The Story to knock Mary Cheney off the front page.

[chaska]

Rank it a five.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20041015/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_unit_investigation

[alittlelark]

1. did it

[flowomo]

2. Powerful story, BUT....

it has to be handled extemely carefully. Kerry cannot be seen as encouraging this kind of behavior. It reveals something important about the situation in Iraq, but explaining what it reveals must be done with the utmost delicacy.

[BUSHOUT]

3. It's a good story, but a better story is the one that's not being told....

Contact all major network news (and local news...write to editor ect ect)
and tell the the Nightline program was a huge story because...

1. New independent witnesses in Vietnam back up the after-action report that there were "superior numbers" and heavy fire.

2. New independent witnesses indicate the man killed was indeed a grown man in VC attire, not a "boy in a loincloth". He had a rocket launcher and was a VC provincial commander.

3. Someone visited the Vietnam village 6 months ago asking questions and saying Kerry didn't deserve his medals. Who was this? Is someone involved with SBVT withholding the same info given to Nightline by the vietnamese villagers?

4. John O'Niel avoided questions and seemed uncomfortable and insincere.

Ask them why the Nightline special revelations aren't bigger news considering how much attention has been given to O'Niel and the SBVT.

[sharman]

4. Plus, O'Neill's arguments were so lame

His whole argument was based on Kerry's autobiography, where he says he was lucky there was only one guy, when he jumped off the ship and chased and shot the V/C with the RPG, not 3 or 4 waiting to jump him.

But that statement by Kerry is in no way inconsistent with the rest of the story, the account that backs up his silver star, and the account these Vietnamese witnesses gave Nightline. There was heavy fire directed at the boats before and after Kerry beached the boat and went after the guy. Kerry says he is lucky that the one guy he went after was, at that time, at that spot, alone.

In fact, the Vietnamese witnesses and Nightline confirm that the area was heavily fortified V/C.

PLUS--O'Neill admits that Kerry showed real bravery in that act (friggin' incredible, in my view), and does deserve some recognition. So let me get this straight: We all agree Kerry served in Vietnam, volunteered for Vietnam. The Swiftboaters agree that Kerry showed remarkable bravery on at least one occasion. Now, explain to me, how does Bush shine in comparison?

[chaska]

5. I don't get it.

How is it possible for Bushco to create major stories out of nothing. Mary Cheney? Come on! And we have more stuff to work with than we can ever use and it goes nowhere. WT freakin' F?!?!

Kill corporate media ... in our lifetime.

[rndmprsn]

6. hit it

[wishlist]

7. Great suggestions about promoting the Nightline pro-Kerry evidence

I am working on a letter to the editor about the Nightline story which contradicts the Sinclair Broadcasting Mark Hyman 'The Point' editorials that trashed Kerry's service and medals and I am also going to email some of the anchors and talking heads like Peter Jennings, Keith Olberman and Deborah Norville who have displayed objectivity in their coverage of the Swiftliars.

[montana500]

8. ? The Cheney story was knocked off front page yesterday.

nm

[CityHall]

9. NO NO NO NO, There's NO excuse for this behavior

There's never a good enough reason for a soldier to obey a direct legal order. For example, if you're ordered to take a physical, you f'n DO IT!

Although in fairness to Bush, this does illustrate how badly the war is being mismanaged when even soldiers without politial connections are willing to risk disobeying orders.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. Hold on a second, Herr General...

...I've got some points for you to consider before you have the soldiers shot for mutiny:

1. Quote: "Relatives of the soldiers said the troops considered the mission too dangerous, in part because their vehicles were in such poor shape."

2. Quote: "The reservists are from a fuel platoon that is part of the 343rd Quartermaster Company, based in Rock Hill, S.C. The unit delivers food, water and fuel on trucks in combat zones."

3. Quote: "The Clarion-Ledger, citing interviews with relatives of some of the soldiers, said platoon members refused to go on Wednesday's mission because their vehicles were in poor condition and they had no capable armed escort. They were going to Taji, which is north of Baghdad."

4. Quote: "Convoys in Iraq are frequently subject to ambushes and roadside bombings."

5. Quote: "Patricia McCook, of Jackson, Miss., said her husband, Staff Sgt. Larry O. McCook, was also among those detained. She said he told her in a telephone call that he did not feel comfortable taking his soldiers on another trip. 'He told me that three of the vehicles they were to use were 'deadlines' ... not safe to go in a hotbed like that,' she said, the newspaper reported."

MY COMMENTS:

About 50% of our troops were originally sent into that country without body armor. They were also asked to travel in some vehicles that were lightly armored at best. Additionally, they were ordered into Iraq based on a pack of lies, thus making this war illegal as well as immoral.

Could, or should, any of those commands mentioned above be considered lawful orders under any set of circumstances?

Now we have a unit ordered on a convoy mission to protect FUEL trucks in bad need of maintenance along roads that are frequently targeted by the insurgents who use rockets and roadside bombs as their primary weapons of choice. They refused to go based on the poor condition of the vehicles.

Now think carefully about this...you've been ordered to go on a convoy mission to protect FUEL trucks that could break down at any second thus creating an even more dangerous situation for you and your fellow soldiers.

Reading between the lines, it appears that the maintenance people were either NOT doing their jobs to keep those vehicles in tip-top condition, or they lacked the materials to get the job done. I'm betting that this issue has come up quite a few times and that the troops finally had had enough. The fact that they were discussing these issues with family back home tells me that this has been an ongoing situation that somebody on the maintenance side has been ignoring or putting off.

With everything that we know and suspect about the TRUE situation in Iraq, do you REALLY believe that this is an "isolated incident"?

Just curious, but were you ever in the military yourself?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

10. This is truly a bizarro world when news like this is ignored

In order to report on some nonsensical story.

[robbedvoter]

12. Done - but don't expect the mudia to notice