Boehner's "Small Price"
Just yesterday on CNN, Wolf Blitzer asked John Boehner, the leader of the GOP in the House, this question (video on Horse's Mouth):
"The loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month, how much longer do you think this commitment, this military commitment is going to require?"
And Mr. Boehner responded:
"The investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East, it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids."
What a stunningly cavalier statement about the lives of the young men and women who serve our country.
Whether you support or oppose the Bush escalation, no American should ever for even a moment think the cost of war is small.
A single life is a large price to pay for any endeavor. Sometimes, in our national interest, we choose to pay that awful price, but we must always make sure that the policy is worthy of it.
Visit our wounded warriors at Walter Reed hospital and ask whether the price they paid was small. Talk to the mothers, fathers, husbands and wives of those who have been killed and ask them to measure the price of war. Young lives stopped short, children who won't have a mother or father there as they grow up, when they graduate, when they get married -- that loss is many things, but it is not small.
Where is Representative Boehner's apology? And where is an Iraq policy equal to our soldiers' tremedous sacrifice?
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Peace will be had when the oil is gone-probably not, but we won't care anymore. That's the best reason for developing alternative energy sources, so we don't have to care.
Americans won't truly know the cost of war until he have one here-with a foreign aggressor, not each other.
and still, they have nerve to state
I DON'T KNOW if this war is making America safer.
Joe Biden wanted to know who the other 36 countries were that were helping US forces. Does anyone know?
Senator Kerry, it comes down to whether or not Boehner views our soldiers as Americans or just statistics, beads on an abacas to be slid from live fighting man to dead hero. Why would anyone expect an apology from him?
Over half a trillion dollars has already gone into the pockets of American Corporations, and who knows who else since this war began ... not everyone is mourning the loss of life in Iraq, whether it be American Military Personnel or Iraqi civilian, for those who are profiting from Bush's folly it's merely the cost of doing business.
Bottom line, for the War Profiteers the loss of American Soldiers, to no good end, is a sacrifice they're willing to make ... Boehner is just their mouthpiece.
Great post Senator Kerry. Cogent and concise.
What do you expect from a Republican?
It's all loyalty to party first.
Soldiers lives are always second.
With republicans it's actually loyalty to self first, then party... after that there's nothing... except cold, hard, cash.
There not even second,as one Republican ex friend tpld me at the start of this war, "That's what they get paid for."
As ex-marine vietnam era, it angers me too no end too hear these chicken hawk draft dodging leaders in white house and their chicken hawk brigade talk about young brave americans sacrifice as if it is insignificant, nothing too them, but it does not surprise me, when one listens too the young republicans at their conferences and all their warmongering rhetoric, when asked why they do not serve they stutter, dodge a decent answer and can only say they have other goals, and things too do, just like their chicken hawk commanders today who dodged duty in vietnam with hiding in air national guard {which in my day was a sure way to avoid vietnam and still maintain honor}, or the favorite dodge of the elite today was hiding in college deferrments, and the poor had too run too Canada..., I served with many who got drafted, some even had a choice prison or marine corp...., so that tells you how the elite think of many in our society, cannon fodder for their ideals, ambitions they are to cowardly too fight for, yes we have a volunteer military, I joined at age 17, too young for the draft, and many of my fellow marines who were draftee's thought me insane or blind, but I bought the rhetoric of the right wing then that if we did not stop them in asia a domino effect would occur, it did not happen, and they simply have changed the region of world and rhetoric, the enemy is different but goals are same, controling a foreign land for some rich fat cats purposes..
I'm glad you made it back safely. I lost someone dear to me in that war, and it's very sad to see the same thing happening to so many again. You're so right. Same rhetoric, different place.
I registered for the draft but was one of the lucky ones who didn't come out of the hat alfhough I wouldn't have tried to run away to Canada or college if the cards had fallen otherwise. I never understood at the time (and still don't now) how my fellow "hippy" types demonised the soldiers, even volunteers like yourself. I've always had the highest respect for those who wear the uniform. You are there to do the worst job in the world without complaint. What really makes me crazy is the assholes that send the grunts to death and destruction for profit. Boner summed it all up for us, didn't he. Well done, Leatherneck, all the best to you and your younger brothers in arms who are paying the price for the current round of armed robbery.
AMEN!
