[Colonel]

I saw this posted on the OTD site. Interesting points made by this parent.




An Open Letter to Cindy Sheehan From the Proud Father of a U.S. Marine
> By Brantley Smith Posted On August 17, 2005
>
> Ms. Sheehan,
>
> By your actions over the past two weeks it is clear that you missed an
> important aspect of Civics 101: With rights come responsibilities. You
> certainly have the right to voice your opinion against the war in Iraq
> and the President's policies. You even have the right to camp outside
> the President's home in Crawford and demand he meet with you. Your
> status as a mother who has lost a child in the war also gives your
> words and actions a credibility and a larger audience than otherwise
> would be the case. Now that your supporters have given you a broad
> forum from which to be heard, making you a national figure, its time
> you considered your responsibilities to all of us. I have a daughter
> set to deploy to Fallujah in two weeks and I have a serious concern
> with how your irresponsible and short sighted actions might impact on
> her. She is, after all, a volunteer, like your son, and she is going
> in harm's way because she believes it is her responsibility to protect your rights and freedoms.
>
> Well meaning people like you always seem to forget the law of
> unintended consequences and in your vanity and arrogant
> self-righteousness never bother to think through what it is you are
> trying to do versus what you may actually accomplish. I am here to
> inform you, Ma'am, that you will not change the policy of our
> government by sitting outside Crawford making a spectacle of yourself
> in the name of your rights to free speech; what you will do is provide
> more propaganda for our enemies and cost the lives of even more brave
> and selfless American warriors. How long do you think it will be
> before you become a star on Al Jazeera? For all I know, it may have
> already happened. One thing is certain, though, and that is that your
> actions and words will further embolden a ruthless and evil enemy and
> more American blood will be shed and some of it will be on your hands.
> I pray that my daughter will not be one of them. If she is, then I
> will hold you and those like you partly responsible. Yes, my
> daughter's fate will depend mostly on her own courageous decision to
> serve, but only the most naive among us can deny the impact our own
> words and actions here in America have in a world grown smaller by the revolution in communications technology.
>
> I am sure you believe that you are serving some great cause by putting
> our servicemen and women in more danger and that you can, by your
> irresponsible exercise of free speech, help end a policy you disagree
> with. Your emotion may be compelling but the reality is that you will
> not set in motion any process that will change or undo what has been
> done. The war will go on because to end it now would dishonor the
> sacrifice of all of our fellow countrymen who have died in the cause of fighting terrorism.
> Rational Americans will not allow that. Too much is at stake.
> Unfortunately, shallow and irrational ones, such as yourself, will
> continue to put the lives of our sons and daughters in danger by
> aiding and abetting an enemy who sees propagandizing in the mass media
> as its main weapon in a war it could otherwise not win standing on its
> own wretched and evil justification of radical Islam, or by force of arms.
> You, Ma'am, have joined forces with an evil you neither understand nor
> apparently have tried to comprehend. You direct your anger toward our
> country while the enemy plots to kill and maim the innocent. You make
> a mockery of responsible free speech while thousands of young men and
> women fight desperately to preserve your safety. Instead of honoring
> your son's sacrifice you are inspired to comfort an evil enemy.
>
> You clearly do not understand the challenge we face as a nation and
> have not tried to put it in historical perspective. It is a sad fact
> that it is those of your thinking that have led us to where we are
> today. Decades of appeasement to these haters of everything we hold
> dear has cost thousands of American lives from Beirut to New York and
> in dozens of other forgotten places. Remember Lockerbie? The Achille
> Lauro? The USS Cole? We as a people were dragged into this war, much
> like December 7th, 1941, and we must fight and win it wherever the
> enemy hides and against whomever would support him. Make no mistake
> about Iraq. It is both a legitimate and crucial campaign in this much
> larger, global war of radical Islam's making. These people hate us for
> who we are, not what we have done. We did not bring this on ourselves,
> as many would have us believe, by our policies and actions abroad. We
> brought this on ourselves in 1775 when the Founding Fathers embarked
> on a course of freedom, tolerance, and liberal democratic and social
> ideals. These haters of all we hold dear strive to destroy forever a
> government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" that Abraham Lincoln hoped would never "Perish from the earth".
> They would replace it with an oppressive world theocracy unlike
> anything modern history has ever seen for its ruthless disregard for
> personal freedom and liberty. If more appeasement is your answer for
> an alternative policy, spare us. We have suffered enough from cowardice and inaction.
>
> An historical analogy screams to be let out here. It is one of two
> men, both named Chamberlain. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a school
> teacher turned soldier in the American Civil War, found himself in the
> crosshairs of history on a warm July day in 1863 on a small hill in Pennsylvania.
> Commanding the 20th Maine Regiment on the extreme Union left at
> Gettysburg he was in a most perilous position. Should he fail to hold
> against a strong Confederate attack, the Union could be lost. You see,
> he was serving in an increasingly unpopular war at home against a
> resurgent enemy, and for a President fighting for his political life.
> Colonel Chamberlain, stoic but determined, refused to yield. His small
> regiment held against an onslaught of Confederate attacks, an action
> many historians believe turned the tide of the war. He was later
> awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The other half of this
> analogy focuses on Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Great
> Britain in the years preceding World War II. His story is widely
> known. Through his policy of appeasement and a lack of moral courage,
> he handed Adolf Hitler much of Europe. Which side of history have you chosen, Ma'am?
>
> Your son died in the service of freedom and my daughter will go in
> harm's way to protect and preserve it. Honor their sacrifice, Ma'am,
> by exercising it responsibly.
>
> I will pray with you and I will grieve with you but I will not stand
> by silent while you needlessly and arrogantly endanger the life of my
> daughter and her comrades in arms. Please bless us with your silence
> and go home.
>
> Brantley Smith Proud father of a United States Marine, Tullahoma, TN

