On Sept. 11, the World Trade Centers came down. Instantly, this country had the sympathy and support of nearly all the world. Word was Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and Afghanistan were to blame. Saddam Hussein did not support al-Qaida, nor were the terrorists present in his country, yet somehow due to this administration’s propaganda and President. Bush’s own agenda, we found ourselves in a full blown war in Iraq.

The Bush administration has totally mishandled this war and continues to ask far beyond the capacities of our sons and daughters. Requiring troops to do tour after tour after tour. How long before your number comes up? Those who are injured are faced with deplorable conditions in VA hospitals once again due to the failure of our government to be prepared.

When I look around the streets of this country today, I see nothing of the commitment my parents had to America during World War II. Not for Bush’s war. Nothing looks different to me from what it was before the war started aside from maybe magnetic ribbons on the backs of cars. There are young men everywhere. Nothing at all is rationed. America runs on Dunkin and NASCAR goes round and round. There’s no shortages of appliances. Gas guzzling vehicles on new tires speed down the highways. Nobody would think of donating anything to build a tank. Women surely aren’t making materials for war in factories. Nobody’s contributing voluntarily to pay for the war. Most don’t trust the government. Veterans from past wars are opposing this war. Many Americans don’t even know anyone fighting in Iraq.

Years ago, Bush stood on the deck of an aircraft carrier under a banner that claimed “Mission Accomplished.” If that was the case, why are our soldiers still dying? Why do the Iraqis want us out as their soccer team captain said? Why is there still a ban on photographs of caskets coming from Iraq and why are the maimed still brought into this country under the cover of night?

My son is in Iraq today due to Bush’s blunders. This first-born child has had to perform unspeakable acts in order to obey orders and survive. Having him there is hell as a parent and even if he does make it through, what ways will he be forever changed? In a phone call a few weeks ago, he asked that if we didn’t vote last election to please make sure we do next time and get rid of this administration. This is his second deployment and his time was just extended for the second time. He has also said he never wants to return to Iraq again.

With Sen. Susan Collins back in Maine I say to her I’m outraged over this war and her continued support of Bush and not the 73 percent of Mainers who do not agree with him, all the while saying she speaks for Mainers. She says she’s against continuing the war in Iraq, but voted with Bush to authorize it, voted against redeploying the troops out of Iraq, voted against bringing our troops home, voted against bringing our troops home again, voted against requiring the Iraq government to meet benchmarks, voted to allow the president to get around benchmark requirements, voted in favor of continued funding for the war in Iraq, voted against limiting the length of troop deployment, and she voted for cloture on the Levin-Reed amendment, which was binding legislation for the safe withdrawal of our troops. Despite her vote for cloture, she publicly stated that she would not vote for the actual amendment. She is proposing nonbinding legislation, which amounts to little more than a press release on how the Senate is unhappy. This resolution does not require anything of Bush.

Recently a soldier posted a video online challenging any one from Congress to come spend 15 months side-by-side with him in Iraq. He’s had no takers. And finally, this from the New York Times: Penny Preszler, 46, a furniture refurbisher in Phoenix, said she stopped wearing red on Fridays as she had done for the past year to honor the war effort.

“It was when my son started saying he wished he could be injured, so he could come home,” Ms Preszler said. “There was no pride left in his voice, just this robotic sense of despair,” she said, describing a telephone conversation with her son, Skyler, 24, an infantryman on his second tour of duty in Iraq. “Mom, we killed women on the street today. We killed kids on bikes. We had no choice,” she recounted his saying.

The same week, she said, her son told her he thought he had seen the worst when he had to pick up the body parts of his dead buddy, but then he saw an Iraqi boy picking up what was left of his father.

Craig Cote lives in Franklin.