Sunday, October 31, 2004
My Letter to John Kerry
Dear Senator Kerry,
Thank you for your interest in becoming our next Commander in Chief. I can see that your military experience, combined with your long and storied political career, has made you extremely "fit for command."
For instance, you used to be just some young kid who accused your fellow officers and sailors of beheading people and/or castrating them- without offering a shred of tangible evidence to back it up.
Now, you merely accuse the soldiers you wish to lead of being grossly incompetent for failing to plan post-hostility operations in Iraq (funny- I worked on such a plan), failing to capture bin Laden when we had him surrounded (wow, you must know lots of secret stuff, because even General Franks says there's no definitive evidence that he was there at the time), and most recently- failing to guard your mysterious explosives. And now you even back up your accusations with evidence- reliable sources like the NY Times and even CBS!!! It's always good to have a Commander in Chief who will go out of his way and even make stuff up in order to "sternly criticize" the efforts of our Armed Forces.
You're totally right about Bush- he was definitely wrong to risk his life by landing on that aircraft carrier in order to thank us for overthrowing Saddam's brutal regime. Did he not realize that it took us 3 whole weeks to get to Baghdad? We should have all been court-martialed for such incompetence! We hate when our boss shows appreciation for our efforts- especially when we don't deserve it. Your leadership style would be much better- hammer us for failures that never happened! That's so cool.
You have certainly come a long way, and you obviously know what it takes to motivate us soldiers to rally around your cause.
Hey, in case you get the job, should I start learning to speak french? I hear those frenchies will be coming to the Middle East in droves once you're elected. They're gonna love it over here- just about every bit of weaponry and ammo that we find over here has french writing on it!
Before I forget- not that it's a huge deal, but you should probably sign that Form 180 (you know- like Bush did), so that we can see your military records and finally get those 2,000 or so questions about your service cleared up. Minor things- you know, like whether or not you were really Honorably Discharged, that whole "collaboration with the enemy while they were actively killing and torturing Americans" thing, all those "well-deserved" medals that you so proudly threw at the White House after you begged for them during your abbreviated Swift Boat gig- just silly stuff like that. We ask all of our "self-proclaimed war hero" candidates to sign it, so please don't be offended. And really, let's be honest- your military service is pretty much the only thing you put on your resume when you applied for this job. So let's just clear everything up and silence all those millions of silly "doubters" out there, OK?
Trust me, we're gonna LOVE working for you.
Given the manner in which you aggressively spat in our faces these past few months (especially this past week) and the way you skewered my "Ghengis Kahn" father who served only two years in Vietnam (as opposed to 4 whole months), you can count on me and the rest of my military brethren for PLENTY of support once you take office.
Look forward to working with you, Sir-
CPT 2Slick, Army Aviator
P.S. I was at OBJ Dogwood with the 101st in April of 2003. Sorry we failed to guard your "forged" explosives. A$$hole.
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12 comments:
Slick,
I'm certain your words could be echoed by thousands of Military troops. Thanks for saying them!
Cathy
Thanks! I really enjoyed writing it. I so desperately wish I could deliver it to him in person.
Sorry, I didn't realize it was Halloween. Every day feels like Halloween in Kuwait!
Here's an update about the Discharge / Vietnam Collaberation story from the Navy Chief's latest post:
Much of the speculation about the STAND DOWN order is my own fault for not providing a more clear explanation.
The order to stand down was ONLY for the DC RALLY. There was great concern that the media would twist the meaning and have a chance to once again put a victory mark in Kerry's camp.
No stand down order is given to Kerry's discharge story or the Communist connections or the rest. These are still being neglected by the media.
Our efforts must be ALL OUT to get this information to the public. Read the rest...
Hi. I'm a lefty. I'm voting for Kerry. I saw your link at Michaeltotten.com and decided to respond.
>> For instance, you used to be just some young kid who accused your fellow officers and sailors of beheading people and/or castrating them- without offering a shred of tangible evidence to back it up.
Kerry was relating testimony from the soldiers themselves who testified of their own complicity and that of their fellow soldiers in committing atrocities. The idea that Kerry woke up one day and decided to invent tales which smear his fellow soldiers is not supported by the facts.
>> Now, you merely accuse the soldiers you wish to lead of being grossly incompetent for failing to plan post-hostility operations in Iraq (funny- I worked on such a plan), failing to capture bin Laden when we had him surrounded (wow, you must know lots of secret stuff, because even General Franks says there's no definitive evidence that he was there at the time), and most recently- failing to guard your mysterious explosives.
