WP,pg1: Wives of US Troops Share Pain, and Often Politics (2/3 for Bush)

[DeepModem Mom]

Wives of U.S. Troops Share Pain -- and Often Politics

By Michael Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 29, 2004; Page A01


....New Hampshire ranks second per capita in the percentage of National Guard members serving in Iraq. These soldiers -- diesel mechanics, auto parts managers and school counselors -- have left behind families in states -- such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- that are divided with almost mathematical precision between Republican and Democrat, hawk and dove, President Bush and John F. Kerry. The families may or may not swing an election. But there is little doubt where most stand. Polls show that two-thirds of them favor Bush.

Shona is no different. She may absorb a grim vision of war in her early-morning electronic exchanges with her husband, but she remains a ready vote for Bush, even if Jesse does another tour.

"My husband's a hunter and a warrior," she says. "He's totally pro-Bush."...

***

The question lingers unspoken. Will the husband who comes home be the same guy who left? The wives had a trial run a few weeks ago, when their husbands got a two-week leave in the States. One husband drove through Londonderry looking side to side for bombs. Ryan McCarthy cranked up the heat in the Jeep until it was 85 degrees in October in New Hampshire.

"In one way, it was like riding a bike -- it was sooooo easy to be back with him," Martha Jo McCarthy (who supports Kerry) says. "But Ryan was blasting that heat. He was a little angry, too. He did a lot of venting."...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7401-2004Oct28.html

[Was_Immer]

1. b/c the brainwashing doesnt just stop with the soldier, its spreads

SHEEP!

[ClintonTyree]

2. Sad........

Their husbands were put into harm's way for no good reason, their pResident underfunded the effort, made glaring mistake after glaring mistake in the prosecution of the war, didn't give them the equipment they needed........yet they'll vote for the man that did this to them. Either they don't care much about their husband's getting home alive or they've been completely brainwashed by someone. It's a sad situation,

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Third choice whihc you are missing

and you would not know UNLESS you have any real contact with the military.

There is real fear in the armed forces about speaking out against chimpy... it will affect careers... and may end your life. You see you may end up on point if you speak out during a patrol. the same goes for your wife.

I was in a very unusual situation, my hubby was in the Sub Service, and I spoke, but I still had some fear. You want to know why? Well I lived in hosing and had PX and base privilidges. I knew that some wifes in germany were threatned with loss of PX and Base priviliges.

Now reservists don't live on base, but they could loose PX privilidges and hubby may end up on point

Now DO YOU undersstand?

[lebkuchen]

9. I was getting my haircut on base last week

and the haircutter said that a military officer spouse was speaking very loudly a few days before against *. The haircutter told her she should probably keep it down so as not to upset the other customers. The spouse said, in a normal tone of voice, "If they don't like it, they can f*ck off."

We'll know in a few hours which units will have their tours extended.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Third choice whihc you are missing

and you would not know UNLESS you have any real contact with the military.

There is real fear in the armed forces about speaking out against chimpy... it will affect careers... and may end your life. You see you may end up on point if you speak out during a patrol. the same goes for your wife.

I was in a very unusual situation, my hubby was in the Sub Service, and I spoke, but I still had some fear. You want to know why? Well I lived in hosing and had PX and base privilidges. I knew that some wifes in germany were threatned with loss of PX and Base priviliges.

Now reservists don't live on base, but they could loose PX privilidges and hubby may end up on point

Now DO YOU undersstand?

[luaneryder]

8. It's sad, yes,

but what they must say to the press and in public could be very different from how they vote. I was with the PAO of 1st Special Operations Command and military people were warned off speaking to the press; well, we actually told them it would behoove them not to do it. Careers and lives have been ruined by a minute misstatement, but, so far, they are alone in the voting booth with no one looking over their shoulder.

[Puglover]

3. How fuckin stupid can you be?

n/t

[sundancekid]

4. what do we know about this writer, Michael Powell? name coincidence?

[xchrom]

7. "My husband's a hunter and a warrior," she says. "He's totally pro-Bush.".

there it is -- the ''culture war''.
there is nothing that will bring people like that on to the same side as ''liberals, socialists, etc.''
this is about ''values'' -- or hate, depending on your point of view.

[w4rma]

10. Rush Limbaugh should be removed from Armed Forces radio. (nt)

[lebkuchen]

11. FOX News is broadcast constantly on AFN

Commissary, PX, O Club, you name it.