With all the talk of President Bush's State of the Union address, the War in Iraq and our politicians defeatist attitude, some news goes un-noticed. And typically with our biased media, that news is military success. But lately I've noticed some reports of military abuse that is particularly disturbing.
I can hear the anti-war kids getting fired up as we speak. Any time you use the word abuse and military in the same sentence, they practically get giddy at the chance to lash out at our troops. Sorry hippies, but that's not the case here. These are incidents that involve American citizens and companies abusing the rights of our troops and in some cases firing workers because of their military duty.
The following story appeared on the wires recently about a Milwaukee company that refused shipment to a soldier stationed in Iraq. But it wasn't the refusal of shipment that set off the nut job alarm. It was the vitriolic response from the company regarding the troops in Iraq that had the blog world abuzz.
Company's anti-war e-mail angers military supporters
By DINESH RAMDE Associated Press Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) — An American soldier in Iraq who e-mailed a U.S. company to ask for a shipment of floor mats got a brusque reply: "We would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."
The response quickly circulated on the Internet and led to threats against the Muslim-owned business, including demands for a boycott.
Bargain Suppliers, an online retailer, shut down its Web site Monday and fired the unidentified employee who sent the e-mail, television station WTMJ reported.
Co-owner Faisal Khetani, a Muslim from Pakistan, has received threatening calls, the TV station said. An answering machine at a number listed for the business said the mailbox was full and would not accept a message Tuesday.
Bloggers spread the original e-mail exchange far and wide, along with the company's address and phone number. At least one site included a link to a photograph of Khetani's home.
"It's really getting out of control," Bargain Suppliers vice president Sajid Nasir told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Our main concern is for the safety of the family. That's more important than the business."
In an e-mail dated Jan. 16, Sgt. Jason Hess asked if the company could ship floor mats to Iraq. He wanted the mats to cover the ruts in a concrete floor in a space now used as a conference room.
The e-mail response came the same day.
In an e-mail to the AP, Hess said Tuesday the employee's firing did not ease his anger.
"There should be standards set and upheld (by) the company on responding politely to e-mails from whoever goes to their site," wrote Hess, a 31-year-old stationed in Taji, Iraq.
Othman Atta, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, said the employee's response was inappropriate. He said he feared a backlash against Muslims.
"This whole thing is taking on a life of its own. It's making me nervous," he said, adding that the center would increase security.
Police said they had received no immediate reports of any vandalism or threats from the Khetani family.
Here's a copy of the original email exchange...
Below is an email exchange between a friend of mine's husband and a company that sells different types of mats. He is stationed in Iraq and was inquiring as to whether or not the company ships overseas. He wanted to get the troops better gear to sleep on. This is the companies response. I am floored. I am floored as a military wife and as an American. Please repost this so that this company will hear us loud and clear that we do not stand for this. Whatever your view is on this war — these troops are just following orders. Most are passionate about what they are doing. You can disagree with the war without disrespecting our troops.
From: SGT Jason Hess Sent: Tue Jan 16 3:25
Do you ship to APO addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for who ships to APO first.
From: contact@discount-mats.com Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 9:44 PM Subject: Re: Feedback: from discount-mats.com
SGT Hess, We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.
Bargain Suppliers Discount-Mats.com
But the abuse isn't reserved just to troops looking for products to be shipped to the Middle East.
Michelle Malkin is following the story of Debra Muhl, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve who was recently fired by her employer, Sutter Health, because of her latest deployment to Iraq.
And USA Today even did a story back in December about reservists having similar job woes.
All of which goes to show you how obscene and loony the far-left has gotten in regard to Iraq and the greater War on Terror. What most of these crack-pots forget is the enemy is in Iraq and will do whatever it takes to kill anyone who doesn't believe in their radical way of thinking. These troops are doing their service to protect these nut jobs right to protest this war and anything the President does. But now the nut jobs aren't just content to protest...they now feel the need to abuse our service members and even refuse them employment.
The company in Milwaukee is getting theirs from pissed off Americans. Let Sutter Health know what you think of Mr. Richard Gray, the supervisor who fired Colonel Muhl because of her Iraq deployment.