For the record: While Kerry served several tours in SE Asia, Boehner went to Navy boot camp and after 8 weeks was discharged with a "bad back." Interesting if I can get the file from from DOD to find the CO who signed off on that one.
Leatherneck: there are no "ex-Marine
I have come to the conclusion that the Democrats should just draw up a "Put up or Shut up" bill in both the House and Senate which would stop the whole thing right now.
The bill would call for a DRAFT to be implemented immediately--no deferments, except for physical or mental incapacity
Everyone in this country isn't sharing in the pain of this mission. The 1% of Americans who ARE carrying the burden are being unfairly taxed with the load. They're now heading into their 5th rotation. It's unconscionable. If we are going to be in this war for the foreseeable future, then we must institute a draft.
The Joint Chiefs are fond of saying, 'we don't need a draft, our all-volunteer force is a professional force," etc. But, the all-volunteer force is no longer 'professio
So, I think it's time. Bring us a DRAFT. We will end this war very quickly when the rest of the 98% of America has to sacrifice their own children for this war.
As horrible as a draft sounds, having lost my fiance in Vietnam, it is the only thing we can do to make this or any other war end. Why should we be paying private contractors 2 or 3 times what we pay to the soldiers.
Let's have a draft, and I'm all for Georgie Boy finishing out HIS service first.
So here we go again with this really, really stupid idea of digging up Dracula hoping that he will solve the Werewolf problem.
Fact: The people responsible for this War were the People who found someway around the Draft. Medical reasons, educational reason, family reasons, and back in the Days when the idiot president served in the National Guard, no one would have ever thought to send them to Viet Nam. So guess what folks, the rich and powerful will not allow a draft that does not give them and theirs immunity!
Fact: 58,000 plus died in Viet Nam before we even started drawing down forces. That is how long it took before Americans got off their asses and started yelling to bring the boys home!
Fact: We did not leave Viet Nam voluntarily, we left in a panic because we suddenly found out that all those well armed and trained South Vietnamese troops fled.
Fact: the only people who thin that the draft is a good idea are those that don't have a clue as to its consequences, and stopping a war is not one of them, and people who will never be subject to the Draft nor will anyone of their family members.
Fact, War is nothing more a government enforcing an unpopular policy that they cannot enforce by diplomatic means. A large standing Army is there to be used to carry out that policy. The Draft gives those who want and need more bodies for their wars to get them and get them quick. As a Viet Nam veteran who was Drafted and served I know better than anyone else who has not served in combat what a Pandora's Box the Draft is. So get real! The Draft is to stopping War as a nuclear weapon is to horticulture!
I do not support a draft. Not to be impolite, but I refuse to waste my life in a war we shouldn't be fighting all so some Republicans can earn more blood money. That's not right. If C
I do not support a draft. Not to be impolite, but I refuse to waste my life in a war we shouldn't be fighting all so some Republicans can earn more blood money. That's not right. If Congress refuses to cut off war funding, I think the people need to organize and try to cut off military enlistment. A draft would only provide more grease for the cogs of the war machine.
As much as I agree with you about a draft, my sons are at the age where they will go 1st. They will be subjected to the horrors of war or death before the end of the war that the draft will eventually bring. I have marched in protests since the inception of this war. I know this sounds selfish, but I'll be god damned to let my babies die for the neo-con assholes that took us there in the 1st place.
He's a Republican, what do you expect? They could care less about our troops, even though they promote their on-going lie that they "support" the troops. Republicans have blood on their hands and it will be a long, long time before they will ever be able to wash it off.
Speaking about not caring for our troops. If we want Boehner's apology than we need Kucinich's apology for what he did in Syria!
Don't forget moveon.org
The two are in no way similar.
Kucinich didn't "do" anything in Syria. He just talked to the Syrians. If Bush had any brains, that's what he'd be doing too, along with talking to the Iranians.
Support the troops is code for support militarism and support our military adventures. If our losses were going to stabilize a chaotic situation it might be worth the price. I think that we are clearly letting loose the chaos and maybe the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. I think if you were paying attention to Bush you would have known from the beginning that his real agenda has never been disclosed. What happens with the rest of the world if we now decide we want a different elected government there. Do you think they are going to believe anything we say in the future.
Actually, if you listened to the speech, Bush did tell what we are fighting for, "our interests in the region".
