Former Marine captain: "I Will Never Trust Any of Them Again!
John Manning
Former Marine captain: "I Will Never Trust Any of Them Again!
Coming home — disillusioned
By Christopher H. Sheppard
Seattle Times, April 12, 2006
http://tinyurl.com/gem8x
Three years ago, I was a Marine Corps captain on the Iraqi/Kuwaiti
border, participating in the invasion of Iraq. Awestruck, I heard our
howitzers thunder and watched artillery rockets rise into the night sky
and streak toward Iraq — their light bathing the desert moonscape like
giant arc welders.
As I watched the Iraq war begin, I completely trusted the Bush
administration. I thought we were going to prove all of the left-wing
antiwar protesters and dissenters wrong. I thought we were going to make
America safer. Regrettably, I acknowledge that it was I who was wrong.
I believed the Bush administration when it said Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction. I believed its assertion that Iraq was trying to buy
yellowcake uranium from Africa and refine it into weapons-grade uranium
for a nuclear bomb. I believed its claim Iraq had vast quantities of
biological and chemical agents. After years of thorough inspections, all
of these claims have been disproved.
I believed the administration when it claimed there was overwhelming
evidence Iraq was in cahoots with al-Qaida. In January 2004,
then-Secretary of State Colin Powell admitted that there was no concrete
evidence linking Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida.
I believed the administration when it grandly proclaimed we were going
to bring a stable, Western-style liberal democracy to Iraq, complete
with religious tolerance and the rule of law. We never had enough troops
in Iraq to restore civil order and the rule of law. The Iraqi elections
have produced a ruling majority of Shiite fundamentalists and
marginalized the seething Sunni minority. Iraq dangerously teeters on
the brink of civil war. We have emboldened Iran and destabilized the
entire Middle East.
I believed the administration when it claimed the war could be done
quickly and cheaply. It said the war would cost only between $50 billion
and $60 billion. It said that Iraqi oil revenue would fund the country's
reconstruction. I believed President Bush when he landed on the USS
Lincoln and said "major combat operations have ended."
The war has cost the American taxpayers $250 billion and counting. The
vast majority — 94 percent — of the more than 2,300 United States
service members killed in Iraq have occurred since Bush's "Top Gun"
proclamation. The cost in men and materiel has been far beyond what we
were led to believe.
I volunteered to go back to Iraq for the fall and winter of 2004-2005. I
went back out of frustration and guilt; frustration from watching Iraq
unravel on the news and guilt that I wasn't there trying to stop it.
Many fine Marines from my reserve battalion felt the same and
volunteered to go back. I buried my mounting suspicions and mustered
enough trust and faith in my civilian leadership to go back.
I returned disillusioned by what I saw. I participated in the second
battle of Fallujah in November 2004. We crushed the insurgents in the
city, but we only ended up scattering them throughout the province. The
dumb ones stayed and died. The smart ones left town before the battle,
to garner more recruits and fight another day. We were simply the little
Dutch boy with our finger in the dike. In retrospect, we never had
enough troops to firmly control the region; we had just enough to
maintain a tenuous equilibrium.
I now know I wrongfully placed my faith and trust in a presidential
administration hopelessly mired in incompetence, hubris and a lack of
accountability. It planned a war based on false intelligence and
unrealistic assumptions. It has strategically surrendered the condition
of victory in Iraq to people who do not share our vision, values or
interests. The Bush administration has proven successful at only one
thing in Iraq — painting us into a corner with no feasible exit.
I will never trust any of them again.
_____
Christopher H. Sheppard is a former Marine captain who served two tours
of duty in Iraq as a combat engineer. He currently is finishing his
master's degree in mass communication and lives in Marysville.
Kevin Z
For every General who thinks Rumsfield should resign, for every
disgruntled Captain, you will find a hundred who love their Country,
trust their government and will tell you to pack sand.
Where is their voice? It's lost in the liberal, America hating rant.
--
Kevin Z
You can make yourself miserable, or you can make yourself strong. It
takes the same amount of energy.
(Carlos Casteneda)
John Manning
>
> For every General who thinks Rumsfield should resign, for every
> disgruntled Captain, you will find a hundred who love their Country,
> trust their government and will tell you to pack sand.
>
> Where is their voice? It's lost in the liberal, America hating rant.
The American people don't believe in this bullshit war, Kevin.
Art Bulla
After the RNC in New York, I returned to Georgia a depressed and dejected
human being, worried sick that the speech and my outburst with Chris
Matthews had done more harm than good to the cause I believed in and the
good and courageous man I had wanted to help. The only smile I was able to
muster was when I saw that CNBC had run an online poll and asked, "Who would
win the duel?" The response was 86 percent for Miller to 14 percent for
Matthews. I got back home Friday afternoon, and first thing took my yellow
Labs, Gus and Woodrow, for a three-mile walk. No matter how hard the winds
may blow on the other side of those mountains, when I'm in that Brasstown
Valley walking those familiar mountain trails, darkness turns to light and I
feel better. It has always been my sanctuary, but this time it did not help
much. The dogs and I took another long walk on Saturday morning, and after
returning we laid together in what Shirley calls a "dog pile" on the living
room floor. Suddenly, the phone rang and my fortress from the outside world
was shattered. It was Ken Mehlman, President Bush's campaign manager who had
been traveling with the president. His first words were, "You could run for
mayor in Cedar Rapids." If I had not already been in a prone position on the
floor, that comment would have knocked me there. Ken went on to tell me that
whenever and wherever the president had mentioned my name, it had been
greeted with loud and sustained cheers. All I could say was, "I can't
believe it." "Believe it," he answered and said that as soon as possible
they'd like for me to travel with the president and also make campaign
appearances on my own. The only thing I could think to say was my standard,
"I'll do whatever you think will help. I just don't want to hurt." On
Monday, I finally made the effort to check on what the pundits were writing
about the post-convention tour. The New York Times first reminded the
readers that Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe had said that I
"was so frightening that parents took their children away from the
television." The story then followed with this paragraph, "The crowd in
Parkersburg had included the city's mayor, Jimmy Colombo, a Democrat, and
the president had told them, `I think of Zell Miller set a pretty good tempo
for Democrats all across the country. He made it clear it's all right to
come and support the Bush ticket. " There was more analysis in the article.
