Legionnaires Condemn War Protests

[RobertSeattle]

http://www.legion.org/?section=pub_relations&subsection=pr_listreleases&content=pr_press_release&id=303

HONOLULU, August 23, 2005 - Delegates to the nation’s largest wartime veterans organization meeting here in national convention today vowed to use whatever means necessary to ensure the united support of the American people for our troops and the global war on terrorism.

“Warriors, above all other people, pray for peace, for they must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war,” said Thomas P. Cadmus, national commander of The American Legion referring to Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s quote. “We had hoped that the lessons learned from the Vietnam War would be clear to our fellow citizens: public protests against the war here at home while our young men and women are in harm’s way on the other side of the globe only provide aid and comfort to our enemies. We understand that the terrorists they are engaging there would slit the throats of every American, adult and child, if they could.”

The resolution passed unanimously by 4,000 delegates to the annual event states: “The American Legion fully supports the President of the United States, the United States Congress and the men, women, and leadership of our armed forces as they are engaged in the global war on terrorism.”

“For many of us, the visions of Jane Fonda glibly spouting anti-American messages with the North Vietnamese and protestors denouncing our own forces four decades ago is forever etched in our memories,” Cadmus said. “We must never let that happen again. I assure you, The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom loving peoples.”

The measure recognizes that the global war on terrorism is as deadly as any war
in which the United States has been previously engaged and that the President and Congress did authorize military actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

“No one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it, but we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their elected officials rather than by public media events guaranteed to be picked up and used as tools of encouragement by our enemies,“ Cadmus said. “It would be tragic if the freedoms our veterans fought so valiantly to protect would be used against their successors today as they battle terrorists bent on our destruction.

“Let’s not repeat the mistakes of our past,” he added. ”I urge all Americans to rally around our armed forces and remember our fellow Americans who were viciously murdered on Sept. 11, 2001. We must commit ourselves to stand united together to defeat terrorism once and forever.”

The 2.7 million-member American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans organization.

[Moochy]

1. My roomate gets the American Legion magazine

That thing is such a piece of right wing pro-war propaganda its sickening. They had Chertoff on the cover a month or two ago explaining why we dont really need the bill of rights. (exaggerating)

It's like what Jon Stewart said about the Veterans for Foreign Wars coming out against foreign wars of occupation, it would be bad for their dues. :evilgrin:

[NorCalDem]

2. Tell the Legionnaires that if our elected officials listened to us

we wouldn't have to take our grievances to the streets. Also, if Iraq had anything to do with 9/11 we wouldn't have as many complaints.

Seeing that neither of those two things are true, I reserve the right to protest my government in the street. We are NOT protesting the troops, and I would argue that the anti-war people are more pro-troop than their GOP counterparts.

I can't disrespect veterans, but in this case I do not agree with them!

[sepia_steel]

7. Not all veterans feel that way :)

And fuck them for thinking that they can demand that no one publicly protests.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. So many fallacies in there you don't even know where to start.

Jane Fonda. :wtf:

"We must never let that happen again." How, I ask? :wtf:

"we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their elected officials" :wtf:

9/11. :wtf:

In case I haven't made myself clear:

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

[Arugula Latte]

4. This is a hoot! "We're for freedom so shut the fuck up."

:rofl: Thanks, legionnaires! You make no sense!

(edited 'cuz a typo made no sense)

[jonnyblitz]

27. yep, that about sums up what they say nt

[atreides1]

5. This is why

I did not renew my membership in the American Legion, it's filled with delusional clowns that reminded me of being at a Bund meeting.

Rule number one:America is always right
Rule number two:if America is ever wrong refer to rule number one.

[flpoljunkie]

12. Good for you for standing up! I hope other members follow your lead.

[jonnyblitz]

30. they have a history of being very" john birch society-esque"

I was in the VFW for awhile after my stint in Desert Storm and couldnt stand it even and stopped paying dues a few years ago.

[Justitia]

6. wow, that is some stmt. It is wrong on so many levels, don't know where

to begin.

Those poor guys are still fighting a war from decades ago.
They have just slapped a contemporary face on it.

