Did anyone here receive Edwards' email from May 13th?

[Sparkly]

Just for the record, to clear up a factual matter -- if anyone here received Edwards' email from May 13 about Memorial Day weekend, would you please post it here in its entirety?

There is a question of whether some sentences were added to the version now on the Edwards campaign's website, following criticism. (Again, I'm not saying that'd necessarily be a good thing or a bad thing or a neutral thing -- that's a separate discussion.)

I have at least two quotes of it from the web that exclude words that are there now. Examples I'm wondering about:

"If you hold an event on Memorial Day itself, please make sure that everyone you gather knows it is a day for honoring the fallen only."

"Many parades are held on Saturday or Sunday. If your parade is on Monday, however, we ask that you choose another action to honor the fallen."

Again, I think we can discuss the controversy with more clarity if we know what the original post/email was, and whether it's been changed.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. The note that I got on the 17th.

Posted here.
http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/5/17/155717/812


Dear Friend,

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/supportthetroopsendthewar

If 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)

P.S. Here's what your bumper sticker and T-shirt look like:

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Posted on the 14th

5/14/2007 at 12:23 PM EST

Memorial Day Weekend is a time to honor all the brave men and women throughout our history who have served in our armed forces, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice to safeguard our freedom. I believe it is our duty to use that freedom to stand up for those now serving in the most meaningful way that we can--by thanking them, supporting them, and bringing them home to a hero's welcome.

It's time to support the troops. For far too long, George Bush has abused the rhetoric of patriotism to silence his critics and paper over the devastating cost of his war to the country we love. Our troops have served bravely and sacrificed without hesitation. Yet they are now paying the price for Bush's stubborn pursuit of his failed strategy in Iraq. Our troops deserve far better, and we all have a responsibility to stand up for them.

So this Memorial Day Weekend, I'm asking every one of us to take a stand for the troops and against the war. Let's reclaim patriotism for all of us who love our country, support our troops and fiercely believe in our hearts that this war must end now.

There are many ways we can take action this Memorial Day. We've prepared 10 ideas to get you started, like sending care packages for the troops or holding public gathering to speak out for the troops and against the war. What matters most is that you take action in a way that honors our troops and feels right to you.

To sign up to take action or to see what actions others have planned near you, go to:

www.SupportTheTroopsEndTheWar.com

Thanks to your support, we were able to rush a full page ad to the Washington Post featuring most of the more than 115,000 names we've collected calling on Congress to end the war. But we have to do more. To stand up for our men and women in uniform and force this President to do the right thing, we must take extraordinary action.

For we are citizens. And as citizens, we must honor and support our troops for their service and sacrifice.

We are Americans. And as Americans, we give thanks for the blessing of their sacrifice and support, which keeps us safe and keeps us strong.

And we are patriots. And as patriots we must use our power and the responsibility that comes with it to push our government to support our troops in the most important way it can--by ending this war and bringing them home.

So this Memorial Day Weekend, let us gather as patriots. Wherever you are--with your family, with your friends, at a barbeque, at a parade--wherever you can be seen and heard, first take a moment of silence to honor the fallen, and then let us raise our voices together and say:

We support our troops. End the war. Bring them home.

Because it is possible to stop a president who believes he can do no wrong--it just takes people with the courage to do what's right.

[DemReadingDU]

20. here is link from his blog

http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/5/14/12236/4202

[madfloridian]

3. I get the mails, but since this is the 19th, I doubt I kept it.

I had no clue it would turn into such a terrible mess that even Joe Conason and most of DU would have to be jumping on. I knew we already had our plans for Memorial Day, once of which is a peaceful anti-war rally....so I did not save the mail.

The damage is done since Conason wrote that.

The damage was done about the hair and the house before there was a way to get on top of it.

The damage being done here at DU is going to have an effect.

At least you are asking about verification.

[Cameron27]

5. The damage done regarding the haircut

was a self-inflicted wound caused by the Edwards' staff when they put the charges on his campaign's tab. The house is his house, and everyone has an opinion about it. I'm not sure how they could have gotten on top of either of them, but trying to paint the house as environmentally sound was not the way to go IMO.

As far as Conason, the anti-war protests suggested by Edwards' for the Memorial Day weekend will still draw strong criticism even if they were not originally planned for Memorial Day itself. It's symbolically linked to the holiday that honors fallen veterans.

[madfloridian]

6. You guys piled on bigtime.

It was shameful.

[Cameron27]

9. Shame on you then, for your incessant posting about the

Democrats who are part of the DLC. (I'm not a fan of the DLC btw)

I've made plenty of donations to this message board and if I have something to say, I'll say it.

/edited to say I'm NOT a guy and I post for myself & not as part of a group.

[madfloridian]

12. Would you like me to stop posting about a group that sets policy..

well, then, if you see me being unfair or not showing sources feel free to alert. How does that sound?

I think most people here are pretty much aware now that the supporters of a certain undeclared candidate are after Edwards, and the supporters of a declared one are close behind. So I don't need to make my point anymore on that issue. It is VERY obvious.

And that's all ok. It's the American way, you know. We destroy our own.

