still are.

It is always easy to send another off to war, but when you have to go yourself, things change.

Just a little history here, nothing much, but some people that actually showed they had they fortitude to go through with what they had proposed, and felt they had to do.

Lyndon Johnson gave up his seat in the House to join the Navy at the beginning of WWII.

Jimmy Carter Joined the Navy during WWII, and became a nuclear engineer in the nuclear Navy that was being born by Admiral Zumwald.

Richard Nixon joined the Navy, even though his parents were pretty much devout pacifists.

GHWB joined the Navy, (more on that, but it's a different story).

Audie Murphy was denied entry into the Marines and the Navy as being too short, he joined the Army and became the most decorated soldier of WWII.

Jimmy Stewart Joined the Army Air Corps.

The 5 Sullivan Brothers joined the Navy, and all died, because they felt the need to go to defend the nation.

Abe Lincoln had his hat shot off while going to visit wounded soldiers, he traveled on horseback w/o an escort.

Lincoln also stood upon a parapet in DC while Lee was preparing an attack, he was shot at several times.

Joshua Chamberlain begged his wife and school to join the Army because he believed that all men should be free. He actually had to sneak away from his wife, and beg for time off from Bowdoin College.

Over 2500 soldiers died on the beaches of Normandy because they believed that stopping Hitler was a necessity.

1200+ men on USS Indianapolis died because they were torpedoed after dropping off the A-Bomb on Tinian, they were heading home.

Men froze to death at Valley Forge because they believed that living under a king was a vile excuse for being alive.

Men froze to death and damn near starved while holding Bastogne against overwhelming odds.

The "Lost Battalion" suffered incredible casualties because they refused to give up the land they had taken during WWI.

Lincoln helped get us through the Civil War, at the cost of his life; FDR died while trying to finish off the Germans and Japanese.

Countless graves lie silent in Arlington, Normandy and across the globe, testaments to those who were willing to go into the fray, face the carnage. The 100th and 442n Regiments took over 100% casualties to prove that Japanese Americans were just as good as as citizens as any other Americans. Black men and Hispanics were treated like trash after the faced the tracers and artillery of an enemy they knew they had to beat, and returned to a bigoted US.

What do we have now? Cowards, every one...always asking or demanding that others do what they themselves would never contemplate. Picturing bush on a parapet outside Washington watching a battle is almost a joke in itself. The man is now, and has always been a coward. If in my Plt, he would be scrubbing trashcans w/a toothbrush.

I served in the Army, and I am damn proud that I did, my older brother served as well. Bill was drafted, I joined. We served because our nation called upon us to serve; as Americans we felt that it was part of out duty to serve...not all feel the same way, and one need nor wear the uniform to serve the nation. But whether we grow food for the nation, create the fuels necessary, repair the infrastructure, build the bridges, the roads...we all owe something to the nation that we call home.

Those that call for war, and will not fight for said war...are simply cowards, and as far as I'm concerned, not even Americans.

However, the fight is far from over. I believe that from the first 5 minutes of the first "debate", McCain will implode.. He has nothing, (I know, I've said that infinitum).

But there are ominous signs; the "Islamist Obama" The "black Obama", the "poor Obama" who cold never have made it w/o "white help".

OK, this is just the beginning. Michelle, a woman of incredible intelligence is being attacked as well.

So, what to do, the answers are remarkably simple...debunk everything that comes along.

MCain...war "hero"...no. Being shot down and held for 5+ years is indeed nothing to sneeze at, but "heroic", no. Admiral Stockdale was heroic during his captivity, McCain...no. he had two broken arms, could not fight back, and essentially surrendered after being fished from the water. He was treated relatively well because he had Admirals in his family.

McCain's 1st wife, the one who waited those 5+ years during his captivity, the one who greeted him as he disembarked...yes, the one he left, ans well as the children, for a very wealthy heiress, now that is one of r the books under the chapter, "Family Values".

Look...I am a vet, I was a grunt fro a good portion, and I slept in the rain, under Deuce and an halves, in leaky shelter halves. I froze, I burned, I had problems w/my M-16 that almost got me killed....I never crashed 6 planes, nor did I ever sleep well on an Aircraft Carrier.

I respect McCain's service, as I do every vet's, but he is in no "hero"...he got shot down, was caught, as were thousands during WWII.