"In the hours and days after Mr. Miller's appearance at the convention,
Democrats predicted that his speech would backfire by providing evidence
that Mr. Bush's campaign was all about attacking Mr. Kerry, ... his
patriotism and scaring voters into the arms of the Republicans. But Mr.
Bush's aides said the response to the president's mentions of Mr. Miller
showed that Mr. Miller had touched a chord among voters of all stripes by
voicing doubts about Mr. Kerry's record on national security issues " The
Washington Post reported from Broadview Heights, Ohio, suburb of Cleveland,
that it was "Bush's new applause line." At an earlier stop in Kirkland, Bush
had said, "There's a lot of folks like Zell. He represents a lot of folks
who understand that with four more years, Dick Cheney and I will make this
country stronger, safer, and better."
STUMPING FOR THE PRESIDENT
Time reported that there had been a significant post-convention jump of 11
points, 52-41. The next week I was with the president on a bus tour
beginning at Huntington, West Virginia, and then moving into Ohio along the
Ohio River, Portsmouth, Irontown, and Chillicothe. It was Appalachian
country, and I felt at home with these folks. It was a beautiful fall day.
At the first stop, there were six thousand crammed into the Big Sandy
Superstore Arena near Marshall University. Their mascot is called the Herd.
Listening to the blaring music and sign-waving crowd, the president had
cracked, "By the sound of this, the Herd is thundering." I presented the
president to the revved up crowd this way: Thank you very much. I'm proud to
be back on the trail with President Bush. As I said at my convention speech
in New York, this election will change forever the course of history. And
that's not any history; it's our family's history. There is one man I trust
to keep my family safe from terrorists bent on destroying America. One man
with the strength to make tough choices when the pressure is high. One man
with the resolve to make up his mind and stick with his decisions. One man
who will stay on the offensive, never wavering, never wobbling, never weak
in the knees. That man is George W. Bush. I wish my party had the same will
to win this fight that our president does. But I thank God George W. Bush is
America's leader when America needs strong leadership the most. And I want
to tell all my fellow Democrats-all of you who may never have thought about
voting for a Republican before-all of you who might be a little embarrassed
to bring it up at the dinner table or to mention it at a union meeting-that
George W. Bush is a Republican we Democrats can proudly support. In this
hour of danger our president has the courage to stand strong, and I'm proud
to stand with him. Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States,
George W. Bush. As we made our way into Ohio, crowds were lined up on both
sides of the road. Some had brought lawn chairs, many were jumping up and
down, and some held small children in their arms. They were enthusiastic,
and the president, standing in the doorway of the bus with a bullhorn,
always had something to say as the bus slowly navigated its way through the
narrow streets. Many supporters had their dogs with them, and the dog-loving
president would always have something to say to them, like "nice dog." We
stopped in the little town of Irontown, where the mayor presented President
Bush a key to the city as two thousand people packed in the little town
square yelled their support. This was Scioto County, which Bush had carried
in 2000 after it had gone for Clinton in the two previous elections. In
Portsmouth at the athletic center of Shawnee State University, I presented
the president again, and he began: "This part of the world is like parts of
Georgia and parts of Texas where there's a lot of what we call `discerning
Democrats: That's what Zell was saying-it's OK if you're a Democrat to pull
the Bush-Cheney lever." We continued on and found more than fifteen thousand
waiting at the Ross County Fairgrounds in Chillicothe. Congressman Bob Ney
introduced me and then, as before, I brought on the president. It was an
added treat to spend time with Anthony Munoz, the great NFL Hall of Fame
football player who was the Bush-Cheney honorary chairman for Ohio. He was a
nice man and very impressive, and I thought about him and Chairman Bob
Bennett and all the other great people I had met in that key state when the
final Ohio numbers came in on election night. Ken Mehlman had not
exaggerated. Any depression and disappointment I had about the keynote was
put to rest. I had seen for myself one of the truisms of politics: For every
opponent that is strongly against you, there is a supporter who is just as
strongly for you. I had learned and relearned that lesson over the years in
smaller ways. I am a person who feels things strongly; I express myself
sharply; there is no lukewarm on my thermostat. And I both pay for it and
get the benefit from this personality trait. A few days later, Ken asked me
to block out days I would be willing to go alone to swing states, speaking
at rallies, visiting local headquarters, and firing up the troops who would
later make the difference on Election Day. For the first time I saw this
operation up close and witnessed the loyalty and dedication and unbelievable
detail that was going into these amazing operations. I always came away more
inspired by them than they by me. I was pinpointed into areas that had once
been solidly Democratic and still had more registered Democrats than
Republicans. But they were conservative Democrats like me who had seen the
party leave us on the cultural issues that were so important, and they were
patriots who stood with the president on national security. They were,
therefore, potential Bush voters. A good example was the Fourth
Congressional District of Pennsylvania, once one of this country's great
industrial areas, steel country on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. I went to
Beaver Falls, where Joe Namath played high school football before going on
to the University of Alabama and then to the New York Jets and his life as
"Broadway Joe." Unbelievably, this southwestern corner of Pennsylvania also
produced Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly, football legends all. But
it was politics, not football that was on the minds in the packed high
school auditorium. Congresswoman Melissa Hart, a hard-charging conservative
who represents the area, introduced me to her delightful mother and to the
crowd. The October journey would take me into more than thirty cities in
states as far west as New Mexico, as far north as Lewiston, Maine, Derry,
New Hampshire, Duluth, Minnesota, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and as far south as
Miami, Florida. Four days before the election, I was back with the president
on Air Force One, going into Pennsylvania once again for Bush's forty-second
time. This time it was at a rally of twenty thousand supporters at the
Lancaster Airport. Mrs. Bush was along, and it would be the first of four
events that day, later stopping at Lima and Youngstown, Ohio, and finally
ending up at Pontiac, Michigan. Lancaster County is the heart of Amish
country. Usually, these good and hard-working people are reluctant to get
