I was watching the Rachel Maddow Show the other night (my conservative friends are probably aghast – to them I say, try it! You may enjoy listening to someone who treats you like an intelligent person) and she had former Ambassador Richard Holbrooke on. They talked about the horrific flooding in Pakistan (image the East coast of the USA under water – from Georgia to New Hampshire).
Then they began talking about the drone attacks.
He is a Vietnam Veteran. He knows first-hand that war is hell. He has seen things that I am very grateful to not have ever seen. The precision with which the drones attack amazes him. He recognizes the lives that have been saved using drones. And he is right.
In a conflict, there is much going on and a pilot can be easily distracted. Collateral damage occurs. Having the pilot thousands of miles away enables them to focus on the task at hand and minimizes the mistakes, the collateral damage.
Ms. Maddow has a problem with this program. And rightly so.
As Americans, we learn from an early age about being innocent until proven guilty. About our rights to be tried by a jury of our peers. The right to a speedy trial. The right to know what we are being accused of. We value those rights and we send our men and women to fight and protect them.
The drone strikes enable us to be judge, jury and executioner in one precision hit. Our efficiency at killing has come at a cost. We have lost our way.
When we try to explain our values and beliefs, our enemies point to Guantanamo Bay. And the drone strikes. They see our actions. Our actions that speak louder than words.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Freedom is not Free
Thursday, September 9, I stayed up to 2 am writing the following blog. I have decided it needs a bit of an introduction to give you an idea of what was in mind when I wrote it.
I had been watching the news and hearing the Republicans in congress going on and on about how we need to extended the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. I had also recently seen a clip showing the soldier asking Rumsfield about the need for armor and Rumsfield’s “screw you” answer. And then I thought about the exhibit in the National WW2 museum about the country pulling together and sacrificing so that our ‘boys’ would have everything they needed. President Bush asked us to just go and spend money. In 2003, he cut taxes.
Last Saturday was September 11. Nationwide it is known as 9-11. The formal name is Patriot Day. On this day, we were attacked. And then we went to war. The War on Terror. We cornered Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, but he got away when, right or wrong, when we invaded Iraq. Now our country has two wars. And President Bush cut taxes. And borrowed money from China. I doubt any American would have complained if he had raised taxes to pay for the wars. Instead, our fighting men and women scrounged for metal to protect themselves from IEDs.
Today, I ask that you support our troops with more than a ribbon stuck to your bumper. Pay your taxes. Demand better health care for our vets.
When the Republicans get all upset over losing the tax cuts for the wealthiest, I want to ask them, “Why do you hate our troops?” It costs money to go to war. That money should not come from China. We need to fund it. It was fiscally irresponsible to cut taxes during war. The Greatest Generation came together and everyone sacrificed. We are at war. Are we no longer great? The taxes you pay are among the lowest in the world (http://www.businesspundit.com/12-countries-with-the-highest-lowest-tax-rates/) and they are what you pay to be protected. Most of the federal budget goes for defense spending.
And then there is the Tea Party. Bitching and moaning that their taxes are too high. If they have a problem with the price they pay for their freedom, then they should go and complain to the following Americans:
Name/Rank/Age/Branch/State/Town
Charte, Philip G. E./ Corporal/ 22/ U.S. Marine/ NH/ Goffstown
Deluzio, Steven J./ Sergeant/ 25/ U.S. Army National Guard/ CT/ South Glastonbury
Southworth, Tristan H./ Specialist/ 21/ U.S. Army National Guard/ VT/ West Danville
Van Aalst, Jared N./ Master Sergeant/ 34/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Laconia
Warren, Kyle R./ Staff Sergeant/ 28/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Manchester
Shaw, Eric B./ Staff Sergeant/ 31/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Exeter
Andrews, Scott A./ Specialist/ 21/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Fall River
Silk, Brandon M./ Staff Sergeant/ 25/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Orono
Rivera, Edwin/ Sergeant/ 28/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Waterford
Desforges, Joshua D./ Sergeant/ 23/ U.S. Marine/ MA/ Ludlow
Slack, Wade A./ Specialist/ 21/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Waterville
Barrett, Robert J./ Sergeant/ 21/ U.S. Air National Guard/ MA/ Fall River
Griffin, Tyler O. Lance Corporal/ 19/ U.S. Marine/ CT/ Voluntown
Coutu, Kyle J./ Private 1st Class/ 20/ U.S. Marine/ RI/ Providence
Currier, Eric D./ Private 1st Class/ 2/ U.S. Marine/ NH/ Londonderry
