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10-15-01 ~ I take that back, now they say that they are both from here, or at least both are members of a church in Waco. If you don't know what I'm talking about, see my last entry. In my opinion, the Taliban won't let the 8 detainees live. I look for them to sentence them to death, then try to turn the countries that the other 6 are from against the USA. Just my opinion.

On the first day of the bombings in Afghanistan, they announced on the news that the Taliban were forcing civilians who tried to flee their homes, back at gunpoint. Lovely people, the Taliban. I can hear it now, "Let's force 'em to stay in their houses so we can claim more civilian casualties". I say they need to fall back on that old faithful weapon... napalm. Throw a little in this cave, a little in that cave. Whoever doesn't burn can suffocate.

I'm normally a peace loving person, but these people are ruthless, and we need to be too.

10-5-01 ~ Okay, so now they are saying one Wacoan in Afghanistan. Our local news has been saying for months that there were two, both of them Baylor graduates. Now they are saying that both are graduates, but only one is a resident. Just thought I'd clear that up. Also, it went from news reports that Jesse Jackson wanted to go over there, to reports that he says there's no way he'll go. Good choice.

I was reading the Dallas paper yesterday, and according to it we will not be housing our ground troops on the ground. Instead, they will be housed on ships, because, among other things, they will be safer from terrorist attacks. Huh? A well placed missile or two could wipe out a whole ship, couldn't it? Maybe I'm just thinking too much about how the USS Cole was attacked, and no one was able to prevent it at the time. Our troops are going to have to get into a terrorist mind set to stand a chance.

Now malaria is on the rise in Afghanistan. Just one more thing to add to the problem. My dad had malaria during WWII, so I know it can be treated and survived, but I worry about the troops who will be exposed to it. (One in particular.)

I don't really have much to say at the moment. Just felt like expressing a couple of worries.



9-28-01 ~ So now Jesse Jackson has decided he wants to go to the Taliban to negotiate. Hmmm...
There are two Wacoans being held in Afghanistan for preaching cristianity right now. They've been negotiating for quite awhile to get them back with no luck. But now, suddenly, the Reverend Jackson thinks these Muslim extremists will listen to him. AND, they say they would like to meet with Mr. Jackson. Sounds to me like the ladies from Waco will have someone new to pray with.

Let me go on record right now saying that I do believe in God. A lot of people don't know that about me. What I don't believe in is organized religion. I don't think any one religion has got it right yet, therefore I remain unaffiliated. (That's not for here though.) Being a mostly christian nation, I believe, is going to work against us. We have been taught from the earliest age that suicide is an unforgivable sin. They have been taught from the earliest age that to die for your cause will grant you eternal paradise. It's that simple. Our troops will be out there risking their lives for us, their troops will be out there killing themselves for their cause. I prefer our way of doing things, but that doesn't change the facts.

Wars on Afghani soil have been lost for centuries. My husband and I debate this almost daily. He says we have the technology to go in there and wipe them out. I say it doesn't do much good if they are waiting over the next rise, the rise that they know so well, with rocket launchers. The best way to win this war is to get them out of the mountains and that's something that just isn't going to happen. Another arguement between us involves Cuba. They have already gone on record saying that they will side with the Taliban. Does this worry anyone else besides me? Hopefully it worries our government.





9-24-01 ~ A couple of days ago I started writing in this again. I have been, like everyone, on an emotional roller coaster. So after an hour or more of saying what was on my mind, correcting my spelling, adding spaces (because my spacebar is acting up), I came up with five long paragraphs that I was happy with. Then I got disconnected, and once reconneted, lost it all.

My thoughts change from day to day. Am I for war or against it? Even I don't know the answer. Yes, we need to go to war against the terrorists. No doubt about that. But what about the innocents that will be killed in the process? There is a large segment of Afghanistan that is NOT connected to the Taliban, and do NOT believe as they do. These people have been bombed out of their homes, forced to become refugees. They have no where to live, no food, very little clean water. They are diseased and starving to death. There is nothing that this war can do to immediately help them, only harm them. There is no one to protect them. They are the innocent people, people like you and I, who are caught in the middle. More and more people have fled because of the threat of war, only to find themselves caught at the borders of their country and unable to escape. And yet, if asked, they may be in favor of this war if it will rid their country of the Taliban. I feel for these people.

Terrorism is real. It's been going on for years in other countries, and to a lesser degree in our country as well. It took such an enormous tragedy to give us, and the rest of the world, the wake up call. Why is it that other countries haven't tried to do what America is doing now? Maybe because they have lived with terrorism for so long that they hadn't considered it an option? Or maybe they needed a super-power behing them? See what I mean, I switch from feeling one way to another, with no real connecting thread. (I would be a terrible debater.) Not that more than one or two people, at most, will be reading this.

I've always pride myself on being able to look at both sides of a story, but right now it's a bit of a curse. I don't know how to feel. My son says if they re-instate the draft, he will be in prison. I never really expected to hear that. As the daughter of an ex-Marine, a WWII veteran, I never really considered it an option. I remember the news broadcasts every night during the Vietnam war. I remember the draft dodgers, and how they were treated, and how they were viewed. I don't want that life for my son! Nor do I want him killed war! (Any of my sons.) So the best I can do is hope that they don't re-instate the draft. My father-in-law would probably come unglued if he knew how my son felt. (The same man who didn't want my husband to join the Navy as a teenager.) My dad, I'm assuming, would have a heart attack over it. Literally. But then, he was drafted, so maybe he wouldn't. But being 79 years old, I would assume he would view my son as a coward. My friends are mixed on the subject. Some say I should kick him out. Others say I should find out if it's Canada or Mexico that he can go to, and help him get there. Others are like me... just hoping it won't be necessary to re-instate the draft. But if all young men felt this way, where would we be? In the hands of terrorists most likely. I hate this.



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