heavily involved in politics, disliking taxes and having a healthy distrust
of government. This time seemed to be different, and much of their
leadership had come to the airport for a meeting with the president. It was
also an area with a large segment of Democrats with social values, and the
president took direct aim at the "discerning Democrats," as he would later
at the Ohio stops. "If you're a Democrat," he said, "and your dreams and
goals are not found in the far left wing of the Democratic Party, I'd be
honored to have your vote." He told them he remembered "the strong
conscience of the late Democratic governor of Pennsylvania Robert Casey, who
once said, `When we look to the unborn child the real issue is not when life
begins, but when love begins."' The president added that he wanted to move
"the nation toward a culture of life.... I hope people who usually vote for
the other party will take a close look at my agenda." Throughout the day he
reminded audiences that the election had come down to three "clear choices
for families-family security, the family wallet, and a family's quality of
life.... If you are a Democrat who wants to protect marriage from activist
judges, then I will be happy to have your vote." Karl Rove made no bones
about it: "We're here to make an explicit appeal for the support of
Democrats and Independents." I was in the panhandle of Florida the eve
before Election Day with the great NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte. We had hit
Fort Myers earlier and then had come on to Escambia County, a county that
had given Bush 65 percent of their vote in 2000. Their goal was to increase
that to 75 percent in 2004. (It would be closer to 85 percent.) The
Democrats knew how crucial this area was, and John Edwards would arrive in
Pensacola as we were leaving. This happened frequently throughout the
campaign. Edwards and I had been in Saginaw, Michigan, at the same hour and
in Council Bluffs, Iowa, former Georgia senator Max Cleland, an old friend,
was there within hours of the Bush rally where I spoke. Pensacola is the
largest city in Escambia County, and Bobby and I could see the blue
tarpaulins on the roofs of nearly every building as we flew in. The evidence
of Hurricane Ivan was still painfully visible. The headquarters where the
rally was held was packed to the walls and overflowed into the parking lot.
Dozens of volunteers of all ages were working the phone bank. Some creative
craftsman had made spitball jewelry. There were necklaces for the women and
pins for the men's lapels. I have one of each, which I will always treasure.
We left very upbeat, Bobby on his way to Las Vegas for a car show and I back
home for the next day's election. I had a strong premonition, a good feeling
that Bush-Cheney would carry Florida and Ohio. I had spent several days in
Ohio, from one end of the state to the other, twice in Youngstown where the
dynamic Democratic mayor George McKelvey had endorsed the president a few
days before the convention in New York. Twice, I was in Toledo, once with
the Sean Hannity Get Out the Vote Tour along with J. C. Watts and William
Bennett. That was a lot of fun. There were huge crowds, and Jerry Falwell
joined us in Erie, Pennsylvania. During an earlier visit to Toledo, I had
spent time in the Toledo headquarters that was alive with activity. I'll
never forget one of their youngest volunteers, a young man who must have
been in his early teens who had done so much work they had dubbed him "Kid
Toledo." These indispensable workers are always either the goats or the
conquering heroes of a campaign. In Ohio, they were the ones who made the
difference in that "must-win" state. After the election, Steve Bouchard,
director of ACT Ohio, who was responsible for getting the Democratic vote
out, was interviewed by Matt Bell in a telling analysis in the New York
Times. He called the day after the election a "rude awakening" and added, "I
always thought that there was more of us out there. And this time there was
more of them." Were there ever! The ten counties in Ohio with the highest
turnout percentages (all more than 75 percent) went for Bush. I had returned
home that Monday night before the election feeling more confident about the
election's outcome than at any time during the campaign. I was confident we
would carry both Ohio and Florida, and that would assure the victory. Just
as I had predicted in 2003, the Democratic campaign had early on completely
written off the South. I did not mention my confidence to Shirley, being the
superstitious person that I am. But before going to bed that night, I listed
on a sheet of paper the swing states and how I thought each would come out.
I sealed my list in an envelope and placed it in a drawer next to my bed. I
was right on all of them except Michigan. I had high hopes for an upset
victory there after a visit to McComb County, the well-known home of "Reagan
Democrats" outside Detroit. I had also been in Saginaw and then with the
president at the Silverdome in Pontiac where thirty thousand wildly
enthusiastic supporters waving "W" signs greeted the president and the first
lady. Also Congresswoman Candice Miller's superb leadership had pushed me
into becoming a believer that it could be done in Michigan. Shirley and I
watched the election returns from our living room in that comfortable "dog
pile" by the fireplace. At eleven o'clock I still felt confident about the
outcome and we moved to our bedroom. When Tom Brokaw at one o'clock in the
morning colored Ohio red and said, "It is hard to see how George W. Bush is
not reelected president of the United States," I went to the refrigerator
and got two Ensures out, a vanilla for Shirley and a chocolate for me. We
toasted our newly reelected president, hugged each other, and tried to
sleep. We could not sleep, and soon I turned the television back on and
continued to savor this sweet victory-in many ways with more pride and
happiness than any of my own. The reason was that it was more important than
any of my own victories. I had not exaggerated when over and over I had
called this election the most important of my lifetime. I'll try to explain
why in the following chapter. Following is the stump speech I gave in
varying degrees at all those stops and rallies around the country: This old
Democrat got to make a speech at the Republican Convention a couple of weeks
ago in New York City. And all the political pundits and talking heads said
that I looked mad and sounded angry. How very perceptive of them! As I said
in that convention speech, this election, only weeks away, will change
forever the course of history. And that's not any history, it's our family's
history. And in this most dangerous time, there is but one man I trust to
keep my family safe from terrorists bent on killing Americans. One man with
the strength to make tough choices when the pressure is high. One man with
the resolve to make up his mind and stick with his decisions. One man who I
know will never waver, never wobble, never get weak in the knees. That man
is George W. Bush. I wish the leaders of my party had the same will to win
this fight that our president does. But I thank God George W. Bush is
America's leader when America needs strong leadership the most.
