I just got through reading this and I have to say, it is something I wholeheartedly support. While many of us take being an Aussie for granted day in and day out, there are still many who fight, and risk much, for that privelige.

Visas for Diggers' offsiders IRAQIS who have worked alongside Diggers in the war-battered country will be offered resettlement visas to live in Australia. The offer to so-called locally engaged employees was made yesterday by Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon and Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Evans out of concern for the safety of the Iraqis, many of whom worked as interpreters. It follows the announcement of the withdrawal by mid-year of the 515-strong Overwatch Battle Group from al-Muthanna and Dhi Qar provinces - a key policy pledge of the Rudd Government. "Anti-coalition forces have deliberately targeted individuals working with Australian troops and their partners in southern Iraq," Mr Fitzgibbon said last night. "In response, the Australian Government will adopt a new visa policy to enable the permanent resettlement in Australia of locally engaged employees (LEEs) and their families at risk because of their engagement with the Australian Government." The policy is similar to one offered to South Vietnamese who helped Australian forces during the Vietnam War. It is expected that up to 600 visas will be granted to former Iraqi employees and their families. Visas will be offered first to those deemed to be at the greatest risk following the withdrawal of the Australian troops from the south of the country. These Iraqis had repeatedly shown their commitment to Australia's security and reconstruction operations in Iraq, Mr Fitzgibbon said. Senator Evans said the LEEs and their families would be granted permanent humanitarian visas after undergoing strict health, character and national security checks.

AC

You Aint Gonna Like Losing....

AI just finished reading the following piece and really felt it hit home with alot of my own thoughts about this war.

I have often sat and back and marvelled at the level of ignorance that is displayed today. Yes people, the world is war. It's a simple fact. Just because we haven't stood up and called it a World War, doesn't mean it isn't one. We live in societys drowning in complacency. We all truly believe that we have the bigger Military force, the better weapons, more money and more capability. We ASSUME this to be the case because apparently, there were no WMD's in Iraq. Hell, they can't be a threat if they don't have WMD's right??

WRONG!!!

What they do have is highlighted in the following text. They have a force of true believers. Regardless of what we believe about their cause, they believe it in it so wholeheartedly that they will die for it. How many people do you know would strap on a vest and blow themselves up in the middle of a crowd. I can't think of a single person.

And so we watch the news on tv (doesn't anybody read anymore), we channel surf cos who really cares what's happening in Iraq anyway, and we remain oblivious to a threat that has been here as long as we have. We remind ourselves that the Soldiers knew what they were getting into when they enlisted so we really shouldn't lose sleep over it. And hell, they get paid for it right??

And we wrap ourselves up nice and snug in our cocoon of ignorance, because the war is happening on other shores and we can still maintain it doesn't affect us...

America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall. This is a different war than any we have ever fought before and we did not anticipate it ending up as a global war on terrorism. This war is being fought against an enemy that will kill even their own family and friends to achieve its end. In Iraq, especially, our men are risking their lives to save the people who would normally be safe from attack by the enemy. Asymmetric guerilla warfare with this enemy is different from our experience and should be considered in evaluating our military performance in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq. Bush's mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not. Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it w as the people's duty to back those leaders. Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the war was going badly or not. And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war. Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort. Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining. You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President. Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops' morale . And a bunch even enlisted. And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops! Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies. A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being 'tortured' by being forced to wear women's underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning. There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crack heads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets. No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve. It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorrah and the land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices. We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists cause... Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits. So... we either win it - or lose it - and you ain't gonna like losing...

Thanks to Curt from myspace

AC