Carry this picture with you and show it to every fuckwad who says they're voting for McCain!

As the original caption tells us, all Sgt. Ryan John Baum wanted to do was come home and put his daughter, Leia, on his chest. Born 11 days after his death in Iraq on May 18, 2007, the placement of the baby photo during visitation addresses that wish.

As I am every day, I'm interested in your thoughts.
http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/

And all the sheeple who think war is an acceptable alternative.

RIP Ryan.

Tell me the last time you saw the body of a dead American soldier. What does that look like? Who in American knows what that looks like? Because I know what that looks like, and I feel responsible for the fact that no one else does. ... And the soldiers do feel forgotten, they do. No doubt. From Afghanistan to Iraq, they absolutely feel -- you know, we may be tired of hearing about this five years later, they still have to go out and do the same job.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/18/cbss-lara-logan-slams-ame_n_107914.html

We suck.

stories, too little time, I don't think people realize what has been done in our name, to Iraqis and Americans.

RIP, Sgt. Baum, and to Leia's mom, how does she explain this? :cry:

"He volunteered."

Trumad, you can't reason with a sick mind.

That is precisely the rationalization I've heard from Republicans on more than one occasion.

"...you can't reason with a sick mind."

Indeed.

their lives on the line for a CHANCE at an education and at whatever other Bull$shit promises the recruiter made! I have an idea for the warmongers who are so flip with the "he volunteered" copout: If you support the war, then someone from your family has to go to support the war. Too old? ANYone can fold friggin' bandages or do KP in a war zone. Load up."

My mother's neighbor joined the military after 9-11. He thought this war was going to protect us and revenge the attacks of 9-11.

We have to hold Bushco accoutable.

willing to take them."


this is a pissing contest i have gotten into.

it's black and white for them. no gray.

no excuse, no reason, no rationale. they justify these deaths/murders with the flick of their head--and cry and pray to god there is no draft and that their own children do not go there. and when their fear dies down, when it's quelled, they--once again--can remark casually, flippantly, that these other people VOLUNTEERED!


and it's fucking disgusting. and infuriating; maddening and heartbreaking. it makes you want to vomit. it makes you want to slap some decency and sense into them. it makes you wonder what the FUCK is wrong with people.

that monster george bush eats their souls.

is leaving tomorrow after a court appearance. he's joined the army on promises from his recruiter that he could get out of legal trouble and start a new life away from the drinking and drugs and other problems and trouble-makers in his life. he's been told that immediately following his appearance, he'll be whisked away, going to start his new life in the military.

i thought, surely the military won't take this kid who's been in so much trouble from early childhood, who's been thrown out of every elementary and secondary school he attended for beating up other kids, who was arrested less than a year ago for grand theft and possession 10's of thousands of dollars in stolen property, and while on probation, was arrested again after a drunk driving accident and another incident, not to mention a handful of legal incidents prior to the grand theft charges- i wasn't too worried when he told me months ago that he was joining up and eager to go to iraq because everyone told me the army wouldn't take someone with the charges he's faced and faces. but guess what??? his lawyer and recruiter have actually told him the army will take him and that this is the only way to avoid jail!! :grr:

i am furious and livid. my heart is broken. i have had extensive talks (arguments) with him about it, i have begged him not to go, but he is convinced that this is the best thing for him, it will give him "discipline." he wants to make us "proud," and thinks that this is the only way to do it because "there's no quitting the army, school and jobs are too easy to quit."

i will have this picture with me in my thoughts when i go to court tomorrow morning. :cry:

Seriously, the military may be just what the guy needs to straighten himself out. The fact that the military would take your cousin is a sign of how recruiting is going.

he was actually doing FINE until a slip up- he had a job, the grand theft charges were being reduced and he was only going to have to be on probation and some community service, he was going back to college, then a night out with coworkers ended badly, and then here comes this recruiter telling him this is his ONLY option if he wants to avoid jail time.

this kid never had a chance- if you knew his parents and everything he's been through, it would be clear that he's actually turned out quite well considering. this recruiter took advantage of his disadvantage.

i don't want him going to jail- but i certainly don't fucking want him going to IRAQ, thanks.

i do not have a problem with "the military," even for "disciplinary" purposes, but don't fucking tell me IRAQ is his only chance!

if i didn't KNOW about the people in charge of what happens to people who are convinced that THIS is their only choice

if i didn't know that those who are in control of what happens to our young men and women were greedy bastards who profit off of their deaths,

if i thought it was as SIMPLE as the kid needs sum DISCIPLINE, i wouldn't be so distraught!

edit: pardon me for getting so emotional.

