Walt Handelsman

Iraq File

Hey,

Why didn't you send me this one as well?

krg

Why does Handlesman hate America so much?

You're on the list, Handelsman. And, thanks to Sam Brown for the heads-up.

gee .,.the surge has produced favorable results.

What say you and your neo-lib rag now?

Not funny and very, very STUPID!

Exactly .............. thanks for the courage to tell the truth.

Love your toons....wish this was fantasy and not the reality we're faced with! Thanks for your bravery and honesty, and most of all making us laugh, even when it's no laughing matter...

Ask yourself why are we in IRAQ? Then ask yourself why we are in Afghanistan? Now really think back to 9-11--close your eyes if you have too. Now go back even further to 1990-91 the Desert Storm era (my time where I fought) We were in Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and running amuck all over the place gathering intel. We allowed Iraq to remain because it kept Iran in check. We will find out decades from now why we took Iraq or even now why we have to remain there and I hope to God it isn't because we had bad intel and once we started down the road we decided to burn all the bridges behind us and couldn't leave.

dave in Iowa we are there for the oil.

I just watched all eleven Walt Toons and loved them all! I'm an 87 year old cartoon junkie who considers Handlesman one of the best. Go Walt!

Keith, if we were in there for the oil, we would have it here in America by now and our prices would not be so high. Wake up and smell the coffee you DA.

It would seem to this veteran as if I were once again stuck in a situation, that even though I was in the field, I could not say a thing that our leadership did not tell me to say. Right now, as I write, people are trying to save as many of these kids as possible from dying and being maimed for nothing. Because they cannot speak and can not leave their buddies, it is always a quandary in young people.
This kind of dark humor you present is familiar to veterans, it is a fabled trade mark all of us recognize, and it is one sign that we have visited the beast. It is such a shame to waste kids, our kids for anything less the imminent peril. See, even if they come back in-tack or physically injured they are never going to be the same people, that is what the real price of war is, the part the powers to be never quite get around to honoring.
Ignore the war lovers, most have never heard a shoot fired in anger, spent to much time arcades with chickhawks usually, or Judas goats, like the troops that turned on Kerry for 200,000 thousand dollars like the swiftboaters did for Nixon. These swift guys seem to be the only troops who served that did not know a free-fire zone meant exactly that.
This veteran was impressed with the skit, its cynicism and drooling disregard for human life being exercised by this deserter and his draft dodgin buddies on capital hill was palatable. So keep up the good work, maybe this nightmare will end sooner, keep reminding people these kids are being shoot at all the time, while we eat Xmas dinner…!

Re;Jos Harty's response, I wish it was at the top of the pagel It says it all and so succinctly.Mr Harty is intelligent, far more than stan, Nov.26th. If you can't understand what is presented, keep your mouth shut, so everyone doesn't know your IQ
Walt- Keep up the great work you are very talented. God Bless

Hey Fred (Nov. 24 04:04),

Maybe it was time for you to go to bed. So the "surge" is working, eh?

Not by any measure the Administration had set for it. Supposedly, the surge was in place to give the Iraqi government time to get its political house in order and become functional. Even the Administration and General Betray..er, Petraeus agree that's not happening anytime soon. Yes, American and Iraqi deaths are down, but that's because the Iraquis have sorted themselves out into an apartieid of Sunni and Shia and Kurdish communities, and we've built walls to keep them apart. In other words, the Iraquis are imposing their own three state solution. And our troops are, for the most part, staying out of the free fire zones now, so one can even question whether we have a real grasp of what's going on in there.

As this cartoon animation suggests, no one even knows what the Administration defines as success in Iraq --but I think I know. The Administration's definition of success is, "they'll know it when they see it", and THEN they'll share it with the rest of us. Unless, of course, unending war IS the success they are seeking.

And to Jack (Dec. 2, 21:58) You don't get it, do you? If it's about oil, the objective is to get control of the supply, limit the production, push up the world price, maximize profit while diminishing the effort and capital input, and concentrate as much wealth in the hands of the oilmongers as possible. And that's just what has happened. But you are partly right --it's not ONLY about the oil. It's also about the money, about power, about redistributing wealth and power, and about bifurcating the socioeconomic classes. Look around you. We are degenerating into plutocratic corporate feudalism.

We may still have hope so long as cartoons such as this and opinions such these are allowed to circulate. But I fear some, such as Fred and Jack, would have it that dissent be quashed. And then we would no longer live in the America they think they love.

This is tasteless and crude. Not at all funny. Anyone who was living on 9/11 and doesn't realize that we're in a global war has his head in the sand. We lost Viet Nam SOLELY because the far left liberals whined their way out. Those of us serving then knew how easy we could have ended that war and kept Viet Nam democratic. The same is true in Iraq.