This is the sad, sad result of another disastrous illegitimate war - these guys will never come out the other side.

[mikelewis]

14. Their membership is dragging and they also get money from the Gov...

so this is to be expected. They incorrectly believe that this "Pro-Soldier/Pro-war" bullshit will win over some new people. I'm sure they're getting paid pretty well for it too. This looks like another Armstrong Williams stump speech.

Don't hold this against the The American Legion. They're a good organization and do a lot of good for veterans. Who cares what his retard says, I know some of his people are not happy with what's going on. If he tries to turn the American Legion into the swift-boat vets, he may find himself out of a job.

[gratuitous]

16. I wouldn't necessarily hold the entire Legion accountable

Except that the pin-headed resolution passed unanimously. I think I'm on pretty safe ground to criticize the whole organization under those circumstances.

[mikelewis]

35. Good point

[Lars39]

8. self delete

[noahmijo]

9. So let's just sit back and cheer on more Americans dying for

the cause of creating an Islamic Theocracy.

You know what? Vets or no Vets the fact of the matter is this war is on me and on you and because you may hold the title of having served and I didn't doesn't give you the right to tell me to suck it up I REFUSE to stand by idly and let this punk president continue to ruin the future of this country which ruins MY future.

And one more thing ENOUGH with bringing up Sept 11th. If you gave a real rat's ass about the victims you would've been there with the families protesting Bush's ignoring their pleas for an investigation, you'd be out there right now picketing and protesting Bush to stop whoring the names of dead FDNY and NYPD while at the same time taking actions that cause them to cease pay increases and benefits.

BTW you know what encourages our enemies? SHOWING STUPIDITY by invading a nation and handing them the greatest gift of destroying THEIR enemy and in turn rallying more potential terrorists to their cause.

Mr Vet let me ask you as a man who no doubt is religous and who no doubt values your family just what would you do if a bomb went off and took half your house and your daughter's midsection with it? just what would you do? Why you'd do exactly what thousands of Iraqis who before had no intention of becoming combat fighters before they held what was left of their children....you'd become an insurgent and "the enemy" of the invading country as well.

[MrBenchley]

10. What a pathetic bunch of wankers....

"Delegates to the nation’s largest wartime veterans organization meeting here in national convention today vowed to use whatever means necessary to ensure the united support of the American people"
Seig Heil!

"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom loving peoples.”
Except a drunk who says "Bring em on," evidently. And it's hilarious to see people who are shrieking "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" rattle on about "freedom loving."

"remember our fellow Americans who were viciously murdered on Sept. 11, 2001."
We do. Where's Osama?

[Kurovski]

40. These are veterans who have fought in wars, unlike the

chickenhawk wankers in washington.

I'm disappointed that they see it this way, and It appears that they haven't actually taken Gen. MacArthur's quote to heart.

My eyes glaze over when the old folks mention Jane Fonda, the same when 9/11 and the war in Iraq are strung together.

At any rate, it's important to remember that they are in a relatively small minority that seems to shrink ever smaller each time Bush opens his yap.

[MrBenchley]

41. They're right wing blowhards and hypocrites...

As you'll see below, they didn't mind giving "aid and comfort to the enemy" when Clinton stopped genocide in Kosovo...

Those of us with long memories may remember how they distinguished themselves during the Great Depression by beating up homeless people and trying to organize a military coup...

[Kurovski]

43. Yes, it's always disappointing when

a member of the military trades in fatigues for a brown shirt.

It's remarkable that they would fight for freedom abroad, then suppress it in their own nation.

It is indeed hypocritical.

[Journeyman]

11. How can they unanimously support Congress when Congress isn't 100%...

behind the war effort.

Seems like a little cognitive dissonance in the making.

[Skip Intro]

13. "Sit down and shut up" is not democracy

[Neocondriac]

17. Oh goody.....

The Strassian Fascist Corporate Adventure {Featuring live Ammo} gets the nod from the far right!

[Nikki Stone 1]

20. Amen

:dem:

[Dr.Phool]

15. What do you expect from Joe McCarthy's Brown Shirts.

They were talking the same shit back in the 50's.

