Have you sent a care package? (Sullivan cherry-picking alert)

[jumptheshadow]

Andrew Sullivan is cherry-picking threads again, folks.

How many of us have sent care packages to soldiers in Iraq?

Money is tight right now. I have had to forego a substantial raise for a year while we rebuild our business after 9/11. So essentially I have been living at minimum wage. However, my partner and I spent abut $120 to send a package over to a young soldier in Iraq. We will continue to do so when we can afford it, and we are going to send care packages to a poor family in Iraq as well.

How many of you have sent packages? How many of you have loved ones fighting over there? How many of you are serving in the armed forces yourselves? How many of you once served?

Sullivan and his ilk are trying to paint us as uncaring and unpatriotic. I think that many of us were in the forefront of defending the lives of these soldiers *before* they were sent off to this war that has been wasting their precious lives. Now that they're at war, many of us are trying to change an administration that put these soldiers in harm's way so rashly and that has tried to cut military benefits.

[in_cog_ni_to]

1. I will be sending a care package

to a soldier next week. I will be sending a care package to an Iraqi family as soon as I get the info of who, when and where...probably early December.

I've never served in the military but my husband has.

[Jivenwail]

2. We have

Both personally and through my office.

My husband is Navy, so we have sent care packages (and others will be sent for XMAS) to his shipmates onboard Enterprise, which is currently deployed. We have also contributed to the program that helps to send air conditioners to Iraq. My company has also sent matching funds to that same program. Additionally, we have contribured to a number of personal items that have been requested for the troops on the ground, including things like personal care items (especially for the female soldiers who are often forgotten), repellants, citronella lamps/candles. Things like that.

And for XMAS this year, my company (which traditionally "adopts" a family in need both at Thanksgiving and XMAS through Social Services) is going to "adopt" a military family whose spouse is deployed in Iraq. We donate food, clothing and money to help get these families through because so many of them are struggling to make ends meet.

There are a number of things that people can do, if they want to help. There are USO programs, Red Cross programs and various programs through the services themselves.

And while I was, and still am personally opposed to the illegal invasion of Iraq, I simply can't turn my back on those in uniform who serve their country and follow orders. I've lived the life of a military spouse and I know about the stress of what these families must go through.

[jumptheshadow]

3. I think of those families, too

I can't imagine what they're going through.

[soup]

4. Um, who's Sullivan? n/t

[CWebster]

5. Why do you worry what this hypocrite thinks

he has ZERO credibility in the human caring department.

[jumptheshadow]

6. I agree with you about zero credibility in human caring

But Sullivan's a propagandist for the right-wing. My feeling is the best way to fight skewered information is by providing context. His blog posts will lead to references to DU on more mainstream media outlets. When those readers view us for the first time I'd like them to see that we have a wide range of opinions and posters on this site and that many of us are supporting our troops while we try to depose the administration that devalued their lives and put them in harm's way rashly.

[CWebster]

9. It doesn't matter

It is Sullivan's bread and butter to spin it.

Wouldn't matter if you were Christ, he would spin it. Sullivan is the one that has to live with that and his blatant hypocrisy.

There is nothing that Christ hated more than a hypocrite.

[jumptheshadow]

13. I agree with all your points

However, again, you answer propaganda with truth. I think Dems are learning how to generate quick responses to the distortions of the RW. It's a pragmatic strategy that counters their spin machine.

[dmr]

7. I'm sending a series of packages to two soldiers -

who the hell is Andrew Sullivan, and why would anyone care what he thinks? If he's a neo-con then he'll do what all neo-cons do and skewer the truth. Neo-cons have zero credibility, they only have power over those who cannot or refuse to think for themselves.

[Justice]

8. I would send one, but need an address..

I heard you couldn't send them to the soldiers generally for security reasons. I don't know anyone, so I have no person to send one to.

I packed one in August when someone in our office gave us the name of someone -- but she was moved out of Iraq.

If someone gives me a name/address - I'd send 10!

[nostamj]

10. SoCalDem has the list of names

PM her.

she has Iraqi families too.

[Minstrel Boy]

11. Anyone sending care packages to Iraqi families?

For the good of America's soul and the long-term security of the United States, it's more important what the children of Fallujah think than Andrew Sullivan.

[SoCalDem]

12. I am working on it.. There's a thread in the Meeting room

Tentative "send dat" is early December.. More details to follow

[jumptheshadow]

14. And just reading from the other thread

I don't believe in self-censoring.

I do believe in quick and assertive responses to propaganda attacks.

We're fighting a RW propaganda machine that starts on blogs, then wends its way to mass media outlets.

Andrew Sullivan himself has little credibility, as we all know.

Eventually, however, somebody is going to pick up on Sullivan's distortions. At that point it's up to us to put Sullivan's remarks in context.