Just wanted to update you - it’s been officially noted. No connection between Saddam and Al Queda. FYI.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1891857.htm

I’ve had FOUR BROTHERS in Vietnam (one is on the wall in DC), nephews and nieces and my own DAUGHTER in the military! THEY ALL JOINED WILLINGLY wanting to PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS TO FREEDOM. No one was dragged into the recruiters office nor was anyone promised a rose garden. They were told that if they join the military they are LITERALLY SACRIFICING THEIR LIVES FOR OUR COUNTRY!

I remember speaking to the Commander at my daughter’s military graduation. I asked if my daughter would be spared Iraq because she was a female. His response was: “Mom, your daughter joined the Marines to give up her right to live. Expect her to go to war and lose her life because that’s reality. She may come home—if she’s lucky”. I walked away shocked. I never in all my life realized that these young men and women are actually giving their lives up for this country. They are told to expect death. But yet, everyday, men and women willingly walk into a recruiter’s office and surrender their lives.

My daughter, by the way, has a bachelor’s degree. She worked for Public Works in the engineering department before giving it up to join the Marines. She is an artist, plays the basson and every musical instrument you give her with the exception of bag pipes. She is beautiful, intelligent and charming. Yet, she has chosen to give up of herself so America can continue to be America.

I wasn’t happy at all when she joined the Marines. Especially since I’ve lost a brother in Vietnam (who volunteered to go back to Vietnam for a second time even though he survived the first time. He said he had to go help his friend’s out). I asked my daughter if she understood the ramification of joining the military and her response was: “mom, I would rather die fighting for our country than in some car accident. When it’s my time to die, I am going to die regardless of where I am”.

So, for protestors to assume that the military is dragging everyone into their office and promising a rose garden, it’s ludicrus! These men and women CHOSE to go there and sign up! By saying the recruiter’s office are luring young people into the military is to assume that those signing up are stupid.

If protestors don’t want their sons, daughters or grandchildren to be pulled into the military unwillingly, then they better knock it off! Because the only other choice for protecting our country is the DRAFT! Perhaps that would be more fair.

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN MOTHER WITH A MARINE DAUGHTER SERVING OUR COUNTRY! GOD BLESS MY NIECE IN THE ARMY WHO IS ON HER WAY TO SERVE 16 MONTHS IN AFGHANISTAN!

Protest is a constitutionally protected right and if they’re following the law, let them do it. If it gets out of line, arrest them.

This from Michelle Malkin about the Left’s war on the military recruiters.
Ideas have consequences. Inaction has consequences. For the past several years, I’ve chronicled the Left’s escalating war on military recruiters–and the……

The real issue here is free speech and the rights of all concerned. A potential recruit has the right to go a recruitment office to discuss enlisting. If he doesn’t agree with the war he won’t show up.

Anti-war activists have the right to express their opinion. In Tacoma, at the mall, that means picketing on sidewalks. If that is what they do on March 15th, then I’ll celebrate their right to free speech, even though I disagree, knowing that the recruit who enlists is volunteering to protect their right to free speech.

However, if they try to interfere with the potential recruit’s right to enlist in the military, with the recruiter’s right to do his job, with the rights of patrons of the mall or even if they simply protest on mall property (interfering with the rights of the people who own and operate the mall) then they will have crossed the line of legality. Also, if they damage any property that belongs to someone else then they have committed vandalism.

At the point where laws are broken the authorities should take appropriate action and either cite or arrest the violators. Prosectutors should then do their job and prosecute the (alleged) offenders.

On a personal level, I would hope that the anti-war activists would take a moment to thank the armed forces for protecting their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

And on a political level I think the City of Tacoma needs to understand that having the bases in our area benefits us all. They’ve been taking them for granted for a long time, just like they did with Russell. Now we’re facing losing Russell, which is something that I think this city can survive economically. Losing the bases is a different matter. If any of the bases close the economic loss to the city would be devastating, not to mention the disruption of the lives of the military families that would be unnecessarily relocated. Tacoma would become a ghost town. Think Flint, MI.

I’m not saying I would prefer to fight the war here. I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy of the whole argument.

As for the 9/11 - Iraq connection, it’s very well documented and more information is coming out as more documents from Saddam’s files are translated. He had many ties to terrorists, all of whom vowed to kill Americans. In addition, Bush’s intent was to fight terrorists over there, so the fact that more terrorists went to Iraq to fight us simply means that his strategy worked.

I disagree that our military is necessarily making sure that an attack like 9/11 never happens to anyone in this country. Most experts in terrorism say that another attack like 9/11 will occur, it’s just a matter of time, military action or no. Where that attack will happen is an unknown. And playing up the fact that someone I know and love could have been a target is unfairly making the argument emotional.

Let me also state that bringing up 9/11 in the context of a discussion regarding a protest about Iraq is interesting. Considering the fact that 9/11 had nothing to do with Iraq until our President decided to make one up.

Ensie - if you’ll read the news release you’ll see that the protesters will be handing out anti-military literature. And there are ways to express opposition to a war without breaking laws, interfering with the ability of innocent people to earn a living or interfering with the military’s mission, which by the way, is to protect you, too. Remember that Seattle was also on an early list of terrorist targets prior to 9/11 and there are a lot of people who commute from Tacoma to Seattle, some of whom may work in the building that would have been the target. Innocent people that you know and care about could have died that day. Our military is making sure that never happens to anyone else in our country.