Facts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[obby]

There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq during the month of

January..... in the fair city of Detroit (Michigan) there were 35

murders in the month of January. That's one American city folks, about as deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq!

Worst president in history?

The following appeared in the Durham, NC local paper as a letter to the

editor.

Liberals claim President Bush shouldn't have started this war. They

complain about his prosecution of it. One liberal recently claimed Bush

was the worst president in U.S. history. Let's clear up one point: We didn't

start the war on terror. Try to remember, it was started by terrorists

BEFORE 9/11.

Let's look at the "worst" president and mismanagement claims.

FDR led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us: Japan did.

From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.

Truman finished that war and started one in Korea, North Korea never

attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of

18,333 per year.

John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never

attacked us. I think history might show Eisenhower committed the troops

and Kennedy was honoring that commitment.

Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire. >From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives

were lost, an average of 5,800 per year.

Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent, Bosnia never

attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three

times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

In the two years since terrorists attacked us, President Bush has

liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear

inspectors in Lybia, Iran and North Korea without firing a shot, and

captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. We lost

600 soldiers, an average of 300 a year. Bush did all this abroad while not

allowing another terrorist attack at home.

Worst president in history? Come on!

The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking, but...

It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the

Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51 day operation.

We've been looking for evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq for less

time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to

destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Teddy Kennedy to call the

police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in

Florida!!!!

Our military is GREAT!

[mrmatas2277]

Our military is GREAT!

also BADLY equipped....

[sobeton]

this was on the Greenspun website earlier this month"Do the democrats offer this Nation anything positive??" . the dialogue which took place based on this post ,was rather interesting to say the least.

what is a combat related death? are we only considering american military related deaths, and not those of our allies who are in Iraq with us? how many civilian (american, allies, Iraqi, etc) lives where lost? why don’t we have figures on civilian lives lost? is the loss of civilian lives not important?

Iraq is mess overall. we need to come to that realization .get our allies more involved. then get the men and women of our military, back home to their families and loved ones as soon as is humanly possible. this spin the wheels political nonsense, does nothing put inflame and already rigid situation.

[obby]

ATTN: SOBETON

I respect your opinion. I believe your intentions to be noble. Unfortunately, I don't think their grounded in reality. Perspective is key. I'm not a military strategist and won't pretend to be one either. That would be arrogant and ignorant, at best. Being a former Army brat, son of a 22 yr. Army veteran who served 2 tours in Vietnam as an infantry soldier and a brother to a U.S. Navy Gulf War veteran, I believe my perspective on our military, their way of life and their devotion to their country are probably more accurate than most on these boards. I have lived on military bases in Wurzburg, Germany & Ft. Brag, N.Carolina. I'm pretty comfortable w/ my perspective on this issue because I've lived it. I'll keep my faith in my country, our leaders and our military. They are the professionals, not you nor I. They are the adults who chose to serve their country. I would not dare put words into their mouths or assume I know how they (as a whole) think and feel about this war against terror. I too wish for utopia one day but will not let my dream cloud my judgments in reality. My heart goes out to all of our soldiers and leaders who have been dealt the task of combating terrorism in order to help preserve Americas way of life. I'm humbled by all of them and would not wish the responsibility our leaders and soldiers have on anyone. I'm grateful to have them on our side. We are not the enemy nor are we the problem. We are the worlds GREATEST HOPE. Some people get this, others CHOOSE not to (for whatever reasons).

[jtk4]

No president was or is perfect in the eyes of everyone. there will always be certain things people do not like about certain presidents.

About the japan thing i believe japan attacking us was a ploy to try to keep us out of europe and busy in the pacific. I could be wrong i thought i read that somewhere.

