Guest blogged by Winter Patriot
BRAD BLOG reader and commenter “WTF” pointed out an article [and photos] from the Lexington Herald-Leader. We found the following passages notable, especially given their source.
…
[O]n Friday, Comley’s grandmother, 80-year-old Geraldine Comley of Versailles, described herself in an interview as a former Republican stalwart who is “on a rampage” against the president and the war.
She said she would like nothing better than to join Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier who has been holding a peace vigil outside President Bush’s ranch in Texas.
“When someone gets up and says ‘My son died for our freedom,’ or I get a sympathy card that says that, I can hardly bear it,” Geraldine Comley said.
She said her view, developed before her grandson’s death, is that Bush pushed for war because Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had tried to assassinate the first President Bush, and to get control of Mideast oil.
“And it irritates me no small amount that Dick Cheney, in the Vietnam War, said he had ‘other priorities,'” Geraldine Comley said. “He didn’t mind sending my grandson over there” to Iraq.
It irritates us too, Geraldine. No small amount, indeed!
Our heartfelt condolences, and sincerest best wishes, to the family and friends of the late Chase Johnson Comley, and to all the other families and friends who weep today.
Click here or on the photo for more. Thanks to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Hello everyone,
Thank you Winter Patriot for posting that. Some of you may be unhappy with what I am about to say, but I need to express my aversion to the "Red State" and "Blue State" separation and myth.
Like the grandmother above, and my friend Jack (a republican from Texas), we need to recognize that a great illusion and fraud has been created that democrats, republicans, independents, greens & many other party affiliates need to eliminate if our country is to survive. We need to be ONE people, not red and blue states.
Those supposed "blue dots" in those so called "very red states" such as my friends Joy & RJ in Tennessee are made to feel very small and defeated when in fact they are not as much of a minority as they think. Or my friend Sarah, who recently moved out of what she called the "darkest red state" of Florida, to Minnesota (mineapolis/St. Paul) where she said she was in a blue state surrounded by a sea of red.
The US is purple.
There are a lot of good people who are simply misled by the lies of the right wing and oligarchal controlled US media.
We are all buying into this myth. Even me. If we are to survive as a country, we must all learn to stand together, educate and dispell this myth. Its not left versus right . . .it is right versus wrong (as noted in a header by Brad).
My friend Jack, who calls himself a Constitutional Republican, is as angry and against the Bush Regime as we all are. In fact he recently sent me lyrics to a song he had written expressing his upset at the division, and the lies told by the Bush Admin and the wrongness of the occupation, and deaths based on lies.
We must take heart and recognize the division based on Faux media that encourages us to separate and feel defensive among ourselves.
Dear fellow Americans, this is what America is about. This is what our country was based on. A unity of people. Let us not let them divide and conquer.
Don’t get me wrong. I understand fully that there are idiots that buy in totally to the Bush Shit and wave their little "I am a Bush man" flags.
But there are also those with brains that know right from wrong and the evil that is occuring in our country and dividing us.
All of us must become united once again against this evil that has taken over our country. Let us be purple and hold each others hands in numbers, strength and unity.
Only then, will our country, the United States of America, survive.
Thank you for listening (or reading).
Amen to your words. I find it strange that the die hard believers feel Right or Wrong I can’t say this policy is bad or I am letting my party down.
Does a bullet ask if you are Republican or Democrat before it kills your child?
JPentz,
You are correct…it is hard to tolerate the concept that the "US" in United States incorporates all Americans. We ‘should’ be standing together. We ‘should’ be tolerant of differences. We ‘should’ be working towardss commonality rather than separation. We ‘should’ allow for differences in perspective and choice, even if it is not a choice we, orselves, would make. There are many "shoulds" that Americans ‘should’ follow.
However, our ‘compassionate-conservative…uniter-not divider, has taken great pains to break the country into factions. "Divide and Conquer" is the new motto of the Bush administration. "Either you’re with me or against me"…"Draw a line in the sand"…Ultimately, any battle can be fought and won when the enemy (that’s us!!) is removed from the whole. Suddenly, we become outsiders in a country that purports to allow free thinking & grand ideas. Mr. Spock (of Star Trek fame) often used the Vulcan creed, "IDIC – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination". This is the ultimate acceptance of all.
