Rumsfeld to personally sign all condolence letters

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=26085

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will begin personally signing condolence letters sent to families of troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, after receiving criticism over his use of mechanical signatures.

In a statement provided to Stars and Stripes on Thursday, Rumsfeld tacitly admitted that in the past he has not personally signed the letters, but said he was responsible for writing and approving each of the 1,000-plus messages sent to the fallen soldiers’ families.

“I have directed that in the future I sign each letter,” he said in the statement.

“I am deeply grateful for the many letters I have received from the families of those who have been killed in the service of our country, and I recognize and honor their personal loss.”

[Reverend_Smitty]

1. wow what a douche...

Can't show up to any funeral, can't even sign any condolence letters himself

[BikeWriter]

35. I beg your pardon! Douches serve a useful purpose and seldom...

kill anyone!

[Reverend_Smitty]

42. Sorry...

I appologise to douches...Rummy doesn't deserve the respect that douches recieve!

[BikeWriter]

58. Thank you, Reverend. That's much better! n/t

[0007]

64. Rumsfeld is scummer than smegma and smells twice as bad.

[MercutioATC]

2. I'm sure that'll make a huge difference to the families....

:eyes:

[liberalhistorian]

12. Yeah, really!

I know if my son were killed and I received one of those letters from Rummy, I'd rip the letter up into tiny pieces, then stuff the pieces in his mouth and make him eat them!

[MercutioATC]

14. Even if he SIGNED IT HIMSELF??????

Wow, you must be a terrorist...


;)

[liberalhistorian]

19. I remember my grandmother telling

me that that's how she felt when one of her sons, my uncle, was in Vietnam. She and my grandpa disagreed with the war from the beginning, and were very upset, resentful and angry when my uncle was drafted. They didn't try to stop him, though. She told me that if anything had happened to him she would have taken the letter they sent to Washington and stuffed it down McNamara's throat.

Now that I'm the mother of a son myself, a teenager, I often wonder how she and my grandpa managed to make it through the 18 months my uncle was in Vietnam without checking themselves into a mental hospital. I don't think I could stand it for even one day.

[MercutioATC]

23. My son will be 14 in February. I know how you feel.

He'll be draft age in 4 years. I don't care what it takes, he's not going.

[liberalhistorian]

26. Mine's the same age,

he'll be 14 in April. He's my only child, and he'll be my only child. There is no way in hell the Bushies are going to get him. No matter what I have to do.

[MercutioATC]

28. Mine's an "only" too.

I've put way too much work into him to let him die for some moron who doesn't know geography.

[cliss]

68. Same here. I've got 3 teenagers.

They're not going.

Now I think we should support our country, WHEN IT'S A MATTER OF DEFENCE. This is not a self-defense issue. It never was. The reasons for marching into Iraq have evaporated like an ice cream on the sidewalk.

It was a war about profits. Oil profits. Now, there's nothing new about wars for gain. They used to happen all the time in the past. In those days, a country would mobilize its armies to go into a weaker country and plunder and pillage its assets. Sound familiar?

That's what it is. People are dying for Halliburton's Quarterly Earnings Statement. No way are my kids going for that.

[not fooled]

78. so clear...so rational...

"Now I think we should support our country, WHEN IT'S A MATTER OF DEFENCE. This is not a self-defense issue. It never was. The reasons for marching into Iraq have evaporated like an ice cream on the sidewalk. "

geez, makes perfect sense (unlike the psychotic ramblings and rantings of * and his scum admin). so why can't the dumbfucks who support * and still believe in the war figure this out???

we all know it will just be a matter of time before this ends just like vietnam...unimaginable suffering and waste, FOR NOTHING. except this is even worse: the vietnamese have not harbored a grudge, but the Muslim world will hate us for untold generations because of this fiasco.

[cliss]

90. Thank you.....

I've read the rest of the posts, and I agree.

[jwirr]

95. A friend told me

that she was talking to a "true bushite" and he just plain declared she was lying. That is why they will not see. They think every thing bushie says is God's inspired word and every thing anyone else says is a lie. The are totally brain washed.

[Danmel]

85. My daughter will be 14 in January

No way they're taking her to kill or die for no reason.

[anitar1]

50. Rummy

I have 2 grandsons, aged 15 1/2 and 20. No way are they going to be cannon fodder for this bunch of thugs. These people care nothing for us or our families. They are all sociopaths. Hello, Canada.

[The Zanti Regent]

93. That prick sent me NOTHING

My only child was shot in the spinal cord and lay in agaony for months before he passed.

That prick sent me NOTHING

Damn Nazis at the funeral wanted to give me the flag they draped on my boy's casket. I told them to stick it. The idiot chaplain started bullshitting me. When I got down yelling at that bible thumping asshole, I hope his ears were roasted off for eternity.

Going back to Rumasshole, if that prick DOES send me a letter, I'll Fed-Ex the fucking ashes back to him.

