Draft-Dodger John Cornyn Insults our Veterans and Troops

Yesterday, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Noriega released his military records, detailing 27 years of proud service in the Army National Guard. I'm sure that even as I write this, the hatchet men of John Cornyn, Colonel Noriega's Republican opponent in this November's Texas Senate race, are combing through his records in a futile effort to smear an American hero who has served his country honorably at home, and abroad in Afghanistan.

Cornyn won't find anything he can use against Noriega, though, so it's clear what he intends to do instead: mark my words, John Cornyn is going to wage a war against our men and women in uniform. In fact, Cornyn's campaign has already started. His spokesman yesterday accused Noriega's many vet supporters of being "pawns" in this campaign, implying that they lacked the ability to make up their own minds.

It's one thing to attack your opponent -- that's what Noriega signed up for when he entered this race. But to attack our heroic veterans and our brave men and women in uniform is really just too much.

The veterans who Cornyn is insulting are men and women who have forgotten more about honor than John Cornyn will ever know. It is outrageous that a man who dodged the draft back in 1971 dares to attack the integrity of men and women who have served honorably.

I call on Mr. Cornyn to disavow his campaign's insulting reference, and to apologize to our troops and veterans. Chicken hawks like Cornyn sit on their perches, far away from danger, but they have no idea what troops go through.

I guess that's why he's consistently voted against giving us the equipment and training that we need to succeed in the field, and seems to have no problem insulting the honor of our men and women in uniform. He's out of touch, out of line, and frankly, Texans deserve better.

In the meantime, John Cornyn should know that he's got a fight on his hands. He's stirred up a hornet's nest of trouble with veterans like myself, Jon Soltz, and many, many others.

I guess it's a sign of how afraid Cornyn is that it's only February and he's already going negative against his opponent. On this one score, I agree with John Cornyn. He should be afraid.

Please click here to contribute to Rick Noriega's efforts to turn Texas blue.

Comments

[RTOTrainer]

I live in Texas.

I am a National Guard member and have been for almost 14 years.

I have been to Afghanistan, twice.

Rick Noriega deserves critcism and scorn. He's willing to give away every gain and invalidate every sacrifice we've made, in Afghanistan as well as Iraq.

I'm not.

It'd also be nice if folks from Virgina would stay out of our Texas politics. Don't mess with us and I won't go after Jim "McGovern II" Webb.

[JacobSinger]

Here's a scenario for you:

Four guys walk into a crowded bank, whip out guns, and begin a robbery. They didn't expect any of the customers to be carrying guns, but the are--and they shoot back. The four guys fight off the customers, killing most of them, but fail to get out with the money--in fact, they fail to get of the bank at all...they're trapped there.

In all of this chaos, one would-be bank robber stands out; he has fought bravely to defend his partners in crime, and has killed quite a few tellers and customers in his partners' defense.

By current standards, as applied to our military, one can only assume that he is a HERO.

****

I will NEVER dispute that there are brave men & women in Iraq fighting in a war, on our behalf, where our government wrongly sent them into battle. I am positive that many of them are brave and should be respected for their service.

But there are NO HEROES IN IRAQ. Heroes, IMO, do NOT engage in criminal activity, and every single aspect of our presence in Iraq in CRIMINAL. That does not, IMO, make these people criminals--but distinctly disqualifies them from ever being heroes, and I dare say that most who might receive that label would rightly reject it.

[existentist]

I live in Texas and just voted for Noriega in the primary. I'm donating to and supporting his campaign.

[hardlyhikin]

So what's new? Practically every neo-con in the administration is either a draft dodger or a weekend warrior who never showed up. Start with Bush, then there's "I had other things to do" Cheney, Carl Rove, Trent Lott, Tom Delay, Doug Feigh, Rush Limbaugh, Joe Scarborough. God, I can't even remember all of them anymore. They should all be run out of town on a rail if you ask me.

[nippersdad]

I just love to watch Republicans smear and degrade their own natural constituencies. This past couple of years have been wonderful for watching them cannibalize each other.

Naturally socially conservative, the latino vote should have been a cake walk for them, as would be the black vote had they not discriminated against blacks from time out of memory. The lower middle class, eager for their piece of the pie, are going to be hearing a lot about how the pie they had was looted from them by their "Party of business" leaders. The religious right can't get any love and are slowly breaking off into a third Party constituency led by a rodent eating Huckster.

Now they are going after the staunchest patriots (my country right or wrong) and most authoritarian minded segment of society, the military. It is going to be really rich watching the military rank and file desert the so called "law'n order", "security Party'.

Pretty soon, all that will be left will be the 1%, a few assorted nutjobs and their service industry. Goodbye Republican Party! Don't let the door hit ya on the way out.

