This photograph, ripped from the pages of The New Yorker magazine.
And not just because he looks like Stewart Copeland, but because he was brave enough to serve his country for five years, and because he was brave enough to stand against the Iraq war.
The Iraq War is an enormous reason why Bossy supports Barack O’Boyfriend in the upcoming election. Bossy thinks it’s reprehensible that McCain and Palin try to paint Obama as dwelling in the past every time he makes the point that U.S. involvement in the Iraq War never should have happened.
Considering and honoring the soldiers who lost their lives is not dwelling in the past. Just like detailing the reasons why a war never should have happened is not the same thing as saying soldiers lost their lives in vain. It’s never in vain when a soldier is effectively carrying out their duties.
But the Iraq War and the reasons not to be there breaks along philosophical lines, and Bossy could never support a man or woman or Senator or President who misrepresented the truth or turned a blind eye to published facts–such as the National Intelligence Estimate, which was released before the Iraq War vote and said that Iraq did not yet have nuclear capacity.
And there are over 30,000 reasons (the dead and injured United States sons, husbands, wives, mothers, sisters, friends) why Bossy believes what she’s saying to be true.
The above photo is of Sergeant Matthis Chiroux, and it’s from a collection of Veteran portraits taken by the photographer Platon. See the rest of the collection here.
amen
Excellent post! Powerful photo!
Thank you for the link to the collection.
For every veteran that is against the war, there are more that are for the great things they are doing over there to liberate an oppressed people. No matter the reasons that got us into the war in the first place, we now must stay to finish the job or else my husband (who is currently in Afghanistan) and the rest of the military will see a repeat performance but at a greater risk. Believe me, I don’t want us to be there, but since we are, I want to make sure we don’t ever have to be there again. And that is what McCain will see to.
These are stunningly beautiful portraits.
Great stuff BOSSY.
As a vet and the mother of two sons who served and the aunt of two nephews in Iraq as I type, I say right on Bossy! This war sucks and we need to get out now. And by get out now of course that means an orderly exit. Afghanistan is another more complicated matter and honestly I’m inclined to think we should stay. Barrack the VOTE!
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Haunting photos. I do not envy the job of our new president, who has to try and find a way to clean up this tragic, misguided muck. The idea that McCain could make things any better – even if he wanted to – is just sad. Vote Obama. VOTE OBAMA.
Uh, at the risk sounding like a jerk, there are actually closer to A MILLION reasons, that is, if you think that Iraqi’s are people, too.
Great point Kristi #3…very well said.
Obama should have picked Bossy for his running mate!
Andrea wants to kiss Bossy right on the mouth (or maybe the cheek will do) for this post.
Those were very strong photos, eerie with the silver glow and solemnity to most of them
I suspect that war is not a complete deterrent to the very real issues of poverty and hopelessness that ists play on to fill their ranks. How can we beat already-battered people into submission to “make sure we don’t ever have to be there again”? How can bring an end to ?
My computer screened some words out.
…poverty and hopelessness that terrorists play on..
and
How can killing bring an end to killing?
And don’t forget the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS dead men, women and children of Iraq.
Thank you Bossy.
How could we vote for a man who sung “Bomb bomb bomb Iran” so cavalierly while American casualties pile up?!? McCain LIKES war
O’Boyfriend in ’08!
Yes, we should just keep bombing people and killing them until there aren’t enough left to cause trouble for us from now on. Since they – you know – were so much trouble for us before we invaded their countries. Oh, wait … that wasn’t them? It was zealots who were citizens of the country of our friends, the Saudis? Oh … never mind.
The one good thing that I will always remember about Nixon was when he ordered US troops out of Vietnam. For that, I’d forgive anything else. Let’s hope Dubya’s successor does the right thing too.
While I agree, no war is a good war, I’d rather be fighting the enemy on their turf than ours. WTC? I never want to live throught that again. My kids and I would gladly sacrifice my husband’s absence for another two years to prevent that from happening again.
I like your blog, but this time you political views have interfered with the enjoyment. See ya, not!
Exactly.
Amen.
And now off to get some sleep in order to get up and vote for the most qualified candidate of my times. Senator Obama.
‘nite.
As a wife to a disabled former soldier, I couldn’t agree with you less…
yea, but Obama has no “real” plan to get them out…
I think we are doing more good than harm there, yes, almost 5,000 of our people died, but human life is human life and the almost 1,000,000 were killed by Saddam )for kicks basically) he NEEDED to be stopped before he killed another million….