We Texans love our military. We have a rich history of answering the call to defend both our state and this nation. This video is an awesome example of just one Texan’s mission to honor every fallen Texan possible. Make sure you have something to wipe away the tears before pushing play.
Honor the Fallen Bell Ringer from You Served Radio & Blog on Vimeo.
I’ve often spoken about the real Iraq. When we hear the word “Fallujah” we automatically think terrorists, insurgents, death, hate, destruction, etc. But, that’s the Iraq I remember. At least not all of it.
Of course, there are people and places that hated me. Within Fallujah, there were many. But, also within Fallujah there were a lot of people that frequently invited my team into their home and fed us and offered tea and coffee. I frequently certain areas of the city to meet with “friends” who helped us quite a bit. There were Iraqis that would visit us at our outposts and security points and bring us freshly baked bread and sodas.
I say this because it’s good to read a recent story in the Army Times about some Iraqis who have come back here to both learn about the real American culture and talk about their homeland.
“Iraq is not a place just for bombing … not a place just for American soldiers to be killed. There are people living there, they have their own life. There are some cities that are safe and some places that have their danger,” [Nawras Mahmood] said.
But many Iraqis are educated, open-minded and eager to learn, Mahmood said.
“They are wearing jeans and T-shirts and having their normal life. We don’t have camels that we ride in the city,” she joked.
“When I started thinking about America, I thought tall buildings, lots of people, traffic. That’s not what it’s like here. People are very relaxed,” said Veyan Agha, a medical student, as she discussed the group’s weekend trip to St. Louis.
I tell my wife all the time that I have a real desire to see Iraq become a safe and prosperous country to which I can one day take my family. It’s a beautiful country full of history and great people. I’m glad to see that there are people willing to come over here and tell their story. I just wish we could do the same and send people over to also talk about our culture. People besides Code Pink!
You can read about some of my experiences on my other blog HERE.
That’s where we’re headed, in my opinion. Why? Because of this:
Anthony Graber, a Maryland Air National Guard staff sergeant, faces up to 16 years in prison. His crime? He videotaped his March encounter with a state trooper who pulled him over for speeding on a motorcycle. Then Graber put the video — which could put the officer in a bad light — up on YouTube.
If that’s the case, get rid of every police camera out there immediately!
A bunch of Marines give shouts out to their friends and families. I wanted to make them more easily accessible and available:
LCPL Benjamin Gomes sends a shout out to family and friends in Bangor, Maine.
CPL William Wieleba Sends a shout out to family and friends in Salisbury, Md.
LCPL Clifton Perkins Sends a shout out to family and friends in Glasgow, Ky.
LCPL Annie Lyons Sends a shout out to family and friends in Manchester, N.H.
LCPL David Arango sends a shout out to family and friends in West Haven, Conn.
Save the best and loudest for last!
LCPL Joseph Stinnette sends a shout out to family and friends in Gloucester, Va.
Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who most recently commanded all U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, retired today in a ceremony here near his Fort McNair home.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, awards the Distinguished Service Medal to U.S. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal as he stands with is wife, Annie, during a retirement ceremony on Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C., July 23, 2010. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry D. Morrison
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates called McChrystal one of America’s greatest warriors and a treasured friend and colleague.
“We bid farewell to Stan McChrystal today with pride and sadness,” Gates said. “Pride for his unique record as a man and soldier; sadness that our comrade and his prestigious talents are leaving us.
“This consummate ranger possessed one of the sharpest and most inquisitive minds in the Army,” the secretary continued.
McChrystal’s contributions to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were groundbreaking, Gates said, as the general “employed every tool available” to create success on the battlefield.
“Over the past decade, no single American has inflicted more fear and more loss of life on our country’s most vicious and violent enemies than Stan McChrystal,” he said. “Commanding special operation forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, Stan was a pioneer in creating a revolution in warfare that fused intelligence and operations.”
