Posted on 03/08/2006 12:31:46 AM PST by CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC
I kid you not!
Our local paper forbids FRposting of their stuff, but who cares? I WAS THERE at the dinner! Here's exactly what I saw.
Friday night the Larimer County (COLO) GOP's Annual Lincoln Day Dinner went flawlessly. Or so we thought. Between the food and the main event (great speech by Congressman Mike Pence (R) Indiana), they made countless introductions of every GOP office holder in the room, of everyone running for office, of everyone sent to represent someone running, etc.
Then they asked every veteran or active serviceperson in the room to rise to be honored. They collectively got a standing ovation and the longest applause of the night. In addition to that, there were two young Marines present in uniform who were particularly singled out. They were guests of their dates, two lovely young ladies who are active Republicans - one of whom was a leader of our county's 96-Hour Campaign in '04. (I believe one of these couples is engaged). Both of the Marines had served in Iraq, one of them for two tours, as I remember.
Along with everyone else at this formal affair who was dressed to the hilt (even me!), the Marines were arrayed in their best. They were each asked to walk to the front, where a few sentences were said, and then they received standing ovations. Both smiled and waved and sat down again. That was it!! Do you see anything scandalous here?
Apparently it was a single photo that triggered the online moonbats into a crazed frenzy. The Ft. Collins Coloradoan took this picture of a smiling Marilyn Musgrave - who was the emcee for the evening - applauding the young Marine she had just introduced:
The photo accompanied this article in the Saturday paper --- Politicians huddle to refine message - GOP looks to filling promises on budget, values and again in an article today that discussed the moonbat's nationwide reaction to the photo --- Uniformed soldiers at GOP event raise hackles - Photo published in Coloradoan sparks debate of Pentagon's rules
The alleged controversy is due to a DOD rule that "prohibits active military personnel from participating in partisan political meetings while in uniform," according to the Coloradoan. Huh?? Just what does the word "participation" mean? If they had been invited by the GOP to speak to the gathering, then yes, that sounds like it would have broken the DOD's rules. But they never said a word to us! And the GOP never even invited them there; they were with dates. The plan to honor them for a few seconds was spontaneously conceived at the event itself.
Is the idea of honoring military members and vets at their own functions such an alien, disgusting, thought to Democrats, that they naturally see something sinister when this happens at a GOP event? Apparently! According to today's article, the photo "touched off a firestorm from national political writers and Web bloggers who say the party is using the military as public relations props." These include a columnist for the Washington Monthly and The Hill, and Leftist blogs americablog.blogspot.com and truthdig.com, at leaat as of Tuesday.
But the coverage shows signs of widening. I've heard there will be yet more articles. Nancy Hunter, the County Chairwoman, told me that CNN and TIME have contacted her. Whether these MSM heavies decide to pick up the story from the blogs and run with it remains to be seen.
Nancy has also received a lot of email due to this - everything from people telling her she will soon be rotting in jail, to people telling her she will be rotting in hell - ie the full spectrun of Liberal thought patterns regarding Conservatives.
I guess we'll soon enough know if this is going to spread or not. If the MSM concludes that it will backfire on them more than it will help them, you can bet it will blow over very quickly.
I also think that since the Dems know that military/security/terrorism issues are what cost them big in the last few elections, they are going to do all in their power to nullify that issue. One obvious way would be to lie long enough and loudly enough about GOP "misuse" of military personnel, that many in the middle actually start believing the lie, and experience a negative gut reaction when the GOP says anything about the military.
Fivetoes - you were there at the Lincoln Day Dinner. Any more thoughts on this?
Ft. Collins / N. Colo PING!
When someone from Time, or Newsweak, or CNN, or the NYT calls to get your 'take' on what happened.
Tell them to go f*** themselves. Then hang up the phone.
If everyone does it...no story.
The only way this should be discussed publicly is if someone receives a subpoena.
Till then, keep the hole under your noses closed.
Just my two cents.
L
Sometimes people have to say to hell with political Bull**it and raise their glass and toast the good guys.
If the legacy press doesn't like it, they can go pound sand.
Semper Fi
Since no one in uniform will go willingly to a DUmmy function, they gotta whine about something.
