Waving...OVER HERE Rep. Rangel!!!

Since according to the media Rep. Charles Rangel has stated:

"I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft,"

Here's why...I don't support the draft and I did support the war. Here's the problem with the game he is trying to play. I like many Americans supported the war on the belief that Iraq as a larger threat than what they were among various other reasons.

Now that it appears that the WMD issue was not an accurate one the belief that we can just say "Oh gee, my bad no WMD? We're out of here" is not a realistic one. We have destroyed Iraq, we have destroyed their ability to protect themselves, we destroyed their ability to govern and we do have a responsibilty to fix what we destroyed. So I still support our troops being there though I disagree with the way things were done. Hence, I still support the war in Iraq.

I'm also sick of the games, Rangel should either do something productive or just be quiet. I did not support a draft when this first started, I don't support a draft now and I can see very few scenarios where I would ever support a draft.

Rangel has been presenting this line for quite some time:

"to make it clear that if there were a war, there would be more equitable representation of people making sacrifices."

and:

"Those who love this country have a patriotic obligation to defend this country," Rangel said. "For those who say the poor fight better, I say give the rich a chance.

To which I respond bull puckey, you cannot force patriotism, trying to create a situation where the "rich" die along with the "poor" solves nothing. Not to mention from a personal standpoint, my family would be considered poor and I have no desire for any of my children to be forced into service. If they as some friends and family decide it is what they want to do then that is their decision to serve and take those risk. Implying that only those who are poor go creates the same impression that created the outcry when Kerry made his botched joke.

Not everyone who enlists in the military does so because they have no other choice, infact I'd suggest Rangel take a look at the type of people the military is seeking to recruit, like my oldest daughter as an example. They wanted her because she was bright and excelled in math, not because she would be cheap bomb fodder...She decided the military was not for her but to demean those that made the choice?

That doesn't seem very patriotic to me...

(I freely admit I don't like Rep. Charles Rangel, even before the whole calling former President Clinton a redneck situation then of course the recent episode where he basically told President Chavez that it's okay for us to criticize the President but not anyone else and now even less. Nor am I the only one who appears to wonder, Does Charlie Rangel know when to shut up?)