This is an addendum to the previous post about the Sheehan arrest and attempted squelching of her free speech rights and my response to comments on a USA Today weblog:
I saw several subsequent comments on that same weblog from supposed military personnel criticizing Cindy Sheehan, making malicious accusations against her and basically telling her to shut the fuck up.
One of the comments was supposedly from a group of military personnel who call themselves "GI's against Sheehan." After reading their post, I was first reminded of some of the ass-backward, brain-dead fuckups that I had the displeasure of serving with during my own military service in the Air Force. I could see that nearly 25 years later the military was still inducting some real losers into it's ranks. The second thing I noticed was the writer's lack of mentioning anything about their/his own combat experiences - which made me a tad suspicious. And lastly, the same writer(s) leveled some really nasty personal accusations about Sheehan that the right-wing media scumbags have been floating around amongst their stepford-like worshippers since she burst upon the national scene.
Therefore, being a military vet myself and an amateur government civics buff, I decided to respond to these small-minded military "patriots."
Following is my response in it's entirety and here's the link to the USA Today weblog: [CLICK HERE]
In response to "GI's against Sheehan":
First off -- I don't know if you truly are GI's or not. Anonymous blogging tends to bring many a charlatan out from under their rock.
However, let's assume for the sake of this discourse that you are indeed GI's.
When you joined the military you swore an oath as follows: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice."
I myself being a proud military veteran remember this oath quite well.
Can any of you "GI's" please explain to me where in that oath does it say a soldier must swear blind ideological or political allegiance to the President of the United States? Obey orders? -- certainly. Abide by military regulations and the UCMJ? Absolutely.
Have any of you ever read the Constitution? Read about the history of it's birth and evolvement into the document it is today? I honestly doubt it.
Shouldn't you be defending Cindy Sheehan's as well as anyone else's right (pro or anti-war) to speak their mind and to "peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances?" You do recognize that phrase don't you? It only happens to be one of the first citizen freedoms the founders of our country saw fit to Amend the Constitution for (Bill of Rights). And lest it be forgotten, you did swear an oath to "defend the Constitution of the United States against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic.
Have you ever stopped to think about what exactly it is that might constitute a "domestic enemy" of the Constitution? Hmmm. A very important question is it not? What or who is it that might be considered a "domestic enemy" of our cherished Constitution. Let's ponder that for a moment.
Do you think it could refer to government officials or politicians who misuse their political power to actively stifle dissenting voices of the citizenry? To propagandize the press?
Do you think it could refer to those political leaders (who are supposed to be accountable to WE THE PEOPLE) who misuse the intelligence and legal apparatus of the federal government to secretly spy on it's citizenry unlawfully bypassing Congressional or Judicial oversight?
Do you think it might refer to those same political figures who would misuse that unbridled power to facilitate the establishment of a state-sponsored religion?
Do you think it might refer to those in political power who would misuse the legislative process to allow mega-corporations and campaign contributing cronies to dictate and write laws favorable to their bottom line and not accountable to anyone, much less the American people?
Do you think it might refer to those who misuse the levers of executive power to abrogate and trash international treaties and laws and in the process alienating long-standing allies and effectively making America a weaker nation abroad?
And last, but certainly not least:
Do you think it could refer to those who misuse the levers of executive power to pre-emptively wage war against a sovereign nation which has not attacked or threatened us and which has resulted in the horrific deaths of 2245+ brave American soldiers and tens of thousands of innocent civilians??
If you have any sense of decency and honesty about you, you must know the answers to each of those questions is and should be a resounding YES!!
Lastly, you made some very vicious ad-hominem attacks against Cindy Sheehan. You claimed that:
1. She's a known communist.
2. She criticized and downplayed the victims of Hurricane Katrina
3. She is an anti-Semite
It's telling that you didn't provide a single source for any of these gutter-level accusations. As a matter of fact, they are amazingly similar to attacks leveled by other serial liars, right-wing losers and America haters like Rush Limbaugh, G. Gordon Liddy, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Dennis Prager, Bill O'Reilly (anyone at FOX News for that matter), etc.... --- unfortunately that slimeball list is much too long to cover in this exchange.
