"Not a Soldier" for Governor of NJ - (for Memorial Day)

[Adelante]

In honor of our veterans, our fallen, our active troops, our militry families -- for Memorial Day:

"Not a Soldier" for Governor of NJ


It can be amusing when Republicans try to talk their way around not having served their country and having profited mightily from not having served their country. If kids weren't dying in battle day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out, I would laugh.

A Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey, Robert Schroeder, has made millions of dollars as a government supplier of army tents. In a recent mail piece, he told voters he has "had the honor of serving alongside our troops in places like Afghanistan and Iraq."

In fact, he was showing troops how to put up the tents he sold to the U.S. government.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, WWII veteran and Democratic Senator of New Jersey, said of the chickenhawk contingent of the Republican Party: "When it was their turn to serve their country, where were they?"

Republicans of the past, of course, had a much more honorable record of military service, but it was a different party then, an honorable party. Today, in public life, it's the Democratic Party who has the country's back, who knows what it is to go to war by experience, and knows when it has all gone terribly wrong.

Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry and Democratic Presidential Primary candidate Wesley Clark; Senators Ted Kennedy, Tom Harkin, and Daniel Inouye; House Representatives Charlie Rangel, Dick Gephardt, and Leonard Boswell; former Senators Max Cleland and John Glenn ... too long a list to include here of prominent Democrats who are military veterans.

The only Senator with a child to serve on the front lines of Iraq? Tim P. Johnson of South Dakota, a Democrat.

The Democratic candidate for Governor of New Jersey? Jon Corzine, former US Marine.

"Robert Schroeder is not a soldier." Right.

Soldiers don't make millions of dollars for their service. For all of his 34-year military career, even the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, Gen. Wesley Clark, wouldn't have come anywhere near the fortune Schroeder has reaped since the tragic events of 9/11 sent our military correctly into Afghanistan, and since a misbegotten Iraq War policy subsequently sent our children into endless war.

But, then, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Tom DeLay, Rick Santorum, Trent Lott, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, etc. -- what do they know about war?

If Schroeder is not elected Governor of New Jersey, will he be going into Iran next year to help put up tents?

[paineinthearse]

1. Thank you for the letter and all the veterans for serving

Out all chickenhawks and war profiteerers, wherever they roost.