Cowards?? - Reader comments at The New York Sun

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Heroes And Cowards
in response to reader comment: Heros and Cowards

Submitted by K. Jossart, Feb 21, 2007 15:40

As someone who has both a husband and a son currently serving in the US Military, I feel compelled to question your use of the word "coward" to refer to those who question our involvement in the Iraq war. My husband enlisted during the first Iraq war, my son during the second: I believe that my family has done more than our share to defend and support this country--much more, in fact, than many of those who profess to "support" our troops, and yet are unwilling to serve or encourage their family members to do so...but that's another topic altogether.

I refuse, however, to accept the accusation that mistrust and/or frustration over the current administration's handling of the Iraq war is in any way "cowardly." To critically question and engage in debates regarding American policy--both foreign and domestic--is intrinsically American, and one of the rights my husband and son defend on a daily basis, and at great cost to our family. Exercise that right. It's one thing to support the political party of your choice on specific issues or in general, but that support should always be tempered with caution, critical thinking, knowledge, and plain common-sense.

I question this administration's handling of Iraq BECAUSE I love this country, and because I believe in the principles of democracy, freedom, and peace. That isn't cowardly; it's American.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
I find it funny how liberals have been using the deaths of the troops in Iraq or Afganistan to further... [MORE]	Jeff	Jan 24, 2008 00:57
It's funny that liberals are so bent over this comparison. Apparently any troops who die in combat in Iraq or Afganistan... [MORE]	Jeff	Jan 23, 2008 13:38
The bottom line is George Bush numbers represent two wars in Afghan and Iraq. Not including the naval support of... [MORE]	Leonard Nichols	Nov 20, 2007 16:13
Please compare apples to apples. YEAR TOTAL MILITARY TOTAL DEATHS JIMMY CARTER 1980 2,159,630 2,392 RONALD REAGAN 1981 2,206,751 2,3801982 2,251,067 2,3191983 2,273,364... [MORE]	Ian Rey	Feb 26, 2007 11:17
I was with Hotel 2/5 USMC in Vietnam. Of the American 58,000 fatalities in around 11,000 were non-combat related. If you... [MORE]	Al Treska	Mar 6, 2007 23:36
Well put. It's nice to see something other than leftist rants or left-leaning, selective reporting actually made the pages of... [MORE]	Danny J.	Feb 22, 2007 01:06
the prior specific criticisms of the blatant misuse of numbers in ms. colon's piece have made the point. such cowardly... [MORE]	howard reynolds	Feb 21, 2007 23:48
Great Article!!!! The Democrates will turn-tail and run from a situation or decision as always. Leaving our heros in a... [MORE]	Cliff	Feb 21, 2007 20:52
Point the first: Colon, in a response to Salon.com, refers to President Clinton as a "media darling." When Clinton's approval... [MORE]	Douglas Moran	Feb 21, 2007 20:39
Ms. Colon, Do you remember Mark Twains' famous paraphrase of an English prime minister? Allow me to refresh your memory: Figures often... [MORE]	Pete May	Feb 21, 2007 20:13
More than 3,100 deaths in Iraq. That doesn't include American troops killed in Afghanistan or in terrorist attacks outside Iraq.... [MORE]	T. Turner	Feb 21, 2007 19:25
Alicia - Your distorted statistics and your warped attitude have made you famous. Do not drag patriotic American veterans such as... [MORE]	Timbuktom	Feb 21, 2007 18:24
The figure of approximately 3,100 US combat deaths in Iraq applies only to those killed by enemy action in Iraq.... [MORE]	Roger	Feb 21, 2007 23:36
I hate to inform you of this, or really I don't but those numbers do include the accidents and suicides.... [MORE]	Proud Iraqi Vet	Mar 10, 2008 23:12
It's amazing what drivel you can come up with when you do just enough research to forward your preconceived notion.... [MORE]	Gary Laney	Feb 21, 2007 16:48
I think this is one of the most patently intellectually dishonest things I've ever read. The figures cited in the... [MORE]	John	Feb 21, 2007 16:39
Thank you for thoughts from the other side. It is refreshing to have another perspective that has been researched and... [MORE]	Beth Dean	Feb 21, 2007 16:12
Dear New York Sun, You owe readers like Shawn Mowry an explanation of how Alicia Colon counted military deaths during Clinton's... [MORE]	Andrew WK	Feb 21, 2007 15:28
Will you be heroic and courageous enough to write in your next column that the military death rate during the... [MORE]	Thomas Holaday	Feb 21, 2007 15:25
