Dinner with (unhappy) repug cousins.

[trof]

Annual pre-Christmas event.
Nice bunch of folks. Just cause you're repug, doesn't make you a bad person.
After a bit of a verbal donnybrook a couple of years ago, we don't discuss politics.

We're in the living room after dinner. They are country music fans. One guy is playing guitar and singing. Country ain't my bag, but he's pretty good. According to those who know, he can imitate any number of singers, both past and present.
I digress.

Anyway, during a break one guy talks about a friend in the guard who just returned from a year in Afghanistan/Iraq and found out he's being sent back for another year. He's making about half of his civilian salary. Can't pay his bills. His wife (former stay-at-home mom) is now working two jobs and it's still a struggle. May lose their house.

A woman chimes in with a similar story and news that Alabama now has over 8000 guard and reserves on "extended" active duty, more than any other state. She works at a Coast Guard station and gets a lot of the latest skinny. This ain't exactly a political discussion, but it borders. Oh yeah, it borders.

Another fellow opines that, after all, these guys knew that this possibility existed when they signed up. They should quit whining and suck it up. Up to now, I've kept mum, but now here's my big chance.

"Well, Bob, I kind of agree with you. I mean I was in the guard for 7 years and it was during Viet Nam. I knew I could have been called up. But we have always been referred to as "Christmas help". Our main mission was to help out in the state with natural disasters, riots, etc. If we did get activated to be sent overseas it was for a three to six month period to help take up the slack for a little while, until more regulars could be trained. No way did anyone suggest that we'd be liable for one or two year stints."

There is general head nodding and agreement. Bob says yeah he guesses I'm right. These folks are NOT happy with what's going on with our guard and reserve troops now. I don't know if they're angry enough to vote for a dem, but at least they don't seem to think Bush* is God's gift any more.

[Kamika]

1. Atleast they have a connection

My repug cousin has never been in the army, and none or our relatives are..

He couldn't give sh*t about the soldiers, all he wants is to give the terrorists a lesson, and "we can't back down". Meaning it has to cost what it costs..

It's these kinds of repugs we have to fight.

[7th_Sephiroth]

14. oh that sucks babe

i am tired of all these right wing jerks saying crap like that but not having the stones to do anything about it

[fishnfla]

2. At least they are thinking in practical terms

Putting a human face to policy decisions. They are thinking of these troops and their families over the holidays, we all should.

I wonder if shrub is gonna visit Iraq for christmas

[trof]

3. Christmas visit? Sure.

They're airbrushing the turkey now.
;-)

[MojoKrunch]

4. I wonder how your family would feel about the possible

reinstitution of the draft like I'm hearing?

I'm guessing the reason the Viet Nam era reservists were a short term solution was because there was a draft and there were greenies being trained and shipped out... right?

I feel for those military families without the support system to deal with extended stays... we cut way too many corners when helping the families of servicemen, but I understand also that when you sign up, your ass is theres. Period.

Mojo

[trof]

8. Right you are, Mojo.

They were cranking out the 90-day wonders like Ford made cars back then. In fact, a lot of the guard troops who were called up went as instructors stateside.

I think at least the ones with draft-age kids would do some serious soul searching about this whole Iraq thing. And about the CinC who sends the troops there?

[havocmom]

5. If they are starting to actually voice displeasure out loud,

they have probably gone a step or two beyond that in the privacy of their own hearts and minds. The more people hear others taking the risk of dissent, the more will remember that dissent is allowed.

When the herd starts to turn, 'tis a good sign.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It is good for us to be reminded we are making headway in pointing out that the puppet emperor is a sham and a shame.

[liberalitch]

6. I love to hear the sounds

of collapsing support for bush

[Cheswick2.0]

7. it would be different if they were actually defending our country

I think people expect to make sacrifices in that case. But the war has nothing to do with defending our country or stopping genocide (which is another legitimate reason for the USA to step in). I wish people would put that idea out there more often.
People have to be made to face that this war is for control of the middle east (oil).

