The Sandbox
By Nicole Belle Sunday Oct 21, 2007 6:03pm
NPR:
The Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau has never been to Iraq or Afghanistan. But for years, his strip has chronicled the wars in those countries, with the stories of characters like Ray Hightower and B.D. - the football coach and Vietnam vet who went to Iraq with the National Guard.
Trudeau's latest project involves real-life soldiers. Doonesbury.com's The Sandbox is a compilation of writings by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan that were posted on a blog at Doonesbury.com.
Trudeau tells Michele Norris that his goal was to provide a general audience the "flavor" of what life is like for troops overseas.
He asked soldiers to provide writing that "spoke to the texture of quotidian, day-to-day activities of [their lives]" and that were not rants about the war or the politics of the war.
You can hear Garry Trudeau's interview here as well as entries from 1t Sgt. Troy Steward and Sgt. Owen Powell of their experiences.
Login or Register to post comments.
Fristable
Difference between all those righties, who claim to care about our troops and lefty Gary Trudeau? Trudeau actually means it. Actions speak louder than words.
I ain't religious.
But God Bless Garry Trudeau!
I mean that.
Not only do the righties not care about the troops, they don't care about its citizens either.
One week after the veto on SCHIP because it was to much money, bush asked for another 46 billion dollars for the war. This is on top of the 190 billion he asked for last month.
Now I hear that bush wants to cut the funding for helping low income with their heating this winter.
until soldiers get the guts to refuse deployment en mass for this illegal war i dont want to hear any more about them.
when are american soldiers and contractors going to be punished for their brutalities of iraqi civilians? all we ever hear about this "bad apples" is they received wrist slaps for the massacres, torture, and denigrating treatment of iraqis. thanks to our 'brave' soldiers, the US has already killed more people than saddam (http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/09/19/3938/)
They're all phony soldiers!
And Bush wants
Mo money!
Mo money!
Mo money!
And he'll get it from the vermicelli that occupy congress.
"Are you referring to the worm or the spaghetti?"
Victor Frankenstein (that's Fronkensteen)
And Bush wants
Mo money!
Mo money!
Mo money!
And he'll get it from the vermicelli that occupy congress.
"Are you referring to the worm or the spaghetti?"
Victor Frankenstein (that's Fronkensteen)
chad @ 5:
[Deleted. Personal attack]. Who cares what you want to hear about. What have you done to, say, help returning wounded vets or the parentless American children of this fiasco. Most of these soldiers, sailors and Marines are brave. No doubt braver than you...[Deleted. Personal attack]. Assuming you're an American, how dare you dismiss your countrymen and women like that?
[Deleted. Personal attack].
Dulce et Decorum est, pro patria mori
Wilfred Owens (1893-1918)
I've been reading the Sandbox almost since its inception.... Some truly amazing writing there.
If you're going to say "day-to-day" why leave in "quotidian" except to show off your Ivy League vocabulary.
When Bush was of fighting age he spent his days in the snowbox with a cocaine mustache. Yet he has no problem sending young people, who are not related to him that is, to their deaths for his oil cronies.
There's a special place in hell for Bush and Cheney.
Johnny2Bad @ 8:
I have no interest in helping the vets. They should have exercised some skepticism in the initial invasion, but they followed the orders of the Bush administration and look where we are now. What we hear instead from apologists like yourself is very similar toThe Nuremberg Defense.
The question of "bravery" is moot. How do you define bravery? Are Iraqis brave? After all, they aren't fighting for oil companies as American troops are. They're fighting for their very existence, the right to life and land and country. Iraqis fighting the Coalition (Bushies call 'em "insurgents") are braver than American troops will ever be. They lack the billion dollar sophisticated weaponry that our country continues to purchase and use to destroy other human beings, and they still fight.
Johnny2Bad @ 8:
Chad needs to join the military to know whats really going on there. My liberal son just left last month for 15 months and he is not liking his second tour. If our military objects any mission they are not just thrown out of the military they are put in prison. Its not like you can just quit your job like we can. This is a job that you sign up for and they have you for at least 8 years of your life with no ifs and buts about it.
[Deleted. Personal attack]
Gary Trudeau knew Bush at Yale. He says he hasn't changed much.
momofsonofwar @ 14:
Chad needs to join the military to know whats really going on there. My liberal son just left last month for 15 months and he is not liking his second tour. If our military objects any mission they are not just thrown out of the military they are put in prison. Its not like you can just quit your job like we can. This is a job that you sign up for and they have you for at least 8 years of your life with no ifs and buts about it.