You have deliberately understated the number of American military dead during the four years 2003-2007. You imply that Rep. John Murtha... [MORE]	Thomas Holaday	Feb 21, 2007 15:19
Alicia Colon is the coward here. A brave journalist might have tried to make the same points without using only... [MORE]	Aaron B	Feb 22, 2007 12:42
You are making an utterly meaningless apples and oranges comparison by citing the two sets of death statistics. The Clinton... [MORE]	Frank Flint	Feb 21, 2007 15:13
Almost all the deaths from '93 through '96 were either from illness, accident, suicide, or homicide. A total of 59... [MORE]	Christopher Kubasik	Feb 21, 2007 13:50
Dear Alicia, Just a small amount of research shows that ONLY a total of FIFTY-NINE (59) casualties caused during the Clinton... [MORE]	edwin	Feb 21, 2007 13:42
Don't be cute. Only 59 died of combat related deaths. The rest were accidents, suicides, etc. This piece is shameless. [MORE]	Dan Craft	Feb 21, 2007 13:18
Your article is intellectually dishonest. Only 59 military deaths between 1993 and 1999 were the result of hostile action. The... [MORE]	Ellen Pitts	Feb 21, 2007 13:08
How does this HACK Alicia Colon still have a job? What a laughable misrepresentation. Her comparison of "military deaths" in the... [MORE]	William Markley	Feb 21, 2007 12:44
Probably the most intellectually dishonest piece of reporting I have seen in a long time. You cannot simply compare wartime... [MORE]	Michael E.	Feb 21, 2007 12:39
If everybody would just go to the Defense Dept. PDF file from which you got your numbers, they would see... [MORE]	MB White	Feb 21, 2007 12:14
Alicia Colon, That is a hell of an article, with a perspective which shows the greatness of this country on a... [MORE]	Dan Maguire	Feb 21, 2007 11:53
assignee oariopathy triton rosulate daughter sitosterol imputativeness tapperer The Carnival of Carnage http://www.aha.ru/~portyan/ [MORE]	Blair Glenn	Oct 18, 2007 16:22
According to a Lancet study, 655,000 Iraqis have died as the result of our invasion which is (by all informed... [MORE]	Bob Meinetz	Feb 21, 2007 11:08
You can believe whatever you want. You can pull any number out of the thin air you like. But when... [MORE]	Daniel J	Feb 22, 2007 01:26
A violent death is always a tragedy, even worse when it happens with a young person and much worse when... [MORE]	Pedro Soto	Feb 21, 2007 11:00
This article offers more appropriate context and history than the vast majority of current US Media headlines du jour. This... [MORE]	Andrew Maffei	Feb 21, 2007 10:20
Colon conveniently overlooks the fact that the military was much larger under in Clinton in the years 1992-1996. The military... [MORE]	Aileen Frankl-Toole	Feb 21, 2007 10:08
Can you please provide the sourcing for the number of military deaths cited from 1993 to 1996? Thanks. [MORE]	Matt	Feb 21, 2007 08:57
In response to Mr. Paul Gray's comments : Ms. Colon clearly states in the article she is only discussing the... [MORE]	Ben	Feb 21, 2007 08:18
I bet you made several enemies in the media with this piece. Thank you for sharing. I had no idea,... [MORE]	Darrell	Feb 21, 2007 07:50
What a stupid anaylsis. In the years you cite, 1993-1996 - 1 death was due to hostile action, 55 due... [MORE]	Paul Amirault	Feb 21, 2007 06:05
You are comparing all military deaths under Clinton (including accident, sickness and so on) to just combat fatalities in Iraq.... [MORE]	Christopher Allen	Feb 21, 2007 05:21
Who's counting? The author surely isn't - not correctly at least. The author compares apples and oranges: the number of... [MORE]	Joe Bartman	Feb 21, 2007 02:42
I'm curious as to your source for the deaths of military personnel over the various terms. I found the following... [MORE]	G George	Feb 21, 2007 01:50
Paul states that the numbers in the article don't include none war zone deaths. He's wrong!. The numbers stated in... [MORE]	T	Feb 21, 2007 00:46
I'll be watching your career with great interest. The world needs journalists like you, as I'm sure you're well aware. -... [MORE]	Vincent	Feb 21, 2007 00:34
"Cowardly politicians who mock" the sacrifices of the troops? Followed immediately by reference to "Rep. John Murtha." Last I looked, Murtha... [MORE]	Bryan Bohman	Feb 21, 2007 00:13
Alicia Colon writes: "What is never compared is the number of military deaths during the Clinton administration: 1,245 in 1993;... [MORE]	Brad Arington	Feb 20, 2007 23:54
According to the DOD document the author cites, TOTAL military deaths from ALL causes for the first 4 years of... [MORE]	Bruce Blazej	Feb 20, 2007 23:53
Even in the absence of combat, there are of course deaths among the hundreds of thousands of US military personnel... [MORE]	Jeffrey Harris	Feb 20, 2007 23:28
The "war dead" count does not include deaths outside of Iraq - YOU pretend that nobody is dieing in the... [MORE]	Paul Gray	Feb 20, 2007 19:02
