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In Pictures: President Bush Visits Army Medical Center

Huffington Post   |  Katherine Thomson   |   November 9, 2007 05:33 PM

Read More: Center For The Intrepid At The Brooke Army Medical Center, President Bush, Slideshow, Breaking Politics News
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President Bush looks at a t-shirt with Lance Cpl. Isaac Gallegos, left, during the President's visit to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. On the right is Captain Revi Venkataramani. Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007
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collapse  Moshe (See profile | I'm a fan of Moshe)

Holy f-cking chr-st George!

Seriously, how do you sleep at night, knowing that thousands of young men and women are at that very moment writhing in pain from the wounds your unnecessary war caused them. And that 3,860 young men and women are never coming home, and it's their children, spouses, parents, and families that will live the never ending pain of losing their sons and daughters, and their mothers and fathers.

Maybe you really don't care George.

Unfortunately, many of us don't have that luxury, as we actually have family members over there fighting the war that you wanted, and that you are now trying so hard not to finish until you are comfortably out of office and able to blame the whole sorry mess on the next president.

At this point, you have so screwed up this pointless war that further prolonging it will only have the effect of increasing the casualties and the cost. But it's not your money or your family is it George.

If you don't feel sickened by this reality, take another look at what you have done George, and try, just try, to accept that the rest of us are real people, just like you, even though we are not wealthy and privileged like you.

Yes George. Although they are more humble goals like getting an education, getting a job, getting married, raising families, etc., those that are not wealthy also have hopes, dreams, and for growing thousands your war is ending these dreams, and for what?

You really don't care, do you George.
Reply | posted 03:16 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  anotherbozo (See profile | I'm a fan of anotherbozo)

OK, I'm moved by all the pictures of veterans, but the ugly guy with them ruins the shots.
Reply | posted 03:01 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  LoveOverGold (See profile | I'm a fan of LoveOverGold)

These guys are victims of bush the insane, as are all the dead and maimed on both sides. Completely unnecessary and a dirty crying shame. Too disgusting for words, this little man who used fear and abused the trust of these men for empire and greed. He needs to be stopped as soon as possible.
Reply | posted 02:50 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  condieshoes (See profile | I'm a fan of condieshoes)

I am sick at heart for our country and for our military.

These men volunteered to keep America safe, defend the constitution. They did not sign on to fight wars for Isreal, corporate profit and the gutting of the constitution not to mention the outright theft of the American Treasury.

Our CIA, FBI and media have been co-opted by Isreal and the Mossad. Jonathan Pollard was found guility and convicted of passing highly sensitive information to China, he was wisked away to Isreal, as he has a duel citizenship. They are now working on the military through the "Christian Zionists".....

Please don't refer to me as an anti-semite, or hollocaust denier or some such crap that comes up the moment someone tells the truth. Not all Jews are Zionists, many people in Isreal do not like the right wing Likud party and find it odious and disasterous to their country just as we find the "Project for the New American Century" and the neocon GOP agenda disasterous for the world and America.


Reply | posted 01:51 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  Jey (See profile | I'm a fan of Jey)

Posted on Rosie.com (A Brave Woman Speaks) Keep speaking the truth Ro. Civilians have ZERO idea what its really like. Walter Reed? I"ve been there. Its mold covered and they"re drastically understaffed. Prescriptions Line? It takes hours. Active Duty gets to go first, but there are usually hundreds of veterans waiting in line waiting. Veterans who gave their lives and some their sight, hearing, body for this country don"t get to get their pain medication in a timely period? What is wrong with this system. It"s not just Walter Reed, I"ve been to every military hospital in the DC area now, since we"re stationed at Andrews AFB. Malcolm Grow, Bolling, and Walter Reed. All are drastically understaffed and the prescription situation is the same. It takes weeks to get an appointment. They say to call just a couple days before the start of the month to fight for an appointment that month. What if you"re sick? Well you can try calling early in the morning but if its urgent make a trip to the ER where you get to wait with a bunch of other sick people for hours. My son, who is one, was bleeding from the head and we weren"t seen for 3 hours. 3 hours! You want to know what we see on a daily basis? Med buses medivac sick wounded soldiers from the flight line at andrews afb to walter reed. Those buses are generally filled and during the week I see at least 2 a day. AT LEAST! Thousands of men are coming home wounded and all we hear about are the dead. ...to be continued
Reply | Parent | posted 02:19 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  Jey (See profile | I'm a fan of Jey)

Yes, we need to honor the dead, but people need to know how many are hurt and what their care is like. I"ve seen those rooms at Walter Reed. We stayed in one. It looks like a time capsule. Metal beds, slates of metal as mirrors, bathrooms so old the pipes creak whenever you turn on the water, mold, grit. Its not clean. It doesn"t smell like other hospitals, that clean sanitized smell. It"s sick! It"s sick. For those veterans who need care after, and for us military families there are wonderful signs on the door of the family care offices. They read "one issue per appointment please". That"s right. Those people who fight for this country and us families left behind can only bring up one issue per appointment. If more then one make another appointment which is IMPOSSIBLE to get. Our hospitals are out of date and our doctors are deployed. I see veterans every day at the commissary and the BX on the base where we live. I"ve seen men burned so badly they"re unrecognizable as human. I"ve seen men who recently found themselves blind. I"ve seen families whose husbands gave their lives who can"t get a doctors appointment for a sick child and sit in the ER for hours. It is not right. Sure, we get "free" health care, but look at the price. This is a disgrace. Please keep speaking out Ro, no one else will. We can"t have a voice or we risk the consequences. We need a voice. That man they call our president sits by and does nothing visiting privately funded hospitals. He gets to have all his appointments at National Naval Medical Center; which is REALLY nice, but impossible for the underlings to get into. I don"t think he waits months for an appointment, hours for prescriptions, can only talk about one issue per appointment, and gets medical care in these conditions. That"s whats wrong with this country.

Reply | Parent | posted 02:19 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  ltyr2002 (See profile | I'm a fan of ltyr2002)

This is the human face of Powell's Pottery Barn analogy, "You break it, you pay for it."
Only it's these soldiers who paid for it. Bush only has to feel guilty for a few hours, then he's whisked off to another state dinner of foie gras and truffles.