[sobeton]

ATTN: SOBETON

I respect your opinion. I believe your intentions to be noble. Unfortunately, I don't think their grounded in reality. Perspective is key. I'm not a military strategist and won't pretend to be one either. That would be arrogant and ignorant, at best. Being a former Army brat, son of a 22 yr. Army veteran who served 2 tours in Vietnam as an infantry soldier and a brother to a U.S. Navy Gulf War veteran, I believe my perspective on our military, their way of life and their devotion to their country are probably more accurate than most on these boards. I have lived on military bases in Wurzburg, Germany & Ft. Brag, N.Carolina. I'm pretty comfortable w/ my perspective on this issue because I've lived it. I'll keep my faith in my country, our leaders and our military. They are the professionals, not you nor I. They are the adults who chose to serve their country. I would not dare put words into their mouths or assume I know how they (as a whole) think and feel about this war against terror. I too wish for utopia one day but will not let my dream cloud my judgments in reality. My heart goes out to all of our soldiers and leaders who have been dealt the task of combating terrorism in order to help preserve Americas way of life. I'm humbled by all of them and would not wish the responsibility our leaders and soldiers have on anyone. I'm grateful to have them on our side. We are not the enemy nor are we the problem. We are the worlds GREATEST HOPE. Some people get this, others CHOOSE not to (for whatever reasons).

you have no idea what my intentions are. so let me make them clear to you. if one is going make an analysis, you should be forthright. while I don't agree with our occupation of Iraq, my support for the coalition forces is unwavering. my apprehension on our policy regarding the same, I have made clear on many occasions. as a point of information my father also served in Vietnam. if anything this gives me a deeper outside perspective on our military, but certainty does not make me an authority regarding the military. I'm a bit confused how you can say "I lived it", you have not served in Iraq as far as know. perhaps you can shade some light on this. we are ALL living the Iraq circumstances right now. this is the reality of the situation at hand. IMO in combating terrorism, we help to preserve all of humanity who are unwilling to except terrorism, and not simply the american way of life.

[mrmatas2277]

About the japan thing i believe japan attacking us was a ploy to try to keep us out of europe and busy in the pacific. I could be wrong i thought i read that somewhere.

actually Hitler was pretty pissed b/c it brought the US into the mix...and made Japan have to fight another enemy...

[fresinha12]

ATTN:

Obby:

Maybe my perception of the military is better than yours since, I served in it!! dont need to rely on daddy and or brothery to prove my point, our military is badly equipped in iraq, some of my men in my frmr unit, tell me of stories where they may have access to burger king but dont have enough armored humves...plus all those navy boys are sitting out there in the gulf in their pretty white uniforms, so your bro prbly has no clue what we infantry men have to face! So there is no question our military men will do their best, the real question is are we doing our best to support em in terms of giving them the best equipment, dude u have no idea that this is the first war I can think of where you have private corporations providing coverage to our troops, do dont tell me that these coporations are not cutting corners to make a buck or two! I mean we have outsourced supply and logistics to haliburton, i cant believe it!

The biggest complain I hear from my frmr unit mates is the "Stop loss" program, one of my frmr staff.sgt was 5 days from retirement when he got pulled back in...dude that is just not acceptable, in the military code of honor, your word is the most important, we sign up to defend our country and we keep our word, but this govt better keep its word and hold to its contract with us!

ATTN: SOBETON

I respect your opinion. I believe your intentions to be noble. Unfortunately, I don't think their grounded in reality. Perspective is key. I'm not a military strategist and won't pretend to be one either. That would be arrogant and ignorant, at best. Being a former Army brat, son of a 22 yr. Army veteran who served 2 tours in Vietnam as an infantry soldier and a brother to a U.S. Navy Gulf War veteran, I believe my perspective on our military, their way of life and their devotion to their country are probably more accurate than most on these boards. I have lived on military bases in Wurzburg, Germany & Ft. Brag, N.Carolina. I'm pretty comfortable w/ my perspective on this issue because I've lived it. I'll keep my faith in my country, our leaders and our military. They are the professionals, not you nor I. They are the adults who chose to serve their country. I would not dare put words into their mouths or assume I know how they (as a whole) think and feel about this war against terror. I too wish for utopia one day but will not let my dream cloud my judgments in reality. My heart goes out to all of our soldiers and leaders who have been dealt the task of combating terrorism in order to help preserve Americas way of life. I'm humbled by all of them and would not wish the responsibility our leaders and soldiers have on anyone. I'm grateful to have them on our side. We are not the enemy nor are we the problem. We are the worlds GREATEST HOPE. Some people get this, others CHOOSE not to (for whatever reasons).