Kerry did not accuse "the soldiers." He accused the leadership. Bush tries to equate his policy with the soldiers and attempts to make any questioning of his policy into an attack on the soldiers. It seems you side with him on this issue.
Please show me where Kerry criticized the soldiers for incompetence. It was, in fact, Rudy Giuliani who said explicitly that the soldiers and not the president are responsible for not securing the explosives at Al Qaqaa.
Kerry is not Giuliani.
Regarding bin Laden at Tora Bora, I don't believe he ever said bin Laden was certainly there. Please provide a link to disabuse me of this misconception. But intelligence and military sources do confirm that his presence there was highly likely. What is not in dispute is Bush chose to rely on the Northern Alliance rather than you and your fellow soldiers, the most efficient fighting force on the planet.
>> And now you even back up your accusations with evidence- reliable sources like the NY Times and even CBS!!!
You're all over the map here. Are you saying Kerry used the NY Times and CBS to justify his positions on Tora Bora, Al Qaqaa, or Kerry's overall criticism of Bush's lack of planning?
>> It's always good to have a Commander in Chief who will go out of his way and even make stuff up in order to "sternly criticize" the efforts of our Armed Forces.
Again, please show me where Kerry criticizes the troops.
He criticizes Bush. He criticizes the leadership.
But that's not the same as the troops.
Did you serve under Clinton? Would you consider GOP criticism of Clinton's policy in the Balkans to be the same as criticizing the troops? Of course not, because Clinton's policy is not the same as the troop's ability to carry out their jobs with competence and integrity.
>> Did he not realize that it took us 3 whole weeks to get to Baghdad?
Please show me where Kerry criticized the troops for reaching Baghdad in three weeks. His criticism is that Bush's planning only extended to getting to Baghdad, but that what happened after was not taken into account other than the GOP simply expected the troops to be greeted as liberators and then everything would magically work itself out.
>> Hey, in case you get the job, should I start learning to speak french? I hear those frenchies will be coming to the Middle East in droves once you're elected. They're gonna love it over here- just about every bit of weaponry and ammo that we find over here has french writing on it!
This is just an odd and fairly pointless digression from your main point, such as it is. The French are our allies. We owe the very existence of our nation to their support and intervention on our behalf against the British. Our red, white, and blue come from their flag. Our national symbols and much of our ideas of republic and democracy come from the French. The French are not perfect. As with us, they have sold weapons to Iraq. But Dick Cheney and Rumsfeld both have long and prosperous relationships with Saddam as well. Don't hate the French because, like us, they possess opportunistic statesmen and crooked business people who will trade the safety of others for profit.
>> Before I forget- not that it's a huge deal, but you should probably sign that Form 180 (you know- like Bush did), so that we can see your military records and finally get those 2,000 or so questions about your service cleared up.
You can't really have any concerns Kerry's military record if you are willing to overlook Bush's nightmare of a non-record. You might better spend your time looking into the conduct of your commander-in-chief rather than Kerry.
>> And really, let's be honest- your military service is pretty much the only thing you put on your resume when you applied for this job.
You are aware Kerry served in the Senate for twenty years?
>> So let's just clear everything up and silence all those millions of silly "doubters" out there, OK?
Those doubters will never have their "concerns" addressed so Kerry is wise to spend his time articulating his ideas for straightening out Iraq, capturing bin Laden, creating jobs, erasing the multi-trillion dollar deficit.
>> P.S. I was at OBJ Dogwood with the 101st in April of 2003. Sorry we failed to guard your "forged" explosives. A$$hole.
Were you ordered to guard the explosives? I'd say that's a crisis of leadership. Your orders were to get to Baghdad, were they not? And that's what the US military did in impressive fashion. The blame lies not with you or your fellow soldiers, but with Rumsfeld and Bush. The American people don't blame the soldiers for the unsecured ammo.
Giuliani does though.
Hello Lefty! Welcome to the Forum! I don't have much time, so I'll be as precise as I can be:
1) Kerry was relating testimony- yep he sure was.
Lots of testimony. Much of which was proven false. Never presented any names. He was really committed to relating all this testimony, too. Almost as if he didn't want any Americans to know anything about what was going on over there except the highly discredited testimony that he hawked with a vengeance.
Sure Mai Lai happened- those sort of tragic (and in our case- VERY rare) things happen in every war since recorded history. Was that any reason to mount a hugely aggressive campaign with highly suspect sources to smear the brave soldiers who served? No. It was not. But Kerry did! And he was richly rewarded for his efforts.
