You know, if this column were about race or sexuality on campus, and it were this extremist, the Herald might have 1,000 person protests outside their office. But, alas, let’s stick to battles halfway around the world.

I expect the comments on this to be an incredible troll fest. There will be an inevitable letter responding to this. Kyle will then respond on the Herald blog.

Troll! You said troll, I’m obligated to post here! - Germain Q. Stemme

At least Bush is living up to his promise to not participate in nation building.

Jesus Christ, are you always on?

1:33: This is not an extremist opinion; it’s an honest opinion undiluted by fear of violating social norms. Go read the Cardinal if you want namby pamby mainstream opinions.

And 1,000 protesters? Ya, rite. There’s Halo to be played.

Holly Guacamole Batman!!! Kyle wrote a full article without bashing Israel!!! Wait does this mean the apocalypse is near?

Let’s be clear: The writer is advocating the murder of American soldiers who are serving in harms way at the invitation of the democratically elected Iraqi government.

Kindly pull the plug on this grotesque justification for terrorism, masquerading as “opinion” journalism.

Yet another wacademic demonstrates why Leftists should NEVER be given responsibility to govern.

It goes to show that we shouldn’t have wasted out time on Iraq. But no, we had to go. Now what? I don’t care about a bunch of savages who kill each other with or without our help. I’d rather stay over here and let the rest of the world fend for themselves.

Good grief: How many times do we have to read these ludicrous claims from the discredited Lancet study trotted out as “evidence” of Americans committing atrocities in Iraq?

Professor Spagat says the Lancet paper contains misrepresentations of mortality figures suggested by other organisations, an inaccurate graph, the use of the word "casualties" to mean deaths rather than deaths plus injuries, and the perplexing finding that child deaths have fallen. Using the "three-to-one rule" — the idea that for every death, there are three injuries — there should be close to two million Iraqis seeking hospital treatment, which does not tally with hospital reports.

"The authors ignore contrary evidence, cherry-pick and manipulate supporting evidence and evade inconvenient questions," contends Professor Spagat, who believes the paper was poorly reviewed. "They published a sampling methodology that can overestimate deaths by a wide margin but respond to criticism by claiming that they did not actually follow the procedures that they stated." The paper had "no scientific standing". Did he rule out the possibility of fraud? "No."

If you factor in politics, the heat increases. One of the Lancet authors, Dr Les Roberts, campaigned for a Democrat seat in the US House of Representatives and has spoken out against the war. Dr Richard Horton, Editor of the Lancet is also antiwar.

Here is the web site of Professor Spagat, with much more information on their debunking of The Lancet's biased study: Conflict Mortality Surveys. http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Economics/Research/conflict-analysis/iraq-mortality/

PALESTINIANS OUT OF ISRAEL NOW!!!!!!!!

Time to start up the FEMA camps. Liberals are getting waaaay too ornery.

Simultaneously blaming America for Saddam gassing the Kurds in 1988, while condemning American “savagery” that deposed Saddam.

Kyle must’ve scanned alot of Leftist blogs to stuff so much shameless historical revisionism into one sentence of this propaganda screed.

Kyle,

I suspect this is one of the few simply critical comments you will get.

Most of the 82% of Iraqis who don’t like the US also don’t like the insurgents.

What are the statistics on the make-up of the insurgents? How many of them are Islamic fundamentalists, how many are Marxists, how many are nationalists and how many of them are affiliated with a specific group?

I publish this opinion - that neither the insurgents or the US government have it right, and that the soldiers and the insurgents should leave the Iraqis alone. They show the capacity to rebuild their own country, but the US and the insurgents are standing in the ir way .

And I’m liberal, through and through, with a few socialistic tendencies, but I hate pure socialists.

Blame it all on Mr Peanut and his betrayal of the Shah of Iran.

The way you leap logic— from “not motivated by politics or religion” to your proof of “mujahedeen fighting a holy war”— is (well) just breathtaking.

How stoned is Kyle while writing these screeds?

The liberals hate America so much that they would rather have Saddam in charge than a chance for freedom for Iraq.

why don’t we have a vote to see if they want us in or out… if they say we should leave, we won, they voted, we leave with victory. if they say we stay, we’re no longer occupiers.

kyle, i’m tired as hell of the ‘one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’ moral equivalence bs. the insurgents are not defending their ‘nation.’ they’re savagely murdering each other and anyone else in the name of islam. because that’s islam’s history and its rules.

Kyle, you are soooo wrong. Bush has done the right thing by invading Iraq. Saddam was a murderous tyrant. Insurgents have murdered more Iraqis than our troops have. I support the president’s policy and I can only regret that he can serve two only terms. Go bless America! Palestinians out of Israel now!!!

Sincerely, scoobysnack

I wonder if the United States has ever supported terrorists? Maybe terrorists who would help to defeat Soviet interests? I sure hope we never accuse others of doing something we’ve done.

“Let’s be clear: The writer is advocating the murder of American soldiers who are serving in harms way at the invitation of the democratically elected Iraqi government.”

Untrue, I think he’s saying we should get the hell out of Iraq. Ron Paul basically said the same thing in a GOP debate and was blasted by Rudy for it. Guess what? He was right too!

We’ve done so much to the Iraqi population to piss them off, so why is it surprising that they hate us and are killing our troops every day? It’s not, and that’s why this war can’t be won until we fundamentally change our strategy in Iraq. That starts by leaving.

Kyle asks in his final paragraph, “Do the Iraqis have the right to rule their own country?” He makes it seem as if they’re not trying to.

The great lie of the anti-war Left in this country has been its insistence that the war in Iraq is a grand imperial gesture. The names of the President and Prime Minister of Iraq are Jalal Talabani and Nuri Kamal Al-Maliki. These are not English names. Both dealt with a significant amount of strife under Saddam Hussein, advocated regime change long before the American intervention, and are attempting to lead Iraq now against an onslaught of violence that Kyle’s article condones and seems to delight in.

Kyle locates Iraqi democracy in insurgent militias and the terror tactics they support. I locate it in the elected government of the republic of Iraq. And when Iraq fails, which given the levels of Bush administration mismanagement it will, do not make the mistake of calling that failure a triumph of American imperialism. Call it instead what it will be: a colossal set-back in the effort to stabilize the Middle East, a victory for thugs and bandits, and a time to mourn for a country that could have been. (Again, that’s Jalal Talabani’s country, if Kyle cares.)

“654,965 Iraqis were killed as a result of the war between March 2003 and July 2006.”

Figuring there were 1217 days between March 03 and July 06, that means that there have been an average of 538 Iraquis killed EVERY DAY. Shouldn’t that be headlines everyday in every news report??