My son served in Iraq and it's the same story. Take the gloves off and let us win the war.

Dennis, when you say "take the gloves off" what exactly do you mean? We have plumbed the depths of our military, so there cannot be any other soldiers to send.
Are you referring to the U.S. using WMD? If so, don't use a euphemism. Say so. If not, say what you mean, "take the gloves off" works in boxing, but this is a war.
BTW, I was living on 9/11 and don't have my head "in the sand." I read and study far more than FOX and American media. We can no longer afford to be isolationists when it comes to our information and we can no longer afford to take what our, or any other leaders say, as truth.

I find a lot of the jokes funny..............during a time of fear put into us by our own government. We, the public, cannot know everything, about what is going on....................common sense.
Our son, who had a fully paid scholarship to a very good college, opted to join the Air Force. We are Viet Nam era parents, who led very quiet lives. We both come from family who have served in the past.
Our son returned to us, as a complete stranger. He was confused, angry, and visibly not well. His gums bled constantly, he had PTSD, and still does. Upon return to his family from the Persian Gulf War plus, he could not find work. He had a very young family. I had to shame a government representative into finding him work in the USA, that he went off to defend.
There are a lot of things wrong with war of any kind. People, innocent people, soldiers, etc. die. DEAD.........sometimes it is your buddy sitting next to you in a Hummer.
All WAR sucks, but our soldiers have to answer to the President. I held my son as he cried like a baby.
Pray for our soldiers and their families.
Support our troops.
Love you all,
Mom

I am an American who is extremely frustrated with our government. I am a Democrat who is not only sick of the Republican party, but the Democratic party as well. It's all about money and power. None of those politicians really care about the everyday citizen, it's all about the bottom line. And they have us where they want us - fighting each other, conservatives vs. liberals, while they go on and live the good life. I am a single mother, a liberal who believes in God (just for the conservative's information), and I no longer believe in my government.

And Mom (Mom of a child), I don't know if your son believes in our government any more either - but please thank him for me. Thank him for fighting for us. I really appreciate his service and his laying his life on the line like that. And I pray that God bless him and give him strength everyday to live a happy life.

i love the cartoons, and find the comments just as interesting. i need the comedy in order to relieve my frustrations with my neighbors, fellow voters and my country.

i am also very afraid as we look at this election cycle.

how was bush reelected.

how did we sit still and allow the people who sent the kids to fight, to be-smudge a veterans service. these are the same people we expect to take care of the kids on their return. how did McCain not scream from the rafters, as a democrat i would have voted for him if he had. when are we going to accept that we have a responsibility to understand the person who will run i country, not just their promises. integrity, smarts, character, and the ability to sniff out the BS is critical. what does a promise mean when the situation changes so drastically that to keep the promise would hurt more. we must understand the person before we trust.

God Help Ya,,,,Try placing this type of crap in Afganistan,,
Iraq, Iran or for that matter,,,any Mideastern " Republic"
Y'all know what we " SHOULD NOT" have done...
Just what "SHOULD WE HAVE DONE" that would have protected us from these Radicals ??

Well DICK,
I kinda think your definition of "radical" is anybody not from Texas.
Maybe we should've started with not arming them (Bin Laden) in the first place, showing them the respect that we demand of others, stic to the original reason and find Bin Laden, not lie to Americans about why we're attacking another country, not making up excuses on the fly about why we're the only country increasing our military presence, etc, etc etc.
Mission Accomplished? I guess it depends on which mission you're talking about. I have a feeling you're about to say we're having our freedoms protected. Just which ones were being threatened? The administration has done a bangup job of slicing away at those, and just think, he has another year to go!
With any luck at all, my son, in the Army now, will get thru this miasma unscathed. Then and only then will the mission be accomplished.

Reading all these comments, I suddenly have some miniscule hope again. Even the died-in-the-wool Bushie sheep are starting to bleat. Thank God. This might be considered proof of God. Our "shepherds" are taking the sheep to the cleaners, fleecing them, and sending them into the cold and the dark naked and shivering, while they indulge themselves in some thousand year credit ponzi scheme. And now the lambs aren't even silent. Oh boy, are we in it now.

Do you really believe that Bin Laden et. al. hit the US because we don't respect them? Because they were insulted?

It was simply because we are not radical Islamists. (They kill moderate Islamastis just as readily.)

It is naive to believe that there is any way to appease this philosophy.

