Another Side of BUSH!

[WH's OutdoorsChick]

Above is a picture of Mike McNaughton of Denham Springs, LA. He stepped on a land mine in Afghanistan Christmas 2002. President Bush came to visit the wounded in the hospital. He told Mike that when he could run a mile that they would go on a run together. True to his word, he called Mike every month or so to see how he was doing. Well, last week they went on the run, 1 mile with the president. Not something you'll see in the news, but seeing the president taking the time to say thank you to the wounded and to give hope to one of my best friends was one of the greatest/best things I have seen in my life. It almost sounds like a corny email chain letter, but God bless him.


Justin
CPT Justin P.. Dodge, MD
Flight Surgeon, 1-2 AVN RGT
Medical Corps, U.S. Army

 

[chas031]

WH,
Not to rain on your parade but this ploy has been used by EVERY pres. since Lincoln!! The mear fact that there is a picture speaks volumes. "The TRUE measure of man are those deeds done UNSEEN!!"

Chas

 

[JoseCuervo]

Chas,

Deleted.

[ 09-03-2004, 14:27: Message edited by: ElkGunner ]

 

[chas031]

"One of the most meaningful things that's happened to me since I've been the governor — the president — governor — president. Oops. Ex-governor. I went to Bethesda Naval Hospital to give a fellow a Purple Heart, and at the same moment I watched him—get a Purple Heart for action in Iraq — and at that same — right after I gave him the Purple Heart, he was sworn in as a citizen of the United States — a Mexican citizen, now a United States citizen." —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 2004

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Now don't you think that soldier knew what was being done and if the opportunity came to any soldier who had sacrificed so much don't you think he would want to speak and be seen with a President. It would be his 15 seconds of fame to either say He would do it again or to tell the President "look, this is what I got!" Just looking at the other side of the coin. Now that deserves a Purple Heart!

 

[JoseCuervo]

Draftstud,

Deleted.

[ 09-03-2004, 14:27: Message edited by: ElkGunner ]

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

True, but he's from Louisiana, what else can I say. Seem like a leg is worth more than a Medal, that everyone now thinks is second class.

 

[Nemont]

[ 09-03-2004, 14:38: Message edited by: Nemont ]

 

[JoseCuervo]

Nemont,

Comments deleted, trip to woodshed deserved.

Can we change the subject to why Dubya has not signed the treaty to ban land mines like the one that caused the damage above?

