A lot of good men and not-men risk carpal tunnel for this soldier

In a bunker somewhere in Iraq, this ungrateful soldier attacks Our Leader. He cares nothing for the good men and not-men who slave away in their mothers' basements risking carpal tunnel syndrome and Cheeto-induced obesity fighting to defend the way of life we're creating for him, here at home. If I must choose between serving Our Leader or supporting soldiers like Spc. Sanders, I'll stand with His Holiness and do so proudly. That's what it means to be a Republican and a conservative in our new, patriotically correct America.

From a letter to Stars and Stripes:

In the 'wussy' category

I thought "On Iraq, hold your ground and give parades a rest" (Opinion, Joel Stein, Jan. 27 print edition) was great. It took a lot of guts to write an opinion that would be seen as unpatriotic.

I fall under the "wussy" category. I even took it one step further than bumper stickers and bracelets and enlisted in the Army Reserve.

I agree that blaming the president is an easy cop-out. While it's scary that such an idiot can lead the most powerful nation in the world, it's even scarier that the American people continue to follow a person who has misled us time and time again.

We have been duped into believing that if we wave a flag and show support for our troops, we are patriotic. We are told that now is not the time to question the government, since doing so may break the fragile morale of America's fighting force. I do not agree. How can we expect to make a change if we aren't willing to ask hard questions?

With tough questions come tough answers, which is one thing I found missing from the column. I didn't see any suggestions for change. We've hit a point where no matter where you stand on the issue, there is no clear-cut solution to get out of Iraq.

I also agree with knowingly being a tool for the American agenda. Unfortunately, recruiters target young, impressionable, adventure-seeking teenagers for a reason. You don't see too many recruiting posters saying "Go to the desert, kill people and fight for a cowboy."

For now, I'll have to stay a wussy. Even worse, I don't have any solutions to offer either, although I hope Stein's piece can show people it's OK and important to question everything.

Spc. Michael Sanders
Al Taji, Iraq