And when violence in Iraq seemed almost unstoppable in 2006 and 2007, McChrystal and his special operators all but “crushed al-Qaida,” Gates said.
“It was a campaign that was well underway before the surge, … when so many had given up hope in our mission there,” Gates said. “Stan McChrystal never lost faith in his troopers, never relented, never gave up on Iraq.
“And his efforts played a decisive part in the dramatic security gains that now allow Iraq to move forward as a democracy and drawdown U.S. forces there.”
Pentagon officials called on McChrystal again last year, after deciding the mission in Afghanistan needed “new thinking, new energy and new leadership,” Gates said. McChrystal was without a doubt the best leader for the job, he added.
“I wanted the very best warrior-general in our armed forces for this fight,” Gates said. “I needed to be able to tell myself, the president and the troops that we had the very best possible person in charge in Afghanistan. I owed that to the troops there and the American people.”
Gates also recognized McChrystal’s wife, Annie, and son, Sam, for their support to the nation.
“Like so many Army families since 9/11 …, they have endured long separations from their husband and dad, and like so many families, they have done so with grace and resilience,” Gates said.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said McChrystal is a true warrior and professional, calling him one of the most experienced and successful officers in today’s Army.
His career has been unique and amazing, Casey said, noting his various assignments in special warfare units, as well as positions on the Joint Staff and as commander of forces in Afghanistan.
“Stan has had a truly remarkable career in both peace and war,” Casey said. “He has walked the career path of a warrior, scholar and statesman.
“[McChrystal’s] operational experiences span the entire spectrum of conflict,” Casey continued. “The truth is that Stan has done more to carry the fight to al-Qaida since 2001 than any other person in [the Defense Department], and possibly the country.”
McChrystal was always admired by his troops, and always dedicated to them and his country, Casey said. McChrystal leaves a legacy of service that will be emulated for decades, he added.
“I can’t think of no officer who’s had more impact on this country’s battle against extremism,” he said. “For 34 years, Stan McChrystal … his face has been marred by the dust and sweat of combat. He is a warrior … our Army and our nation will deeply miss him.”
McChrystal resigned amid controversy last month after Rolling Stone magazine published a high-profile article in which the general and his aides made disparaging comments about top Obama administration officials.
President Barack Obama nominated Army Gen. David H. Petraeus for the job on June 23. Petraeus was confirmed by the Senate on June 30.
“This has the potential to be an awkward, or even a sad occasion,” McChrystal said. “With my resignation, I left a mission I feel strongly about. I ended a career I loved that began over 38 years ago, and I left unfulfilled commitments I made to many comrades in the fight.
“My service did not end as I would have wished,” he continued. “Still Annie and I aren’t approaching the future with sadness, but with hope.”
McChrystal said his career has amassed some amazing moments and memories, but it’s the people he served with who he will remember most. He noted the many officers and enlisted soldiers he rose through the ranks with, as well as civilians he worked with in Afghanistan.
“It’s always about the people,” he said. “It was about the soldiers who were well trained; the young sergeants who emerged from the ranks with strength, discipline, commitment and courage.
“To have shared so much with, and been so dependent on people of such courage, integrity and selflessness, taught me to believe,” he said.
None had more of an impact on McChrystal throughout his life and career than his wife, he said.
“She’s always been there when it mattered,” he said. The McChrystals are high school sweethearts who’ve been married for 33 years. “As we conclude a career together, it’s important for you to know that she was there.
“She was there when my father commissioned me a second lieutenant of infantry, and she was waiting some months later when I emerged from Ranger School,” he said. “As the years passed and the fight grew every more difficult and deadly, Annie’s quiet courage gave me strength I would never otherwise have found.”
McChrystal’s service spanned four decades. He assumed command in Afghanistan in June 2009, following then-commander Army Gen. David McKiernan’s resignation. Obama’s order for an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan was based on McChrystal’s assessment of the war there.
