I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
Just want to say that the DoD certainly know which side their bread is buttered; I get _Proceedings_ of the Naval Institute (not officially affiliated with the USN but close enough), and in the articles the tortured attempts to tie any spending into "counter-terrorism" is both tiresome and humorous.
Support Our Troops! Pay half your federal tax burden to support us!
Anybody remember the Air Force's recruiting slogan pre-9/11?
"Nobody Comes Close"
Indeed.
our tax dollars at work!
See that picture up top of the black soldier kissing his white wife/girlfriend? Pretty shocking for the wingnuts....
Andrew -- I think he's just sunburned.
Why do you people hate America so much?
I may be missing something here, but I do not see what the (implied?) criticism of this page is, other than "the DoD sucks because its P.R. flaks try to make enlisted people feel good".
This is not a web page devoted to extolling the virtues of the civilian leaders of the US armed forces, or one which speaks of the God-given mission they have to liberated the benighted eye-racki masses. It is basically asking people to understand that the folks doing the heavy lifting deserve some respect, and shows simple ways it can be given. On one level it is propaganda, but so is ALL public relations. So, the point Atrios is making, as I see it, is both trite and obvious. I would humbly suggest that the vitriol be reserved for the fools who are getting these good folks shot for no reason.
Uh, we all value freedom, but uh... freedom's not free you know... so that's why we were in Iraq and all... and still are, dying for your freedom....
It amazes me people buy the "Blood For Freedom" marketing pitch. Our country is built on it, but in this day and age to take it seriously...
Yeah, and Coke adds life too. Maybe we should ship a few crates over to all the dead soldiers and Iraqis since we're living in la la land here.
The men and women who faught and died in Iraq, and continue to day on a daily basis (see above post) may have been fighting for a lot of things... Dick Cheney's oil, to place military bases in strategic positions in the Mid East, to control the region, Wolfowitz's erection, to find WMB (yeah, right... and if you have a really high capacity for suspension of disbelief you can even say it was to help the Iraqi people.
But it has absutely nothing to do with my freedom, and in fact wartime is the time my freedom is most consistently threatened at home (and by the very same people who claim to be fighting for it).
People in the service fight alright, but my freedom is won at the demonstrations that opposed the war when citizens expressed their unpopular and even dangerous point of view. Freedom is faught for by the ACLU and other advocacy groups who are struggling to thwart the military tribunals, illegal detentions and proposed spy networks here at home.
Why does the DOD not design a web site thanking all those people who are TRULY fighting for freedom? Why has the President never mentioned the courage of those who went to demonstrations and stood up for their beliefs?
I keep expecting the President to deliver as speech, "And while we're on the subject of freedom, let's recognize all those brave Americans who are here at home... battling my proposed and active infringements on civil liberites, advocating for the release of loved ones my Justice department has locked away indefinitely, and communicating with others, working to overthrow my unlected totalitarian junta and restore freedom to the US. Let's hear it for them!"
"Just kidding!"
That rant was a little harsh. I haven't had my coffee yet
There are many pictures loaded up for the top of that file--a javascript refreshes it differently with each hit.
I found that guy kissing his white girl. I magnified in photoshop and he's as white as she is, just burned brown by the desert sun.
I'd like to make an addendum to Sen. Pryor's impeachment-era observation abouth the GOP:
Whenever they say 'it's not about the money', it's about the money.
Whenever they say 'it's 'not about the sex', it's about the sex.
Whenever they say 'it's about the freedom', it's not about the freedom.
God help the PBI (Poor Bloody Infantry.)
Sheesh, couldn't they have gotten some better former baseball players? Isn't freedom worth at least a Hall of Famer?
Krugman is so shrill.
Rich: Actually the top story on the news page is about Rumsfeld recieving an award for defending America. That part at least is certainly about praising political appointees.
But more than that, its just a little creepy for the government to keep a list of who is rallying for the troops. Sure it may not be used for anything, but it still smells of loyalty tests. If this same website were set up by a private citizen so be it, but the US government has no business doing this. I'm sure that by the end of the week all of the "strict constructionists" will be up in arms about this.
Jphil:
Point taken -- I missed the Rumsfeld crap. I think the people whose activities are listed on the site wrote in to let the government know what they're up to, so the concerns about privacy or whatever are not an issue, however.
Ultimately, this page is similar to whitehouse.gov -- it is thinly-disguised propaganda, paid for with your tax $$. Unlike wh.gov, however, it celebrates mostly real people making real sacrifices. I think Atrios showed poor editorial judgment in deciding to showcase his disapproval. There are many more important things to talk about -- this is dog bites man stuff, at best, and it makes us libruls look like we are against the folks actually on the ground.
Why do they call baseball players heros?
There is just something odd about this.
Sorry, I'm in a cynical mood....
I'm a little fixated on teh word 'Tribute,' in the imperial 'we kicked your ass, now give us your stuff' sense.
After veiwing that page and checking out another page on the DOD site marked "Photos" that had a bunch of pictures of Rumsfeld boldly shaking hands where none have shook before, I sent the bastards an email suggesting that the least the DOD could do to honor our troops would be to have a section with photos and bios of the fallen...sort of like the NYTs section on WTC casualties that was so moving and honored their lives and memories so well.
I would suggest that others send similar suggestions to Rumsfeld and the DOD - and the White House. If it snowballed, either they'd end up doing the right thing, or Rummy would look like the stonewalling, coldblooded asshole that he is.
I think America needs to look the kids in the face who've lost their lives in Iraq. The Newshour does a moment of silence with their pictures. Can't the Administration do at least as much as the "liberal media" over at PBS.