Heard that rationalization from those same sick minds, I mean.


And that reminds me of a quote I saw some time ago. I don't even know who first said it, but it's this:


It's ironic that wars take the healthiest and bravest, while the unhealthy and the cowardly manage to evade them.


In the case of those sick minds, I'd say they're mostly cowards. Send others to die in their stead, then pretend to be "Patriotic" just because the assholes stick stupid yellow magnets on the bumpers of their cars.

They should all go to hell.

Other priorities. And I thought super villains were only in comic books.

..."so are you calling a hero, airborne medic stupid?"

Then stuff the picture down the motherfucker's throat.

I have read amazingly lame statements here about if they volunteer, they get what they deserve. No shit.

:shrug:

fuckers. You could also ask them about their 'service'. call them cowards.

just get a bunch of business cards from the local recruiters office and hand them one.

like my son, my nephew and my cousin have done multiple tours in Iraq (my nephew has done a tour in both Iraq and Afghanistan) and they support the war. Like me, the other boy's fathers are all veterans. My brother did part of his final tour in Iraq when his son was there. Both father and son were in the theater at the same time.

So go ahead and ask those that support the war about their service. But don't be surprised if they have served. If they have served and you haven't (not casting any aspersions upon, you may be a vet for all I know), the situation may be awkward.

It is always a tragedy when a young troop is taken from his family. As a Patriot Guard Rider, I have seen what it does to families more times than I ever wanted to. I have the utmost respect, admiration and respect for these young men. More than I do for those that sit in Congress and voted to send them there regardless if they say they were mislead or lied to. They could have voted "no" no matter what. It may be someone else's cup of tea to stand on soldiers caskets to make a point or launch a good zinger. For me, it is not my style at all. Free Speech and all of that, I won't judge. It is just not for me.

They snear and sarcastically add: It's a war. Like you are stupid by thinking no one should die in a war.

Mission accomplished.

....are back in Iraqi oil fields.


Yaaay! So there's a few thousand dead soldiers, and a few one-hundred-thousand dead A-rabs. Mission (for the contractor and the oil companies--and really, who else matters?) Accomplished.:sarcasm: :grr: :grr: :nuke:

What is it good for?

Absolutely NOTHING :cry: :mad:

May he rest in peace; his family is in our thoughts and prayers.

Words cannot express my anger right now.

RIP. :(

The baby without the father is not quite a year old now and has dad's easy-going nature and smile.

"The baby is a joy," said grandmother Dana Baum. "Leia is the happiest thing that ever walked - or is about to walk. Then there are times when I hold her and my heart breaks because I feel so much that Ryan missed out on something spectacular."

...

And back in Pennsylvania, where Ryan's wife, Amber, cares for 10-month old Leia, hate, anger, sorrow and loss sweep over her - sometimes keeping her in bed for days.

...

Richard Baum, Ryan's father, said even though 10 months have passed, it doesn't take much to dredge up painful memories. He said when they recovered Ryan on the battlefield, they found the ultrasound of Leia in his pocket.

"This was going to be the highlight of his life," he said. "He was crazy about the baby even then."

More: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/19/ryan-missed-out-on-something-spectacular/

The Republicans who say, well, he volunteered, don't get it. Yes, but he volunteered to serve his country. Invading Iraq has provided no service to America. It's made us less safe.
This courageous young man was betrayed by his President. Bush sent these soldiers to be maimed
and killed in the service of his own ego. Bush is nothing but a bully, a liar, and a coward.

And Nancy Pelosi is simply a coward for taking impeachment off the table. That's how you hold
the President accountable.

This is just so sad. It's such a betrayal of the character and courage of these volunteer soldiers.

Why did he enlist? What BULLSHIT promises did a FUC*ING recruiter tell him?!?
I have this to say to those young people putting their lives in harm's way for a CHANCE at higher education: "HOLD ON! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT ANYMORE!"

I am proud to be part of UNC-CH--a public university that has created the Carolina Covenant--and that as a public university is blazing a trail for other public universities to get on board to make education AFFORDABLE and AVAILABLE to economically disadvantaged young people.

I don't know why this young man enlisted, but I'll bet it had to do with the dream for a better future than the one he had. And now look: a grieving wife, a baby girl who will never know her daddy, and probably a host of friends and relatives. And if he had parents...OMG, I can't even imagine!

"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in." ~George McGovern


:banghead:

:argh:

Education is not the only thing that makes young men join the service. With the economy in the mess it is in now, there are other young men unable to make a living that will in desperation join the service. That is one reason the government does not care that the jobs are gone, it only makes it easier for them to recruit fresh young bodies to send to die in their greedy unneccesary wars. I say let everyone that voted for or worked behind the scene for this war send their sons and daughters to it, then we will see if they really think it was such a good idea.