Still believe there's a God? I'm beginning to wonder...
Reply | posted 01:26 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  hannitizer (See profile | I'm a fan of hannitizer)

There is no god! There are only myths and fairy tales designed to control the masses. Our leaders are using fear and ignorance to promote their agenda. They care nothing of other human beings. George Bush is the worst of these so-called leaders. He is a war criminal. He has no conscience or internal mechanism that most human beings have. He is a spoilt rich-boy bottom feeder. He deserves to be castrated and left to suffer for the hundreds of thousands of innocent deaths he is responsible for.
If I were one of these soldiers who are despicably used as a means for the leagal theft of tax payer's money to line the pockets of greedy billionaires and he came to visit me, I would pretend to be a supporter and as he leaned in for the obligatory photo-op I would sucker punch him as hard as I could right between his cowardly little beady eyes. Then if I wasn't wrestled to the floor too quickly I would spit in his face and say "get the hell away from me you lying coward". Of course, I will never get that chance. but, one can dream.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:57 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  HippieChick (See profile | I'm a fan of HippieChick)

"human face of Powell's Pottery Barn analogy...Only it's these soldiers who paid for it. Bush only has to feel guilty for a few hours"

The "human face" of Lance Cpl. Isaac Gallegos has been permanently and horribly disfigured in this disasterous war, and Bush laughs as he hands him a souvenir tshirt. I see no indication that Bush feels guilty for even a few hours.
Reply | Parent | posted 02:41 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  gopSTEALSyourTAXmoney (See profile | I'm a fan of gopSTEALSyourTAXmoney)

Bush is disgusting.
Reply | posted 12:50 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  jbstonesfan (See profile | I'm a fan of jbstonesfan)

God bless those soldiers who have simply done what has been asked of them. We all need to put aside our differences and help these heroes however we can.
Reply | posted 12:41 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  GhostintheMachine (See profile | I'm a fan of GhostintheMachine)

President Bush was wearing "a huge smile," but his eyes were red and he looked drained by the time he got to the last widow, Crystal Owen, a third-grade schoolteacher who had lost her husband in Iraq. "Tell me about Mike," he said immediately. "I don't want my husband's death to be in vain," she told him. The president apologized repeatedly for her husband's death. When Owen began to cry, Bush grabbed her hands. "Don't worry, don't worry," he said, though his choking voice suggested that he had worries of his own. The president and the widow hugged. "It felt like he could have been my dad," Owen recalled to NEWSWEEK. "It was like we were old friends. It almost makes me sad. In a way, I wish he weren't the president, just so I could talk to him all the time."

Bush likes to play the resolute War Leader, and he has never been known for admitting mistakes or regret. But that does not mean that he is free of doubt. For the past three years, Bush has been living in two worlds--unwavering and confident in public, but sometimes stricken in private. Bush's meetings with widows like Crystal Owen offer a rare look inside that inner, private world.



Privately, Bush has met with about 900 family members of some 270 soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The conversations are closed to the press, and Bush does not like to talk about what goes on in these grieving sessions, though there have been hints. An hour after he met with the families at Fort Bragg in June, he gave a hard-line speech on national TV. When he mentioned the sacrifice of military families, his lips visibly quivered.
Reply | posted 12:20 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  DudeE (See profile | I'm a fan of DudeE)

Touching. Bush is now criticizing Democrats for not passing the Veterans Affairs budget which he threatened to veto because it was too *expensive* after Democrats added $3.7B to fund veteran benefits.

http://realtime.com/realtime_news/rt_us_national_news/rt_politics/17216548_dems_add_other_measures_to_veterans_bill____.html?pageid=nandu.category-leaf&pageregion=A3

Republicans say Democrats are failing veterans by not passing the Veterans Affairs' budget by Veterans Day, which is Monday. But veterans' groups are thankful for budget increases engineered by Democrats and have not joined in the criticism.

The veterans' bill adds $3.7 billion to the VA budget over Bush's request. The increase would ease waiting times to claim VA health benefits and add money to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries; such conditions increasingly are common among Iraq war veterans.

The increases come on top of steady gains for the VA this year and in recent years. Most recently, when Democrats took control of Congress this year, they added $3.4 billion to the veterans' budget over prior year levels and $1.8 billion more in May.

Perhaps he can put his money where his mouth is?
Reply | Parent | posted 12:56 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  preemptivelove (See profile | I'm a fan of preemptivelove)

bush has the blood of all these soldiers on HIS hands.

i hope that when he tries to sleep at night, he sees these men whose lives have been destroyed, and the families of those who've died in his illegal, unnecessary war. bush is a scumbag lying piece of shit, and the whole world knows it.

bush lied to get us into this war, and every single injury and death IS in vain, and HIS FAULT and as if by his own hands. what a disgusting pig our "president" is. piece of shit.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:02 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  bushdoescrack (See profile | I'm a fan of bushdoescrack)

Bush likes to play the resolute War Leader, and he has never been known for admitting mistakes or regret. But that does not mean that he is free of doubt. For the past three years, Bush has been living in two worlds--unwavering and confident in public, but sometimes stricken in private. Bush's meetings with widows like Crystal Owen offer a rare look inside that inner, private world.




boo fucking hoo! bush had the choice to illegally invade or "talks", he chose war. a war that has slaughtered the iraq populations, a war that has seen the rape and murder of little iraq girls, a war that was totally preventable.
bush put on an oscar winning performance while visiting the wounded vets, when the day is over, bush goes home to the white house, the vets, if they survive, can look forward to insufficient vet funding and the possibility of being homeless.
fuck you bush, you piece of shit.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:36 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  hannitizer (See profile | I'm a fan of hannitizer)

He has regrets only when he stops patting himself on the back long enough to look in the mirror. No, he has no regrets... he is a coward and a fool. It makes me sick to think that these gravely injured men and women would smile and shake his hand, somehow believe he is sincere in his reasoning for war. I don't buy anything that comes from his mouth.
Reply | Parent | posted 02:04 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  GhostintheMachine (See profile | I'm a fan of GhostintheMachine)

Lets take a moment to appreciate the fact that our nation's leader has taken the time to meet with the family members of 270 of the 1,853 soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq. Which means that Bush has met with the families of 14.5% of all the soldiers who have died. Including Cindy Sheehan and her family. And not including the multitude of wounded soldiers he's met with.

Has any American leader ever done more? I don't know for sure, but if there has been Presidents who have done I can't imagine there are many of them.

And you know what makes these gestures by the President all the more appealing? The fact that he rarely politicizes them. A lot of politicians would make a really big deal out of missing with the families of fallen soldiers, yet with Bush we hardly ever hear about it.
Reply | posted 12:19 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  DudeE (See profile | I'm a fan of DudeE)

Politicizing the soldiers would be using them as backdrops for his speeches or flying onto an aircraft carrier in a bomber jacket to proclaim Mission Accomplished. Or maybe something like banning any media to photograph cargo jets landing at Dover Air Force base full of the coffins of our war dead. No, he's too classy for that...
Reply | Parent | posted 12:47 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  LindaJay (See profile | I'm a fan of LindaJay)

What an ivory tower you must live in. He has politicized it constantly! How many times have we had to watch him out jogging with soldiers with artificial limbs? Or consoling grieving families? Constantly! And let's don't forget the constant playback of this phony crap on the wingnut shows, along with their phony crocodile tears!

Get real: this president does NOT give a shit how many people have died so his buddies can suck up every last bit of American wealth and bring this country to ruin. Quite frankly, as long as they get theirs, they don't give a shit what appalling conditions anyone else lives in. They don't give a shit that over 1 million Iraqis have died, most women and children who have never committed a terrorist act. They don't care that the living are threatened by epidemics of malaria due to the filthy water they are forced to use because Bush's filthy friends are getting paid to fix this stuff and are pocketing the money instead. How would you like to live in a place where the temperature gets up to 120 degrees and you don't have running water? Where your kids are in danger of getting shot if they go outside? Where you can't get a job to feed your family because Bush's buddies have taken all the work and are pocketing every last penny? As long as they can roll around in their filthy mansions, bought with blood, insulated from the rest of the world, they just plain don't give a shit.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:24 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  LindaJay (See profile | I'm a fan of LindaJay)

(continued)

And since they know that no normal person would ever agree to their anti-life agenda, they have fixed the media so no one hears what they are really doing. They have fixed the elections so they keep holding their unearned offices. And they have used their offices to crush democracy and tear apart government institutions that have been there for almost a century. To replace them, they have built their Homeland Security fortress to crush Americans underneath their feet forever, lest anyone object. In other words, we have the 4th Reich here. What a good German you are to apologize for it.