I totally agree Sen. Kerry. One life is a huge payment for George Bush's War and an apology shound be demanded from John Boehner. Democratic leaders need to be on all of the talkinghead shows demanding that apology. Make as much noise as a republican would if a Democrat made such a comment. It is time for the Dems to start shouting down the GOP.
We need to bring the troops home now and start a major humanitarian effort to bring Iraq back from the brink of ruin that George Bush has create. Hire Iraqi's to rebuild their own country, this in itself will hopefully bring a national pride back to the Iraqi people knowing that their country will one day rise out of the ashes and ruins created by Bush's war.
What's clearly obvious is that bush never wants to leave Iraq. Iraq was the first stop among several for pre-emptive strikes and regime changes. Only, the neo-cons got a big surprize when Iraq proved not to be the "cakewalk," that they thought it would be.
The neo-cons are extremely dangerous and reckless in their political philosophies. They think America should just take what they want. I think we fought WWII against such imperialism and aggression.
The one man who said if the USA ever went into Iraq it would take 30 years to 50 years to get out has never benn heard from again.
This is a disgrace. We are NOT safer. The border is WIDE open, anyone can enter, don't they think the terrorists know this? I hope this creep is voted out of office next election, along with McConnell, Hatch and Lott. War mongers, all. Never served but willingly send young people into the hell that is now Iraq. Saddam was a better leader than Bush. He had health care, schooling, ELECTRICITY for the people. They were innocent of 9/11. By the way, the Saudi elite are STILL funding Al Quaeda, it was reported. They are also funding the Bush family, so it must be OK.
That really shines a light on the attitude of the supporters of Bush's war, that it's no big deal really. It's just a few thousand lives and trillion dollars. Who cares? They all volunteered anyway, and it's not real money.
Besides, we're "kickin' ass", right? That's what Bush said while he was busy thanking Australia for sending the "Austrian" troops to help out.
And yet, Congress will continue to give him whatever he wants.
And remember, he was there for the Opec meeting...
To these "people" the cost in the lives of us plebs is small.
It is a small price to pay for many americans as they have no kids over there. Particularly so for congress who, though voting for the resolution to invade iraq and have continued finance it like drunken sailors, have no relatives in harm's way(with the exception of Senator Webb). Also they(congress) pay no price monetarily whatsoever, that would be us, the taxpayers through the public treasury. Instead these people collect six figure tax free salaries, have many perks ,free health care and enjoy many dollars in contributions from military contractors. So really it is not just small price paid NO price is being paid by the people making the decisions. So really Boehner is correct so I don't see why you are demanding an apology.
I demand an apology because we LIVE IN A SOCIETY!! Just because I myself don't have any relatives in the war does NOT mean I, as a decent human being proud to be a member of our AMERICAN SOCIETY, feel it morally acceptable to trivialize the deaths of our troops in an unjustifiable pre-emptive war, entered into through outright deceit, for dubious reasons at best. I can forgive you, beef33, for you have no power to affect change and you may be a tool, but Senator Boehner is an elected representative of the people of our GREAT SOCIETY, he is SUPPOSED to work for US!! I would like to see him face a family of a fallen soldier and tell them "it's a small price to pay" (were that he could find a set of balls big enough). The man is an insensitive jerk, as is anyone that feels likewise.
BRAVO SENATOR KERRY!!
I was just being facetious and glib. Sorry if you misunderstood. I have no relative over there either. I just think most Americans,
I would also agree that representative(not senator) Boehner is a prick of misery. Again merely pointing albeit sarcastically he is a member of that power elite body(congress) that in a perfect world is supposed to work for us, the taxpayers. However my cynical self sees them(again with a few exceptions) as shills for the corporations and military contractors who shovel money at them. And of course as I pointed out next to none of them have any relatives in harm's way which IS more important in their case as they are the ones shoving this war down our throats not you or me.Power to the people.
You said it all so I'll just agree. Right to the bravo to Senator Kerry!!! I have no idea how people like Boehner get elected because he comes off as stupid to me every time I hear him talk and he fakes tears a lot, too. Guess the people who vote for him are as dumb or dumber than he is.
To people like boner, (spelling intended) the lives lost are just numbers on a bar graph or pie chart.
Baby bush's little incursion has resulted in nearly 4,000 more Americans slaughtered. That's nearly 1000 more Americans killed in Iraq than those killed on Sept. 11. The number of wounded, many maimed for life, approaches 40,000 people.
