Joe Wilson appreciation thread ... good chance that Val Plame will see this
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142373399In 1991 Saddam Hussien threaten to kill some American Hostages and Joe Wilson
either told Saddam or let him know that if he wanted to kill Americans then he should
start w/me (Joe wilson). Saddam let all the Americans go w/in 48 hours.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I hope his passing was gentle. 
Rest In Peace, Your work is done. We can never repay our debt to you.
-- A Great American --
And assholes like Cheney and Trump will live seemingly forever? One of Dog's little mysteries, I guess. 
She said they had developed an unlikely but close friendship over the years, and in his last email to her he said he only had a few weeks left but he'd see her on the other side. 
That's what I consider a man.
Thank you for being a patriot when it truly mattered.
to speak truth to power.
very decent sort.
I had been one of those veterans who truly believed that a US president would NEVER think to lie the American people into war.
I had come of age during the Eisenhower years. I come from a rock solid military family and served a career myself. It was inconceivable to me that any administration would LIE to us and force us into war (for oil, no less) footing. I couldn't imagine this to be true. Eisenhower hated war, saying "I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity." I just could NOT wrap my head around such perfidy, on such a scale, at such a cost.
The blood lust to create dead Americans, who made the ultimate sacrifice, coming home in flag-draped caskets - always a good way to pump up citizen-patriots to clamor for death and destruction. The "collateral damage" - which is a handy little device used by arm-chair warrior-civilians who push for war, to conflate the death of innocents and the loss of their homes and countries as necessary - inflicted on countries of "other" people, deemed to be inferior due to color or religion. The naked greed of the arms merchants of the world to push out the materiel of murder. THIS is the legacy of the Bush/Cheney administration.
When Ambassador Wilson wrote his editorial, I walked around in a fog for days. How could this be true ? Colin Powell, a military man, A MILITARY GENERAL, had stood in front of the UN, and addressed an anxious nation, desperate for proof, and truth, with his vial of "yellow cake" to show us. Something was horribly wrong. How to reconcile the conflicting accounts ? I felt lost, as if the floor beneath my feet had disappeared.
Then the WH launched their counter-attack on Joe Wilson, and I slowly began to realize the truth I did not want to confront. A sitting US president had done the unthinkable, the unsupportable, the unconscionable. The entire WH was corrupted, contaminated. War crimes. I became physically ill. For days.
When the haze lifted, I obtained a back-copy of the editorial and had it framed. Joe Wilson had changed me. He made me realize that blind trust is just that - blind. And my government, my Commander-in-Chief, had lied to me and, like a lemming, I had followed them and believed every word of it.
Joe Wilson put everything on the line to tell us the truth. He had nothing to gain and everything to lose in doing so. But he knew something we did not -- the truth. And he put everything, including his life, in jeopardy to share that with us. Courage comes in many forms. I have known sailors, soldiers, airmen and marines who displayed enormous courage when called upon.
In a dangerous and chaotic time for this country, Joe Wilson was one brave sonofabitch.
Fair winds and following seas, Mr. Ambassador.
Joe Wilson, you were a true patriot.
My deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
In his memory, I've sent a donation to your campaign.
i have a lot of respect for both joe and valerie.
thank you both for everything. you each made a huge difference.
heartfelt condolences to valerie and family
today..... He was a true patriot who exhibited an incredible amount of bravery during a very dark time. I also had NO idea that he and Valerie had divorced....R.I.P. Mr. Wilson
And thank you for your service to our nation.
...patriot and damned decent human being.
For telling the truth in the face of unimaginable pressure, for being a patriot.
My deepest sympathy got out to you, Valerie.