And just because the sock puppet can somehow muster up a few photo ops, you want to tell us that he somehow cares? You must be the most deluded person of all time, to say nothing of a good German. Hitler would have loved you.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:25 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  hannitizer (See profile | I'm a fan of hannitizer)

Well said LindaJay.
It's a shame that there isn't a Hell, because Bush and Cheney would be poster boys for how not to be a human. Bush is a pig and you cannot dress him up any other way. I wish one of the soldiers would have smacked the Coward-in-Chief right in his smirking mouth. He makes me violently ill.
Reply | Parent | posted 02:13 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  bushdoescrack (See profile | I'm a fan of bushdoescrack)

Has any American leader ever done more? I don't know for sure, but if there has been Presidents who have done I can't imagine there are many of them.



thankfully no. not too many american leaders have raped and destroyed a helpless country. i guess we can be thankfull that bush spared a day to visit with the people he has dishonoured by ordering them to kill. bush won't be winning any nobel awards for humanity, he will be espescially lucky not to be executed for war crimes.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:39 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  Ravenlea (See profile | I'm a fan of Ravenlea)

Fourteen percent seems like a rather insignificant number to me. Second off, the Bush administration can't make public display of meeting with familes of the dead because they have made sure that we don't see the coffins coming home, made sure that the dead remain only a number in our consciousness, not a reality of flesh and blood. Making news of the dead does not serve the sanitizing of what is happening in Iraq.
Reply | Parent | posted 03:17 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  GhostintheMachine (See profile | I'm a fan of GhostintheMachine)

God Bless our troops on Veterans Day!
Reply | posted 12:11 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  sanguine (See profile | I'm a fan of sanguine)

Sgt. James Kevin Downs - lost both legs
http://www.scadvocate.com/Downs%20Home.htm

Army Spc. Rick Yarosh - burned lost face
http://tinyurl.com/yszdn6

Marine Corps Capt. Ryan Voltin - burned face
http://foto.rompres.ro/index.php?i=2001468


Army PFC Nicholas Clark - lost leg
http://tinyurl.com/2ecn8u

Sgt. Chris Edwards - third degree burns covering 79 percent of his body
http://tinyurl.com/2gwdo2

Army. Sgt. Brandon Adam - lost both legs
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/local/story.asp?ID=188483


"Explosions shatter and sever legs and arms. They char flesh and drive debris deep into the soft tissue that remains. Unattached muscles, nerves and tendons dangle. Red-hot shrapnel sometimes punctures torsos below waist-length body armor, ripping bowels and bladders. Concussions bruise skulls and brains. Soldiers thrown into the air are injured again when they hit ground." - David Wood, "Amputees Returning to Duty." Times-Picayune

"They come here 19, 20 years old and when I see them leaving, missing limbs -- I've seen up to three limbs gone off people, and I don't think in our generation we've seen this amount of harm done to young people," [Maj. Gene] Delaune

"Most Americans haven't seen the growing legion of wounded troops returning from Iraq who are cared for at military facilities sealed off from the public. The media, in turn, have focused on the hit-and-run guerrilla attacks that claim one or two GIs in Iraq almost daily. Little attention has been paid to the long, difficult and very personal struggles that ensue in wards at BAMC and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington."
- Christenson, Sig. San Antonio Express-News, 18 Aug 2003

"In the Persian Gulf War, about three troops were wounded in action for every fatality. In Iraq, about seven are being wounded for every one killed."
- Bavley, Alan. "New technology and medical practices save lives in Iraq." Knight Ridder

http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/wounded/

"And believe me, no one suffers more than their president" - Laura Bush


"They misunderestimated me.""Bentonville, Ark., 11/6/2000


R.I.P., America
Reply | posted 12:10 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  wsblake (See profile | I'm a fan of wsblake)

Monster !
Reply | posted 11:56 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  studlyguy (See profile | I'm a fan of studlyguy)

Bush the sociopath visits with smirk, thanks the military guys for dying and getting totally disfigured for my oil interest and corporate friends who will make BILLIONS while you will come home and struggle and get no benefits and basically get pissed on from the Bush regime that's Bush's gratitude to the soldiers for fighting his and the cronies oil war fortune ,they'll be sitting very comfortably,while the soldiers will be homeless, disfigured,or coming home in cofffins ,that's how sociopaths like Bush and his cronies are,their void of any human emotions ,and get excitement at all this death and destruction sick isn't it
Reply | posted 11:54 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  esquire07 (See profile | I'm a fan of esquire07)

DEAD TROOPS = HALLIBRUTON PROFITS = MONEY IN BUSH/CHENEY BLOODY POCKETS.

USA - Spreading death around the world for Oil and arms profits.

Americans will continue to die to fill the pockets of the mega rich criminals.
Reply | posted 11:26 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  osage (See profile | I'm a fan of osage)

I'd like Mr. Bush to go and see the human carnage in Iraqi hospitals his policy decisions have created for innocent Iraqi children, women and men. I'd like him to ask them what they feel about his bringing "democracy" to Iraq.
Reply | posted 11:18 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  Ravenlea (See profile | I'm a fan of Ravenlea)

Trouble with Bush is that he doesn't have a heart. Suffering Iraqis would have no more impact on him than suffering Americans, maybe less. It's the most frightening thing about him, worse than his fundamental stupidity.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:34 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  ManassasMan (See profile | I'm a fan of ManassasMan)

For those who suspect that "Somebody Else's President" is not seriously mentally ill, I strongly suggest that you read "Bush on the Couch", by Justin A. Frank. It scared the Hell out of me to discover that not only is he a sociopath with his finger on the "newk-uh-ler" button, but he might even be still drinking!!!
Reply | Parent | posted 01:14 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  OilWarsDotCom (See profile | I'm a fan of OilWarsDotCom)

Reply | posted 10:53 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  roguejew (See profile | I'm a fan of roguejew)

As I read all of these anti-Israel/Jew rants on this Liberal Propaganda community web site, I can tell that the Nazi Party is alive and well and has been reincarnated within the Liberal Democratic Party. How in the hell do you people sleep at night?
Reply | posted 10:51 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  mphalen (See profile | I'm a fan of mphalen)

Israel is a democracy, not a theocracy. Why is it that when anyone says anything against Israel, you are so quick to call them anti-semites? Israel is not innocent.
Reply | Parent | posted 10:58 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  Citizenofreality (See profile | I'm a fan of Citizenofreality)

It looks to me as if the person who should have trouble sleeping at night is in every one of the photos with these young men. I wonder how it feels to know that you are responsible for the suffering of so many fellow human beings.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:24 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  rras (See profile | I'm a fan of rras)

