Holiday Thanks for End of Iraq War

Today, December 18, will go down in history as the end of our involvement in Iraq. Well, hopefully that is the case.

From the first step on Iraq soil to our last nighttime trek into Kuwait, this has been a sad sojourn for America and its allies. Gas price per gallon today is $3.05 per gallon at the pump. That has nothing to do with winning or losing the war but it did have a lot to do with why we went into Iraq.

At the time President Bush was trying to convince the world that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, we were one of the countries that had had trouble negotiating for oil with Saddam. The French were successful but Britain and the US were not getting anywhere. I was not paying attention to oil at the time but did try to affirm those reports of the infamous "weapons of mass destruction". All the quotes and sources that both the Brits and Bush were using seemed to be repeating the same origins. Now wouldn't you think that Hillary Clinton and others who opposed going in would have been smart enough to figure that out?

If everyone else is on the bandwagon, you are labeled as unpatriotic by your peers. It gets harder and harder to stay the course. I applaud those who did have the common sense to vote against our involvement. Locally, Congressman Rush Holt voted against going in. He is and was a very smart man.

What did this war really mean for our country? Now we add up the cost.

Brown University has carried out research and one study is "Cost of Wars Project".
It estimates that it cost the US between 3.2 to 4 trillion dollars to look for the phantom weapons of mass destruction. The Department of Defense cedes 357.8 billion but that was borrowed monies so there is interest due. Expect another trillion or so in the future to care for the maimed veterans who have survived to come home.

Ahem. Borrowed monies. Borrowed from where? Try our Social Security Trust Fund on for size. I am not going to say more but if a Republican Congressman stands in front of me to insist that he "must" cut my social security benefit which I am living on, because it is a superfluous "entitlement"....well, sir, follow the bear over the mountain.

Before I finish today, I suggest clicking on to the following link for a first hand reply to Newt Gingrich's blithe consideration of poverty.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/opinion/granderson-poor-families/index.html This is a link to a thoughtful article prompted by recent Newt Gingrich's comments.

The Social Security Trust Fund is this government's largest creditor. Don't tell me you're going to take away my Social Security just so you won't have to pay the interest on the Bush Iraq War Debt!

Seniors rock.