“Martial law reigns supreme as U.S. troops terrorize the civilian populations, amassing an impressive record of human rights violations.”

Do you have any sort of verification of this or are you creating your facts on the run?

You need to read more than Kos for your information. Try something by Yon or Totten to get a good idea of what’s happening on the ground. I see your class ranking is a junior. I sure hope you get a LOT smarter by the time you graduate.

“Shouldn’t that be headlines everyday in every news report?”

The dang liberal media only reports US casualties. The dang liberal media was complicit in this war, and deserve no praise for the current disgust with the poor performance from this administration.

I’m pretty sure, at this point, conservatives and liberals can agree that this administration has been a disaster all along. The only “people” on board are spendy neocons, and they’re jumping ship more each day.

12:51, the great lie of your comment is that imperialism only exists in a most explicit form. deposing an enemy in favor of what given the circumstances of the election was surely to be a sympathetic government is also a form of unilaterally determined, self-serving extension of power and influence; in other words, imperialism.

However, there is an fundamental distinction that Kyle missed out on and is crucial to understanding the current situation in Iraq. That is of domestic warring factions, basically embroiled in a civil war, and Al Quaeda in Iraq. The objectives of the two groups are completely different-the former seek a favorable societal and governmental arrangement in the still nebulous post-Saddam Iraq, while the latter seeks wanton chaos and bloodshed for the symbolic value that a completely failed US intervention in Iraq would hold for jihadists as part of a worldwide struggle against the superpower. Whatever democratic merits are deserved by domestic factions should not be extended by erroneous association to the pure evil that is al Quaeda in Iraq.

Why is it that Sunni tribes are siding with Americans to fight al Qeada? Why is it that Iraqis are afraid when the Americans leave a town and feel safe when Americans are there? You filthy liberals actually believe Americans are aribtrarily killing Iraqis for fun? Do you think the tribes that work with the Americans were somehow bought off?

Of course the liberals will come to this conclusion, because they don’t believe al Qeada exists, or at worst a tiny organization. They don’t believe Saddam was a bad man. They believe Iran’s president is a good, honest man. These are the assumptions that a pot headed liberal starts with, because in their fantasy world everyone is good and honest. Therefore the only possible source of problems must be the American government. Can’t be the terrorists. Can’t be a barbaric religion. Can’t be tyrants in Syria or Iran wanting more power.

Let’s assume the liberals are partly right. Let’s assume George Bush is a complete moron who only wanted oil. Now if that is true, why would the Iraqis be killing each other? Why is it that of the thousands of deaths that happen each month, most of those are caused by al Qeada or other militant groups? Why is it that violence is up when Americans are gone, and down when Americans enter a town?

10:07: “Kindly pull the plug on this grotesque justification for terrorism, masquerading as “opinion” journalism.”

You can justify terrorism in an opinion column. They are not mutually exclusive. Anyway, was he really justifying terrorism or self-defense?

“Yet another wacademic demonstrates why Leftists should NEVER be given responsibility to govern.”

Well, no one should.

10:08: ‘SAVAGES?!’

10:43: “there should be close to two million Iraqis seeking hospital treatment, which does not tally with hospital reports.”

Not everyone with an injury could be going to a hospital, you know, especially if there isn’t one nearby.

10:39:
“neither the insurgents or the US government have it right, and that the soldiers and the insurgents should leave the Iraqis alone.”

Here here!

11:57: “why don’t we have a vote to see if they want us in or out… if they say we should leave, we won, they voted, we leave with victory. if they say we stay, we’re no longer occupiers.”

Interesting idea. What if the vote is extremely close?

12:51: “The names of the President and Prime Minister of Iraq are Jalal Talabani and Nuri Kamal Al-Maliki.”

It doesn’t matter what their names are if our government is controlling theirs.

The Badger Herald now employs a columnist who openly advocates the murder of American servicemen and women. I hope some ad money gets pulled and this rag goes out of business.

anon @ 12:05: I wonder if Demonrats have ever supported terrorists? Maybe terrorists who licensed their AG to suspended posse comitatus and immolate innocent women and children in rural Texas? I sure hope they never accuse others of doing something they’ve done.

3:10 muttered: “You can justify terrorism in an opinion column. They are not mutually exclusive.”

Can you justify rape and see if you can get it published? Inciting murder is not an opinion— it’s ghoulish pornography.

“Anyway, was he really justifying terrorism or self-defense?”

Apparently, you’re the type that thinks rape victims provoke their attackers? Climb back under your rock.

If we were being invaded by foreign powers, we would have the right to resist too.

12:19: I agree— Rudy was right for blasting Ron Paul. Ron Paul is an idiotarian ignoramus who just maintains barely enough popular support to warrant a microphone— in a shoebox at the bottom of a septic tank.

Kinda’ like Kyle.

Kyle is hardly alone in his opinion. For one thing, according to a BBC poll in September, 57% of Iraqis support attacks on US troops. In addition, any number of military personnel have agreed with Kyle. For instance, Scott Ritter, a former Marine intelligence officer, said “We are occupying their homeland. We are violating their sovereignty. We are butchering, abusing and torturing their citizens. Our continued presence is an affront to the socio-economic-political fabric that is (or was) Iraqi society. If someone occupied my hometown in the same manner Americans occupy Iraq, I'd be killing them any way I could. And I would be called a hero by my own people.” General Richard Dannatt said that the insurgents are “iraqi nationalists” who are “not bad people.”

Spagat is funded by arms manufacturers and an apologist for US policy in Colombia. Furthermore, he’s worked in the past with Iraq Body Count, an organization promoting rival figures from those of Burnham et al. If Les Roberts’ political activity disqualifies his opinion, then Spagat’s funding by war profiteers certainly disqualifies his.

Furthermore, Spagat’s opinion is outside the consensus view on Burnham et al. The British Ministry of Defense, for example, after an exhaustive study of the paper and its methodology, advised its spokespersons not to criticize the report, given that it was “robust” and “close to the best practice.”

Lastly, Spagat’s rantings are further hurt by the recent ORB poll which estimated 1.2 million iraqis dead. This poll matches quite closely with trends first identified in Burnham et al, and is thus supporting evidence for the original findings.

The Lancet numbers have been discredited. Hopefully Kyle is not a math major.

Garbage in, garbage out.

Any comment that refers to “you filthy liberals” or calls anyone with an opinion to the left of your right-wing extremism a “liberal” immediately becomes less credible and persuasive.