We sleep very well thank you. Mostly because we can wake up in the morning knowing that somewhere out there with in the millions of people who have and will suffer because of one man's stupid actions there's not going to be anyone coming to get even with me or a member of my family.
In time most Americans will learn the truth and there will be no place for them to hide.
I see the Bush People being a damn good customer for Blackwater type protection.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:31 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  wsblake (See profile | I'm a fan of wsblake)

roguejew,
you utilize the same strategy as black racists- if you criticize Louis Farrakahn you most be a racist- if you criticize warmongering in Israel you must be anti-semitic. That is taking political correctness to despicable, and very dangerous lengths-
Reply | Parent | posted 12:01 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  lawyeredup (See profile | I'm a fan of lawyeredup)

Truely, Roguejew; How can you sleep at all when in reality, it is the lack of Forgiveness by the Jewish State/people and all there enablers(powerful countries that fail to act during the Holocaust)/ the greed for oil in the mid-east, that is causing all the miseries in the world today -- What we have here is a classic case of a once oppressed people becoming the oppressors.

There is a wise saying that says -- "Becareful of the weapon that once won you your freedom for it may one day take it away from you".
Reply | Parent | posted 12:36 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  roguejew (See profile | I'm a fan of roguejew)

Have you all forgotten that these brave men and women CHOSE to be in the military and are PROUD to have served in Iraq? My son is in the Army and he knows he will probably be going to Iraq. He WANTS to go. HE WANTS to SERVE his great nation. It's not Bush that will burn in hell it's you G-dless liberals who support mass murdering thugs and communist dictators that will find a home in Dantes Circle of hell.
Reply | posted 10:38 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  mphalen (See profile | I'm a fan of mphalen)

Many of these brave men and women chose to be in the National Guard and had no intention of fighting in an unnecessary war for oil and rich white men.

As a liberal, I remember Jesus saying "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be the children of God." As a liberal, I try to live my life by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Remember he said, "Love thy neighbor" and "Turn the other check." True Christians would not endorse any war and the only mass murdering thug I see is George Bush. He is no better than Hitler or Saddam, and he will be joining them. As for your son, if and when he goes to Iraq, he won't be serving his country, he will be serving at the pleasure of George Bush and for his amusement.
Reply | Parent | posted 10:50 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  FreedomCorpse (See profile | I'm a fan of FreedomCorpse)

As a direct result of free trade policies which have caused a > $600 billion dollar trade deficit, China (a communist country) has a 'booming' economy at the cost of millions of jobs Americans USED to have. PetroChina just had an IPO and has a trillion dollar market capitalization now exceeding by almost double that of Exxon.
Who supports communism dictators? Not me, both republican and democratic politicians vote for continuing this. The globalists support china more than they support the US and I'm not one of them.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:02 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  FreedomCorpse (See profile | I'm a fan of FreedomCorpse)

Oh Iraq had nothing to with 911 too. The 'hijackers' were Saudis.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:09 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  freeloader (See profile | I'm a fan of freeloader)


So with your reasoning, FDR, Woodrow Wilson, Abe Lincoln, G Washinton...etc. will be in good company.
God sets up leaders, not Jesus.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:05 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  holidaze07 (See profile | I'm a fan of holidaze07)

They know what they're doing and why. That's what makes them heroes.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:07 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  jneems (See profile | I'm a fan of jneems)

Really? Maybe they could tell ME why they are there. The Saudi's were behind 9/11. Iraq was never a threat to us. You can wave flags and sing patriotic songs from now till doomsday and it won't change that fact.
To me these poor soldiers look like dam@ed fools suckered/forced into a phony war. The REAL "heroes" are the ones who have stood up to this administration and refused to fight an illegal and immoral war. Bring the soldiers home.
Reply | Parent | posted 12:46 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  DudeE (See profile | I'm a fan of DudeE)

Watch All Quiet on the Western Front sometime. It's far too easy for moneyed white men at home to whip up patriotic fervor and send young men and women to be maimed or killed. Was Saddam Hussein really a threat to your liberty? Was it worth nearly 4,000 young American lives and over 30,000 wounded? Do our young men and women serve because they believe in the fight? Or simply because they are being asked to go?
Reply | Parent | posted 11:10 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  freeloader (See profile | I'm a fan of freeloader)


Remember your grandpappy.

"Son, we lost 10 thousand men, THAT DAY."
So put this war in perspective, would ya?
They are cleaning up a nasty part of the world no one else had the might too do, but are really thankful for the US and it's reasons.
You all wanted a global economy before. Well with a global economy comes the hidden fist.
Do not disrupt trade in any fashion. The world will not stand for it. Except for a few liberals and a few rogue nations.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:27 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  DudeE (See profile | I'm a fan of DudeE)

You want to play the numbers game? Tell every one of the spouses of those 4,000 dead that they should put it in perspective.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:38 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  DudeE (See profile | I'm a fan of DudeE)

I'm reminded of the book "Spitting Image" where a Viet Nam vet theorizes about the many rumors foisted by the right wing to discredit war protesters. The scenario of veterans being spit upon when they returned home has been discredited as a myth. Veterans who protested the war were generally portrayed as victims of mental disorders or PTSD.

Fortunately I think we've learned from the experience. But all too often I still see the nonsense that being anti-war is somehow dishonoring the troops. Nobody wants their son to go to war. They are just afraid of the backlash if they don't. Quit contributing to the problem and support peace.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:25 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  Purcy (See profile | I'm a fan of Purcy)

We all know that our Military is currently a volunteer military. There is not anyone that I know who is not grateful to those who serve. It is true though that there are many in Iraq who never thought they would be in Iraq, many for more than one deployment. Americans are grateful to those who serve; however, you should not be so quick to determine that it is the "Godless liberals" who are supporting the murdering thugs and communist dictators.

I encourage you to watch the documentary, "No End in Sight". I think it will give you a clear idea of who the murderous thugs really are and (though I totally opposed American going to war with Iraq in the first place) how your son (and probably no one's son or daughter) would likely be fighting in Iraq today had it not been for the murderous thugs in charge..."You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want to have"...You can probably put Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz at the top of the murderous thugs list.

"Godless liberals"??? I don't think so.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:29 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  Ravenlea (See profile | I'm a fan of Ravenlea)

Your son has every right to waste his life in a war of greed and power mongering that had nothing to do with the events of 9/11 and everything to do with a grab for oil. I hope he survives and comes home safe but wiser.

I personally think it is unpatriotic to send young people to kill and be killed for no good reason. I think it is unpatriotic to send them into battle without careful planning and adequate equipment. I think it's unpatriotic to pay young soldiers and their families not enough to live on while you pay mercenaries 5 times as much and protect them in fancy bunkers. I think it's unpatriotic to send them on 18 month tours of duty with no time off to heal cope with psychological stress of the horrors they are living with. I think it's unpatriotic not to have adequate medical and psychological care for them when they come home and to have the extent of your "compassion" be a fake photo op. I think it's unpatriotic to waste young lives. I think it's unpatriotic to torture other human beings, no matter who they are or how bad you think they are. I think it's unpatriotic to ignore the constitution on the pretext of defending freedom.

