Musafir's Musings

62 soldiers have lost their lives in January. The list does not include soldiers whose deaths have not yet been confirmed by the DOD. The number is lower than last month's and last January's. That is a good sign. The dead are only a part of the picture. 39 of them were in their twenties; Private First Class Peter D. Wagler of Partridge, Kansas, was 18 years old when he died on January 23rd ! What a sad list of names. Then there are the injured--7659 reported by Iraq Coalition Casualties.org The President, who managed to stay away from Vietnam, is going to blather this evening about their sacrifice, the smirk never far. As long as the families of the dead and injured soldiers continue to support him he will get away with it. There will be members of Congress bobbing up and down like marionettes to applaud him. The President will not mention 35 year old Douglas A. Barber, a Iraq war veteran who couldn't cope with post traumatic stress disorder and shot himself to death on January 16th. I hope that history will harshly judge those who took us into this senseless war.

His poll numbers continue to be low. He says he does not pay attention to polls but few believe that. Privatization of Social Security is down the tube; even some of his staunch supporters are concerned about the mounting budget deficit; the Abramoff scandal is casting a shadow on Republican members of Congress; Patrick Fitzgerald still following the Valerie Plame leak enquiry; and Medicare Part 'D",the Prescription Drug Plan, is a disaster for those who need it most. State of the Union is far from rosy. So, expect full scale smoke and mirrors. On the plus side, the president's conservative Christian supporters are delighted that Samuel Alito has become the newest member of the Supreme Court.

Jason Lee Bishop, 31, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Jan 01, 2006