A DEFICIT OF DECENCY
I know both these men who are running for president. Served as governors
together with George Bush. Served as senators together with John Kerry. They
are not made from the same substance. Their fabric and their thinking are as
different as night and day. And during the course of this speech, I'll point
out some of those differences. When the president came to office the economy
was already taking a turn for the worse. Job growth was slowing down. The
stock markets were moving in the wrong direction. Strong medicine was
needed. The first dose was a tax relief plan designed to jump start our
economy by getting money out of Washington, D.C., and into the pockets of
workers and the small business owners who earned it. Every dollar spent by
government comes from the pocket of working Americans. Those of us in office
must never forget that. And you must never let us forget it. I was proud to
be a co-sponsor of those tax relief plans which lowered the tax bills for
111 million taxpayers-including 25 million small business owners. We've now
had eleven consecutive quarters of economic growth. Nearly 1.7 million jobs
have been created since last August; we've got to do more and more are on
the way. Home ownership is the highest ever. George W. Bush has done an
outstanding job shepherding our economy through the toughest of times. Keep
in mind that more than a million jobs were lost in three months after 9/11.
On the other hand, John Kerry's entire plan for the economy can be summed up
in four words: tax, spend, redistribute income. Kerry believes that if you
rob Peter to pay Paul, Paul will vote for you. This economy recovery has
been spurred on by lower taxes. Kerry's higher taxes, $900 billion the first
year, would stifle economic growth and take money out of people's pockets at
the worst possible time. You know, we once had a candidate who said he
wanted to "feel your pain." Now, we've got a candidate who wants to "steal
your gain." The differences between Bush and Kerry on foreign policy are
just as different as they are on domestic policy. For years, terrorists had
been killing Americans and striking at American interests around the world.
Each and every attack was met with a totally inadequate and downright wimpy
response. It was if we had been sending terrorists an engraved invitation to
attack us. After they saw how we did not respond in 1993 after the first
World Trade Center bombing, and the Kohbar Towers and then the embassies in
Africa and the U.S.S. Cole, is it any wonder that the terrorists thought
America would never fight back? America was blessed that George W. Bush was
leading America exactly when we most needed a steel spine in the White
House. President Bush immediately took the fight to the terrorists, cleared
out their base of operations in Afghanistan, and captured their biggest fan
cowering in a spider hole in Iraq. The president recognized that at a time
when terrorists were growing bolder, we had to change the way the government
fights the terrorist threat. He created the Homeland Security Department,
and it was not easy. Even after terrorists had killed our citizens on our
own soil, the democratic leadership in the Senate was more concerned about
protecting old union rules than giving the president the authority to
respond to a national emergency. I signed on immediately, and for 11 votes,
over a period 112 days, I was the lone Democrat to stand with the president.
The other Democrats, including Senators John Kerry and John Edwards, stalled
it for four long months-at a critical moment for America's security. But
President Bush hung tough and finally, after the 2002 election, after two
Democratic senators were defeated, he won approval of the Homeland Security
Department. I also supported President Bush in the war to overthrow Saddam
Hussein. And I told this true story to my senate colleagues. I was doing
some work in my back porch in Young Harris, Georgia, tearing out a section
of old stacked rocks, when all of a sudden, I uncovered a nest of copperhead
snakes. Now, as you may know, a copperhead is poisonous; it will kill you.
It could kill one of my grandchildren. It could kill one of my four
great-grandchildren who play around there all the time. And, you know, when
I discovered those copperheads, I didn't call my wife Shirley, like I do
about everything else. I didn't ask the city council to pass a resolution. I
didn't even call any of my neighbors. I just took a hoe and chopped their
heads off and killed them dead as doorknobs. Now, I guess you could call it
a unilateral action. Or maybe a preemptive strike. I certainly did not give
them the "global test." I took their poisonous heads off because they were a
threat to my family and my home. They were a threat to all I hold dear, and
isn't that what this war on terror is all about. Later there was a vote to
fund the war and supply needed equipment for our troops. Although both Kerry
and Edwards had voted to go to war, they were so scared of Howard Dean that
they voted against giving our troops what they needed to win that war. Think
about this for a minute. Because nothing explains this man who wants to be
commander in chief than this sorry performance. I'm talking about Kerry's
vote to deny protective armor for our troops in harms way, faraway, and help
for their struggling dependents back here at home. As far as I am concerned
that tells you all you need to know about this politician. It was
disgraceful-more than disgraceful but not a surprise to anyone familiar with
the Kerry record. In his nearly twenty years, Senator Kerry opposed every
single major weapons system that won the Cold War and that is now winning
the war on terror. He opposed the B-1 bomber, the B-2, the F-15, and F-14A,
the 14-D ... the Apache helicopter, the Harrier jet, the Patriot missile ...
the Aegis air-defense cruiser, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the
Trident Missile-just to name a few. Remember the question I asked in New
York City about this man who now wants to be the commander of chief of U.S.
Armed Forces? U.S. forces armed with what, spitballs? This man wants to be
the leader of the free world. Free for how long? Why can't he understand
that we are fighting a war over there to keep from fighting a war here?
George Bush understands that we need new strategies to meet new threats.