And I think you are proudly sending your son into a hell of human making to satisfy the greed of a stupid, venal, self-centered ego maniac and his more demented puppet master. I would not wish hell on your son or anyone and I hope he escapes the hell you so cavalierly wish on others. May he forgive you when he finds out how badly you and the president have misled him.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:58 am on 11/12/2007

NEW collapse  pagangrandma (See profile | I'm a fan of pagangrandma)

Ravenlea, well said!
Reply | Parent | posted 04:16 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  lawyeredup (See profile | I'm a fan of lawyeredup)

Wow! the true an eye for an eye believer!. I am sure your paradise await you.
Reply | Parent | posted 12:41 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  bushdoescrack (See profile | I'm a fan of bushdoescrack)

My son is in the Army and he knows he will probably be going to Iraq. He WANTS to go. HE WANTS to SERVE his great nation. It's not Bush that will burn in hell it's you G-dless liberals who support mass murdering thugs and communist dictators that will find a home in Dantes Circle of hell.


first of all, hell would be too good for bush. secondly, there must be something terribly wrong with your son, he should really be checked out for a previous brain injury or perhaps he suffers from an undiagnosed mental condition. with any luck, jr., your son, will get a nice visit from bush at walter reed, if he makes it home from iraq alive.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:47 pm on 11/12/2007

NEW collapse  cdnnewsjunky (See profile | I'm a fan of cdnnewsjunky)

"it's you G-dless liberals who support mass murdering thugs " - roguejew

What utter garbage spews from that foul mouth.Pinochet?, Poppa Doc, Noriega, Saddam; the list goes on and on and on; are/were brutal dictators that were supported and financed by Republican governments.

The invasion of Iraq was illegal, therefore the Iraqi women and children killed there were murdered in cold blood. And of course you, the type of person you are; though person seems quite a stretch of imagination in defining you; support the murder of innocents.

You have no credibility here or relevance.
Reply | Parent | posted 04:35 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  conservativeoriginalist (See profile | I'm a fan of conservativeoriginalist)

Have any of you thanked a veteran? I do hope you know yesterday was Veteran's Day.

Instead of bashing Bush and playing keyboard commando with "if I was there..." tough guy talk, how about reflecting on the sacrifices that have been made by these service members?

No, some of you have to make fun of Bush instead of focusing on the subject, which are the wounded Marines and soldiers in the above montage. Can't you contain yourselves and show a little bit of appreciation and respect for 5 minutes?

I know the invasion of Iraq had some false pretenses, and we've had over 4 years to revisit the same old talking points.

All I request is that we thank and remember those who have been maimed, marred, or killed in their noble intention of defending this country instead of going on the status quo tirades and adolescent exhibition of wit. This is about the service members, not Bush. Don't take away the spotlight from those who deserve it.
Reply | posted 10:37 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  steamboat (See profile | I'm a fan of steamboat)

I was there (VietNam 67-68) and find Kos to be a jerk. Listen, I was on his blog. I disagreed with alot of folks on one issue. Very cordial and respectful in my view. No threats, no curse words, no name-calling. Yet, he's CENSORED me from making comments. And he has nerve talking about conservatives and rightwingers. Kos, you are no better. Matter of fact, you are a big hypocrite.
Reply | Parent | posted 10:51 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  BlackWidowPilot (See profile | I'm a fan of BlackWidowPilot)

For the record I thank every vet I meet, whether we agree on this misbegotten war for oil or not.

Bush is a liar, and on the evidence a thief and a war criminal. The list of evidence against him and his Bushevik regime, the Repedophile Party, and their corporate press accomplices, is too long to go into here. Suffice that the indictments are just getting started, as are the convictions.

It is not enough to remember our vets; we as a nation must properly care for them once they return. ETY Bush and his Repedophile Party continue to cut veterans' benefits, deny them access to treatment for PTSD as a matter of policy, and deny there's a problem. Walter Reed has been just the tip of the VA nightmare iceberg.

Bush takes nothing away from these patriotic men and women he has so shamelessly and shamefully used.

I'm the son of a WW2 US Marine. One of my uncles served in combat under General George S. Patton Jr. I happen to be a Military Historian.

I am a lifelong independent (non-partisan) voter.

I am also old enough to know that opposition to an unjust and illegal war launched on lies does not mean that I do not support the troops. I didn't buy into the whole WMD manure pile, and I certainly won't buy into the canard that anything less than a slavish faith and devotion worthy of a $cientologist in our El Presidente McFlightsuit is what it takes to support our troops.

Leland R. Erickson
Citizen
Reply | Parent | posted 10:55 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  conservativeoriginalist (See profile | I'm a fan of conservativeoriginalist)

"For the record I thank every vet I meet, whether we agree on this misbegotten war for oil or not."

The point I was trying to make was let's transcend the politics and the bickering, just for a day or two, to say thank you and maybe offer a prayer for those who have been suffering or, worse, killed in the name of this country.

"Bush is a liar, and on the evidence a thief and a war criminal."

Can't you get off the anti-Bush bandwagon on one thread?

Did my post fall on deaf ears?

"I am also old enough to know that opposition to an unjust and illegal war launched on lies does not mean that I do not support the troops."

I didn't accuse anybody of not supporting the troops. I simply asked for the focus on Bush to be switched to those who have exhibited the most noble of intentions in defending what they believe in, regardless of the fact that the invasion of Iraq was based on false pretenses and the political aristocracy has a track record of abusing the inherently selfless Americans for their political ends.
Reply | Parent | posted 12:12 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  venicedem (See profile | I'm a fan of venicedem)

Dear Conservativeoriginalist:
I am a veteran, a Democrat and a liberal as was my father. I do not dishonor anyone's service or mission. However, we do not need to honor and are bound to point out the hypocrisy of the commander in chief who doesn't seem to have much feeling heart in him for the men and women he put in harm's way in such a cavalier manner.
For those who serve I have nothing but respect. For the current commander in chief I have nothing but contempt.
Reply | Parent | posted 10:58 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  conservativeoriginalist (See profile | I'm a fan of conservativeoriginalist)

"I do not dishonor anyone's service or mission. "

I didn't "challenge your patriotism" nor am I asking anybody to support Bush or our continuing occupation of Iraq. I'm simply asking for people to abandon their usual politicization of Iraq for the sake of focusing on honoring our service members, if only on this thread on this day.

"For the current commander in chief I have nothing but contempt."

That's a big camp, and I'm with you.
Reply | Parent | posted 12:09 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  DudeE (See profile | I'm a fan of DudeE)

sorry but it makes my blood boil to watch Bush, all smiles, standing next to a maimed US soldier. the man doesn't deserve to breathe the same oxygen as these men and women who have sacrificed their lives for his pet project. Bush is the one who should be thanking them - with decent pay, benefits, sufficient home leave... and ultimately by bringing them home and out of harm's way. demand thanks from him - not us.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:13 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  Ravenlea (See profile | I'm a fan of Ravenlea)

I think most of us are not angry at these young men and women we are angry FOR them. The thing with President Bush - the reason there's so much anger here - is that many of us don't feel that he cares. The photo op wasn't about them, it was as everything Bush, about himself.

