We need to help this POW. Email/call the WH and tell Bush to negotiate

[lebkuchen]

Spain has. Their ass is out of Iraq, and rightly so. Now they can build another Guggenheim with their taxes rather than kill people.

An Italian's brains were blown out (coalition), the Japanese were released (non-coalition but a hapless country w/yet another screwed up PM, poodle-boying to Bush--he'll be gone soon). Our captured soldiers are very likely to go the way of our mercenaries, who weren't up for negotiation. Bush has dealt us a terrible hand. We must act to save a life. The Iraqis aren't going to f*ck around when it comes to the U.S. They're waiting for Rice et al to make fools of themselves on the Sunday talkies, and the kid they hold captive will serve as their useful response, or rather, cannon fodder. It's time to fold our hand and bring this kid home.

Bush negotiated w/terrorists when he didn't do jack to protect the U.S. despite all the evidence to the contrary. He can negotiate again.



The WH comments line is down until the Chimp returns to work. Try e-mail.

[e-mail]
[e-mail]

[KissMyAsscroft]

1. The White House doesn't negotiate with terrorists..

Unless it involves Iran and some hostages, and some money laundering, and Ollie North, and a Reagan election...

[lebkuchen]

2. That kid is soon to be Exhibit A

Bush must admit that he's lost control of Pandora's Box. He must dig deep into his emotionally depraved psyche and save a life. This one is under his personal control. Now is not the time to stand on the usual false principles.

[brainshrub]

3. Don't worry about this POW

After all, according to Rumsfeild, soldiers are "fungible."

--snip--

Clarence Page: Rumsfeld's candor can be too revealing
American soldiers are not "fungible" to their loved ones
Published April 18, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Every so often a high-profile Washington figure gets himself or herself in trouble by inadvertently revealing what he or she really thinks. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld knows. In a town where candor can be a crime, he's a repeat offender.

His latest score came during a Pentagon news conference Thursday when he revealed a new Rummy-ism: "People are fungible."

My dictionary says "fungible," which is pronounced with a soft "G" as in "sponge," refers to something that can be satisfactorily replaced, either in part or in whole, with some other part or quantity of similar value. "Oil is fungible," experts say, in arguing why no country or cartel can quite corner the market on it. If the price is too high in one place, you can buy it someplace else and the price in the first place will come down in order to compete.

Now, Rumsfeld wants you to know, our troops are fungible, too. His bold pronouncement came during an exchange with a reporter in a news conference during which Rumsfeld announced that about 20,000 American troops are about to have their tours in Iraq extended for at least three months.
-snip-

[lebkuchen]

4. After hearing Rummy on TV, I had to listen to the tape for clarification

"Fungible" isn't in my daily vocabulary. I looked it up as well.

Let's go with the "moveable" definition and move this GI (I believe he's either NG or Reserve, probably stop-lossed) back to the States, or at least make an attempt to prevent him from being "This is what an American looks like dying."

[MidwestMomma]

5. BushCO have no interest in saving that soldier

If he dies, it will just make more people in this country support the war because we will have one more death to avenge. Plus, anything that helps portray the Iraqi people as blood-thirsty barbarians serves their evil purposes as well.

After all, they have to do something to get the country all worked up so they'll support a draft don't you know.

Bush lied, another soldier dies. Yet another victim of 'compassionate conservatism'.

I only pray that cooler heads prevail in Iraq and they do not play into the hands of evil and release the boy.

[lebkuchen]

6. Bush cares about polls and outside pressure

He's been forced to negotiate behind the scenes and then put up a pseudo-sober front before the public to make it look like his policies are the usual SOP, even though they're as phony as he is. Now he wants to pass his waste-wad over to the UN ASAP to save himself in Nov.

The spouses of the 1AD don't see their husbands' lives as potential "deaths to be avenged." They simply want them home.

Bush has no grand plan anymore. He's running scared. He's finished, politically. Our doing nothing for our POWs would fulfill an anti-war agenda of inadvertantly including this young man as another death statistic w/which to push the anti-war cause against Bush.

No deaths, no ammo for the cause, right? I don't want to be a party to that.

[MidwestMomma]

7. Where did I say I wanted this boy to die to help the anti-war cause?

You seem to think that I want this boy to die to advance an anti-war agenda of some kind. That's as far from the truth as you can get for me personally.

I don't want this boy to die for any reason and it upsets me that you took my words and twisted them to imply that I would.

My point was that it would advance the administration's pro-war agenda for something bad to happen to him so I have little hope they will do anything to help him. I didn't mean to imply that we shouldn't still make an effort to put pressure on Bush. Sorry if that's how it came across.

I'm sick of the deaths and frightened of the esculating violence in Iraq and I hope you're right that Bush cares enough about polls to negotiate behind the scenes for the successful release of this soldier and all the hostages in Iraq.

[lebkuchen]

8. Bush lied, another soldier dies. Yet another victim of

'compassionate conservatism.'

I appreciate sloganism as well as the next person (I sent that Buzzflash postcard to Bush just today, with casualty numbers revised), but let's not let it get in the way of attempting to save lives when the facts are laid before us.

You spoke in inevitable terms. The soldier isn't inevitably dead. We can act now to change the course of events. I'm not the type to pray for it to happen and then say how sad it is when things don't go my way, but resign them to being "out of my hands."

I know, from experience, that Bush doesn't care about Iraqi lives. What does it say about him if he won't act, when he has the chance, to save an American one? As civilized Americans, we must demand that he do so.

When the 17 Italians were killed a few months ago, the country all but ground to a halt. Americans are inured to death. I don't want to be.

