I Just Saw the most incredible PSA or "ad".

[CheshireVal]

I get the sense those opposed to the war are following the crowd more than anything else. There was overwhelming acceptance going in, and for the most part it has gone very well. President Bush went out of his way to warn us it wouldn't be fast or easy.

That's kind of condescending, if you don't mind my saying so. I never supported the war, and most of the people I know thought it was a bad idea from the beginning. Or maybe we were just the original "crowd" and everyone else is following *us*

 

[CarolA]

Are you guys kidding? There is this beautiful, poignant thank you from an entire ethnic group of people who saw thousands of their country men, women and children gassed by Saddam and they are sending a heartfelt Thank you to the United States and you are thinking about Geico and meatloaf???

Um.... Are you sure about who paid for this???? Lets see an entire ethnic group took up a donation fund????

 

[WIcruizer]

If I can speak for Dawn a minute, I don't think her original point has anything to do with who paid for the ad. The people who appreared in the ad were obviously genuine in their sincerity. The ad points out that an entire group of people who were outcasts in their own country once again have a voice in their government. Thanks to Dawn's husband and thousands of other brave members of our military.

 

[drayke]

Please, Please don't tell me you actually believe that the 'ad' was thought of and put together by the Kurds?

More like propaganda from a gasping, desperate administration who just got their tushies whooped yesterday.

While I am glad the Kurds were helped, what about the 2,000+ US soldiers and the 10,000+ other innocent Iraqis that have died due to the war?

I think the Gap Ads are definitely strange!

A woman I met in Iraq told me about father who was a political prisoner during the previous regime (what the Iraqi's term Saddam's rule) . After his release, he continued to be targeted by insurgents. They have been continiously harrassed and threatened as were their neighbors and friends and family. They get gernades through their windows and death threats often. During Saddam's rule, Kurds were targeted. Immediatly after the ceasefire of the original Gulf War when the Kurds rebelled against Saddam's rule, in part based upon the promised support of the US government which then failed to privide that support; Saddam is documented as having used a mix of sarin and mustard agents against the Kurdish tribes in order to stop that uprising. Saddam sytematicly sought to eradicate the Kurds and other ethinic tribes.

I would suggest that the ad was in fact a product of the Kurdish people and their regional government, now able to exist however still in danger, at least, with alot more hope. And if the administration helped fund it, so what? The media grossly overcovers the negative and rarely gives the other side of the picture resulting in a vastly distored image here in the US of what is being doen and what is being accomplished.

So as a veteran of the first gulf war, bosnia and Iraq, please leave out the "support the troops" posturing. Arguing that one side or the other really dosn't help any of us. If you really want to support the troops, then if you know a family with someone deployed, call them up and see where you can lend a hand with something. Write your elected representatives to fully fund the defense budget to provide needed soldier supplies and equipment for the active force, reserve and national guard; increase the active duty poplulation so we can stop calling up reserves and guard over and over and over. Demand congressional oversight of how development funds are being used in Iraq and demand more corporate involvement to fund development and democratic education. Want to support the troops?

What will you sacrifice?

Don't belittle my sacrifice nor that of my comrades in arms. Don't compare our 2000 dead and thousands more wounded to the GENOCIDE of the Kurdish people. Fighting for democracy has no comparison with eradicating a people.

 

[DawnCt1]

If this war is really pointless, then why are so mnay outside insurgents interested in keeping Iraq from becoming a democracy? Because they know all too well that the population of Iran is rather pro-West and it will stir them up for change in Iran to ane evn higher degree. Pressure will be on Saudi Arabia. Suddenly countries like Syria have to get on board or be outcasts in the region.

I can't begin to cover the entire world picture in one post, but I think it's important to understand there is FAR more at stake than throw away lines like "war for oil" or "where are WMDs?" This is about remving a dictator who thumbed his nose for years at the UN, and relace him with a form of democracy. And the consequences of that is world changing.

So very well said. For those who are opposed to the war, their solution is to pack up and go home! In essence, surrender to an enemy that will feel more empowered. We only have to look at the terrorist attack that was foiled in Austrailia this week, what happened in Jordan yesterday, what has happened in London, Spain, Bali, to see that this is an enemy that will not pack up and go home and will rejoice in our defeat.

 

[DawnCt1]

Don't belittle my sacrifice nor that of my comrades in arms. Don't compare our 2000 dead and thousands more wounded to the GENOCIDE of the Kurdish people. Fighting for democracy has no comparison with eradicating a people.

Well said. There was a time when genocide was something that the left found offensive. That preserving an ethnic group of people was a worthy undertaking. That making the world safe from tyrants was a noble goal.

 

[Jynohn]

If you really want to support the troops, then if you know a family with someone deployed, call them up and see where you can lend a hand with something. Write your elected representatives to fully fund the defense budget to provide needed soldier supplies and equipment for the active force, reserve and national guard; increase the active duty poplulation so we can stop calling up reserves and guard over and over and over. Demand congressional oversight of how development funds are being used in Iraq and demand more corporate involvement to fund development and democratic education. Want to support the troops?

What will you sacrifice?

Don't belittle my sacrifice nor that of my comrades in arms. Don't compare our 2000 dead and thousands more wounded to the GENOCIDE of the Kurdish people. Fighting for democracy has no comparison with eradicating a people.

Great post, drayke, and THANK YOU for your service.