Afghanistan 11 Sep 02 (a)
Albania 8 Sep 98; 29 Feb 00
Algeria 3 Dec 97; 9 Oct 01
Andorra 3 Dec 97; 29 Jun 98
Angola 4 Dec 97; 5 Jul 02
Antigua and Barbuda 3 Dec 97; 3 May 99
Argentina 4 Dec 97; 14 Sep 99
Australia 3 Dec 97; 14 Jan 99
Austria 3 Dec 97; 29 Jun 98
Bahamas 3 Dec 97; 31 Jul 98
Bangladesh 7 May 98; 6 Sep 00
Barbados 3 Dec 97; 26 Jan 99
Belarus 3 Sep 03 (a)
Belgium 3 Dec 97; 4 Sep 98
Belize 27 Feb 98; 23 Apr 98
Benin 3 Dec 97; 25 Sep 98
Bolivia 3 Dec 97; 9 Jun 98
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Dec 97; 8 Sep 98
Botswana 3 Dec 97; 1 Mar 00
Brazil 3 Dec 97; 30 Apr 99
Brunei Darussalem 4 Dec 97
Bulgaria 3 Dec 97; 4 Sep 98
Burkina Faso 3 Dec 97; 16 Sep 98
Burundi 3 Dec 97; 22 Oct 03
Cambodia 3 Dec 97; 28 Jul 99
Cameroon 3 Dec 97; 19 Sep 02
Canada 3 Dec 97; 3 Dec 97
Cape Verde 4 Dec 97; 14 May 01
Central African Republic 8 Nov 02 (a)
Chad 6 Jul 98; 6 May 99
Chile 3 Dec 97; 10 Sep 01
Colombia 3 Dec 97; 6 Sep 00
Comoros 9 Sep 02 (a)
Congo (Brazzaville) 4 May 01 (a)
Congo, Democratic Rep. Of 2 May 02 (a)
Cook Islands 3 Dec 97
Costa Rica 3 Dec 97; 17 Mar 99
Cote d Ivoire 3 Dec 97; 30 Jun 00
Croatia 4 Dec 97; 20 May 98
Cyprus 4 Dec 97; 17 Jan 03
Czech Republic 3 Dec 97; 26 Oct 99
Denmark 4 Dec 97; 8 Jun 98
Djibouti 3 Dec 97; 18 May 98
Dominica 3 Dec 97; 26 Mar 99
Dominican Republic 3 Dec 97; 30 Jun 00
Ecuador 4 Dec 97; 29 Apr 99
El Salvador 4 Dec 97; 27 Jan 99
Equatorial Guinea 16 Sep 98 (a)
Eritrea 27 Aug 01 (a)
Estonia 12 May 04 (a)
Ethiopia 3 Dec 97
Fiji 3 Dec 97; 10 Jun 98
France 3 Dec 97; 23 Jul 98
Gabon 3 Dec 97; 8 Sep 00
Gambia 4 Dec 97; 23 Sep 02
Germany 3 Dec 97; 23 Jul 98
Ghana 4 Dec 97; 30 Jun 00
Greece 3 Dec 97; 25 Sep 03
Grenada 3 Dec 97; 19 Aug 98
Guatemala 3 Dec 97; 26 Mar 99
Guinea 4 Dec 97; 8 Oct 98
Guinea-Bissau 3 Dec 97; 22 May 01
Guyana 4 Dec 97; 5 Aug 03
Haiti 3 Dec 97
Holy See 4 Dec 97; 17 Feb 98
Honduras 3 Dec 97; 24 Sep 98
Hungary 3 Dec 97; 6 Apr 98
Iceland 4 Dec 97; 5 May 99
Indonesia 4 Dec 97
Ireland 3 Dec 97; 3 Dec 97
Italy 3 Dec 97; 23 Apr 99
Jamaica 3 Dec 97; 17 Jul 98
Japan 3 Dec 97; 30 Sep 98
Jordan 11 Aug 98; 13 Nov 98
Kenya 5 Dec 97; 23 Jan 01
Kiribati 7 Sep 00 (a)
Lesotho 4 Dec 97; 2 Dec 98
Liberia 23 Dec 99 (a)
Liechtenstein 3 Dec 97; 5 Oct 99
Lithuania 26 Feb 99; 12 May 03
Luxembourg 4 Dec 97; 14 Jun 99
Macedonia FYR 9 Sep 98 (a)
Madagascar 4 Dec 97; 16 Sep 99
Malawi 4 Dec 97; 13 Aug 98
Malaysia 3 Dec 97; 22 Apr 99
Maldives 1 Oct 98; 7 Sep 00
Mali 3 Dec 97; 2 Jun 98
Malta 4 Dec 97; 7 May 01
Marshall Islands 4 Dec 97
Mauritania 3 Dec 97; 21 Jul 00
Mauritius 3 Dec 97; 3 Dec 97
Mexico 3 Dec 97; 9 Jun 98
Moldova 3 Dec 97; 8 Sep 00
Monaco 4 Dec 97; 17 Nov 98
Mozambique 3 Dec 97; 25 Aug 98
Namibia 3 Dec 97; 21 Sep 98
Nauru 7 Aug 00 (a)
Netherlands 3 Dec 97; 12 Apr 99
New Zealand 3 Dec 97; 27 Jan 99
Nicaragua 4 Dec 97; 30 Nov 98
Niger 4 Dec 97; 23 Mar 99
Nigeria 27 Sep 01 (a)
Niue 3 Dec 97; 15 Apr 98
Norway 3 Dec 97; 9 Jul 98
Panama 4 Dec 97; 7 Oct 98
Papua New Guinea 28 Jun 04 (a)
Paraguay 3 Dec 97; 13 Nov 98
Peru 3 Dec 97; 17 Jun 98
Philippines 3 Dec 97; 15 Feb 00
Poland 4 Dec 97
Portugal 3 Dec 97; 19 Feb 99
Qatar 4 Dec 97; 13 Oct 98
Romania 3 Dec 97; 30 Nov 00
Rwanda 3 Dec 97; 8 Jun 00
Saint Kitts and Nevis 3 Dec 97; 2 Dec 98
Saint Lucia 3 Dec 97; 13 Apr 99
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3 Dec 97; 1 Aug 01
Samoa 3 Dec 97; 23 Jul 98
San Marino 3 Dec 97; 18 Mar 98
Sao Tome e Principe 30 Apr 98; 31 Mar 03
Senegal 3 Dec 97; 24 Sep 98
Serbia and Montegro 18 Sep 03 (a)
Seychelles 4 Dec 97; 2 Jun 00
Sierra Leone 29 Jul 98; 25 Apr 01
Slovak Republic 3 Dec 97; 25 Feb 99
Slovenia 3 Dec 97; 27 Oct 98
Solomon Islands 4 Dec 97; 26 Jan 99
South Africa 3 Dec 97; 26 Jun 98
Spain 3 Dec 97; 19 Jan 99
Sudan 4 Dec 97; 13 Oct 03
Suriname 4 Dec 97; 23 May 02
Swaziland 4 Dec 97; 22 Dec 98
Sweden 4 Dec 97; 30 Nov 98
Switzerland 3 Dec 97; 24 Mar 98
Tajikistan 12 Oct 99 (a)
Tanzania 3 Dec 97; 13 Nov 00
Thailand 3 Dec 97; 27 Nov 98
Timor-Leste 7 May 03 (a)
Togo 4 Dec 97; 9 Mar 00
Trinidad and Tobago 4 Dec 97; 27 Apr 98
Tunisia 4 Dec 97; 9 Jul 99
Turkey 25 Sep 03 (a)
Turkmenistan 3 Dec 97; 19 Jan 98
Uganda 3 Dec 97; 25 Feb 99
Ukraine 24 Feb 99
United Kingdom 3 Dec 97; 31 Jul 98
Uruguay 3 Dec 97; 7 Jun 01
Vanuatu 4 Dec 97
Venezuela 3 Dec 97; 14 Apr 99
Yemen 4 Dec 97; 1 Sep 98
Zambia 12 Dec 97; 23 Feb 01
Zimbabwe 3 Dec 97; 18 Jun 98

