Astroturf special and ahem answer

[nadinbrzezinski]

-------Original Message-------

From: ************
Date: 08/24/05 22:41:07
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:,
Subject: Fw: BROOKS ARMY MED. CENTER & DENZEL




Everyone,
This is a piece that needs to get around.




Brooks Army Medical Center and Denzel Washington


Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brook Army Medical Center, in San Antonio,Texas (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers that have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the States, especially burn victims. They have buildings there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a hotel where soldiers' families can stay, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base but as you can imagine, they are almost completely filled most of the time.

While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his check book out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot. The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it.

The question I have is why does Alec Baldwin, Madonna, Sean Penn and other Hollywood types make front page news with their anti-everything America crap and this doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the base newspaper in San Antonio.



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the so called liberal media does NOT publish any good stories about any "hollywood types."

For example are you aware that Al Franken and Robin Williams are staples of USO Tours? Are you aware that Alec Baldwin has been behind efforts to get phone cards to troops at John Reed (and other military facilities) since out of area calls are not allowed for the troops without a card? By the way we do put some money away every month so we can get a card to a trooper, and we also send troops care packages.

No, you are not, the only places you see this are either the base papers or when you are REALLY lucky the Army Times, et al... or when you are REALLY lucky, Stars and Stripes.

As a wife of a veteran WHO SERVED in the front lines I am tired of this crap about Hollywood, they are not all liberal, nor are they anti American. They HAVE THE RIGHT to say whatever they want... and I will defend their right do so such. Moreover, DISENT is the highest form of patriotism

By the way, what you just passed has a name... it is called Astroturf... (both parties do it but the GOP has perfected the form) It is an email that has some truth to it... Denzel most likely signed the check on the spot... but it is spun to show something, such as why is it that them Hollywood types don't do this or the other? It is a very subtle form of propaganda... and I am just making you aware of it

There is more, you think that only Hollywood types are against this war and are anti American? You have no idea of the feelings inside military bases. We have contacts still in the service and what we hear is not encouraging, nor surprising. THINK why are senior NCOs and mid level Captains leaving? Care to tell me why? Why are recruitment numbers so low?

They don't have enough parts, and don't give me any BS about Clinton, reality is, the real problems started under THIS president, who has also tried to cut hazard pay, this year Cost of Living are at risk as well as the military school system... so if you live in Hawaii, the BHA and BHE will be the same as if you lived in Virginia, when the cost of housing and food is NOT comparable. This is also the same administration that has mucked up completely the supply chain... think about it, in them care packages I am including essentials such as toilet paper, shaving kits, and toothpaste, because you cannot find this in theater... Now as bad or as good as logistics were mucked up during the last good war, troops always had toilet paper in rear areas and even in forward operation areas, not today.

What other problems do we have? Oh yes one of my favorites the scams with food, in order to feed troops three MREs, because those are cheaper and the profit margin is higher, and the Army Cooks are now seating on the wire (without the proper training) because a Halliburton Employee is doing KP. When we finally manage to go (the both of us) to the Con, ask tom to tell you his favorite story,. it involves Lima Beans.

Oh and by the way, why are the troops not yet fully equipped with Plate Ceramics? It is not a question of the army you've got and people should be up in arms that foreign militaries got them plates well before our troops did... this is real, not reported in that cute so called liberal press... so don't llook for it on the NYT, but it was reported in the Army Times.