 

[Laura]

So very well said. For those who are opposed to the war, their solution is to pack up and go home! In essence, surrender to an enemy that will feel more empowered. We only have to look at the terrorist attack that was foiled in Austrailia this week, what happened in Jordan yesterday, what has happened in London, Spain, Bali, to see that this is an enemy that will not pack up and go home and will rejoice in our defeat.

Earth to Dawn: Saddam wasn't harboring Al Qaeda. You keep talking like Saddam and Iraq had something to do with Al Qaeda, no matter how many times it has been pointed out to you that it was not the case. Nobody's convinced.

How long must we stay in Iraq, anyway? When do you think we can leave?

 

[Laura]

Well said. There was a time when genocide was something that the left found offensive. That preserving an ethnic group of people was a worthy undertaking. That making the world safe from tyrants was a noble goal.

Why aren't we off in Sudan kicking some butt? Why were we friends with Saddam when he was blowing Kurds into oblivion? Why were WMDs the main reason for invading Iraq?

 

[Chuck S]

Back to the original topic, I don't know why folks would consider that commercial a PSA, it is sponsored by Kurdistan Development Corp., Ltd., of London for the purpose of garnering financial investment.

It is no more a PSA than those feel good Coca-Cola Christmas commercials or the old "Remember the Magic" campaign for Disney. We may agree or disagree with the message, and may give some warm fuzzies, but it is certainly NOT a PSA.

 

[DawnCt1]

Back to the original topic, I don't know why folks would consider that commercial a PSA, it is sponsored by Kurdistan Development Corp., Ltd., of London for the purpose of garnering financial investment.

It is no more a PSA than those feel good Coca-Cola Christmas commercials or the old "Remember the Magic" campaign for Disney. We may agree or disagree with the message, and may give some warm fuzzies, but it is certainly NOT a PSA.

In the title of the OP I did say PSA or ad. I don't think it really matters, it doesn't change the message. In addition, commercial enterprises can still run PSA's and not advertise a thing.

 

[eclectics]

Back to the original topic, I don't know why folks would consider that commercial a PSA, it is sponsored by Kurdistan Development Corp., Ltd., of London for the purpose of garnering financial investment.

It is no more a PSA than those feel good Coca-Cola Christmas commercials or the old "Remember the Magic" campaign for Disney. We may agree or disagree with the message, and may give some warm fuzzies, but it is certainly NOT a PSA.

I'm sure Fox ran the swift boat ads as PSA's too!

 

[CheshireVal]

Well said. There was a time when genocide was something that the left found offensive. That preserving an ethnic group of people was a worthy undertaking. That making the world safe from tyrants was a noble goal.

Well.... if you truly believe that genocide all over the world should be stopped..... why aren't we in Sudan? How about Nepal? Why didn't we stop Rwanda?
I don't think you can call what's happening in Iraq genocide compared to what's happening or what happened in those other countries.

 

[Charade]

Freedom is pointless IF YOUR DEAD

Freedom is pointless if you can't live it.

 

[Chuck S]

In the title of the OP I did say PSA or ad. I don't think it really matters, it doesn't change the message.

You're right, it is still a staged and scripted "Thank You" trying to garner a "feel good" quality to encourage investment for profit.

 

[DawnCt1]

Well.... if you truly believe that genocide all over the world should be stopped..... why aren't we in Sudan? How about Nepal? Why didn't we stop Rwanda?
I don't think you can call what's happening in Iraq genocide compared to what's happening or what happened in those other countries.

Thats the typical hew and cry from the left, If we can't do it for everyone, why do it for anyone? Were you as outraged over Bosnia or was that okay because it was Clinton's decision?

 

[DawnCt1]

I'm sure Fox ran the swift boat ads as PSA's too!

Actually they were PSA's disguised as ads!

 

[BunsenH]

We do not "weaponize" it.

Here's one paragraph, not from Al Jazeera, but from the Army's own publication, the March issue of Field Artillery magazine, in an article entitled "The Fight for Fallujah":
Quote:

b. White Phosphorous. WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired "shake and bake" missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out.

 

[Independent]

So as a veteran of the first gulf war, bosnia and Iraq, please leave out the "support the troops" posturing. Arguing that one side or the other really dosn't help any of us. If you really want to support the troops, then if you know a family with someone deployed, call them up and see where you can lend a hand with something. Write your elected representatives to fully fund the defense budget to provide needed soldier supplies and equipment for the active force, reserve and national guard; increase the active duty poplulation so we can stop calling up reserves and guard over and over and over. Demand congressional oversight of how development funds are being used in Iraq and demand more corporate involvement to fund development and democratic education. Want to support the troops?
.

I have several close family members that have served in Iraq. My catholic father spent significant time in Hitler's camps after being caught helping Europeans with the Jewish underground.

My family has served and has served proudly, with significant sacrifice.
So, don't you dare lecture me on how to support the troops or whether my support is 'posturing' or not.

And thank you for your service to this country.

Oh, and by the way - if you read all the posts, you will find that it has already been determined that the ad was not paid for by the Kurdish people, but by a foreign business group wanting to gather investors in post-war Iraq. Wonder how much of the their business profits will go back to the Kurds?

 

[Laura]

Thats the typical hew and cry from the left, If we can't do it for everyone, why do it for anyone? Were you as outraged over Bosnia or was that okay because it was Clinton's decision?

Not at all. And if Bush had just said, "we're going into Iraq because Saddam's a bad man" then a lot of liberals wouldn't be so cheesed off.

It's only realistic to know that we can't go out and save the world and fix everything, but in some cases we can and should.