The letter I had published in American Conservative Magazine.

[klamath]

I am thinking about sending this letter to my local newspaper also. Bear in mind that it is targeting the general population. Any critiques?

I have been a life long Republican and have been a supporter of the Iraq war which I can back up with a Department of Defense DD form 214 showing my service in southwest Asia, namely Iraq. After quite a lot of reflection I still hold the same beliefs as to why we are at war. However my beliefs of how we should be fighting the war have somewhat changed.

I voted for Bush in '04 because how could I vote for a guy that openly admitted to committing atrocities in Vietnam while he was an officer and should have had the leadership and moral courage to stop it? I supported the war because both Clinton and Bush told me of the WMD. God help our civil liberties if Saddam drops one of those on a US city, I thought. I have not been of an interventionist mind set, as I believe that all US soldiers should have returned to within the US borders since the end of the cold war.

I served my tour after it was decided the WMDs would never be found and stood by my helicopter and saluted with tears in my eyes as the body bags containing the remains of my fellow US GI's (some weighting less than 30 pounds) were loaded on my helicopter.

As I crisscrossed over thousands of square miles of Iraq I had high hopes for the country becoming a free and prosperous country. I was in Iraq for both of the first two Elections and hoped with all my soul that they would quit killing each other and of course us. I wanted so desperately to secure the borders so foreign fighters couldn’t get in and kill wantonly but realized this would never be possible without a huge army. I believe that al least fifty percent of the people supported our presence to protect them from the killings but as we were unable to protect them from the bombings that killed them, hundreds a day, we just became more of a detriment and they now believe we are attracting the killers to their country. There is deep hatred between the three main groups in Iraq and that hate is getting deeper by the day. After I got out of the country I followed the news every day just hoping for a glimmer of hope that the violence was abating. I listened in vain. We cannot install a democracy there I am afraid. The hatred is so deep that I think that we would have as much luck in invading Lebanon, Palestine and Israel making it one country and having them vote in one democracy.
We lost the moral high ground when we invaded Iraq and found no WMD. It showed the world how inept our intel agencies are and for many it made them question our honesty and motives. I used the argument many times that we gave Saddam so much time he hid the weapons so we couldn't find them but when I reflect on that it only proves we were more wrong. If he had them he would have used them against our armed force as we advanced but he didn't. "Well I used to say he didn't because he knew we would retaliate with even greater WMD." Ok, well wouldn't he have used that same logic in contemplating using them on an American city? So what threat?
So now I have to fall back to thinking tactically and strategically.

As far as the battle in Iraq I have come to realize that it can't be won. Just strategically look at the numbers. There are a 1.5 billion Islamic people around the world that are over all, now highly critical of us. With those kind of numbers all it takes is a small percentage of them to join the jihad and filter through the Iraq's borders (Which we cannot control) and US troops cannot tell the difference between them and innocent Iraqis. Every great general in history knew when he had lost a battle and had sense enough to withdraw and regroup and rethink his strategy. To do otherwise and the soldiers see that they are dying in vain that general rapidly loses the support of his men and even more so when he is giving orders from the rear. It doesn't help when they know he didn't spend time in the foxholes in his youth.

If we as Americans believe we are at war with all of Islam or we are at war to keep the oil flowing then we had better buckle down and fight this war all out like WWII. Quit trying to live in a state of denial that we can go on living a peace time life while tossing a few son’s and daughters lives toward a far off battle that will only to get worse. And if this is the case that we are at war with all Islamic people of the world and not just a radical few, every American Mother and Father with their sons and daughters in tow needs to walk down to the military recruiting station and sign on the dotted line. It is going to take a lot of bodies to kill 1.5 billion Muslims. Nukes in places like India wouldn’t be a good idea or we will end up fighting 1 billion Hindu’s.

