a guy called thomas young...his last letter
JC29856
Posts: 9,617
lets not forget it was not just bush and cheney, it was most members of congress, both democrats and republicans and a complete failure of the democratic checks and balances
The Last Letter
A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran
To: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
From: Tomas Young
I write this letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans. I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq. I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives. I am one of those gravely wounded. I was paralyzed in an insurgent ambush in 2004 in Sadr City. My life is coming to an end. I am living under hospice care.
http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/the_la ... _20130318/
The Last Letter
A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran
To: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
From: Tomas Young
I write this letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans. I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq. I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives. I am one of those gravely wounded. I was paralyzed in an insurgent ambush in 2004 in Sadr City. My life is coming to an end. I am living under hospice care.
http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/the_la ... _20130318/
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bush and cheney could not have gotten away with it if not for a vast number of american citizens being all for it, and the subsequent administration not pursuing charges against them. and pelosi having impeachment off the table the whole time. if obama would have done that and the gop held the house, they would have impeached him for sure. the spineless dems didn't have the balls to do anything about it.
i think the american people are partly responsible for letting it happen. where were the millions of protestors? where were the acts of civil disobedience to try to stop it? they did not exist. people were too wrapped up in a jingoistic patriotic ferver to try to think critically about the decision to go to war.. i remember protesting that fucking war and people on this message board telling me to get the hell out of the country. turns out i was right. they weren't.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
all that is always glossed over
Happy to see he mentioned it.
I write this letter on behalf of the some 1 million Iraqi dead and on behalf of the countless Iraqi wounded. I write this letter on behalf of us all—the human detritus your war has left behind, those who will spend their lives in unending pain and grief.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
Did he die in vain?
"
The Travis Letter
Commandancy of the The Alamo
Bejar, Feby. 24th. 1836
To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World—
Fellow Citizens & compatriots—
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna — I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man — The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken — I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls — I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch — The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country — Victory or Death.
William Barrett Travis.
Lt. Col. comdt.
P. S. The Lord is on our side — When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn — We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.
Travis
"
"....Vacate is the word, vengeance has no place so near ...
Cannot find the comfort in this world
Artificial tears, vessel stabbed next up volunteers
Vulnerable, wisdom can't adhere
A truant finds home and a wish to hold on But there's a trapdoor in the sun, immortality"
(sorry the lyrics are not close to correct)
^^^This. I wasn't on these boards when this war started but I told my friends and family for the 6 months prior to the start that we were going to war and it was for bullshit reasons. I had huge fights with some family members who wouldn't believe this wasn't a necessary war. My brother was released from his Army obligation on Jan 30, 2003 and recalled from reserve status on April 1, 2003 and his wife blasted me every chance she got for opposing this war because she felt that I wasn't supporting HIM. I wasn't patriotic, I wasn't a "real" American, blah, blah, blah. I had a conversation with him recently where we talked about that situation. And he stated, unequivocally that after seeing what he saw in Iraq, he has NO DOUBT, it was all bullshit. Unfortunately, there seems to still be people who believe the reasons given to start that war.
Seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned...
I AM MINE
Morello is currently on tour playing guitar with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, filling in for Steve Van Zandt while the guitarist films his show Lilyhammer. "I sent Bruce Tomas' letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War," Morello says. "And [that night] Bruce opened the set with 'Devils and Dust' and 'Last to Die.' It was pretty powerful."
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/ne%20...%20z2ODQewWk1
What? :?
This president is the same as the last ones. The people in Washington are just puppets. We don't need a leader because I believe we all agree that this country is going to shit. We need to clean house. Maybe we need to go after the billionaires that are running this world and outlaw all payments they make to politicians. I really don't know what to do next but if we could find HONEST people that are not self serving we could all get this country on track. Greed is a Psychological Disorder and we have to stop those that have such influence on the world. I know I am rambling (sorry) but there are millions of us and only a few hundred of them........ there has to be something that can be done...... :?:
I think what you're talking about are elections and campaign finance reform.
Finance reform yes....elections are rigged ...... we just keep getting the same people just different names....
We're getting the people we want. The government's ours, like it or not. As long as people are played by messages of fear and superficiality, then this is what we're going to have. If people buy swift boats and Willie Horton, then they'll spend millions buying elections that way. Voters have made it a requirement. Did you read comments in here during the election? People responded positively to fluff and false promises designed to make people feel good in the moment. Your comment in here the other day about it being too dangerous to cut military spending supports this status quo. I'm sure McDonnell-Douglas would prefer you be scared to, so they'll pay the politician to spread that message, and voters like you will believe it.
