My conversation with a Reservist.

[Raven]

He is a friend of mine...has been for years. His old unit is in Iraq. He has been busy lately being part of the color guard at funerals. Lots of them these days because they have to "hold" people until the ground is not frozen anymore. His son is in the Army and due to go to Iraq around the time his first child is due.

This man has been a Republican all his life and is very pro military. He has read Will Pitt's book on Iraq so he knows where I stand.

Yesterday, he raised the subject of the abuse, the beheading and the was in general. He threw all the usual arguments at me..."they did worse stuff to us in Vietnam" to which I replied "Listen, John McCain knows better that almost anybody else about torture and he is furious about this abuse. Take a cue from him...we can't be not as bad as somebody else, we have to be better." He smiled and nodded.

"Well, you can't really blame these kids, they haven't been trained" to which I reply, "Whose fault is that?" He smiled and nodded.

"What about the black guy who went to the UN?" to which I reply, "You mean Colin Powell, maybe he was misled." He says, "By the CIA?" I say, "Yeah, and maybe by the administration."

Then he says "there were no weapons of mass distruction, were there?" and I say, "Frank, you read Will's book...there hasn't been a single weapon found, has there?" "Nope", he says, "and that really bothers me...this guy Bush really bothers me." to which I reply "he damn well should!" He smiled, nodded and left saying "to be continued."

I will continue talking to this man because he is a vote, a mind to be changed. Maybe we'll tip the scales here in New Hampshire.

My point here, I guess, is that we need to talk to people who do not think like us...we need to do this everyday, with patience.

[bhunt70]

1. good job, sometimes its hard to remember that many people

aren't as narrow minded as their representatives may lead us to believe, just uninformed.

[Ilsa]

2. You're doing good work, Raven.

Keeping the lines of communication open and sticking with the facts. Inevitably, reasonable people have to come to the conclusion that the Admin employs deceit to get whatever they want, at whatever cost.

I always find it interesting when anyone continues to stick with a plan (or policy) that is fails repetitively. It's a marker for either stubbornness or stupidity or insanity, yet Bush never wavers from his commitment to his failed foreign policy.

I'm happy for you that your friend has the wisdom to look beyond his party commitment.

[ShaneGR]

3. No, they are ideologically impure nazi scumbags

Just kidding! In all seriousness, good job. Something a lot of the people on the left don't understand could learn from.