Gratitude would be better in the form of care for the thousands of homeless vets, gratitude would be better in the form of medical care for those not of photo op quality.

I am so angry that these young men and women have been sent to kill and be killed on the basis of lies, that they have been badly supported and are sacrificing themselves in a mismanaged bungle that has done great harm to the Iraqi people (even if Saddam is gone) and great harm to themselves. I am angry that they have been asked to do things that they should not have been asked to do and that no matter how pure their motives may be, may have been, they have been used for something ugly and evil.

My love for them is in my anger at what has been done to them and what they have been asked/forced to do in the name of my country.
Reply | Parent | posted 12:12 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  conservativeoriginalist (See profile | I'm a fan of conservativeoriginalist)

"I think most of us are not angry at these young men and women we are angry FOR them."

They're adults, and given their aptitude, are quite capable of being angry for themselves without needing proxies and advocates.

"The photo op wasn't about them, it was as everything Bush, about himself. "

And you, as most of the posters on this thread, are feeding into the "photo op" being about Bush.

"Gratitude would be better in the form of care for the thousands of homeless vets, gratitude would be better in the form of medical care for those not of photo op quality."

Gratitude is not demanding the government do something. That's laziness with lip service. Gratitude is donating to or fund raising for your local VA hospital or hospice residents (which is what my organization does). Gratitude is visiting those recovering from war injuries. Gratitude is putting together a care package for a deployed service member. Gratitude is thanking them for their service rather than making Veteran's Day another platform to bash Bush.

"My love for them is in my anger"

Love does not come through anger, nor self-anointing yourself as an advocate on their behalf. Love isn't using them as a reason to substantiate your anti-Bush position.

"what they have been asked/forced to do in the name of my country."

Last I checked, only a handful of Democrats in Congress are pushing a draft, hence there is no "forced".
Reply | Parent | posted 12:50 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  Ravenlea (See profile | I'm a fan of Ravenlea)

My being angry for them does not imply that they are not capable of being angry for themselves. I believe a great many of them are.

I believe our anger/opinions focus on both the culpability of Bush AND our concern for young veterans.

I'm homebound, disabled and just squeaking by, so no I haven't gone out visiting any veterans. I do what I can. I speak out not just here but in letters to congress and I sign petitions and do what I am able get increased funding and responsible care for them. I don't think that's lip service.

I disagree about forced. Even young people duped into a voluntary army can be forced by their legal commitment into things which are not of their choosing and which may repel them morally if it doesn't kill them dead or maim them.

I think the point of those suggesting a draft is that it's relatively easy to sit back while other people's children die and not quite so comfy when your own might be forced to go.

As for Bush bashing, I will not apologize for it. I think Bush and Cheney should be impeached. I think they are destroying my country from the inside out. I think they sent these young people into harms way with lies and without cause. They disrespect the constitution, the law and basic human decency and they are doing it in my name since I am a citizen of this country. That pisses me off. I think too many people have died, or lost their legs or had their skin burned off. I gather you disagree and that's fine with me.

I love my country and I feel like it's dying before my eyes. And that makes me sad and very angry. I think we all have to be self-appointed advocates for our country. We have to write and speak and phone our representatives, our newspapers. We need to speak our truth and hope that we are heard and hope that maybe it will do some good.
Reply | Parent | posted 03:03 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  bushdoescrack (See profile | I'm a fan of bushdoescrack)

All I request is that we thank and remember those who have been maimed, marred, or killed in their noble intention of defending this country instead of going on the status quo tirades and adolescent exhibition of wit. This is about the service members, not Bush. Don't take away the spotlight from those who deserve it.



big bubble bursting for you pal. iraq was not invading america, the soldiers were sent to the wrong country for the wrong reason. thousands of americans have died for the wrong reason, i would say that the soldiers chose poorly on their careers.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:50 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  osage (See profile | I'm a fan of osage)

George W. Bush personifies the most malevolent, irredeemable and diabolic aspects of mankind. Not only is he wantonly destructive, purposefully dishonest and shamelessly unremorseful, he disgracefully defends his catastrophic decisions by hiding and perpetuating the devastating impact they have on the lives of defenseless human beings. Hundreds of thousands of innocent children, women and men, who have not harbored a harmful thought toward another human being, have been murdered, eviscerated and maimed as a direct result of George W. Bush being the president of the United States of America. And yet, his overriding priority is to prolong the inhuman carnage he has instigated, not to end it. George W. Bush is an indelibly chilling example of what man is capable of doing to his fellow man......the worst example imaginable.

IMPEACHMENT is the only means we have of stopping the devastating consequences of the unrelenting IGNORANCE, ARROGANCE, INCOMPETENCE, DISHONESTIES, INSECURITIES, HOSTILE TEMPERAMENT, VINDICTIVENESS and PRONOUNCED PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS of George W. Bush. He is an intellectually and emotionally mean-spirited immature child who is destroying America's honor and integrity single-handedly. And politically correct Democrats are standing by watching as he dismantles our Constitution and rules of law creating an all powerful and self-ruling/policing ONE branch oppressive/fascist American government. No individual in our history is more deserving of CONDEMNATION and IMPEACHMENT than George W. Bush!
Reply | posted 10:23 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  Mojane (See profile | I'm a fan of Mojane)

These guys were probably vetted (sorry, no pun intended) before the grinning idiot's photo op....only the friendly ones of course. Had it been me with a stainless steel leg, the temptation to have an "unexpected, uncontrollable" spasm landing my prosthetic foot squarely on the boys between his legs would be overwhelming.
Reply | posted 10:06 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  sugarmoes (See profile | I'm a fan of sugarmoes)

bush to soldier "hey kid... yer uglier than this monster! heh heh... get it? get it? heh heh... now watch my motorcade drive away"
Reply | posted 09:43 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  Dantana (See profile | I'm a fan of Dantana)

These guys may have got burned up in Iraq, but Bush will burn in hell for putting these brave men through this for oil profits for his family and friends. Your day is coming, George.
Reply | Parent | posted 09:56 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  sugarmoes (See profile | I'm a fan of sugarmoes)

looks to me like we're already in hell... the chosen hell... the worst kind.
Reply | Parent | posted 10:13 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  fact finder (See profile | I'm a fan of fact finder)

Dantana; May it be quick.
Reply | Parent | posted 10:25 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  freeloader (See profile | I'm a fan of freeloader)


burn in hell? You mean there is a god?

which is it, there is no god or?

Bush thinks there is one and believes he's got a personal relationship with his. You too, I guess. Since you've judged him to hell without gods help.
Reply | Parent | posted 10:58 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  sugarmoes (See profile | I'm a fan of sugarmoes)

wish one of these guys would've roughed him up a bit.

