CNN- Stryker brigade duty officially extended for up to SIX months.

[Rose Siding]

Jamie McIntyre reporting to Blitzer.

About 3,700 troops. They'll be sent to Baghdad.

Cafferty: "What a shame"

[babylonsister]

1. OMG, those poor soldiers, and they were probably counting the

days til they could get the hell out of there. :-(

[Rose Siding]

2. Wolf says next up: "My Trip to Haifa"

:(

[babylonsister]

9. Wolfie's trying to convince someone he's brave. Not buying it... nt

[roguevalley]

27. the 172nd stryker from here only had a week to go.

[RobertSeattle]

3. Bush's loses the Alaksa Vote

http://www.adn.com/news/military/story/8010105p-7903112c.html

:evilgrin:

[wakeme2008]

4. I would bet most of these troops are Bush voters

for the non-Bush voter my heart goes out to them.

[roguevalley]

26. you assume that because they are troops, they voted for *? That

kind of thing bothers me a lot. That's like saying all country people love bush. Put your ear to the ground. Millions don't and never did. That stryker brigade, the 172nd, comes from here and its truly put a hole in the hearts of everyone. They were supposed to be home in a week.

[wakeme2008]

28. And Alaska is all Repugs in major office and Bush's in 2000 and 2004

All the majority of Alaskians care about is their fat Oil Checks and how to make them fatter. :grr: Yes I would bet 90% of the Alaskian troops voted for Bush.

[roguevalley]

29. excuse me. you obviously don't know what you're talking about.

the 'fat oil check' is about 900 bucks. going down, friend. and its our money. we share the wealth up here. talk to the dorks in your own state and get a cut of your resources. unless you like the oil companies taking it all. as for the troops, we love them here. they're good people. your stereotyping of them is as classy as your stereotying of us. the repugs stole the election here and if you pretended to know what you were talking about, you would know about the diebold thing. half the districts in this state were scammed. before you slur a state, you should read up on it.

[wakeme2008]

30. Your two senators are Repugs and they run on

We will get you fat oil checks and win...

[roguevalley]

31. the above doesn't make sense. so what. lots of states have repigs.

when you cheat in elections, you get repigs. as for fat oil checks, the person who put the permanent fund together -I am sure you don't know what I'm talking about here- was a dem. Get your facts straight and go pillory some other state. Alaska is going to turn out a repig governor this year. what is your state doing?

They don't run on 'fat oil checks' -- see above. they cheat. pure and simple. See: Ohio

[leftchick]

5. so they miss another Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year

with their loved ones. How the fuck do Americans put up with this shit? Where is the outrage for these people stretched to the limit? :grr:

[w8liftinglady]

8. here's some outrage! my latest LTTE

Donald Rumsfeld just announced that he would be delaying the departure of 3700 troops home from Iraq.
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1981940.php
It has also been disclosed today that the Army is running out of money to pay said troops and will need to borrow from funds set aside for equipment repair to pay the troops for the last 5 weeks of the fiscal year.
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1980530.php
This borrowing from the budget will intensify the combat equipment shortage already present in Iraq.
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1981927.php
This is what happens when you send soldiers to fight a war based on profit and favors.You can thank your Republican lawmakers for this-they control Congress,and THEY granted the contracts.Republicans DO NOT support our soldiers and veterans.They have gone out of their way to run this war on the cheap,and to NOT take care of our wounded when they come home.Does this infuriate you?Oh-probably not-most of you don't even KNOW a soldier,let alone have to worry about one 24/7.3700-I think we could find that many young men in Ellis County to go to Iraq,so that these brave soldiers can come home.Pick which of your sons you want to donate as cannon fodder.The collective apathy of Texans sickens me.

[theHandpuppet]

13. Good on ya!

:thumbsup:

[w8liftinglady]

21. do you think they'll lynch me?

[theHandpuppet]

11. Also, where is the outrage from the military?

Aren't they just about fed up with this band of lunatics who treat them like cannon fodder and the Constitution of the United States like a roll of toilet paper? Or will they just continue to offer up a chorus of HOOYAHS everytime Rummy, Cheney or Bush want another PR photo op with the troops? Whatever happened to the oath to defend the Constitution from enemies both foreign and DOMESTIC?

[leftchick]

20. I totally agree tHp!

where is the outrage from those most used and abused by these fascist fuckheads?
Where indeed. :(

[w4rma]

24. This is why Rummy *purged* the military top ranks. (nt)

[hang a left]

25. And how many of those 3700 will NEVER come home now. n/t

[Burried News]

6. This is a bad thing to do to soldiers.

As soon as they are deployed to a combat zone they start a countdown of how many days they have left. It has a superstitious element to it.

Their first reaction to extention will be: "I am never going to get out of here alive". It can result in a fatalism that causes them to lose their edge and their thought to become a self fulfilling prophecy.

The effect on their families can be equally devastating. This kind of crap will break our military for a generation. It is very ill advised.

[Fleshdancer]

7. I'm extremely annoyed at how many journalists are covering Israel

and Lebanon and how few are covering Iraq right now. I've been angry at the lack of Afghanistan coverage for years now and for the American media to turn its back on TWO AMERICAN WARS makes no sense. I know I know...don't look for logic in our media...follow the money or the ratings...they don't care. It still pisses me off though.

[babylonsister]

10. But Iraq is too dangerous!That, to me, would be all the more

reason to at least try to get the ongoing stories out considering our soldiers are dying there.

[Rose Siding]

12. I agree! There could be a backlash coming, though

A-01 in the WP today-

snip>"Think of what you hate most about your job. Then think of doing what you hate most for five straight hours, every single day, sometimes twice a day, in 120-degree heat," he said. "Then ask how morale is."
...
"It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we're driving around waiting to get blown up. That's the most honest answer I could give you," said Spec. Tim Ivey, 28, of San Antonio, a muscular former backup fullback for Baylor University. "You lose a couple friends and it gets hard."

"No one wants to be here, you know, no one is truly enthused about what we do," said Sgt. Christopher Dugger, the squad leader.
...
Steffey said he wished "somebody would explain to us, 'Hey, this is what we're working for.' " With a stream of expletives, he said he could not care less "if Iraq's free" or "if they're a democracy."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/26/AR2006072601666.html

That's one of the strongest piece I've seen in a national, so far. It would probably get more play if I/L wasn't filling up the air waves, but if this is the kind of reporting that's out there when they get back to covering it, that will be a step in the direction of reality.

[w8liftinglady]

14. Please,everyone-write your papers-I did-you can read my ltte

it is imperative that we let the sheeple know that democrats are the ones who support the troops,not republicans.we are the ones looking after their boys-not the interests of the contractors.Do it...and if your paper won't print your letter,let me know.My paper will.

[w8liftinglady]

15. allow me to kick.Start writing those letters,folks.

[Rose Siding]

16. I should note, in a subsequent report, McIntyre changed from 6 to 4 mos

extended deployment.

Still horrible. I'll bet there are a lot of tears today.

[w8liftinglady]

17. that 4 months FOR NOW-subject to change-they extended my son 6 months

in 2004

[Rose Siding]

18. Geeze, that's awful.

I know the Stryker Brigade has already been there for a year. A couple of hundred already went home and they didn't mention if they'd be called back right away.

I mentioned the change to 4 from 6 so that my OP would match the reports.

[w8liftinglady]

19. i blame that one act for his PTSD-he was never the same.

[babylonsister]

22. Kick for the shame and pain. nt

[w8liftinglady]

23. we need at least one more rec...this is part of our platform,people.