[howardstone]

I can scratch my balls and chew gum at the same time

[obby]

you have no idea what my intentions are. so let me make them clear to you. if one is going make an analysis, you should be forthright. while I don't agree with our occupation of Iraq, my support for the coalition forces is unwavering. my apprehension on our policy regarding the same, I have made clear on many occasions. as a point of information my father also served in Vietnam. if anything this gives me a deeper outside perspective on our military, but certainty does not make me an authority regarding the military. I'm a bit confused how you can say "I lived it", you have not served in Iraq as far as know. perhaps you can shade some light on this. we are ALL living the Iraq circumstances right now. this is the reality of the situation at hand. IMO in combating terrorism, we help to preserve all of humanity who are unwilling to except terrorism, and not simply the american way of life.

Only because I'm a bit bored right now and could use the practice to speed up my typing and I love to beat dead horses.

Here goes nothing: First of all, from your reply, it seems as if you misinterpreted portions of my post. You say I have no idea what your intentions are. Right! And? Did I ever arrogantly write that I knew what you think or feel? NO! The line you apparently refer to said "I BELIEVE YOUR INTENTIONS TO BE NOBLE" (Key Word: believe). Far cry from putting words in your mouth. Okay, enough w/ that silliness. Next, the "I LIVED IT" fiasco. If taken out of context, sure, you might have a point. Luckily, I'm not and you seem to be so let me tackle this "I lived it-GATE". Read it again. I wrote I LIVED IT in the context of living the military life, not being a soldier. Funny how some only take bits and pieces of what they read and just run w/ it. Not good. It's dishonest and counterproductive. Then again, that's just my opinion. Am I still entitled to that or is Bush taking that away too? Finally, the premise of forcing Americanism abroad is a perverted discombobulation of what is actually happening in Iraq. Iraqi's will rule Iraq, not America. Democracy and Freedom are not American. It's a God given right to ALL of humanity (including you too LOL) Anyway.........We seem to be back to square one. Perspective folks, perspective. I realize the American appetite for instant satisfaction is to the point of being gluttonous but c'mon now???? PERSPECTIVE. Let's not cheat ourselves of the broader picture for selfish ideological addictions. This is a new type of war we are fighting. Conventional logic does not apply nor should it. This is KEY to understanding the threat of terrorism. Without this fundamental understanding as a foundation, the rest of the stuff we "debate" is the equivalent of a house of cards. Again, just my opinion of course.

Now, I've got to set a few other people straight,,,,,,,,,,oops, I mean offer my opinion in the hope of better "understanding each other"......................ahhhhhhhh now that's so nice. Makes me feel so warm and tingly all over............Somebody, anybody,,,,HOLD ME!

[jamiroguy1]

Obby is a clown.

[sobeton]

Only because I'm a bit bored right now and could use the practice to speed up my typing and I love to beat dead horses.

Here goes nothing: First of all, from your reply, it seems as if you misinterpreted portions of my post. You say I have no idea what your intentions are. Right! And? Did I ever arrogantly write that I knew what you think or feel? NO! The line you apparently refer to said "I BELIEVE YOUR INTENTIONS TO BE NOBLE" (Key Word: believe). Far cry from putting words in your mouth. Okay, enough w/ that silliness. Next, the "I LIVED IT" fiasco. If taken out of context, sure, you might have a point. Luckily, I'm not and you seem to be so let me tackle this "I lived it-GATE". Read it again. I wrote I LIVED IT in the context of living the military life, not being a soldier. Funny how some only take bits and pieces of what they read and just run w/ it. Not good. It's dishonest and counterproductive. Then again, that's just my opinion. Am I still entitled to that or is Bush taking that away too? Finally, the premise of forcing Americanism abroad is a perverted discombobulation of what is actually happening in Iraq. Iraqi's will rule Iraq, not America. Democracy and Freedom are not American. It's a God given right to ALL of humanity (including you too LOL) Anyway.........We seem to be back to square one. Perspective folks, perspective. I realize the American appetite for instant satisfaction is to the point of being gluttonous but c'mon now???? PERSPECTIVE. Let's not cheat ourselves of the broader picture for selfish ideological addictions. This is a new type of war we are fighting. Conventional logic does not apply nor should it. This is KEY to understanding the threat of terrorism. Without this fundamental understanding as a foundation, the rest of the stuff we "debate" is the equivalent of a house of cards. Again, just my opinion of course.

Now, I've got to set a few other people straight,,,,,,,,,,oops, I mean offer my opinion in the hope of better "understanding each other"......................ahhhhhhhh now that's so nice. Makes me feel so warm and tingly all over............Somebody, anybody,,,,HOLD ME!

I'm unimpressed with your sarcasm, however it is not surprising. LOL your statement "I believe your intentions to be noble" implies you where not clear regarding the same. thus that was explained to you. "I lived it" you where ambiguous again, hence my call to have you explain it. "Dishonest and counterproductive". your idea of the same is tainted at best, so spear me the chastising. "forcing Americanism abroad is a perverted discombobulation" what? was this implied some place in this thread? please don’t insert "God" into a discussion about democracy and freedom; clearly they don't have a correlation .naturally your entitled your opinion. unfortunately, you don't except the fact that someone may have an opinion that differs from yours. when you realize someone holds an opinion that differs from yours, you seek to inject sarcasm and chastising .which in effect, minimizes most of what you post, and equates it to nothing more biased rhetoric at best. this seems to clear to most, except for you which is rather unfortunate.

[howardstone]

Obby is a clown.

BUSH in 2006!

[obby]

ATTN:

Obby:

Maybe my perception of the military is better than yours since, I served in it!! dont need to rely on daddy and or brothery to prove my point, our military is badly equipped in iraq, some of my men in my frmr unit, tell me of stories where they may have access to burger king but dont have enough armored humves...plus all those navy boys are sitting out there in the gulf in their pretty white uniforms, so your bro prbly has no clue what we infantry men have to face! So there is no question our military men will do their best, the real question is are we doing our best to support em in terms of giving them the best equipment, dude u have no idea that this is the first war I can think of where you have private corporations providing coverage to our troops, do dont tell me that these coporations are not cutting corners to make a buck or two! I mean we have outsourced supply and logistics to haliburton, i cant believe it!

The biggest complain I hear from my frmr unit mates is the "Stop loss" program, one of my frmr staff.sgt was 5 days from retirement when he got pulled back in...dude that is just not acceptable, in the military code of honor, your word is the most important, we sign up to defend our country and we keep our word, but this govt better keep its word and hold to its contract with us!

