Name: LT Layne McDowell



Date: 03/15/03,Time: 01:54:49 PM



Comment



An open letter to the Dixie Chicks: Earlier this week, while

performing in London, you stated that you were ashamed that our

President is from your home state. I wonder if you realized how many

Americans would be listening.

This American was listening. This Texan is ashamed that you come

from my state. I serve my country as an officer in the United States

Navy. Specifically, I fly F-14 Tomcats off carriers around the world,

executing the missions that preserve the very freedom you claim to

exercise. I have proudly fought for my country in the skies over

Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan without regret. Though I may disagree

wholeheartedly with your comments, I will defend to the death your right



to say them, in America. But for you to travel to a foreign land and publicly

criticize our Commander in Chief is cowardice behavior. Would you have so

willingly made those comments while performing for a patriotic, flag-waving

crowd of Texans in Lubbock. I would imagine not. How dare you pocket profits

off songs about soldiers, their deaths and patriotism while criticizing

their Commander in Chief abroad, even while they prepare to give their lives

to ensure your own freedom of speech. Please ask yourself, what have you

done to deserve that sacrifice? Do not try to justify your comments by

claiming that you made them only because you care about innocent

lives.

Never once in our history have we committed troops to war for the

purpose of taking innocent lives. We do it to protect innocent lives, even

yours. If the world leaders of the late 1930's had the vision and courage of

our present Commander in Chief, perhaps the evil men who caused the

death of millions in WWII would have never had the opportunity to harm a

soul.

The potential loss of millions of lives in the future at the hands of

today's evil men necessitate action.

In a separate correspondence, I am returning to you each and every

Dixie Chicks CD and cassette that I have ever purchased. Never again will I

allow my funds to support your behavior. All you have done is to add your name



to a growing list of American "Celebrities" who have failed to realize that they



have obtained their successes on the backs of the American blue-collar workers



such as our servicemen and women.



To Natalie Maines: This Texan? this American will continue to risk his

life to guarantee your freedoms. What will you do to deserve it?

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Taking a turn on the soapbox...

Let me make another oxymoron here: One of the prices we pay as Americans for maintaining a free society is to defend the right of any other American to express their opinion, however ill-conceived. We've paid, and continue to pay, in our brethren's blood.



There are plenty of non-Americans clamoring to gain entry to our country and way of life, who would love to have such freedom. It galls then, to realize that there are those among us (not only some of our actors and and entertainers), who abuse their rights to the point of treason, and even incite fratricide, as we saw in Harold Alsop's photo of the San Francisco protest. No respect. Only in America could this happen without the participants being immediately jailed or shot. Recent events like this, and others such as the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks telling a London audience that "she was ashamed that the President of the United States came from Texas", or other insults from some entertainers referring to our elected national leaders as "ignorant, stupid, moronic, immoral", etc., (now there's a classic case of the kettle calling the pot black) are especially hurtful, because it is more of Americans hurting Americans. If there ever is a way to defeat us, then I think this is it, from the inside, Americans hurting Americans.





Not everyone supports the President's decision to target Iraq and many people have made the news lately protesting the war with Saddam. But let us show the men and women who have a sworn duty to defend that right; those people who have chosen to serve in our armed forces, that we appreciate and support them. This is easy enough, timely and appropriate. Please visit the Department of Defense web page below and sign in thanking the men and women of theU.S. military services for defending our freedom. The compiled list of names will be sent out to our warfighters at the end of the month. As of 3/26/03, there are only about 9.3 million names .. from a national population of over 250 million. The entire exercise (name & hometown) takes 10 seconds...literally. Please pass it on to your e-mail friends. http://www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html

Kind regards,

Frank

THIS CAME FROM A RETIRED MILITARY MAN.



I asked this man who is in his 80's who was in the Korean War and World War

II to give me a little history lesson and his thoughts today on War. I am

sharing this because it is a different look at the War. It is not my

opinion, just thoughts from an honorable man that lived through two Wars and

that I have a great respect for. Thoughts to think about:



Question; Should we go to war with Iraq?



This Veteran's comments:



I'm not going to get into a history lesson. The short, short version is

that the League of Nations (established after WW I to prevent wars) failed

to stop Mussolini's Italy from invading and conquering Ethiopia. It failed

to stop Japan from invading and conquering Manchuria and much of China.

Their committees wrung their hands spoke in platitudes but did absolutely

nothing to stop war.



At France's coaxing Britain's prime minister Nevil Chamberlain met with

Adolph Hitler in Munich and surrendered the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany in

the interest of "peace in our time." The French and British watched as

Germany took Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia. They all had committee

meetings and wrung their hands and talked of peace.



World War II erupted when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Britain had a mutual

defense treaty with Poland so they couldn't escape. They declared war on

Germany. Germany had a mutual defense treaty with Japan so Japan declared

war on Britain. France wet their pants and surrendered to Germany as fast

as they could and gleefully shipped all

the Jews they could find to death camps in Germany to prove to Adolph that

they really were on the side of Germany.



Japan attacked the United States and, because of Japan's mutual defense

treaty with Germany, Germany declared war on the United States.



Up until December 7th and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a large

number of our people were wringing their hands and saying, "Appease Hitler.

He is really a good guy who just needed a little more land for his

expanding population. The dear man just wants peace. And World War II was

in full swing leaving better than 50,000,000 people dead including about

450,000 American soldiers and sailors.



Three cheers for the League of Nations! After World War II it was decided

to do the whole thing all over again. This time we would call it the United

Nations and we will have committee meetings and hand wringing parties and

make sure peace prevails throughout the land.



While that august body wrung hands the Soviet Union split Germany, invaded

Poland and Yugoslavia, Rumania, Hungary and Bulgaria along with Latvia,

Lithuania and Estonia. The peaceful world saw Korea with 37,000 American

soldiers killed, over 1,000,000 South Korean soldiers and civilians killed

and the country nearly destroyed.



Since then we have had over 50,000 American soldiers killed in Vietnam and

have fought wars in Somalia, Herzegovenia, Panama, Granada, plus the Gulf

War when Iraq invaded Kuwait.



We should have gone into Baghdad and taken out that evil regime then but

the United Nations would have no part of that. All they would allow was for

us to chase the Iraqis out of Kuwait, then peace would prevail.



Now, here we are with Saddam violating all 17 United Nations resolutions

while he has massed poison gas and bio weapons. He is frantically trying to

develop a nuke and his buddy, Kim Jong-Il of North Korea may give him a

few. (It was the United Nations who prevented us from taking North Korea

when the war was hot and we had the means to do it .) Peace!!!!!!!! Sure.



France is wetting their collective pants in fear that the United States

will take Saddam out and along with him, France's 60 billion dollar

contracts with Iraq. Russia hedges because Iraq owes them 6 billion dollars

that they sorely need.



In answer to your question....... hell yes, we should go to war with Iraq.

We should have done it six months ago. We should also get out of the United

Nations. Can you believe that the United Nations has appointed Iraq and

Syria to head up the United Nations Disarmament Committee? Can you believe

they have appointed Libya to head up the Human Rights Committee? All three

of these countries are on the UN List of Terrorist States.............

Absolutely unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!



Just don't get me going. Throughout recorded history the only time peace

has prevailed is when the good guys have militarily whipped the bad guys.

Who are our best friends in the world? Japan because we whipped them.

Germany because we whipped them. Italy because we whipped them. Britain

because we whipped them.



This is one opinion, on the War but this is the eyes, ears and heart of an

American Veteran...