Hello Maggie,
My husband is active duty and I am reserves so we both have a strong possibility of being deployed. Especially since my husband wants to go SF (Special Forces.) I worry about all of my friends I have made in my military career and have seen many, many people get deployed. My friend has a newborn and her husband was just deployed to Iraq. My heart drops every time I hear of soldier and civillian deaths. Sometimes, it makes me want to go as soon as possible. A close friend, when he came back on leave, was telling us how he got used to hearing bombs go off.
I pray that everyone on all sides is proteccted out there.

Joanne

I have a friend whose son is in the National Guard first he was stationed at "Gitmo" now he is going to Iraq. We were both so hoping the election would turn out different and now we both fear the worst. I know that there is going to be another attack eventually. I think going into Iraq has made things worse by stirring everything up and hardening the resolve of those who want to harm us. Anyway that is my "two cents worth".  >:(

Politics is such a touchy subject that normally I wouldn't get involved, but I just wanted to say that I am sorry for the losses of those whose familiy members, etc, are putting themselves on the line for a cause that seems to becoming less and less clear - on both sides of the spectrum.

There have been so many injustices in this entire Iraq situation, that it would take 3 web pages to even scratch the surface. And it isn't only Iraq. It's a global pattern. Everywhere you look people are suffering.

Imperfect mankind in general has made a real mess of trying to rule over himself. (There is a scripture in the Bible that says that, "'man would dominate man to his injury.'—Ecclesiastes 8:9.) And isn't that true! Especially to those who are now feeling the harsh brunt of the decisions made by those dominating.

Unfortunately, as good as some may have in their intentions, you can't put your faith in imperfect man. You will only be let down.

:: gets up on soapbox with moderator hat on head (safely protecting my locks)::

I'm gonna jump in here and just remind everyone that we all have our personal opinions on the war and politics in general.  Most of us live in countries that allow us to express those opinions openly without thread of retaliation.  This "right" should not be taken lightly, but we also should be respectful of each other when discussing "hot topics".

If anyone is uncomfortable with this thread, please PM me.  We don't need any "wars" here.

Thank you for your attention.  I now return you to your regularly scheduled message board and long hair growing.

:: steps down off the soapbox::

Please allow me to apologize, perhaps this is a topic that I should have left alone.  I really was not searching for personal opinions on the war, but opening up to anyone else who may be feeling scared or vulnerable to the effects of the war, especially considering the re-election of President Bush.  At the moment that I was typing that, I guess I felt like my hair was the least important thing in my life  :-[, and I was feeling very sad thinking about how our soldiers might continue to be affected.  Again, I apologize for surfacing such a touchy subject, I just wanted to open up a place for others to pour their heart out if they are saddened and affected by this too.  Hope I'm still welcome here!  Sincerely, maggie

Maggie;
You are most certainly welcome here.  Your post showed your compassion and there is nothing wrong with that.  My heart goes out to anyone who is separated from loved ones, particularly if they are possibly in harms way, and I know that is what you were expressing as well.

I just wanted to make sure that we didn't venture too far and cross the line that would make people uncomfortable.  It can be difficult for those who have loved ones fighting in wars that are not popular to hear people complain about the wars.  

Personal opinion i.e., one that doesn't really count, I think that on a relatively small board it's pretty safe to discuss, especially considering that I am quite certain that everyone is worried about the people dying and extremely sympathetic to anyone who is more directly involved.

I am very very worried and very very depressed.  I wish we had never gone but we did and now we are stuck dealing with it.  I also would have much prefered having a new administration dealing with it.  At least it might have given us a fresh start with our allies and perhaps stalled the terrorist spread while they wait to see what happens.

It's a done deal though and we'll have to make the best of it.  Maybe it will finally solidify the apathetic or disenfranchised voters who still did not come out with the vigor of the "other" side...g