Hey, WHAT'S UP BUDDY? lol

First, my brother was a AD/SAR swimmer(Aviation Machinist mate / Search and Rescue). He was detached to HC-2 (Helicopter Combat Support Squadron II) in the Gulf. The detachment in the Gulf was referred to as "The Desert Ducks". His squadron was attached to the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk). He was certified on the H-3 Sea King helicopter (Same as Bush's green "Marine 1" helicopter minus the pretty green paint and leather seating). He has told me several stories of delivering SEAL teams to undisclosed locations in the mid-east, providing support and manning the "big gun" on the "bird" during the Gulf war. Don't forget rescuing down pilots. So, if you thought he was just cruising the Persian Gulf, sipping on margaritas you're SO wrong it does not warrant any further explanation. You should know that the training required for pilots and crewmen is pretty extensive. He also went to BUDS but ended up breaking his shin at the beginning of hellweek and ended up a SAR swimmer.. Your sarcasm about Navy boys in pretty white uni's was not only asinine, but ignorant as well. Anyway, the issue of not having enough equipment is a serious one. That responsibility lies squarely on congress! Remember the issue w/ Kerry voting for the war, but against funding the troops? My bro has a good friend (Marine RECON)currently stationed west of Baghdad who writes and calls from time to time. I hear stories about this guy having his family mailing him basic equipment like special knee pads and flashlights. There is an issue regarding this, but your point is what? These soldiers are not only coping, they're kicking ass and taking names regardless of these shortcomings. God bless them. As for the Halliburton comment, puh-leez! Halliburton is one of only a handful of corporations capable of handling the rebuilding of Iraq. It was used extensively in the past, specifically Kosovo and Haiti. So if your mentioning Halliburton is supposed to be some sort of black eye against this admin you need to better educate yourself on this company and exactly what they do. Their experience in rebuilding infrastructure is extensive. They were chosen because they were the best at what they do. Did you know that no one used them more than the Clinton admin (and that was when Cheney was actually running the corp.. in the 90's....so much that conspiracy theory,,NEXT!) Anyway, last but not least, the stop loss issue. On this issue, PERSPECTIVE is key!!! Our military was cut and slashed in the 90's. Bases shut down and pink slips handed out to thousands. All in an effort to devote that money to domestic policies, specifically, education. We all know how great that was. Talk about pissing money down the drain. American children are dumber than ever. For a nation of 300 million and a military of only 1.4 million, we need a bigger military, PERIOD! That's another issue, so I'll move on. To implement a draft would take YEARS,,YES,,YEARS!!! It would stall in congress for God knows how long. Our reserves were already activated,,,,so now what? Although I'm troubled by the stop-loss, I UNDERSTAND WHY it was needed. It's a temporary fix. We need our military built up again. We'll get there. WE'RE AMERICANS! WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE SET OUR MINDS TO!

Not that it matters but my bro is the tall one.

[howardstone]

Hey, WHAT'S UP BUDDY? lol

First, my brother was a AD/SAR swimmer(Aviation Machinist mate / Search and Rescue). He was detached to HC-2 (Helicopter Combat Support Squadron II) in the Gulf. The detachment in the Gulf was referred to as "The Desert Ducks". His squadron was attached to the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk). He was certified on the H-3 Sea King helicopter (Same as Bush's green "Marine 1" helicopter minus the pretty green paint and leather seating). He has told me several stories of delivering SEAL teams to undisclosed locations in the mid-east, providing support and manning the "big gun" on the "bird" during the Gulf war. Don't forget rescuing down pilots. So, if you thought he was just cruising the Persian Gulf, sipping on margaritas you're SO wrong it does not warrant any further explanation. You should know that the training required for pilots and crewmen is pretty extensive. He also went to BUDS but ended up breaking his shin at the beginning of hellweek and ended up a SAR swimmer.. Your sarcasm about Navy boys in pretty white uni's was not only asinine, but ignorant as well. Anyway, the issue of not having enough equipment is a serious one. That responsibility lies squarely on congress! Remember the issue w/ Kerry voting for the war, but against funding the troops? My bro has a good friend (Marine RECON)currently stationed west of Baghdad who writes and calls from time to time. I hear stories about this guy having his family mailing him basic equipment like special knee pads and flashlights. There is an issue regarding this, but your point is what? These soldiers are not only coping, they're kicking ass and taking names regardless of these shortcomings. God bless them. As for the Halliburton comment, puh-leez! Halliburton is one of only a handful of corporations capable of handling the rebuilding of Iraq. It was used extensively in the past, specifically Kosovo and Haiti. So if your mentioning Halliburton is supposed to be some sort of black eye against this admin you need to better educate yourself on this company and exactly what they do. Their experience in rebuilding infrastructure is extensive. They were chosen because they were the best at what they do. Did you know that no one used them more than the Clinton admin (and that was when Cheney was actually running the corp.. in the 90's....so much that conspiracy theory,,NEXT!) Anyway, last but not least, the stop loss issue. On this issue, PERSPECTIVE is key!!! Our military was cut and slashed in the 90's. Bases shut down and pink slips handed out to thousands. All in an effort to devote that money to domestic policies, specifically, education. We all know how great that was. Talk about pissing money down the drain. American children are dumber than ever. For a nation of 300 million and a military of only 1.4 million, we need a bigger military, PERIOD! That's another issue, so I'll move on. To implement a draft would take YEARS,,YES,,YEARS!!! It would stall in congress for God knows how long. Our reserves were already activated,,,,so now what? Although I'm troubled by the stop-loss, I UNDERSTAND WHY it was needed. It's a temporary fix. We need our military built up again. We'll get there. WE'RE AMERICANS! WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE SET OUR MINDS TO!

