A MARINE IN IRAQ RESPONDS TO SEN. KERRY {This was written by my husband, Aaron, who is currently deployed to Iraq, in defense of a recent comment made by Senator John Kerry. Pass it along, it might inspire someone else to speak up! ~ Michelle} Yesterday John Kerry said, "You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well, and if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq... So I wrote him a letter: I am a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. I am currently on my second tour in Iraq, a tour in which I volunteered for. I speak Arabic and Spanish and I plan to tackle Persian Farsi soon. I have a Bachelors and an Associates Degree and between deployments I am pursuing an M.B.A. In college I was a member of several academic honors societies, including the Golden Key Honor Society. I am not unique among the enlisted troops. Many of my enlisted colleagues include lawyers, teachers, mechanics, engineers, musicians and artists just to name a few. You say that your comments were directed towards the President and not us. If we were stupid Senator Kerry, we might have believed you. I am not a victim of President Bush. I proudly serve him because he is my Commander and Chief. If it was you who was President, I would serve you just as faithfully. I serve America Senator Kerry, and I am also providing a service to the good people of Iraq. I have not terrorized them in the middle of the night, raped them or murdered them as you have accused me of before. I am doing my part to help them rebuild. My role is a simple one, but important. You see Senator Kerry, like it or not, we came here and removed a tyrant (who terrorized Iraqis in the middle of the night, and raped them and murdered them). And we have a responsibility to see to it that another one doesn't take his place. The people of Iraq are recovering from an abusive relationship with a terrible government and its going to take some time to help them recover from that. We can't treat this conflict like a microwave dinner and throw a temper tantrum because we feel like its taking too long. Senator Kerry, you don't have to agree with this war. You don't have to say nice things about those of us who choose to make sacrifices for the rights of every American rather than sit back and simply feel entitled to it. But please Senator Kerry, if you're going to call me a stupid murdering rapist, stick by what you say. Don't tell me that I misunderstood or that you would never insult a veteran because you are one too. Having been there and done that does not give you a free pass to insult me. My suggestion for you, Senator Kerry, is to remember that your speeches are recorded, and broadcast to us simpletons over here. You may want to write down what you want to say before you say it, maybe have somebody look at it before you say it and tell you what others might hear. Remember that we can't read your mind, if there are any misinterpretations in what you say, it's because you didn't communicate clearly. Good luck to you Senator Kerry, if nothing else it's always entertaining to watch you try and climb out of the holes that you constantly dig for yourself. Sincerely, Somebody who is watching his daughter grow up in photographs so that you can have the right to say whatever you want about him.
Now send this email to 100 people in the next 10 minutes or you will have bad luck for the rest of your life!!!!!!111111
As my cousin joined the Navy and used it to get him through college and recently graduated from Law School, I sympathize with the author.
