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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: MuscleMcMannus on August 24, 2010, 04:33:58 PM
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After Pat’s Birthday
Posted on Oct 19, 2006
By Kevin Tillman
Editor’s note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.
It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we get out.
Much has happened since we handed over our voice:
Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from guy, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.
Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.
Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.
Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.
Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.
Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.
Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.
Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.
Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.
Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.
Somehow torture is tolerated.
Somehow lying is tolerated.
Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.
Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.
Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.
Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.
Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.
Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.
Somehow this is tolerated.
Somehow nobody is accountable for this.
In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.
Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat’s birthday.
Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman
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Mods please edit spelling...."sums". :'(
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:-X
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Actually Muscles, since you started the thread, you can also edit the thread title for subsequent replys.
Just click on "edit" and correct your mispellings. see, I was able to do it in this reply. easy peasy. :)
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Actually Muscles, since you started the thread, you can also edit the thread title for subsequent replys.
Just click on "edit" and correct your mispellings. see, I was able to do it in this reply. easy peasy. :)
Thanks for that Mrs. MLM :)
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Thanks for that Mrs. MLM :)
You're welcome, ...and that's "Ms. MLM"
MLM is my lover, ...it seduced me and leaves me breathlessly satisfied at every moment,
but it's not my husband. :-*
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Great post, M. I'm gonna C&P it to my Myspace page.
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Great post, M. I'm gonna C&P it to my Myspace page.
Pat Tillman is an American hero in my opinion. I find it funny that so far this post has only gotten one serious reply. Why is that? Because the Tillman brothers actually speak the truth instead of the bullshit left wing right banter most of the armchair political getbiggers argue about on here. Quite possibly because the brainwashed douchebags like Skip8282 can't argue with two guys who represent everything he is not while serving the same country..........but instead of plopping their fat asses behind a keyboard and "fighting terrorists" from the nice confines of an air conditioned office building these heroes were on the front line actually fighting and through that experience they opened their eyes to the truth..........while he continues to fill his peanut sized mind with the same propaganda and lies Pat fought to expose.
I'm sure in all his arrogance and brilliance Skip8282 will come on here stating how Pat was a disgrace to his country, a coward, or some other bullshit. Or some other sheep that thinks along the same lines.
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In Tillman's dad's words...........
You are a General," Tillman's father writes Jones after being presented with a briefing book of his findings. "There is no way a man like you, with your intelligence, education, military, experience, responsibilities (primarily for difficult situations), and rank... believes the conclusions reached in the March 31, 2005 Briefing Book. But your signature is on it. I assume, therefore, that you are part of this shameless bullshit. I embarrassed myself by treating you with respect [on] March 31, 2005. I thought your rank deserved it and anticipated something different from the new and improved investigation. I won't act so hypocritically if we meet again."
"In sum: Fuck you... and yours."