Gold Star Mother: This Christmas should be no holiday for Mr. Bush

[PA Democrat]

This Christmas should be no holiday for Mr. Bush

I am looking at the stack of books that need my attention over winter break. In my 36 years of teaching I never left my building for break without some work. Last week, I picked up my daughter at the airport. She came home for Christmas but needs to e-mail three term papers to her professors while she is home. No one will die if we do not do our work over break, but do it we will.

People will die if George W. Bush does not do his homework over his Christmas break. He may sit down with his family and enjoy a holiday meal and open presents, but while he is doing that, people will die in Iraq -- innocent people. Somewhere in America at least one family, maybe more, will respond to the knock on the door to find an officer in dress uniform and a chaplain.

While we are having our holiday meal, there will be an empty chair with a picture and a candle in front of it. This is our third Christmas since our son died in Iraq. There will be almost 3,000 empty chairs.

So when George W. Bush is done with his meal, he had better sit down with the best minds possible -- not the Rumsfeld "yes men," but the best minds, the ones who left the military rather than command this misbegotten mission. He needs to sit and work, and work and work. No play breaks to ride his mountain bike or photo ops cutting brush. Forget pretending to be a "good ole boy cowboy." Forget trying to salvage his legacy. Just find a way to bring our troops out of the quagmire of his creation.


More at:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06358/748418-110.stm

[terrya]

1. Recommended.

"While we are having our holiday meal, there will be an empty chair with a picture and a candle in front of it. This is our third Christmas since our son died in Iraq"

Words fail me expressing how heartbreaking reading this. I am so, so sorry about your son's death. My heart goes out to you.

And I agree with your post. Get our servicemen and women out of this stupid, immoral, quagmire. Get our sons, our daughters, our friends out of Bush's war in Iraq. Immediately.

Thank you for your post.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Don't Worry!!! The Brave Congressional Dems Have Our Backs!!!

You'll see, they'll fight, tooth and nail, resist the "surge"!

(Unless something good is on the tube, or there's a buck to be made.)

[babylonsister]

6. Manny, I sometimes wonder if you are on the right board. Do you

think there's another group of people out there who will do anything better? If so, I'm all ears.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. Actual Democrats, For Starters

People like Feingold, Conyers, etc. Not craven triangulators that vote for "Patriot" acts, insane wars, and so forth.

Are you thinking that the behavior of the current crop of "Democrats" is anything but disgraceful (the only mitigation is that it's less awful than the behavior of the Republicans)?

[scarface2004]

3. its not that hard...

admit you re a fricking moron...and order all troops out. shouldn t take more than a minute!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. "We will meet, but we will miss him

There will be
One vacant chair
We will meet, but we will miss him
As we breathe our evening prayer"

"The Vacant Chair" from the Civil War.

[blue neen]

5. I saw this yesterday in the Post Gazette, and it struck me like someone had hit me.

George Bush and Dick Cheney are celebrating their Christmases while others are suffering because of their debacle of a war. Shame on them, and kudos to the brave mother who took the time to write this heartbreaking letter.

Merry Christmas, PA Democrat!

[PA Democrat]

7. Merry Christmas, Blue Neen!

After the early morning excitement of kids tearing through gifts, I had a few quiet minutes to think of families who have a piece of their heart missing thanks to George Bush. While Bush takes out time for his celebrations with family and friends, how many more will die? The arrogance of the man is sickening.

[Road Scholar]

9. Thank you for sharing. I found that losing someone close

makes one examine their priorities. I think bush and friends will have a merry christmas. They've always had everything handed to them, never taken away. I don't think they are qualified to make the decisions that they make.

[MadMaddie]

10. You are right * will have a Merry Christmas

because like a student...he will not pick up a book or document or anything....and then the day before he is set to return he will cram...you see our soldiers mean nothing to him....he can pretend all he wants....

If he were a real President he would have taken just Christmas day off and worked on a resolution....but we all know he would never inconvenience himself for others....

And you are right they were never qualified for any of the positions that they have been holding....Incompetence at the highest levels...

[tbyg52]

11. The last paragraph:

America must not turn on the TV on Dec. 26 to see the ersatz cowboy "a cuttin' brush, nursing his a thumpin'." They need to see a grown man trying to fix his mistakes.

Well, that's the rub, isn't it? He's *not* a grown man, and not likely to ever be. If what he's done so far hasn't caused him to do some thinking and maturing, what possibly could?

[Diane R]

12. I'm relieved when he ISN'T working. When he 'works', he just makes things worse. n/t