[fedupinBushcountry]

19. And the 60's and early 70's

they are as full of shit now as they were then.

[ArkDem]

18. They would. Any group that would spread a major fatal disease

is capable of anything!

[July]

21. We respect the right to protest so much

we're not going to let you do it!

I can never understand this point of view. When faced with an opinion strongly different from their own, they call for the other side to silence itself, but "no one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it." Uh, no. Either you respect that right or you don't.

What is the right to protest, or the right to free speech, if it may not be used? Are we to have "freedom of speech" only as long as we all agree? Sorry, Legionnaires, that's not free speech.

[xchrom]

22. wing nuts are throwin down left and right.

something is going to happen.

maybe somebody gets it with a ball bat -- maybe something else.

more of this only means some redneck ne'er do well gets to act out.

[BrewerJohn]

23. Sounds like * should have spoken in front of this bunch

the other day, instead of the VFW.

[Zero Division]

24. "Statement on Yugoslavia"...surprise, surprise:

http://billmon.org/archives/002107.html

[Eric J in MN]

28. Meeting in Indianopolis and adopting an anti-war resolution

is a public protest.

Hypocrites.

[PatrioticOhioLiberal]

25. They just don't get it

Dumb f*cks.

[Eric J in MN]

26. The Bill of Rights says we have the right to "peaceably to assemble,"

and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Not to just write letters.

[Q]

29. Fascists For Bush!

This isn't America anymore. It's some Twilight Zone version of an America that in a matter of five short years has made every mistake made by Germany when they didn't oppose Hitler from the beginning.

"We had hoped that the lessons learned from the Vietnam War would be clear to our fellow citizens: public protests against the war here at home while our young men and women are in harm’s way on the other side of the globe only provide aid and comfort to our enemies. We understand that the terrorists they are engaging there would slit the throats of every American, adult and child, if they could.”

Some of us learned another lesson from Vietnam. And that is that our government sometimes wages unnecessary wars and Americans become cannon fodder for the ruling class.

I'm sorry to say...but they sound like Brownshirts.

[VOX]

31. Wow, still stuck on Jane Fonda. Plus the "Iraq = terrorism" bit again.

Who's writing the Legion's scripts, Rush Limbaugh? :wtf:

[MrBenchley]

32. Try to contain your surprise...they're lying hypocrites...

Here's what they said about Kosovo....

"The National Executive Committee of The American Legion, meeting in Indianapolis today, adopted Resolution 44, titled "The American Legion's Statement on Yugoslavia.'' This resolution was debated and adopted unanimously.
Mr. President, the United States Armed Forces should never be committed to wartime operations unless the following conditions are fulfilled:
* That there be a clear statement by the President of why it is in our vital national interests to be engaged in hostilities;
* Guidelines be established for the mission, including a clear exit strategy;
* That there be support of the mission by the U.S. Congress and the American people; and
* That it be made clear that U.S. Forces will be commanded only by U.S. officers whom we acknowledge are superior military leaders.
It is the opinion of The American Legion, which I am sure is shared by the majority of Americans, that three of the above listed conditions have not been met in the current joint operation with NATO ("Operation Allied Force'')."

http://billmon.org/archives/002107.html

[FreeStateDemocrat]

33. Most of these guys still think it's 1945 and don't know dick about Iraq.

[doc03]

34. Those old bastards need a good war to build up their

ranks, they even take in sons of veterans now that never even served as members in order to keep going.

[OneTwentyoNine]

36. But would applaud Iraqi's protesting against their government......WTF???

Yeah,lets get a couple of thousand of our troops killed so Iraqi's can protest about their Government. Meanwhile back in America SHUT THE FUCK UP and quit protesting our Government.

Stupid old fucks....

[RobertSeattle]

37. And in the original German... (Via Google)

Legionnaires Verurteilen KriegcProteste, Bürgschaft

HONOLULU, August 23, 2005 - Delegierte zur Kriegveteran-Gründungsversammlung der Nation größten hier in Nationalkonvent vowed heute, zu verwenden, was Mittel notwendig, die vereinigte Unterstützung der amerikanischen Leute für unsere Truppen und den globalen Krieg auf Terrorismus sicherzustellen.

