Obama Taps Shinseki To Head A 21st Century VA: ‘We Have A Sacred Trust To Repay’ To Our Troops
Obama Taps Shinseki To Head A 21st Century VA: ‘We Have A Sacred Trust To Repay’ To Our Troops
Today, President-elect Barack Obama announced that Gen. Eric Shinseki will become his Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary. The nomination of the first Asian-American to the post — Shinseki, a Japanese-American, grew up in Hawaii — carries extra poignancy, coming on the 67th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks. Watch it:
Shinseki is most famous for publicly contradicting Bush administration officials’ overly optimistic predictions about the war in Iraq. In 2003, then serving as the Army’s chief of staff, he told Congress that it would take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to secure Iraq.
The Bush administration’s failure to heed Shinseki’s warnings have led to a decimation of the U.S. military — underequipped forces, an over-reliance on the National Guard and Reserves, a dangerous stop-loss policy, and an increasing number troops coming home with mental and physical problems. As Michigan University history professor Juan Cole told the Washington Post:
If Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and [former undersecretary for defense Douglas J.] Feith had listened to Shinseki, there wouldn’t be as many wounded veterans to take care of. I think this is a way of saying, “Here was a career officer who had valuable insights who was shunted aside by arrogant civilians, and we’re not going to make the same kind of mistakes.”
Shinseki served two combat tours in Vietnam, receiving two Purple Hearts and four Bronze Stars. Shinseki has frequently worked with wounded veterans and visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center, referring to it as a “members-only section” since he too is an amputee. Some veterans organizations, such as IAVA, have already come out with high praise for Obama’s choice, saying that Shinseki is a man the military community holds in “high regard” but also note that he faces enormous challenges.
Transcript:
OBAMA: Earlier this week, I announced key members of my national security team. They have served in uniform and as diplomats; they have worked as legislators, law enforcement officials, and executives. They share my sense of purpose about American leadership in the world, my pragmatism about the use of power, and my vision for how we can protect our people, defeat our enemies, and meet the challenges of the 21st century.
As we seek a new national security strategy that uses all elements of American power, we must also remember those who run the greatest risks and make the greatest sacrifices to implement that strategy – the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America. Even as I speak, they are serving brilliantly and bravely in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. And we must show them and their families the same devotion that they have shown this country.
We don’t have to do our troops and our veterans a favor, we have a sacred trust to repay one. That starts with recognizing that for many of today’s troops and their families, the war doesn’t end when they come home. Far too many are suffering from the signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. And far too few are receiving the screening and treatment they need. The servicemen and women who embody what’s best about America should get the best care we have to offer, and that is what we will provide when I am President.
And in this struggling economy, we also have to do more to ensure that when our troops come home and leave the service, they can find jobs that pay well, provide good benefits, and help them support their families.
But we don’t just need to better serve veterans of today’s wars. We also need to build a 21st Century VA that will better serve all who have answered our nation’s call. That means cutting red tape and easing transition into civilian life. And it means eliminating shortfalls, fully funding VA health care, and providing the benefits our veterans have earned.
That is the kind of VA that will serve our veterans as well as they have served us. And there is no one more distinguished, more determined, or more qualified to build this VA than the leader I am announcing as our next Secretary of Veterans Affairs – General Eric Shinseki. No one will ever doubt that this former Army Chief of Staff has the courage to stand up for our troops and our veterans. No one will ever question whether he will fight hard enough to make sure they have the support they need.
A graduate of West Point, General Shinseki served two combat tours in Vietnam, where he lost part of his foot, and was awarded two Purple Hearts and three Bronze Stars. Throughout his nearly four decades in the U.S. Army, he won the respect and admiration of our men and women in uniform because they have always been his highest priority. He has always stood on principle – because he has always stood with our troops. And he will bring that same sense of duty and commitment to ensuring that we treat our veterans with the care and dignity they deserve.
A decorated soldier who has served at every level in the Army, General Shinseki understands the changing needs of our troops and their families. And he will be a VA Secretary who finally modernizes our VA to meet the challenges of our time.
