This picture is so freakin' heartbreaking:

[wicket]

Dave Rowe kissed the headstone of his son, Army Sergeant Michael D. Rowe, as he comforted his son’s pregnant widow yesterday in Bushnell Fla.

From this article.

:cry:

[Philosoraptor]

1. Yes, but only to a human being, not our president.

[B3Nut]

40. True...in order to suffer heartbreak

one has to have a heart in the first place. Mr. Bush has neither a functioning heart nor a functioning head.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[bdamomma]

2. oh god, this is so wrong

all these deaths for what?????

[kestrel91316]

27. He died to make us safe. So, we're safer now, right? RIGHT???

If 10,000 more die, that means we'll be 10,000 times safer, too.

sarcasm off

[calmblueocean]

51. That's what gets me: for WHAT?

All these people. Iraqis, Brits, Americans, journalists, drivers, shopkeepers, children. All these people and more, all dead, maimed, ruined, destroyed. And for what? Why?! Tonight they said on the news that Iraq, 3 years later, still has less electricity and is more violent today than it was under Saddam.

How can Bush sleep at night, knowing what he's done?

[electron_blue]

53. you ask for what? It was always for money, always.

[Binka]

3. I Just Burst Into Tears

Poor thing. So young. SHIT! FUCK YOU BUSH!

[PuraVidaDreamin]

8. me too-oh the unbearable grief

Take a good look at this photo you lying thieving
low-life president! YOU DID THIS!

[MissWaverly]

12. Binka, how is your son

has he recovered from his wounds from Iraq?

Hope that he is okay!

Miss Waverly

:-)

[Binka]

14. He Is Great But Banged Up For Good I'm Afraid

He has fallen in love with his best friends (V who was killed in Iraq) former girlfriend. They are pretty serious. Ben's leg will never be normal and he is the scar man but he is ALIVE and I am so lucky!

[catnhatnh]

15. Bless your family...

...I hope the scars are only physical...From the Dad of a Benjamin to the mother of the same....thank Ben for me...

[Binka]

17. Emotionally Ben Has Done Remarkably Well

Meeting Danielle and hearing from her that she had NO interest in pursuing a relationship with Ben if he was even considering going back to Iraq was a GREAT thing. He really loves her. He will be 25 in two weeks and this is the first time he has ever told a woman or girl other than me that he loved them. I am so happy he met her.

[catnhatnh]

20. Again Bless your Ben...

Mine is 29 and still somewhat adrift...But he is a good boy and loved as much as your own....Danielle sounds like a prize and I pray they are made for each other...somehow and somewhere something good must come from this debacle...kiss "D" for me...

[MissWaverly]

18. I am glad that he has found a soul mate

I hope for the very best outcome for all of you, well, his leg may not be what it was, but
if I had to choose between a bum leg and a loving heart filled with goodness, I would choose
the bum leg every time.

:-)

[stanwyck]

50. Thought of your son last night

MSNBC showed the documentary "Coming Home" about Iraq and Afghanistan's wounded soldiers.
It was heartbreaking.
The injuries were devestating.
The good news is: better technology means lives are saved that would not be under previous care.
The bad news: the devestating effects after the wounded get home. There is not enough money for the care needed. You flew to Germany to be with your son. A mother profiled (whose son was blinded) had very little money. But flew to Germany to be with her son during the first weeks of his ordeal. She had to quit her job and sustained huge bills. Now, she cares for her son full-time. He has brain damage in addition to the blindness.
And there are thousands more of these families struggling with the physical and mental effects of life changing injuries.
People say "support the troops". Meanwhile, this administration turns away when these wounded young men and women return home.

[Olney Blue]

52. Binka, I'm glad that Ben is continuing to heal in every way.

[wicket]

13. I'm so sorry Binka :(

Hope your son is ok, I think of you all often :hug:

[dogday]

19. I second that Binka

warmongering bastards, all of them......

[JuniperLea]

26. What do you hear from y our son, dogday

This thread has given me chills head to toe... biting back tears... dammit!

[dogday]

28. He is coming home for 2 weeks in June

then he goes back to Iraq until November... He is doing well, they all miss beer badly...:beer: He is getting married in March 07...:loveya: I can't wait to see him!!!:grouphug:

[JuniperLea]

30. Get pictures!

I've often thought we need a place to post all the pictures of soldiers from DU families!

Paradise must be having your kid home!


:hug:

[dogday]

36. Paradise would be having him for good

And then that is only temporary.. His company has already been twice, the first time, he was training so he missed it, this time though he did not. I don't know if they will be called up again, I can only hope they will not, or his service will run out....

I will get some pictures and post :hi:

[bdamomma]

38. geez, I don't know your sons but I am glad they are back for a while.