"Warriors, vor allem die Leute, beten für Frieden, denn sie müssen leiden und die tiefsten Wunden und die Scars des Krieges tragen,", sagte Thomas P. Cadmus, der nationale Kommandant der amerikanischen Legion auf Anführungsstrich Gen. Douglas MacArthurs beziehend. "wir hatten gehofft, daß die Lektionen, die vom Vietnamkrieg erlernt wurden, zu unseren Mitbürgern klar sein würden: allgemeine Proteste gegen den Krieg hier zu Hause, während unsere jungen Männer und Frauen in der Weise des Schadens auf der anderen Seite der Kugel sind, stellen nur Hilfsmittel und Komfort zu unseren Feinden zur Verfügung. Wir verstehen, daß die Terroristen, die sie sich dort engagieren, die Kehlen jedes Amerikaners, Erwachsenen und Kindes aufschlitzen würden, wenn sie konnten.",

Die Auflösung überschritt einmütig durch 4.000 Delegierte zu den jährlichen Fallzuständen: "die amerikanische Legion stützt völlig den Präsidenten der Vereinigten Staaten, des Staatkongresses und der Männer, der Frauen und der Führung unserer bewaffneten Kräfte, während sie teilnehmen an dem globalen Krieg auf Terrorismus.",

"für viele von uns, von den Anblicken von Jane Fonda Anti-Amerikanische Anzeigen mit dem Nordvietnamesen und den protestors glibly wird herausspritzen unsere eigenen Kräfte vier Dekaden kündigend in für immer unseren Gedächtnissen geätzt," vor gesagtes Cadmus. "wir müssen lassen nie, die wieder geschehen. Ich versichere Ihnen, steht die amerikanische Legion gegen jedermann und irgendeine Gruppe, die unsere Truppen demoralisieren würden, oder schlechter, gefährden ihre Leben, indem sie Terroristen anregt, ihre cowardly Angriffe gegen loving Völker der Freiheit fortzusetzen.",

Das Maß erkennt, daß der globale Krieg auf Terrorismus so tödlich wie jeder möglicher Krieg ist
in welchen die Vereinigten Staaten vorher engagiert worden sind und das der Präsident und der Kongreß autorisierte militärische Tätigkeiten in Afghanistan und im Irak.

"keiner Respekt das Recht, mehr als ein zu protestieren wer für es gekämpft hat, aber wir hoffen, daß Amerikaner ihre Ansichten in Korrespondenz ihren gewählten Beamten anstatt durch die allgemeinen Medienereignisse darstellen, die garantiert werden, aufgehoben zu werden und als Werkzeuge der Ermutigung von unseren Feinden verwendet zu werden," gesagtes worden Cadmus. "es würde tragisch sein, wenn die freedoms unsere Veteran so, die valiantly gekämpft wurden, um sich zu schützen, gegen ihre Nachfolger heute verwendet würden, wie sie die Terroristen kämpfen, die auf unsere Zerstörung verbogen werden.

"nicht die Fehler unserer Vergangenheit wiederholen," lassen Sie uns er hinzufügte. "ich dränge alle Amerikaner, um unsere bewaffneten Kräfte zu sammeln und an unsere Mitamerikaner sich zu erinnern, die viciously an Sept. 11 ermordet wurden, 2001. Wir müssen am Standplatz uns festlegen zusammen einmal und, der für immer vereinigt wird zum Niederlageterrorismus.",

Die 2,7 Million-Mitgliedsamerikanische Legion ist die größte Veteranorganisation der Nation.

[chaska]

38. LOL!!!!

[chaska]

39. I just can't believe that these people keep doing this....

The same roles are played throughtout history. And these idiots always pick the side that history will soon condemn. Don't they see that they are the same as the Germans that supported Hitler, the same as those who were for the Vietnam war continuing, etc.?

What are they thinking?

...Just totally blind.

[MrBenchley]

42. By the way, Cadmus himself served in Kentucky and Germany

between 1965-1967....or to put it the way tbogg did: "Jane Fonda spent more time in Vietnam than Thomas Cadmus did."

http://tbogg.blogspot.com/