[rdeyes]

nice find +1

[KTOG]

Dear Ms. Sheehan,

Please give in.

Brantley Smith Proud father of a United States Marine, Tullahoma,





Though some points are vaild and make perfect sense, I don't like the format this letter was written in. Compairing her to leaders in the Civil War and WW2 oOo: . She might have some sway on the media and many American people but not on the troops themselves. I don't she alone has the ability to pull the troops out. She is only one example of an conciousensous opposer.

[Madmartagen]

some points are valid, but i dont feel that my freedom is being threatened by anyone in Iraq. that being said, no one in iraq is protecting my freedom. afghanistan and africa, yes, but not iraq. the terrorists that may be in iraq are there because of the invasion, not because of saddam or because iraq was some sort of haven for terrorists. the real war on terror has become a sideshow to iraq. that is my opinion, and that line of thought would make me conclude that the people who died in iraq did so not because they died for freedom and liberty, but because they were lied to and dropped in the wrong country.

[GordonHall]

Originally Posted by Madmartagen

some points are valid, but i dont feel that my freedom is being threatened by anyone in Iraq. that being said, no one in iraq is protecting my freedom. afghanistan and africa, yes, but not iraq. the terrorists that may be in iraq are there because of the invasion, not because of saddam or because iraq was some sort of haven for terrorists. the real war on terror has become a sideshow to iraq. that is my opinion, and that line of thought would make me conclude that the people who died in iraq did so not because they died for freedom and liberty, but because they were lied to and dropped in the wrong country.

You know, it's an interesting argument that the War has created more terrorists and has effectively made the United States less safe. However, the counter to that is 1990s policies of ignoring terrorism has caused more attacks on Americans than the War has. For example, Kenyan embassy bombing, Dar es Salaam first World Trade Center bombing, USS Cole, and 9/11.

[Madmartagen]

Originally Posted by GordonHall

You know, it's an interesting argument that the War has created more terrorists and has effectively made the United States less safe. However, the counter to that is 1990s policies of ignoring terrorism has caused more attacks on Americans than the War has. For example, Kenyan embassy bombing, Dar es Salaam first World Trade Center bombing, USS Cole, and 9/11.

true, but what are we doing now to prevent another attack? we can invade each islamic country and 'democratize it' until each country has been set up by us and we will still have the same problem. the point of fighting a war is to win and to get a ending/conclusion out of it. we already know why they attack us, and its not that bs excuse of jealousy. we know why they are attacking us and we know what they want. they want our bases out of the middle east and they attack us for our support of israel. im not saying we should give in, but if you know why people hate you it is still best to fight them and maybe reconsider our position on things. do we need a base in kuwait or saudi arabia? we keep closing bases over here at home, but why not close those bases, arent they more expensive to keep? why are we such close friends with israel, what have they done for us? is it worth keeping a friend who spies on us, takes our money, steals land and fights a thousand year old grudge with islam and palestinians? it is so goddamned frustrating to see this country ignore our problems like this. if you were to see the US as a person, and each nation on this planet as a single person, then you might have a clearer view on what we look like from other peoples point of view.

