31 Marines killed in Iraq

31 killed in Marine chopper crash in Iraq
By Sameer N. Yacoub

Jan. 26, 2005 BAGHDAD -- A U.S. military transport helicopter crashed in bad weather in Iraq's western desert Wednesday, killing 31 people, all believed to be Marines, while insurgents killed five other American troops in the deadliest day for U.S. forces since the Iraq war began.
Militants waging a campaign to derail Sunday's election carried out at least six car bombings and a flurry of other attacks on schools to be used as polling stations, political party offices and Kurdish sites, killing or wounding more than two dozen people.
While al-Qaida warned Iraqis to stay away from the polls -- saying they would only have themselves to blame if they are hurt in attacks -- President Bush called on people to ‘‘defy the terrorists” and cast ballots in the crucial election.
A Bush administration official said the cause of Wednesday's crash was not immediately known but that there was bad weather at the time.


These people's families will undoubtedly believe they died advancing the cause of "freedom," whatever the hell that means. It seems everyone's too polite to point out that they're actually dying for nothing whatsoever. Well, except for providing business opportunities for Halliburton.

A couple of weeks ago, after another bunch of American soldiers was taken out (I forget whether it was another accident, or a roadside bomb) I saw one soldier's mother speaking on a network news program from her home in Nevada. "He died to keep us free," she said. "They were going to overrun this country. If we didn't go into Iraq, I'd be wearing a burqua right now."

This is what these people actually believe. That Saddam's army was on the point of marching into Las Vegas when the courageous Bush administration declared war on Iraq. Believing these lies is the only thing that keeps them going.