Posted on 06/25/2006 11:39:12 AM PDT by Dane
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
C-SPAN'S "WASHINGTON JOURNAL"
Call from Cher on C-SPAN Sunday, May 28 at approx. 7:20 a.m. ET
CHER: HELLO?
Host: GOOD MORNING.
CHER: NO, THIS IS MALIBU, CALIFORNIA.
Host: GO AHEAD.
CHER: HI, I HAVE CALLED YOU BEFORE, AND I'M GOING TO TRY TO BE REALLY CALM WHILE I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT I HAVE TO SAY, THIS REGIME IS -- I'VE BEEN ALIVE FOR 11 PRESIDENTS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE. I BELONG TO AN ORGANIZATION CALLED OPERATION HELMET. AND THESE PEOPLE. THE SO-CALLED CHRISTIAN REPUBLICANS HAVE SENT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ARMED FORCES INTO BATTLE WITHOUT THE PROPER HELMETS. THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE THE KEVLAR INSERTS. I WOULD LIKE TO READ SOMETHING, IF YOU WOULD LET ME, FROM ONE OF THE SOLDIERS, HE SAID: "HI, MY NAME IS CORPORAL __, I AM IN THE U.S. MARINES THIRD BATTALION, 4th MARINES WEAPONS COMPANY. THANK YOU FOR THIS ENDEAVOR IT'S TRULY GREAT WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. I HAVE BEEN IN IRAQ TWICE, WE ARE SLATED TO GO BACK, ALMOST ALL OF OUR SENIOR GUYS ARE GETTING OUT. WE HAVE AROUND 80% NEW GUYS IN DEPLOYMENT. WE DO NOT HAVE -- WE DON'T HAVE THE ARMOR FOR OUR HMVs. WE ALSO HAVE HAD TO USE OLD HELMETS, AND WE WOULD TRULY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD DONATE THIS TO OUR CAUSE BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY MEN WHO ARE GETTING -- THERE ARE SO MANY MEN WHO ARE HAVING HEAD WOUNDS. AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD PLEASE HELP US BUY THESE INSERTS." SO I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS GOVERNMENT CAN SEND MEN INTO WAR WITHOUT THE PROPER HELMETS, WITHOUT THE PROPER ARMOR FOR THEIR HUMVEES.
AND I HAVE PERSONALLY HELPED THIS DR. MEADER WITH HIS OPERATION HELMET, GATHER $116,000 SO THAT WE COULD PUBLICLY DO WHAT THE ARMY IS NOT DOING. I AM SORRY I'M EMOTIONAL ABOUT THIS, I AM SO PISSED OFF AT THESE PEOPLE. I HAVE FINALLY JUST HAD ENOUGH OF THEM.
HOST: HOW DID THIS GET UNDERWAY?
CHER: DR. MEADE HAD A GRANDSON AND HE WAS SAYING THEY WERE REALLY NERVOUS BECAUSE THEY WERE HAVING TO USE USED HELMETS AND HAD NO KEVLAR INSERTS, AND THE ARMY WAS SAYING THEY HAD RUN OUT OF MONEY FOR THIS PARTICULAR THING. THE WORST WOUNDS ARE HEAD WOUNDS AND AMPUTATIONS. SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW OUR GOVERNMENT... I MEAN, THIS PRESIDENT WHO CLAIMS TO BE A CHRISTIAN, HOW CAN A CHRISTIAN SEND PEOPLE INTO HARM'S WAY AND NOT MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF? SO, YOU KNOW, IF HE BELIEVES IN HELL, I WOULD BE REALLY NERVOUS IF I WAS HIM.
HOST: THE WEBSITE IS OPERATION- HYPHEN-HELMET.ORG AND YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THIS?
CHER: I AM ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT DONATED TO IT.
HOST: IS THIS CHER?
CHER: YEAH.
HOST: THANK YOU FOR CALLING THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU PHONED?
CHER: YEAH, I KNOW THAT I AM AN ENTERTAINER AND FROM HOLLYWOOD AND SHOULDN'T HAVE A CONSCIENCE BUT I AM AN AMERICAN AND I CANNOT BEAR THESE PEOPLE FOR ANOTHER MOMENT.
HOST: DO YOU THINK WE WILL SEE MORE OF YOU AND OTHERS SPEAKING OUT ON THE WAR?
CHER: ACTUALLY I HAVE TO GO WITH DR. MEADERS TO GO TO CONGRESS. HE HAS TO GO AND MEET THEM, BECAUSE SOMEHOW THE ARMY SEEMS TO THINK THAT HE IS CREATING A BREACH BETWEEN SOLDIERS AND THE ARMY AND NOT LETTING THEM HAVE CONFIDENCE, YOU KNOW, IN THE ARMY, SO HE'S HAVING TO MEET WITH PEOPLE OF THE PENTAGON FOR SOME OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND HE'S QUITE NERVOUS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE HE'S JUST DONE ALL OF THIS BY HIMSELF. HE'S JUST A GRANDFATHER.
HOST: WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BE IN WASHINGTON?
CHER: I THINK IT'S THE 14th BECAUSE HE'S SO NERVOUS ABOUT GOING THERE, HE'S AFRAID OF WHAT THEY WILL DO WITH HIM AND ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IS LOU DOBBS SO I CALLED LOU TO GET THIS PREPARATION BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE AND I AM JUST GOING TO BE WITH HIM. SO, LOOK, HE'S JUST A GREAT MAN TRYING TO DO SOMETHING FOR HIS GRANDSON, AND HIS GRANDSON SAID, LOOK, I CAN'T TAKE THE HELMET INSERTS, UNLESS YOU CAN GET IT FOR ALL OF THE REST OF MY BROTHERS.
