M O N D A Y , J U L Y 0 4 , 2 0 0 5How To Honor Our Troopsby Michael in New York on 7/04/2005 11:59:00 PMHappy Fourth of July everyone.</p><p> Here's how I pledge to honorour troops now and in the future.1.</p><p> Never confuse the troops with the mission -- AllAmericans support our troops, the brave men and women whovolunteer for the dangerous and essential task of defending ourcountry and, sometimes, being sent overseas on complicatedand sometimes confusing missions.2.</p><p> Always demand our troops be properly armed -- Whenthe MSM reports that two years into the occupation of Iraq thatnew Marines are encouraged to spend some $600 onequipment they need to survive but won't be given by themilitary, that is an outrage and an insult to our troops.Politicians should be held accountable WEEKLY by the MSM, thefamilies of the troops and all Americans until the problem issolved, not merely acknowledged.3.</p><p> Always demand our troops be properly equipped --Two years into the occupation of Iraq and we are still hearingthat 5 out of 6 Humvees are not fully armored and detailsabout the level of armor on those 5 is sketchy and unclear.</p><p> Wealso hear that Humvees are not even best suited to the taskand that the Vice President and others stay away from themwhen travelling in Iraq while using vehicles that we COULDrequisition in large numbers.4.</p><p> Demand an end to the abuse of the National Guardand Army Reserve -- Soldiers leaving the military have oftenvolunteered for the Guard and Reserve.</p><p> Just as current soldiersask only that they be properly equipped and armed and sentonly on essential missions as a last resort, the Reserve andGuard has historically been used for defending our native soiland in emergencies at home, such as a hurricane or flood.President Bush, in an attempt to prop up an unpopular policy,has abused their trust in a dramatic, unprecedented fashion bycrafting a backdoor draft, sending them overseas again andagain counter to the implicit understanding when theyvolunteered, and endangering their jobs and welfare.5.</p><p> Always question the mission -- it is the duty of allAmericans to check and then check again that our soldiers arebeing sent into war only as a last resort.</p><p> This is the mostcrucial way we can support our troops since soldiers arepractically the last people in a position to openly question sucha deployment.6.</p><p> Continue to question the mission -- the discussiondoesn't end just because the war has begun.</p><p> Are the troopsbeing properly supplied? Has the purpose of the missionchanged? Has the scope of the war broadened? What newfactors have arisen that should make us rethink the level ofcommitment or whether the commitment should continue atall? Has a mission we were told would last one year gone on forthree? The most foolish argument of all is that the missionmust continue -- no matter what -- simply because soldiershave died.</p><p> Nothing could be further from the truth.7.</p><p> Honor the dead -- We honor them best by fighting on when Ben SmithGoing small - My story tonight: President BarackObama came alive about 50 minutes intoWednesday night’s news conference – whensomebo6 minutes ago HuffPost PoliticsHuckabee's Huck Pac In Turmoil With StaffTurnover, Mounting Debts - Former Arkansas Gov.Mike Huckabee's political action committee, HuckPac, is undergoing a "restructuring," ExecutiveDirector Sarah Huckabee said Wednesday....20 minutes ago Daily KosOpen Thread and Diary Rescue - *Today, srkp23(pulling a double shift), ybruti, taylormattd,ItsJessMe and vcmvo2 combed through hundredsof diaries to find this powerful list.</p><p> Today's...1 hour ago EschatonOvernight - Folk On.</p><p> Newish.1 hour ago Crooks and LiarsOpen Thread - Open Thread below...1 hour agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S Show AllA M E R I C A B L O G T V Next 6AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: How ...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/how-to-honor-our-troops... 1 of 57/23/09 1:25 AMVisit ourAMERICAblog TV site.see all 323 videos >I collect with vodpod In honor of SenatorDeMint For the GOPers, healthcare is politics.</p><p> They just Traditional media has todebunk the birthers One small step...</p><p> The right-wing media, thevoices of the GOP, inAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: How ...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/how-to-honor-our-troops... 2 of 57/23/09 1:25 AMThe TreatmentObama Has a Grown-UpTalk With America(Gulp)1 hour agoEzra KleinTab Dump5 hours agoWonk RoomSen.</p><p> Byron Dorgan:The ‘Trade’ InCap-And-Trade ‘MakesNo Sense To Me’7 hours agoHealth BeatTruth Squad: WallStreet Journal HealthCare Editorial Wrong onthe Facts . . .8 hours agoDaily DoseProviders Endorse 'Payfor Value' ProposalsG AY P O L I T I C S Visit our new gay politicssection, AMERICAblog Gay.F E E D S Blog RSS AMERICAblog TV RSS Twitter RSSTwitter Feed Get the blog by email: Subscribe me! 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