Look what phinathome does in her spare time! I
got this e-mail in my sub to the Vets'
whateveryoucallit.
If she doesn't want her people to patronize her
list, that is recommendation enough for me! (See
bottom of lengthy diatribe below. It's worth it.)
Here I come with my monthly Social Security check!
Warren
--- veterans <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> From: veterans <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 05:48:25 -0800 (PST)
> Subject: [veterans] Subject: [CAPMarines] The Troops
> Also Need to Support the American People, Worth
> reading
>
> Subject: [CAPMarines] The Troops Also Need to
> Support the American People
>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> From: "Josephine Stockton"
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007
>
> Dear washingtonpost. com,
> Since you so graciously want us to email you to
> report offensive comments
> I would like to report the offensive comment by Mr.
> William M. Arkin. His
> comment is demoralized to our troops who have put
> their lives on the line.
> When he said "when the American people say enough
> already with the wars
> against terrorism" I don't think he meant ALL the
> Americans. Because I'd
> say enough already for the ignorant who sleeping the
> luxury of their warm
> beds at night , the anti-war, who probably either
> left wing liberal or aids
> by the communist while our soldiers and their
> families sacrificed their
> blood, sweat and tears so that people like Mr. Arkin
> can have his freedom of
> speech and talk down at our soldiers at his leisure.
>
> He stated "The troops Also need to Support the
> American People". Well,
> Unless I am mistaken, or live in another planet, I
> thought that's what our
> troops are doing. Fighting for our liberty and
> freedom, isn't that what
> their support" meant? WELL DUH !!!
> Mr. Arkin may feel that we pay our troops a decent
> wage, I'd say we don't
> pay them enough. If he though the money to help pay
> for education after they
> return or before they go to war. We can never put
> enough price tag on a
> soldier who was traumatized from a war. Ask any Vet
> with PTSD. Ask any
> Vietnam Vet and they will tell you. Mr. Arkin needs
> to sit down and chat
> with our Vietnam Vets and ask them if they made
> decent wage, and all those
> images of war lingered from 40 years ago, worth the
> money? The decent wage
> doesn't pay for the loss of limbs and far away from
> their families. But
> that's the sacrifice they made and we either support
> them or we don't just
> like one of the soldier said and I agreed. What I
> don't agree is the wage
> Mr. Arkin made from writing by talking down about
> our men and women in
> uniform just so he could make a living from other's
> expense. Washington
> Post should reconsidered about this writer.
> On his last paragraph he stated: "America needs to
> ponder what it is we
> really owe those in uniform. I don't believe America
> needs a draft though I
> imagine we'd be having a different discussion if we
> had one." I wonder if
> wasn't for those in uniform, where, I wonder, Mr.
> Arkin be today? Still be a
> writer for Washing Post, ABC News, Etc.., or maybe,
> just maybe he, himself
> got welt off by the terrorist because "he has to
> ponder what it is he really
> owe those in uniform". For me, I owe them a great
> deal of gratitude, and I
> never failed to thank them for their service
> whenever I see one.
> Please note: I tried to forward this link or page,
> but I can't due to too
> many comments. I had no choice but copied it so
> others can see how patriot
> Mr. Arkin is.
> Regards,
> Josephine Stockton
> The troops Also need to Support the American People
> - By William M. Arkin |
> "I've been mulling over an NBC Nightly News report
> from Iraq last Friday in
> which a number of soldiers expressed frustration
> with opposition to war in
> the United States.
> I'm sure the soldiers were expressing a majority
> opinion common amongst the
> ranks - that's why it is news - and I'm also sure no
> one in the military
> leadership or the administration put the soldiers up
> to expressing their
> views, nor steered NBC reporter Richard Engel to the
> story.
> I'm all for everyone expressing their opinion, even
> those who wear the
> uniform of the United States Army. But I also hope
> that military commanders
> took the soldiers aside after the story and
> explained to them why it wasn't
> for them to disapprove of the American people.
> Friday's NBC Nightly News included a story from my
> colleague and friend
> Richard Engel, who was embedded with an active duty
> Army infantry battalion
> from Fort Lewis, Washington.
> Engel relayed how "troops here say they are
> increasingly frustrated by
> American criticism of the war. Many take it
> personally, believing it is also
> criticism of what they've been fighting for."
