This so Called Phony Soldier Takes It To Rush Limbaugh - Good ltr to Limbaugh

[EV_Ares]

As Media Matters reported today, Rush Limbaugh, on his show said that those troops who come home and want to get America out of the middle of the religious civil war in Iraq are "phony soldiers." I'd love for you, Rush, to have me on your show and tell that to me to my face.

Where to begin?

First, in what universe is a guy who never served even close to being qualified to judge those who have worn the uniform? Rush Limbaugh has never worn a uniform in his life -- not even one at Mickey D's -- and somehow he's got the moral standing to pass judgment on the men and women who risked their lives for this nation, and his right to blather smears on the airwaves?

Second, maybe Rush doesn't much care, but the majority of troops on the ground in Iraq, and those who have returned, do not back the President's failed policy. If you go to our "Did You Get the Memo" page at VoteVets.org, there's a good collection of stories, polls, and surveys, which all show American's troops believe we are on the wrong track, not the right one, in Iraq.

Does Rush believe, then, that the majority of the US Armed Forces are "phony?"

Third, the polls and stories don't even take into account the former brass who commanded in Iraq, who are incredibly critical of the Bush administration, and it's steadfast refusal to listen to those commanders on the ground who have sent up warning after warning. Major Generals John Batiste and Paul Eaton left the military and joined VoteVets.org for that very reason.

Does Rush believe that highly decorated Major Generals are "phony soldiers?"

Finally, as Media Matters notes, just recently, members of the 82nd Airborne in Iraq wrote a New York Times op-ed, very critical of the course in Iraq, and suggesting it was time to figure out the exit strategy. Two of them just died. Will Rush call up their grieving parents and tell them that they should stop crying, because they were just "phony soldiers?"

Get the point here, Rush?

You weren't just flat out wrong, you offended a majority of those of us who actually had the courage to go to Iraq and serve, while you sat back in your nice studio, coming up with crap like this.

My challenge to you, then, is to have me on the show and say all of this again, right to the face of someone who served in Iraq. I'll come on any day, any time. Not only will I once again explain why your comments were so wrong, but I will completely school you on why your refusal to seek a way out of Iraq is only aiding al Qaeda and crippling American security.

Ball's in your court.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/so-im-a-phony-soldier_b_66175.html

[gateley]

1. I hope he gets fucking NAILED on this - and gets the"Don Imus" treatment. K&R

[global1]

2. Where's Congress On This? They Should Be On This Like They Were On MoveOn's Betrayus Ad.....

and lets go a little further - where's Al Sharpton on the racist comments coming out of O'Lielly's mouth? Both of these jerks - Limbaugh and O'Reilly should get drummed out of the business like Imus. They should get the Imus treatment and they should be made to apologize on the air like Imus and countless Dems that have inadvertently said something politically incorrect.

There is a double standard here.

Why are the Dems all over these two?

[EV_Ares]

8. Good questions, also do you know if Limbaugh's show is still on the

Armed Forces Network. Remember when they would not let (can't think of his name) from South Dakota and has a show on satellite radio, anyway he could not get a show on there.

[Junkdrawer]

9. Yep...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1926027&mesg_id=1926128

[bvar22]

11. Ed Shultz?

*

[rurallib]

5. Be sweet to see Falafel Bill and pimple butt Rush to the door together.

[EVDebs]

3. A pilonidal cyst on your ass allows for a draft deferment during Vietnam ?

http://www.snopes.com/military/limbaugh.asp

[PDenton]

4. active duty soldiers are not suppossed to

speak out about politics regarding their missions or deployment. It is not just a security thing but it is also a matter of respect for the military chain of command and civilian leadership. So a poll of active-duty soldiers is largely irrelevent.

Now, what a discharged or retired soldier thinks is a different story because their obligations to the military are over. But an active duty soldier is suppossed to be apolitical about the nature of their service. If they have a problem with following lawful orders, they shouldn't sign up.

Article 88 UCMJ, excerpt, “any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, the secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the governor or legislature of any state, territory, commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct

Article 134 applies to all officers and NCO's and permits punishments for transgressions against "good order and discipline" and the wellbeing/morale of the armed forces.

[Junkdrawer]

7. GIs' morale dips as Iraq war drags on

...

"The only person I know who believed Iraq was improving was killed by a sniper in May," the blogger, identified only as Alex from Frisco, Texas, said in a separate e-mail.

The Army's suicide rate is at its highest in 23 years: 17.3 per 100,000 troops, compared with 12.4 per 100,000 in 2003, the first year of the war. Of the 99 suicides last year, 27 occurred in Iraq.

The latest in a series of mental health surveys of troops in Iraq, released in May, says 45% of the 1,320 soldiers interviewed ranked morale in their unit as low or very low. Seven percent ranked it high or very high.

...

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-morale25aug25,1,7614004.story?page=1&ctrack=5&cset=true&coll=la-news-a_section

[PDenton]

13. that doesn't surprise me

The war is hard, and ugly, and the military is being taxed to the breaking point. What alot of people don't get about Blackwater and other security forces is they are necessary because the military doesn't have enough MP's/SP's and marines to do the escort type missions that are needed in Iraq. They aren't simply using the "mercs" for kickbacks to supporters or profiteering, but because the military isn't able to run every mission that needs to be done. The Clinton-era drawdown left the military unprepared for an Iraqi invasion plus a "global war on terror".

OTOH, active duty military are not suppossed to comment negatively on their service or mission in a way that negatively impacts that mission or respect for the chain of command/civilian authority. For an officer the charges are alot more serious, but even for enlisted it can be a permanent "mark" in the record and a generally unpleasant career.

[Junkdrawer]

14. ..which tells me that morale is EXTREMELY low...so low that soldiers...

are risking reprisals and speaking out...

[Junkdrawer]

15. Noam Chomsky said this a while back about Viet Nam:

...

What happened was, the army started falling apart. One of the reasons that the army was withdrawn was because the top military wanted it out of there. They were afraid they were not going to have an army anymore. Soldiers were fragging officers. The whole thing was falling apart. They were on drugs.

...

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/15/1448219&mode=thread&tid=25

[fenriswolf]

17. granted they are not supposed to talk to the media

but they can express their opinions. Also just because it is against the UCMJ does not make it irrelevant. Far from it, these people are breaking the law trying to tell people what is wrong, how do you call that irrelevant?

[Swamp Rat]

6. k&r

[americanstranger]

10. He'd better hope that he doesn't run into any enlisted men.

I'd say chances are good that he'd end up picking his teeth up off the floor.

I know that if I got within 10 feet of him I'd punch him in his disgusting face. It's what he needs.

- as

[bvar22]

12. I generally oppose violence as a soultion.

We can discuss it over the beer I will buy for you as Rush is picking up his teeth.
:patriot:

[Initech]

16. Rush is a phony. A big fucking phony.