If as I believe we are at war with a radical few then we need to get out of the middle East and deprive al Qaeda the rallying and recruitment point of American occupation. If some are thinking I have become an appeaser and pacifist you could not be more wrong. It is my firm belief that all things in this universe are about force and counterforce and the struggle to survive. War and terrorism, which are one in the same, will always be in this universe and I will fight for my freedom and right to live without hesitation however it is a ghastly horrible thing that can bring out the worse elements of human nature. If we can find different strategies that cost less in human life and defuse the constant human struggles where it is possible and where they involve us I believe we should go that route.

So, I feel I was wrong about the war and have to admit my mistake. As I look around for a leader to replace Bush I have to go back in history and see who was making sounder judgments than I during the time of 9/11 hysteria and find it wasn’t any of the "top tier candidates" both Democrat and Republican. That person was Ron Paul.

[FSP-Rebel]

Well said. Sorry for your involvement. I was appointed to the US Air Force Academy, but knew that the Bushes were goin to war back in 2000 when I denied. 2001-9/11 sealed the deal. I pray for everyone that was fooled into fighting our brown neighbors because the government strategically led us to this quarrle. I'm glad that I don't have to repent for killing anyone that I falsely believed were enemies. Defend this country, not the UN's vision of it.

[Spirit of '76]

Great heartfelt letter.

[DAZ]

Thank you for your service. Really. Thank you.

I like the letter, but have a few comments/critiques. Here goes.


. There are a 1.5 billion Islamic people around the world
Say "Muslims" instead. It's more correct.

If we as Americans believe we are at war with all of Islam or we are at war to keep the oil flowing then we had better buckle down and fight this war all out like WWII. Quit trying to live in a state of denial that we can go on living a peace time life while tossing a few son’s and daughters lives toward a far off battle that will only to get worse. And if this is the case that we are at war with all Islamic people of the world and not just a radical few, every American Mother and Father with their sons and daughters in tow needs to walk down to the military recruiting station and sign on the dotted line. It is going to take a lot of bodies to kill 1.5 billion Muslims. Nukes in places like India wouldn’t be a good idea or we will end up fighting 1 billion Hindu’s.
Personally, I'd leave this paragraph out. You wouldn't want a quote taken out of context to suggest "every American Mother and Father with their sons and daughters in tow needs to walk down to the military recruiting station and sign on the dotted line. It is going to take a lot of bodies to kill 1.5 billion Muslims." Especially since you say you do not believe it is a war against all Muslims.

Two final thoughts. First, I'd add in a little more info about Ron Paul at the end. Many people still don't know who he is. Secondly, I know most papers have strict limits on length of letters-to-the-editor. Maybe you could get it run as an Op/Ed piece, but I don't know. Look into the policies of whatever paper or media you are interested in. And finally, don't be discouraged if your message doesn't immediately get printed. Your story has resonance, do your best to get it out. Good luck.

[klamath]

Thank you for your service. Really. Thank you.

I like the letter, but have a few comments/critiques. Here goes.


Say "Muslims" instead. It's more correct.

Personally, I'd leave this paragraph out. You wouldn't want a quote taken out of context to suggest "every American Mother and Father with their sons and daughters in tow needs to walk down to the military recruiting station and sign on the dotted line. It is going to take a lot of bodies to kill 1.5 billion Muslims." Especially since you say you do not believe it is a war against all Muslims.

Two final thoughts. First, I'd add in a little more info about Ron Paul at the end. Many people still don't know who he is. Secondly, I know most papers have strict limits on length of letters-to-the-editor. Maybe you could get it run as an Op/Ed piece, but I don't know. Look into the policies of whatever paper or media you are interested in. And finally, don't be discouraged if your message doesn't immediately get printed. Your story has resonance, do your best to get it out. Good luck.

Thank you. Those are some good points. That is why you should never be your own editor:D My point about the recruiting station was to try and point out how ghastly that war would be but your point is well taken on how it could be taken out of context.

[robatsu]

An excellent letter. Got me thinking what mine would be:

America is the blood of my family. Although none of us were careerists, we've fought in conflicts from the Revolution onward, and this tradition was as natural as part of our upbringing as learning the alphabet. I spent my childhood looking at browning photographs of my father in his Korean War garb, hearing family tales of ancestors imprisoned at Andersonville, driving halftracks through the French countryside in Patton's army, then returning, sometimes maimed, to the life of free Americans. Me, I joined the USMC on my 17th birthday, served as as sniper for a while until ultimately advancing to a position in the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer in the undeclared undersea war of the 1980's. Currently, one of my brothers is flying Blackhawks in Afghanistan.

