Soldiers @ MindSay

Because of the military's policy of "Don't ask, don't tell" another fine solider will be soon "let go". Though he has served his country honorably his sexual orientation will cause him to receive his walking papers.
Until America gives to each of her citizens the same rights and freedoms she should cease from calling herself the "land of the free".

In the Words of Dan Choi, a native of California and an Army Lieutenant
In March, I went on Rachel Maddow's show and spoke three truthful words: "I am gay."

As an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic, I refuse to lie to my commanders. I refuse to lie to my peers. I refuse to lie to my subordinates.

As a result, the Army sent a letter discharging me on April 23. The letter is a slap in the face. It is a slap in the face to me and it is a slap in the face to the soldiers who I have commanded and served with over the last decade.
 
I have served for a decade under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- an immoral policy that forces American soldiers to lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception. As I learned at West Point, deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force.

In the ten years since I first raised my right hand at the United States Military Academy at West Point and committed to fighting for my country, I have learned many lessons. Courage, integrity, honesty and selfless service are some of the most important.

My subordinates know I'm gay. They don't care. They are professionals. My soldiers are more than a unit or a fighting force -- we are a family and we support each other.

If you would like to stand for the constitution and help Dan Choi to keep his job in the military please sign this petition! (http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontFireDan)

Well, I hear our soldiers are over in Iraq and Afghanistan passing out bibles under the guise of  "gifts" So now we look like we are there to proselytize the Muslims. WTF? Do Americans want a "holy war" on their hands?
We need to call for an immediate end to this practice! It's no damn wonder those people hate us. We're just proving we're  to the world why "infidels" in their eyes.

From the Huffington Post:
A U.S. church raised money to send Bibles, printed in the Pashtu and Dari languages, to American soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, a report on Al Jazeera documented Sunday night.

It is against military rules to proselytize -- a regulation one of the soldiers filmed by the network readily acknowledged. "You cannot proselytize, but you can give gifts," says the soldier. It is a crime in Afghanistan to attempt to convert anyone from Islam to any other religion. "I also want to praise God because my church collected some money to get Bibles for Afghanistan. They came and sent the money out." The footage is said to be roughly a year old.

The Al Jazeera report also shows a military preacher urging army parishioners to "hunt people for Jesus."

"The Special Forces guys, they hunt men. Basically, we do the same things as Christians. We hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down. Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the Kingdom. That's what we do, that's our business," he says.

A White House spokesman referred questions to the Department of Defense, which did not immediately return a call. A military spokesman did tell Reuters, however, that none of the Bibles were, as far as she knew, ever actually distributed.

"That specific case involved a soldier who brought in a donation of translated Bibles that were sent to his personal address by his home church. He showed them to the group and the chaplain explained that he cannot distribute them," said Major Jennifer Willis.

"The translated Bibles were never distributed as far as we know, because the soldier understood that if he distributed them he would be in violation of general order 1, and he would be subject to punishment."

President Bush created an international uproar when he referred to the "war on terror" as a "crusade."

UPDATE: A defense official tells the Huffington Post that the preacher did not mean that soldiers should hunt for Afghani souls, but was speaking in general terms. He also said that the Pashtun and Dari Bibles were confiscated so that they could not be distributed to the population.

With the election drawing near and with respect, a couple things ...

 

1. I do not believe it is the gov't's responsibility to feed, cloth or house the population. Comfort and convenience are not among our inalienable rights. As adults, it is our responsibility to see to our own needs. It is the gov’t’s responsibility to provide accountability and security while we tend to our daily lives. Somewhere along the line, these duties have been adulterated. There are simply too many able-bodied people consistently on welfare. That said, it is, in fact, the "Church's" (religions’) responsibility to help those in genuine need, and if the Church was doing it's job, welfare recipients would be receiving from the local Church, rather than being a burden on the taxpayers at large ... and they would do so with no strings attached!

 

2. It is not just corporate greed that has created the fiasco on Wall Street, but universal greed! Credit card debt like never before to pay for the 2 or three SUV's, wall size flat screen TV's, and $450k homes all played and continue to play a huge part ... none of these belong to me. I do not begrudge these things to those who can afford them. But while, yes, I am a McCain supporter, his economic plan will only succeed as far as the population is willing to buy only what they can actually afford, and not continue to spend like there is no tomorrow, for surely, tomorrow will come ... and yes, our kids will pay. In the event that Obama is elected, the same holds true. We must live within our means!

 

3. Hatred is morally wrong no matter who is purporting it, and more importantly, it is counter-productive. I am certain that in spite of the fact that you and I think differently about the way to economic and/or moral recovery, that you have the interest of others in mind, and for that, I thank you. It makes me sad that there is hatred on either side of the aisle because in the long run, we are all Americans and ... united we stand; divided, we fall. I respect any and all who put actions to their beliefs, even when their beliefs are different from mine.

 

4. I believe strongly that the media plays a pivotal role in the bitterness that is being continually fueled at this point in the campaigns. I would like nothing more than to hear and/or read only that which directly comes from their mouths, rather than as it is cut and printed, dismembered and reassembled by the media to their own end ... after all, they too are out for our money!

 

5. Church or no church, I believe we are our brothers’ keeper in so far as we are able. If we know a neighbor is in need, it is the neighborly thing to do to help, if possible. If unable to do this, we can at the very least, stand with our neighbors. I am guilty on this count. I do not know my neighbors well enough to know if there is a need I might be able to help with. This is something I want to correct … It doesn’t necessarily mean handing out $20 bills (although if anyone knows of someone doing this, sign me up!) but helping with yard work, fixing a broken washing machine, changing someone’s automobile oil or brakes … Neighbor used to be an ALIVE word … not just a geographical designation. . . but I digress …

OK, so bottom line, while I embrace all who think and feel strongly about our nation and her issues, I encourage those who have not investigated or thought about these issues to do so and choose the candidate that most closely aligns with your beliefs. I’ve said this before and I’m saying it again … It is only when the people care enough to participate that a democracy can succeed and stand strong.

 

Read this from http://ladyshirea.mindsay.com/!

 

~ B

 

 

BAGHDAD – U.S. military deaths in Iraq plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the previous year, a reflection of the improving security following the U.S. military's counterinsurgency campaign and al-Qaida's slow retreat from the battlefield. By comparison, the war in Afghanistan saw American military deaths rise by 35 percent in 2008 as Islamic extremists shift their focus to a new front with the West.

According to a tally by The Associated Press, at least 314 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq in 2008, down from 904 in the previous year. In all, at least 4,221 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003.