Host: HOW MUCH DO THESE INSERTS COST?
CHER: I THINK IT'S $79 AND $99, TWO DIFFERENT PRICES FOR THE DIFFERENT SIZE HELMETS.
HOST: WELL, WHEN YOU ARE HERE ON JUNE 14th, WHY DON'T YOU STOP ON BY AND TAKE SOME CALLS AND COME ON THE WASHINGTON JOURNAL.
CHER: OKAY, HE'S A VERY WONDERFUL MAN.
HOST: CHER, THANK YOU FOR CALLING BACK, WE APPRECIATE IT. KEEP WATCHING.
You interpret Cher's motives and actions any way you want....let your conscience be your guide.
As regarding labeling, judgments, analysis, interpretation....I am only responding to your posts.
I continue to find it sad that folks would accept her so called 'help' while allowing her to say junk things about our President.
To me her qualifiers/conditions are unconscionable....and I call it 'compromise.'
No problem Guenevere. I respect your opinion, and your right to have it.
However (and you knew that was coming). Remember that while the president term ends in a couple of years, I doubt the war on terror will. Will you feel this same way if a Democrat wins the Whitehouse?
The WOT and the safety of the troops is far more important than any one man or any cabinet.
That's my opinion.
It is never my intention on FreeRepublic to argue with & aggravate anyone...
I feel/think strongly about certain issues...
..most of us here do.
I never want or intend to argue for argument's sake.....
Think/feel what you want....
Our military is working hard to defend and protect us...
..but they are being lied about....their good deeds go untold or unpublished....their heroics are overlooked.
They deserve the best and I believe with my whole heart our President and his cabinet, especially the Dept. of Defense...want the best for them.--
But continuously, every day, day after day after day, our President and Donald Rumsfeld get raked over the coals for what they do or don't do.....every single day!
There are many good citizens who are quietly working to help the military or as an adjunct to what the government is doing in providing help and sustenance to our troops....
...everything from much needed supplies to homebaked cookies.
Everyday, there are countless people looking after our troops.....and remembering them in thought, word, deed and prayer.
These are mostly unknown folk.....folk who don't call attention to themselves....folk who don't have an axe to grind, or ulterior motive....
...who simply want to help any way they can.
IMO, Cher is not one of them....whatever help she gives is given with a price....I find that very sad.
But defend her if you will....I won't.
Having said this....I've wasted far too much time and energy on this thread...
..This computer will be turned off now and my time and effort will be given to needful things.
Thanks!
I wish Cher and the Dems were this proactive when the President they helped elect to two terms was shredding the Defense Budget. They fail to see their culpability in these matters.
You can bet if it was Clinton, she would be praising what Clinton is doing in Iraq.
What an excellent point.
But defend her if you will....I won't.
- - - - -
HELLO????
I'm still rather incredulous that anyone could construe my words as
defending HER!
I don't mind defending any ACTIONS IN BEHALF OF THE GOOD OF OUR TROOPS.
If you have terminal difficulty distinguishing between defending a PERSON and defending a specific action . . . than that's a problem I'm sure I would fail trying to help you with.
I wish Cher and the Dems were this proactive when the President they helped elect to two terms was shredding the Defense Budget. They fail to see their culpability in these matters.
- - - -
SCREAM IT FROM THE HOUSETOPS AND IN EVERY MEDIA.
AMEN TO THAT!
Your welcome. : )
Apology accepted.
By the way, if it was Jane Fonda trying to get these helmuts I would have a whole other reaction. She was just plain treasonous.
I think I'm a little more sympathetic to Cher because I figure she must not be too bad if Sonny put up with her.
Where was her outrage over the defunding of our military?
Did anyone hear her speak out, even once, against Bill Clinton.
Well said, Wristpin!
As Janeane Garofalo put it, "it's just not cool to protest Clinton's wars."
"Oh, come on.
It's DINNERTIME in some time zones, ya know..."
OK, then she can run around for me. I'm lonely and desperate.
AGREED.
I was wandering through the channels just now...and on Bravo, she had a small opening chat...(before she left to 'entertain' the troops in Iraq)...
..and I kid you not...
She started with how much she hates the present administration (that would be President Bush)..and how she can't trust them....etc.
..and how she would love to bring back Bill Clinton's administration, because ...like...(she said) what's wrong with a little 'whiz' on a dress.
She also said...(I can't make this stuff up)....that she would b*** Bill herself if it would bring him back.
She was filthy minded and foul mouthed....
..it then showed her flying to Iraq...
Good mercy, will there be folks on this forum saying how wonderful a person she is for entertaining the troops...
..and let slide what she said about the President and Bill Clinton?
I've never been a fan of hers, but I naively thought she was supportive of this administration.
She was one sick puppy....I've left out much of what she said.
Vaguely know about her. Is she some big hair redhead with a really annoying valley girl voice?
The whole episode is about her going to Iraq...
..but she prefaces it with her diatribe about Bush and the administration...and her hate for them.
Then she says that doesn't mean she's not patriotic....Sheesh
I think we need to be a bit more discerning who we send to Iraq to entertain the troops.
Signed,
Cherisafruit
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