From A Soldier In Iraq - What You Won't See In The News

[Said1]

Which is it?

Can't
Won't
Lazy

None of the above.

 

[menewa]

So when a soldier (or group of soldiers) come out complaining about equipment and the conditions and their reasons for not wanting to be there, it is the truth.

When someone in the press is over there complaining about conditions and the terrible things we are doing, it is the truth.

But when a military member, who happens to be a "PR" person, writes something positive about what is happening over there, it's propoganda?

I would take this letter more seriously if it was written by a low-ranking infantry soldier or the like. But this was written by someone who's job it is to make the war appear bright and shiny. This wasn't intended to be viewed by mass audiences. Rather, Lee writes for other soldiers, it's a tool to boost moral. It's not a bad thing, but it should be viewed with skepticism.

I don't deny your assertion that the non-army press focuses on the bad and shocking in order to better market their own stories. Or, that other soldiers that stand up and criticize our political leaders might be selfishly motivated.

I just find it hard to take this seriously because I believe it was written as a means to an end rather than an actual heartfelt piece of correspondence.

 

[Bonnie]

NoLabelYou are so right.... I do hate a president that tells us one thing and does another.

He's been very consistent especially in the war on terror, have you never changed your mind on anything?????

I do hate a president that is tearing down our liberties (Patriot Act), while trying to give others democracy.

Nice spin but no cigar, if you have actually read the patriot act you would see there is very little change to our liberties that were already in place before. And the ones that were added are helping us capture terrorists, and you know so stop with move-on.org Michael Moore bullshit!!

I do hate a president that gives a oil rich nation, billions of our tax money, while our gas prices keep going up.

Provide reliable links that proves that is happening as you say it is.

I do hate a president that wants to give oil companies huge tax breaks because they are reporting record profits.

How about you lobby the obstructionist senators that won't even look at the Presidents proposed energy bill, and agian post links to prove what you say is true.

I do hate a president that requires a signature on a loyalty oath to attend one of his re-election rallies.

Boo hoo

I do hate a president that wants to eliminate inheritance tax (they call it a death tax) because, in his words it will kill small businesses and family farms, but the democrats offered to exempt both of them, and he still rejected it.

He want to eliminate the death tax because that tax would take money that should be pased down to children and widows not go into government pockets, eliminating family farms and small businesses still doesn't aleviate that problem.

I do hate a president that is so scared of the news media, he had the lowest number of news briefings of any president in his first term.

Your really reaching on this one..............LMAO

I do hate a president that has run up the largest deficit known to man, while claiming to be a conservative.

Mostly due to the war efforts and fighting terrorism, if you add the No child left behind bill that was his mistake reaching out to Kennedy........I think thay call that reaching across the aisle which Liberals love to tout, but Bush never should have done.

I do hate a president that has yet to veto a spending bill.

Another stretch here!!

I do hate a president that spends thousands of our tax dollars to run back to Washington to sign a bill for ONE american (Teri Schiavo).

Wow and you claim to be pro-life and us moralists should worry more about stopping murder of innocents than the dangers of pornography........Hypocrite

I do hate a president that talks about "majority" and "mandate", but when the majority does not want personal accounts in SS... he keeps pushing for them.

A new Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll has good news for proponents of fixing Social Security, with a solid 60% majority endorsing the freedom to invest. Just look at the crosstabs:

30. Do you favor or oppose
giving individuals the choice to invest a
portion of their Social Security
contributions in stocks or mutual funds?

Favor Oppose Not Sure
29-30 Mar 05 60% 28 12
Age under 30 76% 16 9
30-45 65% 24 10
46-55 54% 33 13
Age under 55 64% 26 11
Over age 55 56% 31 14

Social Security choice wins when it's framed as a freedom issue (giving individuals the choice), the results are remarkable given that "stocks and bonds" are explicitly mentioned. The general public favors the idea by more than 2-to-1. Amongst the under-30 demographic, it's nearly 5-to-1. Over 55, the idea is favored by a whopping 25 points.