Before serving in Afghanistan, McChrystal was the director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He also served as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., and its forward-deployed command, where he led special operation troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
During his five-year command with JSOC, he oversaw special operations in successful missions that captured Saddam Hussein, killed al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab Zarqawi, as well as other high-profile capture-kill missions.
McChrystal graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1976. He was commissioned as an infantry officer, and spent most of his career commanding special operations and airborne infantry units.
As I leave the Army to those with responsibilities to carry on, I’d say service in this business is tough and often dangerous,” McChrystal said. “If I had it to do over again, I’d do some things in my career differently, but not many. I trust in people, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
You can see the C-SPAN video of the retirement ceremony and catch General McChrystal’s speech HERE.
WorldNetDaily has a story up today about the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act of 2009. In making its findings with respect to this law, Congress stated that the “local, State, and Federal Government entities involved with getting ballots to military and overseas voters must work in conjunction to provide voter registration services and balloting materials in a secure and expeditious manner.”
It mandates that states create procedures for absentee military voters to request and states to provide “by mail or electronically voter registration applications and absentee ballot applications with respect to general, special, primary, and runoff elections for Federal office.” The law does not mandate any special provisions for state elections. It mandates that absentee voters and deployed military personnel receive their ballots no later than 45 days prior to an election.
Unfortunately, Obama’s Justice Department doesn’t care. Incumbents – of which, the majority are Democrats – are facing a tough election year in which members of every party are at risk of losing their seats. Knowing that the majority of military personnel are conservatives, it doesn’t strike me as odd that Eric Holder wants to disenfranchise military voters. Had Minnesota’s military vote been counted, the election of Stuart Smalley may not have occurred.
In an opinion piece written for the Washington Times, M. Eric Eversole – director of the Military Voter Protection (MVP) Project and a former litigation attorney in the Voting Section of the U.S. Department of Justice – tells all about how the Department of Justice is screwing troops:
Before the 2008 election, at least 10 states and the District of Columbia provided military voters with just 35 days or fewer to receive and return their ballots. Overall, the Pew Center on the States found that “more than a third of states [did] not provide military voters stationed abroad with enough time to vote or [were] at high risk of not providing enough time.”
Yet the primary entity responsible for protecting military voters, the Voting Section, decided not to pursue those states even though federal law (i.e., the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) gave the section wide latitude to protect military voters. The law merely requires proof that the state did not provide a military member with a reasonable opportunity, including sufficient time, to vote by absentee ballot. Given the overwhelming evidence on mail delivery times, these cases could have and should have been brought.
There is no doubt that the Voting Section’s decision disenfranchised thousands of military members. According to the Election Assistance Commission, more than 17,000 military and overseas voters were disenfranchised in 2008 because their ballots arrived after the deadline and had to be rejected. Thousands more were disenfranchised when their ballots never arrived or were received too close to the election to be returned.
Read the entire piece here. Perhaps, a letter writing campaign to our Congressmen and women is in order as we face one of the most important elections in the history of our lives.
I’ve been super busy since returning from leave and decided to get back into the swing of things with a bit of controversy that i’m sure most of my readers will disagree with. So, i’m giving you bottom line up front and then ask that you continue reading. As currently written, I believe that the Stolen Valor Act is unconstitutional! BOOM BABY!! 
With that said, the intention behind it is honorable and I find the people guilty of “violating” the Act dispicable, vile, and some of the lowest forms of life in the country – just under politicians. Now, let me explain. I’ll start with the Constitution itself:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
The word “abridge” in the Constitution is the legal synonym meaning “deprive of, dispossess of, disseise, divest of, expropriate, limit, restrict, seize, strip, take away, usurp, wrest from”, etc. Therefore, Congress can make “no law” that will restrict “the freedom of speech.” Now, let’s take a look at the actual wording of the Stolen Valor Act.