We were raised that soldierly and defense were a natural part of the obligations of free men, an unthinking reflex. A quaint vision today, a Rockwell portrait of Main Street America, with the Armory gracing the high spot at the end of State Street, fireworks on the 4th. But it was a firm reality that spanned many generations.

But now, when looking at my 3 year old son playing with his trucks, I have but one thought; not only would I do everything in my power to keep him away from military service such as it has become today, it is the most important thing I can do for him in this world we have wrought.

[james1906]

Great letter. I agree on saying a bit more on Ron Paul, perhaps you can mention his military service.

[hatefalseweight]

You might want to get Dr. Paul's name in right near the beginning and then explain why .... " As an IRaq veteran and former supporter of gw bush, I now support Dr. Ron Paul in 2008. Let me tell you why etc.... ... don't want to lose your audience ... send the article around to lots of papers, too. It is an excellent letter and I include it in some of the stuff I mail around to Iowans and so forth.

Chuck

[austinphish]

That was you - cool. I am an AMCON subscriber. I wrote the one the letter to the Editor that was in the issue following the 6/18/07 Ron Paul issue titled "Catch the Bug".

Anyways nice letter. I like.

[klamath]

Thanks again for the input guys. The is a revised edition. It is still too long I know.
Bear in mind that this letter is targeting flag waving standard republicans. The parts about the plots is not a slam against anyone but is addressing the issues I am sure you have all heard used against us. All suggestions would be appreciated.

As a Ron Paul supporter am I one of those "Plot upon plot upon plot" freaks? Am I one of those liberals that believe no matter what the horror in the world, "it is America's fault"? Or maybe I am a drug using hemp voter? Or better yet, am I one of those "black helicopters are coming to get me" nuts? Probably not because I served in the National Guard 20 years and crewed helicopters for 14 years and knew that black paint is called CARC paint (a radar absorbing coating).
My first active duty callup was during Desert Storm to back fill with my company in Texas and Honduras. Three of us would never come back from that deployment as a nighttime medevac mission went terribly wrong and two of our pilots and a flight medic would be burned beyond recognition on a Honduran hillside. My next deployment was in a place called Bosnia, and while we all came back, most of us will never forget the long awaited day of departure when an air war started in a place called Kosovo and the plane that was to take us home couldn't fly into the closed airspace. So since the politicians didn't want us to be too heavily armed in this police action, we had to give all our ammo to our replacements and make a bus trip through the worst area of the country, absolutely defenseless.
I have been a Republican since I was 14 years old, typing up my own Reagan posters in 1976 and raged as Nelson Rockefeller yanked a Reagan poster out of the hands of a Reagan delegate. I raged when establishment Republicans ridiculed the Reagan delegates for blowing their horns for Reagan for forty straight minutes at the '76 convention. I ranted every time I heard statements that the phony baloney actor cowboy from California would never win a general election. When the impossible happened and he was elected, I watched a good portion of Reagan's agenda go down to defeat against a Democratic Congress. I dreamed if only we could get the presidency and the congress, we could really lower the deficit, cut back on the government's size and intrusiveness, and make sure that US troops were never sent to a war that wasn't in direct defense of our nation, with their hands tied and given a mission they could never win. In the year 2000, by 537 votes, my dream came true.
How well I have been rewarded;
Mark Foley preaching of neocon morality while attempting to have a homosexual affair with a page and being covered up by those in power.
Finding out Newt Gingrich was having an affair at the same time as Clinton.
Listening to Rush Limbaugh from the day he started his talk radio on KFBK ridiculing people of the libertarian beliefs on drugs and then finding out he was smuggling and using illegal drugs himself.
Finding out that the great moralistic inspiring articles from the Hillsdale College were written by a man who had been sleeping with his son's wife for 10 years.
Watching Bush and the Republican congress give us a huge deficit with every kind of pork barreling you can imagine and growing the power of the federal government in every area.
Disregard for the Bill of Rights.
Young men and women fighting and dying in a war with no clear objective, being sent on multiple deployments, and then being hit with a stop loss when their enlistment’s were up and sent again to play the game of Russian Roulette.
All the while I am choking out excuses against critics.
I voted for Bush in '04 because how could I vote for a guy that openly admitted to committing atrocities in Vietnam while he was an officer and should have had the leadership and moral courage to stop it? I supported the war, which I can back up with a department of defense DD form 214 showing my service in southwest Asia, namely Iraq. Both Clinton and Bush told me of the WMD. God help our civil liberties if Saddam drops one of those on a US city, I thought. I served my tour after it was decided the WMDs would never be found and stood by my helicopter and saluted with tears in my eyes as the body bags containing the remains of my fellow US GI's (some weighting less than 30 pounds) were loaded on my helicopter.
Coming home from one of these missions, I read the string of increasingly frantic emails from my wife about the SuperStallion helicopter that had gone down in the western Iraqi desert. She was reading the partial list of fatalities and recognized the names of our son's Marine buddies he had talked about in emails from Falujah. But God spared our son as him and a buddy were moved to Chock 2 at the last minute, sparing him the fate of 33 of his company comrades.