Nearly seventy years ago today, “a date which will live in infamy,” our harbor was bombed in Hawaii, and our troops went off to war. And after that war was over, after we reclaimed a continent from a madman and beat back danger in the Pacific, those troops came home to a grateful nation – a nation that welcomed them with a GI Bill and a chance to live out in peace the dreams they had fought for, and so many died for, on the battlefield. We owe it to all our veterans to honor them as we honored our Greatest Generation – not just with words, but with deeds.
And with the national security team I announced this week and the extraordinary and courageous Secretary of Veterans Affairs I am announcing today, I am confident that we will never hesitate to defend our security, that we will send our troops into battle only when we must, and that, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, we will truly care for all “who shall have borne the battle.”
Now, I’d like to turn it over to our next VA Secretary, General Eric Shinseki.
SHINSEKI: Well, Mr. President-elect, thank you for the honor of being nominated to serve our nation and your cabinet. I can think of no higher responsibility than ensuring that men and women who have served our nation in uniform are treated with the care and respect that they have earned.
As you’ve said, these brave Americans are part of an unbroken line of heroes that stretches back to the American Revolution.
And yet, even as we stand here today, there are veterans who have worried about keeping their health care or even their homes, paying their bills or finding a good job when they leave the service.
Veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan in particular are confronting serious severe wounds — some seen, some unseen — making it difficult for them to get on with their lives in this struggling economy. They deserve a smooth, error-free, no-fail, benefits-assured transition into our ranks as veterans. And that is our responsibility, not theirs.
A word to my fellow veterans: If confirmed, I will work each and every day to ensure that we are serving you as well as you have served us. We will pursue a 21st-century V.A. that serves your needs.
We will open doors, new doors of opportunity so you can find a good job, support your families when you return to civilian life. And if we will always — we will always honor the sacrifices of those who have worn the uniform and their loved ones.
So, Mr. President-elect, thank you for entrusting me with this great responsibility.
And I thank all of our veterans who have served in the Armed Forces of our nation.
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I second this nomination. Excellent choice.
Now let the Reich-wing choke on this led by that War Hero of theirs Saxby Chambliss.
RIP
December 7th, 2008 at 3:10 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
Clever and smart move by Obama. I concur.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:19 pmHe is a good choice.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:21 pmThis is a great pick. And a clear signal on what kind of President Barack Obama is going to be.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:32 pmJust because Shinseki was slightly right in this case doesn’t preclude that he got to his rank for the same means all the others did. He’s an ass-kissing bureaucrat who hasn’t had an original thought since he left high school. Find me someone in the officer corps who has. That’s the person who needs to have the president’s ear. All the others are just part of the same problem.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:44 pmI am really disappointed. I really thought he would hire Tammy Duckworth or Max Cleland for this position.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:46 pmJust because Shinseki was slightly right in this case doesn’t preclude that he got to his rank for the same means all the others did. He’s an ass-kissing bureaucrat who hasn’t had an original thought since he left high school. Find me someone in the officer corps who has.
Doesn’t sound like an “ass kisser to me” Roger Dodger. You appear to be alone in your assessment of Shinseki. Too bad so sad for you.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:51 pmPresident-elect Obama on MTP re: Shinseki – “He was right.”
And so are you, Sir, so are you. Now how about finding a place for Bunnatine Greenhouse. You know, that long-serving procurement/contracts officer at the Pentagon who was fired over her unwillingness to sign-off on the no-bid contract.
The truth-tellers need to be rewarded in this administration, not fired as “disloyal” for doing their jobs.
PEACE
December 7th, 2008 at 3:54 pmSorry, meant to say “no-bid contracts” as in *ahem* Halliburton, KBR, etc.
PEACE
December 7th, 2008 at 3:56 pmTerriffc choice! Gen. Shinseki will do a good job and do right by our Veterans. Goota love how Obama is putting his Administration together. Not a missstep in my opinion.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:01 pmSHINSEKI:
I’m so glad to hear these words and actually feel like they are being said sincerely.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:09 pmrogerD Says:
Have any links backing up your assertions?
Oh, no proof, just your uninformed opinion?
Why not actually look into someones background before trying to attempt a smear that makes you sound truly uninformed?