“Whoever falsely represents himself or herself, verbally or in writing, to have been awarded any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces of the United States, any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces, the ribbon, button, or rosette of any such badge, decoration, or medal, or any colorable imitation of such item shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than six months, or both.’’
The emphasis being mine, this is the part that concerns me as a libertarian and constitutionalist. We have that document for a reason. It is the basis of our legal system and MUST be adhered to – or amended through a constitutional convention. As worded the mere utterance, whether in braggadocio or in fun, that one was awarded a military decoration is punishable. That, by definition, violates the abridgement clause of the 1st Amendment.
I was awarded the Silver Star medal. See that? I just violated the SVA. Even though you and I both know it’s not true, according to the law, I just commited a crime and am subject to prison time and fines as written.
We all know that we can’t have people running around in military and police uniforms. Where I think the SVA needs to be fixed is when citizens use their free speech bragging rights to commit fraud. When someone claims to be the recipient of a military decoration they never received in order to obtain a benefit or material gain is where the law should kick in. But then, the crime falls under fraud charges. Yes, the government will have a more difficult time proving fraud.
As I said before, I’m utterly and profainly disgusted with fake Soldiers (ie: IVAW). They are the scum suckers of the earth and can potentially give troops a bad name. However, I contend that only troops themselves can give troops a bad name. No one marching around in a fake uniform and surplus store medals is degraded what I know I earned. Only I can degrade or defame my accomplishments. I am opposed to this law not out of emotion, but out of legal standing.
I love the intent of the SVA, but I don’t want laws passed on what people think is or is not a good idea. I want laws passed that are for the good of the people AND comply with the Constitution of the United States – the document I’m sworn to uphold.
This all comes from a recent decision by US District Court Judge Robert Blackburn that dismissed a case against veteran imposter Rick Strandlof, also known as Rick Duncan. While Duncan/Strandlof is a putrid loser, I can’t help but agree with Blackburn.
“I acknowledge that there is much irony, to put it gently, in concluding that the core values of our system of governance, which our military men and women serve to defend with their very lives, are here invoked to protect false claims,” Blackburn wrote in his decision. “I have profound faith – a faith that appears to be questioned by the government here – that the reputation, honor, and dignity military decorations embody are not so tenuous or ephemeral as to be erased by the mere utterance of a false claim of entitlement.”
Unfortunately, I disagree with completely dismissing this particular case. Strandlof actually collected money based on his lies – fraud. While he shouldn’t be prosecuted for lying about being a Soldier or recipient of medals, he SHOULD be charged with fraud for misrepresenting himself to basically scam money from people. That is where the law should be focused.
One may argue that we can’t just let these idiots get away with lying about medals and service. I agree! That is why have groups like VAWatchdog.org, This Ain’t Hell, and other milblogs. Public humiliation is usually far worse than any jail time could ever be. Once one of these dirtbags is outed, his future career prospects will be put in jeopardy and his standing in the community will be shot.
This isn’t just an anti-war, moron issue. Just this week, an Army Command Sergeant Major was relieved for similar stolen valor issues. While details haven’t been released as to exactly what he was wearing that he wasn’t entitled to, the fact that he was relieved of his command position speaks volumes. Normally, these issues are small – someone wearing a unit award from a previous assignment and mistakenly thinking they are still authorized to wear it; one too many knots on the Good Conduct Medal; etc. For a CSM to be relieved, something beyond a simple Article 15 and non-judicial punishment happened.
The bottom line is that we can’t go easy on these people, but we need to create laws that are consistent with the supreme law of the land – the United States Constitution. Unfortunately, the Stolen Valor Act is not!
The Blackfive Boys put up a post today about Iraq veteran Nick Popaditch who is running for public office. Popaditch is a Purple Heart recipient and the target of nasty attacks the focus not on issues or political topics, but his war injuries.