War! It ain’t nothing but a heartbreaker’
War! Friend only to the Undertaker
War! It’s an enemy to all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind

War has caused unrest in the younger generation
Induction the destruction
Who wants to die?

I said - War! Huh – Good God y’all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing

:patriot: :cry: K&R

Link?

"In that role, Pvt. McCain will be a rifleman on the front lines and will have a simple mission: to hunt and kill the enemy."

Not about Jimmy McCain but about the author of the article and the role of the military. Its a sporting event.

:hi:

In my genealogy hunting, I've collected many third cousins. One in eastern Washington (practically Idaho) continues to send me propaganda even though I've asked her not to.

Last night I got this:
"We must get these kinds of facts out to the public; the news media will not do so~!!!

John McCain's Sons

Talk about putting your most valuable where your mouth is! Apparently this was not "newsworthy" enough for the media to comment about. Can either of the other presidential candidates truthfully come close to this? ... Just a question for each of us to seek an answer, and not a statement.

You see...character is what's shown when the public is not looking. There were no cameras or press invited to what you are about to read about, and the story comes from one person in New Hampshire.

One evening last July, Senator John McCain of Arizona arrived at the New Hampshire home of Erin Flanagan for sandwiches, chocolate-chip cookies and a heartfelt talk about Iraq . They had met at a presidential debate, when she asked the candidates what they would do to bring home American soldiers - - soldiers like her brother, who had been killed in action a few months earlier.

Mr. McCain did not bring cameras or press. Instead, he brought his youngest son, James McCain, 19, then a private first class in the Marine Corps about to leave for Iraq . Father and son sat down to hear more about Ms. Flanagan's brother Michael Cleary, a 24-year-old Army First Lieutenant killed by an ambush ... a roadside bomb.

No one mentioned the obvious: In just days, Jim my McCain could face similar perils. 'I can't imagine what it must have been like for them as they were coming to meet with a family that ......' Ms. Flanagan recalled, choking up. 'We lost a dear one,' she finished.

Mr. McCain, now the presumptive Republican nominee, has staked his candidacy on the promise that American troops can bring stability to Iraq . What he almost never says is that one of them is his own son, who spent seven months patrolling Anbar Province and learned of his father's New Hampshire victory in January while he was digging a stuck military vehicle out of the mud.

Two of Jim my's three older brothers went into the military. Doug McCain, 48, was a Navy pilot. Jack McCain, 21, is to graduate from the Naval Academy next year, raising the chances that his father, if elected, could become the first president since Dwight D. Eisenhower with a son at war.

I chose to share this with those who I believe will pass it on, to others who will pass it on. We hear so much inflated trash out there. How about a simple act of kindness ... and dedication to others placed above oneself?

Has anybody heard if Barack Hussein Obama has served in The American Armed Services?
This is for all you Barack voters.
From Barack's book, Audacity of Hope:

"I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

HE DID NOT SAY STAND WITH AMERICANS!!!!!"

:eyes:
-------------------

I countered with:
"Any soldier can tell you that the main thing that any man in combat thinks of is coming home. According to McCain, we're going to keep up this bullshit war for 100 years.

Our economy is in the shitter. We have a several TRILLION dollar debt from this war. And he wants to keep people there. Public opinion has shifted. People want this war to END. They don't care that he was held prisoner. It doesn't seem to have changed his mind much about it. Oh yeah...he was AGAINST torture before he was for it.

And I will NEVER as a woman, lower myself to vote for someone who calls his wife a cunt. http://www.drudge.com/news/106692/author-mccain-called-wife-cunt-trollop

I've asked you not to send me this stuff. But if you do, I WILL refute it. Neoconservatives are going the way of the dinosaur. But by all means, vote Republican and continue to pay $4.00 or more for gas. "

I doubt that anybody sending out that crap has a copy, either.

So I have to wonder whether that quote is even accurate. And if it is, I certainly would like to know the context--I assume he meant that if prejudice against Muslims becomes worse than it is, he'll stand up with them for the sake of tolerance and human rights. Gee, how un-American that would be. :eyes:

I wished that I could have so I could have refuted it point blank on the spot. Because I knew it was probably being misquoted.

Anybody read the book and can comment? I'm sure this is the next newest neocon chain letter we'll all have to refute anyway. Might as well get a head start!

If she writes back, I'd like to give her a "....by the way, this quote was taken out of context. It would be nice to see a Republican do anything accurately, but you just cherry pick what you want. Kind of like you do with the bible too...."

