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Military, civilian leaders are failing the U.S. (Triple GAG Alert)
The Albany Times Union ^ | July 16, 2006 | TERENCE L. KINDLON

Posted on 07/16/2006 7:01:42 AM PDT by sageb1

Military, civilian leaders are failing the U.S.

By TERENCE L. KINDLON

Forty years ago I quit college to join the Marines. There was a war on and, like so many of my generation, I was inspired to enlist by President Kennedy, who challenged us to ask not what our country could do for us, but to ask what we could do for our country. I loved the Marine Corps and, even now, with my memories of Vietnam receding and my 60th birthday approaching, I am intensely proud that I once had the privilege of wearing its uniform.

My 30-year-old son, Lee, is also a Marine. Lee is a captain, a military lawyer who's just finished a deployment in Fallujah with the grunts of 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, where he served as staff judge advocate.

Because of my longtime devotion to the Marine Corps, it has been alarming to follow several months of news reports about a few Marines who went berserk in the insurgent stronghold of Haditha and allegedly murdered 24 civilians, including mothers and their babies. How could my Marines do such a crazy, evil thing?

snip...

Next, and more important, we must assign blame to the civilian ideologues who poisoned America's well with their strange, selfish, paranoid ambitions. These radicals, masquerading as "conservatives," lusted after the chance to invade Iraq so they could steal its oil and indulge their bizarre delusions of world dominance. Craven chickenhawks, most of whom had never heard a shot fired in anger or seen a dead Marine up close, they consolidated their influence to twist intelligence until it suited their purposes, brushed aside the indispensable lessons of Vietnam with a few handy talking-points and led our country straight through the looking glass into another meat-grinder guerrilla war that simply can never be won.

The civilians ultimately responsible for our debacle in Iraq profess that military service is merely another job choice -- for somebody else's children, of course -- and that dying is just an incidental part of the downside. They've hidden our flag-draped caskets, declared the Geneva Conventions quaint and thus inoperative, sent too few troops off to fight their battles, dispatched them without a strategic plan and supplied them with inadequate armor and defective equipment.

Terence L. Kindlon is a criminal defense lawyer in Albany, NY. He once was a Marine sergeant and was wounded in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in 1968. His email address is tkindlon@aol.com

read the entire piece at the url.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: gag; triplegagalert
Feel free to send your comments to Kindlon. I am having problems digesting my breakfast after reading this.
1 posted on 07/16/2006 7:01:44 AM PDT by sageb1
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To: sageb1

Free Mumia. OJ was innocent. The marines are guilty.
For "defense attorney" this guy drops the term "alleged" very easily when condemning US marines at Haditha for what has been widely reported to be a terrorist set up)


2 posted on 07/16/2006 7:05:14 AM PDT by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
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To: sageb1
Like Uncle Billy in It's A Wonderful Life, this one never grew up...

What's worse, he reproduced. I thought there were laws against that sort of thing...

3 posted on 07/16/2006 7:07:31 AM PDT by an amused spectator (Bush Runner! The Donkey is after you! Bush Runner! When he catches you, you're through!)
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To: silverleaf

I think it's time to up the requirements for the bar exam.


4 posted on 07/16/2006 7:08:06 AM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: sageb1

Oh no! Fewer Kennedys with New York law licenses!


5 posted on 07/16/2006 7:10:28 AM PDT by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
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To: sageb1

Typical liberal. Conveniently forgets (or deliberately lies) about Clinton being the one who started the no coffin picture thing. And I heard?read recently that proportionately the members of congress have as many or more "children" in combat as any sub-group.


6 posted on 07/16/2006 7:14:08 AM PDT by Hazcat
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To: sageb1

So what else is new? The guy is simply another DemocRAT, Pro-Terrorist attention whore. You get all types claiming they did this and that but rarely ever verified. These guys would sell their own mother to Bin Ladin if it meant they didn't have to deal with the harsh realities of this long WOT we are required to engage in.

Even Benedict Arnold was a war hero for this nation before he went traitor for his own personal gain.

Either you are with us, or you are against us. It's just that simple.


7 posted on 07/16/2006 7:15:12 AM PDT by Retired Army Special Forces
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To: sageb1

These nutcases haven't even figured out yet that we are winning. In math terms, is that a loser squared? (when one is such a loser that they don't know that they are winning)


8 posted on 07/16/2006 7:17:34 AM PDT by American in Singapore (Bill Clinton: The Human Stain)
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To: sageb1
it is pitiful a former marine would now have 'spastic jollies' over an episode where the truth is still yet unknown

It would appear this former marine enjoys trashing his marine son and other marines. So many military so little trash talking time about that military, is not only kerry, kennedy, murtha, and this former marine's mantra but others as well. Sick and disgusting.