After sharing the link to this post on my Facebook page and urging people to take action, a good friend and great artist, Michael Sutherland created a response cartoon that better suits Popaditch’s sacrifice to this nation:
Michael is a part of Clayton’s “Untold Stories From Iraq and Afghanistan” project and you can find more of his work HERE, including this image.
That’s what Ethan McCord thinks those in the military are according to a quote he stands by on his Facebook page:
“War paralyzes your courage and deadens the spirit of true manhood. It degrades and stupefies with the sense that you are not responsible, that ’tis not yours to think and reason why, but to do and die,’ like the hundred thousand others doomed like yourself. War means blind obedience, unthinking stupidity, brutish callousness, wanton destruction, and irresponsible murder.”
—Alexander Berkman
Yup, the Russian anarchist and attempted murderer Alexander Berkman. THIS is the man that the anti-war crowd calls their hero and quotes.
Naturally, I thought the quote was kind of stupid and ignorant considering the man never served in combat or went to war at all. He’s never even served in the military, yet Ethan McCord freely quotes him – his right to do, of course.
Some may be asking why the name Ethan McCord sounds so familiar. He, along with fellow anti-war former Soldier Josh Stieber, were the ones that wrote the public apology to the families of the people killed in the infamous Wikileaks video that the treasonous PFC Bradley Manning illegally released. These anti-war folks like to call the war illegal while ironically supporting people who break the law.
My response to the above quote was simple: “Berkman sounds pretty ignorant. Obviously didn’t serve in the American military.” But, boy did it rub the nerves of one of McCord’s leftist, anti-war loons. I call him a loon because he’s all over the map like every liberal loon idiot (which doesn’t describe liberal fan and reader Bob Allen at all, by the way) blaming Halliburton, an “illegal occupation”, and blaming America for the world’s woes.
McCord’s supporter responded broadly.
“What are you talking about Grisham. There is no difference between the way we have been conducting war, and the way other nations have. And I have served and continue to serve.”
No difference, eh? To which nations are we being compared? Iran? North Korea? Iraq, circa 1990′s? So, I made some more points and asked some simple questions:
So Eric, you’re saying that you and I are stupid,callous, murderers? Sorry but that doesn’t describe me or the Soldiers I’ve deployed with and continue to serve with. If that DOES describe you, I highly suggest you stop serving and do the nation a favor.
I’m not sure why he continues to use my last name in responding to me, but that’s okay. We are in the military and that is how Soldiers are generally addressed. His response is where he starts to reveal his true colors:
Grisham. I don’t know you, therefore I can’t comment whether you are stupid, callous or a murderer. I certainly am not. However, during my combat experiences I certainly did things that I probably wouldn’t have done if I was in a more mature or experienced frame of mind. And I certainly saw decisions made and missions conducted that were just so far of the mark of rational thought that it was disturbing. So, most people in the armed services are good people, and I enjoy serving my country for these people. And it is quite audacious of you to suggest that I should stop serving my country. However, there are also plenty of sociopaths and murderrs among our ranks. And I do feel it is our responsibility to speak out against them and their actions, because we are “supposed” to be better than that. All I am saying is Americans are capable of every villainous act that any other group of people are. And like it or not, we have been trained to dehumanize all those who aren’t American. That is why we have terms like “bad guy” or “Haji” or “Sand Nigger.” As a result over 1.4 million Iraqi’s have died as a direct result of our occupation. And of course over 5,000 Americans in OIF. And there is no “Iraqi Freedom,” as a result. There still is not consistent delivery of electricity or running water commensurate to the pre-war levels. This war was illegal and wrong. It was conducted merely for interest of corporate profiteering and benefited no one other than the few who profited. We were “used.” I love my country, but I am not going to rally around the flag and rhetoric in order to ignore the facts.
I love how those that disagree with our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan resort to making cases out of small minorities. My reply:
Eric, your generalizations are just as bad as Berkman the anarchist. I’m not saying there are no bad soldiers in the military, but they are by no means enough of a minority to warrant such blanket statements.
