John Scripsick and Warren and Kay Henthorn all lost their sons
in the Iraq war. When Bush recently visited OKC for a
fundraiser for McCain (Friday, September 12) they felt it was
their duty to be outside in protest. John Scripsick wrote a
compelling op ed that was posted in the Tulsa World:
A parent looking for answers
http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?articleID=20080914_65_G4_USArmy793371
By JOHN SCRIPSICK
9/14/2008
My son died in Iraq one year ago and it has made me study the
reasons we went to war, as any parent would do looking into
the loss of their child.
President George W. Bush came to Oklahoma City Friday, to
raise money for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. I think for a
donation of $5,000 you got your picture with Bush at a beer
distributor's house.
My son joined the Marines to help this country do good. I
tried to talk him out of joining, but after 9/11, lots of
young men and women joined. One day before his final signing,
I thought he was having second thoughts, but Bryan looked at
me and said he already gave them his word. I was worried, but
proud that he was a man of his word.
As time went by, I'd seen that Bush, Dick Cheney and others
were not men of their word. They will lie straight to your
face. Most people will lie or stretch the truth for one reason
and that is money.
I was there, on Friday, but not to get a picture taken with
him, but to ask some questions:
How can our government pay $800 to $1,000 a day to
Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater employees, which Cheney has ties
to, and only pay our troops $70 to $100 a day?
Is it true that Blackwater, which has cost taxpayers billions
to provide security in Iraq, has given generously to your
campaign?
Was Enron your largest contributor?
Did a Texas oil company, that gave to your campaign, drill in
the Kurdish region yet?
Did you read the report sent to you in August 2001, about an
attack in America coming soon?
Did you pay $5 million to a man from Iraq so he would not talk
about weapons of mass destruction?
Did you ignore Iran's offer to infiltrate al-Qaida after the
9/11 attack?
Why did you ignore Joe and Valerie Wilson's knowledge about
WMDs and al-Qaida in Iraq?
How many military leaders, CIA officials and others have
resigned since you have been president?
If you collect enough money, pull a good-looking rabbit out of
the hat, and McCain becomes president, do you get a pardon
from these questions?
My son died in Iraq on Sept. 6, 2007. Does my asking these
questions make me unpatriotic? Did my son die for my freedom
or did he die so Bush could pump money through private
contractors and please the Republican campaign contributors?
I was sure standing on a corner, outside the fundraiser, would
not get these questions answered. But maybe the right person
will hear the message. I do know that doing nothing will
produce nothing.
John Scripsick, a resident of Wayne, lost his son in the Iraq
War.
By JOHN SCRIPSICK