I've printed this before, so if you want to know what a hero looks like, and acts like, please read this:

BENAVIDEZ, ROY P.

Rank and Organization: Master Sergeant, Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group, Republic of Vietnam. Place and Date: West of Loc Ninh on 2 May 1968. Entered Service at: Houston, Texas June 1955. Date and Place of Birth: 5 August 1935, DeWitt County, Cuero, Texas. Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam to gather intelligence information about confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Benavidez was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters returned to off-load wounded crewmembers and to assess aircraft damage. Sergeant Benavidez voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing where he jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters under withering small arms fire to the crippled team. Prior to reaching the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of an extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team members. He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the leader's body, Sergeant Benavidez was severely wounded by small arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed. Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds, Sergeant Benavidez secured the classified documents and made his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sergeant Benavidez mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and so permit another extraction attempt. He was wounded again in his thigh by small arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land. His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed from additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary. He then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the aircraft door gunner from firing upon them. With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed, and to bring in the remaining wounded. Only then, in extremely serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez' gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.

Voting isn't about a party, it's about an ideology. Not a whole lot gets gone in DC because people are essentially pricks with their heads stuck in buckets of shit.

But here is the key to voting, it is what happens locally, when we come together for the better of the community. The books we buy for the kids, they new paint we put on the walls of the school, the safety and knowledge we give to those who will some day take over this nation.

Stopping morons from banning books in libraries; opening the minds of those who's world of wonder is just beginning. It is for the future of the children.

I have stood and looked in the eyes of evil during Library Meetings. I have taken them down by logic and truth. If they don't want they're kid to read "Splendor in the Grass", so be it, but DO NOT deny others the right to read it, or any other book.

Every time we vote to increase a penny or two to enhance fire safety, we are working as a community. Every time we demand up to date books for our children, we are educating our children to bring about a better community. Not long ago, and entire School Board was evicted because they "demanded" intelligent design in the curriculum. An entire city came together to oust fools...now THAT is community.

OK, D/R, we are the owners of this nation. We have sold ourselves out, and cheaply, for the blood of those who fought in the Revolution and the Civil War did not die in vain...they gave us this legacy which we have squandered. I ask your pardon here, as my eyes tear up at the thought of what dreamers have done for this nation, and we have sold it for the 30 pieces of silver.

Molly Pitcher, kept her husband's gun firing; not because she wanted to, but because she HAD to. Clara Barton did bind the wounds of the wounded and dying, because she "wanted" to....she HAD to.

Men stood in lines firing at each other because they HAD to.

So I ask, and with complete humility, is it for us to deny ourselves they vote these men and women have earned for us? We need not vote on the "greater" things, but on the things that create our communities, and we must always be on guard against the barbarians at the gates.

Thank you Nance for this chance to try to explain why we vote...

the game is over...no matter how much hope, no matter how much talent is available, it just isn't in the cards to put a win on the table. I feel obligated to say that this is now the case w/the HRC campaign.

I have stayed on the sidelines through most of this Primary Season, (my candidate, dropped out long ago), essentially waiting for something decisive to come about...after yesterday's FL/MI hearings, that moment has arrived.

Virtually all of us have played some sport, we know that there is time when a win becomes a loss, whether it is the end of an inning or the sound of a whistle. All of us know that there is a point where pulling a win out is virtually impossible. When you are down 54-14 with 1.5 minutes left in the last quarter, you know you are going into the locker room preparing for the next game. When down 17-4 in the bottom of the 9th w/2 outs, no one on base, and the count is 2-2, you know that in just a pitch or or two, it will be over, even if the batter hits a homer or gets on base, the odds are astronomical that you can get 14 runs.

Sports figures have generally learned to take a loss with grace, politicians seem to have missed that point. Naturally, the stakes are a lot higher in politics, but when you have two candidates that are both very well equipped to handle the position of PotUS, it is wise to go with the one that has the backing of most of the voting population, even when it appears that lead is slight. Primaries, like playoffs, move the best team forward to take on the opposition for the crown...we need to be fighting the GOP on the ground, not replaying situations that have already happened.

HRC did a great job, she has gone farther than many suspected, it is time for her to hit the locker room, and state that she will put her energy into beating McCain and the GOP in general, she can still be a potent weapon against McCain and the GOP, and not only on the Senate floor.

