September 11, 2001

I was 17 years old, a Freshman in college, literally the first time I had lived away from home in my entire life. It was a Tuesday. I didn't have class that morning. I was at my computer, playing Snood and listening to music. My mom called me on her way to work. She said that she was listening to the radio and something was happening in New York City. I switched the TV to a news channel just as a plane hit the second tower.

"Mom, what's happening?"

My roommate had class that morning. This was before the constant social media we have now. She walked into the room and glanced at the TV. "What on Earth are you watching?"

After reading the other blog posts and comments on Facebook and Twitter, I consider myself fortunate. I didn't know anyone in New York City at that point. But also, I was old enough to remember a time before this tragedy struck our nation. I had a childhood free from terrorism. There is a generation who doesn't have this luxury; they have lived their entire lives with the fear that has been instilled in our nation ever since that horrible day.

I'm now 27 years old. Married to a man who is a SGT in the U.S. Army, who has been deployed to a country for a war that this attack started. All of our lives have been forever shaped by that day, now matter where you were in 2001.

I feel like Red Forman: "Dumbasses!"

Obama: 'We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do'

Can they (i.e. Republicans/Trump/Dumbasses) talk about something important now? The war? The brave men and women dying for this country? The economy? The job situation? Why teachers arent being paid enough? Why my friends are in Afghanistan being shot at RIGHT NOW? That does not include Obama's school transcripts.

Clowns to the left of me, Bigots to the right.

I have to share a story with you all. As many of you know, I work in a computer lab on an Army post. I had a strange experience today.

One gentleman was having problems attaching a document to an email. Nothing was wrong with the document or the email. Completely operator error. Without asking me for help (as I later solved his problem with 3 clicks of the mouse) he goes into this tirade about how a Muslim must have created the email program (that would be Microsoft Outlook by the way) and they do shit like this to piss him off. This took me completely off guard and blurted out "Excuse me?" Him blaming his stupidity on a different religion just blew me away!

Joe says I don't understand because I'm not a Soldier, I've never been to war. Maybe that's true. But I have my own very strong opinions about this war and the people we have invaded.

But this guy wasn't in Iraq. He was being a dumbass in the middle of a computer lab in the middle of Colorado.

This kind of bigotry PISSES ME OFF!! Just like with the ultra moron himself, Terry Jones. How do you get off assuming a Muslim is out to get YOU personally, on a Friday, through an email program?? Some people just amaze me. The stupidity amazes me.

1st Amendment

I have to say something. It's probably going to piss a lot of you off. But this is my blog. And I can say what I want, because of the 1st amendment. You can read it or not, up to you.

It's about the ruling upholding the 1st amendment. And also allowing the monstrosity that is Westboro Baptist Church to protest military funerals. While I think what they are doing is the absolute cruelest thing they could possibly do to a military family while they are grieving the loss of their loved one, what they are doing isn't illegal. It's disgusting and a compete travesty. But not against the laws of this country. And I can honestly say, I'm fairly content with the 1st amendment being upheld yesterday.

A quote from the Huffington Post: "The ruling, though, was in line with many earlier court decisions that said the First Amendment exists to protect robust debate on public issues and free expression, no matter how distasteful."

If the government was allowed to stop these people from protesting, it would create the groundwork for the government to make all protests illegal. And that I cant stand for. Many believe that our service members are fighting for our rights anyway, and in a sick turn of events, these people are exploiting their battle. They have the right to protest because of the wars we waged to claim those rights.

Many people I know start talking about hurting or killing the members of the Westboro Baptist Church. Well, that IS illegal. And as mad as I would be at that kind of demonstration at a funeral of my loved one, I would never do anything illegal towards them. What would that prove? So my thought? The media needs to completely boycott ANYTHING dealing with them. No pictures, no articles, no news story at nine. They need to be completely ignored. Perhaps we give them power by talking about them.

OR we need to throw it back in their faces. I would round up all the people I could and call the media, and go stand in front of the church members and allow the media to film these animals chanting that filth to the military family left behind and all the people that loved that particular person. We wouldn't talk. We wouldn't fight. We wouldn't cry. We would just stand there. And let Westboro Baptist Church have their minute in the spotlight, telling the children of a fallen service member that their father died because of a gay person in America. Because my children would know they are a bunch of lunatics. And dad was a great man, who fought for the rights of our country, even when they are exploited by sick fucks such as the members of the Westboro Baptist Church. Just so others could see that they don't mean shit to us, protest, whatever. It doesn't diminish the fight of our Soldiers. It doesn't mean that homosexuality is evil. It just means that there happens to be **another** group of religious nut jobs screaming at the top of their lungs. Tomorrow there will be a different one. They never go away.

