Alabama State Auditor Beth Chapman. Attached is a copy of Mrs. Chapman's
speech, which resulted in five standing ovations, tremendous applause and an
encore. It's a short read and well worth it.

I'm here tonight because men and women of the United States military have
given their lives for my freedom. I am not here tonight because Sheryl
Crowe, Rosie O'Donnell, Martin Sheen, George Clooney, Jane Fonda or Phil
Donahue, sacrificed their lives for me.

If my memory serves me correctly, it was not movie stars or musicians, but
the United States Military who fought on the shores of Iwo Jima, the jungles
of Vietnam, and the beaches of Normandy. Tonight, I say we should support
the President of the United States and the U.S. Military and tell the
liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippy, tie-dyed liberals to go
make their movies and music and whine somewhere else.

After all, if they lived in Iraq, they wouldn't be allowed the freedom of
speech they're being given here today. Ironically, they would be put to
death at the hands of Sadam Husssein or Osama Bin Laden. I want to know how
the very people who are against war because of the loss of life, can
possibly be the same people who are for abortion? They are the same people
who are for animal rights but against the rights of the unborn. The movie
stars say they want to go to Iraq and serve as "human shields" for the
Iraqis. I say let them buy a one-way ticket and go.

No one likes war. I hate war! But the one thing I hate more is the fact that
this country has been forced into war-innocent people have lost their
lives - - and there but for the grace of God, it could have been my brother,
my husband, or even worse my own son.

On December 7, 1941, there are no records of movie stars treading the
blazing waters of Pearl Harbor.

On September 11, 2001; there are no photos of movie stars standing as "human
shields" against the debris and falling bodies ascending from the World
Trade Center. There were only policemen and firemen - -underpaid civil
servants who gave their all with nothing expected in return.

When the USS Cole was bombed, there were no movie stars guarding the
ship - - where were the human shields then?

If America's movie stars want to be human shields, let them shield the
gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles, or New York City, let them shield the
lives of the children of North Birmingham whose mothers lay them down to
sleep on the floor each night to shelter them from stray
bullets.

If they want to be human shields, I say let them shield the men and women of
honesty and integrity that epitomizes courage and embody the spirit of
freedom by wearing the proud uniforms of the United States Military. Those
are the people who have earned and deserve shielding!

Throughout the course of history, this country has remained free, not
because of movie stars and liberal activists, but because of brave men and
women who hated war too. However, they lay down their lives so that we all
may live in freedom. After all - "What greater love hath no man, that he lay
down his life for his friend," or in this case a country.

We should give our military honor and acknowledgement and not let their
lives be in vain. If you want to see true human shields, walk through
Arlington Cemetery. There lie human shields, heroes, and the BRAVE Americans
who didn't get on television and talk about being a human shield - they were
human shields.

I thank God tonight for freedom - - those who bought and paid for it with
their lives in the past - - those who will protect it in the present and
defend it in the future.

America has remained silent too long! God-fearing people have remained
silent too long! We must lift our voices united in a humble prayer to God
for guidance and the strength and courage to sustain us throughout whatever
the future may hold.

After the tragic events of Sept. 11th, my then eleven -year-old son said
terrorism is a war against them and us and if you're not one of us, then
you're one of them.

So in closing tonight, let us be of one accord, let us stand proud, and let
us be the human shields of prayer, encouragement and support for the
President, our troops and their families and our country.

May God bless America, the land of the free, the home of the brave and the
greatest country on the face of this earth!

A-men brother.

Blind patriotism is stupid.

Thumbs up at supporting the troops, but there are better, less divisive ways of doing it.

Equating speaking out against the war with not supporting our troops is ignorant.

Bravo!!!!

Thanks H2O. I agree with you completely, and I am getting tired of explaining and re-explaining my stance on things. It seems neither side listens to the other.

H20 and KurtF - If Iraq is such a great place under the power of Saddam maybe you 2 should move there...Like I have said before..We know very little of what the government has for info on iraq.. So forget thinking you all have the answer...Because you dont... Saddam is an evil man and supports terrorism in the U.S....Doesnt that matter? Or are you so far to the left your head is in the sand!!

Here, Here.

Marching in the streets, breaking the law, blocking traffic , demanding that people hear your point of view, yelling at anyone that opposes your point of view, acting like a bunch of crazy baboon's, calling it stand against the war and somehow equating it to standing behind our troops is IGNORANT!

I swear if I am around any punk that burns an American flag it's gonna get ugly real quick!!!!!


Never has this quote been more applicable!

Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.
Euripides. 407 B.C

I must respond to: "Equating speaking out against the war with not supporting our troops is ignorant."

Thinking that publicly speaking out against the war is not endangering our troops is ignorant.

Make no mistake about it, when people publicly object to the war they are encouraging our enemies, discouraging our troops, and endangering our loved ones lives!!

As an ex-Marine with friends and comrades in Iraq, it is my right and duty to express my displeasure with anyone publicly objecting to the war. They have the right to speak out against the war, just as I have the right to tell them exactly how I feel about it!

Semper Fidelis

PMartin I'll get your back if that ever happens!!!

Timber - Intersting how you got all that out of our posts. Takes a real creative intelligence to come up with that kind of crap.

Its apparent that your emotions have got the better of you P....

"Marching in the streets, breaking the law, blocking traffic , demanding that people hear your point of view, yelling at anyone that opposes your point of view, acting like a bunch of crazy baboon's"...

I have done none of these things. Nor will I, I agree with you on that score. I have spoken out against American foreign policy, our 'President' and going to war. Does that make me a non-supporter of our troops?

Hell no! ....and I defy you to make an argument to the contrary. I have supported the troops on every possible level and at every opportunity.

The thing is, I believe that support is more than flag waving and bravado. Its action...

I've given blood twice now in hopes that I can somehow make a difference...I have friends that are currently on the front lines with whom I communicate and tell them how proud of them I am for doing their job. I've shut up about my opposition to the war while hostilities are ongoing...

But I am sick and bloody tired of flag waving yahoo's shouting me down because I don't agree with them or their continued efforts at pushing those that would disagree with them to the 'fringe'.

Pull the red, white and blue gauze from about your eyes, perhaps then you will be able to see that it is possible to BOTH disagree with American foreign policy AND support our troops. Suggesting that all who would do so are any less of an American or should volunteer to be human shields is pure unadulterated idiocy, the epitome of inflammatory. Wouldn't your efforts be better spent working to bridge the gap between those that do not support and those that do?

The Republican Senator from Alabama can kiss my lily white ass...and so can anyone who would argue that I do not support my friends and family in the services.

The enemy is in Iraq, gents.

We can disagree about the merits of this war without getting all hostile.

Timber Man that was uncalled for. Our country is great because we allow dissenting views.

KurtF and Stlhdh20 I would like to hear your reply to my post though....

Sadly Dan, an inumerable amount of recent war threads offer concrete proof that we can't.

Its important to note that this thread as posted is not about the merits of the war...

ET -

I scoffed at the patchouli wearin' hippies that held a 'vomit in' at the federal building...

Micheal Moore posesses a tremendously large pair for doing what he did the other night, but I have to disagree with his having done so. Bad form...I say these things as an example that it is possible to have a centrist view on these issues...

What is the average citizen that disagrees with the policies of his government to do?? Follow blindly??...or... Speak out? I do believe that was one of the very principles this country was founded on...see Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense'...

So we do, no matter which side of the fence we are on.

For me it ends when our troops are committed to battle. What would you say to the parents whose children are fighting the war that disagreed with the foreign policy that led us to this point? "You don't support your child because you spoke out against the war"?

Lastly....if not for the outcry of the public during the Vietnam era, that war, now widely regarded as a mistake, would have lasted much longer. It could be argued successfully that those protesters did more to save the lives of soldiers than their government ever did.

Saving soldier's lives...can't get much more patriotic/supportive than that.

I am not arguing that people should take to the streets and protest. I am arguing that it is possible to be supporting the troops in doing so.

Well, maybe "we" can't, but I can. Flinging poop just lowers one to being a poop-flinger.....not a very enviable position.

Insulting your fellow Americans is hardly a patriotic thing to do.

"For me it ends when our troops are committed to battle."

Thank you! Unfortunately some people(too many celebrities) believe that their right to protest is more important than our troops' lives. They are the truely ignorant.

Political disagreements have no place on the battlefield. Leave them for the next election!

Aunty -

I am not saying all patriotism is blind. Just the kind posted by Timber in this instance.

Opinion taken...

...and I agree. However, you also have several people on this board that choose to characterize those that disagree with them as unpatriotic or unsupportive of the troops.

As long as people continue that effort I will speak out against it. Its a falsehood that drives the two sides apart rather than together, and I firmly believe that in times of war the people on both sides of the issue need to (does best John Lennon impression) come together, right now.

I have consistently encouraged people to come to the center of the issue.

I like what the 11 year old kid said.
Now there is some deep wisdom.

It kind of reflects on many of us and on our willingness to use our brains. To summarize my case I ask you to go back and read the previous comments.

...or many of the other more passionate threads on the forums.

So Aunty, would I be correct in assuming that you've already delivered this same message to Timberman? After all it was he who initiated this thread. Wait, don't answer that. I'm pretty sure that I already know.