Fucker. You send people to war and then try to lmit the benefits they receive. granted that this is a different war, but for how much Bush loves going to war, you’d think that he would at least support traditional veterans’ benefits and maybe even give more. However, Bush decides to stretch the military to the max and then cut back the benefits people get for doing their duty, what a great reward…
Fuck, that sounds like he’s a money-grubber >.<
More money for the rich people who scam on their taxes, yay
Yeah, at first you’d think so. But then, when you examine his background and his cabinet members, it’s not so surprising.
Rumsfield is a BUSINESSMAN, not a military man. They run war like a for-profit business. As much labor squeezed out of as few employees (each additional employee is another salary to pay, and hence less profit) as possible, and likewise spending as little on supplies and benefits as they feel they can get away with (again, cutting costs). That’s why so many soldier go over there without the Kevlar vests (which makes me FURIOUS, by the way, the idea that there isn’t one of those for every ground soldier, and that the families of some soldiers have had to raise money themselves to buy their loved one a vest).
This hardly comes out of the blue. They celebrated last Memorial Day by trying to basically get rid of the “Hazardous Duty” pay bonus, after all.
But that’s Bush for you, and sadly a lot of America, too. “We Support Our Troops… until it’s time to pay them.”
EDIT: so, like, they don’t wanna pay our veterans, or suit up our current force with the vests. That means they don’t support our troops! Therefore, Bush et al are unpatriotic. 
Actually, we are issued the vests, the plates that go isntdie them ont he other hand… Some have the inteceptor vest and others ahve the flak jacket. The interceptor vest is better and can sue the plates, the flak is onyl good in close combat. The temperatures and weight of the gear is why many don’t wear it. The plates add a good 10 pounds to your already heavy load and the vests (flak and inteceptor) are a bit constaining and make you sweat like no other. I did a night hike once and I was drenched after it because I wore a flak jacket and that was at Penldeton and Iraq is many times hotter.
The HD pay, I forgot about that. It isn’t too much and doesn’t add a lto, but it shoudl still be there (it is only $150 a month). At this rate they’ll try to take away our lfie insurance policy.
“French oil companies are going to walk in and say ‘I have a contract signed by Saddam Hussein and I want to be paid,’ and they’re going to have a claim that is recognized under international law,” Baker said outside court. “We think this is a debt incurred by Saddam Hussein that deserves much more priority than some French oil contract.”
If it was French POWs and American oil contracts it would be the other way around.
Rumsfield is a BUSINESSMAN, not a military man. They run war like a for-profit business
America has always been run similarly to this, they only entered WW2 because their trade routes were treatened, The American president at the time could have warned pearl harbour of the incomming attack but he needed an excuse to defend Americas trade routes.
Meanie. Sort of.
I don’t think a lot has read the article: This isn’t about American money, it is about Iraqi money. Money that Iraq needs to rebuild. And why should the current Iraqi government pay for what Saddam Hussein’s regime did? They’re not affiliated.
The soliders still deserve their money though, but what they deserve is American money. Preferably taken from all those who dodged military duty during the Vietnam war.
Then there is the question: Is it Bush or some incompetent that works for him who is causing this?
I seriously think it won’t be any different under a democrat president. They’d just fire half the troops and be done with it.
Now that I’ve read the article, I consider what the troops are trying to do roughly equivalent to purported descendents of slaves trying to get “reparations funds” from the descendents of slave owners (or any old white guy that’s hanging around).
I can’t stand bush right now and I’m really freaked out about how this is going to be the next Vietnam war, according to my teachers. My friends are being shipped out to Iraq and I don’t want them coming back in bodybags. If Bush was smart, he’d pull out of the campaign right now because he’s got no chance in hell of winning. :noway:
“Support” and “Bush” should never be in a positive sentance together.
The united states military only uses volunteer soldiers. So it isn’t really like vietnam, if someone doesn’t want to risk being killed fighting for their country they don’t have to sign up for military service.
The soldiers asking for money isn’t like decendents of slaves asking for reparations, these soldiers were themselves imprisioned and tortured for 40 days. Although 56 million dollars each seems a bit. Also, punitive damages? The government that tortured them is gone, so why are there punitive damages? To punish the new government instead?