Decoteau, Marc Paul/ Specialist/ 19/ U.S. Air National Guard/ NH/ Waterville Valley
Brown Jr., Harold/ Not yet reported/ 37/ CIA/ MA/ Bolton
Spino, Ronald J./ Staff Sergeant/ 45/ / U.S. Army/ CT/ Waterbury
Latorre, Xhacob/ Corporal/ 21/ U.S. Marine/ CT/ Waterbury
Sherman, Benjamin/ Sergeant/ 21/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Plymouth
Van De Giesen, Kyle R./ Captain/ 29/ U.S. Marine/ MA/ North Attleboro
Kirk, Joshua J./ Sergeant/ 30/ U.S. Army/ ME/ South Portland
Sklaver, Benjamin A./ Captain/ 32/ U.S. Army Reserve/ MA/ Medford
Brochu, Jordan M./ Private 1st Class/ 20/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Cumberland
Pellerin, Justin Reid/ Specialist/ 21/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Boscawen
Bernard, Joshua Matthew/ Lance Corporal/ 21/ U.S. Marine/ ME/ New Portland
Xiarhos, Nicholas George/ Corporal/ 21/ U.S. Marine/ MA/ Yarmouth Port
Dupont, Kevin A./ Sergeant 1st Class/ 52/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Chicopee
Toner IV, Francis L./ Lieutenant (junior grade)/ 26/ U.S. Navy/ RI/ Narragansett
Ouellette, Michael W./ Corporal/ 28/ U.S. Marine/ NH/ Manchester
Preach, Kevin T./ Lance Corporal/ 21/ U.S. Marine/ MA/ Bridgewater
Mescall, Brian M./ Major/ 33/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Hopkinton
Fortunato, Stephen R./ Specialist/ 25/ U.S. Army Reserve/ MA/ Danvers
Dimond, Scott G./ Private 1st Class/ 39/ U.S. Army National Guard/ NH/ Franklin
Conlon Jr., Paul E./ Private 1st Class/ 21/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Somerville
Simmons, Shawn E./ Master Sergeant/ 39/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Ashland
Ramirez, Nelson D. Rodriguez/ Sergeant/ 22/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Revere
Buxbaum, Justin L./ Specialist/ 23/ U.S. Army/ ME/ South Portland
Robertson, Nicholas A./ Sergeant/ 27/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Old Town
Durkin, Ciara M./ Not reported yet/ 30/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Quincy
Wilson, Christopher M./ Specialist/ 24/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Bangor
McDonald, Edmund W./ Sergeant/ 25/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Casco
Phaneuf II, Joseph E./ Staff Sergeant/ 38/ U.S. Army National Guard/ CT/ Eastford
Keating, Benjamin D./ 1st Lieutenant/ 27/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Shapleigh
Small, Andrew/ Private 1st Class/ 19/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Wiscasset
Monti, Jared C./ Sergeant 1st Class/ 30/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Raynham
Damon, Patrick/ Captain/ 41/ U.S. Army National Guard/ ME/ Falmouth
Durgin, Russell M./ Sergeant/ 23/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Henniker
Moquin Jr., Brian M./ Private/ 19/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Worcester
Stone, John Thomas/ Sergeant 1st Class/ 52/ U.S. Army National Guard/ VT/ Tunbridge/Norwich
Montrond, Alberto D./ Sergeant/ 27/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Suffolk
Bertolino, Matthew L./ Private 1st Class/ 20/ U.S. Marine/ NH/ Hampstead
Hines, Derek S./ 1st Lieutenant/ 25/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Newburyport
Reich, Stephen C./ Major/ 34/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Washington Depot
Healy, Daniel R./ Senior Chief Petty Officer/ 36/ U.S. Navy/ NH/ Exeter
Piper, Christopher N./ Staff Sergeant/ 43/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Marblehead
Kelley, Michael J./ Sergeant/ 26/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Scituate
Connolly, David S./ Captain/ 37/ U.S. Army Reserve/ MA/ Boston
McMahon, Michael J./ Lieutenant Colonel/ 41/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Not reported yet
Ouellette, Brian J./ Petty Officer 1st Class/ 37/ U.S. Navy/ MA/ Needham
Golding, Nicholes Darwin/ Sergeant/ 24/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Addison
Gilman, Benjamin L./ Sergeant/ 28/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Meriden
Perreault, Theodore L./ Sergeant/ 33/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Webster
Albert, Phillip R./ Sergeant Major/ 41/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Terryville
O'Neill, Evan W./ Private 1st Class/ 19/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Haverhill
Michaud, Seth R./ Captain/ 27/ U.S. Marine Reserve/ MA/ Hudson
Tracy Jr., William John/ Sergeant/ 27/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Webster
Robinson, Thomas L./ Lieutenant Commander/ 38/ U.S. Navy/ MA/ Kingston
Rushforth Jr., Bruce A./ Staff Sergeant/ 35/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Bridgewater
Petithory, Daniel H./ Sergeant 1st Class/ 32/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Cheshire
Andrews, Evander E./ Master Sergeant/ 36/ U.S. Air Force/ ME/ Solon
This list of those who gave ALL from New England during Operation Enduring Freedom from the start to the present comes from http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx. The full list for Americans who died during both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom is over 400 pages long. The list is still growing.