Should our glorious President decide that it is acceptable to have different opinions, and stop sending Rovian robots out to destroy anyone with a mind of their own, then the country will likely get back on their feet. But the fear and animosity raised by this benevolent and kind-hearted man (NOT), has made negotiation difficult at best.
Best to you JP
Alan
HI All
I agree with JPentz too! It’s been a massive campaign of deception to help create the notion that America is closely divided. Once that notion is firmly planted in the nation’s psyche, controlling the outcome of elections is possible, and only then. It’s got to be close to flip the results (51-49%).
Look for more articles to come out about how Democrats are being underrepresented now on polls. Zogby has already made mention of this phenomenon. The sample is skewed as a result of the manipulated outcome of the last 3 federal elections. It’s all a big mess.
What shocked me after the 2004 election was this denial that the coalition of Greens, Dems, independents and moderate Republicans who opposed Bush was not enough to oust him. Bullsh*t.
Sadly, the strongest denial was and continues to be from the progressive media! The Nation, Arianna, and others all claimed Kerry was a poor candidate and the Democrats needed to work harder! While it may be true about Kerry, the election wasn’t about him at all! I wrote them a letter at the time and told them Bozo could have been the opposing candidate and he would have won because the 2004 election was a referendum AGAINST BUSH.
Yes, the nation is many shades of purple.
My heart goes out to this Kentucky family, and all the other families feeling the pain of losing their sons and daughters. We need to bring our troops home now. I just saw an alert that claims another 6 GIs were killed today.
I guess there are some things Karl Rove just can’t control.
Winter,
This part of the article you posted has been bothering me all day (I read the article when someone linked it earlier).
—-snippet—-But Geraldine Comley, on her rampage, welcomed the chance to talk about her feelings.
She said "it broke my heart" when Chase Comley joined the Marines, but he told her that recruiters said he probably would be stationed in Hawaii or Japan.
—–more in the article—-
He was told by the recruiters that he would probably be stationed in Hawaii or Japan????? I can’t help but think that he was lied to. If anyone out there who is closer to the events, I sure wish they’d investigate and let me know.
It’s been clear for some time that recruiters are so hard pressed to get enlistees that they aren’t above lying. The Op-Ed by Frank Rich Someone Tell the President the War Is Over has lots to say, including this:
————snippet—-
But our current Texas president has even outdone his predecessor; Mr. Bush has lost not only the country but also his army. Neither bonuses nor fudged standards nor the faking of high school diplomas has solved the recruitment shortfall. Now Jake Tapper of ABC News reports that the armed forces are so eager for bodies they will flout "don’t ask, don’t tell" and hang on to gay soldiers who tell, even if they tell the press.
——–more at article
And, I have to ask "Who exactly is betraying the troops?" after I read this:
U.S. Struggling to Get Soldiers Updated Armor
—–snippet—–
The ceramic plates in vests worn by most personnel cannot withstand certain munitions the insurgents use. But more than a year after military officials initiated an effort to replace the armor with thicker, more resistant plates, tens of thousands of soldiers are still without the stronger protection because of a string of delays in the Pentagon’s procurement system.
—–part of a 3 page article that says a lot about Bush administration stupidity—–
Hi, Winter – I was feeling @#%^&, angry and unconstructive upon reading this … thank you for putting it in the correct perspective … Americans must unite and rid themselves of the scourge of the Bush administration.
Wise words, JPentz, thank you.
Thanks, WP, for posting this about the funeral of Lance Cpl. Chase Johnson Comley. Kudos to his brave grandma!
The petition in support of Cindy Sheehan is still going at Michael Moore’s site. 17,246 people have signed the petition so far. Let’s make it more. Please sign & post a comment.
http://michaelmoore.com/
Right now, to access petition, click on the words DO SOMETHING under the photo.
It’s happening again…it’s no longer taboo to speak out against war.
Thank you Ms Geraldine for speaking your truth.
JPentz – excellent post and you know I agree with your sentiments 100%.
Kat #4:
I just have to repost something you brought out in your comment that is absolutely imperative for people to keep in their working consciousness:
"It’s been a massive campaign of deception to help create the notion that America is closely divided.