[Cameron27]

13. You feel that the DLC is taking the Democratic

Party in a direction that you don't like so you post about it with as many pile-ons in those threads that you complain about in the Edwards' threads. No I don't think you should stop posting your opinion and I've never suggested it. I've also never complained about ANY posts being unfair, I've just tried to post things that would balance things out.

I don't think it takes any kind of political courage to suggest protest rallies on the Memorial Day weekend, when the country is now strongly against the war.

("Public opinion is now fairly solidly against the war in Iraq. More than half of Americans – 55% - think the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq (the highest figure to date), while 41% think taking military action there was the right thing to do. As the war began, Americans overwhelmingly approved of U.S. action against Iraq; 69% said the U.S. did the right thing in taking military action (the highest level of support in our polls for the war). Support for the war waned in 2004. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/10/opinion/polls/main930772.shtml")

I don't like the direction Edwards' is taking the Democratic Party with this protest, when he's never done anything at all like it before he became a candidate. I don't want potential voters turned away from the Democratic Party because a presidential candidate wants to make a statement about the war on a national day of remembrance.

I think things are obvious on this board too, and I'll return the suggestion that instead of bitching about them, if you think the criticisms of Edwards' are unfair you can always alert the mods yourself. I don't alert when someone has an opposing opinion.

/edited to include link

[madfloridian]

14. Wow....welll you just go right ahead.

That sounds pretty clear and pretty tough and pretty obvious that you will continue.

So be it.

[Cameron27]

15. I will continue to post my opinions, yes.

:wtf:

It's pretty clear and pretty tough and pretty obvious that you will continue to post your views on the DLC, the Clintons and whatever else you want to talk about.

So be it.

[edwardsdefender]

18. Apparently, you refuse to accept the truth, since you keep repeating the lies. Moving on...

[Cameron27]

19. Oh the defender ...

What F'n lies are you accusing my of repeating?

[madfloridian]

4. Could you clarify what the really really big deal is about the statements?

I guess I am stupid because I see nothing wrong with it with or without the statements you mention. I can see that a campaign would send an email on the 13th and then at the website clarify stuff.

Help me out here please because I feel sick inside. I was reading the comments in Conason's article....and there was a lot of anger there.

Color me stupid or naive or whatever...I see nothing wrong with any version.

And I am very angry right now about some things that are just like 2003...just a different victim.

[Cameron27]

7. The problem is that Memorial Day is for all

of the fallen, my uncle who served in Korea for instance and who had nothing to do with the Iraq War. Why should his memory be linked to this protest/rally about Iraq?

[Sparkly]

8. No big deal to me.

The larger controversy is whether or not the suggestions for Memorial Day weekend were or weren't appropriate to the day. I'm not debating that here, just trying to clarify one point within that debate.

On the campaign site now, he specifically says to treat the day itself differently from Saturday and Sunday. If those sentences were there before, I think it'd be fair to point out that he did make that distinction, and that it wasn't noted by the American Legion or Joe Conason, for example.

If these sentences weren't there before, it would mean the campaign did respond to the criticism, whatever one might make of that. It could be seen as a good thing that they accepted the criticism and were sensitive enough to make the change.

[surfermaw]

10. We democrats destroy our own candidates

Why do we democrats seem to want to destroy our very own candidates, we need to back any thing that has democrats, until we see how things will fall out in the coming year, the republicans are just now after Edward's, lets be carefully with our words and our democrat candidates. Remember how Reagan, ask republicans to always support republicans...

[Cameron27]

11. In the General Election

we all will do exactly that, support the candidate no matter what.

In the primaries, we should never try to emulate the Republican strategy and back anything "that has Democrats."

[Pithy Cherub]

16. That is total Bullshit and an abdication of critical thinking.

Each and every candidate that offers him or herself up for office needs to have their words and records scrutinized in extremis. Those that can not or will not suffer the idignities of having a thorough examination of their records, judgments and staff (or close associates)should stand down and allow worthier candidates to stand alone who are not shrinking violets afraid and fearful of Democracy. The smarmy idea of just supporting someone because they are a Democrat is anathema to those that value and will shed blood for protection of the Ideals this country is founded upon. It is simply a wimpy way of knuckling under to collective groupthink because the pain of the examination is not to be done in public. Strong Democrats are not afraid of battle. We do not NEED to back everything by Democrats because that label is not all knowing and all seeing - it is a label that stand for Ideals. Cowering under a bed is for those who do believe that the freedom of fucking expression is too strong in regards to the selection of the most worthy candidate. So such dumbass exposition of reagan should be what a Democrat should aspire to is one of the all time stupidest and lowest forms of demonizing Democrats because the IDEAL is for Democrats to discuss, debate then decide after the facts are presented. Not wither away because the rain is falling on whatever particular candidate at this time and it might drown them. That is when the candidate better fucking swim or build a boat, because that is the one that gets my vote (they earned it based on judgment under duress, strength to stand against the prevailing winds, intellect to make the tough call) - not the one that whines about the discourse.

[Adelante]

17. Eeek

Remind me never to offend you :scared:

Perfect :thumbsup: