Vallejo WWII veteran, one of first black Marines, awarded Congressional honor

A day after 15 American soldiers were killed in a helicopter attack in Iraq, Colorado's Governor Bill Owens tells Gavin Esler that the cost is justified.

"The results will be worth it," he says.

Twelve-thousand soldiers from Colorado are now in Iraq and Bill Owens has had to attend more than one funeral.

He tells the families the same thing: "We've lost three hundred and fifty brave American troops. Is it worth it? I would say yes."

The subject of weapons of mass destruction has been downplayed in the US since no proof of their existence has been found, and Governor Owens is in no hurry to resurrect it.

Although regime-change was never the reason for going to war, he highlights this as proof that it has been successful.

"It is a just war to take out a fascist dictator," he says.

President George W. Bush stood in front of a banner emblazoned with 'mission accomplished' on 1 May, declaring the end of major combat.

But more troops have died since then than during the entire war.

Governor Owens, a Republican, believes this message is misunderstood, that he was not saying, as many thought, that the war was over.

"It will take years to bring Iraq the democracy it deserves."

But what about the rise of anti-American sentiment, since Saddam Hussein's fall?

Governor Owens insists there is a great misunderstanding about what the US is trying to do in Iraq and, despite an alarming number of attacks against coalition troops, does not think that the level of terrorism has increased since.

"I think terrorism is weaker than ever before. We're better off today than before September 11."

On 16 October, Donald Rumsfeld wrote a memo, later leaked to the media, declaring 'we lack the metrics to know if we are winning or losing the global war on terror'.

While some Republicans have begun to turn away from Donald Rumsfeld, Bill Owens hails him as an example of excellent management.

He sees the memo as an effort to challenge his staff, "the sort of manager we want running the Pentagon".

How important is changing this negative view of America?

"It does matter what people think of the US, but we're doing what we think is in the best interests of the world. We're not always going to be popular around the world, or have people appreciate or like us, but it is something that a power like the US has to play. Sometimes we have to accept that we're not always going to be well understood."

Shouldn't the white marines receive the same consideration as the blacks? The "President" doesn't have any racial envy does he?

Wanglow wrote:

Shouldn't the white marines receive the same consideration as the blacks? The "President" doesn't have any racial envy does he?

9/11 CONSPIRACY: BUSH-NAZI CRIME FAMILY HISTORY - YouTube
Dec 4, 2007 ... with this kind of family history, is it any surprise that fascism is creeping slowly
into America and our freedoms are being eroded daily?

http://www.youtube.com/watch... - 151k -

Wanglow wrote:

Shouldn't the white marines receive the same consideration as the blacks? The "President" doesn't have any racial envy does he?

The Black Marine's service went unrecognized, because he was black. It's why he is finally given the medal of honor.

The President is fine.

Kip wrote:

<quoted text>
The Black Marine's service went unrecognized, because he was black. It's why he is finally given the medal of honor.
The President is fine.

No! The half-breed, socialist and maybe Marxist, bastard is not fine. He is the worse president that America has ever had, worse than Cater, who up until bozo came along was the worse. Hopefully the last socialist that we will ever see sitting in the White House again.
Those that feel he is something of value for America are those blacks at the very lowest rung of the economic ladder. Like those in California that do nothing but draw welfare. You know the ones, the bro's you run with.
Please tell me what he did to earn the Medal of Honor. How many troopers did he save, how many of the enemy did he kill, how many did he capture? What! none of the above, I guess he just stood there and sucked up good air, while pointing to his skin color!

EASY MONEY wrote:

<quoted text>
No! The half-breed, socialist and maybe Marxist, bastard is not fine. He is the worse president that America has ever had, worse than Cater, who up until bozo came along was the worse. Hopefully the last socialist that we will ever see sitting in the White House again.
Those that feel he is something of value for America are those blacks at the very lowest rung of the economic ladder. Like those in California that do nothing but draw welfare. You know the ones, the bro's you run with.
Please tell me what he did to earn the Medal of Honor. How many troopers did he save, how many of the enemy did he kill, how many did he capture? What! none of the above, I guess he just stood there and sucked up good air, while pointing to his skin color!

Do you KNOW he did nothing?
Were you there?
What PROOF do you have that the man in question did nothing or is it just your opinion?
Can you differentiate opinion from fact? I can. For example, it's your OPINION that my "bros" are on welfare. It's a FACT that you're a liar and a moron.

Have a nice day!

Kip wrote:

<quoted text>
Do you KNOW he did nothing?
Were you there?
What PROOF do you have that the man in question did nothing or is it just your opinion?
Can you differentiate opinion from fact? I can. For example, it's your OPINION that my "bros" are on welfare. It's a FACT that you're a liar and a moron.
Have a nice day!

Just how do you know that he did anything? The answer is that you and I don't know, but that's why I asked the question. You, because he was black, assumed that he did something other than put on an uniform and warranted the medal, I having spent 3 1/2 years in Vietnam just WTF did he do? I don't care if he did something that deserved the medal but to get it because he was or is black is pure bullshit.
By the way I'm not some pansy dildo that has sat on my ass waiting for some one to hand me something, I earned everything I have ever had and people that seem to think it's OK to do otherwise are not worth living. Of course that's my opinion, OH! and if your bro's aren't on welfare there for the most part in Folsom, Chino. or Pelican Bay and a few others in between.

EASY MONEY wrote:

<quoted text>
Just how do you know that he did anything? The answer is that you and I don't know, but that's why I asked the question. You, because he was black, assumed that he did something other than put on an uniform and warranted the medal, I having spent 3 1/2 years in Vietnam just WTF did he do? I don't care if he did something that deserved the medal but to get it because he was or is black is pure bullshit.
By the way I'm not some pansy dildo that has sat on my ass waiting for some one to hand me something, I earned everything I have ever had and people that seem to think it's OK to do otherwise are not worth living. Of course that's my opinion, OH! and if your bro's aren't on welfare there for the most part in Folsom, Chino. or Pelican Bay and a few others in between.

I can take some of that frustration away stud.

Were they honored just because they are black and we have a black president or because they helped kill a few rebels?

You will never no, you never served, well you served at the local Denny's in nowhere arizona