I wish they didn't have to go back.

[dogday]

41. I have one son there, but many adopted

ones so-to-speak.. For whatever reasons, some of them don't communicate or don't have family or anyone to write to, so I fill in when I can.. Try to be a mom to all of them.. They all get on the email when my son writes to me...

Thanks for your thoughts, light a candle for these soldiers :hi:

[bigwillq]

4. .....

:cry:

[Bucky]

5. First Amendment Question: should Fred Phelps be barred from this moment?

I say, "hell yes." You can protest anywhere but here, where the living bury their dead. There are 3000 extra American families that deserve and goddamn well paid in Afghanistan and Iraq for the right to be left alone. This picture has ruined my whole day. But of course that's nothing compared to the war that has ruined thousands of lives.

[CornField]

11. Of course not

One would hope that people would have a little respect for grief, but we all know Phelps doesn't.

At the end of the day, however, free speech (even speech we don't like or find offensive) must be allowed.

[readmoreoften]

32. There are things I don't understand about this argument.

I'm pretty actively involved in protesting in NYC. I've been on strike since Nov. 9th and on a picket line, almost daily. Whenever we picket, we need a police barricade and a permit. We are never allowed very close to the subject. For example, we had a rally near a huge event that we were protesting, but we had to protest 2 NYC blocks away.

There are limits on the location of protesters. 20 city blocks for presidents. 2 blocks for major corporations. 15 feet for abortion clinics. Why not 300 feet from a funeral?

1) Should I be able to go outside the house of someone's 75 year old mother and hold up signs that say, "Mrs. X is a whore and puts gerbils in her rectum."
2) Should an ex-boyfriend be able to go to a elementary school yard and hold up signs that say, "Brian Johnson's mother is a whore. Her vagina smells. God hates her."

There are plenty of limitations on free speech already. Usually when it's actually free speech that's directed at those in power. At least, I think Phelps might be able to sued for slander.

[Orsino]

47. And rather than hoping for respect from those who have none...

...we could simply enforce a bit of distance between Phelps' bots and the funeral attendees. First Amendment rights protected, and relative peace ensured for the grieving.

[catnhatnh]

16. No-it is just what he died for....

...concepts of freedom are larger than men...more importantly ask if he would have liked his family's phones tracked....

[IronLionZion]

49. as long as they keep a reasonable distance, separated by patriot riders

all protestors, even anti-war protestors should show respect for the dead.

[diamondsndust]

6. This is so sad... a baby that will never know it's father...

Maybe we should make protection charms for our soldiers...


Protection Charm
Fill a clear glass goblet about halfway up with water. Stir in a little salt and put it in direct sun for approximately 15 minutes. Let the water absorb the rays. Along side the goblet, place a charm or talisman on a chain or cord and allow it to receive the sun as well. (Note: You may use a piece of jewelry such as a gemstone pendant or a stone you've found or any other natural object for the charm.)

After 15 minutes have passed, take the glass and talisman out of the sun and dip the talisman into the water. Using the chain or the string attached to the talisman, gently swirl it clockwise while you say the following three times.

Apollo's light surround me.

Poseidon's water protect me.

Athena's wisdom guide me.


As you speak the words, imagine a beam of pure white light surrounding both the water and the talisman.

Leave the water with the talisman in it for another 10 minutes, then dry it off and wear it with comfort in knowing that it will protect you.

[katinmn]

7. Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

:cry:

[Name removed]

9. Deleted sub-thread

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

[catnhatnh]

10. Hell yes....and they all are....

...this will be my last memorial day type post...I tend to post these twice a year on memorial day and veterans day....this year my brother passed his 35th year since serving with the 101st in the A Shau...33 years since I skated at Ft Carson Colorado and watched friends from the 4th infantry transship and a few did not return....how many times must you kneel and cry at a grave before our leadership gets it???I have a hard time committing to purchases over $500...How the HELL do you commit to someones brother/husband/child/daughter/wife being exploded???Every year I find a grave,and often cry at it....I remember young healthy guys and camping in the rockies and then remember all that came since....my 5 children,good times and bad times,and my 8 grandchildren....and each stone could have been that...
instead each stands alone in a field in testament to the failure of those we elected to a position of power and for all my lifetime they have failed us....I didn't cry this year,though as always my eyes burned-God Bless the fallen-and let the country cry for their children and grandchildren now not to be....
Edited to add: there were 6 who did not return,1 was gay,two were american indians...most older than myself...thats 48 grandchildren that could have benefited this country....

[MissWaverly]

21. I agree with you

None of us can judge the value of any one's life by a snarky answer, those children deserve to
have their father come home to raise them, I support those who serve, I do not support sending
them to a war based on a lie, and I would like to see some accountability of our leaders for
their actions. I would like to have better care for our vets.

