December 14 , 2004

God only knows why I would receive an email from the GOP. I have no more in common with them than I do the democrats. It would seem the folks with the GOP are extremely concerned about the mess that has grown from the interview Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had with military personnel in Kuwait and are bailing like hell to keep the ship of war from sinking.

It would appear old Rummy got his butt nailed to the wall by some GI. The question so stunned The Pentagon’s chief liar that he had to have it repeated. The question, repeated with a little more detail the second time around, was a stunner.

"Our soldiers have been fighting in Iraq for coming up on three years. A lot of us are getting ready to move north relatively soon. Our vehicles are not armored. We're digging pieces of rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass that's already been shot up, dropped, busted, picking the best out of this scrap to put on our vehicles to take into combat. We do not have proper armament vehicles to carry with us north."

Back to this email from the GOP: were they upset that our soldiers are going into battle without the equipment needed to protect themselves? Hell, no. The bastions of the right wing were complaining that some reporter actually conspired with these soldiers to ask those damning questions! Matt Drudge reported that Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts "coached soldiers to ask Secretary Rumsfeld questions!" (Exclamation in original) So squawked the chickenhawks.

What should be most alarming to people who pride themselves on being free is that a reporter actually had to suggest to a GI he should ask the question in the first place. Of course, had the reporter asked that question himself, he would have been unemployed faster than a Neocon could find a reason to avoid the draft. Let me see now: “higher priorities” comes to mind. Worked for five draft deferments for the Vice President during Vietnam. Over 58,000 soldiers didn’t have that kind of clout. Their names are on a wall there in Wartown.

We should all try to keep track of the brave soldiers who asked those questions. It is a known fact that if a GI has the audacity to point out the emperor’s nakedness, such as Al Lorentz did, you could face up to 20 years at Leavenworth. It truly shows how perverted politics has become when you can be called disloyal for uttering the truth. In this administration, the LIE rules and woe be unto you if you have the audacity to shine light on the truth.

The parent of this miscarriage of politics is the GOP, and they are more worried that the truth will come out than they are about the safety and well being of the soldiers that have been sent into harm's way.

Americans; ask yourselves the questions that were asked of Rumsfeld as if the soldiers were asking you personally. What is your answer? Don’t try to put it off on the elected officials and their lackeys. YOU put them there. It is YOU who have sent these soldiers into the valley of death with poor equipment. TELL THEM WHY!

"Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?"

"My husband and myself both joined a volunteer Army," said the woman, who identified herself as a staff sergeant in a logistics unit from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. "Currently, I'm serving under the stop-loss. I would like to know how much longer you foresee the military using this program."

“Yes, sir.  My question is, after the January 30^th elections and the Iraqi government (is) in place, what is the plan for the U.S. forces in a post-democratic Iraq?”

“Mr. Secretary, Specialist McKobiak (sp), 116^th Calvary Brigade.  My question is, what is the Department of Defense, more specifically the Army side of the house, doing to address shortages and antiquated equipment that National Guard soldiers, such as the 116^th Calvary Brigade and the 278^th ACR are going to roll into Iraq with?”

“Specialist Skarwin (Sp?) HHD 42^nd Engineer Brigade.  Mr. Secretary [Cheers] my question is, with the current mission of the National Guard and Reserves being the same as our active duty counterparts, when are more of our benefits going to line up to the same as theirs, for example, retirement?”

God Bless you soldiers one and all.

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