George Bush knows we don't need sixty thousand troops in Germany protecting
us from a Communist threat that disappeared fifteen years ago. George Bush
knows the way we handled intelligence in the past will no longer work. He
will give the right people the right tools to make the right decisions at
the right time. I have been voting for presidents since 1952-more than half
a century-and I have never seen a presidential candidate so out of touch
with the average American as is John Kerry. There's a huge gap between this
candidate and what most American people think. Remember that great old
movie, The Wizard of Oz? Remember Judy Garland skipping down the yellow
brick road on her way to that land on the far side of the moon and beyond
the rain? That's John Kerry. And skipping merrily along with him-just like
in the movie-arm in arm is the scarecrow who needed a brain-Whoopi; the
cowardly lion who needed courage-Michael Moore; and the Tin Man who needed a
heart-George Soros, the billionaire who wants to legalize drugs. And just
like Judy Garland lived in that dream world and then abruptly woke up in her
own bed back in Kansas, so on November 3, John Kerry's dream will be over
and he'll wake up in his mansion in Boston, or the Nantucket ocean front,
the estate in the Alleghenies, or his chateau in Sun Valley, or any one of
the Heinz 57 varieties of opulent living he has at his disposal. And then he
can windsurf in those flowered baggy pants to his heart's content. Let me
just give you a few examples of why I say Kerry is on the far side of the
moon and so out of touch with most Americans ... Americans, by 87 percent to
5 percent, believe we should limit the benefits for able-bodied welfare
recipients to two years and require them to do community work, attend
school, and participate in a job-training program. Kerry and Edwards are
part of that 5 percent who for three years have blocked a Senate bill that
would do just that. Eighty-four percent of Americans say that murderers of
pregnant women who also kill the unborn baby should also be prosecuted for
killing the baby. It's called Laci's Law. Kerry is one of the 16 percent
that says no. Four out of five Americans say children should be allowed to
pray in school. Kerry is part of that one-fifth who says no. These are a few
of the reasons why Democrats also running this year are running from Kerry.
From South Carolina to South Dakota, the senatorial candidates won't have
anything to do with him. Tom Daschle is even running a TV ad showing him
hugging President Bush. Same thing in Colorado and for Bill Clinton's chief
of staff, Erskine Bowles, in North Carolina. They don't want anything to do
with their candidate for president. And church-goers, think about this: When
it comes to confirming the president's judicial appointments, Kerry and
Edwards's position is that no Catholic, Orthodox Jewish, or fundamentalist
Protestant nominee for judge who follows their religious beliefs should be
confirmed to serve on the Federal Appeals Court or the Supreme Court. Not
enough people know that. That is such a stunning secular bias that if the
American people really knew it, they'd not just vote against them, they'd
ride them out of town on a rail. Kerry voted against a ban on the cruel and
hideous procedure known as partial birth abortion. Kerry voted three times
against even notifying-not getting consent, but just "notifying" parents of
their minor having an abortion. And how could this man talk about the glory
of Old Glory like he did in Boston when he voted three times against the
amendment to protect that Star Spangled Banner from being burned by a bunch
of yahoos. It is the voting record that defines a man. I have told you what
Kerry's record is on national security. I have told you what Kerry's record
is on taxes. I have told you what Kerry's record is on values. That is his
record. As Casey Stengle used to say about records, "You can look it up." A
man's record is who he is. His campaign rhetoric is what he wants you to
think he is. Values are important. They define a nation. They define a
person. Talk about a deficit of decency in this country, it was on display
in Radio City Music Hall in July. One after another of these "artists"
calling the President of the United States a "cheap thug and a killer."
Whoopi Goldberg waving a bottle of wine and squealing vulgar, unprintable
things about the president. And then after watching these liberal leftovers
from the Super Bowl halftime show rave on, Long John gets up, hugs them, and
validates their remarks by saying these artists represent the heart and soul
of America. Not the America I live in. Not the America you live in. Not the
America I want my grandchildren to live in. I've been around politics a long
time, and I have watched a lot of candidates "ambitious to be" instead of
"ambitious to do," but never have I seen one with the unmitigated gall of so
desperately trying to have it both ways. Oh, I've seen many take both sides
of an issue, but never have I seen one who took four and five positions at
the same time. He is now on his ninth position on Iraq. It makes one wonder
if Senator Kerry really knows what he believes. His core values-his moral
compass-seems to shift on whether he's talking to farmers or rock stars or
whether he's in the Midwest or Manhattan. You notice I don't include the
South. He tells people the people in the heartland that he loves hunting and
"crawling around on my belly with my trusty 12-gauge shot gun." Trusty
12-gauge? This man does not even believe in the Second Amendment. He has
cast fifty votes opposing it. This man with an NRA rating of F and a 100
percent rating from PETA, the most antihunting crowd in America. On another
occasion, he told a crowd of farmers that he had a "passion for plowing." I
kid you not. That is what he called it, "passion," and he reminisced how he
used to just like to sit on a John Deere tractor. Well, this man who has a
"passion for plowing" must not have a passion for planting or a passion for
harvesting or a passion for processing because in 1996 he advocated doing
away with the Department of Agriculture or, as he put it, at least
three-fourths of its functions. I don't think that was a John Deere tractor
he remembers sitting on. A John Deere riding lawn mower would be more like
it. As I said, I first got to know George Bush when we served as governors
together. I admire this man. I am moved by the respect he shows the first
lady, his unabashed love for his parents and his daughters, and the fact
that he is unashamed of his belief that God is not indifferent to America.
I can identify with someone who has lived that line in "Amazing Grace," "was
blind, but now I see," and I like the fact that he's the same man on
Saturday night that he is on Sunday morning. He is not a slick talker, but
he is a straight shooter, and where I come from deeds mean a lot more than
words. I've always believed that it's not whose team you're on, it's whose
side you're on. In this election, I'm on George Bush's side because he's on
the side of freedom. He's on the side of the America people. He's on the
side of my family. We live in a time when there may be no second chance. We
live in a time when there is no margin for error, May God bless our
president, and may God bless America.
--
Website: http://www.artbulla.com
5 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the
truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written
save he shall be of the spirit of the devil.
6 I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath
redeemed my soul from hell.
(2 Nephi 33:5 - 6)
26 And ye have murmured because he hath been plain unto you. Ye say that
he hath used sharpness; ye say that he hath been angry with you; but behold,
his sharpness was the sharpness of the power of the word of God, which was
in him; and that which ye call anger was the truth, according to that which
is in God, which he could not restrain, manifesting boldly concerning your
iniquities.
27 And it must needs be that the power of God must be with him, even unto
his commanding you that ye must obey. But behold, it was not he, but it was
the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, which opened his mouth to utterance
that he could not shut it.