"secret service shoots legless, one-armed, severly burned soldier for kicking bush's ass... with one charred arm and no legs, no less. hero bush expected to recover soon to lead the charge against islamofaciserrorism..."
Reply | posted 09:42 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  MidwestDad (See profile | I'm a fan of MidwestDad)

Give that soldier a nickname, Dubya!
Reply | posted 09:33 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  sugarmoes (See profile | I'm a fan of sugarmoes)

"heh heh... scorch... heh... y'know... heh heh..."
Reply | Parent | posted 09:38 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  dictatortot (See profile | I'm a fan of dictatortot)

"I got my face burned off in Iraq, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

Geez.

http://www.newsprism.com
Reply | Parent | posted 09:44 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  LenP (See profile | I'm a fan of LenP)

Just look at that photo. Bush is such an A$$.
Reply | posted 09:11 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  springsm (See profile | I'm a fan of springsm)

Thanks for posting this. I didn't see it on huffpo. "They do not fit the spirit of the parade". I see, we are losing kids, many are forever maimed, they know what it is all about but they don't fit the spirit. My gawd did this idiot think she was having a teaparty with a 3 year old. Insane.
Reply | Parent | posted 06:41 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  charon (See profile | I'm a fan of charon)

"Useless States?" What next, will you call it the "United Snakes?" FNA men.
Reply | Parent | posted 12:39 am on 11/11/2007

collapse  JulieSA (See profile | I'm a fan of JulieSA)

Interesting comments on that Liberty Forum thread: references to "jew tube", "kikes", "jew media", etc.

I'm sure you feel right at home on that site and spend a lot of time there.
Reply | Parent | posted 03:47 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  BlackWidowPilot (See profile | I'm a fan of BlackWidowPilot)

ROFLMAO!!

First of all, oh all-knowing one, "Leland" is a man's name.

Second, if you had bothered to do any research, you'd already be aware that members of my family fought *against* the Nazis and their fascist allies during WW2.

Third, you'd be aware of where I stand on a range of issues that are threatening the very survival of our species, and none of my positions even remotely resemble those held by the Busheviks and their corporatist cronies.

Finally, Gladys, if you really knew my "type," you'd realize that having had an uncle who served in Patton's 3rd Army during the German Campaign *in combat* until VE-Day, it's now an established Erickson family tradition to fight against those trying to push people into ovens...

Capiche?

Leland R. Erickson
Citizen
(I had forgotten how potent that Dutch beer can be... good stuff that, but not to be overindulged...)
Reply | Parent | posted 04:57 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  sparkandy (See profile | I'm a fan of sparkandy)

Don't let Gladys get your goat. He/she/it trolls the little back alleys of Amsterdam, searching out those quaint little hash hish bars. That's the root of the insanity. But, be careful! Twice today Gladys said something pertinent without insulting anyone or throwing around any gratuituous obscenity.
Reply | Parent | posted 05:27 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  BlackWidowPilot (See profile | I'm a fan of BlackWidowPilot)

Twice in one day? Impressive...

Leland R. Erickson
Citizen
Reply | Parent | posted 07:22 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  ConcernedAboutRFuture (See profile | I'm a fan of ConcernedAboutRFuture)

Get the hell outta here... GKP wrote something without insulting americans...and even something pertinent? I KNOW you're kidding.

This jerk has nothing better to do but spew hate at Americans... cause he's too stupid to realize we are not all the same.

Your mamma never loved you... did she Gladys?
Reply | Parent | posted 08:34 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  BlackWidowPilot (See profile | I'm a fan of BlackWidowPilot)

No Eva Braun here. And you *did* link your comment as a reply to my own post, so you're still impaled on the barb of your own making...

Leland R. Erickson
Citizen
Reply | Parent | posted 07:22 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  LorettaSingbiel (See profile | I'm a fan of LorettaSingbiel)

"These assholes are not heroes, they are America's shame, their should have been the last rempart against tyranny by refusing to obey illegal orders!"

Pat Tillman tried that, and was "FRIENDLY FIRED" for his efforts! WE THE PEOPLE don't know if the dastardly deed was EXECUTED by our private mercenaries, or by our military.

Our PRECIOUS YOUTH are TRAPPED there, TERRIFIED (with GOOD REASON) to speak up. WE THE PEOPLE MUST RESCUE THEM!!!

BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta
Reply | Parent | posted 01:18 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  ConcernedAboutRFuture (See profile | I'm a fan of ConcernedAboutRFuture)

Well, Loretta is not gonna flip the fuck out like you and smear all the poor kids that went there because they had to. Their life is ruined, and all you can do is kick them when they're down? What kind of man are you? Hiding behind your keyboard kicking them with your steel toe boots?

This is NOT their fault... it's Chimpy's.

The question is... what are YOU gonna do about it...instead of insulting the already injured?

Get over yourself, or take a valium.
Reply | Parent | posted 08:41 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  phansen (See profile | I'm a fan of phansen)

Loretta makes the point that "DickCheney" has obviously missed. Who are the soldiers in the American military right now, and why are they there? Are they Harvard grads who felt so "patriotic" that they joined up to serve Bush's cause? No, they themselves are the RESULT of men like Bush, who have for decades systematically dismantled our nation's economic and educational systems. Men like Bush created a population willing to become soldiers because they have been denied the advantages given to other Americans. So to say that it is the soldier's fault for serving in Bush's misguided and malevolent project is incorrect. They are disadvantaged to such an extent that they end up in the military, and are then subjected to Bush's whims. It is adding insult to injury. Or injury to injury if you want to take it literally. I disagree that we should fee gratitude for our soldiers (why should anyone feel gratitude for someone who they have maligned?) but we should feel empathy for our soldiers. Forced into the military as victims of an ideology that springs from poverty and poor education, their suffering is only compounded by physical injury. To call them Nazis is to join with Bush in condemning a large portion of your fellow Americans. Which is why both DickCheneys should be ashamed of themselves.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:48 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  JulieSA (See profile | I'm a fan of JulieSA)

Most of them are middle-class, actually, not poor, with high school and college degrees. In fact, they are better educated than the average American. It's inaccurate to say that they're just poor and stupid.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:56 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  barrycourage (See profile | I'm a fan of barrycourage)

So what is it like to function with a 2nd grade education in Holland?
Reply | Parent | posted 08:41 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  ConcernedAboutRFuture (See profile | I'm a fan of ConcernedAboutRFuture)

You 'aint too bright either Julie.

Actually, they ARE poor and uneducated. Most of them join the army becuse it promised them money for education and training, which they could not afford. It costs a lot of money to go to college in the U.S.

Get your facts straight before you seem dumber than your posts.
Reply | Parent | posted 08:45 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  transendentilist (See profile | I'm a fan of transendentilist)

How can they be better educated than the average American? They are average Americans. You aren't the sharpest crayon in the box, are you?
Reply | Parent | posted 10:40 am on 11/11/2007

collapse  JulieSA (See profile | I'm a fan of JulieSA)

And, yes, there are Harvard grads in the military.
Reply | Parent | posted 01:57 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  transendentilist (See profile | I'm a fan of transendentilist)

And you know this how??
Reply | Parent | posted 10:40 am on 11/11/2007

collapse  Ravenlea (See profile | I'm a fan of Ravenlea)

Many of them - young and uneducated - believed the lie that they were protecting their country from nuclear attack.

They are victims - just as the Iraqi's whose home they occupy are victims - of neocon greed and their ruthless amoral quest for oil.

