montgomeryadvertiser.com=A0::=A0 Our diplomats want = to bail out

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It's been reported by Agence France Presse that U.S. = Secretary of=20 State Condoleezza Rice had an emotional meeting in = Washington=20 between senior State Department officials and hundreds of = diplomats=20 on the new policy forcing them to serve in Iraq effective at = the end=20 of November.

Some of the diplomats at the town hall meeting challenged = the=20 senior officials in unusually blunt terms over the policy to = begin=20 "directed assignments" to fill an anticipated shortfall of = 48=20 diplomats in Iraq.

Jack Crotty, a member of the Foreign Service for 36 = years, was=20 among the most vocal, calling the forced deployment to the = U.S.=20 embassy in Baghdad or in so-called provincial reconstruction = teams=20 in Iraq a "potential death sentence."

Is it just me or is the quote by British philosopher John = Stuart=20 Mill in 1865 becoming more and more descriptive of our=20 administration and congressional staff?

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The = decayed=20 and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which = thinks that=20 nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has = nothing for=20 which he is willing to fight for, nothing which is more = important=20 than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and = has no=20 chance of being free unless made and kept so by the = exertions of=20 better men."
Armond Simmons
Pell = City

Subscribe= =20 to the Montgomery Advertiser=20

montgomeryadvertiser.com and = its=20 related sites are pleased to be able to offer its = users the=20 opportunity to make comments and hold conversations = online.=20 However, the interactive nature of the Internet makes = it=20 impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every = posting.=20 Since the montgomeryadvertiser.com does not control = user=20 submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers = will not=20 occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments = posted on=20 our Web site. In addition, we remind anyone interested = in=20 making an online comment that responsibility for = statements=20 posted lies with the person submitting the comment, = not=20 montgomeryadvertiser.com or its related sites. All = comments=20 posted should comply with the = montgomeryadvertiser.com's terms=20 of service.

Add=20 Comment | V= iew=20 All Comments

Reader = Comment	Thu Nov 08, 2007 11:18 = am
>>If this war = were about=20 our freedom, I would gladly agree with you. = However,=20 this war is about power and greed, not freedom = and=20 Condie is nothing more than one of Bush's many = yes=20 men/women. Although, with the millions of = dollars being=20 spent on the new embassy, it might not be a bad = gig.=20 Imagine a posh resort right in the middle of a = war zone.=20 Amen!!! we should be building more = clinics and=20 shelters for our veterans. All the Bushites = want are=20 more war for other folks to fight and more tax = cuts.=20 The cheerleaders need to feel some pain; = reverse the=20 tax cuts for the rich, re-instate the draft and = strip=20 away all deferments...if this war is so = important to=20 America, we should all contribute. And we = should=20 keep our promise to our veterans. = >>More=20 than 11 percent of the newly homeless veterans = are=20 women, Mr. Dougherty said, compared with 4 = percent=20 enrolled in such programs over all.=20 Veterans have long accounted for = a high=20 share of the nation=92s homeless. Although they = make up 11=20 percent of the adult population, they make up 26 = percent=20 of the homeless on any given day, the National = Alliance=20 report calculated. According to = the=20 V.A., some 196,000 veterans of all ages were = homeless on=20 any given night in 2006. That represents a = decline from=20 about 250,000 a decade back, Mr. Dougherty said, = as=20 housing and medical programs grew and older = veterans=20 died.=20 = http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20071108/ZNYT02/711080355
Reader = Comment	Thu Nov 08, 2007 9:54=20 am
John Crotty's rant was = an insult=20 to every person in the military, plus their = families,=20 their supporters and anyone else who is proud of = serving=20 our country in any capacity!!! It was my = understanding=20 that people in the state department went where = they were=20 needed, not able to pick and choose according to = their=20 own desires. I think Mr. Crotty should resign if = he=20 can't do the job required of him. Only three = state=20 department workers have been killed in Iraq. How = many=20 have died in accidents, etc. here in the states = during=20 the same time period? Just = curious.
Reader = Comment	Thu Nov 08, 2007 8:35=20 am
If this war were about = our=20 freedom, I would gladly agree with you. However, = this=20 war is about power and greed, not freedom and = Condie is=20 nothing more than one of Bush's many yes = men/women.=20 Although, with the millions of dollars being = spent on=20 the new embassy, it might not be a bad gig. = Imagine a=20 posh resort right in the middle of a war=20 zone.
IT'S YOU	Thu Nov 08, 2007 8:33=20 am
TOTALLY = DIFFERENT...IT'S YOU

Letters to the=20 editor:
=95 Don't = complain without=20 conserving
=95 Exxon = juror laments=20 decision
=95 State = workers have=20 good deal
=95 Our = diplomats want to=20 bail=20 = out