I misunderstand nothing. I understand all too well. I understand that soldiers in Iraq are there because they choose to be. They do have the choice not to go. Again, that is the choice thousands of men and women made during the Vietnam era, a similarly immoral war.

Re: prisons v. barracks - valid point.

John – excuse me We Need to Win, I think you misunderstood me. The point I was making was not that poor, black and Latino young men and women make up the majority of the Armed Forces (by the way, poor means all races). The point is that they are specifically targeted for recruitment and often the promise of education is dangled in their face. It was in reference to your statement about school and education. I wasn’t interjecting race - it was just the basis for a point.

"In Denver and other cities where the Hispanic population is growing, recruiting Latinos has become one of the Army's top priorities. From 2001 to 2005, the number of Latino enlistments in the Army rose 26 percent, and in the military as a whole, the increase was 18 percent." - New York Times

Also, according to commondreams.org a progressive web site, of those American soldiers killed in Iraq, 67% of them came from high income or middle income families and 34% from lower income families.

So according to the facts, your racial and economic theory regarding military service just is not true when it comes to Iraq.

You are sadly misguided and it's a shame that the left now defends volunteers who go to kill.

I suggest you take a closer look at the facts before you interject race into this, which you just did. Of the 4,000 US military deaths in Iraq, 75 percent are white; 11 perecnt Hispanic or Latino and 9 percent are African-American.

Countless troops have also re-signed up for additional tours of duty. Not to mention, they all have the option not to go and become conscientious objectors, move to Canada or go to jail like so many did during the Vietnam war. Those are true heroes in my book, people with the courage to say I will not go kill people that never attacked me. That is a hero.

You would also be well served to educate yourself a bit more about life in prison and on death row; if you think being raped and/or waiting to die in solitary confinement is preferable to a dirty toilet or mold, I would question the logic that concluded that since the soldier is free to walk right out of those barracks and right into a CNN or his Congressman's office.

While it's a crime that it isn't and it would be great if it were - neither state nor community college are free. Education isn't cheap in this country and many young men and women and targeted from an early age by the US Armed Services - primarily lower income, black and Latino, and told that the way to college is through the Armed Services. We went through a period of time when we were at Peace. Many reservists signed up willing to dedicate a weekend a month and a week a year in return for education. Unbeknown to them they would have to fight in Afghanistan. (We Need to Win, you may not have read the post – but the soldier is station in Afghanistan, not Iraq) Should they have considered that when signing up to be a soldier? Without question - and now serving is the consequence. It is unconscionable that a prisoner who has raped and murdered children, or that someone sitting on death row has better conditions than some 22 year old kid who has spent 2 and 3 tours fighting in a desert.

Iraq did not cause 9-11, you are completely ignorant if you think that. As for college, let them get a job or go to community or state college which are free. You think that is an excuse to go kill people becuase an individual wants to go to school?

There is nothing honorable about "volunteering" to go to another country that never attacked us and participating in an occupation that has resulted in the deaths of almost a million Iraqis. That is not my definition of a hero.

I never called them villains and I never said Bush and Cheney are anything other than war criminals. What is relevent here is the hypocrisy of the GOP and the right purporting to care about the troops. That does not make the troops heroes.

We need to win you make all democrats look bad. These men volunteered to do an honarable service to our country. to fight back against the people who caused 911, or to pay for college. These young men are not the villians. They were sent to do a job. It was Goerge Bush and Dick Cheney who sent these young men to do their bidding for corporate gain. They do not deserve this kind of treatment

Since when are people who "volunteer" to go kill people who never attacked us, including thousands of women and children heroes? They are not heroes. A hero would say, "hell no, I won't go".