DUDE! when is your book signing? holy crap.

[obby]

Free signed copy on it's way to you along with Clintons new book "My Lies".......I mean "My Life"

[howardstone]

Free signed copy on it's way to you along with Clintons new book "My Lies".......I mean "My Life"

aaahhhhhhhhhh the good old days, with Old Bill running the country........ terrorist only existed in video games and in country's you never heard of like Iraq, Iran, and the entire Middle East.

[mrmatas2277]

aaahhhhhhhhhh the good old days, with Old Bill running the country........ terrorist only existed in video games and in country's you never heard of like Iraq, Iran, and the entire Middle East.

:laugh:

[fresinha12]

dude...my navy comment is typicall of any other non-navy servicemen....but thats all in fun, I am a frmr ranger so we all think that the world would be shit without us...but you are missing my point....we sent in our men into combat, without even the most basic of miltary hardware/protection, now that to me is the most insincierist of thing anyone can do...

I was a 2nd Lt and had 35 men in my unit, of the 35, 5 have been imputee evacuee from theater....fuck! I mean fuck! wht the hell is going on here? the other day one of my fmr NCOs emailed me if i could lend his wife some money since its hard for his family to keep up without him....

so bud, it makes my blood boil that these fine men I served with our being treated like dirt....they are over stretched and treated like dirt, its a little bit harder on the guys who are out on the theater, but I know that all fellow servicemen are putting up with a lot, but I think its relatively harder on the RIUs and the MEUs....then on top of all this, we have a bunch of idiots who go out and enforce a stop loss...this like adding fuel to the fire....Our military men are the best fighting force in this world, but they are human and have a limit....congress is also republican and rubber stamps everything that the bush white house asks for....so where the heck are those body armors and armored humves? A frmr collegue told me that the DOD didn't anticipate that we would face such hostile resistence in iraq, so they never planned for any armory...now they are asking manufacturers to start building armored humves....I mean now....the manufacturers are producing them at max capacity but stilll not enough....so every other day u hear of a fine soldier dying in iraq is cause that protective armor didnt get to him on time, and is about time some son of a bitch in the DOD pay for it.... i mean it!

as for the logistics situations, its a mess, some FOB are not even equipped with some of the basics....my friend actions speak louder than words and so far the actions of this administration have been nothing but insulting to our servicemen and women!

