[Ragtime Cowgirl]

For the most part they are good rules and should not be violated. But there are times when the SHTF that you have to do what you must to save the lives of those you are responsible for, American lives, and accomplish the mission. Colonel West knew his greater responsibility and he performed it, regardless of personal cost. The trait of a true leader in my book.

Thanks, Jeff. Well stated.

I zipped off a few letters to the Army last week, too.

This week I'm wondering whether Col. West is being used by some in the military to incite just such a public reaction.

The Army leadership must have known how many of us would react. Now they can forward OUR outraged letters and press editorials to the ACLU, Amnesty Int'l, DNC, UN - and their powerful terrorist-appeasing pals in the press. Then, when it becomes necessary to use distateful tactics to prevent another potential 9-11, response from the public today may quell protests from the critics tomorrow.

Poohbah has a point. We need to know more.

Glad to be part of the PR effort to silence the appeasers, though.
~~~

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[blackie]

Big Bump For Heroic Col. West!

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[PhilDragoo]

I called to complain about the court martial and was able to give the long version to a live person.

I went through Department of the Army to the Public Affairs and the numbers were

703-588-1934
703-428-0711

The person answering courteously listened and did not immediately slam me to a comment line.

I recall calling Department of Defense in 1997 over Sara Lister's remark the Marine's were a little too extreme.

At that time the background sounded like they were taking heavy incoming and the fellow seemed delighted to be getting it.

I suggest that the people's opinion on this will matter.

I submit that the job of the command in this theater is to prevent us from ever having to see another celebration by looters who blew up a convoy or supply train or downed a helicopter and killed our people.

The job of command is to kill the bad guys and break their toys, not chickenshit on a friendly who doesn't shoot from ambush.

Our methods--if this incident serves as an illumination flare--are not adequate.

If they object to the discharge of the service sidearm, let them train for the method described by our friend another Army colonel which his "killers" used in Vietnam.

His happy countenance wound up on some Viet Cong wanted posters and his people bent some prisoners backwards over logs and poured helmets of water down their nose until they provided the necessary information.

It's your basic Patton: it's not about dying for your country; it's making the other fellow die for his.

[jonno]

Hi RC,

For now, please take me off your Pro-Coalition ping list.

Thanks,
Jon