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To: SpinyNorman
My letter to The Boston Fishwrap:

Mr. Robinson:

You need to have a clue about the military to avoid again sounding like a doofus when reporting on military matters.

* "Points" are simply the number of drills completed. You make it sound like some sort of quiz show prize. That is just plain wrong.

* A "bad year" means having earned less than 50 retirement points in a year. It does not refer in any way to quality or quantity of service, only that that year will not count toward the 20 year minumum needed for Reserve retirement upon reaching age 60. Misusing "bad year" simply makes you look ignorant.

* "Cramming drills" into any particular year is simply rescheduling them, often for the convenience of both the service and the reservist. In my 21 "good years" in the Naval Reserve, most years were completed with rescheduled drills so my crew could fly together. Misusing a history of rescheds to show some sort of shortcoming where none may exists makes you look biased and unprofessional.

* That Kerry has publicly disparaged Guard or Reserve duty tells volumes about his character, and none of it is good. We Naval Reservists completed multiple tours in Vietnam. Mr. Kerry twists history to best suit him. In the Internet Age, that tactic is toast.

* Calling The Students for a Democratic Society an "antiwar group" is like calling The Arian Nation a "men's club." Similarly, Michael Moore is a "documentary film maker" like Leni Riefenstahl was a "documentary film maker."

Sincerely,

47 posted on 02/05/2004 10:25:39 AM PST by pabianice
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To: pabianice
Great post
50 posted on 02/05/2004 10:31:50 AM PST by WHBates
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To: pabianice
That was beautiful!! Just the kind of letter that will NEVER get posted in the Letters to the Editors section.
52 posted on 02/05/2004 11:06:52 AM PST by SpinyNorman
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