I love getting e-mails from my uninformed, Republican friends.

[Old and In the Way]

I got the following last night from a guy who i've know for 20 years. We've had some heated discussions on politics.....he's not the sharpest tool in the shed and he's been swilling the kool aid forever. Anyway, he sends this to me last night and copies about 30 other people. I know this was written for my benefit, so I thought, what the hey, let's respond with superior firepower. I never pass up an opportunity to educate...I present the following for your reading enjoyment (unedited, except for names)-

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Gentlemen,

So much has been said about the U.S.A. in terms of the intervention into other countries, lack of respect, and the general War Mongers the U.S.A.has been accused of being.

If you had the stomach to watch the movie,(I'm sure some have)"Black Hawk Down", one might get another perspective of what the guys that fight for the U.S.A. do in the 'Special Forces' , and especially working without what is needed, by what is requested by the commander in charge. Bye the bye, this happened in 1994 to give you the timeframe of the government calling the shots. This movie is based on facts and not theories like, lets say, 911!

Just some food for thought when knocking the Stars and Stripes.....I am tied of the U.S.A. for "being there for every country that has a problem".

What we are involved in today, is a different story. And No, I don't agree with the reason of the approach. I do agree with fighting those Fantastic Muslims on their own tuff! It at least keeps them from the borders of the U.S.A.

Just my opinion for the day!

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Actually N___, the US intervention of Somalia occurred in December, 1992....just as GHW Bush was heading out the door. This was an action on behalf of the UN to provide security for a humanitarian relief operation to distribute food in a country decimated by a civil war that killed 300,000 people in the early 90's. Clinton started to wind down the US commitment, in May; then there was a masacare of a UN Pakistani contingent in June and we started to go after the local warloard responsible for the civil war...a criminal named Aidid. Special Forces were sent in to find this dude and over the next few months the conflicts escalated, culminating in the Mogadishu firefight in October. Clinton realized the folly of trying to fight a police action in an urban setting using US troops and started the withdrawal a few days later. What that action and Iraq have in common, I'm sure I couldn't tell you. Except maybe that George should have been paying attention to the lesson learned there, instead of enriching himself by shortselling stock in Harken Oil.

I don't understand this statement: "This movie is based on facts and not theories like, lets say, 911! " Are you saying 9/11 is a theory??? I know we haven't had a real investigation into what happened on 9/11/01, but I assure you there's nothing theoretical about that attack.

Here's a fact. 15/19 alledged hi-jackers were from Saudi Arabia. How did we punish Saudi Arabia? We-
(1) Took out their secular neighbor and #1 threat, Saddam Hussein.
(2) Exited the military bases in that country.
(3) Have kept the Iraqi Oil off the market, marking a hellava lot more money for the House of Saud.
(4) Defended the Saudi's against a $ billion dollar lawsuit brought by the families of victims of 9/11. Well, we didn't....James Baker, the Bush Family fixer, did.

BTW, you do know the the House of Bush has profited mightily by their association with Saudi Arabia...something like $1.5BB? And both Junior and Senior have done business with the bin Laden family, through Carlyle Group? Hell, the bin Ladens financed George the Lessor's 1st business, Arbusto. (The one that went busto). Oh yeah, where's Osama? He's "bin Forgotten".

So why did we invade Iraq? They've never initiated a terrorist act or declared war against the USA. Oh yeah, because of those weapons of mass destruction that weren't there. And this administration was so concerned about WMD, that they outed a CIA agent who was responsible for tracking purchases of nuclear components/weapons by terrorists. Hmmmm. George H.W. Bush, April 16th, 1999: "I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors." Sr. fired Karl Rove once from his administration, I wonder what he thinks oh his son covering for a traitor? Actually, I think Rove is blackmailing W....young George had 2 years to find out who outed the NOC and he didn't do anything.

Knocking the Stars and Stripes? I'm leaving that to the AWOL pResident and the war criminals/profiteers who infest this administration. We've killed over 100,000 Iraqi's since our latest invasion/occupation. We've shed the blood of 1800 American lives, 10,000+ casualties...and this Republican Congress is cutting veteran's benefits and sending them into battle without the proper equipment. But somehow, they managed to lose $8BB of money, unaccounted for, in Iraq. Not including the $170BB spent to date. You think I use war profiteers lightly? Educate yourself on Dick "5 deferments" Cheney. Explain to me why it was OK for his company to sell oil drilling equipment to Iraq in the 90s against the US embargo? Or why he was doing business with Iran? Or why Halliburton was selling dual use components for making WMD to Pakistan in the 90s? Hellofa racket he's got going. When he's in government, he's feeding the war machine to destroy countries. When he's out of government he's in the rebuilding business. When he's back in government, it's deconstruction time again. Seems to be the new Republican business model. Don't believe me? Read this: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x66773 "AMERICAN JUDAS Selling the Security of America and the World for 30 Pieces of Silver" It's all there....this is why Valerie Plame had to be outed.

No, these are the people you ought to be pissed at. The ones who never answered their country's call to service when it was their time {Nixon, Hannity, Limbaugh, Reagan, Cheney, DeLay, Santorum, Frist, Bush (skipping wars, playing pilot, don't count))....but who seem more than willing to send our sons and daughters to fight wars that weren't necessary. Why is it that those who know the true hell of war are those that look for ways to avoid it? You know, people like George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, John Kerry, Wesley Clarke.

Dimson (sorry, George W. Bush) is killing this country and you don't get it. He's made our military weaker....enlistments down, the Iraqi vets are turning against this pResident. The US cannot win this war, we can only decide the magnitude of the loss. By incompetently applying force, he has exposed our tactical and strategic weaknesses to the world. There was a reason why Poppy didn't go into Bagdhad in DS1....again, too bad George wasn't paying attention. Most of the world has turned against us because of this illegal and immoral invasion and occupation. Compare Bush to Clinton.....not one man was lost in action he committed them to (remember, Somalia was Bush Srs decision) and yet, through diplomacy and his charismatic appeal, the US and the world enjoyed 8 relatively properous years. Thank God that awful era of Peace and Prosperity are finally over!

Don't kid yourself about fighting those fantastic Moslems on their own turf....they encompass 1/5 of the worlds population and are on every continent. What we've done is light the fuse and set the conditions for a radical pan-Islamic ME Caliphate. Our ex-CIA asset Osama bin Laden couldn't be happier with this administration's mis-steps. Most sane people saw this coming....we knocked the moderate, secular state of Iraq firmly into the arms of Iran (Shia Moslems) and Saudi Arabia (Sunni Moslems). We've given religious fundies the upper hand to demonize us and marginalize the voice of moderation in those countries. Of course, we have our own RW religious fundies who are trying to radicalize our country now. What's really scary is that they own the voting machines (ES&S, Diebold, and Sequioa).....and we may never again have control of our country.

But, hey, wave Old Glory, watch those romantic war movies, and keep believing what Fox News / Bill O'Reilly / Rush Limbaugh (do you really think he gets paid $20MM+/year to tell the truth?) and the rest of the corporate media keep telling you....they are counting on you to keep voting against your best interests.

Just my opinion for the day, too.