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| Rob's Soapbox | ||
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Congratulations!
You have finally landed on the one page on this entire site (and on the entire internet for that matter) that is purely without bullshit... my soapbox page. There are a lot of times during our show that, whether it's because of time constraints and other obligations, I don't always get to address some issues that I feel don't get the attention they deserve. There are even more times when I just don't feel like waiting until the show the next day to get some things off my chest. Thus, I have started the "Rob's Soapbox" page. If you have clicked on this page looking for someone to coddle your fragile sense of self-esteem, or tell you what you want to hear or to reinforce your outdated world view, then exit this page right now and go somewhere else. If you are in search of the last forum for reason and common sense left in the world, then sit back, relax, and enjoy. I make only one promise with this soapbox page... if you read long enough and often enough, you will eventually be offended. So here's my latest soapbox. Listen up, 'cause you just might learn something... |
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August 21st, 2005 AN OPEN LETTER TO CINDY SHEEHAN
What a blessing it is that we live in the 21st century, where a letter from one of your home-town radio hosts can be streamed directly to you while you hold your vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. I hope that this note finds you in the best possible health, both mentally and physically. I have never met you, or your dearly departed son, Casey. It's possible that he was a listener of my radio show when he was in Vacaville, as we have many, many military listeners. Our show has an undeniable history of supporting not only the men and women that serve, but also the families of those who serve as well. For what it's worth, my family has a long history of service, including my brother-in-law, who is currently preparing for his second tour in Iraq. I want to first make it clear to you that you have every right to do what you are doing. Speaking out against the war is one of the most American things you can do. Sadly, we live in a culture that has come to define disagreement with government decisions as somehow being anti-military. Ever since the debacle of Vietnam, we have re-defined patriotism into meaning "blindly following anywhere we send out troops." Right-minded Americans like me know that not to be the case. It is quite possible to support the troops and not support the cause. Yes, Ms. Sheehan, you have every right to voice your displeasure with the President and this war. I do not agree with the right wing extremists who claim that by voicing your displeasure you are giving "aid and comfort," to the enemy, and thus committing treason. I know that the truth is the opposite. By allowing you to speak your mind and voice your displeasure you are actually showing the terrorists why we are so much better than they are. We live in a nation where dissent is not only tolerated, but encouraged. We are better than they are and they know it. Furthermore, people who claim that you are lowering the morale of the troops do our military a disservice and, in my opinion, insult them. Our military is too strong, too great, too proud to be swayed by those who disagree with their service and/or their missions. That's what makes them, all of them, like your son Casey, so great. Yes, Ms. Sheehan, you are exercising one of the greatest rights known to exist on this planet; your right to free speech, even when that speech is against the very country that provides it. You remind me every day why I still love America. Let's be very clear, though, Cindy (may I call you Cindy?)… you are afforded that right not because you lost a son in the line of duty. Just like your ridiculous claim last week that because your son died in a war you believe to be unjust, you are therefore not obligated to pay your U.S. income taxes, is also not true. While your son's service is admirable and appreciated, it does not afford you illegal benefits, nor does it provide you the right to free speech. The right that you are choosing to exercise, the right to speak your mind in America, is granted to you by the greatest document in the history of mankind, the United States Constitution. Those rights are guaranteed to all Americans, whether their child died in action or not. Those rights are then defended and protected by the greatest military force ever assembled on Earth. A force that was once occupied by your own son. How ironic it is to watch you use the right he died defending in a manner that attempts to demean, demoralize and discredit the great work that he was doing. Having rights doesn't mean using them, Cindy. With great freedom comes great responsibility, like knowing when to shut your mouth. You have become a patsy for the 10% of American citizens that hate their own country. You are a joke, a raving lunatic with a sympathetic story, and you are a disgrace to your son's memory. When you pronounce that your son died for nothing, you are making a mockery of the other 130,000 sons and daughters that are in Iraq as we speak. Thank God they're too strong to let you hurt them. When you demand that we pull our troops out of Iraq before the job is done you spit on the graves of the other 1,900 American troops that have died with Casey while working towards a goal that you disagree with. Their brothers in arms insist on finishing the job in their honor. Thank God they're too loyal to let you shake them. When you make antiquated and outlandish statements like "the war in Iraq is about oil," (a cry that went out with "tickle me Elmo" dolls), you call all of the men and women proudly serving the cause of freedom idiots. Thank God they're all too smart to let you shake them. When you fail to understand and acknowledge that the United States military is made up of nothing but volunteers, and that all of them, including Casey, serve because they freely and willfully choose to, you insult them all, including my brother-in-law, who specifically asked for his second tour in Iraq even after his close friend was killed there. Thank God he and all the others are too brave and too courageous to let you shake them. When you proclaim that the men and women who have died in Iraq did not die in a "noble cause," you define the service of all military men and women throughout the history of our country as not being noble. For there is no death more noble than that of a United States Military member. It is the most noble of all causes, Ms. Sheehan. Thank God the United States people are too proud to let you shake them. Your true colors were shown when you started making proclamations about Israel leaving Palestine (which has nothing to do with Casey's death), and when you completely changed your story about your first meeting with President Bush. By all accounts from all people, while he may be a buffoon, he is, if nothing else, a compassionate man who is pained at the realization of the deaths he has condemned American children to. You said that originally, then you changed your tune when Michael Moore got a hold of you. Very dignified, Cindy. Perhaps you should refresh your memory by reading the latest issue of Newsweek Magazine (no friend of the President's) which has just published some heart-wrenching accounts of other military families regarding their encounters with the President: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id
Had your son Casey been drafted into service I would have much, much more sympathy for you. I don't believe in the draft because it's unnecessary in a country full of so many brave and heroic people like your son. Had your son been a conscientious objector ( a military member who objects to a certain mission) who was then forced to into battle, I might even join your cause. The truth is though, that none of those things are the truth. Your son fought bravely and valiantly, and died with dignity and honor. It is more than pitiful that you choose to live with such shame and disgrace. For sourcing on this story, see the following: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news
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