Although, I was so excited about that computer hacker group trying to get into their system, but I don't know if it was actually true or just a publicity stunt. I wish someone would get to them from the inside out and collapse the whole thing. But we have to do it legally, or they have won.

While I'm obviously not thrilled what they are doing to our military families, I think the government did us a great service yesterday by upholding the amendment. I saw on Twitter where a wife asked if any one actually liked the ruling. I needed to write this post in response to those kinds of people. I wish these sickos would stop. I wish there was something we could do to stop them, but squashing freedom of speech CERTAINLY isn't the right way to do that.

The last U.S. combat troop

I am seriously outraged. I haven't been this angry in a really long time. I knew there was a draw down from Iraq coming, and I am THRILLED that we are getting out of there, but I never thought it would be handled like this. Just heard on the news, You are witnessing a historic moment in history. I call bullshit. It's historic just like baby bush landing on the ship declaring *Mission Accomplished* back in 2003 was historic. They are rambling off the statistics about the war.. deaths, injuries, divorces, and oh wow.. how the war is over now. BULLSHIT!! Complete fucking bullshit.

Just a few of the offending Tweets from our ever accurate media:

USABreakingNews: CNBC: Last US Combat Troops in Iraq Nearing Kuwait Border, Close to Ending 'Operation Iraqi Freedom'.

AnnCurry: Last US combat troops in Iraq just x'ed the border. "Iraqi Freedom" is officially ended. Now what?

USABreakingNews: CNN- - Military: Last U.S. brigade combat team leaves Iraq; 56,000 troops remain. Fifty-thousand set to stay past August 31.

BreakingNews: Update: Last U.S. combat troops in Kuwait and out of Iraq - NBC News

And the article:
U.S. ends combat operations in Iraq. After 7½ years, last convoy of fighting forces rolling into Kuwait.

The last U.S. combat troops were crossing the border into Kuwait on Thursday morning, bringing to a close the active combat phase of a 7½-year war that overthrew the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein, forever defined the presidency of George W. Bush and left more than 4,400 ((4,415 to be exact)) American service members and tens of thousands of Iraqis dead.

The departure marks the official end of Operation Iraqi Freedom, P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the State Department, told msnbc TV. But while it is “an historic moment,” he said, it is not the end of the U.S. mission in Iraq.

“We are ending the war ... but we are not ending our work in Iraq,” he said. “We have a long-term commitment to Iraq.”

Read the whole article and watch the video here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38744453

I SERIOUSLY think this undermines the job our troops are currently doing in Iraq. It's 3am where my husband is. Do you think he's asleep in a comfy chu waiting to get up in the morning to advise and assist the Iraqis?? Do you think the mortars have stopped? Do you think the missions have stopped? Of course not!!

So of course WE all know what it really going on in Iraq, but we are Army wives. My problem with the way the media is handling this is the way the public will view our troops in Iraq now. We all know everyone will now just assume that the war/conflict is over. That all of our husbands and wives and sons and daughters are safe now. When that is SERIOUSLY not the case!! My husband is still very much in a war zone. Living in horrible conditions, sleeping with his shoes and gun within arm's reach, waiting for the next siren to sound. Nothing has changed for the troops today, no matter what the media says. The only thing that is different is what they are called. No longer "combat troops" but now troops that are supposed to advise and train. There are 50,000 troops left over there. Don't be fooled, they aren't safe.

Maybe it's just my snarky cynical attitude, but I don't give the American people much credit when it comes to the military. After watching even one "Jay walking" skit on The Jay Leno show, we can all say that much of the public just isn't very knowledgeable about the world around them. It's unfortunate that many will watch the news tonight read on Twitter tonight that the last of the combat troops have left Iraq and that Operation Iraqi Freedom is over and assume that all of our troops are home safe. But like I have posted on this blog before, America isn't at war, America is at the mall. And this wont bring any support to the troops still fighting and STILL risking their lives everyday in Iraq.

It may be a step in the right direction. But what now? What about the casualties to come? What the hell is this damn Operation New Dawn bullshit? How is my husband's life, duties, mission, safety any different now? This is all PR, all smoke and mirrors for the unwitting American public. I feel like I have been let down today, as an American that supports the troops as fiercely as possible, and as a wife to an American Soldier. I don't feel like I witnessed a historic moment, I feel like I just witnessed the biggest joke of 2010. The war is not over!! Combat is NOT over! I hope I'm wrong. I hope this conflict can take a positive turn, but even as I write this, I know it's not going to happen. My husband will have to wait for that siren until the day he redeploys.

I guess the take home message of this whole blog is just remember that there are still people over there. They still need to know they are being supported by the American people. They still need to know we care. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that these 50,000 brave men and women might be forgotten. Or not given the credit they deserve and have earned.