(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 1:26 - 27)
"What Joseph meant by being damned was that people will go into the spirit
world without the Priesthood, and consequently they are under the power of
Satan, and will have to be redeemed, or else they will be forever under his
power. That is all there is about that."
(Journal of Discourses, 26 vols., 17:, p.159)
"I am like a huge rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the
only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in
contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against
religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors,
suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed
by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women, all hell
knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus will I become a smooth
and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty." (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 304.)
"I just tell em the truth, and they think it's hell." Harry Truman
THE GOLDEN RULE OF DISINFORMERS:
Always accuse your adversary of whatever is true about yourself.
"Nothing has more retarded the advancement of learning than the disposition
of vulgar minds to ridicule and vilify what they do not understand."
Dr.Samuel Johnson.
The Revelations of Jesus Christ:
<http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0-595-28287-3>
Discourses of Brigham Young, Pg.68
As it has always been, and will be yet for some time, when the sons
of God assemble together Satan will be on hand as an accuser of the
brethren, to find fault with those who are trying to do good.
"But we ask, does it remain for a people who never had faith enough to call
down one scrap of revelation from heaven, and for all they have now are
indebted
to the faith of another people...does it remain for them to say how much God
has
spoken and how much He has not spoken?" Joseph Smith
"Every generation has flattered itself that it is a little better than the
one that preceded it. Every generation has prided itself in its knowledge
and great advancement in the arts and sciences and its superiority over
preceding generations; yet the power of the adversary and his hatred of
righteousness and truth are as great to-day as they ever were since the
creation of the earth." Journal of Discourses, Vol.11, Pg.228 - Pg.229,
George Q. Cannon, May 6, 1866
"Some men are natural born saints; whenever a principle is advanced they
understand it, and drink it in; * * * while there are others who do not
understand and oppose every principle that is not clear to their mind. This
can be accounted for, that we are not all pure blooded, for Ephraim became
foolish and mixed up with the gentiles. When we find the pure blood of
Ephraim, we find a natural born child of God and there is nothing in the
gospel that is objectionable to them, but the others have to exercise faith
in God and humble themselves before Him and live for it." (Deseret Weekly,
50:250-251)
"John Manning" <jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote in message
news:ScydnaGUisW5-t_Z...@giganews.com...
Kevin Z
The Liberal Godless flower children do not compromise the majority. And
don't go throwing polls around. You can make a poll anything you want
too. Americans, realize the hard choice that had to be made, and
realize how much better off we will be. It's just sad that the
Democrats used the war to vilify and belittle the President thinking it
will justify their existance. It will backfire, and the Democrats will
find themselves a withering worthless organization.
bearista...@gmail.com
"The Liberal Godless flower children do not compromise the majority.
And
don't go throwing polls around. You can make a poll anything you want
too. Americans, realize the hard choice that had to be made, and
realize how much better off we will be. It's just sad that the
Democrats used the war to vilify and belittle the President thinking it
will justify their existance. It will backfire, and the Democrats will
find themselves a withering worthless organization."
Here is a question for you and Art.
Where in the hell are Bush's twins? Talk about flower children? Do you
think for once they are at Walter Reed helping the wounded? Do you
think they belong to a National Gaurd unit? Huh? We are at war
dudes...a war against terror! Or so our pres tells us. He keeps
reminding you of 9-11. It is of utmost importance we fight this war of
terror in a country that was not involved!
The Bush twins are folowing in their fathers footsteps and partying the
asses off, while the solders are getting their asses blown off.
What war efforts have you made? Are you in active servce? Have you
been? Or are you a chickenhawk like Cheney or Rumsfeld? Are you
comserving fuel? Just some qestions.
And just after the pres is campaigning about national security, along
comes Katrina? How safe are you? Huh?
? R. L. Measures
Kevin Z <k.zoe...@comcast.net> wrote:
> For every General who thinks Rumsfield should resign, for every
> disgruntled Captain, you will find a hundred who love their Country,
> trust their government and will tell you to pack sand.
>
*** Kevin -- So far, six retired generals have come out against
Rumsfeld and G. W. Show us 600 generals who think those two dudes are
doing right by this country.
--
Rich. 805.386.3734
• R. L. Measures
John Manning <jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote:
However, Americans who hold stock in Haliburton do.
--
Rich. 805.386.3734
John Manning
> John Manning wrote:
>> Kevin Z wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> For every General who thinks Rumsfield should resign, for every
>>> disgruntled Captain, you will find a hundred who love their Country,
>>> trust their government and will tell you to pack sand.
>>>
>>> Where is their voice? It's lost in the liberal, America hating rant.
>>
>>
>> The American people don't believe in this bullshit war, Kevin.
>
>
> The Liberal Godless flower children do not compromise the majority. And
> don't go throwing polls around. You can make a poll anything you want
> too. Americans, realize the hard choice that had to be made, and
> realize how much better off we will be. It's just sad that the
> Democrats used the war to vilify and belittle the President thinking it
> will justify their existance. It will backfire, and the Democrats will
> find themselves a withering worthless organization.
What you're doing is called 'wishful thinking', Kevin.
John Manning
On Saturday, Wesley Clark, the former NATO supreme allied commander who
sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, became the latest
retired officer to call for Mr Rumsfeld's resignation.
http://smh.com.au/news/world/white-house-uses-big-guns-to-defend-rumsfeld/2006/04/16/1145126006353.html
• R. L. Measures
John Manning <jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote:
> ? R. L. Measures wrote:
> > In article <Xo-dnR93FsJx7d_Z...@comcast.com>,
> > Kevin Z <k.zoe...@comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> >> For every General who thinks Rumsfield should resign, for every
> >> disgruntled Captain, you will find a hundred who love their Country,
> >> trust their government and will tell you to pack sand.
> >>
> > *** Kevin -- So far, six retired generals have come out against
> > Rumsfeld and G. W. Show us 600 generals who think those two dudes are
> > doing right by this country.
