A strident minority: anti-Bush US troops in Iraq

[cal04]

Inside dusty, barricaded camps around Iraq, groups of American troops in between missions are gathering around screens to view an unlikely choice from the US box office: "Fahrenheit 9-11," Michael Moore's controversial documentary attacking the commander-in-chief.

Everyone's watching it," says a Marine corporal at an outpost in Ramadi that is mortared by insurgents daily. "It's shaping a lot of people's image of Bush."

9 out of 10 of the people I talk to, it wouldn't matter who ran against Bush - they'd vote for them," said a US soldier in the southern city of Najaf, seeking out a reporter to make his views known. "People are so fed up with Iraq, and fed up with Bush."

The military continues to be a Bush stronghold, but it's not a stranglehold," Feaver says. Three factors make the military vote more in play for Democrats this year than in 2000, he says: the Iraq war, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's tense relationship with the Army, and Bush's limited ability as an incumbent to make sweeping promises akin to Senator Kerry's pledge to add 40,000 new troops and relieve an overstretched force.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0921/p02s02-usmi.html

[Green Lantern]

1. Morale is a huge factor

resulting from the enlistment holds, forced re-ups, cuts in pay and benefits, cuts in family supports...

He is losing troop support and has lost a great deal of family support. Anyone see the show (no citattion) about a week ago about mil families on food stamps, at food pantries? With cuts in health benefits, I am surprised they are not visiting free health clinics.

Bush does not have the support in the military comunity he had in 2k.

(a retired Navy active duty and reserve vet)

[ohio_dem_52186]

2. References?

I've been looking for some solid links to Bush's mistreatment of our troops. Any suggestions?

By solid, I mean something like an official report or something.

Thanks!

[NEDem]

4. link

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=160

[blondeatlast]

5. Put your VERY impressive, thorough website in your sigline!

Very nice work; we shouldn't have to go to your profile to see it!

Just go to "Options," then "Profile (yours, natch)" and to sigline, and type the URL.

Welcome to DU!

:toast:

[ohio_dem_52186]

7. Thanks!

I just started the site yesterday. I've been "steaming" for a while about Bush and I'd been researching and writing for "catharsis".

A finally broke and decided to get pro-active.

Any help getting the site out would be appreciated!

[Green Lantern]

6. Citations

I don't have-this is anecdotal from conversations with old friends and their family members. However, there is the show I noted, plus the stories from newscasters in Iraq about the walls of the port-a-potties. And a piece on F9/11 being seen in Iraq. And there have been several recent stories about reactions and problems associated with the back door draft set ups, pay cuts etc. Sorry-I didn't anticipate this thread, to be honest. I will book mark and see what I can dig up from a two week old stack of newspapers. I know there were several AP stories recently on problems troops were experiencing and speaking out about.

PS there is a site for mil families for gripes. I will try and find that also.

[ohio_dem_52186]

8. Thanks, I will appreciate anything you can give me.

I think have some good factual references on my website. (It is my first and I just started it...)

[NEDem]

3. Its no 'minority'

I work with 2 women who have sons serving in Iraq.

I was talking with one today who has a son serving on a ship in Iraq zone. She said he spent half his first email home talking about how much the people on his ship hate *, they have all been asking family members to get them absentee ballots asap. She told me that he said that he could never support *.

The other woman I talk to has said pretty much the same thing, her son is a Marine.

If the troops were allowed to talk, * would have been toast a long time ago.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. kick