[nuxvomica]

9. This is a new demographic that needs to be cultivated

Republicans who know folks in the regular service or Guard and are aware of how they and their families are suffering. I know a few people in that group, 2000-Bush voters, who are mad as hell at the Resident. I hope that a lot of soft money goes to advertising the plight of our armed forces personnel, jusxtaposing it with Shrub's own record. After all, wasn't he in the Texas Air National Guard precisely because of the remote chance they would ever see action? Of course, if they had the been activated, could they have found him in time to join them?

[GOPFighter]

10. Great Story!

This is one of the many areas where people are discontented about the war. The burden of this war is falling disproportionally on a relatively small number of Guardsmen who had to leave civilian life where they were making just enough to make ends meet, and now they are facing extreme financial crisis.

A Democratic candidate for President would do well to make a statement that if elected, he will increase combat pay for every serviceman and woman in Afghanistan/Iraq by $500 a month. That extra $6,000 a year would be a godsend to many of the troops.

[arcane1]

11. I had a similar experience talking w/my conservative Nat'l Guard Dad

back on Thanksgiving.. much the same thing, lots and LOTS of complaints about the way the Guard and Reserves are being treated/extended, and a subtle, not-to-be-spoken-aloud undercurrent of frustration that I can easily identify: doubt and uncertainty about the Bush policy in Iraq, even though I suspect many of these people might not even know it themselves..

here's the original post:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=786341

Father and Son, serving together in combat in Iraq! :-(

talked to my dad last night, he's in the Virginia Nat'l Guard. While a Repube, he nonetheless had a LOT to say about the stress and strain this war is having on the guard and reserves. They are currently severely under-staffed, over-worked, and now full of dread for next year when the Guard and Reserves will be handling 60% of the duties in Iraq. Not to mention the extended deployments, etc. Seems like morale is getting quite low out there, though I am not sure how that is affecting Bushian support amongst them (we avoid discussing politics as much as possible). His mood, however, seemed very uncertain, hesitant, as if he is getting bad vibes and feelings about the way this thing is escalating...

While he was conforting me by letting me know there is yet no plan to send him to Iraq, he did relate a sad story to me- there was a group from his area (sorry, I don't know all the military terms for troops, units, battalions, etc...) that has been shipped off to Iraq, but they were short of some key specialists, and had to get them from other dept's. Well, turns out the ONLY available specialist for this (whatever) mission, is the father of one of the boys in that same unit! So now they have a man and his son serving in a war zone, together, as part of the same group. My dad wondered how the mother/wife responded to this!

He also said many of his coworkers are talking about how you pretty much have to either homosexually attack another man, or beat your wife, in order to NOT be called up now, and that they would not be surprised if there will be an increase in both those kinds of incidents in the months to come, as people start getting desperate (and dreading the 3-year deployments into a combat zone!)

I was sorely tempted to ask about his Bush feelings, but I left it alone for now...

[MaryBear]

12. One benefit of the Guard being sent

is that mature men and women, not just 18 year olds, are being sent. A life is a life, and no one should go, but when a local teacher is sending accounts of her/his days to the local paper, more read and think.

[DemoTex]

13. The smell of Cordite is waking them up. At least they are waking!

I've got a cousin in Alabama who thinks Bu$h is too liberal and dovish. Of course, my cuz is religiously insane. He did a stint in the Army after college as a helicopter pilot, and then mustered out to attend the seminary. Then he went back in the Army as a chaplain. He mustered out a second time, just before being drummed out for espousing ultra right-wing political and bizarre religious philosophy to his troops. He then spent a decade in various jobs with his fundy church.

Now, at age 43 with 5 young children, he has joined an Alabama Army Guard unit as a helicopter pilot again! I cannot believe they took him. He wants to go to Iraq for Armegeddon.