Patriotic or Unpatriotic, you make the choice!

[Tim4319]

While messing around on the web, I decided to research some of the most staunch supporters of this war, along with the most "so called" patriots of the United States, and I came across a very interesting discovery. The people who portray themselves to be patriots aren't, and the people who are perceived as being unpatriotic are the exact opposite! Here are my finding.

1. Sean Hannity None

2. Rush Limbaugh None

3. Pat Buchanan While studying at Georgetown Buchanan served in ROTC and received his draft notice in 1960. However, a District of Columbia draft board rejecting him from military service due to reactive arthritis, declaring him 4-F. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Buchanan)

4. Bill O'Reilly None

5. Dick Cheney When Cheney became eligible for the draft, he was a supporter of the Vietnam War but did not serve in the military. Instead, he applied for and received five draft deferments. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney)

6. Jeremiah Wright Wright gave up his student deferment, left college and joined the United States Marine Corps and became part of the 2nd Marine Division with the rank of private first class. In 1963, after two years of service, Wright then transferred to the United States Navy and entered the Corpsman School at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, where he graduated as valedictorian.<6> Having excelled in corpsman school, Wright was then trained as a cardiopulmonary technician at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland where he graduated as salutatorian.<6> Wright was assigned as part of the medical team charged with care of President Lyndon B. Johnson's (see photo of Wright caring for Johnson after his 1966 surgery). Before leaving the position in 1967, the White House awarded Wright three letters of commendation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Wright)

[Happyhippychick]

1. There is a list (somewhere) of all of the members of the House and who served in the military.

It was something like 90% of the democrats served and 20% of the republicans served. I'll see if I can find it.

[Tim4319]

2. Wow

That would be great!

[Happyhippychick]

3. Am I allowed to post a link? I found something

[Happyhippychick]

4. Posting it.

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:WRsekFUhmgIJ:www.awolbush.com/whoserved.html+who+served+comparison+of+republicans+and+democrats&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a

I hope that works. It is an outdated link so you have to enter through the cache. Read the whole thing, it's unbelievable.

[Juche]

5. Its disgusting and I don't get it

Many of the GOP leaders and pundits are chickenhawks, and at the same time they are blocking legislation to help the military. Since the 110th congress has started legislation to limit deployment to 12 months, increase R&R, a 21st century GI bill, increasing funding for mental health services for the military and several other bills (those are just off the top of my head) were blocked by the GOP. You forgot Mitch McConnell, he is also a chickenhawk. Bill Kristol too.

I really don't want to politicize the military and I support anyone of either party who wants to improve their benefits and healthcare (for example I think 9 GOP senators voted for the 21 century GI bill), I just find this revolting. How did we as a society let it happen that a bunch of chickenhawks who block legislation that provides benefits and help to the military are patriotic but a guy who actually bothered to join the military and serve hates america? How did we let it get this bad? I'm not trying to politicize the military, just asking for some validation that someone/anyone else realizes how nuts this is. There are military veterans on the GOP side, for example 3 of the GOP presidential candidates were veterans, 2 on the dem side

http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/2001/05/121501_Cowardly_GOP.html

Elliott Abrams - Sought deferment for bad back.
Richard Armey - Sought college deferment, too smart to die.
Bill Bennett - Sought graduate school deferment, too smart to die.
Pat Buchanan - Sought deferment for bad knee.
George W. Bush Daddy got him in the National Guard
Dick Cheney - Sought graduate school deferment, too smart to die.
Tom DeLay - - Sought college deferment, too smart to die.
Newt Gingrich - Sought graduate school deferment, too smart to die.
Phil Gramm - Sought marriage deferment, too loved to die.
Jack Kemp - Sought medical deferment while in the NFL.
Rush Limbaugh - Sought deferment for ingrown hair follicle on his ass.
Trent Lott - Sought deferment, didn't want to muss his hair.
P.J. O'Rourke - Sought deferment, too stoned.
Dan Quayle - Family got him into the Reserves.
Pat Robertson - Father pulled him out of Korea as soon as the shooting began.
Kenneth Starr Sought deferment for psoriasis.
John Wayne - Sought deferment to further acting career.
Vin Weber - Sought deferment for asthma.
George Will - Sought deferment, too much of a wussy.

http://www.deal-with-it.org/general/military_service.htm

Military service by prominent Democrats:

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle - 1st Lt., U.S. Air Force SAC 1969-72 .
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) - Lt., U.S. Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74. (1, 2)
Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) - served as a U.S. Army officer in World War II, receiving the Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
Senator Daniel Inouye, US Army 1943-'47; Medal of Honor, World War Two.
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) - U.S. Army, 1951-1953. o
Senator John Kerry, Lt., U.S. Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat.
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) - U.S. Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91 (1)
Max Cleland, Former Senator, Captain, U.S. Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam
Bob Kerrey, Former Senator, Lt. j.g., U.S. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
Rep. Richard Gephardt, former House Minority Leader - Missouri Air National Guard, 1965-71.
Rep. David Bonior, Representative, (D-MI) - Former House Minority Whip - Staff Sgt., Air Force, 1968-72
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-CA: Staff sergeant/platoon leader with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army; was wounded and received a Purple Heart.
Rep. Pete Stark, D-CA, served in the Air Force 1955-57
Wesley Clark, General, US Army.
Al Gore, Former Vice President - enlisted August 1969; sent to Vietnam January 1971.
Bill Clinton, did not serve.
Military service by prominent Republicans attacked by the right wing