 

[Nemont]

EG,

I didn't know that treaty came before President Bush. I am curious why the previous Administration didn't sign it either. Perhaps both the democrat and republican administrations we have had since 1997 believe land mines are an acceptable weapon of war. I really don't know why the U.S. has not signed on the dotted line.

I also deleted the quote that contained the statement you made. So lets move on with a good constructive debate.

Nemont

[ 09-03-2004, 15:16: Message edited by: Nemont ]

 

[JoseCuervo]

Clinton wanted to sign by 2006... Maybe he was thinking Hillary would be in office by then???

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration said Friday it intends to make all U.S. land mines detectable to American forces and scrap those not timed to self-destruct. But it will not join the 150 nations that have signed an anti-land mine treaty.

Land mines with timing devices are relatively safe and "have some continuing utility for our armed forces around the world," Assistant Secretary of State Lincoln Bloomfield said while affirming U.S. opposition to the international accord.

Bloomfield said the treaty fails to deal with eliminating land mines that are designed to disable vehicles. With its new policy the Bush administration becomes the first nation in the world to set out to scrap all land mines that are not automatically disabled and will encourage other countries to follow the example, he said at a news conference.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, said the decision "backs away form the progress we have pledged to rid the world of these indiscriminate weapons."

"Others will ask why they, with their much weaker armies, should stop using them," Leahy, a longtime leader in a drive to ban land mines, said in a statement.

The process of getting rid of so-called "persistent" land mines -- those not preset to become inoperative and cause an estimated 10,000 casualties a year ---- will begin in two years with the aim of completing the program by 2010, Bloomfield said.

"We can and will prevent unnecessary harm," he said. But he said other land mines will be retained as a deterrent on the Korean peninsula where they are under the control of South Korea.

The policy shift rules out retaining any land mines that are not timed to be disarmed. At the same time, though, the Clinton administration's goal to have the treaty signed by the United States in 2006 if conditions are right is being supplanted by outright opposition to joining the international accord.

