2 posts tagged “iraq”

Major Andrew Olmstead died from small-arms fire during an ambush in Iraq on 1/3/08.  Major Olmstead had a friend posthumously publish his final blog entry (which I learned about courtesy of Paul Rieckhoff).  Here is part of the entry:

What I don't want this to be is a chance for me, or anyone else, to be maudlin. I'm dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren't going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.) I had a pretty good life, as I noted above. Sure, all things being equal I would have preferred to have more time, but I have no business complaining with all the good fortune I've enjoyed in my life. So if you're up for that, put on a little 80s music (preferably vintage 1980-1984), grab a Coke and have a drink with me. If you have it, throw 'Freedom Isn't Free' from the Team America soundtrack in; if you can't laugh at that song, I think you need to lighten up a little. I'm dead, but if you're reading this, you're not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact...

Read the rest here.

Last links of 2007:

Wow.  Devastating NYT editorial that sums up America in the Bush years.  This is us.  This is who we are...

At the beginning of the War in Iraq, columnist Christopher Hitchens challenged young people to put their ideals forward and fight for the cause of freedom.  A 21-year old man from California, inspired by Hitchens writings, did just that.  He died in Iraq, the result of an I.E.D.  Hitchens reexamines his beliefs.

Dennis Kucinich makes the argument for marijuana decriminalization.

Bob Baer examines the failed Bush doctrine of force-feeding democracy to the Middle East.