I’ve done three tours in Iraq and I can honestly say this spoiled child has no idea of what’s truly going on over there. This is the problem with 20 somethings in their ivory towers. Kid you wouldn’t last ten seconds in the real world. The Iraqi’s I fought and bled with wanted nothing more then a peaceful life for their families. Under Saddam they had torture and rape…now with the insurgency their very children are targeted. When you finally grow up and leave campus I hope you open your eyes a little. When you do I have a feeling you’ll feel ashamed for this ridiculous article. Luckily for you we live in a country whose armed forcesd are sworn to protect and defend the constition - even when it gives immature, and spoiled brats like yourself the right to makes asses out of themselves.

Kyle rules!

To be able to put together suuch a cliche anti-American, anti-military, bumper sticker inspired screed like this, combing phony stats with internally contradictory “analysis” shows that the revolution lives on. Viva spoiled, protected, dissafected young malcontent leftists.

And I thought Jeffrey Dahmer was the most vile thing to come out of the Badger state.

Keep up the good work of reminding normal Americans that you are out there walking among us, hating us and all we stand for. And nice necklace. Bet the hippy chicks dig it.

The Lancet shilled for Saddam attempting to help him undermine the UN sanctions will wildly inflated claims about children’s deaths.

This number has also been inflated over 20 times the actual number lost and misses the point that Al-Qaeda uses weapons of war targeting civilians while America attempts to protect civilians.

This isn’t moral equivalence… it’s mental illness.

We should have just nuked Saddam and left it at that.

Unbelieveable. People are still citing the discredited Lancet study.

“according to a BBC poll in September, 57% of Iraqis support attacks on US troops.”

Then why are they killing each other at a massively higher rate?

“General Richard Dannatt said that the insurgents are “iraqi nationalists” who are “not bad people.”

Thank God this idiot has retired then.

Perhaps a Revisionist History major?

Truly misguided youth…

“It is easy to take liberty for granted when you have never had it taken from you.”

654,965 Iraqis I am sure none of these were killed with Iran involvement in Iraq. Just don’ know about sticking with the facts and look at the big picture. No attacks on Americans soil in 6 years.

From New England:

Uhhh…sonny, you know a Jihadist would just as soon cut your head off as he/she/it would anyone else?

What in the name of babbling Jes*s are they teaching the Youth of America in our once-proud schools?

Do yourself a favor: shut off the iPOD and watch “THE WAR”, the Ken Burns series on PBS and ask yourself if you could handle that. I’m not sure I could, if I had to I would, but yourself and your fellow America-haters on campuses from sea to shining sea should looked Damned hard in a mirror and ask yourself that question.

You may Have To one day. I pray you don’t, not out of concern for you personally, but for the sake of Other Americans whom you would put at risk.

I am hopeful that, if America falters, I am long dead and gone before it happens.

I can understand an argument that claims US troops are oppressing the Iraqi people, and that resistance groups have risen up to oppose this. But how does one explain, given such a premise, the propensity for Iraqi “resistance” groups to have as their overwhelming preponderance of victims Iraqi civilians themselves? Indeed, the most casualties are inflicted against the most outrageous targets - open-air markets, funerals, religious festivals, job queues, mosques holding religious services, and the like. One particularly nasty attack was planned against a school, and was only prevented when some observant building engineer found explosives packed into the walls and under the floors.

Under the circumstances, I find it very difficult to accept such an argument. It becomes even more suspect if one examines that Lancet report critically - it is literally festooned with statistical errors, some of them glaringly obvious (such as their assessment of casualties in Baghdad, which essentially claims that over 3/5ths of the population in that city has been killed off within a year).

If the Coalition presence is an affront to anyone, it would seem to be most so to the Leftists who had been aligned with Saddam in 1991, when he chose to annex one of his neighbors by force. If the Iraqis suffer, it is primarily from terrorists trying to kill them and not from US or other Coalition soldiers. Indeed, many of the worst terrorist attacks (for they are attacks meant to spread terror; the term is not used spuriously) are being orchestrated by what remains of Saddam’s old Ba’athist secret police force, who back before Saddam’s removal did not need to slink around when killing large numbers of their fellow citizens. The primary social result of the Coalition’s incursion into Iraq has been to force the Ba’ath to use surrogates to intimidate and kill Iraqis, either via improvised bombs or by kidnapping or assassination squads operating in the dead of night.

I cannot see how Mr. Szarzynski can possibly defend such behavior as somehow “justified”. I can only assume that he is trying to generate a certain kind of publicity for himself.

Hilarious! Is this supposed to be college writing? This is something that would be better suited in Mad Magazine, you’re such a useful idiot, Kyle…But, it might get you some stinky granola slut up there in Moscow North. I just wonder if you’ll feel any remorse when your ‘facts’ are disproven. We’re indoctrinating a whole new crop of cowards, pathetic!

You have got to be fucking kidding me! Does Kyle actually believe this drivel, or does he think that he’s being “provocative” by parroting leftist slop that’s been shown many times over to be false? Congratulations on a fine education— Wisonsinites have every reason to be proud

Dear Kyle,

Hmmmmm. Thanks for descending from your normal orbit around Neptune to share your delightful brand of insanity with the rest of us. It’s simply….breathtaking.

Some important safety tips:

1. Be very careful about quoting studies, especially when they’ve since been shown by multiple independent researchers to have major methodological problems.

2. Stringing together parlor Marxist slogans and empirically disprovable assertions with chewing gum and chicken wire does not automatically produce a respectable argument.

3. All opinions are valid, but not all arguments are valid.

4. Avoid the “post-hoc” fallacy.

5. Don’t hang out at DU and Kos so much: hanging out with like-minded people only makes you comfortable with your prejudices.

6. Use more up-to-date sources: some of your quotes (e.g., the Fallujah quote) date back several years and events on the ground since then have invalidated the point you were trying to make. For all you know, Houssam Ali Ahmed, the man you quoted, could now very well be working with and for the Marine Corps.

7. Remember the famous adage:

“It is better to keep your mouth shut and think yourself a fool…than to open it and remove all doubt.

Trust me, if you remember these, and other, handy tips I guarantee that in the future people won’t be so inclined to think you’re a blithering, frothy-mouthed, bug-eyed, end-stage BDS idiot.

Capisce, paisan?

Joe Kaplan at Slate debunked this on the same day Lancet published it as have many others since them. This is a case of Lancet exploiting the dead for their own gain. Sad. http://slate.com/id/2108887/

This individual who repeated the lie is complicit! Slate put the number at approx. 8000 and the UN at 7500 but this little leftist couldn’t care less because he knows the readers won’t check it. So, yet another successful propagandist article. Disturbing!