I’ve only been under one command that seemed to allow (by neglect) statements and terms like those you quote above. Every other unit has made strict rules prohibiting them.
Your comment about 1.4 million Iraqis dying is just plain factually inaccurate. If that were true, more than 16500 Iraqis would have to be killed EVERY SINGLE MONTH since the [war started in March 2003]. Even the most ignorant and biased of estimates don’t come close. It’s a false argument used to make our military look bad and you are just propagating the myth. Even Iraq Body Count doesn’t come close to that. It’s a lie created by the idiots in IVAW, Code Pink, and ANSWER.
Saying that there us no Iraqi freedom is also a lie. They have numerous free elections, they now enjoy the modern technology of cell phones, internet, and satellite television that didn’t exist for the common citizen prior to my arrival in Baghdad in April 2003.
There is nothing “illegal” about this war, but we can easily disagree about whether it us wrong it not. It’s a matter of opinion. Please continue to speak out against the few that go beyond our duty to protect the innocent, take the law into their own hands, and give the good guys a bad name. I don’t regret a single life I’ve taken because each and every bullet that left my rifle and pistol was a legitimate Target.
I would throw your words back at you to talk facts instead of rhetoric, which your reply was full of.
As a matter of fact, the anti-war site, Iraq Body Count, lists its highest estimates at a mere 105,000 – nowhere near the 1.4 million that the ignorant anti-war left swears by. The site even laments that “it is unfortunate that the most careful and well-resourced survey work in this area (from the UNDP and WHO) has been scarcely visible, while the most flawed and inadequate work has dominated public discourse. This has been largely due to the shocking (but ultimately numbing) effect of their hugely exaggerated death toll figures.” And people like Ethan McCord and his fans continue to try and use these “surveys” to dominate all aspects of the media. Have you noticed too that those who were shoving those numbers in our faces throughout Bush’s term are strangely silent now in keeping tabs on body counts? Anyway, the response to my comment comes quickly:
About the Iraqi body count, I refer you to the work of Les Roberts, published in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal the Lancet, one article in 2003, the another in 2006, and I believe there are subsequent calculations to come to the current number of 1.4 million. His article fully explains how these numbers were derived. Furthermore, as a private citizen, in a forum such as this I can say whatever I want, as long as I don’t use my official title. And the free elections can’t even serve as a substitute for the destruction of infrastructure and loss of life and security that this people has suffered. Moreover, many of these elections at least in the beginning were manipulated by our state department. And cell phones and satellite TV exist throughout the Middle East, if they weren’t there under Sadam, they definitely would have found their way there. They were there when I arrived in OCT of 2003. Moreover, these tools of communication have nothing to do with “freedom.” That is like saying, well they didn’t have “McDonalds” before. Freedom involves human rights, access to adequate infrustructer, access to education, access to healthcare, the hope of upward social mobilitiy, adequate security and so on. And this war was absolutely illegal, and broke all kinds of international laws. And speaking out against the things we have done wrong, is not speaking out against the fine men and women who do serve our country. I am one of those people. And I certainly am not against shooting when being shot at. But I also am not foolheaded enough to think that we haven’t been the illegitimate aggressor on numerous occaisions. War is incredibly complex. Everyone understands that. Perhaps you should watch the film “What happened at Haditha,” which portrays this complexity adequately. We were supposed to win the hearts and minds and enable them to rebuild their country. We have not directed enough planning, effort, or resources toward that goal. But we certainly lined the pockets of KBR and Halliburton, and found a way to enable a parallel private Armies (e.g. Blackwater). Anyway…..I am sure we disagree on many things. Just because I have served with good people, should not obligate me to blind allegiance to incredibly misguided policies.
