General Clark speaks to Veterans at the American Legion Post 170
Submitted by Knightrider on August 2, 2006 - 11:32am.
American Legion | Foreign Policy | national security | Paul Aronsohn | Veterans Affairs | National Security
Wes Clark and Paul Aronsohn Rally- American Legion (8.1.06)
Pics :)
I. Clark cools off the hottest summer days
As we all know, global climate crisis is another Bush legacy, so no surprise it was a real scorcher yesterday. My lunch was gatorade with a cold bottle of water, but that was enough juice to make it to Paul Aronsohn's rally at the American Legion Post 170 at New Rochelle, NJ to hear Clark speak before his favorite audience, our American vets and their families. Fortunately, Clark makes the hottest summer days, way too cool.
I decided to go after I realized that Clark Buttoneer, "icantbelieve..." was unable to attend and promote Clark (WesPAC) with her buttons, so I pressed into action with a alternative contingency plan -- business cards! (or square button ;)
Yesterday afternoon 3 hrs before the event, I photoshopped some pics together pasted 10 images on Word, zipped over to Staples, then had them laserprint 10 sheets onto cardstock paper. Their cutter broke. :/ , ..100 cards to cut :/,... and leave for New Rochelle in 20 minutes. :/ (Note to self: Cut cards at gas station, stoplights and after I arrive).
X100
(ehm 
,.. Disclaimer: the following product is not officially endorsed by WesPAC)
When I reached the Pavillion, I started looking for CCN bloggers.Clustered together on the rows closest to front of the podium were CCN bloggers; Melange, Guyman, CarolNYC, Tom Rinaldo and his wife "DemKitty". (Note: Always looks for Tom Rinaldo in his Clark04 T-shirt. I took the seat between Melange and Guyman (which apparently was saved for BarryNJ, a "no-show", ...probably heat-intolerant ;). So Clark was well-covered though, bloggers were ready. Oh, and by the end of the event, I was able to cut/hand out close to 70 cards... an uncut sheet (of 10) was given to Tom, but 2 sheets are free to anyone ready for Clark's next visit. :)
Soon after I stick to my chair, Clark walked in and everyone stood up and welcomed him with applause. Clark quickly made his way around the room towards the podium, offering a handshake and greeting to everyone he past, including that same guy in the Clark04 T-shirt and the Clark blog squad. :)
II. Clark addresses veterans at the American Legion Post 170
Shortly after 6pm, we began the event by first standing up, facing the American flag, placing our right hand over our hearts and reciting the "Pledge of Allegience."
Afterwards, Paul took to the podium to introduce his special guest, Wesley Clark. Paul's profound respect for Clark was very apparent from the start, noting that he had worked vigorously for Clark's '04 presidential campaign. However, he said that their talk was not intended to be a partisan, instead it was indeed focussed on veteran issues, concerns and affairs. After reading Clark's impressive resume and list of accomplishments, Paul invited Clark to the podium to speak to the veterans of Post 170.
As always, Clark began by acknowledging the service of our veterans, asking those who served to raise their hands. We all applauded in support and gratitude.
- The world is a dangerous place
Overall, Clark's speech primarily focussed on national security, foreign policy and veteran issues. He began by acknowleding that the world was indeed a dangerous place, as "we" (the vets) knew that it was during the Cold War, Korean War and Vietnam. Back then, he added that for most of them, "our" job was to deter the spread of communism.
He also reminded everyone that although he had always critical the administrations policies, his speech was not intended to be partisan, because what we face as a nation today must never be a partisan issue.
Clark criticised that "some of what we did had weakened the national security challenges that we face"; and acknowledged that "some of it had helped us." As an example, he noted that he had supported fighting in Afghanistan to go after OBL, improving homeland security, securing American ports and protecting our metropolitan centers like LA, NYC, Seattle. But where we had been "seriously" weakened was from our invasion of Iraq. He charged from the beginning that it was a mistake -- "it was a war that we didn’t have to fight." He again reminded us why he was always against it. Saddam may have been dangerous, but he was never a direct threat to the US. Clark even addred that he contributed to the bombing campaigns against Iraq, which effectively "contained" Saddam. Clark honored the old school of military thought/principles, which followed a rule that "we should never use the military unless it’s the last, last, last resort!"
But now, with our entry into Iraq with well over $20-30 billion wasted for its costs; we probably dio not have enough troops in Iraq to get the job done right. In fact, he beleived that our forces were probably over-committed.
My take of Clark's message is that we now live in a more dangerous world and that we are confronted with more difficult issues because of Iraq and the failures of this administration mid-east policies and misleadership.