Americans are a magnanimous people, we rally behind those who accept defeat gracefully and accept that there are inevitable losses, (as a Seahawks fan, I know this well... ). We tend to distance ourselves from the "I was robbed" scenario, particularly when we have paid so much attention to the game. We know who won and who lost, be it inches or yards. Our instant replays are there for all to see, we know what has happened. What I saw yesterday was a grand attempt to not disenfranchise those who knowingly broke the rules and then cried foul when a penalty was attached. We don't like that in sports, we don't like it in politics as well. Most of us have complained about judicial decisions that disenfranchise individuals or show a lack of justice.

What I saw yesterday was compromise, precisely what this nation should be doing. With that compromise, I think we should move forward, take on those who would do us even more greivous harm, (McCain and the GOP), and take back our nation. Now is the time for us to come together and deal a blow to the neo-cons that they will never recover from.

OK...my little rant is over, ending, once again, with an appeal for all sides of thsi situation to come together and defeat the bastards that would destroy our great nation.

Thank you for taking the time to read this...

to call people a hero with a light air. But I am posting this on Memorial Day, so that some might understand what some people are capable of when they are called upon. I met this man at Ft Lewis, WA, he was a humble man when I met him, he has since passed away. He spent most of the rest of his life going to schools telling kids that no one should ever tell them they can't do anything they wanted to do. "Just because they failed, does not mean you will fail".



What he did is beyond what most are capable of:


BENAVIDEZ, ROY P.

Rank and Organization: Master Sergeant, Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group, Republic of Vietnam. Place and Date: West of Loc Ninh on 2 May 1968. Entered Service at: Houston, Texas June 1955. Date and Place of Birth: 5 August 1935, DeWitt County, Cuero, Texas. Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam to gather intelligence information about confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Benavidez was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters returned to off-load wounded crewmembers and to assess aircraft damage. Sergeant Benavidez voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing where he jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters under withering small arms fire to the crippled team. Prior to reaching the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of an extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team members. He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the leader's body, Sergeant Benavidez was severely wounded by small arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed. Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds, Sergeant Benavidez secured the classified documents and made his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sergeant Benavidez mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and so permit another extraction attempt. He was wounded again in his thigh by small arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land. His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed from additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary. He then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the aircraft door gunner from firing upon them. With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed, and to bring in the remaining wounded. Only then, in extremely serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez' gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.






http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietn...

Those who have never seen the horror, heard the sounds and smelled the carnage seem to be those who call for war.

The somewhat real-time pictures that came from the Civil War changed many minds as to the "nobility" of armed conflict, ghastly images of bloated corpses upon the fields wrenched many a strong man's stomach, films of WWI showed unprecedented slaughter and what came from WWII, although heavily edited, showed those who gave the last full measure. Vietnam brought war right in to our Living rooms, but missing were the smells that go with combat. missing was the threat of death at any moment.

War films with the likes of John Wayne taking Iwo Jima nearly singlehandedly, or Ronald Reagan on a sound-stage dropping bombs on a mock up of Berlin is what so many grew up with. The thought that people got up and walked away after the shooting was over almost seemed real. And so, the Rumsfeld's, the bush's, cheney's and Wolfowitz's all believed the old war films and ran us into a quagmire...right to the point where an old man who should know better, is willing to keep up the fight for 100 years. These, and other purveyors of war, never knew the stench of blood, mud, burning fuel, burning flesh, cordite, urine, feces and death all rolled into one terrifying moment...a stench one can taste.

Men and women went into this maelstrom, many of them were left where they lay, many others lie beneath marble, granite or brass markers. These individuals gave all they had, their families sacrificed their sons and daughters. They deserve the respect they have earned.

I hope every night that I will awaken to hear that our brothers and sisters will be returning home...those that serve today have earned the trip home.

When I posted this thread, I did not expect, nor did I want reverence for those who lie in rows beneath the markers...I only wish that people would take just a moment to remember the sacrifices made by those who are willing to make such sacrifices.

For those who sent them away on the current mission, I hold only disdain...but for those who have gone on before me, I feel the pain.

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service....what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).

I post this to remind us that there are many who gave their lives to ensure that we remain a nation of Freedom loving people, and with the simple thought that they not be forgotten while people engage in festivities fo the weekend.

