The Few, the Proud, the Disillusioned

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/04/07/MNGTTP4OGN1.DTL ^

[World_Events]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/04/07/MNGTTP4OGN1.DTL

Mike Ergo is a 23-year-old honorably discharged Marine who fought in Fallujah. A tattoo on the inside of his left forearm depicts the first insurgent he killed in Iraq. A tattoo on his right arm reads: "Born to Fight." He loves the Marines, is proud of what he and his colleagues did overseas and is on inactive ready reserve through July 2009.

Yet a few weeks ago, the Walnut Creek native marched near the front of the anti-war demonstration that rolled through San Francisco. Yeah, he said, it felt odd to march among the 9/11 conspiracy theorists and socialists. Still, Ergo said he'd march again to underscore his opposition to U.S. foreign policy in Iraq and would try to bring more than the handful of Iraq War veterans who demonstrated with him last month.

But Ergo knows that the number of soldiers who publicly oppose the war is likely to remain small for now. A chief reason: Unlike the men drafted into military service during the Vietnam War, those fighting in Iraq are volunteers and feel obligated to be patriotic defenders of post-9/11 soil.

Yet a few signs of dissent are appearing in the military aside from conscientious objectors and newly realized pacificists. Last month, a career chief master sergeant in the Air Force wrote an opinion piece in the military newspaper Stars and Stripes opposing the war, and a busload of retired veterans and civilian activists toured military bases in the South, hoping to coax more support from active duty soldiers. Over the past month, more than 1,700 soldiers have signed an online Appeal for Redress -- www.appealforredress.org -- a legally sanctioned way for members of the military to oppose the war.

[I see my hands]

BDS: It's more than just the Pres'.

Sicker and sicker the afflicted become, day after day the once rational succumb.

[fr_freak]

Lies and false propaganda. I spit on the left wing.

[SandRat]

So Ergo,... you say it felt odd to march among the 9/11 conspiracy theorists and socialists. Did you ever stop to think why it felt odd? Perhaps, just perhaps, your inner soul was trying to tell you that it was wrong to march.

[adorno]

...a few signs of dissent are appearing in the military

But, those few signs will be magnified by the liberal MSM and liberal left in general to make it seem like the dissent amongst our military personnel is 100 times as large as it really is.

[oh8eleven]

Yet a few signs of dissent are appearing in the military aside from conscientious objectors and newly realized pacificists.
Sorry, but an Air Farce lifer and a bus load of retired veterans does not equal "dissent appearing in the military."
BTW - a "newly realized pacifist" is one who looks down between his legs and realizes there's nothing there.

[pissant]

Why post this horseshit?

[RedsHunter]

Hmmm. From a quick Google of his name, I’d have to say that Mike Ergo isn’t just your standard, run-of-the-mill anti-war veteran. It appears that he’s spent quite a bit of time in the forefront of that movement of late.

[FarRightFanatic]

“BTW - a “newly realized pacifist” is one who looks down between his legs and realizes there’s nothing there.”

LOL!!! Excellent!

My male pacifist in-laws certainly fit that description.

[jazusamo]

Ergo sure has all the antiwar crowd talking points down pat and he used them all in this piece. Watada must be proud of him.

[Lorianne]

I disagree. We need to know what is being written out there.

Head in sand doesn’t work.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

What a piece of shit. Exactly what I would expect from the San Fran Gate!

[SoldierMedic]

BTW - a "newly realized pacifist" is one who looks down between his legs and realizes there's nothing there.

I almost sprayed a mouthful of water on the moniter. Lol :)

[Just A Nobody]

Over the past month, more than 1,700 soldiers have signed an online Appeal for Redress -- www.appealforredress.org -- a legally sanctioned way for members of the military to oppose the war.

That is a bald faced LIE! The "Appeal for Redress" began last September. Last October they hired Fenton Communications (the creators of cindy sheehag) to "market" their appeal. The first signatures were to be handed to CONgress around Martin Luther King day.

Buried in the very lengthy article of spin, you will find this:

But the limited expression of anti-war support among the military "just shows that the overwhelming majority of guys are in favor of the mission in Iraq," said Navy Lt. Jason Nichols. An information technology specialist stationed in Iraq, Nichols is asking soldiers to sign an online petition called Appeal for Courage, www. appealforcourage.org, that supports the mission...

The article does not tell you that 2040 have signed in support of our mission in Iraq since FEBRUARY 12, 2007.

There are no fancy shmancy marketing firms pushing their petition.

February 22, 2007, 10 days after its birth, the Appeal for Courage had 860 signatures while the "others" had only 1287 after nearly 6 months.

For a little background on Fenton Communications click here.

[bnelson44]

YOUR ACTION REQUESTED BY SOME TROOPS IN IRAQ: Please spread the word about an appeal for redress that people in the military can sign to show support for the mission. They are having problems getting the word out:

www.appealforcourage.org

If you haven't seen this yet: A campaign by active-duty troops asking Congress to drop plans for a withdrawal from Iraq. Lt. Jason Nichols, a 33-year-old naval projects officer who has been in Baghdad since mid-January, said the goal is to keep lawmakers focused on letting the military finish its mission in Iraq, and not prematurely declare failure

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7392499685041821301&hl=en

[armymarinemom]

Thank you! Meanwhile the Appeal for Courage has surpassed the Appeal for Redress with signatures. We still need more people!! If you know anyone who is active duty please pass the above link off to them.

[SIDENET]

Good post. Thanks.

[peeps36]

The liberal media would love nothing more than to see our soldiers stop fighting and rebel against the war. They don’t care if this emboldens our enemies and leads to more American deaths. They only care about hurting president Bush and turning America into a drug infested gay society. I’m starting to think about how much better this country would be if we didn’t have gay liberals trying to destroy it.

[definitelynotaliberal]

Because discourse is a good thing.

[oh8eleven]

Thanks and welcome to FR.
Are you, or were you, an Army medic? Was Rowan Walter a friend?