OKAY FREE SPEECH EXERCISERS, THE AMERICAN LEGION SAYS "SHUT UP"

In a speech at the Group's National Convention in Honolulu, Thomas Cadmus of the American Legion, told the audience,

"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,"

well, okay, who could disagree with this? Good for the Legion

Cadmus continued, "No one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it, but we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their elected officials rather than by public media events guaranteed to be picked up and used as tools of encouragement by our enemies. . . "

Well, Mr. Cadmus, what do you do when your elected officials are (a) busy making sweet real estate deals with the contractors they're supposed to be acting as watchdog over, or (b) busily trying to defend against criminal investigations looking into activities such as (a) which they've already, um, allegedly committed? What do you do if your elected officials feel greater loyalty to their political party or the party machinery which got them (re) elected than they do to the ordinary voters?

". . . For many of us, the visions of Jane Fonda glibly spouting anti-American messages with the North Vietnamese and protestors denouncing our own forces four decades ago is forever etched in our memories. We must never let that happen again….

Well, again Mr. Cadmus, even Jane Fonda finally apologized for her trip to North Vietnam and for mugging with the enemy. Has anyone done that from the U.S. this time around? Certainly you're not suggesting Cindy Sheehan has?

"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."

Yes, Mr. Cadmus, the lessons of Vietnam. Lessons like should we engage in wars thousands of miles away against countries which, in reality, pose no threat to us? Should we attempt to prop up people who don't really want to fight, risking our own best fighting forces in the process? Should we stay the course to honor the fallen, or honor the fallen by not giving them more company? What about those lessons, Mr. Cadmus?

Cadmus advised: "Let's not repeat the mistakes of our past. I urge all Americans to rally around our armed forces and remember our fellow Americans who were viciously murdered on Sept. 11, 2001."

Mr. Cadmus, WTF? Are YOU making the connection between Iraq and 9/11, and based on what? Even the current Administration has been dragged kicking and screaming into the cleansing light of truth on that issue. Why do you still repeat that lie, too