As the worried mom of a National Guard Staff Sgt. that totally supports Obama and his Middle Eastern policies and is looking forward to an Obama "Attorney General" to go after the Cheney/Bush/McSame administration for their massive war profiteering against our "real" military and the locals in Afghanistan and Iraq and their blatant war crimes committed against the locals, (they have been totally dismayed that our complicit congressional critters haven't been doing their paid jobs of oversight over the years), I find it amazing that anyone recommended watching Chris Matthews yesterday.
Many "Kos" members may recognize me as the mom of a National Guard Staff Sgt. that experienced massive War Profiteering and War Crimes committed in Afghanistan while he was running an ANA Depot near Kabul. He loved his interpreter that had several degrees and spoke 5 languages fluently. He loved the locals that shared fresh produce with his guys while they shared their "care package" snacks to take home to their children. It upset our troops so much when the "Rummy Doctrine" of bombing civilian areas for expediency was conducted and the "locals" would keep the children hidden for days on end. (we all protect our babies) He came home with three beautiful suits made for him by locals but unfortunately he was 30 lbs. underweight from nasty KBR sub-sub contracted food/services and those suits no longer fit. Has anyone else out there EVER found a product label saying "Made in Afghanistan"? I haven't, but have found many stating "Made in Pakistan". Cheney/Bush's corrupt, corporate deals with Pakistan that have been harboring Bin Laden and/or his groupies in those E.Afghanistan/W. Pakistan mountains, "Waziristan", needs to be investigated and prosecuted. More on the flip......
I was mostly a "lurker" on this website before the 2004 elections but I did campaign my butt off for Kerry. (his biggest mistake was ignoring our younger voters in Florida and our three largest campuses; Florida, FSU and USF) I wrote a few diaries about my National Guard Staff Sgt. son and his friends being pre-staged to the four corners of our state for our 4, 2004 hurricanes and then being used as political photo-op preparers for the "Bush Boys" to fly in on their air-conditioned helicopters so that they could pretend to hand out water for 10 minutes. (they actually sweated which was a "guard" joke) It was an election year and all but our National Guard actually signed up to help Floridians with hurricanes, floods, fire, etc. and not to play politics!
My son is a National Guard Staff Sergeant that had serious problems in Afghanistan with the blatant War Crimes and War Profiteering that he and his troops witnessed, along with these same issues experienced by his fellow military buddies that served in Iraq. They are all Pre- 9/11 and are mostly quitting or have quit their 2nd careers at 8 years due to our chickenhawk, 5 deferment, AWOL administration not being prosecuted and convicted for their crimes. They have been waiting for years!
I am the mom of a National Guard Staff Sergeant, giving up his 20 year, 2nd career plans at eight years (along with many of his friends) due to the massive War Crimes and War Profiteering in Afghanistan and Iraq that has gone uninvestigated/unprosecuted by our Congress and our media. As we have so many monikers for people on "Kos", I have a new one for Petraeus. "Ass kissing, little chickenshit", according to Admiral Fallon, is just too long. More on the flip:
I just returned home from Tallahassee after visiting my youngest son that is a Senior at FSU and my daughter (that is in her medical school internship there and her hubby) My round-trip partner was my middle child, my SSG National Guard son that spent last year in Afghanistan running an ANA Depot. He has PTSD that is hard to pinpoint and he would never acknowledge it. He came across car bombings, witnessed Cheneys massive War profiteering against our military and the people. He loved his interpreter that spoke 5 languages and had several degrees. It ruined our troops relationship with the locals every time the "Rummy Doctrine" was implemented to bomb civilian areas for expediency because the locals would keep the children away from our troops for weeks. My son came home demoralized from our criminal and corrupt administration not being investigated and prosecuted. (He loved being in the National Guard , joined in 2000, planned 20 years, 2nd career) He has extended twice, no re-enlistment, no bonuses and he will not continue next year if Cheney and Bush have not been investigated and prosecuted. Let me get back to our "Tallahassee trip" on the flip and his newly acquired behavior!
Many may recognize me as a "military mom". I went thru a tough time when my SSG son was in Afghanistan last year and the Cheney/Bushco corporate corruption/crimes that my son, his troops and the Afghanis experienced from our chickenhawk, lying administration. Most of my previous diaries relate those experiences but this one is totally different. This one involves the horrifying death of our beloved 6 lb., 20 month old Chihuahua, "Molly Moo".
My Staff Sgt. son returned in July from a year near Kabul, Afghanistan. He loved the locals, his interpreter and his Afghani troops. My sons best friend, a Warrant Officer, just returned from his year in Iraq , days before Christmas. They were buddies since toddlers and joined the Florida National Guard together well before 9/11 and are giving up their 20 year, 2nd career military plans due to the massive War Profiteering committed against them and the citizens and the War Crimes committed against the people.
