I was told admission was $ 100,000 a plate .... needless to say I'm just goin as arm candy .. as a plus one . ( geez I hope he didn't pay another $100,000 for MY plate OMG Ty Gina ((())) I'll ask the guy who invited me what it says on the invitation .... really appreciate your kind help

I just found your post.Are you as crazy about Keith Olbermann as I am? What would our society do without him? Maureen, Akron, Ohio

Hey Stacy sorry for the late response....... I will take it paragraph by paragraph.... I'm interested in understanding your thinking on the following: "Point blank....we need to be there, these people are a huge thret to us and also the innocent people over there need our help. If we backed out now, we will be in serious trouble" Can you explain where you get/got your information that brought you to this conclusion? Which people are a threat to us? Are the innocent people the Iraqi civilians? How are we helping them? Why would we be in serious trouble if we backed out now? What would having more troops do to help the situation, and how do you think we can support sending those troops and still remain safe from terrorist groups still remaining from 911, terrorist groups that have formed in response to our invasion of Iraq, and places like N. Korea and other nuclear forces? My response~I have never once said I was for troop escalation...I have only said we shouldn't pull the troops, now a few more people over there would help give some rest to the ones that are there....lighten the work load. Can you honestly say if we just yanked the troops that those people wouldn't have so much hate for us for coming in and messing up their country and not helping them rebuild? That would be the same as bin laden sending his "troops" into our country...messing up New York...and us going over them and blowing there land up to find the hateful ******* I for one want to feel safe in this country. I also agree N.Korea is a threat but it is doubtful we will go there (only after talking to my boyfriend, who just enlisted for his 2nd term of 6 years in the airforce) My husband and I are both against troop escalation. Most of the guys I've talked with at Walter Reed are against troop escalation. Many, if not most, of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and dependents I know are against troop escalation. Many of these people agreed with the decision to go to war in Iraq in the first place , and their minds have been changed. I did not agree with going to war with Iraq. I'm from the school that says we should focus on the specific 'terrorists' who attacked us. They are in many countries, not associated solely with Iraq. We actually trained some of the 911 terrorists. We continue to train terrorists at Ft.Benning, where my dad was trained as a paratrooper for the Vietnam war. My response~Normally I would agree with you, but you have to remember Sadam is a mass murderer, I commend anyone who would send that man to hell. He also had ties with Bin Laden....and before you ask, yes we should get anyone who is funding him. Can you imagine what it would be like to sign on with the military and put your life in the hands of the government? It's an interesting thing. I find that most of the military people I talk with don't even like to be involved or informed about politics. While it's hard for me personally to swallow, I can understand and respect this because I know first hand how it feels to have the government have control over your LIFE in the biggest (okay, second biggest. My husband has the biggest) sense of the word. Bush's administration has a responsibility to those who have 'signed on' as much as we (I have to follow them too) have a responsibility to follow orders. They have not lived up to their responsibilities by any stretch of the imagination. My response~Yes I can imagine.......But as Chris (boyfriend mentioned above) says...HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS SIGNING UP FOR....now if you fall for that free college thing, then you lack serious common sense. I didn't sign up for the military, because I don't feel like being the governments ***** for 4-6 years and quite frankly I am a chicken, I don't wanna take the chance at dieing. But for all the service men and women out there, I commend their courage to fight for their country and make the sacrifice to give up there lifes for so many years. Have you ever talked with a recruiter? It's hard to enter into something with an open mind when you already have it made up, but I suggest going in with an 18 year old and just listening. They don't talk about dieing. They talk about how they can give you a career. Check out recruiters in uneducated areas especially... it's amazing the things they say. Yes, the people who sign on with the military know they have a potential for going to war. They have to trust the government in this, and in this case the government has failed them. Why do people have an easier time talking about the individual soldiers responsibility to his (or her) country and not discussing our countries responsibilities to our soldiers? That seems so grotesquely backwards to me. My response~ AGIN THIS IS WHERE COMMON SENSE IS....enough said It's our LIVES, and we are belittled by people who say, "you knew what you were getting into." No, most of us didn't know our government would wage a war for money in the name of democracy, freedom, and national security. I know officers who have worked extensively with the Iraqi government, they will flat out admit this war is not about freedom, security, liberating the Iraqi's and/or all the other propaganda; it's about money. EVERY person I know who has worked with the Iraqi government AND with the people have been totally disheartened. Those 'in the know' are disgusted. Bush does not listen to his military advisers, he listens to his non-military neocon executive advisers who are making a killing... if you'll forgive the pun My response~ Since when has our government not been about kickbacks???? Why would anyone think anything has changed?? I always knew it, and no matter what president you get in office, they are gonna play the same game with companies out there.....Money rules the world and it always will....it isn't changeable and it really doesn't matter who is controlling america. Do you know that certain vaccines are now being required due to the fact that certain drug companies have ties and are funding certain politicians in office?? That is the way of the government....I would suggest to get used to it, I can't see it ever changing. Ok stopping the paragraph by paragraph and giving my opinion~ Do I think our administration is perfect..........hell no!!!!!!!!!!! No administration will ever be perfect. Do I trust our President...Yep, sure do. I voted for him. Do I like the way N ew Orleans was handled....nope. But last I checked, we are all humans and humans make mistakes. BTW George W. is a human so yes he can make mistakes too, should we burn him on a cross for it? I hope not cause I have made my fair share of them and would hate to have that happen to me. You tell me how pulling the troops would not harm us....just curious on your views.

There's another side to the story? What is it? The place was a shambles until this was reported... and it's not even a Veteran's Hospital run by the Veteran's Administration, but an active military base being run by the Department of Defense. I'd love to hear what the other side to this story is... given that Bush has recently apologized for the mess at Walter Reed.