Hey, you made little green nutballs!

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/

Consider yourself momentarily famous—but be careful, those people are complete nutters.

Does anyone remember the UN saying that 4000 Iraqi children age five and under were dying every month before the war and pointing their finger at the US? Then we got the Oil for Food thieves and guess what it was the UN who were killing these kids from malnutrition.

One wonders if this kyle dude ever did an article on that…HA!

The argument that higher civilian casualties due to sectarianism automatically somehow invalidate Kyle’s argument is a non-starter. It’s much easier to get a car bomb into a market than a US base. Civilians are softer targets, so even though a minority of attacks are directed against them, they make up a vast majority of casualties. The US gov’t’s own numbers have always shown that insurgents target occupiers and collaborators more by an order of several magnitude. It’s also consistently shown that attacks on US troops are supported by a majority of Iraqis.

As for the Lancet, I was unaware that we had such a distinguished bunch of epidemiologists on here referring to it as “discredited.” Only two people have made any arguments to that effect, and I’ve already dispatched the so-called research of Spagat. No one has addressed the ORB poll, which corroborates Burnham et al’s numbers. Finally, a vast array of biostatistical experts have praised the report, including, as mentioned above, the British Ministry of Defense, who have the most motive to discredit it.

This is an example of what passes for critical thinking in today’s US universities.

One need not bother with facts, support or consideration of an opposing viewpoint - it is narrative that counts. Story telling. As in “Once upon a time.”

As long as the narrative conforms with the perspective of your professors, you get an “A.”

No doubt this kid is considered bright by his professors.

Why do people who write these types of viewpoints look like they have never had a date before?

Check yourselves, please:

1) How do you react to the “invasion” of America by illegal immigrants? You don’t like it, I bet.

2) How did you feel when we were attacked on 9/11? Not very good, I bet.

3) What if Hugo Chavez showed up at your front door and offered to depose a president that you didn’t agree with and then installed a type of government you’ve never experienced before? Oh, he wants to sell all your country’s coal, too.

4) How many Iraqis have died? The Lancet numbers are wrong, but I’m pretty sure the number’s somewhere between 100-600K. That’s a lot of people to kill just for $3/gallon gasoline and “freedom” for shit-head desert folk who’ve never done a damn thing for me. Oh, Saddam’s gone: terrific! He was ALMOST SEVENTY (70) YEARS OLD WHEN HE WAS HUNG. How much fuckin’ longer was he even going to be relevant?

5) War is totally awesome. It’s just like in the movies. Real people never dies, real families are never slaughtered, real lives are never ruined, and only bad guys get justice.

“Let's consider this much-maligned Iraqi resistance. Compromised of diverse and disconnected organizations”

Did you mean ‘comprised,’ you semi-literate moral imbecile?

Kyle is right. Fuck the rightwingers.

“This figure is important because it demonstrates that proportionately the U.S. military has murdered far more Iraqis than Saddam Hussein ever did.”

WRONG. The majority of Iraqis killed has been at the hands of terrorists, not US Soldiers. The terrorists are too weak, not only in numbers, but in mission as well. The actions of the terrorists in Iraq are actions of desperation, not strength. It’s a pity that people like Szarzynski are too ignnorant to understand the facts.

Hey Kid,

You just damaged your future career prospects. You do know that, right? You’ll be limited to writing for lefty publications. No hard news for you - your name will be Googled by future employers.

I remember when I was young and stupid like you. It may seem hard to believe right now, but you do not know as much as you think you do.

It is estimated that in a single year, 5,000 Americans die in auto accidents that can trace their cause to the use of cell phones, consuming food or drink while driving, etc, This is larger than the total number of American deaths in Iraq.

Most deaths in Iraq are not caused by Americans. The vast majority are due to the tribal nature and shame/honor nature of their society. They are Iraqis killing Iraqis for fun and profit.

I would suggest that the next time you write something you learn about it a bit before you continue to embarrass yourself. You are obviously most ignorant of the situation on the ground in Iraq and most likely the entire Middle East.

Kyle is an ignorant child who misuses statistics. Perhaps he will grow up one day, but I doubt it. Just sit back and enjoy his adolescent rebellion.

Pass the popcorn…

Kyle:

Are you saying all this in the hopes of the future Islamic Overlords remembering your dhimitude and treating you better as a result.?

The few previous posters are right - if this is the view that many of our youth and young adults have, then we are screwed as a nation. The sacrifices of our forefathers will have been in vain…

You are correct. They have a right to kill those soldiers.

It’s only fair, and completely understandable. A people may attack their identified enemies. With impunity and brutality. Even if those people they slaughter are claiming to act on their behalf. Like, say, an editorialist who is against the country but we say is against it. No matter how much that editorialist may claim privilege and argument, if the people identify him as an enemy by, say, using fake Lancet studies and lying about things like electricity to indirectly help the slaughter of their troops, then the people are perfectly rational in killing that editorialist. Wouldn’t you say?

Just wondering.

Kyle is a Wannabe. Just riding the wave of sentiment. Not an original thought in any of his ranting. Trotting out the Lancet Study, screaming anti-capitalist epithets, calling what we’re doing colonialist,blah, blah, blah.

I’m sorry this is getting as much attention as it is. What’s new here? Not a damn thing. Not one damn original thought squirting out of his miniature brain.

What. a. moron.

Generically speaking johnnygeneric

“A recent Lancet study reports that 654,965 Iraqis were killed as a result of the war between March 2003 and July 2006.” -Kyle Szarzynski

Freedom of speech is a most wonderful thing. But in your case it is a shame you are wasting all that money your folks are paying to send you to college. Perhaps you should go back and actually read the Lancet report.

Here, try this…type 654,965 into google and see what you get.

“This was the researchers’ estimate of probable “excess mortality” since the 2003 invasion — Iraqis now dead who would not be dead were it not for the war.” http://www.jhu.edu/jhumag/0207web/number.html

“If Iraq had not been invaded it is estimated that 654965 people who died, would not have done so, according to an article in The Lancet, Thursday October 12…”

“The second survey [2] [3] [4] published on 11 October 2006, estimated 654965 excess deaths related to the war, or 2.5% of the population, through the end of …” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancetsurveysofmortalitybeforeandafterthe2003invasionof_Iraq

See those pesky little words like ESTIMATE, ESTIMATED EXCESS, PROBABLE, etc.

A question for you? How many of those 654,965 were killed by islamic suicide bombers? By the mujihidin because they were collaborating with the “enemy” (their own freely elected government and coalition forces)?