It’s interesting that of all the estimates and surveys done on this subject, Les Roberts’ survey is the only one that even approaches the million death mark. The study has been torn apart so many times for its methodology and the fact that there were no safeguards to ensure that deaths weren’t reported more than once by different families who may be of the same tribe or extended family reporting the same person multiple times. Furthermore, I never once mentioned that the writer couldn’t say anything he wanted. I just informed him he should be truthful about what he DOES say and refrain from misleading people. It’s a common tactic for a losing argument – feign being attacked. I responded to most of these point, but some were obviously so asinine that they weren’t worth arguing over.
Again, you come with more rhetoric and no facts. The fact – FACT – is that they were not allowed to own those “tools of communication” but can now is called freedom. And, if they had a McDonalds now, something they never had before, is a change due to government regulation and oppression, then that fits the definition of freedom too. Now, if they didn’t have a McDonalds because the people didn’t want it or because it violated some sort of constitutional practice, THEN your point would be valid and less rhetorical.
Freedom does involve human rights, something nonexistent before we removed SAddam. I personally saw the skeletons of human beings thrown in Uday’s lion’s cage in Baghdad. I spoke with victims of his atrocities, men who were castrated for refusing to allowing Saddam to take their daughters. Don’t even get me started on “adequate infrastructure” when electrical grids everywhere BUT Baghdad and Tikrit consisted of thousands of wires and cables strewn loosely and lowly above the streets and routed through large, dilapidated generators. The streets were the sewers. Farmers weren’t allowed to cultivate their crops without permission from the government, regardless of whether or not they were ready.
Have you been to Iraq? The people love us there now. As a matter of fact, they loved us when I was there. Yeah, we screwed royally in some cases (Abu Ghraib being the grossest example), but we aren’t the killers and murderers you’re trying to portray us as.
You say it’s illegal. Cite the “international laws” that were broken. Meanwhile, I’ll cite several “international laws” that authorized the use of force: UN Resolutions 660, 678, 1382, and finally 1441 in November 2002. Facts, not rhetoric. You used the term, now abide by it.
That includes your so-called 1.4 million figure. Are you honestly saying that at least 16,000 Iraqis have been killed EVERY SINGLE MONTH since March 2003? That’s the only way 1.4 million Iraqis could have been killed. If you are saying that, provide the facts, not more rhetoric.
The reason I bring this into the public forum is to basically further show the kind of person that Ethan McCord is. But, it’s also bring to a public discourse. Do you or someone you know still believe in the 1.4 million number? If so, I want to hear where these facts come from. I want someone to tell me that they honestly believe that over 16,500 Iraqi civilians have been killed EVERY month since March 2003 when the highest monthly death toll doesn’t even reach 2500. I await your input as well as a response from my antagonizer on Facebook.
Here’s a name that I can’t recall seeing anywhere in the news, but thought you needed to know his name.
On July 4, 2010 – the 234th birthday of this great nation – PFC Ryan Buckles was stabbed to death while home on leave in Montana. Ryan was born on February 3, 1989 to Sheila Greybull and Morris Buckles in Williston, ND. In high school, he was voted Homecoming Prince and always had a smile on his face, according to family and friends.
PFC Buckles entered the U.S. Army in September 2008, stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY, and was preparing to be deployed to Afghanistan with the Headquarters Company 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment. Ryan was a fan of the North Carolina Tarheels, Denver Broncos, Oregon Ducks, and Portland Trailblazers and attended most sporting events with his cousin, Carlon.
Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, July 10, 2010 at the Poplar Cultural Center in Poplar, MT. Interment will follow at the Poplar City Cemetery in Poplar, MT.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer has ordered that the U.S. flag and the Montana flag be flown at half-staff on Saturday, July 10th, 2010. The alleged killer, Curtis Eder, has pleaded not guilty to murder and aggravated-assault charges in the case. His final post on Facebook was “on my way home to raise some hell.. chea”.
You Served's Claire talks about the life of a military spouse - the hardships, the joys, and everything in between.
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