January 11, 2006 at 17:12:44

New Demand for Body Armor Politicians "Paydirt"

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By Amanda Lang (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Amanda Lang - Writer

I just received an email from Wes Clark urging that I send letters to officials demanding body armor for US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortly before an email arrived from Hillary Clinton claiming lack of body armor "unforgivable" and called for a Congressional probe after 2,200 deaths and almost 16,000 wounded.

Haven't received any emails from Republicans, but then again I never do, and don't expect to although they, as the Democrats, have long been aware that our troops lacked the proper armor for personal protective equipment and combat vehicles.

You see, all this "sudden outrage" is not so sudden. I have sent at least 25 letters in the last year alone demanding to know why a trillion dollar plus war could (or would from a readiness stand-point) have soldiers in the field -- where IEDs are the weapon of choice -- without armor; why these soldiers taxpaying families at home were raising money to buy their fathers, husbands, and children armor that a $2 trillion war should have had in spades (families paid S&H too); why there was talk in some media and the Pentagon about reimbursing these families; and why lying Rumsfeld, who claimed "lack of production capacity" never responded to the armor-supplier CEO that declared his company could produce at a 20% higher production capacity than was OKed by the Pentagon. Rumsfeld was sorely taken to task on one of his "impromptu" talks with US troops while visiting Iraq (in his arsenal/bunker on wheels -- armored-to-the-hilt). Yet now after close to 3 years, it is a big issue. Reportedly, the armor has been available since 2003.

The truth is that a new Pentagon report concludes that "[e]xpanded armor can save soldiers' lives." So now the Dems get righteous and mine political "paydirt." The Bush Chickenhawk Neocons and GOP will stay with the Rove playbook and act shocked but say or do little. And many of the 2,200 dead families and the 16,000 wounded will wonder why and what could have been.

Shame on them all, Democrats and Republicans, with their whole families and "whole" family members who never set foot on Iraq or Afghan soil with or without armor, now clamoring for an accounting.

Amanda was a managing editor at OpEdNews and worked with Rob Kall on the site from 2004 to April 2009. A retired research ethnographer, she now resides in Georgia.

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

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