Well…well….liberal tripe coming out of Madison, who would have thunk it? Vote with a phone bill, but try renting a movie. That’s Madison, Wisconsin for you. Backward. Dishonest. Full of hippies and anarchists, a circus of Leftists and Islamists, an anti-American cesspool. I’m surprised the Kyle left the Joooosssss out of his “presentation”. Surely they had something to do with it, or maybe it was the Crusaders. You go, boy, you go!

You accuse the military and mainstream media of distorting the insurgency beyond recognition. Possibly, but its also obvious that a very large number of antiwar people are producing highly exaggerated data too, so it’s difficult to be sure what’s really going on. It’s obvious though that Kyle’s words come from extreme sources. Iraq today is actually safer than South Africa.

It is true that many Iraqis do hate the Americans but it’s also true that they have been subjected to a huge amount of propaganda and believe the US is there to take oil and women. In areas where these misunderstandings have been overcome, there is tremendous goodwill between the population and US troops.

Al Qaeda has visited unimaginable brutality on Iraqis and increasingly, local chiefs now side with the US.

What this means is that there is a chance of success. Its not guaranteed and screeds Kyle’s this certainly don’t help.

Brad Brzezinski, Ottawa, Canada

“Al-Qaeda uses weapons of war targeting civilians while America attempts to protect civilians.”

Yeah, unless you work for Blackwater.

Ahh, another aspiring “gonzo journalist”. Well, guys like this are a part of the reason newspapers are dying.

To all you crazy liberals and others against the war: Whoever fights against America deserves to die. When my friend left for the big sandbox not fit for a cockroach I told him too be quick on the trigger because if he wasn’t the sand people (maybe) would be. What should happen is we should pull the troops out and bring the nuclear warheads in. Two problems solved: No more American deaths and more room for people to live to take care of the overpopulation problem in the world.

Dude, 654,965 Iraqis is way too low.

According to the Butt study, 100 million Iraqis have been killed my Americans just this week!!

Please define what “imperialist power” means.

Gee, I wonder what side of your butt you pulled this gem out of:

“Compromised of diverse and disconnected organizations ranging in ideology from nationalism to Marxism to Islamic fundamentalism, the insurgency is united by its opposition to the occupying forces.”

“Compromised”? “Marxism”? “654,965 Iraqis”? It appears that the forces of dishonesty and incompetence are engaged in a fierce battle for your sorry soul, but that’s just a casual observation from me.

wow - incredible depth of thought. have you actually been to iraq? or are you relying on the same distorted media reports that you malign?

None of this article even passes the laugh test. Grow up, or if you prefer join up, The revolutionary guard will be glad to have you

That ridiculously elevated number on the death toll has been roundly discredited and only fucktards like you actually use it anymore. Even Iraqbodycount.com has labeled it a bullshit number. Feel free to forward your idiotic agenda, but at least use better data. At least you’ll have repugnant viewpoints with valid data

Hilarious article. I doubt a single word of it is original; it sounds more like plagiarism of Democratic Underground posts.

It is neo-isolationist blather like Mr. Szarzynski's that gives not just American liberalism but, indeed, the City of Madison a bad name. To oppose conflict, support pacifism, or even argue against hedgemonic posture is one thing; to offer aid and comfort to an admittedly-rogue enemy in the vicarious form of rah-rah fighting words is altogether another.

Perhaps more troublesome, the alleged rationale driving this article — rife with fallacy — is not so much situation-driven as brutally generic. The author's qualms seem to be not so much with the realities of Iraq but, rather, the realities of war. If it is death he protests so vigorously, one must wonder how he may have viewed World War II. If it is economic sanctions he so bitterly dislikes, one must wonder if he has not a soft spot for the likes of Fidel Castro.

Astonishingly, Mr. Szarzynski cries of human rights violations in modern Iraq, yet ponders mute on the status of such concerns during the Hussein era. He claims the US has murdered more Iraqis than the former dictator, yet cares not to comment on the total body county Mr. Hussein racked up — a number as foggy as the gas he used to achieve it.

But, again, this is not an article about the war in Iraq — this is an article about war. Mr. Szarzynski is a vehement advocate of the status quo, in all its tyrannical forms, and an opponent of intervention, in all its humane forms. He cares not that his neighbor's house is on fire, for the water bill behind his own hose is surely high enough as-is. And he rejects all normative constructs of cosmopolitanism, finding soft solace in the existence of two oceans, despite their ease-latent navigability in a modern age.

Worse, Mr. Szarzynski lacks context. He cares for today, but not yesterday or tomorrow. His white flag is constantly at the ready, no matter the cost. Deterrence is a concept unfamiliar to him, chess is a game he relegates to Central Park journeymen and peace at any cost somehow presents the disguise of a cure, in lieu of the flimsy band-aid it actually is.

So what next Mr. Szarzynski? When is intervention apt? Shall Sudan's population dwindle entirely before you would risk confrontation with unhappy locals? Must Iran strike nuclear before you risk offending those loyal to Islamic fundamentalism? And at what point in the slow torching of Israel would you commence meditating the harsh repercussions of a Middle East more foreign to the notion of democracy than to the soft-flesh of a woman's exposed cheeks?

War is not pretty. War is not enjoyable. And war is not pleasant. But to quote the man who brought an end to World War II, "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

Sorry Mr. Szarzynski — your dinner is burning.

-Maggie Beth Vernon

Another moonbat “journalist.” How original. Your folks must be proud.

“A recent Lancet study reports that 654,965 Iraqis were killed as a result of the war between March 2003 and July 2006.”

Do you really believe Lancet’s figures?

Anti-war group Iraq Body Count estimates its 73K-80K. Could they really be off by a factor of 8x?

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

Iraq Body Count commented on the Lancet numbers here: http://www.iraqbodycount.org/analysis/beyond/reality-checks/

In WWII Japan lost 580,000 civilians. Japan at the time had 3x the population of Iraq today. That included two nuclear bombings, the incineration of their largest city by fire bomb, and the annihilation of almost other large city (with the notable exception of Kyoto). Is it really possible Iraq’s civilian casualty rate is 30x what WWII Japan’s was?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldWarII_casualties

http://tinyurl.com/yrxbsr

It seems that many of you are taking interest in the heroic Iraqi Resistance, so why not check out the currently best English IR coverage existing in the address

http://theunitedstatesofmonsters.blogspot.com/

Thanking for your interest,

Yours truly,

NEWSDESK HELSINKI FINLAND Staff

We conservative normal people would love to have an intelligent conversation with you, but you insist on changing the truth to fit your agenda. My son-in-law is in Iraq and his story is so different from yours. The Iraqi people are not resisting us being there. Some, the insurgents, are and they are the ones killing Iraqis, not us. My son-in-law’s men pick up wounded Iraqis and take them to hospitals. The Iraqis are grateful we are keeping them alive. Rules of engagement prevent them from getting into a shooting battle with just about everyone.

