More Casualities in the Middle East

'8 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan'



Our military has suffered a loss as eight United States service members were killed by roadside bombs on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. The day before-- Monday, October 26-- fourteen soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash. That has been the record for the most Americans killed in a 24 hour period for four years. If you add the two deaths that occurred on Sunday, October 25, that brings the number to a terrible number: 24 deaths in 48 hours. October has been the worst month as far a deaths go, in Afghanistan since 2001. The numbers keep climbing up as more and more of our soldiers die.

Friends, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters are dying. American people are being killed I type. And yet we are sending more loved ones to the same fate. The statistics shown above portray the soldiers as numbers. They are people. They had families, children, a house, a career, goals, and at the risk of sounding cliche-- dreams. That has ended for them. It is gone. There are 58 that died this October. They are gone. And there is some sympathy for them, but mostly people are thinking, "Christ, that's awful. But thank God it doesn't affect me." I agree with Kate Gearman's view that we aren't in the direct line of fire so we don't think of it as quite so horrible. Americans who remain in the good ol' U.S. have a mentality of out of sight out of mind. That needs to change. Immediately.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/27/afghan.deaths/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Is America Hesitating?

'Cheney: Obama seems 'afraid' to make decision on Afghanistan
Former Vice President Dick Cheney believes that America's current administration has severely damaged ties with other nations. Obama has been unclear on what his goals are in Afghanistan and he is unspecific when directing the troops. Cheney thinks that America pulling back is a bad idea. "President Obama's cancellation of America's agreements with the Polish and Czech governments was a serious blow to the hopes and aspirations of millions of Europeans," Cheney said. "These are faithful friends and NATO allies, and they deserve better. ... Our friends throughout the world are watching and wondering whether America will abandon them as well." Cheney has defended the Bush administration's interrogation techniques and believes that Obama needs to be more assertive.

Cheney seems to think that Obama pulling out of our agreement to place 10 interceptor missiles in Europe is a sign that the President is unsure on what to decide. While I agree that it was an unwise move for both our sake and Europe's, I don't believe he is hesitating. He is sending more troops to Afghanistan and that to me does not appear to be a sign of fear. Cheney maybe just announcing his opinion to show that he is against Obama, but while doing so, he should make his assumptions of the President accurate. Obama may have made some mistakes this first year, but he definitely is going into it guns ablazing. So far, the White House has made no response to the claims of the former Vice President, but I am sure that when they do, it will be colorful. The administration that Cheney did back-- Bush's-- had many failures. Many retaliations could be made directed toward Cheney.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/22/cheney.obama/index.html