December 7th, 2008 at 4:11 pmI was excited when I thought either Duckworth or Cleland would receive this nomination, because they’ve “been there.” But I’m not displeased with Shinsekei; I’m just surprised with the choice. I actually thought he would be more appropriate for a Deputy Secretary position in the DOD/Pentagon.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:36 pmHay Wayne, Is this roger d the same as roger,roger.? The troll here awhile back…Hard to keep up these day’s…LOL…Blessings…Good post’s as alway’s.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:36 pmGen. Shinseki was Right about Iraq, because he did his HOMEWORK.
The number of troops recommended by Shinseki was not just pulled out of thin air, but was the result of a carefull and detailed study of the situation by Army Experts.
Rumsfeld’s Ideologically driven Dismissal of Gen. Shinseki’s Opinion was a slap in the face to the hard working Army Staff that Actually Studied the Problem.
I agree that this is a clever choice by Obama. If the VA now gives an estimate of the resources Needed to fix things….who’s the congress gonna believe.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:37 pmI agree this is a good choice.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:38 pmShinseki will be taking on a huge job with many challenges, but then again, so will everyone taking a position with Obama, after the messes of steaming sh!t Bush has left everywhere.
Good post’s all…Hello Badger and Lady Marie, good to read you both here..Blessings
December 7th, 2008 at 4:40 pmA bit OT, but Jimmy Doolittle managed to place 18 b52s on the deck of the USS Hornet and take off from same – read here:
December 7th, 2008 at 4:59 pmhttp://my.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20081207/493b5850_3ca6_1552620081207-2120306434
That’s 16 B52s.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:01 pm“slightly right”, rogerd???
[via C&L] From Feb. 25, 2003:
SEN. LEVIN: General Shinseki, could you give us some idea as to the magnitude of the Army’s force requirement for an occupation of Iraq following a successful completion of the war?
GEN. SHINSEKI: In specific numbers, I would have to rely on combatant commanders’ exact requirements. But I think –
SEN. LEVIN: How about a range?
GEN. SHINSEKI: I would say that what’s been mobilized to this point — something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers are probably, you know, a figure that would be required. We’re talking about posthostilities control over a piece of geography that’s fairly significant, with the kinds of ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems. And so it takes a significant ground-force presence.
he pretty much had it all covered there…
December 7th, 2008 at 5:05 pmThinking of Shinseki’s battle with the neocons causes me to recall this famous quote:
“IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy
and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along,
whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a
parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice,
the people can always be brought to the bidding of the
leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL THEM THEY
ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack
of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS
THE SAME IN ANY COUNTRY.”
–Hermann Goering at the Nuremberg Trials
December 7th, 2008 at 5:39 pmIn the same spirit, wouldn’t it be a thumb in Shrub’s eye if Obama reinstates the District Court Justices that Gonzo had fired because they weren’t corrupt enough?
Heh heh. Justice, indeed.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:50 pmDave,
That is worth repeating.
“IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy
and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along,
whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a
parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice,
the people can always be brought to the bidding of the
leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL THEM THEY
ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack
of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS
THE SAME IN ANY COUNTRY.”
–Hermann Goering at the Nuremberg Trials
December 7th, 2008 at 5:50 pmIf this isn’t a stinging rebuke to the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld “screw the troops, we know better, even though none of us have been in combat, though we see a lot on TV” era, then I don’t know what is.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:52 pmWalt, slight corrrection on those Planes. They were B25s, not B52s.
December 7th, 2008 at 6:52 pmIt would be nice to see some of the money to take care of our troops come from the slimy war profiteers. Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney, Feith, et al should also be put at the back of the line for any health care. They get to have a medical appointment AFTER EVERY troop has been taken care of. I am sincerely hoping Shinseki brings to like how shitty the Bush/Cheney team of scum have treated our troops and veterans.
December 7th, 2008 at 7:54 pmCorrection
“brings to like” should be “brings to light”
Sorry
December 7th, 2008 at 7:55 pmObama to Bush…SUCK MY BALLS!
Talk about sticking the knife in with slow deliberance! Go Obama!
December 7th, 2008 at 7:57 pmFinally, a move in the Obama cabinet that makes sense for progressives. Although the guy is still military…
http://www.sunstateactivist.org/ssablog/
December 7th, 2008 at 8:40 pmJim Wolf359,
December 7th, 2008 at 9:27 pmYou doubt the AP?