I hate Jesusland and I want out. I'm working for California secession.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

99. I'm so sorry for your loss; I can;t fathom the pain you must be

be experiencing. I greatly admire your unwillingness to go along with the military based services at your son's funeral. No mother should bury a child and the bfee is violating this law every day.
MKJ

[bluestateguy]

3. (crickets chirping....)

Don't expect a pat on the back for simply doing what is expected of any Secretary of Defense.

[MADem]

74. Lyndon Johnson signed his, personally

He put aside time every day to do it. It was one of the things that influenced his decision not to run for a second term. Maybe the weecowboy should start signing them...

[fishnfla]

4. In other news: Rumsfeld Treated For Writer's Cramp eom

[radfringe]

49. Sounds more like he should be treated for

CRAP-ola tunnel-vision syndrome

[Lerkfish]

72. note that he said "from NOW ON"...so the present families get squat.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Rummy's gonna get writer's cramp if they don't pull the plug

on this horrendous mess.

[Fridays Child]

6. Who is this supposed to help?

[hiley]

17. him,

Rove probably thinks it will make Rummy look "softer and kind"

[proud patriot]

7. You mean he hasn't been already ...

:grr: :mad: :grr:

[antonialee839]

76. Much like Babs Bush

he doesn't want to clog up his beautiful mind with images of
death and war either.

[tridim]

8. He "directed" himself to sign the letters? Huh?

I'd like to see some of his letters from the families of dead soldiers. I have a feeling he's not really grateful when they call him a murderer.

[frogfromthenorth2]

9. Is that what you call "JUNK MAIL" ???

[liberalhistorian]

10. Well, now,

(church lady incarnation) "isn't that speeecial!" Geez, how fucking generous of him. He should say something like "I'm sorry I was such an arrogant, ignorant asshole who sent your son/daughter off to an unneccesary war in order to gain control of Iraq's oil for my boss and his corporate cronies, and without the necessary equipment that could have saved their lives. Maybe he/she shouldn't have questioned my superior intellect and judgment and they should have been content with rooting through garbage bins for needed equipment. I mean, that's what you have to do in war, be resourceful and creative in getting what you need. Not that I'd ever personally know that, mind you, having never been to war myself, but that's not my problem. Oh well, better luck next time!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. You do that very well!

Can you do the voice too?

[liberalhistorian]

21. Thanks, and

yes, I can do his voice, believe it or not. Along with that arrogant squint he always does that he thinks makes him look so superior and intimidating when it actually makes him look like the asshole he really is.

[symbolman]

52. Are we talking about

Hmm.. I don't know.. could be just about anyone.. but maybe it's.....

S A T A N ? (echo!)

Bravo!

[DS1]

62. Oh come on!

We gotta test the Striker Armored Personnel System SOMEHOW! Sheesh, you want us to fire fake bullets at it?

/maximum sarcasm

[Bark Bark Bark]

11. Translation

"I'll get some damn flunk to sign my name, then lie about it. But no more printing machine. Happy, you little crybabies? GET OVER IT!! F***ing war vets..."
--Rummy The Dummy

[liberalhistorian]

13. LOL!

That about sums it up, I'm afraid.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. Yeah and I've got a bridge you might want to buy.

Did anyone listen to the David Hackworth on the Al Franken show last week? He talked about an electronic auto-pen the Pentagon has. This is like a computer plotter and duplicates a signature. No doubt this is what Rummey will use.

[RamboLiberal]

30. Hackworth was pissed cause the auto pen is what Rummy's

been using.

Rummy's trying to keep this one quiet before our dumbass media finds it. Note this story appears in Stars and Stripes, not the mass media.

[BikeWriter]

36. Col. Hack is a toot, but a good military man.

He told the bastids in Washington we couldn't win the way they were fighting it!

[symbolman]

54. Maybe

we should s n e a k into that room with a big contact that says,

"I, Ronald Dumsfeld, am culpable for this mess and would like to be tried and sent to the Hague in chains and be put on suicide watch until a world tribunal makes the call on how I should be disposed of.."

and slide it ever so gently under the scrolling auto pen..

Mmmmhuuuhahahahaha..

[MADem]

75. Autopens are kept under lock and key

A lot of senior leaders in the military and government have them, and use them. They keep them locked up, they have to be signed out, and there has to be a log of every letter that was signed by the things. They always put a senior person in charge of them, and they are watched carefully.

I remember a situation where a young enlisted fellow managed to get access, that he should not have had, to an autopen by working for a senior military leader, and he had the autopen sign a bunch of TAD orders. He made a bundle, visiting his girlfriend several times a month, charging the airfare and hotel to the government, before he was finally caught when the travel funds got audited. He had a thirty or forty thousand dollar run before he got busted. Since then, they've really tightened up access to them.

[driver8]

16. Jeez, don't put yourself out or anything Rummy -- dickhead!

What an asshole this guy is. He sends these kids to fight in this fucked up war; in a war that should never have been started in the first place and he couldn't be bothered with signing condolence letters?!

I hate this administration more and more every day. I am praying that karma gets these assholes eventually.