WWI, was a horrifc event that seered Memorial Day into the nation's collective conciousness. A few works came out of experiences of that war, "Johnny Got His Gun", "All Quiet on the Western Front", "J'Accuse" and the poem, "In Flanders Fields".

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.


In Flanders Fields
John McCrae, 1915.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

(On January 28, 1918, while still commanding No 3 Canadian General Hospital (McGill) at Boulogne, McCrae died of pneumonia.)


I respectfully ask that we remember those who have died to help keep us free, and we honor them with a new commitment to bring our nation back to the Beacon of Freedom it once was.

From the bottom of this vet's heart, I thank you.




Some of this can be found at the following site:

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html...

the time she voted for the current waste of time and space. But that is neither here nor there. I recall when JFK was shot in Dallas. A TV was brought into the classroom, and we all got the news, as it was being reported. We were kept in school while parents were notified the school would be closing early. When released, my brother and I, as well as several others waited for the City bus that would take us close to home. It was the first, (and only), time in my life when NYC was silent, save for the sobs of a few that could not believe that they were now a part of history.

We watched in horror when Oswald was murdered, we wept when the cortege went down Pennsylvania Avenue and into Arlington. We felt a moment of pride and awe when John Jr stepped out and gave the final salute to his father. We knew things would not be the same.

When MLK was assassinated, I drew in a deep breath, a man I had grown to admire had been taken from us, and I knew the nation would become a tinderbox. RFK called for a time of mourning, and in one city, the flames did not ignite, such was the power of one man's voice in the dark.

When RFK was murdered, the shock was almost as much as when his brother had been gunned down some 4 and a half years earlier. To see Rosie Grier with tears in his eyes was something I shall never forget.

Gerald Ford, the attempts on his life rekindled the emotions of years past...Ronald Reagan as well, even though I despised Reagan as president, I did not wish any harm upon him.

George Wallace, no love lost between he and I, but the attempt on his life was unwarranted.

My point in all of this, and the reason I brought my mother in as a staunch R, is that regardless of party, regardless of where one stands on the political field, no sane person wishes death or harm upon another. My mother cried because a president was killed, not a D or an R, but just an American president, and it should never have happened. My mother was torn when MLK and JFK were shot, they were Americans, doing what Americans do...try to make the country a better place for all.

Things like these incidents are personal for me as well, and they should be for all Americans, regardless of party, religion or anything else that "separates" us. For a candidate to be "flippant" about such things crosses a line that should never be crossed. The scars run deep, the pain is real, and people like that man in your dad's barbershop are little more than fools riding on delusion. We all suffer when leaders and potential leaders are taken from our midst. Kennedy may well have been a "son-of-a-bitch", but he was OUR "son-of-a-bitch". On April 14, 1865 a man who was passing by Ford's Theater asked what had happened, and when told of Lincoln's being shot, he bellowed out in glee...he was nearly beaten to death in the street, and the DC police barely saved his life. The man in your dad's shop got off lightly, for if times were different, he most likely would have met the same fate.

me that would have me go fully into their camp. I've been on the sidelines for quite some time considering where we've landed at, but some of the recent events have tipped the scales, the "gaffe" today has really gotten under my skin.

I have lived through the Kennedy assassinations, the attempts on the lives of George wallace, Gerald Ford and Reagan, Martin Luther King as well as others who have been, or nearly been ushered through Death's Door at the hands of those who would think that murder is the way to "correct" a perceived wrong.

Assassination is a topic that should be discussed, but rationally and in context of the act, it should not be tossed out frivolously nor should it be used as a political vehicle. I have no comprehension of what HRC was thinking, (if she was thinking), when she tossed out the little gem that not only has us in an uproar, but the RW yahoo's are having a field day w/this. To be honest, to me the RW can't do much right, but they sure can chase a something down and run it into the ground when given the bait.

I think that HRC is a remarkable individual. She has shown us that a woman can take on the challenges that have faced women for longer than I can remember, and can do it with intelligence and dignity. But the flaws have become apparent in this particular woman. Politics has always been a blood-sport, for the rest of my life, I don't expect to see that change; but there are limits and lines that should never be crossed. Limbaugh's cheap hint at riots in Denver stands out, as does some of the other tripe the RW puts out there. But we are supposedly of a "higher standard", and when one of our own drags the bar down to street level, it is time to look realistically at just how we got to this point.

