Iraq GI: "I challange the president.....to ride alongside me".

[jojo54]

This is a statement from Spc. Michael Vassell of Apache Company.

snip: "Because we have people up there in Congress with the brain of a 2-year-old who don't know what they are doing -- they don't experience it. I challenge the president or anyone who has us for 15 months to ride alongside me," Vassell said. "I do another 15 months if he comes out here and rides along with me every day for 15 months. I'll do 15 more months. They don't even have to pay me extra."

Entire story at this link: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=3383389&page=1

Yeah, I'd like to see him go too. He wouldn't last one damn day. He'd be scared out of his wits by day's end.

[northzax]

1. hah, he won't ride alongside you in Iowa

let alone Fallujah.

[malaise]

3. Ride?

He won't enter a town hall meeting without a hand-picked audience.

[merh]

20. Have you ever seen the WH's manual on silencing critics?

It is a fascinating read: http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/protest/30265res20070628.html

White House Policy Illegally Silences Americans Critical of Bush

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against Gregory Jenkins, a former high-level White House staffer who enacted a policy that unlawfully excluded individuals perceived to be critical of the administration from public events where President Bush was present. The policy is laid out in an October 2002 “Presidential Advance Manual” obtained by the ACLU.

The ACLU filed today’s lawsuit, Rank v. Jenkins, after obtaining a heavily redacted version of the Presidential Advance Manual from the Justice Department. This manual is the Bush administration’s guide for planning presidential events around the country, and it repeatedly instructs organizers about “the best method for preventing demonstrators,” “deterring potential protestors from attending events,” “designat a protest area . . . preferably not in view of the event site or motorcade route,” and the like.

The lawsuit names as plaintiffs Jeff and Nicole Rank, who were arrested at a Fourth of July presidential appearance at the West Virginia State Capitol because they were wearing T-shirts critical of the president, and Alex Young and Leslie Weise, Denver residents who were thrown out of a town hall meeting with President Bush because they had an anti-war bumper sticker on their car.

http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/protest/silenced.html

The even supply official chanters - USA rally squad

"These squads should be instructed always to look for demonstrators. The rally squad's task is to use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform. If the demonstrators are yelling, rally squads can begin and lead supportive chants to drown out the protestors (USA!, USA!, USA!).

[malaise]

24. Yep. Thanks I'll bookmark that this time n/t

[babylonsister]

2. I'm happy to see abc covering this soldier; here's what he really meant:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1340771

[jojo54]

7. Sorry for the dupe, babylonsister.

Grandkids are all fussy and I didn't take the time to browse.

Interesting article, tho'.

[babylonsister]

13. No! Not a dupe! This man needs to be heard! Often! nt

[zbdent]

4. It brings to mind an amalgamated image of Bush ...

Him in his "flight suit" ... along with the "frilly undergarments" of the wacky astronaut stalker ...

[19jet54]

5. Secure undisclosed location...

... is where you will find him hiding - but nice try!

[soothsayer]

6. I'd enlist if * would ride a horse for 5 minutes.

[jojo54]

9. Or a bike without falling off! eom

[Danieljay]

8. you see Spc. Vassell, your commander in chief is a coward and a war profiteer, it wont happen. n/t

[Philosoraptor]

10. Not all the soldiers love bush and cheney.

Some actually hate their guts.

[Ganja Ninja]

11. I'd go and I'll diffuse bombs if Bush will stand next to me as I do it.

[sinkingfeeling]

12. I doubt if AWOL Bush or any of the GOP chickenhawks will take him up on his offer.

[dysfunctional press]

14. that same story showed u.s. troops MURDERING a cab driver...

and treated it as no big deal- TRULY disgusting and disturbing.

they also showed u.s. troops raiding the home of an elderly woman, who just sat down and cried.

but they hate us for our "freedom"????

[Bluerthanblue]

19. i didn't see them face it as

"no big deal"- -- i saw them in the "oh fuck.....!" overwhelm mode. the i can't take this anymore, if i feel, or think, or sit still for a second i'm gonna explode mode.

they are in 'auto-pilot'..'robotic' mode- i recognize it from the outside. It is a kind of 'self-preservation' (temporarorily- the aftermath is a different flavor of hell)


These 'guys' have been living in an impossible position for too long- and the one who spoke out honestly is beyond caring about what 'concequences' of TRUTH TELLING will bring him.

I saw the woman with her walker, and her sobbing too.--.....

the impossible situation that we have created, and that this insane administration insists on continuing in Iraq is doing immeasurable harm, not just in terms of the people who are activly suffering, bleeding, and dying on a minute by minute basis, but the damage to all life, is something we can never imagine or fully measure.

What a world we have created.....:shrug:

not only to 'they' have reasons galore to hate 'us'- we have too many reasons to hate ourselves as well.....this is madness.

:hug:
blu

[dysfunctional press]

22. i was referring to abcnews treating it as no big deal-

as if the murdering soldiers deserved more sympathy than the murdered innocent cabdriver.

[Bluerthanblue]

23. sorry...

duh... :dunce:....


I guess i got so caught up in the report- the oh "no!!!" that i automatically assumed the horror of what the soldiers did would be evident to everyone-

In retrospect, the media did seem to discount the toll that being killed for bringing your taxi to pick someone up should have merited more sympathy than it got- it did seem calloused.

sorry, i'm pretty slow.

blu

[bdamomma]

15. ............

like how * went to Vietnam recently to visit, he is nothing but a coward.

[madokie]

16. he'd a done drowned in his own excrement by the first hour

some people are doer's some are a waste of skin, bush* is the latter

[AwakeAtLast]

21. In other words he would need DIAPERS

That seems to be the word of the day. ;)

[Bluerthanblue]

17. saw this segment last night on the news- it was HEARTbreaking-

the pain on all sides. The soldiers being told to 'perform' under impossible circumstances, screwing up, and feeling terrible, angry, frustrated.....

This reality HAS to be heard and faced.

All the sanitized bullshit, the pretty phrases the garbage about "progress is being made"....

For the love of all that is good, we have to find some frickin way to end this NOW!!!

(sorry for the rant, nightmares, anxiety, and the seeming indiference of much of the country is wearing heavily...)

This is a very telling, honest, naked interview-

Thanks for posting it- everyone should see it- and face the truth.

peace,
blu

[AndyA]

18. Commander AWOL would be such a big help in Iraq.

He wouldn't know what to do. Plus, this soldier assumes that Bush gives one f*ck about him, which Bush's actions show he clearly does not give a sh!t.

Soldiers can die, big deal.

Bush is a coward, a traitor, and a disgrace.

[coco77]

25. I'd like to see...

Bush,Cheney,ROve,Rumsfeld,Lieberman,McConnell,Graham, Duncan Hunter,Inhofe, Sennenesbrenner,William Kristol, Slannity, LImburger,O'Lielly, Newt Grinchwich,and a variety of assorted wingnuts,riding along with the troops.