2)Kerry accused the leadership, but not the soldiers- while Guiliani accused the soldiers.
That is the most horrific example of dishonest spin I've ever seen from the left. Guilani didn't accuse the soldiers- Guiliani attempted to explain something that is very obvious to anyone who knows anything about the military, but may not be as obvious to civilian (especially those who are desperate to smear a President):
Let me put it in "civilian terms"-
1) I tell Jay Leno that he does a GREAT JOB on his show. He's motivated, he tries really hard, works long hours on his jokes, etc...
2) Next, I go on record to the national media and say that the President of NBC must go. Why? Because the Jay Leno Show is AWFUL. It's the worst show I've ever seen. NOT BECAUSE OF JAY mind you- he works his butt off and does the best he can. But the President of NBC (the leadership) made some horrible executive decisions. Those bad decisions caused Jay's Show to be totally unfunny- the jokes NEVER work, the interviews are just plain boring. On and on and on...
Now- how's Jay Leno gonna feel when that story breaks? He'll come at me FUMING!! I'll say "easy Jay! I said YOU were great! It's your SHOW that stinks! And that's not YOUR fault- it's the "leadership's" fault. Jay Leno's gonna look at me and "2Slick! I'm the one out there doing the %$#ing show!!!"
WE are Jay Leno!!! You may not realize that, because you don't know how the military works- I won't fault you for that. But WE know better, and KERRY knows better- and that's why what Kerry does is unforgivable.
Guiliani merely tried to explain his own version of my "Jay Leno" analogy when he told the press that "look, when John Kerry blames the President for not finding those explosives, he's actually blaming the troops." You can't blame the "leadership" for everything that goes bad, and then praise the troops for everything that goes well. It's faulty logic that doesn't add up- even on the surface. It's obvious spin, and it's completely dishonest. Guiliani is 100% correct, and Kerry is a self-serving opportunist who bashes the troops for political gain. He's been doing it for years.
3) How much did the French help us during Vietnam, Libya, and now the Global War on Terror? How much money did they take from Saddam, while allowing him to buy weapons to fire at our jets that were enforcing the UN sanctions? How many troops are helping out in Iraq right now? I could go on for about 20 more hours. If you think the French are our allies, I'd say you need to go easy on the Champaign, Monseignor!
4) I've read about Kerry talking about our failure to capture bin Laden about 100 times in the past 36 hours. Might be a slight exageration, but it's close. You point out that "Bush" chose to rely on the Northern Alliance rather than me and my fellow soldiers. Could YOU please show ME some of THAT evidence? You see, I coulda sworn it was General Franks and his 300-member staff of officers (planners and strategists- like me!!!) who chose to go that route, which- by the way- DID include US forces. We chose not to use the Soviet method- which would be to just blaze on in there to uncharted and unforgiving terrain with nothing but our own demise to gain from it. If you'd like to argue proper strategy and tactics, I'll take you up on it any day of the week. Trust me, Mr. Lefty- people who know SQUAT about military affairs are going to LOSE arguments about military affairs with people like me. Every time. I don't want to sound mean- I'm just helping you out here. Don't politicize what you don't know, because more often than not- it's NOT political!
5) I am well aware that Kerry served 20 years in the Senate- but not because he's mentioned anything about it during this campaign. Maybe you should ask HIM if he's aware that he served in the Senate for 20 years!
I think that covered just about everything. 11 minutes! How's THAT for speed typing!
Thanks a ton, lefty guy- seriously, thanks for coming. Healthy debate only makes us all smarter, and I will ALWAYS welcome alternative points of view here at the Forum...
We disagree.
In any case, thank you as a soldier for your commitment to serving your nation and doing your duty. It is appreciated.
One thing I forgot to mention- when I said, That is the most horrific example of dishonest spin I've ever seen from the left, I should have preceded it with "Thanks a ton for bringing it up." Seriously, I meant to talk about that yesterday, because that whole spin cycle just baffled me. I couldn't believe the left media took that as far as they did before it got slaughtered by some fast-acting military pundits.
And what's with the explosives story anyway? Doesn't the media get it? This place was one big explosive when we got here. Give us a little time, Mr. Media Machine! What's the next headline? "Troops May Have Left Stone Unturned in Iraq!"
Why not talk about the peace that broke out in Sadr City following the weapons buy back?
Why not talk about the massive reconstruction efforts in Najaf and Samarra with 1000's of gainfully employed Iraqis rebuilding their cities? Does this not warrant reporting?