> First up was 21 year old junior enlisted man Tyler
> Johnson, whom Engel said
> was frustrated about war skepticism and thinks that
> critics "should come
> over and see what it's like firsthand before
> criticizing. "
> "You may support or say we support the troops, but,
> so you're not supporting
> what they do, what they're here sweating for, what
> we bleed for, what we die
> for. It just don't make sense to me," Johnson said.
> Next up was Staff Sergeant Manuel Sahagun, who is on
> his second tour in Iraq
> He complained that "one thing I don't like is when
> people back home say
> they support the troops, but they don't support the
> war. If they're going to
> support us, support us all the way."
> Next was Specialist Peter Manna: "If they don't
> think we're doing a good job
> everything that we've done here is all in vain," he
> said.
> These soldiers should be grateful that the American
> public, which by all
> polls overwhelmingly disapproves of the Iraq war and
> the President's
> handling of it, do still offer their support to
> them, and their respect.
> Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every
> rape and murder, the
> American public has indulged those in uniform,
> accepting that the incidents
> were the product of bad apples or even of some
> administration or command
> order.
> Sure, it is the junior enlisted men who go to jail.
> But even at anti-war
> protests, the focus is firmly on the White House and
> the policy. We don't
> see very many "baby killer" epithets being thrown
> around these days, no one
> in uniform is being spit upon.
> So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of
> their families, provide
> them with housing and medical care and vast social
> support systems and ship
> obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we
> support them in every
> possible way, and their attitude is that we should
> in addition roll over and
> play dead, defer to the military and the generals
> and let them fight their
> war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to
> speak up because they
> are above society?
> I can imagine some post-9/11 moment, when the
> American people say enough
> already with the wars against terrorism and those in
> the national security
> establishment feel these same frustrations. In my
> little parable, those in
> leadership positions shake their heads that the
> people don't get it, that
> they don't understand that the threat from
> terrorism, while difficult to
> defeat, demands commitment and sacrifice and is very
> real because it is so
> shadowy, that the very survival of the United States
> is at stake. Those
> Hoovers and Nixons will use these kids in uniform as
> their soldiers. If it
> weren't about the United States, I'd say the story
> would end with a military
> coup where those in the know, and those with fire in
> their bellies, would
> save the nation from the people.
> But it is the United States, and the recent NBC
> report is just an ugly
> reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary - oops
> sorry, volunteer - force
> that thinks it is doing the dirty work.
> The notion of dirty work is that, like laundry, it
> is something that has to
> be done but no one else wants to do it. But Iraq is
> not dirty work: it is
> not some necessary endeavor; the people just don't
> believe that anymore.
> I'll accept that the soldiers, in order to soldier
> on, have to believe that
> they are manning the parapet, and that's where their
> frustrations come in. I
> ll accept as well that they are young and naïve and
> are frustrated with
> their own lack of progress and the never changing
> situation in Iraq. Cut off
> from society and constantly told that everyone
> supports them, no wonder the
> debate back home confuses them.
> America needs to ponder what it is we really owe
> those in uniform. I don't
> believe America needs a draft though I imagine we'd
> be having a different
> discussion if we had one.
> By William M. Arkin | January 30, 2007; 8:51 AM ET"
> PS: Thanks to someone named jerome pitre, these
> companies help supporting
> directly or indirectly with the people who hired mr.
> Arkins. Keep that in
> mind when we all do our shopping unless something is
> being done about this.
> Don't your readers deserve to know what companies
> need to suffer
> economically for supporting you?
> WaPo Sunday edition advertisers:
> www.thewindowplace. com
> office depot
> sports authority
> belefort furniture
> comp usa
> circuit city
> linens-n-things
> rite aid
> staples
> bray & scarff
> best buy
> cvs
> jc penny
> eckerd
> sprint-motorola (Red Razor)
> kmart
> don pablo's restaurant
> kitchen magic
> wegmans
> marlo furniture
> kohls
> havertys
> longhorn steakhouse
> walmart
> shoppers
> radio shack
> Now who's the mercenary, again?
> Posted by: jerome pitre | February 2, 2007 03:57 AM
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Get your own web address.
> Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