[LilyLibber]

22. Exactly.

Completely agreed. Let's direct our rancor and criticism at the people that we KNOW deserve it - the pResident and his heartless, corrupt, self-obsessed, loathsome administration.

My heart goes out to the family.

[MissWaverly]

23. yes, let's put the heat where it belongs

Not on the innocent, just like the marines in the Haditha incident, who thought up the idea
of redeploying troops on 2nd, 3rd and 4th deployments. Who thought up the idea of stretching
the envelope on torture. Who thought up the idea of not giving them adequate armor or even
a strategy to fight the war. Who thought up the idea of ignoring the ammo dumps in a run to
Baghdad. It was not the average soldier.

[Pacifist Patriot]

24. This is the photo of Rebecca that got to me.

[catnhatnh]

29. Yep....

That's it...

[LilyLibber]

31. Oh god...

:cry:

[wicket]

37. My god

:cry:

[progressoid]

25. .....

:cry:

[democrank]

33. Enough to rip your heart out.

It`s so, so sad.

[Sparkman]

34. Multiply this by 200,000 times, with brown skinned Iraqi's, and oppose war

WHY the U.S. military still supports the 300+ military bases on foreign soils tells the rest of this story, WE WERE ATTACKED BY SAUDI EX-PATRIOTS ON Sept. 11, 2001 and the invasion plans from the OFFICE OF SPECIAL PLANS AND THE PROJECT FOR A NEW AMERICAN (PNAC)CENTURY to go to war against Iraq were ALREADY firmly in the pentagon's arsenal!
Depleted Uranium rounds expose troops and Iraqis to cancers needlessly.
Cluster bombs dropped on Bahgdad and Falluja killing thousands of CHILDREN.
Berserk U.S. soldiers now on their fourth tour in Iraq, insane and trigger happy.

Lets get this thing behind us, and focus on what can be done to "first do no harm" in the world.

[skip fox]

35. Very sad.

.

[dennis4868]

39. What is she crying about?

Halliburton stock is up again...

:-(

[michreject]

43. I hope this is sarcasm

If not, you are.................. Well, you are.

[Mr_Spock]

42. This sucks

We have a lying war-criminal in the WH killing as revenge for killing based on his faith in a radical liberal reformist named Jesus. The irony fucking kills me :puke:

[wicket]

44. kick

:kick:

[kittenpants]

45. One of my students was a relative of that soldier

and had to miss class for his funeral. I didn't know his wife was pregnant. I hope that ends up being a blessing for her, but I'm sure right now it's more difficult than ever.

[wicket]

60. I'm very sorry to hear that

:cry:

[Lefty48197]

46. That's the horror of war

Whether the war is a "legitimate" one, or one drummed up by a bunch of right wing operatives trying to remove a blemish from their record.

[Sanity Claws]

48. Their grief is palpable

Poor woman. She's about to have a baby who will never meet his father. What a shame.

[TexasLawyer]

54. Be sure to read the article---

It's really excellent!

<snip>


Reickoff, who was an Army lieutenant and platoon leader in Iraq, said there are already warning signs of problems to come: Even as tens of thousands of new veterans are being added to the rolls, the VA is fighting for budget increases. Complaints abound over delays for medical appointments for many of the 18,000 soldiers who have been wounded in the war. A recent documentary film depicted 10 homeless Iraq veterans living on the streets of New York City.

"The president is increasingly reluctant to talk about the human cost of the war," Reickoff said in an interview. "That's what I really worry about. It's hard for him to say we need to do more for veterans suffering from PTSD and suicide rates when recruiting numbers are going down the tube. You rarely hear him discuss veterans' issues."

Entering the fray is a new crop of former soldiers from across the political spectrum that is seeking to avoid a repeat of the Vietnam experience. They have helped establish interest groups to shape their legacy and educate the public about veterans' needs. This new veterans community is beginning to elbow out more traditional veterans organizations.

``What happened in Vietnam is that we didn't {stick up for our interests] and we got our fannies handed to us," said retired Major General F.J. ``Bing" West, a Vietnam veteran and author who has visited Iraq four times.

<snip>

[tinfoil tiaras]

55. I have only 4 words to say

Fuck. You. George. Bush. :cry:

K&R :kick:

[TexasLawyer]

56. Funny, I thought those would be

the four words. I'm a mind reader!

[tinfoil tiaras]

57. OMGZ. UR LYK SYKIC!!!!1111111111

THASSS HUGH!!!111!!!

haha...i couldnt help but insert yet another Freeper joke. :)

[wicket]

59. AMEN.

n/t

[paparush]

58. The best way to honor Michael Rowe is to erect 10,000 more headstones..

according to our brainless leader.