March 26, 2003
ASK DONALD RUMSFIELD
When I heard that the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld, was making himself available to answer questions about the war in Iraq, I couldn't resist. You shouldn't either.
Posted by Mikal at March 26, 2003 9:20 PM
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WHY ARE UDOING 1 YEAR ROTATIONS, I THINK IT SHOULD BE 6 MONTH ROTATION, THESE GUYS ARE GETTING BURNED OUT, AND THERE FAMLIES ARE SUFFERING, THERE ARE ALOT OF GI'S, GIVE THE OTHERS A CHANCE TO DO WHAT THEY TRAINED FOR.
It is my understanding that my grandson will be ordered to remain in Baghdad until april of '04 and I am absolutely amazed that whoever is making these decisions does not realize that these troops have to be completely drained by now. Are we so depleted of troops that we have to ask the unthinkable of these soldiers? My grandson told me that he was proud to be doing the job that was asked of him and that he thought that it was important to stabilize that part of the world in order to keep our country safe, but I have heard the depression in his voice lately and he has expressed the disappointment of being told that they were being sent home at a date that is reversed and now that it has changed again to a much later date. How long can these boys be alert and helpful to our cause locked into the hell hole of Iraq? Haven't these troops done their part and isn't it time to send in some fresh troops? Please reconsider and let these guys come home for their sake and for their families and also for the country. Hopefully yours. Micki
Lets start a Reserve/ Nat'l Guard Draft. Save The USA big bucks, most entry level pay is not that large. It would also help the unemployement situation. Train the troops now before we need them.
History shows when we need them we need them. We do not have time to build an Army like we did in WWII.
Mr Rumsfield
I was currently medivac from iraq, i was one of the lucky ones. I will be having surgery on my hears to repair the damage done by an IED. My reason to contact you is i would like to ask for a military coin from you and it would mean more then the Purple Heart (if i get one). Well thank you for your time.
SSG Hart, Wesley G
HHB 4-42 FA
Fort Hood, TX 76544
u r all idiots just let the man be!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so proud to have a man like Donald Runsfield as Sec of Defense. He has the courage of his convictions (of which I agree totally) and I feel that his ideas concerning the pentagon are absolutely on track. However, I do believe we should reinstate the draft. I fear that the reserves will opt out of the reserves when they retrn and leave us under manned.
I have been uncussessful in finding an email address for Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfield, so am posting this letter here in the hopes that someone in the Defense Dept. will forward it to his office:
Dear Secretary Rumsfield,
Because of the steadily increasing number of military deaths in Iraq it is almost certain that the majority of Americans will fairly soon say "enough" and demand that we leave. Viet Nam is not that dim a memory. There is no doubt that for the U.S. to leave before Iraq is democratized would be a disaster of lasting consequence to us and the world.
It is understandable that most Americans do not understand the complexity of the situation and are mystified about our seeming inability to get a handle on these fanatics with their unlimited access to explosives and other terror weapons. For the coalition to be able to vanquish vast organized Iraqi military groups so handily and appear to be almost helpless to deal with a relatively small group of terrorists mystifies the average American.
I feel the common view is that we simply are using the wrong tactics, being much more careful to protect the opinion that other world nations have of the U.S. than taking the actions that will rid Iraq (and the population of world terrorists) of these fanatical hoodlums. I suggest that it's time to "take off the gloves" and fight terrorists using the same rule book they do. After all, there is a relatively finite number of these terrorists. Keep new ones from entering Iraq and hunt down and kill the ones already in country.
Yes, I know that is what our military (hobbled as always by the politicians) is doing its best to accomplish right now, with at best limited success. If our military is freed to take really effective action to eliminate these criminals, American deaths and the number of free terrorists would quickly decrease and we could get on with the business of rebuilding and democratizing Iraq. If we don't Iraq will soon turn into Viet Nam revisited and world terrorists will win. Make no mistake, Iraq is where the war on terrorism will be won or lost,
What does it take to win? Consider this plan, which is designed to encourage/force the citizens of Iraq to cooperate with the coalition forces in bringing these terrorists out into the open, where we can kill or capture them once and for all.
1: Weapons are the tools of their trade. Offer a ten-day amnesty to any Iraqi who delivers to us explosives, missiles, RPG's and any other military weapons. Set up a "bounty" payment schedule as an additional incentive. Expensive, yes, but how much do you feel one American soldier's life is worth?