9 posted on 07/16/2006 7:18:00 AM PDT by no-to-illegals ('No' worked so well, perhaps another word is in order?)
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To: sageb1

40 years ago, Viet Nam was the war being offered as a chance to "do what you can do for your country". An ill-chosen vehicle for "contributing", as it turned out. The US was keeping the fighting just low-key enough to prevent the Chinese from entering the fray, which turned out to be not enough to win. Militarily, our armed services could attain the objective, but a political decision to not take advantage of a tactical superiority simply gave it back to the enemy, who openly laughed in our faces, and obeyed no rules of civilized conduct.

This is not the same war, and this is not the same goal. There, it was merely "containment" of the spread of Communism (a vain enterprise, as it turned out). Communism was defeated, not because we played "gentlemanly" war games, but because they were finally pushed to the wall and could no longer maintain the pace economically. They saw the end with the development of the "Strategic Defense Initiative", or "Star Wars", concept. The cost of keeping up just got to be too much.

That is what you do for your country.


10 posted on 07/16/2006 7:22:10 AM PDT by alloysteel
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To: sageb1
I guess I differ with him on this narrow proposition--I think during a war, it ought to be very difficult to ever convict a soldier of any crime relating to his conduct in the military operations area.

One of the many deficiencies in management of the engagement by the Neo Cons is their failure to clearly define the enemy and propose that Congress ought to Declare War as provided for by the Constitution.

So as to the rest of his analysis, there really isn't any room for argument that the Bush II Administration and its agents have hopelessly mismanaged conduct of the engagement and we ought to install some responsible leadership which would clean things up. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the Dems offer much in the way of leadership either.

11 posted on 07/16/2006 7:34:57 AM PDT by David (...)
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To: sageb1

Mr. Kindlon doesn't realize that, when he was in Vietnam, he was sold out by the very same people who are now objecting to the Iraq war.


12 posted on 07/16/2006 7:36:19 AM PDT by popdonnelly
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To: sageb1

As a former Marine I say - Semper Fi and STFU!


13 posted on 07/16/2006 7:40:36 AM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: David
"One of the many deficiencies in management of the engagement by the Neo Cons is their failure to clearly define the enemy and propose that Congress ought to Declare War as provided for by the Constitution."

I do not disagree, but who, in your opinion, is the enemy? Upon whom do we declare war?

14 posted on 07/16/2006 7:48:28 AM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: sageb1
Terence L. Kindlon ... once was a Marine sergeant and was wounded in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in 1968. "They've ... declared the Geneva Conventions quaint and thus inoperative.."

Uh.. gee 'Sarge'. Now exactly which countries have abided by the Geneva Conventions as to POWs? Lets look back shall we...

The bottom line is that 3, that's three countries have followed the Geneva Conventions as to treatment of POWs:
  1. The USA
  2. The UK
  3. Germany during WWII (SS excluded)
Ergo 'sarge' if that doesn't prove that the Geneva Conventions are 'quaint and thus inoperative' I don't know what does.

And 'sarge', your lucky that when you were wounded, you weren't captured by Charlie - you'd be dead Jim.

15 posted on 07/16/2006 7:58:49 AM PDT by Condor51 (Better to fight for something than live for nothing - Gen. George S. Patton)
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To: Condor51

Great Response! Please email this to the "former marine."


16 posted on 07/16/2006 8:09:41 AM PDT by Neverforget01
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To: Neverforget01
****Great Response! Please email this to the "former marine."***

Nah, with him being a lawyer he'd probably sue me for harassment -- or for slandering the Soviet Union.

:-)

17 posted on 07/16/2006 8:14:16 AM PDT by Condor51 (Better to fight for something than live for nothing - Gen. George S. Patton)
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To: North Coast Conservative

Jar Head Ping.


18 posted on 07/16/2006 8:33:52 AM PDT by Pontiac (All are worthy of freedom, none are incapable.)
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To: Condor51

Maybe I'll just send him the whole thread. ;)


19 posted on 07/16/2006 8:54:55 AM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: sageb1; Condor51
Maybe I'll just send him the whole thread. ;)

Even better! Let's see how the ambulance chaser responds!

20 posted on 07/16/2006 9:12:25 AM PDT by Neverforget01
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