- On post traumatic stress disorder. (PTSD) :
The war has also inflicted a psycological toll for our vets. Clark noted that the VA and its programs were severely underfunded and he shared a personal story from a recent campaign stop for Len Boswell in Iowa. Both had met with a mother, whose son had returned from Iraq on his 20th birthday, Thanksgiving day. However, the family noticed that he placed an enourmous sense of guilt on himself because he had survived, while his closest friend had not. One day he wrote a note, put on his uniform, got in his truck and committed suicide, just moments before his mother raced to the truck to try and stop him. We all could see how this was a very emotional story for Wes to share. Clark then shared how he lived through his own challenges for decades after being critically shot at Vietnam. He said that he was "damned mad, ... darned mad" that he was not able to "kill" the soldier who tried to kill him.
In his view, all vets suffer from level of PTSD. Main point, Clark stressed that our government needed to provide greater funding to the VA, so that it could provide better "professional" treatment regimens for vets , which would properly recognize and treat soldiers with PTSD.
- On Lebanon, Israel and the Mid-East Crisis ::
"We're in a real difficult situation now," because of the crisis between Israel and Lebanon. Clark notes that although the US had and will always be a strong supporter for the state of Israel -- particularly providing military weapons systems, America had also played a major diplomatic role in the region towards promoting our values for democracy with our close arab allies, like Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Unfortunately, the administrations policies in the middle east continues mostly to compound our efforts to stabilize the region.
So as a matter of policy (diplomacy), if the US was going to best help Israel, then the best help that we could provide was "to use our peculiar diplomatic strengths and international reputation to do the things to help the region."
To achieve this, even now, Clark added that we must approach this problem against our national security in a nonpartisan way:: "we must start concentrating on the leadership that solves problems, rather than one that uses rhetoric and labelling."
III. Q&A portion : Clark's best format to address issues.
Q:: How do vets address growing cases of homelessness?
Clark :: "(True) Leadership starts at the bottom,.. not at the top." Get involved, ...1 in 4 Americans are family members of the military, 70 million Americans. He said that together, they can persuade federal and state officials to address veteran issues.
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Q:: I'm paraphrasing from Guyman: "How much more commitment, troops and money are we going to commit and invest before we decide or realize that it's time to leave Iraq? ..."
Clark :: Clark mentions that it's not about Iraq only, but this is now a regional problem and about regional stability. How does "Iraq" effect these nations? (Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc). There's real risks for greater conflicts and regional instability. He reiterated his earlier positions, noting that the US should always continue to pursue a diplomatic and political solution, especially with all of Iraq's regional neighbors. This is not about using the military alone to resolvee issues and conflicts, which has unfortunately been the main instrument of policy misused by this administration.
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It's important for validation. My notes are seriously difficult to decipher; it's taking me a while. :/
Also, the acoustics were so bad that my recordings is mostly background noise. So overall, it's 80% recollection on my part due to 20% of my brain being fried yesterday. ~8)
was hoping to be able to post video of the rally in the next couple of days....Don't know if he got it taped OK but, if so, if should be available in the next couple of days....
"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark
Tom, are you the hairy guy in the Clark04 T-shirt?
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
Gotta run now, I still haven't had time to really read this blog yet. It really was an amazing little event.
Thanks for posting this....
My comments on your comments...
Great idea with the business cards. Good, quick thinking.
Wasn't that nice the way they greeted Wes? There was just such a warmth or something to the applause...very nice.
And wasn't is apparent that Paul holds Wes in very high regard? That was very nice to see also.
As to the non-partisan flavor of the event, I got the impression that something held in a Veterans place like that, an American Legion, had to be non-partisan but I could be wrong. Wes was very careful to stress that the Boswell story was non-partisan when he started to tell it.
Paul spoke at the fundraiser about the wisdom of doing a free event when he's running a campaign and money is so vital and he said that he just felt that what General Clark had to say on these issues was so important and the issues themselves were so important that he felt the community should get the opportunity to hear it.
It was also obvious that the story about the suicide was an emotional one for Wes to tell.
And, finally, I thought it was very cute how Wes said "damn mad" and then quickly said "excuse me, darn mad" with all of those vets in attendance who, I'm sure, don't use squeaky clean language as a rule.
"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark
Having the different accounts of the event is so sweet! and your photos add so much!
I'll bet you got the stink-eye from a certain Gen'ral when you got home, though! ;)
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right. - Hunter/Garcia
Terrific post--loved the pix!