Now we just have to make sure that the Democratic Party does not take over their political bandwidth.............Beware, nature abhors a vacuum.

[JakeEasy]

I would hope, But what I see over and over is that as soon as soldiers leave the service and become a part of the veteran's groups, they begin supporting republicans. it's almost like fraternity hazing - the I went through it so they should too.

That the VFA and other ex-military support killing soldiers for no reason is unfathomable.

[nippersdad]

Hello Jake!

Thank you for your service and I am sorry that your good faith has been so abused the last few years.

Question: VFA or VFW? And, how long do you think this dynamic will last in the face of Rep. backed falling budgets for veterans services? Sincerely, I wonder how much pull the VFW can have on those who cannot get PTSD treatments, etc.

[Thorn]

I'm amazed that anyone in any party still has the audacity to throw mud at someone who didn't happen to serve in the military.

[theDrip]

Corporations and their ruling class control Texas government. Period. Money from oil, gas, cotton, rice, telecoms, financial money changers, and the bigoted conservative Christian ministries have effectively corrupted our state house even when the Democrats ran the state. The Dems just rationalized their benign neglect of social justice.

The ruling class commands the rigged system inherited from the racist Plantation economy. To take on this monolith requires a well endowed savings account capable of battling the Oil and Ag barons.

My experience working in governmental and corporate entities in this state over the years revealed a total disregard for the common worker and an apathetic fear on the part of the most workers. The Bush regime raised the arrogance of our ruling class to almost epic proportions. Master Cornyn doesn't even accept emails from his constituents. Miss Kay says if we talk about withdrawing from Iraq, we are murdering our soldiers. I feel that way every time I turn on a light switch in the house or burn petroleum in my truck. The real problem here and in the rest of the world is our carbon energy fuel dependency. We are defending investors' and shareholders' value -- their oil and their pipelines across the Middle East from Pakistan to Libya.

Even in the face of facts, the ruling class continues to live in delusion. It's easier than accepting responsibility for driving that bus into the ditch. Excuse me. I believe I am being summons for not believing enough to get the bus out of the ditch. I claim the Dennis Miller defence. "That's my opinion and I could be wrong...".

[gtsagan]

Ummmmmmmmmm, just a small thing, dude, but it isn't the "Army National Guard." It is either a "[state name] National Guard" or "Army Reserve." National Guards are under the authority of each state's governor unless and until "federalized" for national emergency or war; the Army Reserve is under the authority of the president.

[pfc1369]

Let's see. There are Army National Guard recruiting centers, an Army National Guard website with all the info, shoulder patches with a minuteman surrounded by the words "Army National Guard," etc. And you say there is no Army National Guard. Odd

[Feb29]

I live in Texas.

I just sent an e-mail to John Cornyn telling him what I think of him & his tactics. Then, I sent $100 to Rick Noriega's campaign.

[JakeEasy]

Texas is a lovely place to live in many respects, but the absolute idiocy of the majority of voters is an embarrassment. Faced with obvious shills for Bush, oil, pharma, etc, Texans walk like zombies into the booths and vote straight repub. School teachers vote to support candidates who hate and abuse them. Doctors vote to elect candidates who undercut their best practices. Parents keep sending the meanest, stingiest, most corrupt candidates to Austin and Washington where they cut children's insurance and rubber stamp a system that is horrendous for our youth. Veterans cheer the very people that send soldiers to die for no reason.

Maybe it's something in the Shiner Bock or something about good music. It just rots whatever judgement would let them be wise. Rick Noriega is a an honorable and able man. I have campaigned and supported him and will vote for him. Probably has no chance at all. It is all very sad.

[DemandTruth]

John Cornyn and other chickenhawks call the troops pawns because they are projecting. In fact, pawns are ALL they want the troops to be. To pose for Republican "We support the troops!" photo-ops, but otherwise shut their mouths and follow orders (vote Republican). To them, that's all you are. Pawns to be played on the big chessboard of War. Pawns to be the first to be sacrificed - to stand in front of and protect the King. Make no mistake. They call you pawns, because that's all you are to them. All you'll ever be. In fact, because of the way the military works, with the chain of command - so many are unable to speak up for themselves or speak their true hearts and minds while actively serving. The system is set up that way for a reason, I know. But it does help to propagate the idea of soldiers as unthinking, obeying pawns. When you stand up for yourselves, and stop being their pawns, they decide you are "phony soldiers".

America - haven't we had ENOUGH of the hypocrites? Haven't we had enough of chickenhawks sending our treasure off to kill and die for their megalomaniacal warmongering whims?

Whoop their asses, Noriega!
Hooagh!