McCAIN: And maybe some of our friends who want to cut and run out of Iraq maybe can feel a little comforted that our mission is showing some success. [CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 and Paula Zahn Now, June 8]
McCAIN: This [the death of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi] has got to be viewed as a success. It's got to be viewed as perhaps a bit of a rebuke against those who are advocating that we cut
and run out of Iraq. [Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, June 8]
McCAIN: I have yet to see a poll that shows that a majority of Americans favor a cut and run; in fact, just the opposite. [Congressional Quarterly, September 24, 2005]
"We can't cut and run," McCain said earlier this week. Still, McCain has said he lacks confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld." [Associated Press article, September 22,
2005]
McCAIN: If we fail in Iraq, it will be cataclysmic. You'll see factionalization and eventual Muslim extremism and terrorist breeding grounds that would, I believe, pose a direct threat to the security of the United States. And I'm very glad that the American people, undertsandably dissatisfied,
understandably frustrated, still, the majority of them don't think we ought to cut and run. [CBS' Face the Nation, August 28, 2005]
Gee, it is sort of a no brainer (literally) that folks currently in the employ of the U.S. Military in Tucson, AZ are engaging in poltical activities while in pay status and/or in uniform. The message being sent if you listen to news coverage of certain figures (like McCain) in even a half-assed fashion is, "Lies are okay" and that "there is no need to report the truth or correct false impressions." Folks who hail from the states of these icons clearly get the message that it is okay to lie. It is from these sorts of actions by leaders that those folks on the lowest wrungs of a clearly military ladder feel they are given permission or even orders to harass and lie.
While I'm on the subject I will briefly mention the last couple weeks of counter-recruiting protests here in Tucson. I don't want to give it much more space in this blog as I have better things to talk about but last weeks demonstration on Flag Day was less confrontational although the pro-war protesters clearly demonstrated that they were there to play to and harass the counter-recruitment folks as their attention was focused on them and not passers by. The long haired screaming lady typified the caliber of their rants when she called me a lesbian. Is that supposed to be an insult? Hmmmm. What a laugh. I guess this change of orientation will be news to my husband of seventeen years. It is going to be quite a shock. They also love to use the first names of the counter-recruitment folks, especially the women. This typifies their attempts to intimidate individuals. We know their names too, but we don't flaunt it as this isn't about an individual person's beliefs; we are there to make a statement and show people who believe as we do that they are not alone and that it is okay to speak out. The chicken hawk nature of the pro-war folks was also made clear when one of their supposedly courageous men smacked me in the head with a sign, wouldn't say excuse me, and didn't begin hurling insults and screaming until we counter-recruitment folks had clearly packed up and were walking away.
This week was more peaceful as most of the counter-recruitment, pro-peace folks took a vacation from harassment and demonstrated elsewhere this past Wednesday morning. We are not giving up our right to protest in front of recruiting stations, however. And we are still attempting to address the refusal of the one officer who seems to be assigned to show up an hour after our calls to report assault ,and who refuses to accept our evidence, or file reports that allow us to press charges.
Yep, I'm making a linkage between the lies of leaders, the misuse of military status, and police collusion. I try not to be paranoid, and to the best of my knowledge have only made one misinterpretation -- that of the letter of the letter returned for insufficient postage that I didn't send that I mentioned a couple weeks ago. And even though it turned out to be nothing, I followed the proper procedure.
Time to head off to an appointment.
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