[Deleted. Personal attack]
Really. The only way to know what's going on in the military is to join? Is that your approach to knowledge...going there yourself and experiencing things firsthand? You must be well traveled.
I say that because if that is the exclusive path to knowledge for you, then you're missing out on some good literature. War isn't new. Many have written about it, as well as about the propaganda that leaders use to get people like your son (and you) to get behind their illegal and aggressive actions. Ever heard of All Quiet on The Western Front? Catch 22? Ever see MASH? Jarhead?
Tell me, momofsonofwar, why did your 'liberal' son sign up? Was he fighting to 'liberate' the Iraqis? Fighting "for his country?" How informed was your son when he made the decision? Why didn't he refuse to go? After all, doesn't he know that the number of people killed by the US is greater than those ever killed by Saddam and his regime?
Momofsonofwar,
Have you heard of Ehren Watada or other Conscientious Objectors?
For someone who has sent her son to kill or be killed, you should know about these things.
Thanks, I've blogged about Trudeau and The Sandbox before, and the WaPo did a good profile of him a while back. He's also done a lot of coordination with the VA and similar organizations, promoting PTSD resources and the like. There have been some very funny and powerful pieces at The Sandbox.
Saying that the right-wing of America doesn't care about the troops is wholly untrue.
If it weren't for the troops, the right-wingers would have to fight their own battles. Do you think any of those ass-hats wants that?
The troops are the right's most valuable asset and are treated with the same reverence as oil. They love them, use and abuse them, and pretend that their is a limitless number of them to make their lives more comfortable.
They love the troops because the troops do all their sacrificing for them.
Support or respect or worry about the well-being on the other hand...
chad
Ehhh, no. I'm going to call bullshit on that. Here's a tip, junior, you can't believe everything you read on "teh intarwebs". I believe you will find the majority of Iraqis killed by the non-Americans there, directly or indirectly. I would go even further to say that if you are a murderer hiding behind a child while killing, you are responsible the death of that child. But don't let me interrupt your trolling.
I would like to see people higher up the chain prosecuted for... well, a lot of fucked up stuff in Iraq. Including Abu Ghraib.
To be honest (and callous), that "shit just happens". It's true! It always does. The difference is when we find it, we are supposed to find those responsible and hold them accountable. It
iswas what makes us different.chad @ 17:
My son joined because he could not afford to go to collage, I found out months after that because he knew that I would blow a fuse. But he joined at the age of 21 and now way out of it if your signed on the dotted line, God have I tried. He has not been shot at or has or killed anyone just like in Jarhead. Ive read catch 22 and im young enough to remember the first episode of MASH and the last. He is stuck in on a base and training Iraqis.
I heard that Erik Prince is going to start a similar site for Blackwater employees. It will be called "The Litterbox." /snark
swarmofkillermonkeys @ 20:
Ehhh, no. I'm going to call bullshit on that. Here's a tip, junior, you can't believe everything you read on "teh intarwebs". I believe you will find the majority of Iraqis killed by the non-Americans there, directly or indirectly. I would go even further to say that if you are a murderer hiding behind a child while killing, you are responsible the death of that child. But don't let me interrupt your trolling.
You can call it whatever you want. It comes down to Evidence vs Your "belief." You can read about the Lancet surveys , which indicate more than 600000 people have died as a result of America's illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. This is not to mention the deadly UN sanctions which killed over half a million Iraqi children in the 90s.
What is almost never mentioned in discussions about the hundreds of thousands of lives lost under Saddam's regime is that the US knew about it, but did nothing to stop the killing of Kurds. Does that surprise you? It shouldn't.
momofsonofwar @ 21:
I hope your son comes home soon, and that whatever healing he needs when he returns, be it spiritual, mental, or physical, that it will be there for him. My brother was in Nam in '66, so I sort of know what you're going through. Blessings to you and your family.
momofsonofwar @ 21:
"Now way out of it if your signed on the dotted line"?
That's not true. He can refuse to carry out their orders. Look at Ehren Watada There is always a choice. He may face courtmartial or jailtime, but that option is there, if he has the will to take it.