Amazing, I guess CSU isn’t the only university with resident fools working at their student publication. Hopefully he will grow-up and even take a class in logic at some point so he can actually learn to craft an intelligent arguement. But even thinking of condoning attacks on our own volunteer military is at a minimum a traitorous act and I would welcome him being tried for such.

correctofcourse

Hey Kyle, a little knowlege is a dangerous thing …… Check your facts! You have been to Iraq when? You hate so much that you repeat the lies of the left wing bloggers. Become a real journalist.

As Johnny Horton once said: “There wasnt quite as many as there was a while ago”

As a college Professor it saddens me that students like these are so morally foolish. To think these “Iraqi insurgents” are moral equivalents to U.S. forces in Iraq is to inhabit a different universe than most decent thinking people. What a sad and dark future for the world if these students become the future leaders of the nation I have adopted as my home.

-Oswaldo Voysest

I take it that you yourself have gone to Iraq to witness the atrocities you speak of. To see how the women are being treated with respect and as equals instead as cattle like they used to be. You have seen the schools that are being built, but not quick enough because finally the children are allowed to learn about anything they choose. You have seen girls partaking in formal education past the age of 13. You have seen so much negativity that you cant see the good. Go talk to an Iraqi that lives over there and ask them how they feel. They have seen us as angels that have gone over there and rid them of the tyranny. Before you write another column, research your topic in depth so you dont sound like another liberal idiot that needs to be hit on the head with a tack hammer.

Wow, I didn’t know this was an accredited school. Spanish department sure turns ‘em out. What an amazingly bright thinker this young child is. Marxism will come back! Hopefully it can band with Islam and have all us crackers wiped out soon. I am so tired of denim and nice cars.

‘member that scene in ‘Independence Day’ where all the alien lovers are standing on top of that building waiting to embrace the alien enemy. Well, if you look real hard and squint, dammit there’s Kyle!!!

“Kyle is a Wannabe. Just riding the wave of sentiment.” No, you are a wannabe, just riding the wave of disgusting comments on a thought-provoking article that could only be written by an original with courage. Let it be said, that Kyle’s article is controversial and, to some, offensive (although that is extremely questionable), but the overall intent of the piece is to recognize the outrageous number of basic human rights violations and the gross participation of our county. Blame isn’t in the position any of us should be taking. The question, really, is ‘what can we do to help?’ While, many of us who have opinions opposing the war have never been to Iraq, it’s fair to take a stance that promotes peace and devaluates the disproportionate amount of harm that Iraq has faced. Standing up for human rights is commendable and while many of us have intentions of doing something, Kyle actually is, by, at the very least, opening the eyes of the apathetic and questioning what is right.

Those of you condemning and attacking the author should be ashamed of yourselves. Hopefully, you will fall off the narrow-minded track, think for yourself and embrace diversity.

Peace~

The author got more than one thing wrong in his anti-American tirade, but because he’s an overly idealistic, over-zealous, young, college-age guy, he’s going to stick to his fashionable mythology that everything the US does is based on some sort of economic imperialism. The other side is never wrong, and the US is never right, according to people like this. This line of thinking is as rational as the extremists who we’re at war with, but because it resists the general cultural flow and is therefore “outside the mainstream”, it somehow has gotten branded as intellectual.

Bull. The UN places the Iraqi casualty count at ~65,000 — 10% the figure this dopey “student” quoted. How many of those were killed not by US forces, but by their fellow Iraqis who didn’t like their brand of Islam?

He can present no verifiable evidence that we’ve stolen any oil or that we’re in their solely for economic manipulation. Not unless it’s some far-left source that could never back itself up.

We went in there, at least in my opinion, because…

a) Iraq looked like an easy win. After Gulf War I, it looked like the military and civilians alike would be grateful for any change. We were at least partially right with the Kurds, who appear to be mightily thankful that we did what we did, and unlike their southern neighbors, have taken advantage of the opportunities that the evil, terrorist US has provided them, creating a stable, prosperous society.

b) Iraq’s sandwiched between Syria and Iran, two of the worst Islamofascist-enabling nations on the planet. Coincidence that we’re there? Yeah right.

c) Many nations’ intelligence services, not just Bush and Blair, said that Iraq had WMD programs still in full swing. Let’s see… Mubarak… Putin… Chirac.. King of Jordan (name escapes me)… and several others all told us that Saddam was dangerous. And after 9/11, why would anyone want to wait to be struck again? Then people like this author would be complaining that the incompetent Bush admin did nothing to stop it.

c) Osama and many other terrorists point to the US’s atrocities against Islam. Can they name one? I’d like to see it.

d) If this young fool knew about Sayyid Qtub, maybe he’d actually understand that these sickos aren’t freedom fighters, but loons lusting for Western blood and the Talibanification of the planet. They use western atrocities as an excuse, as a propaganda tool. There are none they can point to to justify attacking England, America, the Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Bali, The Philippines, Spain, etc, etc. I wonder what those countries did that was so imperialistic or anti-Islamic.

Maybe the author should try telling the “freedom fighters” that ‘war is not the answer’, or ‘books not bombs’ or ‘jobs not jails’ or ‘wwmb?’ (what would mohamed bomb?). But he won’t. Because he’s already got it seared into his head that his own country is the personification of satan.

you are the type of coward that hides behind first ammendment rights provided to you by the very ones you slander. nothing more than a Chomsky parrot who fills what little cranium space you have with fecal matter. In another time, he would have been right there defending the actions of Hitler and blaming America.

-Oswaldo Voysest

As a college student it saddens me that professors are condemning students for writing provocative and innovative articles. What a sad, dark future for the world if students follow in your, limited, short-sited footsteps.
Besides, with the leaders of our nation working in accordance with military and economic agenda, rather than international and environmental sustainability, I think the world is dead set on being sad and dark. Only with the help of progressives will we overcome the misfortune our current leaders have bestowed upon us… ongoing war and global warming… thanks guys!