OK folks, let me get this straight: A) One political party regularly honors all veterans and active duty military members present at their meetings, and: B) One party does NOT regularly engage in this kind of thank-you to those who are putting their lives on the line for us all.
Please explain to me again, just WHICH of the above is supposed to be the scandalous behavior?
The local head of party (B) accused party (A) of "wanting to get votes". That's certainly not an accusation we can throw at party (B), apparently.
And there were more scandals at party (A)'s dinner than you've been told! Were you aware that they also said the Pledge of Allegiance - the version with the words "under ***" that has clearly been declared illegal by the very finest courts?!? (Sorry I can't show the offensive word, as this is a family paper). And did you know someone said a PRAYER before dinner? Aieeee!!! Separation of church and state! And there were also rumors (this newspaper should investigate ASAP) that some registered members of party (A) are married to active duty service members! Scary, or what?!
But the local (B) party leadership has obviously not yet read the memo from national HQ instructing them to do a 180 on "the military thing". Recent news items regarding party (B)'s latest desperate attempts to retake Congress have highlighted their efforts to recruit Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who belong to party (B) to run for office this year.
WOW! This clearly shows party (B) has hit absolute rock bottom in the desperation category. In order for them to hold their noses and recruit veterans as candidates - this, the same party whose hero in the White House was famous for his quote about "loathing the military" - this shows you how desperate they've become. Better watch out folks, because for them, this is the absolute LAST step they would take to regain power before being forced to resort to suicide bombings.
Better recheck your Inbox for that important memo from HQ, guys! (No doubt by the time of their own upcoming dinner, the local (B) party will be singing from the new pages in their national chorus book. I'll bet they even go so far as to Say The Pledge! Of course they'll have to put the words up on the overhead. And beg the newspapers not to take photos of some members shoving their middle fingers defiantly in the air. And they'll need to rustle up one of those jingoistic regulation American flags - yucky poo! - that have 50 stars, instead of their favorite version with the 50 corporate logos.)
Where's the picture of you dressed to the nines?
AD troops "may not attend partisan political events as an official representative of the Armed Forces."
Neither can we "Speak before a partisan political gathering of any kind for promoting a partisan political party or candidate".
The Marines were present as escorts of invited guests, and not guests themselves. Since the evening was in formal attire, the Marines wore the appropriate military attire for the occasion.
Their presence was acknowledged by the assembly, though they were not invited to address the assembly.
In accordance with the directive, no violation occured.
So, my perfectly legitimate opinion to the Coloradan's umbrage can be listed thus:
081200C MAR 2006
///// U N C L A S S I F I E D /////
FM: OLD SARGE
TO: FT. COLLINS COLORADAN
ATT: EDITOR
SU: MY LEGITIMATE MILITARY OPINION
1. SCREW YOU.
2. NOTHING FOLLOWS.
EOM/EOM/EOM
Word picture only! - Polished black shoes, suit pants, suit coat that matches pants (I've been told that's very rare for an engineer to own a matching set), dress shirt, and red, white & blue tie.
Thanks!! I had hoped someone would know where to find these. And you have confirmed what I've thought all along.
Oops! Forgot to mention the Marilyn Musgrave bright red sticker proudly worn above one suit coat pocket!
I'm trying to picture it but one of your huge protest signs keeps blocking out the mental image.
The left really "supports the troops", don't they? First chance they think they can score some political points, they're more than willing to throw one of them under a bus.
Why doesn't it surprise me that the left would single out two men in uniform to harass? Evidently the left thinks men in uniform can't attend dark rituals where men in uniform are still revered. It's surprising to me that the left can get more than 50,000 votes nationally after they way they have misbehaved over the last 15 years.
This is outrageous! I recomend that Marilyn Musgrave and Nancy Hunter set the record straight with CNN & TIME and let them know that if they falsely report this news and try to smear these good Marines or anyone else at this event, they can expect a lawsuit. I'm dead serious!
And that, ladies and gents, is just a little taste of what Old Sarges and Salty Chiefs can do! Bravo, Sarge!
The Coloradoan has surely gone down hill since I lived in Ft. Collins - 1964.
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