Freedom is not Free.
I had been watching the news and hearing the Republicans in congress going on and on about how we need to extended the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. I had also recently seen a clip showing the soldier asking Rumsfield about the need for armor and Rumsfield’s “screw you” answer. And then I thought about the exhibit in the National WW2 museum about the country pulling together and sacrificing so that our ‘boys’ would have everything they needed. President Bush asked us to just go and spend money. In 2003, he cut taxes.
Last Saturday was September 11. Nationwide it is known as 9-11. The formal name is Patriot Day. On this day, we were attacked. And then we went to war. The War on Terror. We cornered Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, but he got away when, right or wrong, when we invaded Iraq. Now our country has two wars. And President Bush cut taxes. And borrowed money from China. I doubt any American would have complained if he had raised taxes to pay for the wars. Instead, our fighting men and women scrounged for metal to protect themselves from IEDs.
Today, I ask that you support our troops with more than a ribbon stuck to your bumper. Pay your taxes. Demand better health care for our vets.
When the Republicans get all upset over losing the tax cuts for the wealthiest, I want to ask them, “Why do you hate our troops?” It costs money to go to war. That money should not come from China. We need to fund it. It was fiscally irresponsible to cut taxes during war. The Greatest Generation came together and everyone sacrificed. We are at war. Are we no longer great? The taxes you pay are among the lowest in the world (http://www.businesspundit.com/12-countries-with-the-highest-lowest-tax-rates/) and they are what you pay to be protected. Most of the federal budget goes for defense spending.
And then there is the Tea Party. Bitching and moaning that their taxes are too high. If they have a problem with the price they pay for their freedom, then they should go and complain to the following Americans:
Name/Rank/Age/Branch/State/Town
Charte, Philip G. E./ Corporal/ 22/ U.S. Marine/ NH/ Goffstown
Deluzio, Steven J./ Sergeant/ 25/ U.S. Army National Guard/ CT/ South Glastonbury
Southworth, Tristan H./ Specialist/ 21/ U.S. Army National Guard/ VT/ West Danville
Van Aalst, Jared N./ Master Sergeant/ 34/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Laconia
Warren, Kyle R./ Staff Sergeant/ 28/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Manchester
Shaw, Eric B./ Staff Sergeant/ 31/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Exeter
Andrews, Scott A./ Specialist/ 21/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Fall River
Silk, Brandon M./ Staff Sergeant/ 25/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Orono
Rivera, Edwin/ Sergeant/ 28/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Waterford
Desforges, Joshua D./ Sergeant/ 23/ U.S. Marine/ MA/ Ludlow
Slack, Wade A./ Specialist/ 21/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Waterville
Barrett, Robert J./ Sergeant/ 21/ U.S. Air National Guard/ MA/ Fall River
Griffin, Tyler O. Lance Corporal/ 19/ U.S. Marine/ CT/ Voluntown
Coutu, Kyle J./ Private 1st Class/ 20/ U.S. Marine/ RI/ Providence
Currier, Eric D./ Private 1st Class/ 2/ U.S. Marine/ NH/ Londonderry
Decoteau, Marc Paul/ Specialist/ 19/ U.S. Air National Guard/ NH/ Waterville Valley
Brown Jr., Harold/ Not yet reported/ 37/ CIA/ MA/ Bolton
Spino, Ronald J./ Staff Sergeant/ 45/ / U.S. Army/ CT/ Waterbury
Latorre, Xhacob/ Corporal/ 21/ U.S. Marine/ CT/ Waterbury
Sherman, Benjamin/ Sergeant/ 21/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Plymouth
Van De Giesen, Kyle R./ Captain/ 29/ U.S. Marine/ MA/ North Attleboro
Kirk, Joshua J./ Sergeant/ 30/ U.S. Army/ ME/ South Portland
Sklaver, Benjamin A./ Captain/ 32/ U.S. Army Reserve/ MA/ Medford
Brochu, Jordan M./ Private 1st Class/ 20/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Cumberland
Pellerin, Justin Reid/ Specialist/ 21/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Boscawen
Bernard, Joshua Matthew/ Lance Corporal/ 21/ U.S. Marine/ ME/ New Portland
Xiarhos, Nicholas George/ Corporal/ 21/ U.S. Marine/ MA/ Yarmouth Port