>
>
> On Saturday, Wesley Clark, the former NATO supreme allied commander who
> sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, became the latest
> retired officer to call for Mr Rumsfeld's resignation.
** yeah, but he's a goddamned Democrat. As I see it, the problem is
not Rummy, it's that the ex draft-dodger whose orders he follows is a
dummy.
--
Rich. 805.386.3734
John Manning
> In article <5OudnSj0W8V...@giganews.com>,
> John Manning <jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote:
>
>> ? R. L. Measures wrote:
>>> In article <Xo-dnR93FsJx7d_Z...@comcast.com>,
>>> Kevin Z <k.zoe...@comcast.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> For every General who thinks Rumsfield should resign, for every
>>>> disgruntled Captain, you will find a hundred who love their Country,
>>>> trust their government and will tell you to pack sand.
>>>>
>>> *** Kevin -- So far, six retired generals have come out against
>>> Rumsfeld and G. W. Show us 600 generals who think those two dudes are
>>> doing right by this country.
>>
>> On Saturday, Wesley Clark, the former NATO supreme allied commander who
>> sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, became the latest
>> retired officer to call for Mr Rumsfeld's resignation.
>
> ** yeah, but he's a goddamned Democrat.
Does that make him automatically wrong?
> As I see it, the problem is
> not Rummy, it's that the ex draft-dodger whose orders he follows is a
> dummy.
They're both too many bricks short of a load, and dangerous.
Kevin Z
> Kevin Z posts
> "The Liberal Godless flower children do not compromise the majority.
> And
> don't go throwing polls around. You can make a poll anything you want
> too. Americans, realize the hard choice that had to be made, and
> realize how much better off we will be. It's just sad that the
> Democrats used the war to vilify and belittle the President thinking it
> will justify their existance. It will backfire, and the Democrats will
> find themselves a withering worthless organization."
>
> Here is a question for you and Art.
> Where in the hell are Bush's twins?
Don't know, Don't care. What has the mans children got to do with
anything. Please don't judge me my by the stupid things my kids have
done, So I don't judge him.
Talk about flower children? Do you
> think for once they are at Walter Reed helping the wounded? Do you
> think they belong to a National Gaurd unit? Huh? We are at war
> dudes...a war against terror! Or so our pres tells us. He keeps
> reminding you of 9-11. It is of utmost importance we fight this war of
> terror in a country that was not involved!
> The Bush twins are folowing in their fathers footsteps and partying the
> asses off, while the solders are getting their asses blown off.
> What war efforts have you made?
Are you in active servce? Have you
> been? Or are you a chickenhawk like Cheney or Rumsfeld?
Now your getting personal when you have not a clue.
I am a retired Gunnery Sergeant, United States Marine Corps
I have a Son in the Air Force
And a Son in the Army. Who has already done one tour in Iraq, and
getting ready for another one.
You sir, can kiss my ass.
Are you
> comserving fuel? Just some qestions.
If you want the price of fuel to go down, then quit buying it. We live
in a supply and demand economy not a presidential decree economy.
> And just after the pres is campaigning about national security, along
> comes Katrina? How safe are you? Huh?
>
Katrina, what a disaster. When are the worthless democrat Governor and
Mayor going to get their just due. Sure, blame it all on Bush.
John P
There are more colours than black and white. There are more than just
democrats who strongly disagree with the president and his war.
• R. L. Measures
John Manning <jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote:
> € R. L. Measures wrote:
> > In article <5OudnSj0W8V...@giganews.com>,
> > John Manning <jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote:
> >
> >> ? R. L. Measures wrote:
> >>> In article <Xo-dnR93FsJx7d_Z...@comcast.com>,
> >>> Kevin Z <k.zoe...@comcast.net> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> For every General who thinks Rumsfield should resign, for every
> >>>> disgruntled Captain, you will find a hundred who love their Country,
> >>>> trust their government and will tell you to pack sand.
> >>>>
> >>> *** Kevin -- So far, six retired generals have come out against
> >>> Rumsfeld and G. W. Show us 600 generals who think those two dudes are
> >>> doing right by this country.
> >>
> >> On Saturday, Wesley Clark, the former NATO supreme allied commander who
> >> sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, became the latest
> >> retired officer to call for Mr Rumsfeld's resignation.
> >
> > ** yeah, but he's a goddamned Democrat.
>
>
> Does that make him automatically wrong?
>
• Butt of course.
>
> > As I see it, the problem is
> > not Rummy, it's that the ex draft-dodger whose orders he follows is a
> > dummy.
>
> They're both too many bricks short of a load, and dangerous.
• Sure, but Rummy is one his lap dogs, and lap dogs take orders.
--
Rich. 805.386.3734
cliff...@yahoo.co.uk
->>> As I see it, the problem is
->>> not Rummy, it's that the ex draft-dodger whose orders he
->>> follows is a dummy.
->>
->> They're both too many bricks short of a load, and dangerous.
->
->· Sure, but Rummy is one his lap dogs, and lap dogs take orders.
It would be interesting to know which one of these lying, incompetent
Neocons are most responsibile for the mess in Iraq. Just as an example,
take the situation with the armor for our soldiers and marines. In
December 2004, one of our troops ask Rumsfeld the following question:
"Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of
scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?"
Rumsfeld gave the following response: "As you know, you have to go to
war with the Army you have, not the Army you want."
So, was the decision to scrimp on spending money for armor Bush's or
was it Rumsfeld's? We might never know. Just in the way of a reminder
of one reason Rumsfeld is under attack, though, here's a CNN article
from 2005:
"CNN
Mark Shields
'Best trained, best equipped' baloney
WASHINGTON (Creators Syndicate) -- In the three years immediately after
Pearl Harbor, the United States, a nation of 132 million people with a
gross domestic product of less than $100 billion, produced the
following to win World War II:
296,429 aircraft,
102,351 tanks,
87,620 warships,
372,431 artillery pieces and
2,455,694 trucks.