2: At the end of the amnesty period initiate widespread daytime patrols in appropriate areas to search out hidden weapons. If found, arrest and incarcerate any Iraqi with any connection whatever to the premises. Yes, I know that Iraq is a big country with lots of hiding places. I also know that the word of successful search/capture and incarceration will quickly spread among terrorists groups. Undoubtedly at some point the general Iraqi population will become convinced that we truly have the will to rid their country of these criminals and will become much more cooperative in turning in known/suspected terrorists to our military. Without their cooperation there is no chance whatever that we will ever be able to end terrorist activities in Iraq.
We don't have to do this all over Iraq - just concentrate on where we already know the terrorists concentrate. And when we get results make sure that they are publicized, widely throughout Iraq. Keep in mind that their former leader literally hung the bodies of his enemies from lamp posts as an example. It was very effective!
3: Once apprehended, incarcerate these terrorists in a manner that will ensure none return to make further mischief. In the desert of Iraq, far, far from any human settlement, establish an internment camp with nothing more than the barest of facilities. Food to maintain life, barely. The same sort of sanitary facilities they used before. No activities, none, nada, zilch. Let them use their waking hours to reflect on the error of their ways, plot new terror, whatever, just make sure that their lives are as bleak as it is possible to make it. Then, every once in awhile, return one to the area of his capture to spread the word of what awaits captured terrorists. After a week or so catch him up and return him to the camp. I suspect that many less-dedicated terrorists will reflect on whether THEY want to stay the course.
Isolate this camp, allow no journalists, no Red Crescent, no outside contact at all. Can't do this? You forget the Taliban and Gitmo. Yes, we CAN do this and damn what the prissy nations not at risk say. We are at war, and should operate by war rules. And we want to win the war!
4: When we turn Iraq back to the Iraqi's, let them decide what to do with these incarcerated terrorists. I suspect many will not return from their remote desert prison. Which is exactly the way it should be. And world opinion can not hold us responsible.
As these terrorists are now steadily decimating our military personnel, we CAN just as steadily and in far greater numbers decimate their ranks. But only if we adopt "rules of engagement" that will truly be effective.
5: In those towns/areas of substantial terrorist activities establish and enforce a dusk to dawn curfew for EVERYONE. Make sure the Iraqi's understand that their presence on the street after dark is a certain death, and make it so! Draconian? So what. We came as liberators and have delivered freedom to the people and are rebuilding their country, including democracy, an absolute in the region. If these terrorists fear using the night to cloak their activities, we will quickly see a decrease in U.S. military casualties.
Can't do this? Yes, we can do this and damn what the prissy nations not at risk say. We are at war, and should operate by war rules. And we want to win the war!
In conclusion let me say that the above actions are simple and straightforward and will produce the desired results. All we need do to eliminate large-scale terrorism in Iraq (and greatly deter it elsewhere in the world) is to get tough, really tough, and do what is necessary to win this war on terror. If we don't, we have condemned our country and the entire world to many decades of unending terror from a relatively small band of religious fanatics.
On a personal basis, I do not consider the loss of one single American soldier worth the entire nation of Iraq. Most of the people I know feel the same way, ardently. Having said that, I still offer the above as the start of a course of action that will permit us to deliver a free and functioning Iraq as promised, and in a much shorter time frame than is now possible - if at all. If a radical - and effective - change of tactics is not undertaken soon, Iraq and Viet Nam will become synonyms in the world lexicon, and those political leaders (particularly here in the United States) who were unwilling to do what was needed to win the war on terror will go down in history in infamy. To say nothing of what they will have done to the human race.
Sincerely,
Dick Turley
10302 Linda Lane
Wellton, AZ 85356
(928) 785-4785
dickturley@earthlink.net
I think we all had better get on our congressman's butt, and help out this soldier who is getting thrown to the lions for being to mean to a prisoner. What he did,was most likley save some American lives. (What a joke)
Editors Note: Kelpie Wilson is the new Environmental Editor at truthout, we
welcome her to the truthout team and look forward to her valuable
contribution to our efforts. -smg
We're Closer to the Edge Than We Think
By Kelpie Wilson
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Friday 27 February 2004
It has been interesting to watch the media reaction to a report
commissioned by Pentagon security analysts on worst case scenarios for
global climate change. The report would never have seen the light of day if
it had not been leaked to the business magazine Fortune. Three weeks after
the report was covered in Fortune, the British Observer covered it again,
unleashing a spate of Internet news stories but very little coverage in US
major dailies or TV news. What coverage there was tended to downplay the
study's scenarios as "extremely unlikely."