[GordonHall]

[quote:7b159]they want our bases out of the middle east and they attack us for our support of israel.[/quote:7b159]

Even if we left completely, we'd still be the enemy in their eyes. Christian men of the west will forever be the antagonizers of the Middle East in their eyes and there is nothing we can do about it except to try and set up a stable Iraqi country.

[quote:7b159]do we need a base in kuwait or saudi arabia? we keep closing bases over here at home, but why not close those bases, arent they more expensive to keep?[/quote:7b159]

Some may be more expensive, but they are rapid deployment spots set up after World War II and more recently in the case of an international emergency--or as of right now to keep troops in Iraq sustained--but also for the United Nations. We are actually closing many bases abroad as well, a large part of the European-American military bases will be closed and gone in the next five years.

I find it curious people are complaining about the loss of American military bases when Clinton cut way more military jobs than these base closings will.

[quote:7b159]Why are we such close friends with israel, what have they done for us?[/quote:7b159]

The question isn't what have they done for us, but what didn't we do for them. The British, Americans, and Soviets did not--for the most part--realize what the Nazis were actually doing in World War II and when we did see with our own eyes there was a huge sense of guilt.

Previous to that, the British had publicly opened interest in support of an Israeli state during World War I to stir support against the Ottoman Empire. Since then, Jews had been travelling en-mass to the Land of Milk and Honey, there was no way of sticking Israel anywhere else. Another suggested spot for Israel was Ethiopia which David Ben-Gurion--Israel's first prime minister--said they should have taken after they were invaded by Arab countries.

[quote:7b159]steals land and fights a thousand year old grudge with islam and palestinians?[/quote:7b159]

Actually, it's really the Palestinians who tried to 'steal land' if you want to play the blame game. All the countries outlined after the fall of the Ottoman Empire owe their existence not to ancient culture or religion but by recognition and borders--poorly drawn at that--by the United Nations and League of Nations. This isn't just Israel's grudge with Palestinians, it's Palestinians grudge with Israelis.

What's worse, the Palestinians have become the whores of the Arab world. Countries constantly intice them to attack to seize what is theirs but are unwilling to contribute any land to the creation of a Palestinian state.

[Trunks]

[quote:12bce]An Open Letter to Cindy Sheehan From the Proud Father of a U.S. Marine
> By Brantley Smith Posted On August 17, 2005
>
> Ms. Sheehan,
>
> By your actions over the past two weeks it is clear that you missed an
> important aspect of Civics 101: With rights come responsibilities. You
> certainly have the right to voice your opinion against the war in Iraq
> and the President's policies. You even have the right to camp outside
> the President's home in Crawford and demand he meet with you. Your
> status as a mother who has lost a child in the war also gives your
> words and actions a credibility and a larger audience than otherwise
> would be the case. Now that your supporters have given you a broad
> forum from which to be heard, making you a national figure, its time
> you considered your responsibilities to all of us. I have a daughter
> set to deploy to Fallujah in two weeks and I have a serious concern
> with how your irresponsible and short sighted actions might impact on
> her. She is, after all, a volunteer, like your son, and she is going
> in harm's way because she believes it is her responsibility to protect your rights and freedoms.[/quote:12bce] or she could just be a person who signed up before all this sh-t started to try to get some money for college.

[quote:12bce]Well meaning people like you always seem to forget the law of
> unintended consequences and in your vanity and arrogant
> self-righteousness never bother to think through what it is you are
> trying to do versus what you may actually accomplish. I am here to
> inform you, Ma'am, that you will not change the policy of our
> government by sitting outside Crawford making a spectacle of yourself
> in the name of your rights to free speech; what you will do is provide
> more propaganda for our enemies and cost the lives of even more brave
> and selfless American warriors. How long do you think it will be
> before you become a star on Al Jazeera? For all I know, it may have
> already happened. One thing is certain, though, and that is that your
> actions and words will further embolden a ruthless and evil enemy and
> more American blood will be shed and some of it will be on your hands.
> I pray that my daughter will not be one of them. If she is, then I
> will hold you and those like you partly responsible.[/quote:12bce] Holding a person responsible, if your daughter dies, simply for expressing her opinion about an unjustified war in a country nicknamed land of the free, which was founded on many underlying principles, including freedom of speach, is distasteful.
[quote:12bce]Yes, my
> daughter's fate will depend mostly on her own courageous decision to
> serve, but only the most naive among us can deny the impact our own
> words and actions here in America have in a world grown smaller by the revolution in communications technology.[/quote:12bce] So we can all pretend to be ok with the war, and troops will stay their indefietly, and many more will die, or we can petition to get the home asap, thereby saving many lives.

