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In reply to the discussion: This picture!!! [View all]caraher
(6,276 posts)35. The veteran whose legs we see is Melissa Stockwell, there to lead the Pledge of Allegiance
She's a Paralympian and triathlete whose certainly done well despite what W's war did to her, and to hear her tell it there seem to be no hard feelings. From her blog last year:
The last day the President rode along with Team Melissa and there he was himself, on my back wheel shouting Thatta girl Meliss and Thats what Im talking about as loud as he could. Pair that, all the teamwork and mountain bike adventures with being out there with fellow wounded vets, the President (who is a stud of a mountain biker) and I was left with such a high that kept me up for weeks after the event, feeling like the luckiest girl alive. And the President, wow. Politics aside, he is one of the most wonderful people I have met. Truly affected and emotional about the choices he made and how theyve affected all of us, a witty man, a great athlete, quite the fine dancer and a true American.
"affected and emotional?" Frankly, I don't care about whether he can produce tears on demand - what he did was criminally wrong, and no amount of appearing to care (sincerely or not) can right the evil he did.
Well, I'm happy for her ability to enjoy life and do great things. I'd guess she'd be pretty annoyed with the way we see the image of her prosthesis to symbolize the carnage W unleashed... but her personal regard for Bush doesn't validate his wars.
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"Oh shit. That lady's gonna kick my ass with a mechanical thingy-ma-job in the ass."
sakabatou
Apr 2013
#7
"Hegel said that all great world historical figures appear, so to speak, twice..."
alcibiades_mystery
Apr 2013
#8
Babs to Poppy: "Please, not that polka-dot tie, striped slacks, pink socks outfit again"
TheCowsCameHome
Apr 2013
#16
If he is scared of anything, it would be that he ends up being prosecuted for war crimes
SammyWinstonJack
Apr 2013
#56