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Election Day November 7, 2006
Cast your Ballot
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| SUPPORT THE TROOPS
The legacy of the Vietnam vet is the fact that no American will put the "bad mouth" on soldiers. Plain and simple, everyone at least says they support the troops.
The latest controversy has the Repubs after John Kerry for a gaft in mentioning Iraq ( John Kerry: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq").
If you think about it, Kerry's statement, although he probably could have rephrased to sound better, rings true.
The voluntary military is a product, and a good one, I might add, of working class Americans.
The vast majority of members of the Armed Forces are not representative of the upper socioeconomic class by any stretch of the imagination. No one, least of all, Congress, wants to admit this. And, the Army surely will not; they equate numbers with success and nothing is further from the truth.
Poor kids are fighting our wars and we need to admit and face it. And, in a sense, it has always been this way, but more so now than every before.
The litmus test of our policy in Iraq, our "gone haywire policy", if there ever was one, is "Support the Troops". We do, everyone does, at least with words.
But, John Kerry, unwittingly, recognized the elephant in the room; supporting the troops is more than words. It is making hard decisions; it is having a policy that makes sense; it is having an exit strategy that is going to work.
Based on the chaos now in Iraq, we better have an exit strategy, i. e., remember the lasting picture of Vietnam and helicopters on the roof of the American embassy. Fall Of Saigon
(Photo Above: US soldiers stand on a roadside as they patrol the outskirts of Kabul. Italian photojournalist Gabriele Torsello has been released in southern Afghanistan after being held three weeks by abductors who demanded the withdrawal of Italian troops from the country.(AFP/Shah Marai) )
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| The Troops Have a Little Fun With John Kerry?
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This photo is so funny. Now, how would you interpret it: making fun of Kerry, castigating him, truly wanting help(I don't think so) or just making a joke. Don't we make life so complicated?
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(AP Photo/Ann Johansson)
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What has happened to John Kerry? Let's just call him Fighting John. He is definitely a reinvented, Raging Bull.
In the old days, Kerry acted presidential and kind of looked dismayed when the hypocritical swiftboat vets lied about his heroism, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
Here's what I think: John can't get the swiftboat vets questioning his patriotism out of his crawl. Well, get over it, John; politics in the form of present day desperation is after you. The Prez says that you owe the troops an apology. What he is really saying is you can't question what I'm doing. And, the mantra that he wants to use is "support the troops."
Coming from some of the political quarters, support the troops is pretty hollow if you ask me. One of the architects of the war in Iraq, the VP, had other priorities during Vietnam and didn't serve, not unlike many of his cohorts. It has always been ironic to me that those who served in the military often get castigated for their patriotism by those who didn't serve.
The epitome of physical loss, was that of the former senator from Georgia, Max Cleland, who was severely wounded in Vietnam(lost both legs and right forearm). Yet, in the final analysis, he lost his senate seat to a guy who had never served and questioned his patriotism (ads which featured Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein). The MF!
Well, John is not going to take it anymore. Here's what he said before a college audience Monday that gave the Prez ammunition, "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq" And, John is telling the truth. Who do you think is fighting the war in Iraq? It is not the sons and daughters of doctors and lawyers or investment bankers, or anybody who has any real prospects, especially for college.
I don't want to put words in John's mouth, but what he appears to be saying is that you are here (in college) because you have prospects, make the most of it. And, those who are not as fortunate as you decided on the military and are in Iraq. And, I might add for John, "they are off fighting the war for you."
Wednesday, John Kerry, bowed to pressure from both Republicans and Democrats and issued an apology "I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform and I personally apologize to any service member, family member or American who was offended."
Kerry has decided to disappear for a while so he will not be a distraction to the political campaigns to the Democrats delight. I am sure the Republicans are dismayed because they wanted to use this as a political issue.
Will the Republicans let this issue go? I doubt it. I heard they are working on radio and TV commericals already using Kerry's comments. KT
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Commentary