As a former soldier, let me just say that you have offended me and every other veteran who has served. I think you should stick to your current majors, because journalism is not in your future. Maybe try using a source besides the Daily Kos and Move On for your information, then you could actually get your facts right. I think you know that the Lancet study is flawed and is wrong, you just don’t care as long as it makes your country look worse. I have no problem with dissent on the Iraq War. I don’t agree myself with the way it has been handled. But I draw the line at hating your own country. You don’t have the first clue as to who the insurgents are and what their make-up is. I have dealt with them face to face, and I know for a fact your numbers are off by the extreme. Just about 75% of those we captured were foreigners, coming to Iraq to commit acts of terrorrism. Not to mentioned that 95% of Iraqis that I dealt with were good people that did not hate us. They hate the insurgents far more than us. Anyways, I’m not saying you should stop writing editorials or anything like that. I love free speech as much as the next person. Instead, maybe try doing a little FACTUAL research before you open your mouth or type your next paragraph. After all, it’s ignorant articles and statements like you are putting out only hurt Liberals. It shows how little you actually care about the truth.

Another college student that has never lived in the real world. This guy really shows how ignorant many college students are. I hope my tax money isn’t going towards clowns like this guy.

Kyle, you are on the right path, but in my opinion, you have NOT gone far enough.

Considering that over 600,000+ Iraqis have died in Iraq by the American military hand, I would suggest that the US has, in effect, committed genocide. But because superpowers cannot possibly be labeled in that fashion, those deaths are blamed on “insurgents” or some other Western/American epitaph.

Where are the Arab armies? Where is Arab nationalism? Where are the Arabs? Do they not even want to reclaim their land after such brutal occupation?????

The Arab world must one day rise up and push out all Western influence in order to move on. The less of America and Americans in the Middle East, the better.

I complement the creative writing skills of Kyle. However, It reminds me of a saying of a wise man I knew, “everyone between the age of 15 to 25 exists within the stupid years”. Typically, these are the ages people think they know it all…their parents are ignorant of “real-life”…they have no regard or respect for authority…they have all the answers and are invulnerable… and take unnecessary risks. After reading this editorial this rings true.

I probably shouldn’t be judgmental because I don’t know Kyle’s background but I’d assert if Kyle is still in his early twenties and has no life or work experience beyond academia then I’d submit his head is in his ass. I lived in Iraq, with Iraqis, for a year and all of my REAL WORLD experience tells me that his assertions are exaggerated and biased.

I submit to those who criticize the Iraqi people or the Iraqi government’s ineptness: pull out your notes from Psychology 101 and find Abraham Maslow’s paper on the theory of human motivation. You’ll find a text describing the hierarchy of needs. Understand this, the Iraqis are functioning at the Physiological and Safety levels today. All they are trying to do is survive. They will fight, lie, cheat, and steal to protect and provide for their families. This happened because of the brutal dictatorship of Saddam; not because of the US.

I couldn’t be more offended. I hope you’re ashamed of yourself for disgracing your country and our men and women in uniform.

The problem lies that it seems that many muslims can’t help but to blow each other up beacuse they are a kurd or sunni. Thats the big problem. I bet almost all of those causalties are form other muslims blowing up car bombs in markets. You want to read about attrocities by an armt aginst civilains, read up on the Rape of Nanking. Don’t forget that now that we disposed of the murderous tryant Saddam, the kurds don’t have to worry about Iraqi planes dropping nerve gas on them.

“A recent Lancet study reports that 654,965 Iraqis were killed”

The Lancet study is a fraud — experts have pointed out clearly the fraudulent means of obtaining these numbers:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1469636.ece

As usual, facts mean nothing to people on the left; emotion and obfuscation are par for the course.

Your opinion piece consists of nothing but a series of distortions and strawmen and reveals a disturbing assumption of familiarity with the forces at play and facts on the ground, which you certainly do not possess.

I fear it’s of little use reciting the widely available facts that contradict your argument.

I hope you grow up one day and, with some perspective, realize how much you’ve embarrassed yourself in this piece.

Truly a sad commentary on the state of college education in the United States.

As a former soldier from NOV 1988 to SEP 2004, this kid that wrote this article doesn’t have a clue about what the military is doing let alone what is going on in other countries around the world. I think he just needs to get out of his cubical and go see what is happening for himself. As a veteran of the first Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom I can tell you that we are doing great things for the people of Iraq. If it wasn’t for the insurgents we would all be home by now, but you have other countries like Iran, Syria, North Korea and even some of our so called Allies that are against everything we are tring to do for the Iraqis and a few other areas in the world. I just hope we can achieve our goals as soon as possible and if the Iraqi Government won’t step up to the plate at some time we might have to pull out without a total victory.

kyle, what a clown you are, I have a very good friend who is in ramadi, Iraq, ever heard of it? He is an army soldier who has been in Baghdad and also Haditha,they probably don’t talk about these places on the Kos or whatever lameass place you get your info from. Let me tell you this, before you start talking about shit you know nothing about, and taking stats from other left wing kooks, these brave men and women are defending freedom everywhere they go, and they are treated as liberators as well.So go ahead and spew your lib crap, you punk, these brave men and women are defending your sorry ass too.

I was there I know

Lancet study? Ha. Ha. Why not quote a comic book? How do you expect to be taken seriously when you quote debunked propoganda?

It doesn’t matter if the Lancet study was supposedly debunked or not. The argument is the same whether 200,000 died or 1,000,000.

Of course. 60,000, 200,000, 1,000,000 dead … same difference!

Excuse me for a minute, it looks like this IQ meter is broken. It’s reading negative.

this administration has been terrible… and george bush has been a bad president.. ask newt gingrich!!! then ask gen. petreaus if he thinks the war is making americans safer!!!

the iraqi’s (and most of the world) consider this war an invasion… of course their fighting back.

its not the soldiers fault….

but when petreus says he doesn’t know if this is making americans safer…

then we can say its possible american soldiers are dying for NADA…

ask petreaus he doesn’t know

Since you are an alleged student of history, we will disregard the rest of your editorial, note that this is the first time in Iraq’s long existence they have had a chance to govern their own country due only to the efforts of the US military which since the defeat of Saddam, reacts only defensively to attacks made against US soldiers or Iraqi civilians by the terrorists you mis-label “insurgents”

As a military member I am almost to the point where I say the US goverment goes on strike. No more military protection for the US. If so many in the US want us out of Iraq and believe we attacked ourselves and all these extreme views then I don’t want to protect them. Everyone in america who believes bush can go to australia and we can protect that continent. Everyone here can go f**ck themselves when Usama comes with bombs and you all welcome him into your arms…and then he blows up. I am sick of this bull. From “Oh lets get out so troops dont have to do thier job and fight like they signe dup to do” to “the troops are killing everyone and bush is evil and a lier.” You all can learn the hardway when they bring a nuke in and I will just laugh.

This is the first time the Iraqis have had a chance to fight for their own freedom…this would not be possible without US forces.

