Hindrocket’s Hackery
Hindrocket’s Hackery
Over at Powerline, John Hinderaker (nee “Hindrocket“) is outraged. Sen. Mark Dayton (D-MN), he says, “may have set a new low when he used the death of a Minnesota soldier to launch a cheap shot against the Bush administration.”
The backstory: in late-March, Minnesota native Cpl. Travis Bruce was killed in Iraq “by a rocket-propelled grenade while standing watch on the roof of a Baghdad police station.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Bruce had called his girlfriend the night before his death “and said that he was stationed on the rooftop and increasing the height of the sandbag barricade. ‘He said they didn’t have enough sandbags up there,’ she said softly.”
Based on this account, Sen. Dayton sent a letter to President Bush calling it “immoral for our command not to provide our soldiers with absolutely everything they need to give them maximum protection: body armor, armored vehicles, sandbags. ” Hinderaker had heard enough.
“First it was body armor, then armored vehicles,” Hinderaker complained. “Now it’s ‘immoral’ that our soldiers don’t have enough sandbags. Am I missing something, or is this ludicrous on its face? I can understand a soldier in Iraq being short of armor. But sand?” He continues: “It is up to soldiers in the field to protect themselves. If they want more sandbags, they should get more sandbags, as Cpl. Bruce apparently did.”
So, according to Hinderaker, the idea of a sandbag shortage is “ludicrous” and it’s Cpl. Bruce’s fault that he couldn’t get his hands on enough bags to save his life.
He should tell that to Sgt. Kris Owen, who was forced to join “other reservists in the Fort Collins-based 244th Engineers in a scavenger hunt for scrap metal and sandbags,” as noted in the Denver Post. In USA Today, soldiers said there were “not enough sandbags to protect detainees from incoming mortars, which at times have been a nightly occurrence. … U.S. military officials said they had ordered more sandbags.” And a Seattle Times reporter described a “cottage industry in sandbag production” spawned by Camp Victory, as U.S. soldiers began hiring local Iraqis to “stuff bag after bag to protect the base.”
Or maybe Hinderaker ought to just keep his uninformed assumptions to himself.
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Do windbags offer mortar protection?
April 14th, 2005 at 11:12 amPut Powerline on the front line and let’s find out!
All the bags were being used by Halliburton to stuff the money and mail it to Cheney
April 14th, 2005 at 11:15 amForget the sand bags and the body armor and the humvee armor; get our troops the hell out of there and back home. The Iraqis might not rebuild their country the way we want them to, but they are apparently more capable than we of doing their own reconstruction. And they can sell their own oil, if that is permissible in your world . . . you don’t seem to be much interested in what is happening to Iraq’s oil, nor do I see much on your web site about our having gone to war to steal that oil.
Sam
April 14th, 2005 at 11:25 amso let’s see if I have this straight:
support the troops, good.
defending Dear Leader from political criticism, good.
when supporting the troops implies political criticism of Dear Leader… fuck the troops and defend Dear Leader.
Got it.
April 14th, 2005 at 11:26 amWow, well I hope Howard Kurtz and CNN interview him (once again) so he can spread his unsubstantiated crap all over the mainstream media (once again).
April 14th, 2005 at 11:33 amWho’s getting more screwed by the Republican Party, the troops or the religious base?
Who is going to realize it first, the troops or the religious base?
Just another load of crap from the Blame the Troops First crowd.
April 14th, 2005 at 11:37 amHindey is a complete embarrassment to Minnesota. Really, there are only a few like him here! The rest of us are decent, honorable people.
April 14th, 2005 at 11:39 amI’m thinking the troops need to see asshats take on the Sandbag Issue.
April 14th, 2005 at 11:44 amHas this clown ever been in the military, let alone seen combat?
April 14th, 2005 at 11:46 amEver notice that Hindrocket doesn’t allow comments on their blog. I guess it is as simple as a stalinesque -no truth or dissent, no problem.
April 14th, 2005 at 11:49 amIn Vain
April 14th, 2005 at 11:52 amWow, this new site dNext looks great. Their description:
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A sandbag shortage is “ludicrous?” Yes, it is ludicrous — among things ludicrous. It’s ludicrous that we put our military people in harm’s way without listening to the generals and experts who actually might know what they are talking about; it’s ludicrous that we attacked a country that was no threat to us; it’s ludicrous that our troops have to scrouge for ANYTHING; it’s ludicrous that Halliburton and others are making ridiculous amounts of money off this whole farce; and it’s ludicrous that over 1500 of our military men and women have died for this administration’s greed, arrogance, and contempt for anyone in the world not them. The whole thing is ludicrous — Get our troops home now!!
April 14th, 2005 at 11:56 amPerhaps the gentleman on “the right” ought to sign up — perhaps he should go to the nearest recruiting station and get his crack to Iraq. Let him, a member of the Conservative League of Chicken Hawks, take a bullet in the face for his coward president, dontchaknow.