What's wrong with how other polls ask the question? Their results are skewed because they go out of the way to mention a cut in guaranteed benefits -- which is interpreted as a cut in benefits. In fact, what's happening is a change in how a portion of your payroll taxes is invested, switching from a 1.6% rate of return to a 5-6% rate of return. In what way is that a cut?

The same twisted logic could be applied to someone moving from welfare to work in the pre-welfare reform days. Using liberal pollster-think, the person giving up the guaranteed welfare benefit would be worse off moving to productive employment from which they could conceivably be fired.

Democrats might want to re-cork that champagne. Because they ain't seen nothing yet.

UPDATE: A similar question was asked by Rasmussen at the outset of this debate:

3) A proposal has been made that
would allow workers to invest Social
Security payroll taxes into personal
accounts so that they could help provide
for their own retirement needs. Do you
favor or oppose this proposal?
53%/Favor
36%/Oppose
11%/Not sure
An admittedly more generous wording of this pegs support for personal accounts at 65% to 23% opposed. So we've got three data points. The low is 53%, the midpoint is 60% and the high is 65%. It looks like support for personal accounts has stayed quite stable, and -- contrary to media reports -- quite popular too.

If this holds up, I don't think "fraud" is too strong a word for the fast one the Democrats and the media have been trying to pull on the American people -- trying to manufacture opinion through bad poll questions.

Somehow, I don't think we'll see the headline, "Public Favors Personal Accounts" on the front page of the Post any time soon.

http://www.patrickruffini.com/archives/2005/04/60_of_americans.php

I do hate a president that keeps ice away from hurricane victims so he can show up and give it away.

Keeping ice away from hurricane victims, proof please?? Bush was there handing out ice and water while Kerry was getting a fake tan and manicure for the debate

Yes, I do hate a president that is two faced, and only knows one economic policy, give stipends to the middle class, and millions to the rich, after all they are the ones that paid for his election.

Your opinion and your entitled but many don't share that opinion and btw many middleclass people supported his re-election including many grass-roots organization. Who do you think actually hires people for jobs, yes the rich are the ones that start companies and hire people as well as middle class small busineses. And it was those so called stipends (tax cuts) that helped bring us out of a potential resession due to 9/11

 

[5stringJeff]

Thanks Bonnie... I was too busy, um... pleasing my wife last night to respond to NL!

 

[Bonnie]

Thanks Bonnie... I was too busy, um... pleasing my wife last night to respond to NL!

That's much more important!! and fun <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZSXXXXXX42US' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_2_22.gif' alt='Tongue Out 1' border=0></a>

 

[5stringJeff]

That's much more important!! and fun <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZSXXXXXX42US' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_2_22.gif' alt='Tongue Out 1' border=0></a>

Hell ya - and she doesn't have to fake it either!

 

[Bonnie]

Hell ya - and she doesn't have to fake it either!

Well well uhum that's good, a man who gets the job done!!

 

[GotZoom]

NoLabel- I just read your post/rant about hating the president.

I will ask you...as I asked Gabby (and still haven't received an answer)...

How has the Patriot Act infringed on YOUR daily activies?

(menewa - thanks for the correction!)

 

[menewa]

menewa - I just read your post/rant about hating the president.

I will ask you...as I asked Gabby (and still haven't received an answer)...

How has the Patriot Act infringed on YOUR daily activies?

You're addressing the wrong person. You should be asking nolabel, for you are referring to his/her post.

 

[Gem]

The Patriot Act was voted on by the US Senate...it received 100% approval. Blaming Bush for it simply shows your ignorance. In addtion to being overwhelmingly approved, Bush and others were also smart enough to know that their feelings might change in the years after 9-11...so they made sure that the Patriot Act had to be renewed. Therefore, once the horror of 9-11 had ebbed a bit, they could review it with fresh eyes, making sure that it was still valid and appropriate...Hardly the actions of an extremist trying to take your rights away, nolabel. Finally, the fact that you seem completely unaware that the Patriot Act really didn't create any new laws or rights for the government or any agency, but rather collected and updated previous laws to make sure they would be applicable to terrorists and terrorist attacks shows that you have been drinking the kool-aid a bit too much. Put down the cup and actually read something that doesn't come from Democratic Underground or MichaelMoore.com.