As I crisscrossed over thousands of square miles of Iraq I had high hopes for the country becoming a free and prosperous country. I was in Iraq for both of the first two Elections and hoped with all my soul that they would quit killing each other and of course us. I wanted so desperately to secure the borders so foreign fighters couldn’t get in and kill wantonly but realized this would never be possible without a huge army. I believe that at least fifty percent of the people supported our presence to protect them from the killings but as we were unable to protect them from the bombings that killed them, hundreds a day, we just became more of a detriment and they now believe we are attracting the killers to their country. There is deep hatred between the three main groups in Iraq and that hate is getting deeper by the day. After I got out of the country I followed the news every day just hoping for a glimmer of hope that the violence was abating. I listened in vain. We cannot install a democracy there I am afraid. The hatred is so deep that I think that we would have as much luck in invading Lebanon, Palestine and Israel making it one country and having them vote in one democracy.
We are at war with a small group of radical Muslims and we should be going after them as Congressmen Ron Paul voted to do but every great general in history knew when he had lost a battle in a war and had sense enough to withdraw and regroup and rethink his strategy. To do otherwise and the soldiers see that they are dying in vain that general rapidly loses the support of his men and even more so when he is giving orders from the rear. It doesn't help when they know he didn't spend time in the foxholes in his youth.

Elections are like ball games anymore. Rally behind your team whether or not there is much difference in the two candidates. The only trouble is you have to live with the results of your victory not just look at the trophy on the desk.
A man owes no loyalty to parties or politicians only to Principals
So, when I hear about the kooky, liberal, left, fringe, anti-American Ron Paul supporters, I guess I must have miscategorized myself.
If as I believe we are at war with a radical few then we need to get out of the middle East and deprive al Qaeda the rallying and recruitment point of American occupation. If some are thinking I have become an appeaser and pacifist and a cut and runner you could not be more wrong. It is my firm belief that all things in this universe are about force and counterforce and the struggle to survive. War and terrorism, which are one in the same, will always be in this universe and I will fight for my freedom and right to live without hesitation however it is a ghastly horrible thing that can bring out the worse elements of human nature. If we can find different strategies that cost less in human life and defuse the constant human struggles where it is possible and where they involve us I believe we should go that route.

So, I feel I was wrong about the war and have to admit my mistake. As I looked around for a leader to replace Bush I had to go back in history and see who was making sounder judgments than I during the time of 9/11 hysteria and find it wasn’t any of the "top tier candidates" both Democrat and Republican. That person was Ron Paul.
I will vote for Ron Paul, a man that has been married to the same woman for 50 years and stands by his principals and his oath to defend the consitution, even when it is not popular such as voting against going into Iraq when all America wanted to kick ass because he knew what it would lead to.