Yet the study itself calls the risk of abrupt climate change
"uncertain and quite possibly small."
The scenario examined by the report is one that has been known for
years. Greenland ice cores document its occurrence several times over the
past 15,000 years when the planet warmed naturally following the last ice
age. It all has to do with salt. Cold salt water in the North Atlantic
sinks and starts a circulation loop called the thermohaline conveyer that
eventually brings the warm Gulf Stream up north. This ocean current keeps
both North America and Europe warmer than they would otherwise be.
Especially Europe. If you look on a map you'll see that Barcelona is at
about the same latitude as Boston and we know which one is warmer.
As temperatures rise and ice melts, ocean salt water is diluted with
fresh water. The cold water doesn't sink and the warm water stops flowing
northward. A hundred year mini ice age gripped Europe 8,200 years ago when
North American ice sheets melted and suddenly flooded the ocean with fresh
water, shutting down the conveyer. The Pentagon report simply assumes a
repeat of that event and analyses the impact on civilization. It is not pretty.
Ever since humans invented agriculture and civilization, the climate
has been relatively benign. "Modern civilization has never experienced
weather conditions as persistently disruptive as the ones outlined in this
scenario," says the Pentagon report.
Given the fact that this shutting down of the Gulf Stream has
occurred many times in the past, why would so many rush to label the report
"extreme" and "alarmist"? It is probably more a matter of when, not if, a
climate event like this will occur.
More alarming even than this particular scenario is how precarious
our situation is right now. The report acknowledges that we are already on
the edge of global carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is an ecological
term for the ability of the environment to feed and support a population.
From the report: "Ö global demand for oil will grow by 66% in the next 30
years but it's unclear where the supply will come from. Clean water is
similarly constrained in many areas around the world. With 815 million
people receiving insufficient sustenance world wide, some would say that as
a globe, we're living well above our carrying capacityÖ"
There is a reasonable, plausible possibility that carbon induced
global warming will lead to an abrupt regional ice age in the northern
hemisphere with Europe the most affected. But the Pentagon has already
stated that it will not be passing this report up the line to Rumsfield.
You can be sure that the Bush administration will not act in any way on
this threat. Perhaps it will be W's revenge on "old Europe."
The take home message on the Pentagon report comes from Peter
Drekmeier, co-founder of Environmentalists Against War, who notes: "It
appears that the only weapon of mass destruction to be found in Iraq is oil."
-------
© Copyright 2004 by TruthOut.org
Dear Mr. Rumsfield:
Could you please send more troops over to Iraq? We do not have enough to keep order over there. We have troops all over the world? Why are people in Germany and Japan 60 years after WWII? They need to be in Iraq helping our sons, husbands, brothers etc. If it was your child there you would want as many reinforcments as possible. Consult Senator John McCain. He has a handle on this situation.
I think Donald Rumsfeld is doing all he can.
It is sad this had to happen. Now go forward and make sure it does not happen again
I support the torture of anyone who kills or attempts to kill Americans. I believe these brainwashed muslim bastards have to all be killed before they kill us. This is indeed a world war in which these radicals want us all to become like them or die. We must so overpower them that they will see that death is all they will get for promoting their evil theology. You liberals think you can reason with these nuts. Your weakness is getting more Americans killed. So just keep wimping-out and blaming America long enough and someday they'll come to your mall or movie theater and blow away your family. Then maybe you'll get it.
A lot of people are crying about the troops having to stay in Iraq for a year. During Vietnam
a tour was 18 months.The pressure today is no different.there is shooting every day,and people dying everyday.Everybody needs to grow up and realize that our fighting troops have a job to do.
Freedom is not free.It comes at a great cost,not only in lives but also in the sacrifice of time away from home.I was away from home 2 years and 2 months.Yes it is hard,but a job that has to be done.
Mr. Rumsfield:
Your statement today (9-23-04) that an election in January in Iraq without eveyone voting (3 large provinces) would be democratic is really ignorant. If three full provinces (20% of population) are excluded for ANY reason, it isn't democratic by the very nature of the definition of the word as taught in all American and world wide universities, and indeed not even democratic as defined by the popular meaning of the word. Are you really this stupid? It really is time to go out to pasture, sir.