John McCain, US Senator (AZ) - McCain's naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. (Attacked by Bush Campaign for President as having become mentally unstable while a POW.)
Colin Powell. Secretary of State, General. US Army, Attacked by many on Radical Right for being an appeaser, soft on Saddam and other enemies.
Prominent right-wing Republicans and military service

George W. Bush - National Guard back when service there meant you did not see combat. Even so, went AWOL for a year.
Dick Cheney - did not serve.
John Ashcroft, Attorney General - did not serve.
Don Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense - served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor.
Rep. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Rep. Tom Delay, House Majority Leader - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Rep. Roy Blunt, House Majority Whip (MO) - did not serve
Dick Armey, Former House Majority Leader - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Sen. Bill Frist , Senate Majority Leader (TN) - did not serve.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, Majority Whip, (KY) - did not serve.
Sen. Rick Santorum, (PA), third ranking Republican in the Senate - did not serve. (1)
Trent Lott, Former Senate Majority Leader (MS) - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Jeb Bush, Florida Governor - did not serve.
Karl Rove - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the House - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Bill Bennett, (author of Why We Fight), did not serve.
Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court Justice, did not serve.
Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice, did not serve.
Phil Gramm, former Senator. Did not serve.
Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense, did not serve.
Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy, did not serve.
Rep. Henry Hyde, (IL) did not serve.
Jack Kemp, did not serve.
Sen. Don Nickles, (OK) did not serve.
J. C. Watts, Former Congressman, (OK), did not serve.
Bill Simon, did not serve.
Saxby Chambliss, did not serve.
Marc Racicot, avoided the draft despite a lottery number of 23. see http://www.billingsnews.com/story?storyid=3182&issue=98

Right-wing preachers and pundits

P. J. O'Rourke (author of Give War a Chance), did not serve.
Bill Kristol, editor The Weekly Standard, did not serve.
Bill O'Reilly, Fox News celebrity, did not serve.
Sean Hannity, Fox News celebrity, did not serve.
Wolf Blitzer, CNN Newsman. Did not serve.
David Horowitz, Right Wing media hit man. Did not serve.
Mike Savage, Right Wing media hit man, did not serve.
George Will, columnist, did not serve.
Pat Robertson, politician/preacher, His US Senator daddy got him out of Korea when war began.
Ralph Reed, did not serve.
Jerry Falwell, preacher/politician, did not serve.
Ken Starr, did not serve.
Gary Bauer, politician/preacher, did not serve.
Alan Keyes, did not serve.
Roger Ailes, Fox News President, did not serve.


Aren't most of PNAC chickenhawks too?

[Tim4319]

10. Well said!

[ColbertWatcher]

6. Great find. n/t

[BOSSHOG]

7. I am a veteran

served in a combat zone and retired from the military. My disdain for those creatures is beyond description. And that also goes for the jerkoffs who call hannity a great American. He's a coward, poorly educated and could not find employment which did not require hating other human beings because there is an awesome market for such work.

[Juche]

8. Nice sig

I've considered joining the marine reserves or navy reserves but in all seriousness I am not comfortable doing that in this political climate. The GOP are militant chickenhawks and the dems are cowards who don't want to appear weak. Suicide rates for the military are exploding and efforts to increase their mental health benefits are being blocked. Something like 1/3 of all homeless men are veterans. If I lived in Norway or France I'm sure I would've joined the military reserves, but I don't feel comfortable seeing our attitudes here in the US. In between Vietnam and Iraq I have lost any faith in politicians to use the military intelligently or respectfully. We were lied into Vietnam, the pentagon papers show we never expected to win, and the POWs were just left to rot in Laos after we left (efforts to get them out were sabotaged). We were lied into Iraq, the vote was held a few weeks before midterm elections and virtually nobody has the courage to do anything about it. Now we are being tricked into war with Iran for the same excuse (WMD) while Sibel Edmonds is silenced for speaking about how Israel & Turkey are stealing our nuclear secrets (which exposes the pure hypocrisy of our reasons for war). Both parties are responsible and it is shameful.

Anyway, I don't want to politicize the military. I just feel disappointed in how things have turned out here. Both parties use and abuse the military then a few years later when veterans are homeless or mentally ill they are just left to fend for themselves. I'd honestly like to join the reserves, I just can't do it in this political climate we have in the US.

[BOSSHOG]

9. Thanks My Friend and a belated welcome to DU!

Its a shame that our civilian "leadership" has shaped your opinion but you are right on the money. The military can be a great place to make a living, learn a skill, see the world, and the Marines have a killer physical fitness program. But all that is negated when cowardly war mongering fake patriot chickenhawks have so much influence on our policy makers. Best of Luck in any decisions you make.

My sig line is sincere and from the heart.

[dkofos]

11. Military service does not make you a patriot.

And likewise, non-service does not make you unpatriotic.

It's ones love and desire to uphold and defend the Constitution
that makes you a patriot.

[GoneOffShore]

13. If I could recommend your post I would

Too much is made of the "Cult of the Warrior".
It's a damn job.

If you do it, you do it. If you don't, you don't.

And if we had a draft, then we could actually understand that it is 'Just a job."

[Seeking Serenity]

14. Amen, friend. (n/t)

[Breeze54]

12. Your pic is way to big... i can't even read your OP n/t