[Rivington Essex]

I will gladly help you edit this down. An oped needs to be about 750 words. I have had them published before and I am working on one now.

[klamath]

I will gladly help you edit this down. An oped needs to be about 750 words. I have had them published before and I am working on one now.

This has AMAZING content, but there are two messages; your story and your suppoirt of Ron Paul. You need to hit the message.

I changed the lead, but obviosly you can take it or leave it. I will gladly help.

rivingtonessex@gmail.com

-----------------------------------------------------


I have been a life long Republican and supported the Iraq war. I served in Iraq and can prove it with my DoD form 214. After quite a lot of reflection I still hold many of the same beliefs, but I support Ron Paul for President in 2008.

Initially I supported the war in Iraq because both President Clinton and President Bush told me Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction. And I continued to support President Bush in 2004 because I could not vote for a guy that openly admitted to committing atrocities in Vietnam while he was an officer without the leadership and moral courage to stop it. Today Ron Paul is the best choice to lead the country forward.


-----------------------------------------------

Another lead could be ….

This is my story, and the story that leads me to think Ron Paul is our best choice in 2008.

When I arrived in Iraq in the Summer of ….

I served my tour after it was discovered that WMDs would probably never be found. I stood by my helicopter and saluted with tears in my eyes as the body bags containing the remains of my fellow US GI's (some weighting less than 30 pounds) were loaded on my helicopter.

I like your second lead and I modified it a bit.

This is my story, and the story that leads me to support Ron Paul for president.

When I arrived in Iraq in early January of 2005 to begin serving my tour it had already been decided WMDs would probably never be found. Many times over the following months I stood by my helicopter and saluted with tears in my eyes as the body bags containing the remains of my fellow US GI's (some weighting less than 30 pounds) were loaded on my helicopter.

[Rivington Essex]

I just kept editing.... because I love your message. I try to work it a bit more. Again, your content is AWESOME. You feelings flow right at the reader. I am justtrying to make you hit the mark MORE forecefully.. ... of course I stuck with the first lead (Murphy's law) ...

I made the message is 1. I am a veteran. 2. I support Ron Paul. 3. RP shows excellent judgment. 4. He is winning.

I am thinking about sending this letter to my local newspaper also. Bear in mind that it is targeting the general population. Any critiques?

--------------------------------------------

I have been a life long Republican and supported the Iraq war. I served in Iraq and can prove it with my DoD form 214. After quite a lot of reflection I still hold many of the same beliefs, but I support Ron Paul for President in 2008.

Initially I supported the war in Iraq because both President Clinton and President Bush told me Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction. And I continued to support President Bush in 2004; I could not vote for John Kerry who openly admitted to committing atrocities in Vietnam without the moral courage to stop them. Today, I believe Ron Paul is the best choice to lead the country forward in 2008.

I crisscrossed thousands of square miles in Iraq and I had high hopes for their country. I watched their first two elections and I wanted to see a free and prosperous country grow. I hoped with all my soul that they would quit killing each other and stop shooting at us. With tears in my eyes, I saluted the remains of my fellow US GI's, some weighting less than 30 pounds, and I loaded them on to my helicopter.

There is so much goodness in America, but we lost the moral high ground when we invaded Iraq and found no WMD. It showed the world the ineptitude of our intelligence agencies and made them question our honesty and motives. We need to regain that leadership with people who made the right call. Ron Paul is that leader.

I have examined our choices for 2008 and found only one candidate who made better judgments than me during the post-9/11 hysteria. Ron Paul advocated using force in Afghanistan and urged Congress to put a price on Osama bin Laden’s head. He argued forcefully against Iraq to “avoid a needless war that offers us nothing but troubles” and predicted the quagmire we are in today. He correctly said “we do not know exactly how long this will last. It could be a six-day war, a six-month war, or six years or even longer.” How right he was.

It is very painful, but I admit I was wrong to support the war. And today, I have gone back and studied all the candidates in 2008.While every candidate on the Republican side seems to be rushing to war with Iran and every Democrat including Clinton, Kerry, Dodd, Edwards and Biden voted to use force in Iraq, Ron Paul has calmly advocated a different policy.

