Writings, Rants and Kudos

Support the Troops, End the War

The following thread was emailed over the last week and was sparked by the pieces found on the Best of the Web Today in Pretty Ugly and Pretty Ugly II

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From: Mike Hendrickson
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 8:34 AM
To: 'opinionjournal@wsj.com'
Subject: FW: Show your patriotism proudly (Email reply to Captain Michael Hendrickson, USMCR from the John Edwards Campaign)

Dear Mr. Taranto,

As a result of your original reporting, I visited the Support the Troops End the War website and sent the following (Subj: Memorial Day) to the Edwards campaign after hearing about the nation wide Memorial Day antiwar protests organized by his campaign.  Interesting that the only reply I received was the one found below (Subj: Show Your Patriotism Proudly) and addressed to a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.  Granted, this is an automated message, however this is the only response the campaign offered.  Such a message could be construed as a direct attempt to undermine the Marine Corps and the Commander-in-Chief through the erosion of good order and discipline.  Seems to me that such action is problematic at best (treasonous at worst) for a Presidential candidate and former US Senator.  I wonder if there are any other emails like this.

Note:  The comment in my initial email “Don’t thank me when you see me,” refers to “10 Things You Can Do to Over the Memorial Day weekend to Support the Troops and End the War” offered on the Support the Troops End the War website.  Numbers 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9 caused me to see red and were the catalyst for my email.  Here is the abbreviated list:

Get local, get active, and get outdoors.

Send our troops a taste of home.

Gather in public.

Pray.

Make your voice heard in Washington.

Get vocal.

Greet a vet.

Say thank you.

Help an injured vet.

Light up the night.

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From: Mike Hendrickson
Sent: Wed 5/16/2007 4:26 PM
To: 'info@SupportTheTroopsEndTheWar.com'
Subject: Memorial Day

This plan is an absolute disgrace to me and all of those who have served before me.  Thanks for making it more dangerous for me when I deploy to Iraq early next year.  Don’t thank me when you see me.  If you show up in my face on memorial day – just stand by.

Semper Fidelis.

Mike Hendrickson

Capt., USMCR

"Hard is not hopeless."  General David H. Petraeus, USA

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From: David Bonior, Edwards for President
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 3:56 PM
To: Captain Michael Hendrickson, USMCR
Subject: Show your patriotism proudly

Dear Captain,

I remember when it seemed like there was nothing we as individuals could do to help bring an end to the war in Iraq. But times have changed; the number of Americans who want to bring our troops home is growing every day.

As a veteran, I am proud to be part of this effort to honor all those who have served and sacrificed for our country, and to support our troops serving today in the best way that we can—by ending this war and bringing them safely home.

Today we're offering another way to spread this powerful message. First, you can order a free "Support the troops. End the war." bumper sticker. If every one of us takes the free bumper sticker and puts it on our car or someplace visible, we can show that our numbers are strong and encourage other Americans to join our growing movement of pro-troop patriots against the war.

Or, if you're able to chip in $20 to cover production, shipping and handling, we'll also send you a "Support the troops. End the War." t-shirt.

www.johnedwards.com/supportthetroopsendthewarIf you order your t-shirt by 11:59 PM PST on Monday night, we'll rush it to you in time for Memorial Day weekend. On Monday, John Edwards asked us all to take action Memorial Day weekend to support the troops and end the war. We've all been truly inspired by the response.

In Raeford, North Carolina a woman whose husband is serving in Iraq is hosting a prayer vigil. She writes:

My husband is in Iraq, and I pray each and every day for the Troops and that maybe someday soon there will be an end to this war. Please join me in praying for my husband and all the troops that are deployed throughout the world.

In Milton, West Virginia, the mother of an Iraq War veteran is organizing a letter writing drive to Congress and the President.

And from Fort Riley, Kansas, a soldier writes simply:

As I get ready for my third tour into Iraq, I just want to say "BRING US HOME!"

You don't have to be a military family or a veteran to speak out now. You just have to be one of the millions of Americans who are done letting George Bush abuse the rhetoric of patriotism to defend policies that hurt our country and misuse our troops.

Real patriotism is about standing up to do what's right for our nation and the men and women who defend us. This Memorial Day weekend and beyond, let's wear our patriotism on our sleeve—and put it on our bumper—for all the world to see. Support the troops. End the war.

And remember—on Memorial Day itself (Monday the 28th)—let's all take time to solemnly honor all of those who have served in our armed forces and given their lives for our freedom.

www.johnedwards.com/supportthetroopsendthewar

Thank you,

--David Bonior
  Campaign Manager,
  John Edwards for President
  Veteran, United States Air Force (1968-1972)

Actual email below:

Best of the Web Today Slams Soccer

“This offended Dave Lee, a member of the class of 2007 who considers himself an athlete even though he plays soccer.” - Aggrieved Athletic Americans - Best of the Web Today (03 May 2007)

Why the shallow pejorative targeting those of us who love the game of soccer? I’m not a big fan of most Europeans either, but the staff at BOTWT has obviously never strapped on a pair of “boots” and run up and down the “pitch” for 90 straight minutes.

As a US Marine, I participated in Baltic Challenge '98 – a military partnership mission between NATO and three Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) that took place over three years. The year 1998 saw the United States severely embarrassed in the first round of the FIFA World Cup. The US was defeated soundly in 3 straight games (Germany, Iran and Yugoslavia respectively) and outscored by 4 goals (1 for, 5 against). Abroad, our defeat served as welcome fodder for the xenophobic world soccer community.

With 11 counties represented at Baltic Challenge that summer, 14 Marines challenged all comers (in addition to our two weeks of daily military training) and beat all but one team. Each time we walked onto the field, the opposing team wallowed in their preeminence as European footballers facing down the silly US Marines in green PT shorts and uniform T-shirts. After 2 sudden death overtime periods, we tied Poland in the final game (they refused to let it go to penalty shots). That game was noteworthy as we played each game on consecutive days whereas this was the first and only game for the Poles. We beat the Germans, Norwegians, Swedes, Belgians (possibly the Danes), Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians on the road to the final game. It was immensely gratifying to trample their arrogance, witness their horror when we beat them and see the fear in the eyes of the Poles as we attempted to cajole them into settling the match with penalty shots.

It was brilliant, especially after the dismal US showing at the World Cup.

Point is, we fought hard against those Europeans, and it took athletic skill to win. We could never have accomplished our infantry training and played soccer if we were not true athletes.

So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Taranto.

Semper Fidelis.

Michael Yon Dispatches - Desires of the Heart

The war in Iraq is far from lost and hardly unwinnable; Just ask Michael Yon.

Many Iraqis seem to understand that the real decision-makers are Americans at home......

Despite so much bad news, much of which I deliver, it’s heartening that most of the Iraqis are not fearful of Americans. What many Iraqis REALLY want—and they say it clearly—is to communicate directly with Americans at home.....

The Iraqi commanders tend to want to tell Americans what they think....The Iraqi Police Colonel conveyed his ideas on how to handle terrorists. Idea number #1: Don’t run.

This is a great source of alternative information on the fight in Iraq.  If you haven’t taken a look at this guy’s independent reporting, please do.  Take some time to investigate Michael Yon; I believe that you will find his story interesting and valuable.

Desires of the Human Heart - Part I

Desires of the Human Heart - Part II

Semper Fidelis.