[MidwestMomma]

12. You're right. Sorry I let my negativity get the best of me

I really didn't mean to imply that his fate was inevitable and there was no hope. It's just been an exhausting 4 years, news out of Iraq is so bleak today and sometimes I just feel like giving up the fight.

Thanks for the reminder that we have to continue and not give up.

Or course everyone should contact Bush and their representatives to see if we can change their minds about this young man. Once again, I'm sorry my post seemed to advise against that. Peace?

[lebkuchen]

16. Peace, to be sure.

Good morning, MidwestMomma,

Sorry if I sounded like a flame. Didn't mean to. Since I'm on a military base w/the 1ID deployed, the disaster-at-hand hits closer to home. The Bushies are a lot dumber than their adversary, so I'd wanted to call in reinforcements to help our hostages (and where would we be w/o the democratic midwest? :) Are you from Iowa, btw? I am.)

[VolcanoJen]

9. BRING MATT MAUPIN HOME!!!!

Kick... this story is especially close to my heart, as the young man is a native of Cincinnati, and our entire community holds its breath, waiting for news about this young soldier.

Support, optimism pour forth for hostage







Kelley Cooper, 19 a former school mate of captured PFC Keith Matthew Maupin of the Army's 724 Transportation Company, cries during a rally for him in Batavia.


Julie Foley (center left) of Batavia along with her mother (left) Juanita Foley and friend (right center) Amy Condrey of Batavia and her mother (far right) Gail Condrey of Pierce Twp. pray and shed tears during a rally for captured PFC Keith Matthew Maupin

[lebkuchen]

10. Thanks VolcanoJen

and MidwestMomma.

Negotiation is the only way out of this fix. I'm just glad we've been offered that option.

[bigtree]

13. There is some precedent for negotiating release of a captive soldier

During the Autumn of 1993 U.S. Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni now the Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command returned to the war-torn city of Mogadishu, Somalia to negotiate the release of an American soldier who had been taken prisoner during a failed attempt to capture Somali warlord Mohammed Aidid.
http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/defense/comanch.htm

[VolcanoJen]

15. I wish we still had Zinni.

A soldier, and leader, with a conscience.

[lebkuchen]

18. I miss Shinseki, too.

He was a victim of Bush's reformation, one of the last of the intellectuals on staff. What we have left is an incestuous bunch of murdering marauders.

[bigtree]

11. done

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[VolcanoJen]

14. Thank you for the links, bigtree! NO EXCUSES.. BRING MATT MAUPIN HOME!!!

lebkuchen, you know I've always been behind you, and now, more than ever, we're in this together.

Negotiate! Organize! BRING MATT HOME!!!

[lebkuchen]

17. Good morning, bigtree

Thanks for those links. I can enter them on the database of my nice new speedy computer for immediate use. :)

[bigtree]

19. I'm embarassed by these lousy links from common cause

They worked yesterday. Here are my pages of links. They're pretty full:

Legislation
pending U.S.gov.,Supreme Court-treaties,documents
http://www.returningsoldiers.us/legislation.htm

Contacts
call or write your representatives,organizations
http://www.returningsoldiers.us/contacts.htm
________________________________________________________________

From the 'Contact' Page:

White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
COMMENTS:202-456-1111 SWITCHBOARD:202-456-1414 FAX: [phone]
http://www.whitehouse.gov/

President George W. Bush: [e-mail]

Vice President Richard Cheney: [e-mail]

White House e-mail system becomes less user-friendly- CNN article, July18
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/07/18/nyt.markoff/


U.S. House of Representatives Home Page
http://www.house.gov/

U.S. House of Representatives - Other Government Sites
http://www.house.gov/govsites.html

Office of the Speaker
http://speakernews.house.gov/

Office of the Majority Leader
http://freedom.house.gov/

Office of the Minority Leader
http://democraticleader.house.gov/

House Majority Whip
http://majoritywhip.house.gov/

Democratic Whip
http://democraticwhip.house.gov/

House Republican Conference
http://hillsource.house.gov/

House Policy Committee
http://policy.house.gov/

House Select Committee on Homeland Defense
http://hsc.house.gov/

House Committee on Appropriations
http://www.house.gov/appropriations/

House Committee on Armed Services
http://www.house.gov/hasc/

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
http://intelligence.house.gov/

Home Page of the Senate of the United States
http://www.senate.gov/

Majority Leader Bill Frist
http://frist.senate.gov/

Assistant Majority Leader (Majority Whip), Mitch McConnell
http://mcconnell.senate.gov/

Minority Leader Tom Daschle
http://daschle.senate.gov/

Assistant Minority Leader Harry Reid
http://reid.senate.gov/

Democratic Policy Committee
http://www.senate.gov/~dpc/

Democratic Policy Committee Chairman, Thomas Daschle
http://www.senate.gov/~daschle/

Senate Republican Conference
http://www.senate.gov/~src/

Republican Policy Committee
http://www.senate.gov/~rpc/

Republican Policy Committee Chairman, Jon Kyl
http://kyl.senate.gov/

Richard B. Cheney (Vice President of the United States), President of the Senate
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Ted Stevens, President Pro Tempore
http://stevens.senate.gov/

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~Roll Call Votes
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~Last Major Actions
http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bssQuery?&Db=108&stepID=S*&stepD=o&stepD1=20030521

~Bills Introduced
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https://lnweb1.manpower.usmc.mil/manpower/mi/mra_ofct.nsf/mrp/Voting+Home

~DemocracyNet
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~Democratic National Committee
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~The League of Women Voters
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~Frequently Asked Questions
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~US Government
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~Thomas Government Info CenterThe Best source of government info
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~The Library of Congress
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~governmentguide.com
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~Federal Information Center
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