Me and Ron Kind (my congressman)

I sent an e-mail to Congressman Ron Kind (Wisconsin’s third congressional district) regarding the Iraq war. Below is his reply to me and my return e-mail. I encourage everyone to become involved. So few individuals contact their government representatives that you can have a disproportionately large voice. Take advantage of this. @@@@@@@@@@ Ron Kind’s e-mail to me Thank you for contacting me about the war in Iraq. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter. This is a critical period of transition for us in Iraq. With our help, the Iraqis have established a coalition government, and we have trained more than 250,000 Iraqi Security Forces. Further, troop causalities are at the lowest point since 2004, more security is being entrusted to the Iraqi security forces, and the Iraqi parliament has passed a U.S.-Iraq security agreement which stipulates that American forces leave Iraq by the end of 2011. As we move forward, it is imperative that we continue to send a message that the patience of the American people is not endless, and that the Iraqi people must take control of their future by making the tough political compromises essential to living in peace. In short, it is time to take the training wheels off. During my three visits to Iraq, I consistently heard from our military command that our objective cannot be achieved through military means alone. The Iraqis must be willing to make crucial political compromises to find a way to coexist peacefully and work together among the various factions to move the country forward. We cannot continue to ask our troops to baby-sit a civil war. I am confident that President Obama will develop a comprehensive strategy for responsible redeployment of our armed forces. With the security situation in Afghanistan continuing to worsen and Osama Bin Laden still at large, I believe we must renew our commitment to the unfinished work there. As the situation in Iraq continues to progress, please know I will keep your thoughts in mind. I remain hopeful, as do all Americans, that our brave men and women serving in our armed forces will be able to come home soon. Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to be in touch with additional comments or questions. I also encourage you to visit my website, www.house.gov/kind, where you can find updated information, sign up to receive my electronic newsletter, and send me e-mail. Sincerely, Ron Kind Member of Congress @@@@@@@@@@ My response to Ron Kind Thanks for your reply. I agree that we cannot forever babysit the situation in Iraq and other areas of the Middle East. I am not sure I agree totally with your assessment of Iraq situation as a civil war. It is certainly that, but so much more. Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and certain other nearby countries are an incubator for terrorists. The most effective way to fight terrorism is to go to the source. I have traveled to the Middle East on business and I have friends who are Iraqi, Lebanese and Indian with whom I still keep in touch. Because of communications with these friends I think I have a better understanding of the dynamics in the Middle East than most. My frank opinion is that if this were only a civil war and the combatants would stay in the Middle East we should let event play out without intervention. Since this is certainly not true, we must take steps to ensure the safety of United States and our true allies. Please take care so that our actions do not bring this conflict to our shores. Please also remember that Islamic terrorists do not hate us only because of our actions in the Middle East, they hate us because we are a Christian country and not an Islamic state. Best Regards, P.S. I would like to continue our dialog on this and another other subject you would like. If you need a citizens input on a continuing basis, I volunteer. I will keep in touch. If you would like to see my thoughts on varying subjects, you can view them on my weblog by doing a search for DATADIVER08.