We're getting the people we want. The government's ours, like it or not. As long as people are played by messages of fear and superficiality, then this is what we're going to have. If people buy swift boats and Willie Horton, then they'll spend millions buying elections that way. Voters have made it a requirement. Did you read comments in here during the election? People responded positively to fluff and false promises designed to make people feel good in the moment. Your comment in here the other day about it being too dangerous to cut military spending supports this status quo. I'm sure McDonnell-Douglas would prefer you be scared to, so they'll pay the politician to spread that message, and voters like you will believe it.[/quote]
Correct. Manufacturing Consent.
I feel bad for Tomas, and for anyone else who fought in this thing and felt duped.
But if you read Tomas' whole letter: he talks about how he would not have written the letter had he served in Afghanistan, because it would have actually contributed to defending the country. And Iraq was basically a lie, etc.
Dick Cheney dodges the Vietnam draft though, another unnecessary war, and to Tomas, that makes him a coward.
Wouldn't that make him what Tomas wishes he was related to Iraq: Not Duped?
I'm not trying to be a dick here (no pun intended), but it sounds like a major issue is that Tomas felt like he got tricked on a bait and switch.
(BTW there are quite a few people who disagreed with the whole Afghanistan thing as well, but that's for a different thread)
But so then Cheney's not a coward for failing to fight in Vietnam, he is rational, for refusing to fight in an unnecessary war of aggression. A decision that Tomas now wishes he had made regarding Iraq, but didn't.
Heavy stuff.
Could this letter have read more like a slow clap monologue at the end of a spy move: "Well, You got me. Thought this thing was real. It wasnt. It was Iike Vietnam. Which you knew to skip, and I didn't. Kudos. Enjoy your no-bid contract."...?
Yes, that was insensitive. But, war is a dirty game.
Tomas is a big boy and made a big boy decision when he joined the military. Those decisions don't always work out like in the movies.
Fortunately, god forgives, and loves.
Sorry Tomas. Best Wishes.
We're getting the people we want. The government's ours, like it or not. As long as people are played by messages of fear and superficiality, then this is what we're going to have. If people buy swift boats and Willie Horton, then they'll spend millions buying elections that way. Voters have made it a requirement. Did you read comments in here during the election? People responded positively to fluff and false promises designed to make people feel good in the moment. Your comment in here the other day about it being too dangerous to cut military spending supports this status quo. I'm sure McDonnell-Douglas would prefer you be scared to, so they'll pay the politician to spread that message, and voters like you will believe it.[/quote]
Correct. Manufacturing Consent.[/quote]
We are not getting the people we want. The government is consequently lying.
Do you mean that historical instance where Bush and his group of puppeteers stole the presidency from Gore when they actually had not won.
Is this what you refer to?
Man, that was costly to your country, huh? Well... with the exception of a few of course.
Correct. Manufacturing Consent.[/quote]
We are not getting the people we want. The government is consequently lying.[/quote]
Do you mean lying when they don't follow through with campaign promises? Because I would say that voters want to be lied to, and the one that pulls it off best gets a higher rating. An honest politician would make comments like this: "I have some ideas and thinks that I want to try out. They may work, or they may not, I'm not really sure because they're a lot of different variables in the equation. My main goal will be to enact my policies, but I will also have to compromise on these policies. In fact, I like to think of myself as really good at compromising. Also, the deficit spending is too much. We're going to have to cut the budget, and pretty much everyone is going to feel it. There's also some threats on an international level. I can't guarantee that nothing will happen, but I'll do my best diplomatically to keep it from happening. Let's be sure not to make those threats larger than they really are and work ourselves into a tizzy, okay?"
Do you think the above person is going to get elected?
Considering his aim with a gun, it might be a good thing that Cheney didn't go to Vietnam.
I am talking about all parties lying. I do not care if it's the Rep. Dem. or Green party ....I am sick of the lies. Americans do not expect the truth which could be part of the problem. So complacent .......If Americans would hold the politicians to a higher standard maybe they would try and meet those standards. Nothing else should be acceptable. But with the media we have it would be hard to do for the people that take there reporting as the truth.
Politicians throughout history are known to lie quite often.
but if you really have a thirst for the truth, may I suggest legit news and real investigative reporting rather than chain emails.....?
We are not getting the people we want. The government is consequently lying.[/quote]
Do you mean lying when they don't follow through with campaign promises? Because I would say that voters want to be lied to, and the one that pulls it off best gets a higher rating. An honest politician would make comments like this: "I have some ideas and thinks that I want to try out. They may work, or they may not, I'm not really sure because they're a lot of different variables in the equation. My main goal will be to enact my policies, but I will also have to compromise on these policies. In fact, I like to think of myself as really good at compromising. Also, the deficit spending is too much. We're going to have to cut the budget, and pretty much everyone is going to feel it. There's also some threats on an international level. I can't guarantee that nothing will happen, but I'll do my best diplomatically to keep it from happening. Let's be sure not to make those threats larger than they really are and work ourselves into a tizzy, okay?"
Do you think the above person is going to get elected?[/quote]
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008