piece

very good.

But on a complete aside, that's not really appropriate at this second but still, remember our withdrawal debate? Now didn't you just use the word "withdrawal"? Which in the context of this post could be interpreted to mean immediate withdrawal as opposed to Bush's stay the course?

That's what I was talking about. Don't get mad at some members of Congress for labeling Murtha's plan as "withdrawal" when you, and some others, do the same thing.

And I'm not suggesting you change the word because in the context of what you're writing, it's the only word that makes any sense. Still, it does muddy the water a bit when you get back to debating the best plan to get out of Iraq. Just remember the "nuances" and give others the same leeway that you need to make your points. When appropriate.

[milkyway]

23. Great post.

[Wordie]

24. "Don't let it bring you down..." The best antidote to it bringing me down,

seems to be you, Will Pitt, and all those members of the reality-based community that I find here at DU. Thanks once again for telling the truth.

Recommended, as always.

Grammatical edit.

[Rex]

25. Cold War, Iran-Contra, Watergate, Patriot Act, JFK/MLK assassination, etc

All good. We all go along with it to get along. The capitalist machine won't allow non-participants. Well it does but we call them homeless people. It's all good. Public executions, maybe a death sport...soon to be all good. People still dying from Gulf War, Vietnam, 911, Katrina, Iraq/Afghanistan, etc. Yup, good there too.

Americans can put up with anything, just look at our ruler and the shitty products we buy as consumers.

[Ellipsis]

26. Too many dead of all ages.

Old man lying by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by,
Blue moon sinking from the weight of the load
And the building scrape the sky,
Cold wind ripping down the alley at dawn
And the morning paper flies,
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes.

Here lies Vera...

http://www.poormojo.org/pmjadaily/archives/004451.html

[Quixote1818]

28. As Bill Maher said on "I'm Swiss"

Our whole plan to win was to show up and they would be so thrilled to see us we would be Gods in their eyes.

Why? Because we are God Fucking Dam Americans!!! God's gift to the world!!!!!


When will America get over it's self? :puke:

[bleever]

29. Will, you've got this way of summoning the wide-angle view

and making it present for the reader. How you do it out of the maelstrom of facts, lies, distortions, and bad memories that have been avalanching down on us for five years is the miraculous part.

[WilliamPitt]

34. Thank you

That's what I try to do, I try so hard to do. Thank you.

[sellitman]

37. Ditto! hats off to one of DU's finest.

:toast:

[eridani]

31. Someone ought to tell that jackass Blitzer--

--that Saddam would have been just as gone if he had gone into exile somewhere, as Iraq's neighbors were trying to arrange. And then Shitstain Psychopath in Chief said that the invasion was on EVEN IF Saddam went into exile.

[jbnow]

32. But it's all brought me down

and I don't know what good that does. There is always more horror, more lies, more scandal to keep you flattened.

It is hard to rise up when you are knocked down by one blatant horror after another.

We need to get up. We need to say NO but how do we make ourselves heard?

I want my castle back, I want my country back.

There has been more then enough to be rid of the whole lot of them, but there they still are. bush has no right to be picking our dog catcher, let alone another SCOTUS nominee.

We fear Roe Wade but I don't think that's any priority. It is other things to extend their power, to make America into not America.

They are still there in power.

I have been saying no a long time to them and it isn't changing anything.

Now I have fallen and I still can't get up.

[AntiFascist]

33. and Wolfie don't forget....

how we devastated the Iraqies after the first Gulf War. I guess they have long memories and take stuff personally.

[WilliamPitt]

38. Link to final

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/120505Z.shtml

[Beetwasher]

41. A Truly Inspired Piece

:thumbsup:

[EuroObserver]

42. I rewatched that great film "American Beauty" last night

(hint, hint).

Another good job, Will.

[WilliamPitt]

44. That's really funny

I love that movie, and found the Annie Lennox version of the song because of it. I was listening to that very song three days ago when the premise for this article came up out of the workshop.

Hello. My name is Lester Burnham.

:)

[mike_c]

43. very good essay!

eom

[Burried News]

46. Fox news quotes Lieberman as saying that we should not leave

Iraq because we are about to achieve victory.
ReTHUGlican propagandist is what you are Joe.

[ananda]

47. Wow. Gollygee..

"Since January 2001, we have lost faith in the idea that our votes matter, we have lost two towers in New York, we have lost an entire city in Louisiana, we have lost two thousand one hundred and twenty nine soldiers to Iraq, somewhere along the way we lost a whole pile of weapons of mass destruction those soldiers died trying to find, we have lost a substantial portion of our children’s future by spending hundreds of billions of dollars so those soldiers could die far from home, we have lost our standing with the international community, and a good portion of the planet looks long and hard at us, wondering if we have also lost our minds.

Don’t let it bring you down, though. We’re staying the course, fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them here, spreading democracy, rolling with the noble cause, doing the Lord’s work and saving Christmas, all at the same time. It’s all good."

So good. Praise Jesus!

[realFedUp]

48. "keeping a bail-bondsman on speed dial."

hehehe.