Learn more about Conscientious Objector status here
PBS NOW had a show recently on Conscientious Objectors. Watch it here
chad @ 13:
Leave the definition of bravery to those more familiar with it than you. For in your case, it is indeed moot as it takes absolutely no courage at all to anonymously savage those who selflessly serve this country. You, on the other hand, have generously provided everyone who reads your bile with the perfect example of cowardess. Thank you.
Johnny2Bad @ 8:
Dear Moderator,
Why is "Chad" singled out for protection? You delete my responses to this "person" and call them "personal attacks". (Yeah, they were and good ones too.) Yet you let stand his calling all American service personnel "War Criminals" and cowards? You need to reevaluate your so-called standards and try standing up for something. Its called the first amendment...Look it up. Pathetic.
[Johnny, The First Amendment refers to government imposition of laws restricting the exercise of free speech. As a privately owned website, C&L is not bound by such constraints, mkay? Look it up-in our commenting policy. Disagree with Chad's stance all you want. Call his opinion names. He has the same privileges posting here as you do. Also in the commenting policy is a rule about personal attacks. I left the meat and gist of your post intact-I just removed your immature name calling. If you have a problem with the rules, please, feel free to go elsewhere-Sitemonitor]
The more soldiers who come home and talk about what they experienced, the less likely the next war will be. When enough people hear the stories about the horrors and waste of war, they will understand how pointless it is. I'm so glad Ken Burns is doing that for the WWII veterans.
Johnny2Bad @ 29:
Well, aware of the policy. I wasn't flame throwing. Those were mild little punches. But Ok, fair enough. Shouldn't that policy apply to "people" like "Chad" who repeatedly call ALL U.S. Service men and women cowards and war criminals? Does C&L think there are no liberals in the military who read these posts? Would you be upset if someone called your brother or son a coward or war criminal? Does C&L suppose that the mother of a liberal serving son posting here might consider that a "personal attack"? Uh, yep. I get the drill here but this really goes to why C&L is engaged in this activity. C&L deletes 911 theory, outrageous hyperbole and trolls who go OT...I've seen it happen. A little even handedness when dealing with rabid, cowardly non-serving anti-military Chad types would be refreshing. These "people" deserve much worse than what I gave "Chad". That all being said, I thank you for your time.
chad says:
Really? Wow. I would think those people were killed by bombs and bullets. I'm well aware of the morgue statistics. I'm also well aware of their sources.
But you are obviously sooo much smarter than I am.
So perhaps you can explain this to me: does a marketplace bombing kill more Americans with body armor in armored vehicles? Or Iraqi civilians just trying to work in the market? Who set those bombs? Who pulled the trigger? Oh, America you say. Right. When America pursues the bombers, and those bombers take refuge in a school killing anyone in their way, who is to blame? Oh, right. America you say.
We should not be there now. But to assign all deaths in the area to Americans is only propagating anti-American propaganda without any critical thinking at all. There are plenty of wrongs in Iraq that need full court marshals to punish. Lying on a grand scale isn't helpful to anyone. Statements like yours from the left hurt the Democratic party far more than any mudslinging from the right.
Oh but I wouldn't want to miss this...
chad also says:
Oh, I see. So first you say America is somehow responsible for ALL death in the region because... well just 'cuz they are there and they should never be there.
Then you whine and bitch about American not intervening sooner to help the Kurds militarily against Sadam.
This is not name calling; this is a summation of the evidence: you are either a liar, or an idiot. Can you be more of a hypocrite?
Whoa. Yes, apparently you can. So now America is directly responsible for Sadam prioritizing spending on arms instead of children? Oh, and the implicit idea that the Kurds and everyone else would have been better off without the sanctions, so Sadam could have a full stock of chemical, bio, and nuclear weapons to use on Kurds, Israel, Iran, and Pakistan.
You're smart. You know what is wrong? The president lying to us. The congress collaborating. Abu Ghraib. Blackwater. Haditha. Guantanimo. The NSA. The Tillman assassination. Plenty of actual wrongs to complain about, without parroting arabic agitprop.
swarmofkillermonkeys @ 33:
Right, Swarm. But you missed this "person's" worst utterance..."Iraqis fighting the Coalition (Bushies call ‘em “insurgents”) are braver than American troops will ever be." Unbelievable.
Feed the Right that line and they have another "America Hater" to quote. You're right too...either "Chad" is a troll or brain dead...either way, that one should have gotten him banned. God, its hard being a Progressive sometimes.
Login or Register to post comments.