Speaking of Michael Moore...he required students to sign a loyalty pledge to vote for Kerry at his rallies...lets burn him at the stake.

 

[NoLabel]

NoLabel- I just read your post/rant about hating the president.

I will ask you...as I asked Gabby (and still haven't received an answer)...

How has the Patriot Act infringed on YOUR daily activies?

(menewa - thanks for the correction!)

Glad you asked. I was stopped from depositing a check into my checking account, and the reason they used was "Patriot Act". I had a business check, and a personal check, both signed by the same person. They would only deposit one. I can see the logic. Laundring money to go to terrorists, however, the one they refused was for under $20! Maybe if they would put a limit on the amounts and let us go on with our business.

 

[NoLabel]

The Patriot Act was voted on by the US Senate...it received 100% approval. Blaming Bush for it simply shows your ignorance. In addtion to being overwhelmingly approved, Bush and others were also smart enough to know that their feelings might change in the years after 9-11...so they made sure that the Patriot Act had to be renewed. Therefore, once the horror of 9-11 had ebbed a bit, they could review it with fresh eyes, making sure that it was still valid and appropriate...Hardly the actions of an extremist trying to take your rights away, nolabel. Finally, the fact that you seem completely unaware that the Patriot Act really didn't create any new laws or rights for the government or any agency, but rather collected and updated previous laws to make sure they would be applicable to terrorists and terrorist attacks shows that you have been drinking the kool-aid a bit too much. Put down the cup and actually read something that doesn't come from Democratic Underground or MichaelMoore.com.

Speaking of Michael Moore...he required students to sign a loyalty pledge to vote for Kerry at his rallies...lets burn him at the stake.

First I am not a student, or fan of Mr. Moore. However, he does do one good thing.... he makes some Americans be active and to think. He wasn't running for a public office, and I have heard of no one being ushered out of his rallies, like I did with Mr. Bush. In this area Bush used a public school for his rally and any student attending could not wear a Kerry button, or anything with Kerry on it...... another example of the expansion of freedom of speech.

 

[Bonnie]

Glad you asked. I was stopped from depositing a check into my checking account, and the reason they used was "Patriot Act". I had a business check, and a personal check, both signed by the same person. They would only deposit one. I can see the logic. Laundring money to go to terrorists, however, the one they refused was for under $20! Maybe if they would put a limit on the amounts and let us go on with our business.

In this case it looks like your bank was being overly cautious, as Im sure each branch has it's own policies as well. My bank has three tellers that I deal with, they all know me and yet on occasion they still ask me for my drivers license which yes pisses me off because it seems like their being ridiculous, but I give them the license and then get on with my business. Little things like that are tolerable.

 

[Said1]

In this case it looks like your bank was being overly cautious, as Im sure each branch has it's own policies as well. My bank has three tellers that I deal with, they all know me and yet on occasion they still ask me for my drivers license which yes pisses me off because it seems like their being ridiculous, but I give them the license and then get on with my business. Little things like that are tolerable.

Something similar to NL's story happened to me, but I know it was because of the org I was working for, not me or terrorists. This came out later, my boss told me some checks had been stolen and some where actually cashed. A real pain in the you know what, but better than someone cashing your pay checks! (They let my bonus pay through, it was smaller than my pay!).

 

[NoLabel]

He's been very consistent especially in the war on terror, have you never changed your mind on anything?????

How did the war on terror, and the war in Iraq become the same. There wasn't one car bombing in Iraq until we invaded. The presidents own map of countries harboring terrorists did not even include Iraq. Iraq didn't attack us, the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, why didn't we attack them?

Nice spin but no cigar, if you have actually read the patriot act you would see there is very little change to our liberties that were already in place before. And the ones that were added are helping us capture terrorists, and you know so stop with move-on.org Michael Moore bullshit!!



Provide reliable links that proves that is happening as you say it is.



How about you lobby the obstructionist senators that won't even look at the Presidents proposed energy bill, and agian post links to prove what you say is true.


Boo hoo The reason they won't look at his "energy" bill is because it includes huge tax breaks/shelters for the oil companies.