Walt, the B52 is a BIG 4 jet engine bomber dubbed the “Stratofortress” It is (was) part of the Triad of Nuclear forces that we had deployed during the Cold War.
December 7th, 2008 at 9:41 pmThe B25 was a twin engine(propeller) medium range bomber. In April of 1942 Col. Jimmy Doolittle (later Gen. Dolittle) led a force of 16 B25s off the deck of the USS Hornet to attack Tokyo and other targets in Japan. The raid was mainly done to boost morale back in the states during the darkest period of the war. The planes then proceeded to China to land as the Hornet could not take them back aboard and also because of lack of fuel.
Jim,
The B52 actually has 8 engines. As you mention the B52 is a huge aircraft which would not be able to be launched from an aircraft carrier.
pax
December 7th, 2008 at 9:57 pmOh, thats right LV. I forgot that the engines are clustered 2 apiece. I saw a B52 when I was a kid. It was at McGuire AFB in Wrightstown, NJ. I was in awe looking at it. Biggest plane I ever saw in my youg life at that point.
December 7th, 2008 at 10:05 pmHi Jim. I was stationed on a SAC base for 3 years and was amazed the B52’s were actually able to lift off the ground. Those beasties use a lot of fuel as well.
December 7th, 2008 at 10:12 pmThey also had a small wheel at the wingtips to support the wings during takeoff. It was almost comical looking at a B52 headon on the ground. I never saw a plane with wings that “drooped” like that.
December 7th, 2008 at 10:14 pmI’ll never forget watching a B52 takeoff as well. It took a LONG time for that plane to get airborn. Slow climber too.
December 7th, 2008 at 10:17 pmGreat selection by President-elect Obama.
One of the main reasons I voted for Obama was to finally get a Democratic administration in the White House…and kick out all the culture of corruption, deceit and greed Republicans who’ve done (and continue to do) so much harm to our nation and the future of our nation’s children.
But it is quite obvious after eight torturous years that the Bush administration, and culture of corruption, deceit and greed Republicans, long ago sold-out our active U.S. military members and U.S. military veterans (along with state national guard members and reservists), preferring instead to throw hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars at private contractor, crony-owned companies looking to turn a profit at taxpayer expense.
War-profiteering to the most obscene extreme.
A Truman Commission is required to unravel and disclose (and punish) all the Republicans responsible…as well as any Blue Dog Democrats participating.
Oh right, the Blue Dog Democrats (and culture of corruption Republicans) on Capitol Hill will never allow a Truman Commission to convene, just as they’ve blocked all attempts to impeach Bush and Cheney over the years. Nothing can be allowed to interfere with war-profiteers and similar Republicans to Bush and Cheney gaining control over our federal government in the future…and doing the exact same g*d-d*mn things again to our nation and the future of our nation’s children.
Unless, of course, President Barack Obama decides to honor his solemn oath to protect and defend our Constitution, our country from both foreign and domestic enemies, and initiates federal, executive-branch investigations into all that Bush and Cheney have done over the past eight torturous years, including having his (our) federal agencies look into war-profiteering. Obama-appointed Inspector Generals should prove to be an invaluable resource in this regard…but only if President Obama decides that his own children’s future as well as the future of our nation’s children demands such an accounting.
December 7th, 2008 at 10:20 pmVery, very good pick.
December 7th, 2008 at 10:39 pmAs a Vietnam Vet, I give this my stamp of approval. (foot pounding on floor).
Bringing in competent people…what a novel concept.
December 7th, 2008 at 10:54 pmThe Bush administration sure talked about being a friend to the troops and the veterans.
So why can’t we make George the Terrible, Grover “always blue in the face” Norquist, and Jimmy Dean’s favorite piggy…Karl Rove, stay in one of those fine VA hospital rooms with a fresh coat of paint with 40 years of asbestos under 3/4 of the panels?
Then again, George’s liver probably needs plenty of help right now and I wouldn’t be surprised if Rove’s skin resembled something from Jackson Pollock.
Still…if the guillotine was appropriate for Marie and Louis, then a horribly dishonorable death is coming for our least favorite neocons.
