With heart-felt, teary gratitude
God Bless the United States Armed Forces!
Read this.
The long and the short of it is, the United States Marines found 40 vials of what is believed to be Sarin in a briefcase hidden in a truck in Fallujah.
Sarin is defined by the CDC as:
a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve
agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical
warfare agents. They are similar to certain kinds of pesticides (insect killers)
called organophosphates in terms of how they work and what kind of harmful
effects they cause. However, nerve agents are much more potent than
organophosphate pesticides.
...
Sarin and other nerve agents may have
been used in chemical warfare during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
Sarin
was used in two terrorist attacks in Japan in 1994 and 1995.
...
All the nerve agents cause their toxic effects by preventing
the proper operation of the chemical that acts as the body’s “off switch” for
glands and muscles. Without an “off switch,” the glands and muscles are
constantly being stimulated. They may tire and no longer be able to sustain
breathing function.
...
People can be exposed to the vapor even if they do not come in
contact with the liquid form of sarin.
...
Severely exposed people are not likely to
survive.
If it is really sarin, and I suspect that it is, it will be yet more of those WMD's that Saddam supposedly didn't have...you know, the anti-war crowds whole argument behind the "Bush Lied, People Died" shit.
I love the United States Armed Forces. I don't care which branch you serve or what role you play. In my book, they are all heroes. I wish I could make enough cookies to send every deployed man and woman a full box of their favorite kind. I wish that I could send pillows, blankets, ac, and beer to each and every one of them. They have my gratitude, my respect, my admiration, and yes! my love too. They are everything that is good about this nation. They are strength, compassion, and freedom. They are just normal guys and gals, I know, named Joe, Steve, Mark, Matt, Erin, and Emily. They believe in the USA...and I believe in them!
Whenever I see pictures of our troops in action I get the same misty eyes I got when I visited Pearl Harbor and Arlington National Cemetary. I can do nothing but bow in the face of such sacrifice. Their service isn't just a job, though that is what so many of them say. "I'm no hero, I was just doing my job." Yeah? Well your job is a helluva lot more important than mine.
I respect that war is a dirty business. I know that it should always be the last resort. But I also know that sometimes you have to go to war. That's why I'm proud of these men and women. There is no better force on the face of the planet. I love and admire each and every one of them, from the PFC to the 4-star General for what they make possible both here and all around the world.
My good friend from highschool and I both went to college at the University of Illinois. Her parents were peacenik hippies. She thought long and hard...and then, much to the dismay of her parents, she signed up with the Air Force ROTC. After college, she became and officer and married a military man. I'm so proud of her. She is some of the best this nation has to offer.
My stepmother's nephew is Navy. He was on that ship where President Bush declared an end to major operations in Iraq. He actually ate dinner at the same table as the President. I'm proud of him too. (Not because he ate dinner with the President) He's a regular guy, doing what he believes.
So, listen up all of you fighting the good fight: Thank you. A million times, thank you. We don't say it enough.
And, to all of you who call them "babykillers" and spit on them or beat them up: Get Bent!
