email from my stepson in Baghdad

[Mari333]

we sent him a cooling aid for his vest and helmet...and a whole lot of candy and snacks. His landlord is pissed here because the army hasnt paid his rent properly at his apartment here.
This is total bullshit to hear , for us. bring him home now.

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dude, snacks... yoink!

sounds excellent. i am starving over here... the meals here are not very
filling. i can't wait till the first one gets here, which by army time
should be in another week, but it should be here by now.

it is still quiet here, the only problem we had was an explosive device
placed at one of the checkpoints outside, but it was detonated safely by our
guys, so nobody got hurt. the night before that, some 250 protestors
swormed the gate demanding that we release someone who wasn't even held
here. something about a 14 year old girl. if she was here, i'd know about
it... i hope.

all i need here are snacks... like some famous amos cookies... been craving
those sweet things. whenever you can, it's not like i am going anywhere for
a while. food and dvd's are all i will need, i suppose.
the vest i have on now
is heavy as hell. the 2 ceramic plates weigh 40 pounds, and the vest alone
weighs 10. my helmet is alright, i just need to get used to it. with the
job i have, i can take it off every once and a while.

my landlord keeps bugging me to move my shit out. i really don't want to,
but if that power of attourney doesn't arrive, then i haven't much choice at
all. hopefully it gets there.

well, i need to sleep, so good night.
i love you, and i will stay safe... i hide inside my cell as much as
possible
mike

[proud patriot]

1. Thanks for sharing Mari333

I feel like a worried aunt ..

:hug:

[peacebuzzard]

2. I would like to send your stepson some snacks....

if you are open to the idea. I will place a note in you inbox.

[seabeyond]

3. wonderful idea

this is just perfect. my boys would too. then he can share with all

[Mari333]

5. want to adopt their company to send snacks to?

and whatever else they might need?
Heres the address:
428th Military Police Co
Baghdad Iraq
APO/AE 09342

If people send packages of snacks and goodies, Im sure they will all appreciate it. You have to fill out a customs form at the post office stating what you have in the package. takes about 3-4 weeks to get there sometimes. No chocolate, it melts. We send hard candy and cookies that dont melt. and chips, etc. Stuff kids like.

[AP]

6. No. I want to petition my gov't to provide them food and equipment and to

take it out of the profit that Halliburton is getting.

[Mari333]

10. well, trying to get a hold of anyone in the army who can help him

with the rent, is like trying to put shoes on a snake. We have been trying, and no one answers the phone.
At this point, we have just decided we cant afford to pay his rent for another year and the stuff in his apartment will probably get thrown out, and my husband and I will probably have to retrieve it from the corner of some street.
the bu$h admin doesnt give a rats ass about our kids.

[AP]

13. Again, write about it to the papers in Michigan and in whatever district

the congresspeople who oversee allocations for this program are from. Tie the failure directly to the congressperson. Say that they sit on the comittee responsible for making this program work. Say, the failure of this program means that average Americans like landlords are underwriting the costs of this invasion, while money flows out in huge profits to bechtel and halliburton. Say that this congressperson is allowing that to happen.

[LiberalFighter]

24. Do you have the key to the apartment?

If so move it to a storage place.

If not, make a trip to the base that your son was stationed if possible and talk to someone that might be able to provide any legal help.

There should be lawyers over in Iraq that can assist your son in drawing up power of attorney papers and get them properly filed.

[peacebuzzard]

8. Thanks Mari, I had to run for an errand before I could PM you

but I will just do that instead. I am going to get a care package ready for Mike at the address you gave. Thanks.

[Johnyawl]

15. Yes, I do Mari

It would be nice if we could get something organized here to send those guys.

But in the meantime I would like to send something right away. Having "been there/done that" I know that it's going to work better if it's addressed to an individual - too often if it's addressed to the unit, the goodies aren't going to get out of the Co office. If you'd like to PM me, and give me his name, and a list of what he likes (what kind of candy, do they need chapstick, sunblock, do they want books?) I'll get a package on the way to him that he can share with the guys in his squad.


John

[AP]

16. Keep your receipts, and then send them to the army and ask ...

... to get reimbursed out of some of the money Halliburton is getting.

[Mari333]

17. Im just really scared to give out his name

thats a fear I have , putting it out to people..I know I can trust DU but Im afraid to give his name out and I guess Ill have to take my chances with the Company address and hope for the best. We are sending him tons of chapstick and stuff too.

[pop goes the weasel]

18. maybe just Mari333's stepson

will work?

[Zookeeper]

23. Do you think they would like books?

They must be very bored (when they're not being attacked.)

[Mari333]

25. I dunno I guess magazines and stuff

Im sending him CDs of movies to watch and batteries and chapstick..mostly he said (these are kids i.e.) that they want candy and chips and cookies and junk food..
Kids, really, who miss home and miss potato chips and stuff.
Breaks me up.

[AP]

9. Instead, send your congressperson and Senator a letter asking THEM to

make sure the gov't sends them a care package so that they can do their job, and then send copies to the press.

http://www.capwiz.com/lwv/dbq/media/

Even better, target the senators and congresspeople who are on the committees responsible for funding the armed services.

[Mari333]

11. I call Sen Levins and Kennedys office all week

and complain..my phone bill is thru the roof..I have to pay it off now in increments from all the calls I make to the senators and congresspeople.

[AP]

12. Use the LOWV site and send letters to the press for free. You could

probably cover every major market in Michichan in two weeks of dilligent letter writing.

I read an article once interviewing a congressperson asking to what they listened to the most. They said an email to the office is given the least weight and a letter to the paper the most.

[Mari333]

14. thanks for the link Ill use that too

been on the phone doing interviews with newspapers also..so Im doing what I can to put a face on these kids. thank you

[AP]

4. Why are regular middle class people (landlords, family members) subsidiz-

ing this war by paying for food, gear and foregoing rent, while corporations like Haliburton and Bechtel are getting all the profits.

This whole thing is a one-way transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top.

Follow the money. It's outrageous.

[annagull]

7. Glad to hear he's doing ok, Mari

He sounds like a great kid, I am so sorry you all are going thru this. It has got to stop, we need to get our kids out of there. I am glad Kerry is bringing up the lack of armor for them, maybe people will start to realize the current administration really doesn't give a crap about the troops or any one else. Hang in there, Mari, we will be praying that Mike returns home safely and soon.
:hug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. Glad things are so far, so good! :)

[historian]

20. He'll come home safely

...but i really think you should send letters to all the papers you can think, including newsweek, times, nation magazine, harpers, the economist - all of them. I dont know if theyll accept anything anonymous, but explain in the letter why you are doing so. Who knows - stranger things have happened.
Also, I think that if you were to send an email to michael moore and bill maher, something might come out of this. They'll understand why you dont mention yours son's name and they might even emphasize that and the death of free speech.
good luck

[Mari333]

21. Ive sent Michael Moore tons of emails

begging him to allow me to go with a camera crew and walk into every senators and representatives office in DC asking them to enlist THEIR kids for this war (none of them have kids in the service), if they are so gung ho...I dont have the resources or the camera crew to do it...or the pull...but I would do it in a heartbeat..
no one has answered my mail to Moore.

[historian]

22. bah

Thats a shame though he is so busy perhaps he doesnt have time to read them all??? I dont know - i wish there was something we could do.