[quote:12bce]I am sure you believe that you are serving some great cause by putting
> our servicemen and women in more danger and that you can, by your
> irresponsible exercise of free speech, help end a policy you disagree
> with. Your emotion may be compelling but the reality is that you will
> not set in motion any process that will change or undo what has been
> done. The war will go on because to end it now would dishonor the
> sacrifice of all of our fellow countrymen who have died in the cause of fighting terrorism.[/quote:12bce] The only reason terrorists and insurgents are in Iraq was because America and her allies declared an unjustified war on it, and because we are now occupying it. All we are doing is give them more reasons and chances to fight us. Iraq was never about terrorists or corrupt dictators. It was about furthering America's own political, economical, and millitaristic agendas. Saddam had absolutely no connection to Al-Qaida, and no WMD's were ever found. And yet, while we were busy invading Iraq, we ignored a more immediate threat in the form of N. korea, who has no declared that they have obtained nuclear arms.
[quote:12bce]Rational Americans will not allow that. Too much is at stake.
> Unfortunately, shallow and irrational ones, such as yourself, will
> continue to put the lives of our sons and daughters in danger by
> aiding and abetting an enemy who sees propagandizing in the mass media
> as its main weapon in a war it could otherwise not win standing on its
> own wretched and evil justification of radical Islam, or by force of arms.[/quote:12bce] Wrong, we are the ones who can't win, guerilla wars are not wars that you can win! And neither are wars whose soldiers are driven by an ideal, because they will gladly fight and die for that ideal. However, undermine the ideal, and you will hurt them more then you could ever militarily.

[quote:12bce]You, Ma'am, have joined forces with an evil you neither understand nor
> apparently have tried to comprehend. You direct your anger toward our
> country while the enemy plots to kill and maim the innocent. You make
> a mockery of responsible free speech while thousands of young men and
> women fight desperately to preserve your safety. Instead of honoring
> your son's sacrifice you are inspired to comfort an evil enemy.[/quote:12bce] And you, apprently do not understand the enemy either. just saying they are evil, and that they are trying to kill innocents is not enough. You must look further. Discover the real motive. find out what drives these terrorists.

[quote:12bce]You clearly do not understand the challenge we face as a nation and
> have not tried to put it in historical perspective. It is a sad fact
> that it is those of your thinking that have led us to where we are
> today. Decades of appeasement to these haters of everything we hold
> dear has cost thousands of American lives from Beirut to New York and
> in dozens of other forgotten places. Remember Lockerbie? The Achille
> Lauro? The USS Cole? We as a people were dragged into this war, much
> like December 7th, 1941, and we must fight and win it wherever the
> enemy hides and against whomever would support him.[/quote:12bce] Again, this is not a war you can win through millitary action. And, as said before, iraq has absolutely no connection to Al-Quaida, or 911, so make no mistake, we were not dragged into a war with iraq.
gotto go now, more later.

[GordonHall]

[quote:70a76] Again, this is not a war you can win through millitary action. And, as said before, iraq has absolutely no connection to Al-Quaida, or 911, so make no mistake, we were not dragged into a war with iraq.
gotto go now, more later.[/quote:70a76]

He was more talking about what I was, about how ignoring terrorism had caused more American deaths than 'confronting it' so to speak.

[Trunks]

Originally Posted by GordonHall

[quote:30705] Again, this is not a war you can win through millitary action. And, as said before, iraq has absolutely no connection to Al-Quaida, or 911, so make no mistake, we were not dragged into a war with iraq.
gotto go now, more later.

He was more talking about what I was, about how ignoring terrorism had caused more American deaths than 'confronting it' so to speak.[/quote:30705]What does confronting terrorism have to do with invading Iraq? The woman has no problem with the war on terror, she has a problem with the war in Iraq.