HRC has lost the 3's required to move on to the nomination, she knows this, we know this. By bringing death into the arena, she has created a new low, and if anything, she will lose more delegates, (Super or not), and the bell has tolled. She will continue on, I'm a fighter, so I can relate to how she feels, but there have been times when I've had to pack up my bags and move on, she should do this as well.

My intent is not to "bash HRC, but to hold up the reality that there is a time when people can go too far, and the lack of judgment in stepping over the boundary shows me a serious lack of skill in the political expertise that one who would be PoTUS should have.

It is sad to see this happening, but happen it has. It has become apparent to me that she has moved into desperation mode, and that is a mode that no one who would run for PoTUS should go into. The good people of NY will most likely elect her back into the Senate, and I believe she can be a power for good there. I do not believe she would make a good president.

"I'm voting my principles".

Pretty light ideology there, and I don't mean that ot be a slap, I mean it to show just how an individual would give up everything in the name of a "principle" or "lesson", that is essentially meaningless, simply because the only effect it could have is to possibly put McCain into office. That is neither a principle nor a lesson, it is a condition that would put us on a road to national suicide, is that what anyone wants?

The one principle here should be to get this nation back to something we can be proud of; a nation where we are moving forward on issues of great importance. Equal Rights, Education, Peace, Compassion, Freedom from fear...these are goals we should be moving toward, McCain would continue this Dark Age we are in today, and have been since the Little Emperor came about. By sitting out the election, or by actually voting for the Ghost, we could set the stage for 4 more years of even worse setbacks. As it stands right now, we have a LOT to recover before we can even move forward, to drag us back is not just shameful, it is disastrous.

Principles are BIG things, as well as personal ones. This country must be guided by a set of principles that have been lost over time, by allowing the R's to have any semblance of power, we ALL lose. Now is not the time for the Sunshine Patriot not the Summer Warrior who leaves at the first hint of a problem, now is the time for all of us to come together to beat back the beast, to destroy every vestige of neo-conservatism, to ensure that this nation can once again be a beacon of light, a symbol of Freedom and Equality, leading the way into the future, ensuring that our children and our Grandchildren will have a world where they will ot have to sit down and beg for crust of bread or a glass of water from the Lord of the Manor.

There will other elections, but this is the most important we shall face in our lifetimes. I can't force anyone to vote, and I never would, but if this nation falls any further behind, there will be NO ONE to blame but ourselves. I find that option not viable...so i will vote for D's down the line, and when they come to power, I will stay in contact with them to ensure they do the right thing, and NOT turn this nation any further down the road of self destruction. I hope all of you will do the same.

why they should be treated like "underlings" or anything other than equal in this society befuddles me. But that is a separate issue, my point is, of all the females that could have run, this is the one that did, and she has most likely lost the nomination.

This Primary Season has been a long and arduous one, historic in some ways, banal in others. I have looked at and evaluated the candidates, my choice, Richardson, went down long ago, so I looked for an alternative. I have to be honest and say neither of the two remaining have stoked the fire in me, in fact, both have done quite a bit to cool said fire. The posturing and lack of depth has been astonishing. I have seen many a political fight in my time, but rarely have I seen such unchecked egotism. It is to the point where the Party is ready to burst into factions that can do no good for the future, and the reality that comes through is that anyone who would walk away and vote for McCain is doing it for little more than a "principle" that is far and away a distortion of what a principle should be.

When we vote, we vote for our own self interests, but as a Liberal/Progressive, I cast my vote for this nation as well, every one in it, and the real principles of a government that are: of the people, by the people and above all, for the people.

The thought of voting for McCain, or sitting out the election is so foreign to me, it does not even cross my mind until I read where someone might actually do one of those things. Are we really that childish? Our nation is running headlong into a serious disaster. Each and every one of us should hold our votes to a standard where we can actually do something to change the course we are on. It is not a question of feminism, it is not a question of race, it is a question of where our nation will wind up after this election...and it had better be in better hands than McCain's!

So I offer my principle...Our nation needs to return to a nation that can be a beacon of Freedom once again; a nation that can walk among the other nations of the world with it's head held high, not supported by false pride, hubris or by being the world's bully, but by being the nation of Freedom and Peace, walking on the road to true Equality, taking others with it.

