[N8 v2.0]

Not on www.snopes.com...

******************************

Hello Everyone, I am taking time to ask you all for your help.

First off, I'd like to say that this is not a political message. I'm not concerned about domestic politics right now. We have much bigger things to deal with, and we need your help.

It seems that despite the tremendous and heroic efforts of the men and women serving here in Iraq to bring much needed peace and stability to this region, we are losing the war of perception with the media and American people. Our enemy has learned that the key to defeating the mighty American military is by swaying public opinion at home and abroad. We are a people that cherish the democratic system of government and therefore hold the will of the people in the highest regard. We love to criticize ourselves almost to an endless degree, because we care what others think. Our enemies see this as a weakness and are trying to exploit it.

When we ask ourselves questions like, "Why do they hate us?" or "What did we do wrong?" we are playing into our enemies' hands. Our natural tendency to question ourselves is being used against us to undermine our effort to do good in the world. How far would we have gotten if after the surprise attacks on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, we would have asked, "Why do the Japanese hate us so much?" or "How can we change ourselves so that they won't do that again?" Here in Iraq the enemy is trying very hard to portray our efforts as failing and fruitless. They kill innocents and desecrate their bodies in hopes that the people back home will lose the will to fight for liberty. They are betting on our perceived weakness as a thoughtful, considerate people. Unfortunately our media only serves to further their cause.

In an industry that feeds on ratings and bad news, a failure in Iraq would be a goldmine. When our so-called "trusted" American media takes a quote from an Iraqi doctor as the gospel truth over that of the men and women that are daily fighting to protect the right to freedom of press, you know something is wrong. That doctor claimed that out of 600 Iraqis, that were casualties of the fighting, the vast majority of them were women, children and the elderly. This is totally absurd. In the history of man, no one has spent more time and effort, often to the detriment of our own mission, to be more discriminate in our targeting of the enemy than the American military. The Marines and Soldiers serving in Iraq have gone through extensive training in order to limit the amount of innocent casualties and collateral damage.

Yet, despite all of this, our media consistently sides with those who openly lie and directly challenge the honor of our brave heroes fighting for liberty and peace. What we have to remember is that peace is not defined as an absence of war. It is the presence of liberty, stability, and prosperity. In the face of the horrendous tyranny of the former Iraqi regime, the only way true peace was able to come to this region was through force. That is what the American Revolution was all about. Have we forgotten? Freedom is not free and "peace" without principle is not peace. The peace that so-called "peace advocates" support can only be brought to Iraq through the military. And we are doing it, if only the world will let us! If the American people believe we are failing, even if we are not, then we will ultimately fail.

That is why I am asking for your support. Become a voice of truth in your community. Wherever you are fight the lies of the enemy. Don't buy into the pessimism and apathy that says, "It's hopeless," "They hate us too much," "That part of the world is just too messed up," "It's our fault anyway," "We're to blame," and so forth. Whether you're in middle school, working at a 9-5 job, retired, or a stay-at-home mom you can make a huge difference! There is nothing more powerful than the truth. So, when you watch the news and see doomsday predictions and spiteful opinions on our efforts over here, you can refute them by knowing that we are doing a tremendous amount of good. Spread the word. No one is poised to make such an amazing contribution to the everyday lives of Iraqis and the rest of the Arab world than the American Armed Forces. By making this a place where liberty can finally grow, we are making the whole world safer. Your efforts at home are directly tied to our success. You are the soldiers at home fighting the war of perception. So I'm asking you as a fellow fighting man: Do your duty. Stop the attempts of the enemy wherever you are. You are a mighty force for good, because truth is on your side. Together we will win this fight and ensure a better world for the future.

God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
1st Lt. Robert L. Nofsinger, USMC, Ramadi, Iraq

 

[Tenchiro]

I can't believe he even tried to compare Iraq with the American Revolution. I have to say that invasion, can not and should not ever be compared with revolution.

He says it is not a political letter, but looks like he is quoting the whitehouse almost verbatim through most of the letter.

At least he seems to be a real person. He also seems to have gotten promoted since he wrote this.