Perhaps you should read the response of a real Marine to this unsubstantiated letter: http://jameslandrith.com/content/view/2864/79/ A MARINE FROM THE FIRST GULF WAR RESPONDS TO A MARINE IN IRAQ A new letter, presumably written by a Marine in Iraq, found it's way to me today. As this screed will undoubtedly be used by GOP operatives and neo-libertarian chickenhawks to justify Big Government Conservative Wars of Intervention (which they refuse to participate in personally), I've taken the time to issue a rebuttal. Anonymous Marine said: "Yesterday John Kerry said, "You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well, and if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq..." And, as was explained via release of the script written for the speech, Senator Kerry was talking about President Bush. This is not debatable. It is a fact. Even Bill O'Reilly on FOX News has stated such. Lies don't become the truth just because you wear a uniform and deem them as such. Republican heavyweights like Dick Armey, Bill O'Reilly, Matthew Dowd and Tom DeLay have publicly admitted that Kerry was not trying to insult the troops, but had botched a joke about Bush. It is time to stop the Dittoheadedness. Anonymous Marine said: " So I wrote him a letter: "I am a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. I am currently on my second tour in Iraq, a tour in which I volunteered for. I speak Arabic and Spanish and I plan to tackle Persian Farsi soon. I have a Bachelors and an Associates Degree and between deployments I am pursuing an M.B.A. In college I was a member of several academic honor societies, including the Golden Key Honor Society. I am not unique among the enlisted troops. Many of my enlisted colleagues include lawyers, teachers, mechanics, engineers, musicians and artists just to name a few. You say that your comments were directed towards the President and not us. If we were stupid Senator Kerry, we might have believed you." If you are as smart as you claim, you have surely taken the time to investigate the facts. A script of Kerry's speech was issued days ago. It very clearly indicated the joke was about the President. Claims to the contrary are incorrect, in light of the evidence that has been available for nearly a week now. It appears from your words that you are closing your eyes and plugging your ears to any evidence that speaks to the contrary. This is not a mature and intellectual way for a fellow Marine to conduct himself. Anonymous Marine said: "I am not a victim of President Bush. I proudly serve him because he is my Commander and Chief. If it was you who was President, I would serve you just as faithfully. I serve America Senator Kerry, and I am also providing a service to the good people of Iraq. I have not terrorized them in the middle of the night, raped them or murdered them as you have accused me of before. I am doing my part to help them rebuild. My role is a simple one, but important. You see Senator Kerry, like it or not, we came here and removed a tyrant (who terrorized Iraqis in the middle of the night, and raped them and murdered them). And we have a responsibility to see to it that another one doesnt take his place. The people of Iraq are recovering from an abusive relationship with a terrible government and its going to take some time to help them recover from that. We can't treat this conflict like a microwave dinner and throw a temper tantrum because we feel like its taking too long." Given that you are an educated man, then you are fully well aware of our government's role in helping install Hussein in the first place. You would undoubtedly be aware that our own CIA assisted Hussein, as a young man, in attempting to assassinate a prior leader of Iraq. You would also be aware that many of the weapons of mass destruction previously possessed by the nation of Iraq were provided directly and indirectly by the United States. An educated man would also know that our nation maintained contact and supported the brutal dictator while he was abusing and murdering his own people. An educated man would be fully well aware that both Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney had significant dealings with Saddam Hussein when he was at his most brutal. It is immoral and disgusting for such men to have financially and politically benefited from their prior relationships with bloody dictators while playing the "he's a dictator" card today. Surely, an educated and honest man would agree. Further, a man in full possession of the facts, without an ideological axe to grind, would not pretend our government entered Iraq to depose an evil dictator. There are dozens more all over the world - just as bad or worse. An educated man knows that our Constitution - the law of our land - does not authorize our government to play the role of world policeman. An educated man knows we lack neither the financial resources, nor the manpower to depose all the world's brutal dictators. An educated man would never make such a strawman of an argument to excuse the hundreds of billions of dollars of debt our President and the impotent Congress have passed on to the citizens of this country. An educated man would not pretend that the world is now safer with an Iraq surrounded by porous borders and in the beginning stages of civil war. An educated man would know better and would spend some quality time acquainting himself with the advice of two-time Medal of Honor recipient Marine Major General Smedley Darlington Butler. Anonymous Marine said: "Senator Kerry, you don't have to agree with this war. You don't have to say nice things about those of us who choose to make sacrifices for the rights of every American