Compare those heroic achievements to the current, dismal supply record
as the U.S. war in Iraq is fast approaching its third year and the
United States, now a nation of nearly 300 million with defense spending
in excess of half a trillion dollars:
Only 5,910 of the 19,584 Humvees U.S. troops in Iraq today depend upon
are protected with factory-installed armor;
8,002 of the 9,128 medium and heavyweight trucks transporting soldiers
and supplies in that war zone are without armor. Because of the
incompetence or indifference of this nation's civilian leadership of
the war, Americans in Iraq are tonight living with an increased risk of
death in Iraq.
All the official transcripts of White House signing ceremonies for
every defense spending bill, all the presidential proclamations for
Veterans Day and every prepared statement by the secretary of defense
before a congressional committee include the same stock phrase.
U.S. troops are invariably referred to as "the best trained, best
equipped" ever. Best equipped? To call today's American troops Iraq
"best equipped" is more than a counterfeit exaggeration, it is bilge,
baloney.
An America coming out of the Great Depression somehow found the
leadership and the will to build and to deploy around the globe 2.5
million tanks in the same period of time that the incumbent American
government has failed to get 30,000 fully armored vehicles to Iraq.
The Bush administration has appropriated $34.3 billion on a theoretical
missile defense system -- which proved again this week to be an
expensive dud in its first test in two years, when the "kill vehicle"
never got off the ground to intercept the target missile carrying a "
mock" bomb -- but has been able up to now, according to congressional
budget authorities, to spend just $2 billion to armor the vehicles of
Americans under fire.
Nobody has been more persistent in holding the Pentagon and the White
House accountable than maverick Mississippi Democrat Rep. Gene Taylor,
who serves on the House Armed Services Committee.
"When I visit Iraq," says Taylor, "I ride around in an armored vehicle,
and I am sure the secretary (of defense) does, as well. That should be
the single standard: If it is good enough for the big-shots, it is good
enough for every American soldier."
The armor is truly a matter of life and death, as the Mississippi
congressman explains: "Half of all our casualties, half of all our
deaths and half of all our wounded are the direct result of improvised
explosive devices [IEDs, or homemade bombs]." But when Washington
officials visit Iraq, their traveling security includes not only
heavily armored vehicles, but also radio-signal jammers, which can
disable the IEDs.
What makes Taylor authentically angry is the inexcusable failure of the
U.S. brass -- Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, he names -- to provide radio
jammers (which cost $10,000 each) to the fewer than 30,000 U.S.
military vehicles in Iraq.
How many U.S. vehicles are now equipped with jammers? The Pentagon
insists the figure is classified. According to Taylor, the number is "
miniscule." But because he is offended by visiting corporate CEOs and
deputy assistant secretaries of weights and measures getting better
protection than Marine lance corporals and Army privates, Taylor would
not appreciate that funds for the jammers have probably already been
dedicated to underwriting the next failed missile defense test.
"A jammer costs about $10,000, and it probably costs about $10,000 to
bury a dead GI. I believe Americans would rather the spend the $10,000
to prevent the GI's funeral being held."
Gene Taylor is right. Every American has a moral obligation to make
certain that the nation's troops are truly the world's " best
equipped."
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/12/20/best.trained/index.html
•R.L. Measures
"cliff...@yahoo.co.uk" <cliff...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> ->>> As I see it, the problem is
> ->>> not Rummy, it's that the ex draft-dodger whose orders he
> ->>> follows is a dummy.
> ->>
> ->> They're both too many bricks short of a load, and dangerous.
> ->
> ->=B7 Sure, but Rummy is one his lap dogs, and lap dogs take orders.
• The laugher is that "illegals" are contributing billions of dollars
annually to the Social Security trust fund -- which helps pay for Bush's
War.
--
Richard Measures, 805-386-3734
Richard Measures
• But John, Rumsfeld has tried to resign several times but G. W. Bush
won't let him !
--
Rich, 805-386-3734
Richard Measures
<jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote:
> • R. L. Measures wrote:
> > In article <5OudnSj0W8V...@giganews.com>,
> > John Manning <jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote:
> >
> >> ? R. L. Measures wrote:
> >>> In article <Xo-dnR93FsJx7d_Z...@comcast.com>,
> >>> Kevin Z <k.zoe...@comcast.net> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> For every General who thinks Rumsfield should resign, for every
> >>>> disgruntled Captain, you will find a hundred who love their Country,
> >>>> trust their government and will tell you to pack sand.
> >>>>
> >>> *** Kevin -- So far, six retired generals have come out against
> >>> Rumsfeld and G. W. Show us 600 generals who think those two dudes are
> >>> doing right by this country.
> >>
> >> On Saturday, Wesley Clark, the former NATO supreme allied commander who
> >> sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, became the latest
> >> retired officer to call for Mr Rumsfeld's resignation.
> >
> > ** yeah, but he's a goddamned Democrat.
>
>
> Does that make him automatically wrong?
• Dems is always wrong.
>
>
> > As I see it, the problem is
> > not Rummy, it's that the ex draft-dodger whose orders he follows is a
> > dummy.
>
> They're both too many bricks short of a load, and dangerous.
--
Rich, 805-386-3734
Richard Measures
"cliff...@yahoo.co.uk" <cliff...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> ->>> As I see it, the problem is
> ->>> not Rummy, it's that the ex draft-dodger whose orders he
> ->>> follows is a dummy.
> ->>
> ->> They're both too many bricks short of a load, and dangerous.
> ->
> ->=B7 Sure, but Rummy is one his lap dogs, and lap dogs take orders.
>
> It would be interesting to know which one of these lying, incompetent
> Neocons are most responsibile for the mess in Iraq.
*** I'll bet a 10-lb sack of # 7 1/2 birdshot that it's one from West Texas,
>...
--
Rich, 805-386-3734
John Manning
Who needs 'permission' to resign?
Richard Measures
<jrob...@terra.com.br> wrote:
• People who work for G. W. apparently.
--
Rich, 805-386-3734
GMAN
John Manning
Non-sequitur.