Hey, WHAT'S UP BUDDY? lol

First, my brother was a AD/SAR swimmer(Aviation Machinist mate / Search and Rescue). He was detached to HC-2 (Helicopter Combat Support Squadron II) in the Gulf. The detachment in the Gulf was referred to as "The Desert Ducks". His squadron was attached to the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk). He was certified on the H-3 Sea King helicopter (Same as Bush's green "Marine 1" helicopter minus the pretty green paint and leather seating). He has told me several stories of delivering SEAL teams to undisclosed locations in the mid-east, providing support and manning the "big gun" on the "bird" during the Gulf war. Don't forget rescuing down pilots. So, if you thought he was just cruising the Persian Gulf, sipping on margaritas you're SO wrong it does not warrant any further explanation. You should know that the training required for pilots and crewmen is pretty extensive. He also went to BUDS but ended up breaking his shin at the beginning of hellweek and ended up a SAR swimmer.. Your sarcasm about Navy boys in pretty white uni's was not only asinine, but ignorant as well. Anyway, the issue of not having enough equipment is a serious one. That responsibility lies squarely on congress! Remember the issue w/ Kerry voting for the war, but against funding the troops? My bro has a good friend (Marine RECON)currently stationed west of Baghdad who writes and calls from time to time. I hear stories about this guy having his family mailing him basic equipment like special knee pads and flashlights. There is an issue regarding this, but your point is what? These soldiers are not only coping, they're kicking ass and taking names regardless of these shortcomings. God bless them. As for the Halliburton comment, puh-leez! Halliburton is one of only a handful of corporations capable of handling the rebuilding of Iraq. It was used extensively in the past, specifically Kosovo and Haiti. So if your mentioning Halliburton is supposed to be some sort of black eye against this admin you need to better educate yourself on this company and exactly what they do. Their experience in rebuilding infrastructure is extensive. They were chosen because they were the best at what they do. Did you know that no one used them more than the Clinton admin (and that was when Cheney was actually running the corp.. in the 90's....so much that conspiracy theory,,NEXT!) Anyway, last but not least, the stop loss issue. On this issue, PERSPECTIVE is key!!! Our military was cut and slashed in the 90's. Bases shut down and pink slips handed out to thousands. All in an effort to devote that money to domestic policies, specifically, education. We all know how great that was. Talk about pissing money down the drain. American children are dumber than ever. For a nation of 300 million and a military of only 1.4 million, we need a bigger military, PERIOD! That's another issue, so I'll move on. To implement a draft would take YEARS,,YES,,YEARS!!! It would stall in congress for God knows how long. Our reserves were already activated,,,,so now what? Although I'm troubled by the stop-loss, I UNDERSTAND WHY it was needed. It's a temporary fix. We need our military built up again. We'll get there. WE'RE AMERICANS! WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE SET OUR MINDS TO!

Not that it matters but my bro is the tall one.

[sobeton]

aaahhhhhhhhhh the good old days, with Old Bill running the country........ terrorist only existed in video games and in country's you never heard of like Iraq, Iran, and the entire Middle East.

LOL Classic!

[chris817]

Hey, WHAT'S UP BUDDY? lol

First, my brother was a AD/SAR swimmer(Aviation Machinist mate / Search and Rescue). He was detached to HC-2 (Helicopter Combat Support Squadron II) in the Gulf. The detachment in the Gulf was referred to as "The Desert Ducks". His squadron was attached to the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk). He was certified on the H-3 Sea King helicopter (Same as Bush's green "Marine 1" helicopter minus the pretty green paint and leather seating). He has told me several stories of delivering SEAL teams to undisclosed locations in the mid-east, providing support and manning the "big gun" on the "bird" during the Gulf war. Don't forget rescuing down pilots. So, if you thought he was just cruising the Persian Gulf, sipping on margaritas you're SO wrong it does not warrant any further explanation. You should know that the training required for pilots and crewmen is pretty extensive. He also went to BUDS but ended up breaking his shin at the beginning of hellweek and ended up a SAR swimmer.. Your sarcasm about Navy boys in pretty white uni's was not only asinine, but ignorant as well. Anyway, the issue of not having enough equipment is a serious one. That responsibility lies squarely on congress! Remember the issue w/ Kerry voting for the war, but against funding the troops? My bro has a good friend (Marine RECON)currently stationed west of Baghdad who writes and calls from time to time. I hear stories about this guy having his family mailing him basic equipment like special knee pads and flashlights. There is an issue regarding this, but your point is what? These soldiers are not only coping, they're kicking ass and taking names regardless of these shortcomings. God bless them. As for the Halliburton comment, puh-leez! Halliburton is one of only a handful of corporations capable of handling the rebuilding of Iraq. It was used extensively in the past, specifically Kosovo and Haiti. So if your mentioning Halliburton is supposed to be some sort of black eye against this admin you need to better educate yourself on this company and exactly what they do. Their experience in rebuilding infrastructure is extensive. They were chosen because they were the best at what they do. Did you know that no one used them more than the Clinton admin (and that was when Cheney was actually running the corp.. in the 90's....so much that conspiracy theory,,NEXT!) Anyway, last but not least, the stop loss issue. On this issue, PERSPECTIVE is key!!! Our military was cut and slashed in the 90's. Bases shut down and pink slips handed out to thousands. All in an effort to devote that money to domestic policies, specifically, education. We all know how great that was. Talk about pissing money down the drain. American children are dumber than ever. For a nation of 300 million and a military of only 1.4 million, we need a bigger military, PERIOD! That's another issue, so I'll move on. To implement a draft would take YEARS,,YES,,YEARS!!! It would stall in congress for God knows how long. Our reserves were already activated,,,,so now what? Although I'm troubled by the stop-loss, I UNDERSTAND WHY it was needed. It's a temporary fix. We need our military built up again. We'll get there. WE'RE AMERICANS! WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE SET OUR MINDS TO!