How many innocent Iraqis, the people we are suppose to be helping, have been killed as a result, directly or indirectly of baby bush's immoral war? Millions of Iraqis have been displaced and expatriated to other nearby nations! Nations that don't want them there, and will not provide for them.
beef33: Thank goodness people like you that do manage to come along once in awhile to abruptly bring us to our senses. All in all, though there are more than a few sons and daughters of Congress either in or served in Iraq, you've centered attention where it belongs. But let me address more, especially to the senator.
Senator Kerry, thank you for a very empathetic article exacting the price of war. But you do not go far enough, especially for a man amongst many with life tenure in the Congress. In addressing the price of this current war, why don't you add up the price of all the wars stemming from the cost of leading the free world during and since WWII. That price has been monstrous and for the most part, except WWII and Korea, has not been shared. This country has sent our youth to die, suffer egregious wounds, accompanied by the deminishing of our national treasure and resources, fighting for other countries' freedom, justice and internal difficulties. Incredibly, the USA has asked for little in return, and little has been given. So the lives of this country's youth and treasure have been sacrificed as other lands, especially European, have prospered -- while holding our coats.
Senator, enough of this killing of our youth and slow diminishing of our country. After this Iraq thing is over, this country should heal and recover. Yes, we can still lead in humantarian relief, but it is time to tell the rest of the world the USA has had enough suffering. Wake up Senator, you share in the Congress' responsibility for the decline of the USA so we'd like to see leadership for this country, for a change.
Thank you CaseyBabes for a direct and accurate assesment sent to Senator Kerry and all members of Congress. One question I have for Mr. Kerry is where were you when the FISA vote was taken???? Missing in action on vacation? It would be nice if we did not have to wait for an arrogant, uneducated neocon to make a disgraceful statement before you, Senator Kerry, stood up and expressed your outrage. Maybe if the outrage were expressed consistently with the hold back of funding for this war, by the Senate and Congress on behalf of their constituents, we would not have Boneheads like Boehner in office.
The Power of the Purse is the only option left and We The People demand that our tax dollars stop funding the killers of our troops and innocent Iraqi's. Yes, it will result in ridicule and lies from the neocon pundits, the neo con's in the administration and in congress, all in order to paint the picture that we, the American people, do not support our troops. I think we are all use to this process and have heard it many times by this Administration ("if you are not with us you are with the terrorists"), well in the words of GWB, "Bring it On". The venom, ridicule and lies of these insane criminals is A SMALL PRICE TO PAY TO STOP THIS WAR AND BRING OUR TROOPS HOME!!!!!
Enough with playing the game of politics, like Reid and Pelosi. It is time for all of those in congress who are against ending this war with a withdrawal plan that will have us out in a year to stand up and be counted. I want every American to know who the real criminals are and who we should not vote for in the future.
CaseyBabe - you don't seem to realize not all wars are the same. For instance, America got into WW2 after Pearl Harbor. The American entrance into that war in Europe merely shortened the war. It was essentially won before the Ameicans arrived. In the Pacific theater many others were fighting long before Pearl Harbor. The "bombing" of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not simply an American achievement. Scientists from other countries worked for the development of the bomb. In fact,America actually profited from the war and you cannot say that about any other country. The Korean war was not necessarily a good thing and it was General Macarthur who crossed the Yalu and brought the Chinese into the war thus making things worse. Vietnam - a disaster of incredible proportions and an entirely American idea. The same reasoning was applied to it as to the war in Iraq. Fight them over there and keep America safe. All those "little" secret wars in central America- thank America. Haiti - wow you must be proud of what was done for that country. Philipines. What an achievement that was. Mexican Wars. Well it did get land that had oil so that profitted the Americans but how about the Mexicans. In fact if you look at some of the biggest American corporations you will see that war is a quick way for them to get money. Bush's grandfather made money illegally off WW2. Sixty ^0) million died in WW@. London was razed. Germany was flattened. Holland was starving. Russia - hey what is twenty million dead compared to what America did. CaseyBabes take a rest. This war is a nightmare. The country is beggared. American children are dieing while you talk about traveling. What are you sacrificing for this invasion of Iraq? Not any sleep I bet.
Don't forget the other costs of this war.
Don't forget the men and women who come back from war forever changed by it.
