Dear Cindi Sheehan:
You want the President to meet with you and explain to you "why [he] kill[ed your] son?" The question, of course, assumes a fact already established, that Bush supposedly killed your son, which can only be alleged. But you demand that Bush meet with you--not to discuss with you whether he can be considered to have killed your son, but why he did it. For him to meet with you under those terms would be folly. For you to demand such terms of the Commander in Chief of the United States is impertinent and shameful. I feel great sympathy for you, Mrs. Sheehan. I, too, have a son going into military service in the Middle East (specifically, Israel). Your son died in uniform in a combat zone. An "insurgent," or more accurately a terrorist, killed your son. He is dead. Mr. Bush sent him there to fight terrorists, which included the possibility that they would fight back. They did, killing your son. I have three sons, two of them of military age. Did Bush kill your son? The argument can be made, and rebuttals to that argument can also be made. But the fact that you are in very real, very intense pain over the death of your son does not entitle you to demand that the President concede the point. Mrs. Sheehan, a terrorist killed your son. He was safer from terrorists than you or I are, because he had a chance to shoot back. I live in Orlando, within driving distance of several major terrorist targets. If Al Qaeda operatives detonate a nuclear device in the Magic Kingdom, I won't have a chance to shoot back. If they use conventional explosives while my wife is at Animal Kingdom, she won't have a chance to shoot back. You won't get a chance to shoot back, either. Your son had that chance. My oldest son has that chance. I'm sorry the terrorists killed your son. I'm sorry you misplace the blame for his death on the President who sent him there. I hope I am never in your position, and that terrorists do not kill either of my older sons. I hope they get the terrorists first, and that your son's fellow soldiers kill the terrorists who killed your son.
You want the President to meet with you and explain to you "why [he] kill[ed your] son?" The question, of course, assumes a fact already established, that Bush supposedly killed your son, which can only be alleged. But you demand that Bush meet with you--not to discuss with you whether he can be considered to have killed your son, but why he did it. For him to meet with you under those terms would be folly. For you to demand such terms of the Commander in Chief of the United States is impertinent and shameful. I feel great sympathy for you, Mrs. Sheehan. I, too, have a son going into military service in the Middle East (specifically, Israel). Your son died in uniform in a combat zone. An "insurgent," or more accurately a terrorist, killed your son. He is dead. Mr. Bush sent him there to fight terrorists, which included the possibility that they would fight back. They did, killing your son. I have three sons, two of them of military age. Did Bush kill your son? The argument can be made, and rebuttals to that argument can also be made. But the fact that you are in very real, very intense pain over the death of your son does not entitle you to demand that the President concede the point. Mrs. Sheehan, a terrorist killed your son. He was safer from terrorists than you or I are, because he had a chance to shoot back. I live in Orlando, within driving distance of several major terrorist targets. If Al Qaeda operatives detonate a nuclear device in the Magic Kingdom, I won't have a chance to shoot back. If they use conventional explosives while my wife is at Animal Kingdom, she won't have a chance to shoot back. You won't get a chance to shoot back, either. Your son had that chance. My oldest son has that chance. I'm sorry the terrorists killed your son. I'm sorry you misplace the blame for his death on the President who sent him there. I hope I am never in your position, and that terrorists do not kill either of my older sons. I hope they get the terrorists first, and that your son's fellow soldiers kill the terrorists who killed your son.
posted by Ben Maxwell | 10:53 PM
1 Comments:
Like any man over or under 40, but especially over, I'm flattered by any attention from a member of the opposite sex. But fortunately for you, I'm married, so you don't have to worry about me following up and busting your illusion of me. I'm fat, 45 and graying, short, have a bad back and am given to loud belches. But thanks for the amorous advance.
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