Tokyo Rose

She had the best music on her station and most people just laughed.

The ship I was on was sunk no less than five times but each time Davey Jones threw her back up.

Tokyo Rose During World War II -- the Japanese developed a way to demoralize the American forces.

Psychological warfare experts developed a message they felt would work. They gave the script to their famous broadcaster "Tokyo Rose" and every day she would broadcast the same message packaged in different ways, hoping it would have a negative impact on American GI's morale.

What was that demoralizing message? It had three main points:

1. Your President is lying to you.
2. This war is illegal.
3. You cannot win the war.

Does this sound familiar?

Is it because

Tokyo Hillary,
Tokyo Harry,
Tokyo John,
Tokyo Teddy,
Tokyo Nancy,

have picked up the same message and are broadcasting it on

Tokyo CNN,
Tokyo ABC,
Tokyo CBS,
Tokyo NBC,
to our troops?

The only difference is that they claim to support our troops before they demoralize them.

Come to think of it, Tokyo Rose told the troops she was on their side, too.

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It's not only the negative message itself, but the theme is repeated again and again. This is based on the concept that if you hear a lie often enough, you begin to believe it.

Did you watch M*A*S*H? there was a recurring character who was heard only over the PA system. She was the Korean equivalent of Tokyo Rose; I can't remember the name of the character. I remember one episode where she told the 4077th that their wives and girlfriends were unfaithful. That they were playing around with the Toms, Dicks, and Harrys who had stayed behind. Col. Blake began thinking about a Harry who worked at their country club back in Bloomington, Illinois. He thought it through and realized Lorraine would never fool around with this guy. But, for just a moment he bought into the propaganda.

I'm not endorsing the war in Iraq, nor am I saying we shouldn't be there. What I am saying is that we each have to think about the motives behind what is being said, and who is saying it. Think for ourselves and make a decision based on fact and logic and not pure emotion.

All we seem to hear from the media is negative. Think about it: there must be something that the US and coalition forces are doing right. But we never hear it. I have heard on ::gasp:: other than mainstream media that more people in Iraq have electricity than have ever had electricity before; that more children are going to school than have gone before and more. Maybe all of this is false. I don't know, I'm not there.

I will defend the right of anyone to say that President Bush is wrong. It's a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. I will say that the people listening to the politicians and pundits have the responsibility to think about

what is being said
why it's being said
who is saying it
what could that person gain by saying it

One other thing I remember from M*A*S*H. Hawkeye's childhood friend was in Korea as a soldier, but was using the experience to write a book. He was shot and died of his injuries. Hawkeye is devastated by the death of his friend (who wouldn't be?) and Henry Blake tells him something that he learned in Officer Training School. There are two rules of war: Young men die, and doctors can't change rule number 1.

I hate the fact that young people, men and women, are dying in another country. I wish it could be different. But wishing won't make that happen. I do believe that if we pull out now, without making a real difference in Iraq, whatever that difference is, then we have failed and those young people will have died in vain.

And that is the real tragedy. That there was no good that came from those deaths. No matter what side of the political fence you are on, you have to look at what's being said and weigh the facts and think without emotion. Is that easy? I hope not. I want it to be hard. I want the people making those decisions to do so knowing that they hold lives in their hands. I want them to have sleepless nights. And I want them to think about their own sons and daughters, their grandsons and granddaughters. If they can make a decision knowing that their own child could die as a result of their action, then they will be more careful with the lives of your child. Please don't think that it's easier if you don't have kids. It shouldn't be any easier to make those decisions. If it is, you should be doing something else in life.

I don't have any answers. I don't have access to all the facts. I just know I want those who make the decisions to do so carefully and deliberately. And that those who disagree do so with intelligence and the respect they want given to them.