Did Cronkite Cause the US to Lose in Vietnam?

Not to speak ill of the dead but many (I among them) believe we could have prevailed in Vietnam had it not been for the liberal media and especially Mr. Cronkite shaping public opinion against the War.

The end result of Mr. Cronkite's actions was to doom the Vietnam people we abandoned to unthinkable hardships. With the fall of Saigon, the new communist government sent many people who supported the old government in the South to "re-education camps." An estimated 1 million people were imprisoned without formal charges or trials and, according to published academic studies in the US and Europe, more than 165,000 people died in these re-education camps. Hundreds of thousands more were abused or tortured. These factors, coupled with poverty, caused hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese to flee the country many becoming "boat people." On the open seas, the boat people had to confront forces of nature, and elude pirates.

Related events in Cambodia allowed the Khmer Rouge regime to murder millions more people in their "Killing Fields."

Mr. Cronkite may have been a great newsman but this stain on his record needs to be a lesson to all Americans about what can happen when we abandon our commitments. Let's remember this as we deal with Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army Does the Fighting - Marines Get the Press

Again, the Marines grab all the press while the Army does most of the fighting and dying in both our wars! As of yesterday (17 July), there have been 552 Soldiers killed in Afghanistan while only 91 Marines, 48 Sailors and 47 Airmen have been killed there.

I would add that another 3142 Soldiers have also been killed in Iraq while 1019 Marines, 100 Sailors and 51 Airmen have been killed there.

On Wednesdays the Post publishes the names of the military dead for the week released by the Pentagon and this Wednesday 14 names were released: 11 Soldiers, 2 Sailors and 1 Marine but the Post didn't make it easy to detect this disparity.

The Army is doing a disproportionate share of the fighting and dying for this country in these two wars although I am delighted to see the Marines have decided to rejoin the fight in Afghanistan after having been "missing in action" for the past several years. As for Iraq, there are very few Marines left there and only one Marine has been Killed in Iraq since April while 42 Soldiers have been killed since then.

Every service member’s life is precious so I wouldn't diminish the death of a single one but let's put US Military Operations into a little perspective. Since 1983 we have been in combat in Grenada, Panama, two Wars with Iraq and Afghanistan and the US has lost about 5300 troops total. The causalities are about equal to 4 hours on Normandy Beaches, 19 days on Iwo Jima, December 1950 in Korea or the first 116 Days of 1968 in Vietnam -- or even a year on the streets of several US Cities. If this country can't stomach this level of commitment in exchange for greater homeland security, then I have serious concern for our long term liberty.

Gays in the Military and Repeal of DADT ....

I don't know much about this having only been an E-5 Sq Ldr as an EM and commanded four companies, and been a combat battalion XO and Commander as an officer, but in my opinion "respect" is tricky and "coming out of the closet" loses the respect of a sizable segment of the force. I would also say, if you haven't "been there," you don't know what you're talking about. A gay member is not the most reliable judge of how other troops feel about them. To them, they "accept" another gay member, to a straight, there is a loss of respect and especially if a gay member is in a leadership position.

I concede, some troops may accept gays it but now with the force under extreme stress is NOT the time for this risky experiments.

Ever heard the old Army saying: "Guys don't like to take showers with guys that like to take showers with guys." Well, it's true. Communal living is tough enough without introducing "sexual tension" into the barracks or foxhole.

I would also ask that, if you've never had the guts to serve in the Military, don't begin to preach to me about how a service member should have to live "in close quarters." I'd prefer you just said "thank you for your service" and went on your way.

...and as for the arguement that "it's working for other nations," No army in the World, including the Israeli army, holds a candle to either the US Army or the US Marine Corps. Just because some second rate military gets away with a questionable policy is no reason to experiment with what is unarguably and by far the finest military in the World!

General Motors Becomes a Federal Agency

Got to warn people about the "new and improved" GM or Government Motors - GM has already begun “stiffing” owners on warranty work which is a sure fire sign GM is getting used to being a Federal Government Agency.

The GM warranty customer Rep I was dealing with had all the charm of an IRS Agent and the manners of a DMV clerk. During a recent phone conversation with Mr. John Russell, General Motors Executive Office – and he authorized me to quote him – General Motors only stands behind their auto transmissions for 12,000 miles when they replace them under warranty.

One can only conclude that by the way they treat customers, GM isn’t worried about customer loyalty because they are not going to need customers in the future.

Joe "5-Deferment" Biden is Obama's Military Expert

5 July 2009 - Delighted to see good old Joe ("5-deferment") Biden is visiting a combat zone - something he was scared sh**less to do in his youth when his country asked him. This COWARD is the reason every American should pray each night for Obama's good health! He will go down in history as the dumbest and most inept vice president of all times; by contrast he makes Palin look smart and Dan Quayle absolutely brilliant.

Of course, President Obama has placed managing our two Wars in "5-Deferment" Joe's portfolio because of his demonstrated Military Expertise as evidenced by the way he deftly avoided any brush with armed conflict during his youth when he successfully dodged the Vietnam draft (he and Dick Cheney did everything short of maiming themselves which neither had the guts to do – I guess it’s a prerequisite for VP). Again, by contrast here Biden makes "W" look like a war hero! (For the record, Bush flying antique Air National Guard Convair F-102s was probably in more danger than I was during an extended CIB-earning tour in Vietnam!).

It appears President Obama has also assigned Biden the role of designated "butt of jokes" for the late night comedians -- another role for which he is eminently well qualified and ideally suited.