December 7th, 2008 at 11:10 pmJim Wolf359,
December 7th, 2008 at 11:37 pmI am fully aware of the capabilities of both the B25 and the B52. I was only referring to the AP article that I linked to. My father was a naval attache to the US embassy in China and worked on arranging the airfields and fuel depots for the mission. Unfortunately, the mission was launched about 200 nautical miles too early because Doolittle flinched when a Japanese fishing vessel was spotted a day short of the intended launch time.
As a side note, the Japanese navy went all out in trying to sink the USS Hornet and was successful, but lost more naval tonnage then the Hornet represented for the effort. Virtually all of the Hornet crew survived the sinking.
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boilerman10 Says:
Obama to Bush…SUCK MY BALLS!
Talk about sticking the knife in with slow deliberance! Go Obama!
December 7th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
______
“So Democratic audiences are often surprised when I tell them that I don’t consider George Bush a bad man, and that I assume he and members of his Administration are trying to do what they think is best for the country.”
“…I find the President and those who surround him to be pretty much like everybody else, possessed of the same mix of virtues and vice, insecurities and long-buried injuries, as the rest of us. No matter how wrong-headed I might consider their policies to be—and no matter how much I might insist that they be held accountable for the results of such policies—I still find it possible, in talking to these men and women, to understand their motives, and to recognize in them values I share. “
Barack Obama
December 8th, 2008 at 12:46 amWe were suppose to be in Iraq in the first place. So sending more troops to fight chimpy’s war in a moot point.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:53 amI’m glad to see Gen. Shinseki rewarded for his loyalty to his country.
December 8th, 2008 at 4:22 amOBAMA IS JUST ANOTHER MANKIND HYBRID THE LAST REAL MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE WAS JFK. THE COULD NOT REPLACE HIM AS A HIBRID SO THEY KILLED HIM.
OBAMA IS STACKING NTHE DECK TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA POL-LIE-TICIANS ARE IN POSITION OF POWER TO CONTINUE THE USA DEMONOCRACY. OBAMA IS JUST ANOTHER DEMON MANKIND WITH NOT A NEW THOUGHT IN HIS HEAD. HE HIS A SMOKING, DRINKING CLOSET DRONE.
HE WILL KEEP THE WEAPONS MANUFACTURES MAKING MONEY.
THE ONLY COMPANIES NOT HURTING IN THIS ECONOMIC COLLAPSE IS THE WEAPONS MANUFACTURES. YOU WANT TO STOP TERROR PUT SANCTIONS ON THE WEAPONS MANUFACTURES NOT ON NATIONS. HOW MANY TERRORIST CAN MANUFACTURE WEAPONS. THESE COMPANIES ARE THE CONTROLLERS OF THE WARS.
KICK OUT ALL THE SO CALLED SECURITY COUNCIL AND REPLACE THEM WITH COUNTRIES WHO HAVE NOT HAD A WAR IN THE LAST 20 YEARS. IT IS NOT IN THE INTEREST OF THE 6 PERMENANT MEMBERS NOT TO HAVE WARS. THE 6 MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL ARE ALSO THE WORLDS LARGEST ARMS DEALERS AND MANUFACTURES
WAKE UP YOU STUPID, EGOIST, FOOLS IN AMERICA AND EUROPE. STOP BEING PLAYED AND DYING HIGH ON THE LIE. YOU ARE BEING PLAYED LIKE SOFTWARE, EVERY YEAR A NEW UPGRADE ARE NEW VERSION.
YOU ARE JUST ANOTHER TOMBSTONE.
December 8th, 2008 at 4:55 amPresident-Elect Obama isn’t the president yet and here you are talking shyte. Sure he is bring in experience people, not the cronies chimpy put in place.
Get a grip watching, your yelling is a cover for you not knowing shyte. Give President-Elect Obama a fair chance.
And you need to wake up because if you don’t see a difference in his choices for WH positions then you are just another “joe the plumber” speaking like a dic.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:18 amDear President Obama,
Please consider me for the position of “token liberal” in your adminstration. I will be quiet and not make too much trouble.
Going Bonkers:
December 8th, 2008 at 5:58 amhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSGLzStgujM
Something needs to be done for our vets, especially those with disabilities. For example, my brother began a process with the VA almost five years ago to increase his disability. Two and a half years later, he was awarded full disability, but they also declared him incompetent to manage his monies and have been withholding half. My wife has agreed to be his fiduciary, but no money flows. Besides PTSD from the Vietnam war in which he suffered multiple wounds serving as a combat medic who got orders for Nam on his 18th birthday (enlisted at 17 with parental consent), he is severely debilitated by MS, quite probably a result of Agent Orange exposure.