 

[$tinkle]

i had to just laugh out-loud, for i just read this on frontpage magazine ten minutes ago.

it's a neat site, fair & balanced, fully endorsed by Silver.


oh, did you know that saddam's WMDs have been found?

 

[Silver]

Originally posted by $tinkle
i had to just laugh out-loud, for i just read this on frontpage magazine ten minutes ago.

it's a neat site, fair & balanced, fully endorsed by Silver.


oh, did you know that saddam's WMDs have been found?

Oooohhh, you're asking for it...

 

[$tinkle]

n8,

ummm, couldn't find this "dubious" story on snopes.
please provide link

EDIT: first week learning to read w/o moving lips...sorry.

 

[LordOpie]

I'm not concerned about domestic politics right now. We have much bigger things to deal with...

While I agree Iraq is important... how dare he suggest that domestic policy is not?!

We still have educational problems, healthcare problems, emergency services issues (law enforcement)...

 

[Silver]

I wonder how the American revolution would have went if the Prussians would have invaded the colonies in order to free them from the tyranny of the British...

Anyone think the Prussians would have had a little "insurgent" problem?

 

[MikeD]

As I've been assigned to sit in the US and train other people for war, instead of going over to fight myself, I feel guilty opening my mouth here. A fellow Marine wrote that with all sincerity. However, I'd just like to point out that understanding why your enemies do what they do is a necessary part of tactics, operations, and strategy. Asking "Why do they hate us?" is the fundamental question, not something we should be afraid of asking.

Just because you understand why someone hates you doesn't mean you sympathize with them. However, Marine Corps warfighting doctrine tells you to speculate on the enemy's center of gravity...that with which he will be unable to continue to fight effectively, or at least which he perceives will prevent him from fighting effectively. It teaches us that war is only conducted as a means to a political end.

So to not know why we're fighting, and to just keep blindly swinging at anyone who hates us, instead of attacking the REASONS people are attacking us (political and economic conditions), we're setting ourselves up for failure and, even possibly, the ruin of our society as we know it.

The US is a giant at war with a virus, and it needs to stop trying to kill the virus by smacking at it. It needs to go into a lab, study the virus, find out how and where it breeds, and begin to treat its symptoms as possible while it devises a cure, or at least an effective containment method.

MD

 

[fluff]

Originally posted by LordOpie
While I agree Iraq is important... how dare he suggest that domestic policy is not?!

We still have educational problems, healthcare problems, emergency services issues (law enforcement)...

He said politics, not policy. They're spelled differently for a reason; they mean different things.

He also didn't say anything about importance.

Poor trolling. 4/10. Could do better with a little effort.

 

[MMike]

Originally posted by fluff


Poor trolling. 4/10. Could do better with a little effort.

Well there's always still the swimsuit competition

 

[Westy]

Originally posted by MikeD
As I've been assigned to sit in the US and train other people for war, instead of going over to fight myself, I feel guilty opening my mouth here. A fellow Marine wrote that with all sincerity. However, I'd just like to point out that understanding why your enemies do what they do is a necessary part of tactics, operations, and strategy. Asking "Why do they hate us?" is the fundamental question, not something we should be afraid of asking.

Just because you understand why someone hates you doesn't mean you sympathize with them. However, Marine Corps warfighting doctrine tells you to speculate on the enemy's center of gravity...that with which he will be unable to continue to fight effectively, or at least which he perceives will prevent him from fighting effectively. It teaches us that war is only conducted as a means to a political end.

So to not know why we're fighting, and to just keep blindly swinging at anyone who hates us, instead of attacking the REASONS people are attacking us (political and economic conditions), we're setting ourselves up for failure and, even possibly, the ruin of our society as we know it.

The US is a giant at war with a virus, and it needs to stop trying to kill the virus by smacking at it. It needs to go into a lab, study the virus, find out how and where it breeds, and begin to treat its symptoms as possible while it devises a cure, or at least an effective containment method.

MD

You should not feel guilty about saying anything, it is nice to hear from someone with a little more insight instead of us morons pressing our opinions.