Annalists are already predicting a huge sweep of leftists coming into both houses of congress along with the white house this fall. These leftists openly consider christians the enemies of the state even above the terrorists. These people itch to pass gay marriage and write hate legislation aimed directly against christian patriots. They plan massive overhaul of the judicial system to impose legislation against 1st and 2nd amendment rights.

McCain will make the Iraq war the central issue of this campaign because Obama promises to withdraw our troops regardless if the terrorists declare victory. Christians may have one last chance to grandstand against another Vietnam and the establishment of an anti christian socialistic state in America. But there is now a new hope!

A new biblical discovery has just hit the market bringing a miraculous prophecy about Iraq. There are a large number of related biblical scriptures which have passed silently under the radar until now.

Iraq is to be freed by a great eagle wings in the latter days! This is welcome news coming straight from the Bible just before the election.

If the war in Iraq represents Gods will as predicted in Bible prophecy, this may be our chance to unify christians patriots before this critical election takes place. Obama claims to be a good christian. Could he now be exposed publically for apposing America or "the great eagle" freeing Iraq in Bible prophecy?
A Salem christian group published an important press release concerning this true Biblical discovery! This stunning declaration comes from one of the most reputable christian publishers in America... www.eternaltruth.net

One critic asked the author how he could possibly announce he had discovered 9/11 and Iraq in Bible prophecy?
"Aren't you exploiting thousands of American deaths in both this current war and 9/11 just sell a book?"

Author.." "That is my greatest consolation! As we speak many people including veterans are purchasing this book witnessing the very references which prove this books biblical promises. People are now witnessing biblical prophecies unfold before their eyes concerning 9/11 and Iraq freed by a modern eagle. Amazon.com just announced on their web sight that they have sold out this book and must order more!"
"There are no unsatisfied customers who complain of not receiving any thing less than was promised from the author." "There are steady reports of people finding far more than what they ever expected possible. It would be unforgivable for any author to promise people something to exploit a national tragedy for book sales." Many lives are lost and many families with children grieve having lost their parents. This author is not letting those people down who purchase this book in good faith. We are delivering a true message taken from biblical prophets directed for our time. "I have four children of my own, if my book were to become exposed as a manipulation of biblical text such would forever mark my children's name as well as my own."
I have been so blessed to have discovered a message placed into the Bible
which can unite millions of believers together before this election.
I need your help because the media ignores everything about this discovery.

Author of this book,
Paul Gregersen

Listen likewise to an educated critics expert opinion regarding this miraclulous book.

"Reading this particular book has made me aware of how christians have come to accept biblical spin and less than honest interpretations when reading books on Bible prophecy." When I started reading "Bible prophecies of 9 - 11" the whole idea of 9 - 11 and Iraq being in Bible prophecy admittedly was quite appealing to me.

But it seemed very far fetched and I fully expected to discover another fiction story cleverly masked behind a another "new" biblical declaration. I fully expected to see the familiar hand picking of quotes deliberately coming from the authors’ selection of unrelated texts to manipulate the meaning of Bible text. I've learned that it is a common trick to cleverly combine unrelated verses from separated biblical context in order to stretch readers’ perception beyond the original focus toward the authors’ conclusions, creating the appearance that authors conclusions are also supported by the Bible.

My first surprise while reading this book was to see this author approach things quite differently by laying a biblical foundation from Adam and Eve with the tree of life story, establishing common threads for his entire biblical claim. As the first chapters began to build solidly on biblical themes I quickly realized this particular author was either seriously attempting to link legitimate patterns of bible prophecy, or he was using an even more clever deception to mislead me. This author surprisingly understood the procedure to outline proper types and shadows and stay within one context while linking proper biblical themes. Since the author was not spinning I suspected that he would postpone taking of his liberties until he would be forced into a corner having to demonstrate 9 - 11 towers falling and eagle's wings into modern Iraq.

To my surprise the transition was smooth and never broke context or prophetic flow. Not only was 9 - 11 coming straight from the Bible but almost every highly specific detail, including the number of planes that hit each target, was referenced in the Bible with numerous exact details specifically related to 9 - 11. This book does not just stop there, but continued to unwind the scenario of America going to Iraq spelling out the exact manner of Saddam’s capture and execution. This was a highly unusual book! This book was based on what was written in the Bible and relied solely upon that premise. How do I react to this other than try to convince someone to read it and find out? I feel concerned that christians are so used to being tricked by each cry of wolf that when the real thing appears there will be a little comprehension that something amazing has occurred. I have wracked my mind as to how this could have possibly been fixed and there is no possible way other than Gods prophets deliberately sent us this intentional message about Iraq and 9 - 11. Ross David www.eternaltruth.net

Can't we just enjoy the animation?