From the Deck of HawkerHurricane

A soldier and sailor, too.

There comes a point when you realize you have done your job, and done it well. That point arrived yesterday.

My men were on thier lunch break, and I found them gathered around the computer, laughing and joking at a web site...

The site was full of movie files, all of them mocking George W. Bush and the Republican party. Alas, I was unable to discover the address of the site; in spite of my known dislike of the current President, the sailors immediately logged off with guilty looks when they noticed me.

Talking to them as individuals, I got similar answers: George Bush is a fool for getting us into Iraq without cause. We should be hunting terrorists, not guerrillas in Iraq.

Earlier that same day, I was talking to a CPO about a piece of equipment used to detect chemical weapons. He said "We should ship some of these to George so he can go to Iraq and look for himself." Let me make this clear: this man was not a shipmate of mine, he did not know me or my opinions. Without preamble, he made a comment in a tone of voice that to me clearly said that he felt no respect for the current President of the United States. It reminded me of the '90's, when people were openly derisive of President Clinton.

Now, the people I have spoken of before, Wheel, Fire, Guns and Sparks...

Wheel is registered to vote in Washington (state), has recieved his absentee ballot for the primary, and asked my advice for the Democratic Presidential Primary candidates. I gave my honest opinion, and he says he voted for Dean. Which is odd, because I know I am biased toward Clark. I guess I gave a unbaised opinion after all.

Fire has re-registered as a Democrat, but has not decided who he is voting for. A deeply faithful Catholic, abortion is a issue with him but no longer THE issue. A resident of Missouri, he has some time. Advice from fellow Catholics on the subject will be relayed.

Guns prefers Clark, and has changed his home of record to San Diego (from Louisiana). He voted Democratically for govorner in Louisiana recently, but will be voting in the California primary. He was annoyed that he couldn't vote for 'Arnie'; but is now questioning himself on that.

Sparks remains a good Republican, and sincerely wishes someone was running against Bush; he does not want to vote for a Democrat but refuses to vote for Bush. He's likely to go libertarian for the Presidential election UNLESS Clark is on the ticket. He'd vote for Clark (he says).

So, good news from the Navy front. May it continue to be good.

And I remain
Hawker Hurricane
PO1(SW) USN
Leading Agitator and Washing Machine
Some ship, San Diego Harbor.

i wonder how your fellow sailors feel about being used as a pawn by Faux news all the time.

NEVER takes a look at the small ships and thier crews, they have no feelings of being pawns.

Howdy :hi:

I'm sending care packages to a soldier in Iraq and I don't think it's right to bring politics into care packages but I did mention in one letter than I was not impressed with Bush when he was my governor and that I think, to use a Texas expression, that he is "dumber than a box of hair".

Well, bless his heart, in his next letter this soldier said he wrongly assumed since I was from Texas I was a Bush fan. This time he let loose and told me he thinks this war is crap, Bush II avenging Bush II, etc, and how he worries all the time about himself and his buddies and for all the others who will be sent to Iraq. I think this is exactly why they don't want anyone talking to the troops.

http://www.notinourname.net/gi-special/

If you want to know what folks are saying, this is a must read.

The administration does not want you talking to troops for exactly that reason.

AND

The Media does not talk to the troops for fear that the troops will say thier true opinion vice the pro-Bush soundbite that they know the brass will give them.

I see the pro lifers realizing they can't vote on just the abortion issue anymore... Which is good news.

candidate labeled pro-life because being against abortion isn't enough to earn my vote. Opposition to abortion is generally *all* that pro-life candidates have to offer me, being as they are typically conservative Republicans who support capital punishment and war, i.e., don't have a complete pro-life worldview.

I think it's unfortunate that some Americans choose to be one issue voters, whether they're pro-choice or pro-life, but each ciizen has the right to decide what is important in choosing whom to vote for.

Whether the issue was guns, abortion, or religion. It has always been a weighted issue with me; a case of 'how often do I agree with this person, how important is this issue to me, and can I accept his word on the subject'.

Are these men sailors that you have been "working on" or having political discussions?

Guns, Fire and Sparks are old friends of mine. Fire was going to be my best man, but couldn't make it, so Sparks took over for him. Guns was my head usher and would have been best man but Sparks had done it before. I've known all three for 15 years + now.

Wheel is a newer shipmate, I've only known him 2 years.

And I don't talk politics overly much with my men; it can lead to big no-no's.

Washington Democrats pick our delegates by caucuses. They were planning to split it and have some of the delegates picked by the primary, but it turns out that the DNC bylaws state that it has to be 100% one way or the other. So they picked caucuses since that is the way it has been done in the past.

Maybe his pick will be the favorite of the caucuses too.

I am very curious how the Military vote come 2004 will be, especially from the Service men, and women who are stationed in Iraq and Afganistan. Let alone the citizens who are abroad in government and business sector jobs.

By my estimate, it was 70-30 pro Bush in 2000; I'm willing to bet it's close to 50-50 now and getting worse (for Bush).

tell your guys about the PNAC website. This crowd in Washington are a bunch of fascist kooks with plans for war as far as the eye can see.

I used that website to answer the question "Why are we in Iraq, anyway".

I've heard a friend of mine say out loud that she wouldn't vote for GW* again. Another one is sorry that he voted for the idiot, but he was "cooler" than Gore.

I guess there's hope. :thumbsup:

Good on ya!

advice for Fire later via a PM to you. That assumes you check your DU inbox when you log on. If not, let me know here or PM me.

Send away.

Where are ya? PM me sometime. ;)

-another San Diego sailor

Hope all is well in SD

Good report on the gen mood there

hope trend continues

someday, come my place, we dive for fish

bring spear, lol

keep up the spirits

the opi

Spears.
Nets.
Depth charges.

depth charges LOL

jus kidding

:D

http://johnbuchanan.org/

Are you worried about the future of America under George W. Bush?

Do you think George W. Bush put corporate greed ahead of sound policy - in National Defense, Jobs, Medicare, the Environment, Energy, and Taxes?

Do you think George W. Bush misled us about the reasons for sacrificing over 400 brave American lives and $166 billion in Iraq - while he gives billion-dollar no-bid contracts to Halliburton?

Do you want an end to secret government, "outing" of CIA officers, domestic spying under the un-American USA Patriot Act, and official coverups - including the coverup of September 11th?

Then YOU have a choice in the Republican Primaries!

Don't give George W. Bush four more years to lead America to ruin.

Vote for John Buchanan instead!

With your help, we can Stop the Corporate Takeover!

No response yet.

You guys must be in the minority. Peggy Noonan told Chris Matthews on Hard Ball everyone in the military just loves their commander-in-chief.

I guess the plastic Halliburton turkey he served up for the photo op in Baghdad didn't convince you?

Neither has any other RWM mouthpiece. They don't dare, for fear that we will tell them the truth.