rather than sit back and simply feel entitled to it. But please Senator Kerry, if you're going to call me a stupid murdering rapist, stick by what you say. Don't tell me that I misunderstood or that you would never insult a veteran because you are one too. Having been there and done that does not give you a free pass to insult me." As was pointed out previously, Senator Kerry was talking about the President and not insulting you. The draft of his speech released several DAYS ago contradicts your false claims to the contrary. Further, this war was not about the "rights of every American." Iraq was a crippled, miserable shell of it's former self. Iraq was not at war with the United States. Claims to the contrary are intellectually dishonest. No one in Iraq was taking away the "rights of every American." Our own elected and appointed representatives have been doing that for years. Anonymous Marine said: "My suggestion for you, Senator Kerry, is to remember that your speeches are recorded, and broadcast to us simpletons over here. You may want to write down what you want to say before you say it, maybe have somebody look at it before you say it and tell you what others might hear. Remember that we can't read your mind, if there are any misinterpretations in what you say, it's because you didn't communicate clearly." My advice, as a Marine of a prior Persian Gulf conflict, would be to remember that the facts had been revealed days ago. Just because you want to believe something does not make it so. Anonymous Marine said: "Good luck to you Senator Kerry, if nothing else it's always entertaining to watch you try and climb out of the holes that you constantly dig for yourself." This sounds remarkably like a partisan political statement. Given that it will be used for partisan political use by the GOP and an educated man would know this well, you may want to reconsider attaching your rank and service to such statements as they violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Anonymous Marine said: "Sincerely, Somebody who is watching his daughter grow up in photographs so that you can have the right to say whatever you want about him" Actually, you are not in Iraq defending American civil liberties, but you are following the orders of those in your chain of command. Iraq did not attack the United States. The United States has been interfering in the internal politics and government of Iraq since 1958, as an educated man such as yourself would undoubtedly be aware. It is intellectually dishonest and clearly political partisanship to willfully confuse wars of intervention with self-defense. American civil liberties have been under attack for years from a domestic enemy of the Constitution that alternately wears the uniform of a donkey and elephant. The introduction of no-knock warrants, domestic surveillance, attempts to silence dissent, attempts to repeal attorney-client privilege, suspension of habeas corpus, and most of the PATRIOT Act are violations of the Constitution. We certainly do need defending - from those who willfully confuse nationalism with patriotism and raw power with legitimate authority. In Liberty and not Republican or Democratic Partisanship, Sergeant James A. Landrith, Jr. United States Marine Corps
I was going to forward this letter but then I found out if I clicked on this pop-up window I can claim my FREE Playstation 3. See you suckers later.
Oh right... Aaron... and his wife... Michelle. Seems legit to me! If he speaks Arabic, I'd think he could be of better use in an intelligence service than as a grunt... but what do I know. Marines have never been lacking in courage, so if that's how you feel and that's who you are, stand up and put your name on it. I'm going to go out on a limb and call that letter BS.
Hey! Who's figuratively fellating Reggie Bush while you're in here defending fake e-mails from the Chain-Mail Brigade?
thats right lets be mature here.. isn't it a known fact now that Kerry was referring to bush and not to the troops?
Uh, not sure what a NEO-libertarian is, but I don't think it involves supporting Big Government. I wasn't aware the Constitution mentioned being a world policeman one way or the other. I am pretty sure it left it up to the leaders of the time. Pot and kettle, maybe? "You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." How again is that a swipe at Bush (who had higher grades than Kerry btw at Yale)? I'm not pro-Bush but that seems to be pretty good spin coming from one side of the debate.
Well my cousin that joined the Navy and was on board aircraft carriers during September 11th and for part of the Afghanistan Campaign. He used the military to get a college education then went to law school. I would hope Mr. Kerry is not referring to him being stupid. And the whole trying to make it sound as if it was directed at Bush is just silly. Of course why would the intellectual John Kerry need a job, he has married well twice.
i thought it was pretty obvious - it's a rather hackneyed jab at the presdient and his carefully cultivated dumb guy rich kid cheerleader skull and bones reputation and the foreign policy debacle into which he dragged us. It's not really funny, just pretty unremarkable. What I'm wondering is why anybody think's it's even borderline relevant anymore. Wasn't all this explained in thelengthy excruciatingly awful thread on this non-issue from two weeks ago? Somebody tell FD Khan that the 2004 and 2006 elections are over, he seems not to have gotten the memo.
Everyone in this thread is missing the good news. News so amazing I had to read this thread 4 different times. News so incredible I still do not believe it... Giddy did not start this thread!