Dupont, Kevin A./ Sergeant 1st Class/ 52/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Chicopee
Toner IV, Francis L./ Lieutenant (junior grade)/ 26/ U.S. Navy/ RI/ Narragansett
Ouellette, Michael W./ Corporal/ 28/ U.S. Marine/ NH/ Manchester
Preach, Kevin T./ Lance Corporal/ 21/ U.S. Marine/ MA/ Bridgewater
Mescall, Brian M./ Major/ 33/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Hopkinton
Fortunato, Stephen R./ Specialist/ 25/ U.S. Army Reserve/ MA/ Danvers
Dimond, Scott G./ Private 1st Class/ 39/ U.S. Army National Guard/ NH/ Franklin
Conlon Jr., Paul E./ Private 1st Class/ 21/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Somerville
Simmons, Shawn E./ Master Sergeant/ 39/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Ashland
Ramirez, Nelson D. Rodriguez/ Sergeant/ 22/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Revere
Buxbaum, Justin L./ Specialist/ 23/ U.S. Army/ ME/ South Portland
Robertson, Nicholas A./ Sergeant/ 27/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Old Town
Durkin, Ciara M./ Not reported yet/ 30/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Quincy
Wilson, Christopher M./ Specialist/ 24/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Bangor
McDonald, Edmund W./ Sergeant/ 25/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Casco
Phaneuf II, Joseph E./ Staff Sergeant/ 38/ U.S. Army National Guard/ CT/ Eastford
Keating, Benjamin D./ 1st Lieutenant/ 27/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Shapleigh
Small, Andrew/ Private 1st Class/ 19/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Wiscasset
Monti, Jared C./ Sergeant 1st Class/ 30/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Raynham
Damon, Patrick/ Captain/ 41/ U.S. Army National Guard/ ME/ Falmouth
Durgin, Russell M./ Sergeant/ 23/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Henniker
Moquin Jr., Brian M./ Private/ 19/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Worcester
Stone, John Thomas/ Sergeant 1st Class/ 52/ U.S. Army National Guard/ VT/ Tunbridge/Norwich
Montrond, Alberto D./ Sergeant/ 27/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Suffolk
Bertolino, Matthew L./ Private 1st Class/ 20/ U.S. Marine/ NH/ Hampstead
Hines, Derek S./ 1st Lieutenant/ 25/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Newburyport
Reich, Stephen C./ Major/ 34/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Washington Depot
Healy, Daniel R./ Senior Chief Petty Officer/ 36/ U.S. Navy/ NH/ Exeter
Piper, Christopher N./ Staff Sergeant/ 43/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Marblehead
Kelley, Michael J./ Sergeant/ 26/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Scituate
Connolly, David S./ Captain/ 37/ U.S. Army Reserve/ MA/ Boston
McMahon, Michael J./ Lieutenant Colonel/ 41/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Not reported yet
Ouellette, Brian J./ Petty Officer 1st Class/ 37/ U.S. Navy/ MA/ Needham
Golding, Nicholes Darwin/ Sergeant/ 24/ U.S. Army/ ME/ Addison
Gilman, Benjamin L./ Sergeant/ 28/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Meriden
Perreault, Theodore L./ Sergeant/ 33/ U.S. Army National Guard/ MA/ Webster
Albert, Phillip R./ Sergeant Major/ 41/ U.S. Army/ CT/ Terryville
O'Neill, Evan W./ Private 1st Class/ 19/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Haverhill
Michaud, Seth R./ Captain/ 27/ U.S. Marine Reserve/ MA/ Hudson
Tracy Jr., William John/ Sergeant/ 27/ U.S. Army/ NH/ Webster
Robinson, Thomas L./ Lieutenant Commander/ 38/ U.S. Navy/ MA/ Kingston
Rushforth Jr., Bruce A./ Staff Sergeant/ 35/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Bridgewater
Petithory, Daniel H./ Sergeant 1st Class/ 32/ U.S. Army/ MA/ Cheshire
Andrews, Evander E./ Master Sergeant/ 36/ U.S. Air Force/ ME/ Solon
This list of those who gave ALL from New England during Operation Enduring Freedom from the start to the present comes from http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx. The full list for Americans who died during both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom is over 400 pages long. The list is still growing.
Freedom is not Free.
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