Once that notion is firmly planted in the nation’s psyche, controlling the outcome of elections is possible, and only then. It’s got to be close to flip the results (51-49%). (!!!!) **exclamation marks by Kira**
Look for more articles to come out about how Democrats are being underrepresented now on polls. Zogby has already made mention of this phenomenon. The sample is skewed as a result of the manipulated outcome of the last 3 federal elections. "
Yes!!! Back before the election I discovered the amazing fact that most of the polls were weighted heavy on the Republican respondents. I loved the cartoon which pointed out that fact. I’ve posted it before, but maybe it’s ok to show it again:
This cartoon comes from the National Lampoon Parody of MoveOn.org (MoveOnPlease.org) site – good for a laugh when you feel light enough to enjoy political satire! Here’s the link: MoveOnPlease.org
Now for factual info:
Gallup-ing to the Right — Bruce Cordell .com – Burnt Earth
MoveOn Gallup Ad .pdf
Media Matters on skewed polls that favor Republicans
The Battle of the Polls: A Look Behind the Influential Polling Organizations that Shape the Presidential Race
Amy Goodman interviews Ruy Teixeira, a joint fellow at the Center for American Progress and the Century Foundation:
RUY TEIXEIRA: Well, the one you were referring to, the Gallup poll, which showed a five point lead and — for Bush — and they actually had some 13 point leads in September, these leads in particular are among what they call likely voters. And you know, you hear the phrase “likely voters” and that sounds pretty good, you know. Gee, who wants the unlikely voters, but the thing is that the way they create these samples they call likely voters is all driven by a very elaborate set of questions that tends to screen out, at least in this campaign, as tending to screen out a lot of democratic-leaning voters, that you can easily wind up with fewer minorities and young people than you would normally get in a sample of real voters on election day."
The Mystery Pollster
Very in-depth, but very much worthwhile to read (or re-read) & study. I started reading this work as it progressed last year & found it to be full of excellent research.
~~~
It’s important for us to remember how the public was (and continues to be) duped and how it fits into the MSM & various pollster’s complicity in "catapulting the propaganda." They got their "marching orders" from the top and have followed them. Remember the words of Robert Koehler in his article "The Silent Scream of Numbers" and in his interview with Brad on the BradShow. Remember the letter Peter Coyote wrote that echoed the same words spoken by Bev Harris regarding the MSM blackout on the subject of election fraud?
Here’s a current (July ’05) article to keep those memories alive:
From Scoop NZ News – Ernest Partridge: GOP Will Win In ’06, Unless…
Ok, that’s my research for the day!
Cheers, all!
Oh yes – I’ll leave you with Dalai Lama Words of Wisdom (2005 Calendar) for August 3rd:
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one’s life. Through a difficult period you can learn; you can develop inner strength, determination, and courage to face the problems."
We certainly are in a "trial by fire" these days! Dalai Lama says we should give thanks for our trials because they will make us better people, if we pay attention and continue to work towards enlightenment!
Hang Tough, Truthseekers!
Kira
—–Original Message—–
From: MileFilms@aol.com [mailto:MileFilms@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 10:43 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Winter Soldier moves over!
Dear friends of Winter Soldier,
A pretty remarkable thing has happened. Since the New York Times and ALL the press was so strong for the film, and the box office at the Walter Reade Theater was a fairly remarkable $6599 for only four shows, WINTER SOLDIER is going to be moving over to the Quad Theater at 34 West 13th Street in NYC this Friday!!!
So PLEASE tell all your friends in the New York area to run over and see it on screen at the Walter Reade Theater this week and at the Quad starting on Friday!
Best,
Dennis Doros
Milliarium Zero
PO Box 128
Harrington Park, NJ 07640
Phone: (201) 767-3117
Fax: (201) 767-3035
Email: winterfilm@aol.com
Website: http://www.wintersoldierfilm.com
I have known Chase Comley since middle school. He was the most patriotic person I’ve ever met. He never thought he was going to Japan aor HAwaii. He knew the marines go where the fighting is. He joined after 09/11 and was proud to do so. I’m proud to have known him. He was a true hero that was fighting for our freedom.