April 14th, 2005 at 12:07 pmIt’s becoming more and more painful each day to read about the utter hypocrisy being exhibited by the assclowns in power. Surely,
April 14th, 2005 at 12:07 pmsomeone will get a promotion over this latest
failure to support those who protect us.
Even when we point out how lame these people are we, to some extent, promote them. They are the internet equivelent of the drunk asshole at the bar who thinks he knows something.
April 14th, 2005 at 12:08 pmHowever, is there still a sandbag shortage, because the articles you reference are all old. And the comment from his girlfriend suggests to me that they just didn’t have enough bags at that particular place at that particular time, and that he just needed to get some more, like when you need to get more file folders for a project you’re working on, because you don’t have enough on hand.
That said, asshats comments are the issue, not the existence or lack of existence of sandbags. See, that personal responsibility thing applies to the troops too! Who needs officers, or supply trains, or desk jockeys, er, the 101st Keyboarders don’t need no desk jockeys, all their slots are full, but well, c’mon troops, fill those bags, dammit.
April 14th, 2005 at 12:09 pmhindquarters is more apt.
April 14th, 2005 at 12:16 pmbob is really mark
April 14th, 2005 at 12:22 pmkathy sabine hates you.
April 14th, 2005 at 12:25 pm“drunk asshole at the bar who thinks he knows something.”
April 14th, 2005 at 12:28 pmPlus they write like 12 year olds with a vocabulary of belligerent, rich, frat boys.
“You go to war with the sandbags you have, not the sandbags you want. Now, Halliburton has this nice sandbag with flower embroidery and hand stitched seams for just $199.00 each – Do we want to pay $199 for handstitched sandbags? No!” – Rummy the Killer
April 14th, 2005 at 12:29 pmHey, just ship over all the sandbags they used to sink the 9/11 Commission hearings. That ought to take care of it.
April 14th, 2005 at 12:40 pmhmm.
maybe he should get a lawyer…
http://www.faegre.com/lawyer_bio.aspx?pid=147
April 14th, 2005 at 12:42 pmWe’ve been told that “you can’t support the troops without supporting the mission” but thank God/Bush that Rumsfeld et.al have shown us that we CAN support the mission without supporting the troops!
April 14th, 2005 at 12:44 pmAs is normal, I don’t see his tender pink ass over there. It’s so easy to be a warmongering asshole as long as you’re not the poor bastard on the firing line.
April 14th, 2005 at 12:44 pmWhat’s there to know about Combat? Don’t two pixellated, two-dimensional tanks shoot peas at each other on some weirdly-colored battlefield? I think Chumprocket has played enough Atari 2600 to know that.
April 14th, 2005 at 12:49 pmSelf righteous son of a bitch can’t get one right. How the hell could Time have chosen this cretin’s blog as blog of the year? Fortunately, I never renewed my subscription.
April 14th, 2005 at 1:03 pm“Support the Troops,” means moral support only. When it starts costing money, they’re on their own.
April 14th, 2005 at 1:07 pmIt appears the soldier would have been better served if he had no sandbags at all since it was a sandbag that deflected the RPG into a water tower over his head which then exploded into shrapnel, killing him.
The verbiage of the conversation between him and his girlfriend could be interpreted either way, but seems to suggest that he though he needed to pile more sandbags on his bunker for added protection rather than a complaint of not enough available sandbags.
April 14th, 2005 at 1:09 pmThe problem is not so much the sand bag issue–it’s where the soldier was. He was stationed on the roof of a POLICE STATION! Hello Hindrocket… why don’t you go over there and report on why it might not be safe at a police station?
I’d even go over there to report on it–if I knew my report would be heard. But no, all we get is this smoke screen that supposedly counts for thoughtful commentary from Iraq. And we get it in our own towns too, not just from Baghdad.
April 14th, 2005 at 1:34 pmsee more on hindrocket’s nonsense at http://www.monkeysponge.blogspot.com
April 14th, 2005 at 1:41 pmShould Time magazine be made aware of the ravings at the site they stamped with their approval as, “Blog of the Year”???
April 14th, 2005 at 1:47 pmI got plenty of sand at my crib. Right next to the WMD I told you about. Give a call. I should be around…
-
April 14th, 2005 at 2:19 pmIsn’r “Hindrocket” that kind of flatulence that makes you wonder why the flatulator didn’t blast right off his chair?
April 14th, 2005 at 3:25 pmI followed Cleversponge’s link, in his above comment, and found the best blog coverage of this issue. It turns out for Sen. Dayton the central issue had nothing to do with sand bags at all. Let me suggest readers in this thread read the “Holy shit…he’s loose again!!!” post. I’m going poke around further over at this new-to-me blog Clever Peasantly.
http://monkeysponge.blogspot.com/2005/04/holy-shithes-loose-again.html
April 14th, 2005 at 3:43 pmInteresting, and not unusual for the Far Righties, the soldier said “Not enough sandBAGS,” and the FR responds with how ludicrous it is in Iraq to have a shortage of SAND. Related, but not exactly the same thing, eh?