So what you are saying is even though our military does not have enough troops and equipment its still alright? at least they have burger king to eat at

I sick and tired of conservatives bringing up kerry's vote and not vote on that bill. Maybe its b/c he did not want the load of the burden to fall on us the middle class? So a man with 3 purple hearts is now against our military.

get real

This we are Americans we can do anything is such propaganda, the fact is we do need help in Iraq and now no one will help us. so we broke it now its ours

For a president to say he is so behind the military then why did he send us to a place with not enough supplies and men. Then also cuts 12 billion for veterens?

[obby]

So what you are saying is even though our military does not have enough troops and equipment its still alright? at least they have burger king to eat at I sick and tired of conservatives bringing up kerry's vote and not vote on that bill. Maybe its b/c he did not want the load of the burden to fall on us the middle class? So a man with 3 purple hearts is now against our military. Get real. This we are Americans we can do anything is such propaganda, the fact is we do need help in Iraq and now no one will help us. so we broke it now its ours For a president to say he is so behind the military then why did he send us to a place with not enough supplies and men. Then also cuts 12 billion for veterens?

Great, opinion noted!

I, on the contrary am not sick and tire do liberals "twisted and misguided" perception of reality. Their lack of understanding the threat terrorism poses is down right laughable. I welcome liberals opinions (aka-DNC talking points). We all need a good laugh and God knows todays' libz are providing a non-stop laugh-fest w/ their propaganda to take today's liberals seriously is to hope for an ulcer.

Maybe it's because Kerry didn't want the burden to fall on the middle class????? lol Maybe if we all had wheels and pedals, we'd all be bicycles too??? lol ........You guys are a riot!

Cuts 12 billion for veterans.....lmmfao....You're killing me here. You're the perfect candidate for the Michael Moore film. Isn't it ironic that a man who claims this war on terror was waged simply to line the pockets of Bush and his buddies will be making a gazillion dollars off 9/11 and the war in Iraq? Anyway, you need to check your facts. Since I'm such a super dooper guy I did the checking for you. Feel free to verify the facts yourself. Check these facts about cuts for veterans and Kerry's "no" vote on body armor:

http://factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=144

http://factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=155

This is just information I have been able to find while doing some research. Feel free to contradict these findings with your findings.

and have a great weekend.

[tasrit]

IMO in combating terrorism, we help to preserve all of humanity who are unwilling to except terrorism, and not simply the american way of life.

[obby]

"I lived it" you where ambiguous again, hence my call to have you explain it.

Another perfect example of how I LIVE IT.

View Article Here

Sgt. Arthur Mastrapa was one of my two cousins in Iraq fighting for what he believed in.

Just goes to show that Freedom is not free but well worth fighting for. I myself acknowledge not only my cousin but all who have fallen while fighting to preserve freedom.

[bigpoppanils]

ATTN: SOBETON

I respect your opinion.. Unfortunately, I don't think their grounded in reality.

that isnt what I call "respecting one's opinion"