Someone needs to check the numbers from the Washington Post…they are not accurate.

Ok this guy must have just be programmed by all the lefties to believe that our troops are evil or something close to that. They are there fighting to help them and also to show the world that if you kill your own people you will be dealt with. But its crazy when the US does nothing we get the royal treatment. Never mind I know why there is a republican in power right now who does not care about paying off the media. Unlike Democrats that are trying to turn the USA into a new Socialist Republic where the Govt controls every aspect of out lives!

Ah, the blissfully uninformed, taking a position based on ideology rather than reality. It’s college all over again, where young well intentioned kids try to beat back their evil tyrannical government. Of course, I have actually lived in the Middle East and spent over three years of my life there and Kyle is about as far from reality as Daffy Duck. The truth is; our troops provide the only real chance for a free Iraq and a better way of life for its people. Forces are fighting this with all their will, because if Iraq is lost to moderates who allow freedom; the region will have the potential of moving that way as well. And for Mr. Szarzynski, you may be well intentioned, but you are terribly uninformed. You should go travel the region for a couple of years and learn what the Middle East is truly like, rather than hiding behind your desk and making ideolistic judgements from the safety of Far Left America.

This imbecile could not be more wrong if he called a bald eagle a Canadian goose. Everything about his argument is wrong, inaccurate and more importantly dangerous. The stats you use are just wrong below is the result of a MIT funded study shows that the deaths come from insurgents mostly (not freedom fighters but terrorist you arrogant traitor) Only idiots base winning and losing on deaths caused by terrorist who stated clearly that there intentions were "to cause so much death and destruction it would make the American Media do the job of removing the troops for them" This is because they don't want freedom and democracy for Iraq it would be the death of their cause and they know it. People like you are who the TERRORIST most need. But bad news friend when they are done killing patriots your head will be taken too. And no amount of surrendering will appease them they want you and your family dead too!

(fromt the wsj.com)The Lancet study, funded largely by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for International Studies, said while the percentage of deaths attributed to the U.S.-led coalition has decreased over the past year, coalition forces were involved in 31% of all violent deaths since March 2003. Most of the deaths in Iraq, particularly in the past two years, have been caused by insurgent, terrorist and sectarian violence. Overall, the study found 55% of deaths since March 2003 were due to violence. Of that subset, 56% resulted from gunshots; car bombs and other explosives accounted for 27%, and air strikes caused 13%. The rest were due to other factors. Paul Bolton, a public-health researcher at Boston University who has reviewed the study, called the methodology “excellent” and said it was standard procedure in a wide range of studies he has worked on. “You can’t be sure of the exact number, but you can be quite sure that you are in the right ballpark,” he said

This article is so full of lies and misinformation it’s hard to know where to begin. For the simple minded America haters like the author. Once again, the facts. Iraq invaded Kuwait. We kicked them out. We made a cease-fire agreement. They violated the agreement. we went back to finish the job. All legitimate. All legal. Congress authorized the war. Legal again. The only thing needed for the war to be over is for the democrats to stop supporting the enemy and get behind our soilders.

It continues to amaze me that far left America haters will stop at nothing to ridicule and shamelessly criticize their own country and what it stands for, yet day after day enjoy the comforts and benefits of living under the very blanket of freedom the brave military provides for them. If you hate America and what it stands for so much then just leave. No one is making you live in such “an evil country”.

Hey Kyle, call Dan Rather if you’re in need of some more documentary evidence for your assertions. I’m sure he could help you out since details such as fact-checking and authenticity are low on his list of priorities as well. After all, the end justifies the means, right?

“We welcome your thoughts, but please keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted.”

If this were true, 90% of the comments, not to mention the original article would/should be deleted.

September 25, 2007 @ 8:59pm- That is ridiculous and disgusting thing to say! What kind of person are you? Let it be noted that Szarzynski never actually said that the Insurgency had a right to kill, here. He was simply addressing the issues of peace, freedom and basic human rights and then raises the question of what exactly should one do when faced with losing those rights? To be fair, it seems that the author supports the troops more than any of you, in the sense that if the war is over, they won’t die. Breaking it down, Szarzynski is not only an advocate of anti-war and pro-peace sentiments, but, alas, pro-people and pro-America. Think about it.

The supreme irony of the negative feedback here is that outside the US Kyle’s arguments are largely uncontroversial.

Wow, what a radical idea - the people of a country have the right to resist an unwanted occupying force!

The truth is that those who support the American mission is Iraq are supporting a racist cause, in that it is based on the idea that the Iraqis are unable to govern their own country.

But this is what America is all about - a sense of superiority and invincibilty and moral perfection. None of this is true (certainly not the last part) and, consequently, most people believe that it is the US that is the greatest threat to world peace.

The small Latin American nation from which I hail, while hardly faultless, looks a lot brighter on this day.

Turdworld refugee @ 6:21pm whined: “The small Latin American nation from which I hail, while hardly faultless, looks a lot brighter on this day.”

Great! Now get the FARC out! The most irrelevant fact of your supportive feedback here is that turd world refugees regard Kyle’s arguments as largely uncontroversial.

Guess what? You racist Latino supremacists don’t get a say. Now go back to your Chavez loving, FMLN-supporting, FARC-riddled backwater. You’re not needed here.

Bedwetter whined on September 27, 2007 @ 3:00pm “That is ridiculous and disgusting thing to say! What kind of person are you?”

Judging from the comment, they’re the kind of person who’s very good at illustrating absurdity by being absurd. Afterall, turnabout is fair play. If Leftists want to dance on the sidelines as cheerleaders while vigilantee Muslims snipe at our troops, then it’s only fair to cheer for the “unsavory” “organic movements” in America who (ooops!) might mistake Kyle’s seditious speech for enemy propaganda— and act accordingly; n’est-ce pas?

A few crucial questions are never raised in Leftist debate: Do American victims of terrorism have the right to defend themselves from the Leftist 5th column of enemy propagandists within? Do American victims have the right to live in peace with their families, homes and livelihoods? If so, do they have the right to fight against those in our midst who cheer on behalf of vigilantee terrorists?

You see, Kyle’s game of cheering on behalf of Muslim vigilantees can cut both ways.

The Badgerherald,

Excellent opinion piece by Szarzynski, judging by both the average and large number of sterling individual comments it elicited. They positively restore one's faith in America.

Currently the country has about 45 million college graduates and just over 24.5 million veterans. Sanity and civility might be revitalized if these numbers were more in balance.

The Greatest Generation vs. the Greatest Degeneration.

Fight on!

drrocket