His money would enable us to get him out of a squalid apartment and into a decent condo, but the Bush administered VA has been selfish with him and all of our vets. Every week he brings home horror stories from his PTSD therapy sessions about how slow rolled our Iraq and Afghanistan vets are and how some have been waiting years for prostheses!
Let’s hope that General Shinseki will take care of the troops and get the money flowing–it won’t hurt the economy as these vets will spend just to maintain their lives.
Write your Congressman who get his/her checks regularly!
December 8th, 2008 at 6:57 amFine that Shinseki is head of VA. But, let us not have any delusions about the military. It eats up money that could be used for food stamps, peaceful foreign aid, education, infrastructure, health care, etc.
As for those who seemed to have good feelings towards the B-52, remember the hundreds of thousands, if not millions that were killed in Viet Nam by that aircraft.
Strengthen the VA. We must fulfill the promises. But, get rid of the war machine as much as possible. Just because Bush has left the military in bad shape does not mean it has to be fixed.
December 8th, 2008 at 7:39 amArc Light: B-52 strike. Charlie never saw or heard them coming in the ‘Nam.
December 8th, 2008 at 11:42 amCan we please have someone comparable to Shinseki to correct the abuses in the Medicaid program.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pmThis is a good and decent man. And he is so competent. This is why Bush pushed him out. Good choice for Obama.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pmI’m pleased to see that veterans-activist poster Wayne likes the VA nomination. That’s the first thing I came here to find out about.
Poor, pathetic poster “John Kerry”: Nice try! Even someone as moronic as you should understand that the vast majority of those voting for Obama knew he was a moderate. Angry liberals don’t get very far in presidential elections, especially if they happen to be black.
Liberals have reasons to be optimistic: his chief trade negotiator is a long-time critic of NAFTA; his picking of Daschle to be Sec Health&Human Services means he is placing high priority on getting healthcare legislation through the Senate in a timely manner; he’s talking about Keynsian type public works programs getting started immediately to put people to work; he WILL raise the top marginal rate on the wealthiest Americans and that is long overdue.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pmDomino, Sorry if I gave the impression of being a war monger. I was just passing on knowledge I have about the B52. Since leaving the military I have been active in the peace movement and am a proud member of Veterans for Peace, Chapter 101.
Pax
December 8th, 2008 at 12:47 pm“John Kerry”: If “the new boss looks like the old boss” to you, you are, by definition, a moron.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:10 pmShinseki is a good choice (one of the only good ones Obama has made so far), and standing up to Rump-Small and Wolf-Shitz make him OK in my book.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:39 pmLiberalVoter Says:
Domino, Sorry if I gave the impression of being a war monger. I was just passing on knowledge I have about the B52. Since leaving the military I have been active in the peace movement and am a proud member of Veterans for Peace, Chapter 101.
Pax
OK, cool. Sorry for hurt feelings.
I get a little nervous when folks praise Viet Nam vets as if that was a good thing.
December 9th, 2008 at 3:21 amDomino, I have to say please don’t dis Viet Nam vets. It is a very complicated issue. It is like blaming the passengers on the titanic for the captain’s error. Very simplistic similitude but goes a long way. I have touted a book called War is a Racket by Smedley Butler and would suggest you have a read of it. It is not very long and can be found on line in its entirety. It will bring a lot of things to light.
Pax
December 10th, 2008 at 1:56 amJust like the cold war when everyone who didn’t agree with the U.S. was either a communist or a communist sympathizer. toki This poor crazy guy spent half a decade being tortured because a bunch
of stupid politicians araç sorgulama were sure the NVA
was in bed with the Russians (minimal help) and/or the Chinese (ancient enemy of the vietnamese). ssk sorgulama You would think he would have learned from others’
mistakes. Guess not. Republicans need an enemy. key ödemeleri This
century it apparently will be all Muslims, health all of whom must
be alQaeda operatives.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:57 pmI second this nomination. Excellent choice. araç sorgulama
March 18th, 2009 at 5:16 am