Based on that brief analysis therefore -- at this point the natural skeptic in me takes over and begins to think that perhaps you are not "GI's" at all. That you are nothing but a phony, right-wing, Bush boot-licking toady who's only agenda is smearing an honest decent American simply because you don't like the fact that she has the moral courage to speak out truthfully and openly about the corrupt and lying government that is responsible for (albeit refuses to acknowledge it) her son's and many other American's sons and daugthers deaths.
Finally -- my initial inclination was to pity you. But I quickly disposed of that worthless feeling, so therefore I don't. I actually despise you. It's freedom haters like you who are destroying America within along with our glorious Democracy. And if you truly are "GI's", God help us. Because your heart is not faithful to the oath you swore allegiance to. No. Your allegiance, and dare I say worship, is with lying politicians and their anti-democracy ideologies. The United States Constitution means absolutely nothing to you.
America's military deserves better human beings and better citizens than you in it's ranks.
----krazee
1 comment:
You can always tell when you get to close to the truth, because people resort to name calling. I am a true vet of this war in Iraq, if you want proof I will send you a copy of my DD214. And I am deeply offended by your ignorance. Our forefathers didn't give us a democracy, they faught to build a republic. A government without a monorcy and having its supreme power in the citizens. But, as you put it, we have elected representitives that took that power away from us resulting in a democracy. If I am not mistaken, the governmental represintatives in office are not all President Bush backers. It is made up of people from both sides of the issue and it was voted unanimus by both sides to send the military into this war. I would rather got to war for the reasons I was sent, than to be used like a play thing and made a mockery of like the last president did with the military in Samolia, Mogadisue and the missle stricks into Iraq.
And you also forgot the most important part of that oath, as far as I'm concerned, "so help me God." Maybe I'm out of the loop but I have never heard of anyone in American trying to set up a state religion, even though it would do this country a lot of good. But that is my opinion and nothing more. I am not forcing you to believe or do anything you don't whant to. Just like every single military member in todays military was never forced to join. Let me guess though, you joined for the Montgomery GI Bill. That's how you learned all those big words that don't mean a thing. I'm sorry to inform you but it is you who are ignorant to many facts. This is not meant as an insult, ignorance can be cured.
I do not wish to suppress Mrs. Sheehan's opinions or the voicing there of. But just to point out a few things. Does she think she is doing here son an honor by ignoring the fact that he joined of his own free will. Noone made him, you or myself raise our hand and repeat the oath of duty. There were ways he could have gotten out of going to war but he chose to accept his responsibilities like a man and go to war for his country, staying true to the oath he swore. Does she think she is going to bring him back by siding with Gonzales, does she think he will care one bit who her son was when he destroys America like he claims? All she is doing is heaping insult upon the memory of her son, her own husband couldn't take it anymore and left her. She is doing such a dishonor to her son's memory. She would get more sympathy if she would leave her son out of it. Appearently it was not her son's choice to protest the war or he would still be alive. There are to many ways to get out of going to blame this on the government.
If you feel so strongly about our government being as evil and destructive as you say it is, do as the fifty-six men did in 1776. It is your "right, duty to throw of such governments, and provide new guards for your future." But keep this in mind, I have sworn an oath to defend my constitution against such domestic enemies as yourself.
Service in Iraq: 7 Dec 03 thru 29 Mar 05, Al Taji, Iraq
I've looked the Iraqi people in the eyes, both friendly and enemy. I've received hugs from the many greatful people in that country. And I've recieved more grattitude for aliens in this country than from "America Lovers" like you. I've seen the whites of the enemies eyes before I pulled the trigger, so don't talk to me about being a war vet. You lost me at Air Force. Don't get me wrong, many of my friends are in the Air Force, but they will be the first to tell you I have it much harder in the Army than they will ever have it. They seldom have to look at the person that is trying to kill them, nor do they have to clean up the bodies after the fact. Don't you dare try to come off as a hardened vet until you've spent a year and four months in hell along side me. As far as I'm concerned your not worthy enough to lick my blood covered boot until you can prove other wise. But I digress, I am not an "ass-backwards,brain dead, ****up," as you would call me and my brothers in arms. I am still a free thinker and follow orders. I do what I do because too many people in this country don't have the balls to do it and don't want to face the facts that people like me are needed so people like you and Mrs. Sheehan don't get there tounges cut out. If you believe appeasment will solve all the worlds problems than your more ignorant than I thought.
I hope you have a great freedom loving day! HOOAH!
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