All readers of Daily Kos can go back to my diaries of my Staff Sgt. sons year in Afghanistan. He ran an Afghani National Army Depot near Kabul. He loved his troops, the locals and especially his interpreter that had several degrees and spoke 5 languages fluently. My son shared all of his care packages from family/friends with the locals and they treated him with local products and 4 gorgeous homemade suits! Cheney/Rummy/Rice and the neocon Bushco Cabal have totally screwed our military and the citizens with their War Crimes and their MASSIVE War Profiteering... more on the flip....
According to this mornings St. Pete Times, a judge ruled that Reform candidate Max Linn of Treasure Island can spar with Jim Davis (D) and Charlie Crist (R) in tonights debate for Governor.....It's time for some substance from the muted governor's race, says Times political editor Adam Smith..... This could get very interesting tonight because Max Linn outed Crist as being gay. They supposedly were in a 3 month business/political training program together 20 years ago and they discussed Charlie being gay and how it could effect his political ambitions!
My National Guard, Staff Sgt. son just returned home from Afghanistan and we are so proud of him but he and and his fellow troops are so damned troubled. They have been totally confused with why our Congress/media have allowed KBR and other Cheney no-bid, no-oversight corporations to rip off our military and the good people! (the missing security, supplies, equipment and infrastructure repair is massive) My son loved the locals. His interpreter spoke 5 languages fluently and had several degrees. (my son worked 12 hour days, 6 days a week with Afghani local troops. He ran an Afghani National Army Depot.) More on the flip:
For those of you that have followed my diaries with my Staff Sgt. sons year in Afghanistan, I am doing a follow-up since he has been home for a month. He witnessed road-side bombs but was not involved in direct fighting. He is going to be OK but did lose one of his fellow SSG's a week before re-deploying to the states in July. Bushco decided to start bombing civilian areas in S. Afghanistan this spring to route out a few Taliban and between the Bushco corporate corruption/fraud against our troops and the people, the Afghani people have turned against our soldiers. All of our soldiers hard work and good will went out the window with BUSHCO BOMBS and FINANCIAL CORRUPTION! More on the flip.....
My Staff Sgt. son (Florida National Guard) returned home 2 weeks ago from his year in Afghanistan. Our country, our soldiers and our foreign neighbors have been "SO SCREWED" by Cheney/Rummy/Rice/Bush and their corrupt corporations overseas. Our media/congress critters neglect investigating our stolen money... My son and his guys ran an Afghani National Army Depot and they were cheated with missing repairs, security, edible food, equipment and supplies for them and the poor Afghani people by KBR, Haliburton and other Bushco corrupt corporations. (One example, he and his guys had to throw KBR out of the Depot when they supposedly came to CHECK GENERATORS. KBR intentionally messed up the generators and stated that they would bring in a BIGGER CREW the next day to repair them! My son, his guys and locals, had the frigging generators going within an hour after the corruption. Our military has their own "generator specialists" and our government corruption does not go unnoticed and it embarrasses our troops.) Our military is not re-enlisting!
1st off, my son has been a SSG (staff sgt.) in Afghanistan for a year. The country is sliding backwards because of Bushco corporate corruption, mostly KBR (Haliburton), stealing our tax-payer money by not providing security,supplies,equipment and repair to our troops and the Afghani people. Bushco has a lack of interest in repairing the bombing damage that they caused in their quest "To PRETEND" to remove Bin Ladin, his cohorts and the Taliban. These guys are all alive and well! Our military and the poor Afghani people are the victims... Follow me on the flip....
As a Czechoslovakian (1st and 2nd generation) Catholic, I find Stephen refreshing and honest. My grandfather fought in World War 1, against the United States and spent years apart from my grandma, dad and oldest Aunt to move his family away from Communist corruption. (He worked for Ford Motor in Dearborn, Michigan for several years to save money and move his young family to America in the late 1920's) He lost his only sibling, twin brother in World War 1. Since I was always on his lap , he would tell me stories about corruption. He moved to America for religious and political freedom. Most Catholics in America do not take everything literally that the Pope, a cardinal, bishop or priest says. You take your ideals of being a good person and do what is right for your family.
My favorite person in my life was my Slovakian grandfather that moved to America alone, without my grandma, dad and oldest aunt. He fought in World War One, against the United States, because he was forced too! He lost his only sibling, twin brother, within days of the end of that war. He moved to America, worked for Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, MI and saved money to buy a farm in mid-Michigan and move his family to America. My grandparents had 3 more children in America. I remember sitting on my grandpas lap (I was his oldest granddaughter) and him telling me stories about government corruption and I look back and realize that he was talking about Viet Nam and not just the Soviet Union. ( We lost a family member and close-family neighbor in Viet Nam) He moved to America for religious and personal freedom and to have an honest government. Even though I was raised Catholic, more on the flip.....,
My Staff Sgt. son celebrated his birthday in Kabul, Afghanistan last week. His package from his 83 year old grandmother in Michigan included a 1 lb. slab of cheddar cheese. Her brilliant thinking was that it would stay cold in cargo planes and since it is cold in Afghanistan and Michigan, it would arrive cold! It did!! More on the flip::