Oh yes, I almost forgot- Election is Tuesday, and the media needs Kerry to win in order to turn a better profit.
VOTE YOUR FACES OFF ON TUESDAY! (except you, Lefty!)
We disagree?
You mean I was debating a committee? That's not fair! Is it?
Well, thanks to you, whoever you are. I disagree with you, too. Thanks for what you brought to my site, and thanks for being a patriotic American.
Doesn't the MSM make you wonder how far we have really come in 60 years? We have replaced receiving "hardly any" information with inflated propaganda from the MSM. During WWII there was no MSM news broadcasts with minute by minute updates full of their lies. What there was, were weekly war updates via the local movie theatres, where spouses and parents gathered to receive the war news of the week. These updates were given by Military generals and they included the good as well as the bad. It was a time where the entire country seemed to be totally united in their support of our Military and what we were doing. There was no MSM twisting things, just to make them a better story. And, we call this progress! Give the MSM a bit more time and they will destroy us.
Mark M.
Bcus here again-
Great letter to Senator Kerry and some interesting responses. Let me add my two cents and clear up a few things for those "left wingers". Here it goes:
Reasons why the military hates Kerry: Kerry is a fair weather fan of the military. Plain and simple. Let me explain. He jumps on the bandwagon and praises the military, but then bashes how the President is running the war. Some lefties don't see how Kerry's bashes of Bush translate into bashes on the military, your "Jay Leno" analogy is correct to explain the correlation. Furthermore, we in the military know that Bush has instilled a positive climate of trust up and down the ranks in the military. Do we really want the President of the U.S. dictating what the tactical objectives of the military should be? From a military standpoint, you can understand that the situations in combat are much to complex and fluid, you have to trust the commander on the ground, and that is what Bush does. It amazes me that Kerry, who constantly reminds us of his Vietnam service failed to learn that the folks in Washington shouldn't be dictating things on the tactical level. Sounds a little too much like Lyndon Johnson and McNamara picking out bridges to bomb. What's the matter Senator Kerry, 4 months in Vietnam wasn't enough for you to learn that lesson? Another reason Kerry is a "fair weather fan" is that he didn't support the Reagan Agenda. The military has a fond place in its heart for Reagan and how he rebuilt the military. Kerry fought it. You have to support the military in peace time and wartime. It is that simple. Maybe instead of bashing Bush for some of the military shortages, he should build a time machine and change his votes and support of Clinton during the 90's when Clinton led the charge and gutted the military. That's right, I said it, Clinton gutted the military. And yes, some Republicans supported it and we haven't forgotten them either. Ever wonder how he cut the budget so much and "reduced" the size of the federal government? Look at the military pre-9-11 and how training almost ceased near the end of each fiscal year because there wasn't enough money. So point in the mirror Senator Kerry when you wonder why the military may be missing a few armored hummvees.
One last thing, while campaigning in Orlando last week, Senator Kerry said "think of the military spouse when you are voting next week." Well Senator Kerry, I couldn't agree more and my wife would love it if everyone voted for President Bush like she will this Tuesday. Not only is this comment ill informed of how we in the military feel (yes Senator Kerry we consider spouses part of the military family), but also it is offensive to the spouses. I will let you lefties ponder that for a while and I will explain it in a later blog.
Well I hope that helps you lefties understand why the military distrusts Kerry. Feel free to shoot some of your mainstream media talking points back at me and dispute my claims. After all, what do I know, I am just another stupid conservative that happens to have been in the Army for the last 8 or so years to experience the difference between someone who trusts the military and someone who doesn't.
Bcus, listen close- cuz I'm only gonna say this once:
YOU ARE ^#%^#@# AWESOME!!!!
Wish I coulda thought of some of that stuff.
Another point about Kerry- he's is the consumate divider.
Remember the last time the country was united behind the military during a major conflict? It certainly wasn't Vietnam- Kerry was very successful in dividing the US then. It was Desert Storm. Guess who voted against that? Didn't work out very well for him back then, though.
THIS time, he's done a much better job of dividing the country, because he picked up a new strategy- vote FOR the war, and THEN vote against it. That way, your REAL vote doesn't get washed away during the initial barrage of support. Who cares if it's a butt-naked sign of opportunistic politics at the expense of supporting the troops?
Did I mention that Kerry sux?
Case in point:
MSNBC - Sen. Kerry: Nation 'is polarized'and he wouldn't have it any other way...
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