And after 18 months in Iraq I understand what he means when Dr Paul says “democracy can not be spread with the barrel of a gun.” When I see Ron Paul winning straw polls in Alabama and Washington and New Hampshire, I know our country is good.

[Lesgov]

That is an awesome letter klamath, a very heartfelt testimony. Thank you so much for your service to this country.
I would like to post this on a couple other forums when you get it where you want it. When the editing is finished, make sure it is really you because this is really what jumps out at someone reading it: you,talking from the heart.

[klamath]

I just kept editing.... because I love your message. I try to work it a bit more. Again, your content is AWESOME. You feelings flow right at the reader. I am justtrying to make you hit the mark MORE forecefully.. ... of course I stuck with the first lead (Murphy's law) ...

I made the message is 1. I am a veteran. 2. I support Ron Paul. 3. RP shows excellent judgment. 4. He is winning.

I am thinking about sending this letter to my local newspaper also. Bear in mind that it is targeting the general population. Any critiques?

--------------------------------------------

I have been a life long Republican and supported the Iraq war. I served in Iraq and can prove it with my DoD form 214. After quite a lot of reflection I still hold many of the same beliefs, but I support Ron Paul for President in 2008.

Initially I supported the war in Iraq because both President Clinton and President Bush told me Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction. And I continued to support President Bush in 2004; I could not vote for John Kerry who openly admitted to committing atrocities in Vietnam without the moral courage to stop them. Today, I believe Ron Paul is the best choice to lead the country forward in 2008.

I crisscrossed thousands of square miles in Iraq and I had high hopes for their country. I watched their first two elections and I wanted to see a free and prosperous country grow. I hoped with all my soul that they would quit killing each other and stop shooting at us. With tears in my eyes, I saluted the remains of my fellow US GI's, some weighting less than 30 pounds, and I loaded them on to my helicopter.

There is so much goodness in America, but we lost the moral high ground when we invaded Iraq and found no WMD. It showed the world the ineptitude of our intelligence agencies and made them question our honesty and motives. We need to regain that leadership with people who made the right call. Ron Paul is that leader.

I have examined our choices for 2008 and found only one candidate who made better judgments than me during the post-9/11 hysteria. Ron Paul advocated using force in Afghanistan and urged Congress to put a price on Osama bin Laden’s head. He argued forcefully against Iraq to “avoid a needless war that offers us nothing but troubles” and predicted the quagmire we are in today. He correctly said “we do not know exactly how long this will last. It could be a six-day war, a six-month war, or six years or even longer.” How right he was.

It is very painful, but I admit I was wrong to support the war. And today, I have gone back and studied all the candidates in 2008.While every candidate on the Republican side seems to be rushing to war with Iran and every Democrat including Clinton, Kerry, Dodd, Edwards and Biden voted to use force in Iraq, Ron Paul has calmly advocated a different policy.

And after 18 months in Iraq I understand what he means when Dr Paul says “democracy can not be spread with the barrel of a gun.” When I see Ron Paul winning straw polls in Alabama and Washington and New Hampshire, I know our country is good.

This is a good short version for paper that require short letters. Thanks

[Roxi]

First That was really awesome and heartfelt... thanks a bunch






You might want to get Dr. Paul's name in right near the beginning and then explain why .... " As an IRaq veteran and former supporter of gw bush, I now support Dr. Ron Paul in 2008. Let me tell you why etc.... ... don't want to lose your audience ... send the article around to lots of papers, too. It is an excellent letter and I include it in some of the stuff I mail around to Iowans and so forth.

Chuck


I totally disagree. I know someone who i have argued with about the war. she believes that they want us there, that if we get out now it will be dangerous... This letter is exactly what she needs to read. If she reads anything about ron paul in the beginning she won't even read it or if she does she will take it a different way and say but....

i think there are a lot of people on the fence about ron paul or know who he is but don't support him because of his stance on the war and this letter might just turn them around...