This 'Letter of Apology' was written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman, US Marine Corps, Retired: For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre. I humbly offer my opinion here: I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth; it was in the defense of Muslims ( Bosnia , Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait , etc.) I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11. I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs. I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships. I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth. I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools, mosques, and government-controlled media. I am sorry that Yasser Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian 'cause.' I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians. I am sorry that the U. S. A. has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for all their problems. I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed liberal masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our society like radical liberal professors, CNN and the NY TIMES). I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the 'food for oil' money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered. I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers upon their death I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will receive 72 virgins in 'paradise.' I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate targets. I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making. I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group. I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state. I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah. I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient 'Holy Site.' I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - one of our Holy Sites. I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc....etc! I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village in Africa . America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that is what we do. I am sorry the Barack Hussein Obama may be elected president of the United States when he doesn't have a clue on how to be a strong Commander-in-chief in a world filled with Muslim extremists who will do whatever it needs to do to destroy the lives of civilized people while killing innocent men, women and children in order to bring a change that is beneficial to all Islamic terrorists worldwide. I am sorry that voters on the liberal left don't understand the frightening changes that are taking place in the Muslim world and what these changes will do to this world in which we live. I am sorry that the Democratic Party has been highjacked by Socialists and Communists right under the very noses of those who take pride in calling themselves democrats. We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on. That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology. Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we were like - so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated? Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans. If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long wait! You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins. Chuck Pitman....Lieutenant General, USMC Pass this on to your friends if you agree. If not, I am sorry I offended you by passing on the facts. Semper Fi....
My conspiracy theory is the Democrats want gas, food, and the economy to be in shambles just like they wanted Iraq to be in shambles because it furthers their own interests: to get BHO in the White House. Lowering the high price of gas is simple:
1. Eliminate individual State ethanol/MBTE requirements to one type: One type of gasoline additive means less refinery time spent processing oil into gas therefore less cost to process.
2. Eliminate intermediate octane (89 octane): What engine requires this? 87 or 91 octane is sufficient for the consumer.
3. Reduce state taxes on gasoline sales: About $.60-.80 is from taxes per gallon supposedly for roads and transportation.
4. Explore and drill our OWN resources: Congress recently shot down opening ANWR and California coast exploration when it's estimated we have enough to equal Saudi Arabian imports for the next 20 years! Their arguement is it would not help in the "short term" but they have shot down this bill before in 2000 and 1995. These reserves would certainly be useful today and would reduce our dependence on foreign (hostile governments) oil. And caribou have been flourishing since the Alaskan pipeline was built!
5. Build more refineries nationwide: More refineries=more gas produced, more gas produced=lower prices. Build a refinery in AZ who gets oil from California and Texas at THEIR prices.
6. Explore viable alternative fuel sources: Ethanol costs 9 gallons of fossel fuel to produce 1 gallon of ethanol plus raised the price of corn and other commodities because the farmers all wanted a piece of the Cash Cow. More nuclear, shale, and coal use until cleaner, renewable energy, such as the flux capaciter, is developed.
7. Investigate the "speculators": Are they elected officials? This would be a conflict of interest when their stock portfolios are raking in the dough for them. Why doesn't the Senate set up a "committee" to investigate this?
See. Simple. Unfortunately our elected officials cannot make a simple decision when their own self-serving party ambitions become more important than the American People they so love to espouse.