Not important to get us out of Iraq. So yes, I think he probably does need to be reminded.

All I can think is, Why? WHY? :cry:

like the only one with any common sense. Thank you Cindy for waking us all up.

the BFEE should be shut into Gitmo, forever, in cells wallpapered with that picture.

Blessings to his child and her mother.

war surcharge on everyone who voted for the war by voting for Bush in 2004, with the money used to care for returning vets or their families, if they had been killed.

I remember vividly Mom's emotions. Glued to the
network news(for you young-uns, it really WAS news).
Fearing a car with men in uniform would drive up. I
wish I could put Mom in touch with Ryan's parents.

Any further comment would violate DU rules and quite
possibly Federal law.

:mad:

No words...

be forced to look at this picture for 10 minutes with their eyes wide open.

This tragedy is truly for naught.:mad:

Dear sweet god. Ummm... Yea and for all of you complaining that folks need to be nice to you on the internets or you won't vote for the Dem nominee take a good long look. You see, we got the privilege to sit our happy asses up on the internets all day complaining about the unfair treatment of our beloved candidate and so on. When you look at this picture please be reminded of your fucking privilege. As I say time and time again, the people fighting this war could give a good god damn about your hurt feelings, this election is bigger than you and your feelings. You should be thanking your lucky stars that the mad man Bush didn't start a draft and you are able to see another day and be with your family and friends. Folks like Sgt. Baum didn't have the privilege to worry about hurt feelings and I'm sure your hurt feelings are the last think on the poor wife and child this young man left behind. Just remember for every troop shot down there are thousands waiting in the wings for us to do the right thing in November. Someone pissing you off on the internets about your candidate is not a fucking excuse to vote for McCain or to sit this one out, it just isn't.

That baby is and will always be loved by her daddy. It's shit like this that makes you wonder just what the fuck some folks are thinking when they say they will vote for McCain.

:cry:

Even if he hadn't been so close to coming home this would have been inutterably tragic, but to have been 24 hours away from safety and seeing his baby.... oh, I just can't stand to think of it.

waiting for his ride out. They called in sniper fire, but listed as non-combat. I suspect that means he was murdered by ??? another marine? Anyway, he was actually in the frigging airport, had spoken to parents by cellphone that his flight out was coming any minute...

:cry:

her life.

We cannot be diverted and we cannot lose.

The Neo-Cowards are really melting down over this thread and Obama's new campaign logo. Take a look and have a laugh !!
Here's a couple of links to the train wreck....
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=723267
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=723110

They're so tough with their George Bush "Bring it" commands. Of course they're sitting in the comfort of their mothers basement, yapping away like tough guys ---- but they wouldn't dare set foot in a recruitment office.

Well you little fucking chickenhawks, the starter of this thread, me, was a Devil in Baggy Pants, 2/504 11BIP 82nd Airborne Infantryman, and all I would have to do is say boo, and you cowards would scurry back to your mama to suckle her breast.

AR15---are your fucking kidding me? You candy asses are more like this:

Yeah, let's vote McInsane. :sarcasm: :eyes:

It's so wrong.

people who think that it is correct to wage war no matter what even with potential enemies. This poor soul was killed for oil.

You can't change them unless there is a draft and then they start shrieking "not me, not me"

I thought that, in some cases, the text should not get lost.

So here are a couple of additional options.

Sorry to stick my nose in this - I had to do something I guess.
.



.
.
.

.

The soldier in your picture went to Iraq to kill innocent people. maybe show them a picture of a innocent Iraqi.

That soldier had a choice ...the Iraqis we are killing today have no choice, they have to die when a smart bomb falls on their home.

Re The soldier in your picture went to Iraq to kill innocent people. maybe show them a picture of a innocent Iraqi.

You don't know anything about him--maybe he never killed anyone, and never wanted to either.

I've seen the picture you posted before, and it still brings tears to my eyes. They are BOTH tragic casualties of Bush's war. An American life isn't worth more than an Iraqi life, but it isn't worth less either.

He went to Iraq to help kill innocent people.

I am sorry it had to be this way ...but it is...here we are.

:cry: DAMN the warmongers! :mad:

Wars suck. So do warmongers.

Takes a lot to make me cry, but this story did it. Heartbreaking.

war profiteers, torturers, and murderers who called themselves this nation's leaders. If only there were a hell. I certainly understand why so many think there must be.

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

:kick:

That image is going to haunt me for a long, long time.

Sad to say, I doubt it will faze many McCain supporters though.

I have to close this before I lose it.