A Gesture Nonetheless
I received this email from VoteVets this morning. I have been holding off on the political donation, in part, because I haven't made my mind up about who I will support, or even if I will bother to vote at all. My disillusionment runs that deep lately.
I kicked down for this though. I encourage you to do the same.
Dear VoteVets.org Supporter,
As you know, the next month is critical in terms of where we go on the war in Iraq. Next week, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will be testifying about the White House report on Iraq, and shortly after, Congress will again vote on whether we change course, redeploy troops from Iraq and take the fight to al Qaeda in Afghanistan, or if we're going to just do more of the same.
We are going to take our message directly to politicians and pundits in Washington, but we need your help.
Donate to send an Iraq veteran to Washington, DC, here
The week after General Petraeus testifies, we plan to bring 40 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to Washington, DC. Among our activities are plans to blanket Capitol Hill and stress that the troops and veterans know it's in America's best interest to change course in Iraq, and hold a press conference to talk about the disastrous effect this war is having on our military. That's not all, though. Our veterans will receive media training and a crash course in how to effectively talk to lawmakers, from top professionals in the field. In this way, VoteVets.org will have even more ability to take our message to local town halls and media outlets, from coast to coast.
We're planning to bring in some of our best and brightest veterans. But, because they are scattered across the country, this is going to take a lot of airline and train tickets. As you can imagine, accommodations in Washington aren't cheap either. Add to that the costs to properly train our best guys to do media and lobbying, and this effort will take $25,000.
Don't doubt, we're being as stingy as possible with the money you give, and are working to keep costs at a bare minimum. So, not a single dime you donate will be wasted. And, therefore, every dime counts.
Can we count on you to help bring an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran to Washington, DC? Donate here.
This is a make or break time for the country, and for VoteVets.org. Your donation will help ensure that when we do this trip to DC, we do it right, and we do it professionally. Your donation will have a long-lasting impact, as well, because the skills, training, and experience that our veterans gain on this trip will be used in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, as we fight for the Voice of America's 21st Century Patriots!
Thanks for all of your support.
Sincerely,
Peter Granato
Iraq War Veteran
Vice Chairman
I have been a contributing member to these guys since they started up. They are having an impact. I admire the calm and unruffled manner that their main spokesperson Jon Stoltz displays in his appearences. I'd be ripping out throats and lungs. I'm glad they found these guys. I support their work. I hope you find a way to do the same. This is a great idea.
3B's
posted by The Minstrel Boy at 8:33 AM
6 Comments:
i've been a fan and putting them up on my blog for some time, as well as passing on their e-mails.
i too, admire the cool and well done way they go about their cause.
They want the best and brightest vets? You shouldn't be contributing. You should be going.
i don't do all that well in situations like that. a more controlled environment is needed. plus, these guys have been recently, they've been at the tip of the spear so to speak. it's the veterans like jon and the other guys who were right there in the middle of things are what is needed to counteract the bullshit storms being thrown up. my war was 40 years ago and they would simply say that it doesn't apply (it will never apply unless they want to draw their own analogy)
still, thanks for the compliment.
If anyone can make Congress and this country see the futility and waste of this war, its veterans are the ones. Forty years ago, when veterans spoke out against Vietnam, we grabbed the nation's attention. These days grabbing the nation's attention is probably a lot more difficult (far more competition and distraction). That's why I'm happy to support VoteVets as they plan, organize, train and speak out.
Iraq Veterans Against the War is another excellent organization. Their "Operation First Casualty" performances dramatically bring the war home to Americans.
exactly rez dog. anybody over the rank of major can spend years in iraq and not hear shots fired (except by his blackwater bodygaurds). they certainly do not place themselves in harm's way.
viet nam veterans against the war had a tremendous impact. the hard hats and other pro-war scumbags couldn't go hard at them, because they had the credibility of guys who had been. ron kovic in his wheelchair, john kerry in front of congress, all of those had far more impact than grubby students raising hell in the street (although they had their own impact). still, it took a military simply breaking to the point of being unable to sustain the mission for the war to end. it's probably what will happen here, although an event like this might sway some undecided, or be a launch to a political career for a vet or two. . .
we can dream dude, we can dream.
Done! Thanks for the link.
I saw Jon Stoltz hand some comentator his *ss on one of those argument shows, and it was a beautiful thing.
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