This nation has the greatest untapped potential for doing good in this world, and I don't want to see that tossed into the sewer by another term of bush, via McCain. So I ask that every one of us stands up to fight the neo-con environment; back the D nominee and put an end to the darkness we have been locked in for the past 7 years. WE are the only ones who can do this, and we have no alternatives.

while the attention has been on the D's, the R's have been having a field day pulling this turd around on string...and he is absolutely worthless.

I've been paying attention to his little offerings, and he is actually almost as bad as bush, every time I hear about the "war hero" crap, I just go ballisic.



Normally, I would not post something this long, but I want people to know what a real hero is. His name was Roy Benavidez, and I had the honor of meeting him before he died. The Citation speaks for itself, and by talking to the man, you'd never think he had done anything extraordinary:

BENAVIDEZ, ROY P.

Rank and Organization: Master Sergeant, Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group, Republic of Vietnam. Place and Date: West of Loc Ninh on 2 May 1968. Entered Service at: Houston, Texas June 1955. Date and Place of Birth: 5 August 1935, DeWitt County, Cuero, Texas. Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam to gather intelligence information about confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Benavidez was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters returned to off-load wounded crewmembers and to assess aircraft damage. Sergeant Benavidez voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing where he jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters under withering small arms fire to the crippled team. Prior to reaching the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of an extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team members. He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the leader's body, Sergeant Benavidez was severely wounded by small arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed. Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds, Sergeant Benavidez secured the classified documents and made his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sergeant Benavidez mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and so permit another extraction attempt. He was wounded again in his thigh by small arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land. His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed from additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary. He then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the aircraft door gunner from firing upon them. With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed, and to bring in the remaining wounded. Only then, in extremely serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez' gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.



http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietn...


Addendum: Benavidez spent the rest of his life touring the country talking to school kids about doing the best they could, keeping a foothold on truth and dignity and not letting anyone tell you can't do something..."because they can't do it themselves, they want you to fail as well, don't take the bait".

The McCain camp will do all it can to ensure that peripheral "items" come up; they should be dealt w/swiftly and accurately as they arise. The R's have nothing to run on, so it will be attack 24/7, if Obama wants to show people that change is coming, he'll deflect the stupid stuff, stick to the issues and rip McCain apart, as well as many R's in Congress by association.

Alexander Hamilton was accused of being a womanizer and a bastard, serious charges at the time, he came right out and stated he was indeed a bastard, and he loved many women. Almost immediately, the "scandal" fell from the lips of the opposition, and he was to become the first Treasurer of the US. Point is, honesty and being forthright enamored him to those who would make him Treasurer, and the masses loved the openness.

Same thing applies here...the old saw, "one cannot choose their parents, but they can choose the path they take", should deal w/a lot of the trash that will come down the pike. After answering "charges", there should be no elaboration, just stick to the facts and keep plowing ahead on real issues. McCain can't handle anything concerning issues for a number of reasons, first being he's tied to bush at every facet of this travesty in the WH. Second...he has no plan, no ideas, nothing but the same old crap for another 4 years.

He's going to fall flat on his face the first time there is a face to face exchange, from there on in, it will be ours to lose. The attacks will be more numerous and hotter, but people will see, as time goes by, that it is pure desperation on the part of the R's and it will be all over in a matter of days after the first encounter.

We have to hammer home the ideas and future plans, so there is no "sit back and wait for the inevitiable"...this is going to take work, and it is quite possible we can stake the neo-con movement into it's coffin once and for all.

tossed out of the Court and into prison, but in all honesty, sadly, I can't see it happening.

People like Scalia have either no morality, or a "morality" that is self generated to ensure they gain at whatever cost to the people around them or the public at large.

Any person that has even the possibility of a conflict of interest, and a moral base, would recuse themselves where their bias might come into play in a decision; Scalia, and his colleague Thomas appear to have no qualms what-so-ever about allowing their personal biases enter the realm of judicial decisions. To me, this makes them unfit for such positions as judgeships at any level, but for them to be on the USSC is the very essence of "activist judges" that the RW constantly claim to be the "greatest horror since the Constitution was ratified". (Which brings up the notion that if Congress did it's job, and enacted laws that served the people, the Court system would not have to make decisions on antiquated and absurdly worded laws. Decisions about "intent" are what Courts are all about, and they evolve as necessary, hence we have decisions coming down from benches on old and new laws alike, often by biased jurists.)