I find it hard to blame children who have been duped for the crimes of the criminals who seduced them into a situation from which death or serious injury is pretty much the only escape.
Reply | Parent | posted 02:17 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  ConcernedAboutRFuture (See profile | I'm a fan of ConcernedAboutRFuture)

And you shouldn't blame them. Leave it to idiots that don't live in this country like Julie and Gladys.

They base their opinions on media and propaganda.
Reply | Parent | posted 08:46 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  bushdoescrack (See profile | I'm a fan of bushdoescrack)

They base their opinions on media and propaganda


since much of american news about the war is supressed, we people from other countries get to see and hear, without censorship. when was the last time americans have seen dead soldiers returning from iraq?
Reply | Parent | posted 01:59 pm on 11/12/2007

collapse  bepeace (See profile | I'm a fan of bepeace)

phansen, You illustrate this sad point beautifully.
Reply | Parent | posted 03:47 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  dora_rice (See profile | I'm a fan of dora_rice)

this moron has the guts to laugh like he is on a picknick showing of his cooking. Compare the serious horrified face of Captain Revi Vetikamerami....I am outraged to the point of no return and I don't want to go there. It is the most telling picture of this president. How he views his messy war.
Reply | Parent | posted 08:54 am on 11/11/2007

collapse  barrycourage (See profile | I'm a fan of barrycourage)

Glad-Bag hides in Holland, screams about America's evils, and then assails our wounded and dead soldiers--which itself is inhumane. What exactly are you doing to make the U.S. government end this war?

So Glad-Bag, you frigging coward, what have you done to make American society equitable?

What have you done to ensure that droves of young people would not think the military is their only path to a decent future?

Answer: Run to Holland with your nose in the air and your tail between your legs, of course.

And when was the last time you did time for desertion? Holland has better jail cells, I'm sure. You would be in good hands, cradle to the grave, even if you murdered all of the hookers you've had in Amsterdam.

Hurry, Glad-Bag. Catch up with Dick. He needs you to help him fuck himself.
Reply | Parent | posted 09:02 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  barrycourage (See profile | I'm a fan of barrycourage)

And other than assailing our wounded and dead soldiers--which itself is inhumane--what exactly are you doing to make our government end this war?

Come on, Dick. Tell us what you have done to persuade Congress to pull out now?

And what have you done to make society so much more equitable that so many young people still think the military is their only path to a decent future?

And when was the last time you did time? And how has it affected your opportunities and life?

Dick, you need to fuck yourself for an minute in another man's condom.

Reply | Parent | posted 08:40 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  sparkandy (See profile | I'm a fan of sparkandy)

You're absolutely right. How did you manage to type that without attacking someone or using obscenities?
Reply | Parent | posted 12:05 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  jfredmuggs (See profile | I'm a fan of jfredmuggs)

From all of us: Thank you!
Reply | Parent | posted 12:17 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  JulieSA (See profile | I'm a fan of JulieSA)

Kissinger is not a neocon. He's a realist: paleocon.
Reply | Parent | posted 02:00 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  YellowPanties (See profile | I'm a fan of YellowPanties)

Kissinger is a fucking war criminal.
Reply | Parent | posted 02:45 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  boyd (See profile | I'm a fan of boyd)

"Kissinger is a fucking war criminal."
You betcha!
Reply | Parent | posted 09:20 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  littleblackcat (See profile | I'm a fan of littleblackcat)

Gladys, get real!! If those troops had any self-respect?!?!?!? I'd say they have the utmost in SELF-CONTROL!!! Can you imagine trying to be civil to a miserable little piece of trash that has stolen the rest of your life from you???? As to the last part of your sentence, he doesn't have any to start with and it's damned hard to kick when you don't have any legs. Please be sensible and THINK about what you're saying!
Reply | Parent | posted 12:49 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  Dopeman (See profile | I'm a fan of Dopeman)

Yes, it takes a few years for the cycle to complete itself. I work in mental health and I started seeing the vets from the first Iraq war about 10 years ago... so by my unscientific estimation it takes about 6-8 years for the benefits to run out completely leaving the vet destitute and homeless.

I worked in the bottom-of-the-barrel county psych facility at the time - it's the horrible place you go when you can't afford a better place. The vets would come in seeking homeless placement services... so riddled with PTSD and other disorders that they could not work or function in any productive way.

It's likely that they will never get the treatment they need. The mental health services available to these vets (or anyone else who can't pay) is usually limited to a 3-day stabilization. It's kind of like going to the ER for a medical problem... there's no long-term treatment, they just make sure you don't die then kick you out and tell you to go see your doctor.

The scary thing about this is that the vets of Iraq I did not go through anything near what vets of Iraq II have gone through. Somewhere around 2014 when everybody has forgotten about Iraq there will be a wave of them seeking treatment and homeless placement services at bottom-of-the-barrel county psych facilities all of the country.

Support our troops my ass. It's the exact people with those fucking stickers on their SUV's that will balk at being taxed to fund long-term treatment for vets. They aren't interested in supporting anyone but themselves.
Reply | Parent | posted 11:15 am on 11/10/2007

collapse  MASHON (See profile | I'm a fan of MASHON)

I also worked in the mental health field for over 20 years. You hit the nail on the head completely.
Reply | Parent | posted 10:58 am on 11/12/2007

collapse  LorettaSingbiel (See profile | I'm a fan of LorettaSingbiel)

"In most decent countries these guys would be cared for for life. IN America as soon as they are able to walk they will be kicked to the curb."

They're no longer "cost-productive"...as are the majority of Americans...

"Woodland Hills-based Health Net Inc. avoided paying $35.5 million in medical expenses by rescinding about 1,600 policies between 2000 and 2006. During that period, it paid its senior analyst in charge of cancellations more than $20,000 in bonuses based in part on her meeting or exceeding annual targets for revoking policies."

Well THERE'S something to be proud of...causing the DEATHS of an untold number of those 1,600 cancelled policy holders!

TARGETING SICK PEOPLE...PROFITING FROM THEIR DEATHS... I smell a REPUBLICAN!?

Mr. CEO should be charged with MURDER...Sr. ANAL charged as an ACCOMPLICE TO MURDER!!!

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta
Reply | Parent | posted 01:00 pm on 11/10/2007

collapse  ylpatriot (See profile | I'm a fan of ylpatriot)

Indeed.... all so the bu$its of the world can be greedier if that is possible and of course Richer...... And he claims to hear God ????? I know one thing for sure... He does not hear my God ????? and most likely not yours either ....
Reply | Parent | posted 06:13 am on 11/10/2007

collapse  VivaZapata (See profile | I'm a fan of VivaZapata)

there probably were troopers who wanted to carry out your wish, GladysKnightsPIP, but Knowing how staged everything around Bush is, they would have been kept in another room. :)
Reply | Parent | posted 06:25 am on 11/10/2007

collapse  CharlesD (See profile | I'm a fan of CharlesD)

Sorry Gladys, while bush is all those things he's not a bastard. He is bush and babs through and through. A crime against our creator!
Reply | Parent | posted 11:04 am on 11/10/2007

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