He want to eliminate the death tax because that tax would take money that should be pased down to children and widows not go into government pockets, eliminating family farms and small businesses still doesn't aleviate that problem.



Your really reaching on this one..............LMAO .... Reaching is that why the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, calls it the "Vaginal Lottery?"


Mostly due to the war efforts and fighting terrorism, if you add the No child left behind bill that was his mistake reaching out to Kennedy........I think thay call that reaching across the aisle which Liberals love to tout, but Bush never should have done.


Another stretch here!! Of course giving billions to Iraq, and they can't even account for $8.8 billion of it. That is stretching nothing but our pocketbooks. Of course we don't have to worry about "mushroom clouds over Cleveland" either.... at least we saved the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.


Wow and you claim to be pro-life and us moralists should worry more about stopping murder of innocents than the dangers of pornography........Hypocrite

I believe the court ruled that her husband was carring out her wishes.



http://www.patrickruffini.com/archives/2005/04/60_of_americans.php






Keeping ice away from hurricane victims, proof please?? Bush was there handing out ice and water while Kerry was getting a fake tan and manicure for the debate

Yes, he was there handing out ice, but it didn't arrive until he did... they where out of ice til it "magically" appeared at the same time as the president... source relative of mine was there.



Your opinion and your entitled but many don't share that opinion and btw many middleclass people supported his re-election including many grass-roots organization. Who do you think actually hires people for jobs, yes the rich are the ones that start companies and hire people as well as middle class small busineses. And it was those so called stipends (tax cuts) that helped bring us out of a potential resession due to 9/11

Facts aren't spin, spin is when we take facts and use them to attack a country that never attacked us, and wasn't on the terrorists nation list.

 

[rtwngAvngr]

NoLabel- I think the label for you is LibIdiot.

 

[Bonnie]

NoLable

First I am not a student, or fan of Mr. Moore. However, he does do one good thing.... he makes some Americans be active and to think.

He makes Americans think by spreading lies and propaganda and then makes money from it while blasting others for doing the same, hardly worthy.

He wasn't running for a public office, and I have heard of no one being ushered out of his rallies, like I did with Mr. Bush. In this area Bush used a public school for his rally and any student attending could not wear a Kerry button, or anything with Kerry on it...... another example of the expansion of freedom of speech.

Kerry rallies prove dangerous for pro-life advocates
Whatever happened to freedom of speech? I do not understand why the pro-choice advocates are so adamant against people who believe differently than they....adamant enough to do ANYTHING to keep them from telling the truth about abortion. If abortion is safe and harmless, what do they have to hide?

Here are some excerpts from an article about a recent incident that happened at a John Kerry rally. Read the full story on lifenews.com

After seeing the students wouldn't leave, the NARAL women told each other to link arms and began to surround the pro-life students.

At the same time, older rally participants were screaming to leave the students alone. Edmiston told LifeNews.com that the older women told the younger abortion activists they could possibly hurt the students and that the students had a right to attend the rally.

But that didn't stop the young NARAL backers.

They became angry and began to push and shove the pro-life women. One woman told Suanne that her mother should have aborted her.

The NARAL women eventually enveloped three of the students, including Suanne, in a circle and began dragging them away.

Suanne was wearing flip-flops and one of her shoes fell off as she was taken away....

The abortion advocates dragged her barefoot over a rough gravel surface that caused her foot to bleed so much that Edmiston required medical attention afterwards.

"I have never been manhandled like that before -- pushed around, shoved and tossed -- it was ridiculous," Edmiston said. "I really felt violated, they had no right to touch me like that. So much for 'my body, my choice.'"


// posted by Susan @ 2:07 PM | Comments

http://www.mywebsearch.com/jsp/GGcr...&searchfor=People+manhandled+at+Kerry+rallies

 

[GotZoom]

Glad you asked. I was stopped from depositing a check into my checking account, and the reason they used was "Patriot Act". I had a business check, and a personal check, both signed by the same person. They would only deposit one. I can see the logic. Laundring money to go to terrorists, however, the one they refused was for under $20! Maybe if they would put a limit on the amounts and let us go on with our business.

They lied to you as to the reason. I am in the "money" business - I know all about the money laundering provisions in regards to the Patriot Act.