When I look at the Constitution, one of the greatest things about it is it's brevity and straight to the point, in your face, wording. It is open to interpretation as society evolves, (who could honestly say that some people are 2/3 the human value of others today, or that only male landowners have the right to vote for a government that is to serve all of it's citizens?). But most things are pretty well straight in your face, and this is a good thing. Some of the things that give us our Rights are so cut and dried, it is hard to find how some people sidestep them. A prime example:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

How anyone can misinterpret that is beyond me, and most other people, yet there are those who scrap it in an instant if they could, (they have been eroding it for many a year, but since we are really the government, so far, we've held on to it, but barely). We can make a difference...but most people today are trying desperately to keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads, they have little time to watch what is happening, and if allowed to proceed, people like Scalia would destroy every Freedom Americans have enjoyed, if for no other reason other than they can. He is that far from a moral base.

In my opinion, there will be vacancies in the USSC over the next 4 years, it would be far easier to appoint judges that have a fair and knowledgeable aspect in how the deal with Constitution situations. The best bet is to outnumber the RW radical "activist judges" and make their views moot. But to do that, we need a president and Congress that will do the right thing...that is where We, the People come into play...and we better work hard to make sue we destroy neo-conservatism this time around.

(or should I say Cotton Candy Melee), between the D nominee and McCain. w/o even asking McCain much more than, "What's your favorite color", he'll fall flat on his face and show not just Americans, but the rest of the world he is comparable in intellect as the same goomer who occupies the Oval Office presently.

I've listened to McCain, and so far, he has said nothing, essentially because he has nothing. He's a dud, and now that he's going to be on half the stage, his free ride is over, thank God.

We'll hear about how he was a great "hero", but unlike Max Cleland, Bob Kerry and John Kerrey, he has nothing but languishing as a POW to show for it. This is not to say that being a POW is a piece of cake by any means...but I think Max Cleland would rather have been a POW than going for that grenade that took 3 limbs. As a Vet, I appreciate McCain's service, as should all Americans; but I draw the line when it comes to calling him a "hero". Far too many of my fellow vets lie in Military Cemeteries, many of them from this war...they are heroes.

Since McCain returned home, he has shown himself to be little more than a cheap opportunist. He wanted to be an Admiral like his father and Grandfather...the Navy thought that was a bad idea. Shows me that the Navy does some things right, and all of the pull that came w/the McCain name could not get him to Flag Rank...GO NAVY!

Which brings me to his political life and a short biography. McCain was taken under the wing of Barry Goldwater, something Goldwater came to regret. Barry was a die hard old line conservative. There is little he and I would see eye to eye on, but he was true to his convictions, and he raised hell about taking the nation into debt. Before he died, he made the incredible statement during an interview, that the crop of R's that had been spawned weren't "Republicans at all, they are shitheads". Say what you will about Goldwater, he didn't mince words. Barry came to a serious dislike of McCain, well deserved I would expect. He saw an opportunist that would sell his mother and then his soul to get another inch up the ladder. I wish Goldwater were still around to see what McCain has become...he'd be out there calling it like it is, and I'm sure McCain would have been pretty close to the top of Barry's "shithead" list.

"Family values"...gimme a break...the guy is actually a whore...he sold out his family for money.

"Intellect"...just a point or two above bush. When the wind blows just right and hits McCain's ears...deer run away for miles around and dogs howl.

"Ideology"...you have to have ideas to have an ideology, (see "intellect").

When the vast majority of us come together for this election, and one adds Independents and R's w/sense, (yes, there are some out there), McCain will most likely go down in one of the greatest blow-outs in history. But we have to vote to keep him out of the WH, there will be no rest, no sitting it out "confident that others" will make this happen.

When we have the WH, great #'s in both Houses of congress and the opportunity to scale back the conservative USSC w/good appointments, we can get this country back to where it should be heading.

In case anyone forgot...a nation that is by the people, of the people and for the people; a nation that can hold it's head up high in the world arena; a nation that has, and will continue to, produce some of the finest minds and take on any problem with intelligence, justice and dignity. We are that people...try as it would, the bush cabal could not destroy this nation...we are a good people, and we are still the light of freedom, even if it has dimmed under bush...we'll rekindle that light.