I see our favorite Latin American dictator has stolen our headlines once again this morning. Crafting an eloquent statement to U.S. officials, Castro-wannabe Hugo Chavez demonstrated Marxist racial acceptance by stating, "Go to hell, gringos!" He also lashed out at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, saying "You've forgotten me, missy."
As Mike Grant from Townhall.com says, "let me assure Mr. Chavez that the feeling is mutual." And it's also worth stating, no Hugo, we won't forget about you. Just ask Saddam!
Sadly though, many Americans will forget Hugo. Most of us will go about our daily routine not understanding the threat he poses to the world or to the inherent freedoms of society. And sadly, many will see any action by Washington as "meddling" in the affairs of another nation that "is not our problem."
What's even more sad is I doubt Bush or anyone else in Washington has - oh, how should I say it - the testicles to stand up to this guy.
This is how I see it folks... Hugo Chavez is no different than any other communist tyrant. He comes into power promising to help the poor. He takes money from hard working people to socialize his nation. He uses his power to take over private businesses, natural resources and state media. He taxes anything he deems as luxury to quell personal freedom and "self-indulgence." And mysteriously anyone opposing his rule ends up dead or in desperate need of exile.
You see, Chavez is down there in Caracas creating a modern-day USSR. He's trying to instill a failed doctrine of government that will leave his nation oppressed under government control. And what's worse is it will prop Mr. Chavey up as the supreme leader with all the control and suppress the most basic human-right of freedom. Oh, and he'll do this while controlling most of the oil we use, supporting terror organizations and giving money and support to our greatest enemies (N. Korea and Iran). And you can bet Chavez won't curb his own extravagance...using his supreme power as his own egotistical self-indulgence.
Anyone else think this isn't "our problem?"
Real quote from the idiots at Huff Puff
I love it!! GO HUGO!!!! By: amanda85 on January 21, 2007 at 04:47pm
You walk into a coffee shop in the Mission and see the young bohemian student sipping a latte. You see the young bohemian student proudly wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt, celebrating the communist revolutionary. You then see the young bohemian's laptop littered with propaganda stickers brightly displayed for the rest of the world to see. "No War!", "Blood for Oil", "Bush Lied." These sights are probably more common in San Francisco than the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars.
And at that point you realize how uninformed the majority of our society really is. Oh, don't get me wrong, you can include me in this category as well. And since we're talking about misinformed, go ahead and add the AP, FOX News, CNN and the rest of the MSM of your choice.
As my wife said so profoundly the other day, most people don't have a clue. Every day we read stories in the paper, watch the news, and sometimes read a blog or two. We just assume what we are reading is fact and move on. But most of us don't dig for truth. Heck, finding truth is about as hard as finding a Republican in the Mission.
But there are ways. Thankfully conservative bloggers like Michelle Malkin and Flopping Aces as well as milbloggers like the Mudville Gazette are doing the dirty work and finding it.
Michelle and Curt have done a real nice job in detailing how our MSM has been duped in their on-going negative coverage in Iraq. This in turn takes us all down that misinformed path to calling our President a liar and not having a clue about the reality of our fight in Iraq.
How many more of these "sources" are frauds? I would be willing to bet most of them are. The AP and the MSM will buy into anything as long as it produces a feeling of chaos and destruction.
Is it a tough war? Of course! What war isn't? Are people dying? Yes. But is everything you read about chaos in Iraq truth? Or is it just someone's sublime way of trying to prove themselves right in their own political ideology.
I highly recommend you turn your sites to some of these bloggers (including mine of course). We will not win this War on Terror if all we wish to do is win elections and paint our political opposites as evil. Only truth will prevail!
Apparently resisting arrest and civil disobedience gives you the right to sue. Yes my friends, that's what is happening in LA after Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a 23-year-old senior at UCLA is doing after he defiantly refused requests to show his ID card to campus police.
As Stop The ACLU asks, "What part of 'stand up' does this moonbat retard not understand?"
But you see that's not the issue here according to Tabatabainejad's attorney Stephen Yagman. Rather than simply "stand up" and abide by a routine nightly procedure put in place to protect students, Tabatabainejad would rather say "f*ck you" to the officers and make it a race issue. Someone please tell me when the ACLU will start demanding that it’s our civil right to take some responsibility for our own actions?