Don't forget the men and women coming back who can't care for themselves, and need to be cared for as a baby for the rest of their lives.
Don't forget the men and women who come back home, only to find that they can't get out of the war.
And finally,
Don't forget the Iraqi people.
Don't forget the men and women who were just living their lives.
Don't forget the men and women who were happy.
Don't forget the almost 4 million who can't live in their homes anymore.
Don't forget the almost 1 million who are dead.
And don't forget the families of those 1 thousand thousand people who are no longer alive, so that georgie and boehner could "protect" us by making us less safe...
Don't forget that Al Qaeda makes up less than 10% of the insurgency.
And don't forget about all of the lives lost had little or nothing to do with Al Qaeda. They weren't there until recently.
Less also not forget that the insurgents would turn on Al Qaeda if we left. (so wouldn't we achieve victory by leaving?)
And let's not forget that we will NEVER stabilize the Middle East.
Too high a toll, and no accounting
Louisville Courier-Journal - Sep 13 3:08 AMSo, get prepared for more stories of Kentuckians and Hoosiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 19-year-old kids who never had a chance to begin their lives, the 38-year-olds with devastated wives and small children who will never know their fathers.
Windsor Ready To Welcome Home Wounded Soldier | WBNG-TV | Video Archives
WBNG Binghamton - Sep 12 8:36 PMA wounded solider from Windsor will arrive home Wednesday night. Rick Yarosh should land at the Greater Binghamton Airport where the support is waiting.
Soldier Leaves Hospital, Heads To Temporary Home
CBS4 Denver - Sep 12 11:17 AMArmy Staff Sgt. Matthew Keil and his wife, Tracy, left Craig Hospital in Englewood Wednesday for their temporary apartment in Parker.
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Ft. Lewis brigade loses 48th soldier
Seattle Times - Sep 11 12:15 AMAt the end of a 15-month deployment, a Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade lost a 48th soldier: a 27-year-old captain who died on Friday at the Seattle...
http://www
And don't forget that there was no such thing as Al Qaeda in Iraq before bushcheney's invasion.
And lets not forget that a large percentage of the "insurgents" are from Saudi Arabia, not Iran.
Paragraph three is your most salient point, googly4. Al Qaeda cannot sustain itself in Iraq.
How ironic, we killed (indirectly) the only guy in the region able to control disparate factions.
If Bush was sincere about attacking the people feeding the insurgency and those terrorist of 911 , why in the h... has he left Saudi Arabia out of the equation and on top of the list , right behind Bin Laden who is a citizen of Saudi Arabia.
Bush has intirely too much connection with Saudi Arabia and the UEA for me , and given them too much control over our security and manufacturing.
Why are we taking the lies , deceit and destruction of our nation from Cheney , Bush and the republican
They own the news media and we will hear nothing of their deceit unless it has leak out from some other source....
As far as I know, "al qaida" simply translate as "the list"
But I guess you need to whip it up a bit if you want to convince some good well intended young people and a whole population to bomb civilians in a country that has never attacked the U.S.
Wake up folks!!
On the whole, you are good and caring people who have been lied to by a corrupt administration and it's lapgogs.
These really need to be thrown in Jail before they inflame the whole planet.
It translates as "the Base" or "the Foundation"
For what the war in IRAQ has cost so far in DOLLARS the USA could have given every American citizens that owns a home $5,000 to buy and install solar panels. We could have cut our need for forgien oil in 1/2 or more and lowered the amount of polluation spewed into the air from coal fired plants.
Plus we could have been hunting down the terrorist without Bombing and rebuilding a whole country.
Ah yes, but then Bush and his good ol' boys would not be getting as rich, and that would ruin all of his fun.
You are absolutely right about the solar panels, but it will take a democrat with guts to fix this problem. The only dem with guts I've seen so far is Kucinich, for whom I voted in the 2004 primary.
And let's not forget how many YEARS of medical coverage we could have given to every citizen in this country.
I wonder how many of these chicken hawks have "invested" their own in this "crusade for democracy"?! Their children, nieces and nephews?!
Boehner is right about one thing: the future of his kids and their kids ... based on the sacrifices of other's kids!
Not one more dollar
Not one more drop of Blood
For an occupation we can't win
With money we don't have
Our children are dying for NO reason
Get out of Iraq now
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