The General gets it right.
Competence--What a concept!
Now I feel a little less guilty about not having found time yet to finish my report, you captured so much of what Clark talked about. And this was only your part one also?
Clark is doing events faster than we can write about them!
I'm done, no more gatorade left. Besides Part II for me is how I downed to 2 cold beers after I returned and before I started working on the pics, ... that's not a pretty pic, but should explain why I posted late this morning,...
...then corrected/re-edited it throughout the day. :)
Btw I do have the pics of you and your wife from the dinner that we had. Anyway, I'll send it soon (ehm,.. tomorrow afternoon ;)
thank you!
"Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants."
Gen. Omar Bradley
This is our future president you are talking about... And you do it well. I have to go on to other posts, I am so far behind. But lingered here a while.
Noel
While I appreciate Wes in all he does, the legion is a right wing fascist organization. Individual AM Posts may be different but the national organization is an enemy of the bill of rights. By the way, they did not support Wes in Kosovo.
Aid and Comfort
"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," Thomas Cadmus, national commander, told delegates at the group's national convention in Honolulu" . . . "We had hoped that the lessons learned from the Vietnam War would be clear to our fellow citizens. Public protests against the war here at home while our young men and women are in harm's way on the other side of the globe only provide aid and comfort to our enemies."
Editor & Publisher
American Legion Declares War on Protestors
August 24, 2005
(via Atrios)
______________________
Dear Mr. President:
The American Legion, a wartime veterans organization of nearly three-million members, urges the immediate withdrawal of American troops participating in "Operation Allied Force.''
The National Executive Committee of The American Legion, meeting in Indianapolis today, adopted Resolution 44, titled "The American Legion's Statement on Yugoslavia.'' This resolution was debated and adopted unanimously.
Mr. President, the United States Armed Forces should never be committed to wartime operations unless the following conditions are fulfilled:
* That there be a clear statement by the President of why it is in our vital national interests to be engaged in hostilities;
* Guidelines be established for the mission, including a clear exit strategy;
* That there be support of the mission by the U.S. Congress and the American people; and
* That it be made clear that U.S. Forces will be commanded only by U.S. officers whom we acknowledge are superior military leaders.
It is the opinion of The American Legion, which I am sure is shared by the majority of Americans, that three of the above listed conditions have not been met in the current joint operation with NATO ("Operation Allied Force'').
In no case should America commit its Armed Forces in the absence of clearly defined objectives agreed upon by the U.S. Congress in accordance with Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution of the United States.
Sincerely,
Harold L. "Butch'' Miller,
National Commander
American Legion
Letter to President Clinton
May 5, 1999
Well, my sense is that most vets with the American Legion do NOT hold the view that they're at war against protestors (Americans), certainly not Paul Aronsohn who hosted this event.
Thomas Cadmus's statement was a clever form of propoganda. "Declaring war on protestors" instinctly forces vets to dig foxholes. As we know, Cadmus' statement was more a political manuever called "rhetorical posturing" to support the policies of this administration and this GOP-led Congress. Clark clearly recognised how dangerous this is for our national security. The adverse consequences are obvious, now, as legitimate debate and dialogue to resolve the serious global and national security problems in a nonpartisan way, has instead deteriorated into rhetorical assualts that has framed Bush's partisan agenda.
Truth is, while some were led to tuck their heads below the surface against the onslaught of enemy "protestors", Congress and this administration were able cut veteran support and benefits, which effectively toss ed dirt into their foxholes.
In fact, I think that Clark's address to our vets may have been a cloaked rebuttal to the NC's statement above:
Clark said, "we must start concentrating on the leadership that solves problems, rather than one that uses rhetoric and labelling."
But I do think (hope) that most vets (especially those who attended this event) are now beginning to realize how much they've been misled by the "official" rhetorical positions from its own leadership.
to hating the current ownership and national management of FOX cable news, which isn't the same as not showing basic respect to FOX viewers who are citizens and voters and our neighbors here in America. We don't write them off. General Clark certainly doesn't write them off. He wants to reach them, and he does.
Clark is the Republican's worst nightmare because he can move freely inside territory that most Democrats have trouble navigating, and he takes our message to Americans who need to hear it. Though the event in NJ was formally non-partisan, the truth about what is happening in the world was being discussed there, not Republican spin.
While you were typing, so was I, so I didn't get to read part one of your account prior to posting part one of mine.
Well I totally ran out of time, so I will absorb this a little later and reflect on your experience before writing more about mine. It was great spending time with you and our other Clark supporter friends in New Jersey last night!