I just spoke with the congressman from Harlem who is now in the powerful position as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. In Washington, he had re-floated his idea to bring back the draft. That's right. Young people of a certain age and, more importantly, from all classes and economic status, would be called up to carry the burden of the war that President Bush now realizes is a mistake.
About Bush's speech to the nation Wednesday night, Rangel said: "I was embarrassed for the President." Rangel, a veteran of the war in Korea, said of this commander-in-chief who ducked out of doing time in Vietnam, "He looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car." Gone, Rangel sensed, was the "swagger" of the Top Gun-Mission Accomplshed days.
The President has said he'll send at least 21,000 more troops. But Rangel, like retired Gen. Colin Powell and others in the military, say there aren't enough fresh troops out there to fill that request. Those 21,000 will be currently serving men and women who are nearing the ends of their tours but will be told they have to remain. That number will also include people who have served and are now at home and will be told that they have to go back.
Where are the sons and daughters and nieces and nephews of the privileged, including President Bush's and Vice President Cheney's and so on and so on?
This is so irrational -- and so unfair!
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Hi, Shipp,
I just got off the phone with my nephew who recently received orders to ship out to Afghanistan in May. In preparation for his deployment he's been in touch with a captain and his friends who are stationed there and what he told me just now made me physically sick from worry.
Apparently, our guys are driving around in Afghanistan in civilian sports utility vehicles (bullet proof windows and doors) outside the “wire” /base because of some agreement the US has made with the
Afghan government who don’t want the Americans driving around in their country in “up-armored” humvees or vehicles that stick out in public. In the meantime, NATO soldiers—Germans and British soldiers have these vehicles and drive around in them. NATO is running ops. Suicide bombers are on the rise although this is not being reported in the news but,IUDs are still low level. He's been told that they don't even bother to spend too much time checking for IUDs since the area
where he’s going (Kabul) is so filthy that it would be difficult to spot an IUD because of the litter and garbage.
Please ask Mr. Rangel, why do we have our soldiers in any combat zone without adequate
protection???
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