I'm not the one blasting the Iraq dead figures to push any agenda. I use those 1993-1996 to show that... [MORE]	Alicia Colon	Feb 20, 2007 19:41
The media is presenting the Iraqi war deaths as a huge number, yet this number is almost the same as... [MORE]	Kirk DeWitt	Feb 20, 2007 20:12
I think Paul is on to something. Check out this link. [MORE]	numbrcheckr	Feb 20, 2007 23:52
Mr. Gray, Your conclusion is wrong and arguement is fallacious. Go to the Department of Defense and do your research. Ms.... [MORE]	Dan Maguire	Feb 21, 2007 12:19
Paul, it goes deeper than that. Alicia fails to mention that the total death toll due to hostile enemies during... [MORE]	Derrick Blaga	Feb 21, 2007 13:37
I I retired after 25 years in the Army and the numbers of dead reported are consistent with my experience. I... [MORE]	Tibor Lanczy	Feb 21, 2007 17:11
We'll call it the Colon Principle - The more we are at war "over there" . . . somewhere .... [MORE]	Al Tinsley	Feb 21, 2007 22:47
The Iraq numbers are not peace time numbers.I was in the military, I even photographed a lot of peace time... [MORE]	Paul Gray	Apr 12, 2007 20:48
and that point is incorrect [MORE]	Paul Gray	Apr 12, 2007 20:50
As a former paratrooper and combat medic in Vietnam, I am aghast that Alicia Colon mentions the draft dodgers of... [MORE]	John Hamill	Feb 20, 2007 15:48
You cite all military deaths during the first half of the Clinton administration, including deaths by accident, homicide, suicide and... [MORE]	Michael Cotter	Feb 21, 2007 07:57
I think that this is a great article. Until now I have never heard those figures with regards to the... [MORE]	Shawn Mowry	Feb 20, 2007 15:07
The following figures are current for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) as of December 2, 2006: 23,119 Wounded... [MORE]	John E. Kraft	Feb 21, 2007 00:01
Perhaps the ones who mock our courageous troops' sacrifices are the cowardly leaders who sent them in the first place,... [MORE]	Druce Vertes	Feb 20, 2007 12:53
Thank you for this wonderful piece. Please keep your voice rising loudly and clearly. Our country needs to hear these... [MORE]	Judi Vitale	Feb 20, 2007 12:45
That is a powerful piece with which I agree wholeheartedly. I would ask though how many military deaths there have... [MORE]	Michael Zwick	Feb 20, 2007 12:43
Would someone care to be more specific as to WHERE these numbers of military death during the Clinton administration came... [MORE]	demtse	Feb 21, 2007 07:37
Great peice, well positioned. However, the problem these days is that facts and perspective don't matter to the main stream... [MORE]	JP LoBrutto	Feb 21, 2007 09:07
You are by and large counting non-combat deaths during the Clinton administration. The Bush adminstration does not count non-combat related... [MORE]	Heraldblog	Feb 21, 2007 10:25
Alicia, you are a treasure. Factual, direct, courageous and offering a full meal of facts to mull. And without relying... [MORE]	Bette Dowdell	Feb 20, 2007 12:31
Mr. Kroboth's view is one reason why every generation of my family has seen military service since the Revolutionary War.... [MORE]	Mary McLemore	Feb 20, 2007 10:58
The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing but The Truth. Great Article, Enjoyed and Researched every word. Thank You. GBU, Vr Derek [MORE]	rick d sears	Feb 21, 2007 06:37
What an absolute joke of an article. Apples to oranges data to suit an agenda...just appalling. And that people actually... [MORE]	Vance	Feb 21, 2007 16:00
This article reinforces something I have long said - There is indeed something worse than living in a country that... [MORE]	Roy E. Terrell	Feb 20, 2007 10:51
You are a breath of fresh air. Thanks for your comments. Some times I wish the decent Americans who do... [MORE]	Norm Bond	Feb 20, 2007 10:27
I am reminded by your piece of the words of John Stuart Mill, words that I have posted in my... [MORE]	Eric Mack	Feb 20, 2007 21:23
I couldn't have written anything I agree with more than what you have written. I love the line...."America is good enough... [MORE]	Betty Wiggins	Feb 20, 2007 07:05
Only 56 of the 4417 military deaths in Clinton's first four years were in combat. The rest were mainly suicide,... [MORE]	Robert Cooke	Feb 21, 2007 00:21
If during the Clinton Administration were 4,417 deaths and during this administration just 3,133 then this one has a credit... [MORE]	Pedro Soto	Feb 21, 2007 12:38
As someone who has both a husband and a son currently serving in the US Military, I feel compelled to...	K. Jossart	Feb 21, 2007 15:40
Dear K. Jossart, Thank you so much for your post. In particular, these words: "I question this administration's handling of Iraq BECAUSE... [MORE]	Thank you!	Feb 22, 2007 11:46

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