Dr. Richard D. Stafford (an embarrassed Republican)
I am the first to tell you that I have never experienced combat. I served in the Army at the end of the Korean War. I went through 16 weeks of basic training. In this training the military attempted to demonstrate the horrors of combat.
There were questions in my mind of how I would react, if placed in a combat situation. To this day I have no idea how I would have reacted. I know this much, I know I would have been terrified to death.
I have the greatest respect for these young Marines and Army Soldiers who are going through hell daily.
I cannot for the life of me understand, how these couch potatoes here in the U. S. can fault the young Marine who is protecting their backsides by doing his duty. Where is the compassion for this young person who had been shot in the face, only the day before by one of these lawless thugs.
I cannot understand how we let a low life person like Kevin Sites work with our hero's and turn on them like a 'Benedict Arnold'. I give Sites his due that he was in the thick of the combat, but some people will do anything for self acclaim.
Emmett Cooper
Mobile, Alabama
Hey haven't you people seen the footage of Rummy hugging saddam in the late 80's! This guy doesn't care about his 'convictions', nor about our kids being shot, ousting dictators, freedom for Iraqi's and he certainly doesn't read this page. He sees only money, oil and power. We now have him casting his shadow over our country for four more years. Get your children out of the armed forces now, before things get worse.
For those of you looking for Donald Rumsfield's email address, go to www.whitehouse.gov. Once you go to that site click on cabinet members, left hand column at the top. This will take you to the Department of Defense. I write the idiot/ international criminal everyday to tell him he is a liar and his lies are killing our children. Do not forget to mention that many more of us will die because of his corruption and stupidity.
Mr Rumsfield,
I am very concerned about the United States not meeting the needs of our soldiers, with emphasis on our boys in Iraq and Afganistan. The son of one of our Church Members was deployed to Afganistan recently, and was notified that he had to leave with four uniforms, but, he had to purchase two of them himself. Now, you know, his parents paid for the uniforms. I want to know WHY? This is just one example of why the moral of our troops is so low. Help me, and others, to understand why we are there if we can't afford to dress our troops. This soldier is going into combat with the Lord on his side, hoping and praying that he will be a positive example to others in his division. Thank God, NOT the United States for Men like him. As a Christian, I will support and pray for our men fighting everywhere, AND, I will also pray for the United States to honor those serving with dignity, in spite of the conditions they are dealing with on a daily basis.
September 12, 2005
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:
On the subject of what to do with some of the displaced persons caused by Hurricane Katrina, I have heard it suggested that they could be easily housed at military bases. Many of these bases have been closed, or are underutilized, and have all the necessary components needed to house these poor unfortunate people. I think this is an idea that needs exploring by the Federal government.
Please give it some consideration.
Sincerely,
Norma J. Ronk
Regarding your statements made here in our city of Salt Lake, may I point out the further logic errors that seem to endlessly persist within the Bush administration. I wholly support wiping out the terrorist threat and pursuing this end as aggressively as is possible. The break in the logic seems to repetitively be on this subject. As far as I know the leader of the terrorist organizations is Osama Bin Laden. Rather than to pursue and eliminate him and his army, you have chosen to pursue a course of action, that has been enormously successful in overwhelming his ranks with recruits devoted to our destruction, even at the cost of their own lives. Last I heard he was somewhere, unfortunately we lost him when we had the chance, now living between Afghanistan and Pakistan, not Iraq.
I am neither "morally or intellectually confused". I would, however, be very inclined to lay those same adjectives at your feet. If you were truly interested in shutting down terrorism, we would never have gone into Iraq chasing paper tigers. Now on the brink of civil war and a terrorist playground, we have neither the men nor the money to pursue your stated goal. This is when those, in fact, suffering from "moral and intellectual confusion" becomes obvious.
This is why I, and an increasing number of Americans, do not support the war. How much more blatant can it be said? Maybe this will communicate-
You can bend over and kiss your silly ass republican right goodbye come this next election.
Don,
I hope this e-mail address is still active. I'm sorry to see you resign. God has granted me 57 years of life and you are with out a doubt the best damned Sec Defense I've ever seen. I truly am sorry you're resigning. Without you, I'm concerned about the security of my country. I wish you had not done this. My very sincere thanks for keeping the DoD on course. You did what I would have done, God knows I would not want the job, but you did it.
Respectfully,
Nick
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