AN OPEN LETTER TO GREG SHIPLEY
By Mark Jensen

United for Peace of Pierce County
May 23, 2004

Hi Greg --

I'm not sure who you are or why you are writing me, but this afternoon I received a message apparently from you (gregshipley@ralcco.com). You wrote (or sent) me something entitled "Facts about out [sic] Presidents & War," which begins with the statement, "There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq during the month of January..... in the fair city of Detroit (Michigan) there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's one American city folks, about as deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq!"[1]

However:

(1) Surely you must realize that you cannot even begin to estimate the number of combat-related killings that there were in the month of January, or in any other month, because the U.S. military is not even estimating the numbers of persons who are killed as a result of operations. In any case, the number of persons who have died as a result of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq number in the tens of thousands. In a single apparently mistaken attack on a wedding party at Mukaradeeb in western Iraq this week, between 40 and 50 civilians were killed. Though no U.S. forces were killed, so perhaps you don't count incidents like that. In any case, I haven't heard of many events like that in Detroit lately.

(2) If you are referring to the number of military fatalities in Iraq for Coalition forces in January 2004, there were 52: 47 U.S. and 5 U.K. soldiers.

(3) Perhaps you mean to compare crime victims? The possibility that the illegal invasion of Iraq, in violation of the United Nations Charter, to which the United States is a signatory, and denounced at the time of the 2003 invasion of Iraq as illegal by a number of friendly countries, is itself a war crime is worth considering.

(4) Should you not be comparing the number of police officers who have been killed in the city of Detroit to the number of soldiers who have died in Iraq? In the entire United States so far in the 144 days of 2004, some 60 officers have died in the line of duty. Two of them were from Detroit -- both of whom died in a single incident that arose out of a 2am traffic stop. What does this have to do with the war in Iraq?

You go on and say: "We didn't start the war on terror."[1]

However:

(5) If you mean that you and I did not, you are certainly right. But if you mean that the United States did not, you are certainly wrong. It was the United States that declared it was engaged in a "war on terrorism" or a "war on terror."

(6) As for "the war on terror": what is it? The idea of a "war on terror" is a conceptual absurdity. Terror is a method, not a force that can be defeated by war. The expression is a flight of fancy, a poetic conceit, a metaphor, like a "war on crime," a "war on drugs," a "war on cancer," or any of the other "wars" that people in power have thought it useful to declare without any hope of actually obtaining surrender from whatever war is being waged upon. The president might have gone all the way and declared a "war on evil," since this is what seems to be on his mind. Unfortunately, in the present case we're talking about a real military operation, and an open-ended one, which we have been told could last 40-50 years, which can end only when those engaging in those military operations (whom you call "us" but I do not) choose to say that it is over, since "terror" can never surrender, not being an entity that is even capable of speech.

(7) By the way, no connection has been demonstrated between Osama bin Laden and Iraq -- even the president has said so.

Finally, you conclude: "Our military is GREAT! PASS IT ON!"

(8) You got that one right -- and one of the great things about it is that its members are sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, which ensures us the freedom to engage in this give and take. Our views are different on many things, no doubt, but I'll bet we share an allegiance to our great Constitution.

Sincerely,

Mark Jensen
United for Peace of Pierce County

1.

Greg Shipley (gregshipley@ralcco.com) wrote:

Facts about out [sic] Presidents & War

It's amazing how the facts aren't relevant if they don't support your position....

Facts to think about.

There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq during the month of January..... in the fair city of Detroit (Michigan) there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's one American city folks, about as deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq!

Worst president in history?

The following appeared in the Durham, NC local paper as a letter to the editor:

Liberals claim President Bush shouldn't have started this war. They complain about his prosecution of it. One liberal recently claimed Bush was the worst president in U.S. history. Let's clear up one point: We didn't start the war on terror. Try to remember, it was started by terrorists BEFORE 9/11.

Let's look at the "worst" president and mismanagement claims:

FDR led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us: Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.

Truman finished that war and started one in Korea, North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,333 per year.

John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us. I think history might show Eisenhower committed the troops and Kennedy was honoring that commitment. Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost, an average of 5,800 per year.

Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent, Bosnia never attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

In the two years since terrorists attacked us, President Bush has: liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Lybia [sic], Iran and North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. We lost 600 soldiers, an average of 300 a year. Bush did all this abroad while not allowing another terrorist attack at home.

Worst president in history? Come on!

The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking, but... It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51 day operation.

We've been looking for evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Teddy Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida!!!!

Our military is GREAT! PASS IT ON