“The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter–it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” -Mark Twain
April 14th, 2005 at 4:57 pmWhy, it’s as if Assrocket didn’t bother to read Sen. Dayton’s entire letter before launching himself into orbit. Odd, for such an intelligent Boy. I expected so much more from the wit that brought us the Truth behind the Schiavo memo.
April 14th, 2005 at 6:26 pmAs travis r bruce father, I would like to make a comment! There was no statement made about not having enough sand bags by his girlfriend! This is something that has come out of the media. It is time to stop bickering and stand togather no matter the political party. My son never complained about ever doing anything but just done it. There is nothing that can be said or nothing we can do to bring him back. Please let him rest in peace as a hero. Kenneth R. Bruce
April 14th, 2005 at 6:58 pmDear Mr. Bruce,
We regret your loss, however, in the “bickering” as you put it, you might see that some of us care enough to know that the Iraq war is dead wrong, and if we can stop one person from dying needlessly in that ridiculous grab for money, we might save some other “Mr. Bruce” from losing his son or daughter in that crummy neo-con phantasmagoria. If we can do that sir, then we will have done a positive public service.
April 14th, 2005 at 9:27 pm“It is time to stop bickering and stand togather”
Stand together to do what? To under-equip the troops in Iraq so we can buy more SUVs? That seems to be what Amurica’s all about these days
April 14th, 2005 at 10:08 pmMr. Bruce – I am truly sorry for your loss. With a young son of my own, the loss is both imaginable and unimaginable, and deeply saddening.
I hope you shared your thoughts with John Hinderaker as well. He ignited this exchange both by attacking Senator Dayton (who, if you read his entire letter as I am sure you have, focuses primarily on the misuse of US servicemen and woman to do jobs that Iraqi security forces should be doing, a position with which you reportedly agree), and by making truly insensitive comments about armor shortages, getting sand/sandbags, and the circumstances surrounding your son’s death. We feel those comments were inappropriate, and we know, from long experience, that John Hinderaker has no integrity in making them.
While hopefully that explains our thoughts, it is not meant to demean your son, his service, or you and your family. Quite the opposite. We strongly believe Hinderaker demeaned our servicemen and woman, and we called him on it. He’s now updated his post to attempt to justify his remarks. And although right-wing bloggers don’t want to believe it, the sadness we feel over the death of your son and other servicemembers animates our concerns about events in Iraq over the past two+ years. And although right-wing bloggers don’t want to believe it, nothing we write in disagreeing with their views in any way diminishes our respect for young men like your son, who volunteered to serve his country and therefore each one of us, and served with honor and distinction and ultimate sacrifice.
May your son rest in peace with the Lord, Mr. Bruce. May he rest in peace. ‘
April 14th, 2005 at 10:51 pmHinderaker isn’t exactly a big fan of institutions taking responsibility for their actions. If you check out his bio at the law firm where he’s employed, you will note that his specialty is defending major chemical companies against the people they’ve injured.
April 14th, 2005 at 11:48 pmHas this chickenhawk ever served in uniform under fire?
I somehow doubt it. He sounds like somebody who would really benefit from the experience, but he’s no doubt too busy, as Jonah Goldberg, ‘raising his family, paying bills, etc.’.
What a bunch of turds.
April 15th, 2005 at 2:54 amYou are absolutely right. Fathers of the soldiers should raise the money for their children, mothers should sew the bags for their sand. The Department of Defense should not be burdened with the sillyness of protecting our boys and girls. While we are at it, why provide their meals? Can’t their churches organize box dinners to be sent to them?
April 15th, 2005 at 7:51 amPerhaps Hinderaker should put on a uniform, get a ticket to Iraq, and show our boys how it is done. As if we haven’t heard enough of these know nothing loudmouths.
April 15th, 2005 at 7:37 pmCome on people, stop feeding the troll. If that’s really travis Bruce’s father I’m supreme dictator of the world. That being the case, I hereby order an end to the Iraccupation.
Damn… it didn’t work. I guess he’s a troll.
April 16th, 2005 at 4:25 pmYou people R right on the $$$, the TRUTH IS What WILL Stand. The Earth was not just created for Truth + Integrity, but Justice 4 All! Thats what we Do Best! Afterall GOD Created Justice in Us…I’m proud of You All.
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August 18th, 2005 at 8:32 pm[...] ho·mo·pho·bi·a n. 1. Making fun of Jeff Gannon 2. Making fun of The Claremont Institute’s John Hindraker’s gay-porny nom de keyboard 3. Disagreeing with Andrew Sullivan when Andrew Sullivan is agreeing with Bush [...]
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