But the American-Islamic relations group says an outside probe's needed to make sure the case's "civil rights aspects" are taken seriously.
Again, civil rights don't just apply to the results of your actions. They apply to everything you say and do. It's my civil right to walk into a bar full of Oakland Raiders fans and declare their beloved team is a bunch of chump sissies. But it's also my civil right to take the beating from the stupidity of my actions. The same logic applies to Tabatabainejad's actions in the UCLA library.
When you're asked for an ID, you show it. If you refuse to leave after refusing to show ID, what action should the campus police take? Not to mention, when you start inciting others to take action and spout political rhetoric about the Patriot Act, you better be ready to accept responsibility for what you are doing. But Mr. Tabatabainejad would rather blame "the man." Mr. Tabatabainejad would rather blame America. Mr. Tabatabainejad would rather blame the Patriot Act. Mr. Tabatabainejad would rather make this about his race then accept he acted unreasonably in the face of campus security.
Mr. Tabatabainejad, only you made this about your race. Next time you'll show your darn ID and avoid looking like a tool shed.
Michelle Malkin has some good stuff on this as well as an eye-opening e-mail from a UCLA student.
First and foremost, I wish to clarify that, regardless of what some might attempt to claim, it is absurd to believe that Mr. Tabatabainejad was targeted based on his race or ethnicity. Random ID card checks are standard procedure in Powell Library after 11 PM, to ensure the safety of students. Furthermore, these checks were performed by Community Service Officers (CSOs), not UCPD officers. CSOs are UCLA students hired by UCPD to aide in security and service activities, and to support UCPD. Thus, Mr. Tabatabainejad was the subject of a very ordinary, very standard ID card check by his own, fellow students. He failed to produce an ID, so the CSOs requested he leave (as they would of anyone without an ID). Of course, the situation deteriorated from there and the chain of events from there is detailed (albeit in a rather biased manner) by the Daily Bruin.
Democratic leaders are making obscenely stupid remarks on a daily basis. This is nothing new. But when those remarks start to hurt others, we should take notice. That is the case today as Congressman Dennis Kucinich called for cutting off funding of the Iraq War.
"I want to say that there's one solution here, and it's not to engage in a debate with the President, but it's for Congress to assume the full power that it has under the Constitution to cut off funds."
First we have John Kerry voting in favor of the war before voting against it. (I think he voted for and against it a few more times, but even he's lost count.) Then we have Nancy Pelosi voting against any and all defense measures since 9/11. And then we have trusty John Murtha calling for a quick and speedy surrender and retreat in the War on Terror. And now Mr. Pee Wee himself wants to put our troops in danger by cutting off funding for them to get the job done. Lovely! But don't ever call them anti-military.
"We have to take a whole new approach. We’re spending over $400 billion a year, money that's also needed for healthcare, for education, for job creation, for seniors. We have to take a new look at this. We need to be a strong country, but strength isn't only military."
Ah, that's it. As long as we spend, spend, spend in Washington for socialized programs, we'll never get attacked again!
We need to shift our direction, and the direction has to be away from the continued militarization of the United States society."
I've always thought this guy was a little nutty after he went on FoxNews blaming Bush for Hezbollah's acts of terror. But now the writing is on the wall. Ohio officially has a terror defending Congressman who is now calling to stop funding to our troops in the global War on Terror.
Of course, Kucinich would be the first person calling for help from the military if his beloved city of Cleveland was attacked. Maybe San Francisco will send some of their supervisors to defend the shores of Lake Erie.
Name: The Real Republican Location: Washington, DC
Welcome to the official site of the Real Republican. This is the spot where you can get all the juicy details on the major issues of our day and learn the true Republican perspective. Seriously take a read, because much of what you know or think you know is wrong and coming from someone who is getting paid to mislead you.
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The biggest reason I started this blog was because of the ignorance that permeates through much of America and our political world. Too often our elected officials are making decisions based on the good of their own campaign and not of the people they represent. So The Real Republican is a way to real them back in and tell it like it is from my point of view. Read on and enjoy!