The decision to get rid of land mines that are militarily useless and make all land mines detectable by U.S. authorities and automatically defuseable -- or "smart" -- is designed to lessen the danger of people and vehicles accidentally tripping over hidden mines in countries such as Afghanistan and Cambodia.

United States one of 47 countries that have not signed treaty
A total of 11,700 people, including 2,649 children, were reported killed by land mines in 2002, according to a report in September by The International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

The United States, Russia and China are among the 47 countries that have not signed the treaty, on which Canada took the lead, and a senior U.S. official said in advance of the expected announcement Friday that the Bush administration did not intend to be hemmed in by the accord and would not sign it.

The administration, like its predecessors, considers land mines a useful deterrent to attack -- on the Korean peninsula, for instance. As a result, those land mines that are retooled to become inoperable may be reset before they self-destruct if they are judged to have a continuing, significant military purpose, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The announcement included a decision to double to $70 million what the United States spends annually to locate and remove mines considered hazards to people and serving no deterrent purpose, the official said,

Bloomfield, an assistant secretary of state who is President Bush's special adviser on land mines, said there were an estimated 60 million land mines in 60 countries, most of them planted by countries other than the United States.

Stephen Goose, executive director of the arms control division of Human Rights Watch, praised the plan to increase spending for mine clearance projects. But he said the United States was isolated by its insistence on using land mines in its defense programs.

"We have a great deal of momentum everywhere else around the world. The U.S. is the only country in NATO that hasn't banned this weapon. We have a situation where the U.S. is undermining the international norm against this weapon," said Goose, who said he was informed by the State Department on Thursday about the new policy.

Goose said that U.S. goal for a decade has been to move toward the point where it could eliminate all anti-personnel mines.

"This is a goal that has been embraced by the entire world. But it's a goal that the United States has now given up on. They now say they want to use some types of anti-personnel mines, the so-called smart mines that self-destruct, anywhere in the world in perpetuity," he said.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts in getting the treaty approved.

The treaty went into force on March 1, 1999, bans the stockpiling of mines and requires each nation to destroy its stock within four years.

Jody Williams, who shared the 1997 Nobel prize with the group she helped create, said in a telephone interview with AP Radio that the latest move "is yet another indication of the Bush administration's total disdain for international law."

In early 2001, a Pentagon-commissioned study said advances in technology could lead to alternatives to anti-personnel land mines that would pose fewer risks to civilians. But it said that not all of these emerging technologies were likely to be ready by 2006, a target set by the Clinton administration for the United States to decide whether it should approve the treaty .

Former President Clinton said land mines were a necessary deterrent that protected South Korea from the North. Thousands of mines lie in the demilitarized zone between the two countries.

 

[wyomingtim]

I am sorry, but I am against signing an outright ban on land mines. In some situations it is the last or only line of defense of our troops. What I am in favor of is developing some sort of "smart" technology for mines. I think it is only a short time away.

It is a terrible thing that innocent people are being maimed and killed by these things, but they do have a specific purpose.

 

[Nemont]

EG,
Why would an administration that wanted a particular treaty signed and sent to the senate to ratify on a future date when they most likely would not be in power?

I see his reason was that South Korea depended on them for security but couldn't he have just turned over responsibility for the mines to South Korea and signed the treaty.

Seems to me that we want to be able to keep mines as a means of defense and as a weapon of war.

Nemont

 

[chas031]

Short answer $$
Long answer $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Chas

 

[Michaelr]

I guess this relates to sportsmans issues because Moosie and gunner use mines at bear baits

 

[WH's OutdoorsChick]

No need to worry about my parade, I live in Washington

Seriously I believe that GWB has a bigger Heart then most give him credit for. I don’t care if anyone thinks this is a ploy or not! People will ALWAYS say that when ANYBODY FAMOUS does something kind it will always be a publicity stunt or a “ploy”, so if people can not appreciate the good in people then that is fine, but don’t give me a hard time for believing that some people can be a genuinely good person!!!

 

[WH's OutdoorsChick]

P.S. I was gone for the weekend, why is there so many DELETED Post in here ???

 

[Delw]

I dont think there was but one deleted post in here


Delw