Here's the email I sent to their contact mail:
Support our troops -- bring them home. Put the UN in charge of the mess that is now Iraq. Impeach Bush and Cheney. Fire Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Powell, Rice, John Bolton, and all the others who lied and caused thousands of unnecessary deaths, including hundreds of our soldiers. Vote for presidential candidates who aren't warmongers. Elect congressman who won't rubber-stamp unnecessary military campaigns. Thanks.
Also, take a look at the press kit, especially the "talking points" section. That's really creepy. Why the hell do we need "talking points" to honor the military?
Support our troops -- bring them home.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I didn't want them to go over there in the first place, but now they are there.
We took out the Iraqi government and filled the void with our troops. If we pull out now, radical islamists are likely to fill that void. Iran will become the preeminent power in the region. It will be in Turkey's national interest to strengthen ties with Syria and Iran to counter the Kurdish state that will surely result (unless, of course, we abandon the Kurds yet again, and let the Turks take what is now Northern Iraq).
On the other hand, if we don't pull out, we'll need to station hundreds of thousands of troops there for years to come. The costs of doing so, both in budgetary and human resource terms, would be enormous. It would compromise our ability to react to other threats to our national security.
We're going to pay the price for Bush's megalomania for years to come.
Speaking of Bush's megalomania, did you see this:
According to Abbas, immediately thereafter Bush said: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am
determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."
Rich, you asked a fair question. I hope the answer you got convinces you that Eschaton isn't about bashing military personnel.
One phrase/concept I do like..."the bond between citizen and soldier."
That bond was more or less a given when we had a draft. Interesting that when the vast numbers of non-coms were citizens first, soldiers second, the Armed Forces weren't revered, one might almost say, fetishsized the way they have been since the Gulf War.
If the liberal left is going to get itself organized to defeat Bush it needs to consider how to organize a bond between iself and the men and women serving in the Armed Forces, including those Reservists, upon whose shoulders an especially heavy burden is being placed.
Yes, unfortunately it's too late to just "bring them home." They're going to be stuck there for a while.
However, we can show our support by impeaching the usurper that put them there, and every member of his disgraceful administration.
Why don't they just pass out brown shirts and black armbands to everyone.
Er...anyone notice the banner on the left-hand side saying "Welcome Home"? How many soldiers have actually been sent home since Bush's little aircraft carrier codpiece speech? Highly misleading.
lex - not to be too brutal about it, but a better question might perhaps be: How may soldiers have come home in coffins since Bush's little aircraft carrier codpiece speech?
The body count on both sides is rising alarmingly. The entire nightmare of Iraq is getting more and more out of hand. CAN WE IMPEACH BUSH NOW? RIGHT NOW?
now they have to worry about skin cancer?
Here is what sucks about that page
\"Operation Tribute to Freedom...-snip-..... It reinforces the bond between citizen and soldier, and rewards those who have answered their country's call.
OK. I spent two years in AmeriCorps, After considering military service, I knbew I wouldnt do well there, but felt the call to serve. So I opted for National Service. Think of a Peace Corps for the poor poor poor rural and urban parts of our own country, if you're unfamiliar with the program.
As a result I was never asked to kill anyone for my country, which is why veterans deserve our respect. We didn't ask them to do it for us, we may ever have wanted for them to be there, but some of them did kill people. These soldiers individually believed that what they did was the right thing. The individual soldiers are not the problem, which is why I am ashamed that anyone would EVER blatantly disrespect a service man, retired or not.
Picking on people who are trying to be good Americans - to the best of their understanding - is tilting at windmills.
It is the leadership which has EARNED our disrespect, let's keep our eye on the ball
BDS
I like the idea, have PBS do a series hosted by Alan Alda, do it on the internet in conjunction with the LOC and the Smithsonian, and have at least some information on every soldier who has ever died in active combat service in any American uniform.
Might get a point across though...
I also don't think it'll happen, despite adequate technology, and i would also wonder how well it would serve the civillians killed simultaneously.
Seraphiel sez: Yes, unfortunately it's too late to just "bring them home." They're going to be stuck there for a while...
We could hold elections in Iraq. I mean the ostensible goal of this military adventure is to "establish democracy in Iraq," yes? (The goal this month, defined in retrospect, as actually no "WMDs" existed, not in 2002 nor today, so the pre-war goal was only a lie.) Now if you agree with me that democracy is a good thing, then after a democratic election in Iraq, the U.S.A. could declare victory and leave, yes?
Or for that matter we could simply
stand back and allow the Iraqis to hold their own elections, except we won't.
- yours wdk
Seraphiel sez: Yes, unfortunately it's too late to just "bring them home." They're going to be stuck there for a while...
We could hold elections in Iraq. I mean the ostensible goal of this military adventure is to "establish democracy in Iraq," yes? (The goal this month, defined in retrospect, as actually no "WMDs" existed, not in 2002 nor today, so the pre-war goal was only a lie.) Now if you agree with me that democracy is a good thing, then after a democratic election in Iraq, the U.S.A. could declare victory and leave, yes?
Or for that matter we could simply
stand back and allow the Iraqis to hold their own elections, except we won't.
- yours wdk
above link didn't work right in this darn little edit box, try again:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp...-
2003Jun27.html
W. Kiernan - I think we should get the hell out and let the Iraqis handle their own government,too But I also think that we shouldn't get out until we've fixed this country that we helped break. We can't just walk away from people who have no services or organization because of us.
Right after 9/11, the rest of the world were our friends. We had the most nearly perfect opportunity we've ever had to get hearts and minds on our side. Then Bushco went to work on that, and now we are creating nothing but unending generations of terrorists. If we just walk away from the mess we've made, it won't help that situation. We have got to start acting like Americans - like we care, like we have a clue what we're doing.
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