Remembering a War in McDonald's

[KillerMuffin]

We went to Topeka to spring a friend from the looneyhatch in the VA hospital, one that the StudMuffin had made up there. This was such a well planned excursion, NOT. Idiots.

Anyway, first stop, Forbes Field Museum, closed. We drove around the little white building five times looking at the helicopters then went to McDonald's. Big indoor playland lotsa kids. My child was ecstatic. I was happy too, me and my pencil and paper and book on the Celts. I'm gonna write a story involving the Sidhe and the Celts... nevermind. Anyway, my studies were quickly interrupted by the ear I was keeping on the conversation between the StudMuffin and his pal Eggo.

It seems they were both LRRPs in a LRSD (acronymoniously pronounces lurp and lurse-dee.) during the Gulf War. The StudMuffin went with the Big Red One and Eggo went with some guys outta Germany. First we talked about patriots, scuds, AT4s, M16s, C5s, C130s, howitzers, M1A1 Abrams, the Sherman tank with John Wayne and Harlem, and the desert. Then it moved on to the republican guard, which we didn't actually fight, and the Iraqi soldiers we did actually fight, when we fought.

I got to listen to my StudMuffin talking about how and when he shot people. Like the rest of the media lambasted population in most industrialized nations, shooting people is something we don't think about. It happens all the time. One guys takes a gun and shoots another one. See it on TV and in the movies all the time. This time, though, I stopped to think. I was sitting at a table in a McDonald's play area listening to the shriek of children playing in the background of a conversation that centered around a war that had happened a decade ago. 10 years ago my husband was in Khobar "Scud Alley" Towers preparing to move into the desert to fight a war. 10 years ago minus a month or two my husband and this other man were in an Iraqi desert knowingly and with full understanding of what they were doing, killing other human beings. These men both related stories in the few hours we were at McDonald's at bursting into buildings, lifting their weapons, and ending the lives of other human beings. War is the reason, these were not civilians, but armed enemy soldiers, but a life is a life. These soldiers that died did not declare war and the American soldiers that survived did not declare war. People who don't have to live with it did.

Right now, both of them are crippled because of it. Though I've only witnessed the StudMuffin's, both men are living the nightmarish hell of whatever they did over there. For them, this war lives with them, day in and day out. Iraq has always been with us, it always will be. It's part of our family, and he can never get rid of it. Whether we were right, wrong, or indifferent in our mission over there, we seem to forget, with our panacea of peaceful wealth over here, that the price of war is higher than we can ever imagine. It happened 10 years ago and lasted for less than a year, but for some of us it will never be over.

I wonder if George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein ever have nightmares over what they did.

 

[Unclebill]

Recriminations? At least on one side I think so.

I seriously believe George Bush has reservations and recriminations whereas Sadam Hussein could not have cared less how many men died to do his bidding.

It's the difference between the mentality of those who have at least a rudimentary understanding of and respect for the concept of freedom and those whose whole mentality is one of tyranny and collectivism.

The collectivist mentality sees mankind as a herd animal to be used for the purpose and benefit of the few enlightened enough (those who are willing to exert enough brute force) to rule and direct the remainder of humanity. The "leaders" in a collectivist state hold no value for human life beyond their own which they consider sacred. Their subjects are obliged to slave and die for the "leaders" for the privilege of their beneficient "leadership". The Divine Right of Kings is a fine example of this mentality.

 

[Myrrdin]

There is a lot of interest being shown in the UK, about possible links between Gulf War Syndrome and the cocktail of drugs that were given to soldiers to fight possible biological warfare etc.
Several groups are combining to research the role of the organo - phosphates that were sprayed onto tents to control insects, during the conflict, and the possible side effects.
Evidence is growing that a number of farmers in the UK have suffered long term damage while handling this chemical, to control insect attacks on animals.This was part of a compulsory eradication programme for a particular sheep parasite. Symptoms include fatigue, depression, tingling sensations. Indeed the Government withdrew the licence to sell organo phosphate dips for animal use for a time, while it considered its options.
Organo phosphate poisoning is considered the second most likely theory for the start of BSE in cattle. The government in a bid to improve the quality of cattle hides going into leather production, forced farmers to treat all their cattle every Autumn with organo phosphates to eradicate the insect that was burrowing into the hide causing holes. The chemical was poured along the centre of the backbone, where it would soak into the skin. The theory is that it reached the central nervous system . The evidence to back this theory is the highest number of cases of BSE have occurred in the countries that used this particular chemical at the highest dose rate.
In all three cases, of possible OP poisoning, most of the research is being funded privately. The UK gov't is understandably reluctant to fund research that may show that it is responsible for actions that led to the poisoning of some of its citizens.