In Iraq the poor and minorities are bribed with promises of educational funding to fight for the benefit of the global corporations.

In Viet Nam the United States bore the brunt of the casualties, with a couple allies like Australia and South Korea bullied and bribed by the State Department into sending military contingents.

In Iraq the United States bore the brunt of the casualties, with a couple allies like Britain, Spain, and Poland bullied and bribed by the State Department into sending military contingents.

In Viet Nam rather than a large military engagement, the smaller enemy wore down the United States with a war of booby traps and a never ending flow of casualties.

In Iraq rather than a large military engagement, the smaller enemy is using a war of improvised explosive devices and a never ending flow of casualties.

In Viet Nam the press was openly questioning the government's decision to wage war and showing the American public the daily cost in dead and wounded of that war.

In Iraq the press is a propaganda organization for the government and accepts censorship of coverage of the returning dead and wounded.

In Viet Nam heavy vegetation that hid the enemy also allowed US mine detonation patrols ordered by some ticket punching officer to hunker down 200 meters beyond the perimeter so as not to provoke the local residents into armed resistance.

In Iraq there is no place to hide in the desert for troops still lacking body armor after one year, sent out in humvees with canvas doors to make reputations for ticket punching officers.

In Viet Nam friendly and hostile personnel alike were poisoned for generations to come by Agent Orange. The Defense Dept then denied responsibility for the resulting medical

treatment of related illnesses and said it had to "study the problem."

In Iraq friendly and hostile personnel alike were poisoned for generations to come by Depleted Uranium. The Defense Dept then denied responsibility for the resulting medical treatment of related illnesses and said it had to "study the problem."

During Viet Nam many anti-war protestors mistakenly blamed troops for the mistakes of government policy. The troops returned home to economic depression and a lack of jobs caused by diversion of resources to military use.

Before Iraq even started the protestors were focused against the Bush/Cheney/Ashcroft regime and never blamed the troops for the intelligence failures / stupidity successes of government policy. The troops are returning home to economic depression and a lack of jobs caused by GW's tax cuts for zillionaires that turned the record surplus he inherited into a record deficit of debt that our great-great-grandchildren will still be paying.

During Viet Nam it was debated as to whether or not to change the voting age from 21 to 18, so as to permit those drafted and ordered to carry a weapon for the USA to be able to vote.

During Iraq there is a dangerous trend to using electronic voting machines without a verifiable paper trail and built by GOP campaign contributors that have "promised to deliver Ohio to the GOP in the 2004 election." Inspite of polls showing the majority of troops in Iraq feel lied to by the president and that they were sent there to steal oil for the president's oil business pals, the GOP mysteriously predicts that electronic voting will give them a majority of absentee ballots from troops stationed overseas.

During Viet Nam professional NCO's, "the backbone of the Army," left the service in droves in disgust over the military being misused for a political rather than military mission.

During Iraq professional NCO's & officers alike are leaving the service in droves in disgust over being lied to by the president and sent to steal oil.

David Honish

http://www.veteransforpeace.org

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