[tabasco]

20. "Dear Fungible Family Members ..."

This asshole could care less.

[liberalhistorian]

25. "Fungible family members",

that says it exactly!

And hi, Geoff, how've you been? Long time no see here. As a former military man yourself, what do you think is the attitude of vets toward this whole Iraqi mess created by this misadministration?

[tabasco]

32. Vets I know think it will get much worse before it gets better.

I'll be honest, though. I avoid Bush supporters. Life is too short to spend with ignoramuses.

I'm still in shock that this corrupt gang didn't get run out on a rail. But my mother tells me "never underestimate the stupidity of the American people." She's 82 and knows what the heck she's talking about. So many millions voting against their own interests.

:hi: LH!! I thought it was you that disappeared for awhile ...


I'm kind of the opinion that it will be the economy that brings down this regime. The war will get worse but sometimes it seems the only ones that care about soldiers getting killed are here at DU.

Happy Holidays to you & the youngun!!

:party:

[BikeWriter]

37. Your Mom is a smart Lady!

:-)

[liberalhistorian]

38. I know, I'm in shock too,

I really thought that people would finally see through him and see what a danger he and his cronies really are. But your mother is right, never underestimate the stupidity of Americans. Frankly, I'm amazed this hasn't happened sooner in our history.

And I'm with you, I can't stand to be around Bush supporters right now, it just makes me too angry. I sure hope you're right about the economy bringing Smirk down; the problem is, nothing seems to penetrate his teflon coating with people. It's like 9/11 was his free pass card.

[fishnfla]

22. "You sign with the name you're given, not the name you want"

"Alexander the Great has been used already, anyway I hear he was, you know, 'funny'..."

[not fooled]

79. hahaha...but Donald Duck is still available

in terms of both quacking nonsensically, seems apt . oh wait, that would be a slam against a perfectly good cartoon character.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

24. Who's this supposed to appease?

All the family members who he sent off to war causing their loved ones to die, who he subsequently sent a friggin from letter to? I didn't think so.

HE IS SUCH AN ASSHOLE!

[KenCarson]

27. does "sign" mean he used the rubber stamp himself?

i doubt it means hand sign

[Solly Mack]

29. Yo, Rumpface.This changes what exactly?

[Sleepless In NY]

33. What's the matter? bush to "busy" to do it himself? AWOL, again?

I heard about these letters, form letters, actually. It was bush's decision to send these men and women to their deaths, it should be his responsdility to take the time to address their families. Of course that would take courage and compassion, and bush has neither. He's good about talking about making "sacrifices", unless, any sacrifices have to made by him.

[BikeWriter]

31. This should compensate for his not sending half enough troops and armor.

Not!

[Rose Siding]

34. Uh, did he write this statement?

What the hey does this mean?

“During visits to military installations, I have met with still others during their visits to the Pentagon."

Are there a number of military installations at the Pentagon? Why is it nearly impossible for these people to SAY anything? We always have to guess what they mean. "Mis-spoken", "mis-written", and MISTAKEN ad nauseum.

[BikeWriter]

39. The statement was stamped, not written. n/t

[Rose Siding]

40. No- the sentence is in the statement at the end of the E-stripe article

I believe the signature was stamped, or rather done by machine

The statement, from which I snipped, is about the stamped signatures and rummy's decision to actually sign them now rather than have it done mechanically.

I was commenting on the mangled sentence.

[Kimber Scott]

41. Well, that's mighty white of him. Fucking bastard.

I'm glad he can take time out of his busy day to acknowledge the carnage he's caused. And this line just blows me away... “I am deeply grateful for the many letters I have received from the families of those who have been killed in the service of our country, and I recognize and honor their personal loss.”

He's grateful for their letters? Who's consoling who(m)? I still cannot believe these people have happened to our country.

[caligirl]

43. school days punishment done during detention, write a thousand times I

will not lie to the troops. Instead, 'I killed your child because he is nothing more than a pawn in Bush's world'

[Javaman]

44. I guess he wore out his rubber stamp...fucker

[saracat]

45. So I assume the Bastid in the WH doesn't sign his either. Funny

FDR found time to sign letters!

[deacon2]

46. Maybe Rummy had carpal tunnel syndrome

from all the wanking off. Plays better than "F*&k you, I'm a heartless bastard."
Either way, it's heartwarming to see him giving his all for the troops.

[aikido15]

47. ?

:wtf:

[daleo]

48. Rummy's letter:

Thanks for the kid. Got any others?

Sincerely
Rummy

[Tight_rope]

51. Bullshit...Rummy the Dummy really means his "AID" will sign the letters

In his eyes it's the same thing as him signing the letters.

[6000eliot]

53. Man, this burns me!

I wonder if he can grip a pen in his evil claw? What a FUCK!
:grr:

[InvisibleBallots]

55. wow, adding insult to injury

[Voltaire99]

56. Wow. It's an autograph party!

Just slap your John Hancock on this batch of So-sorry-but-them's-the-breaks-thanks-bye letters, Rummy.

You're a fucking humanitarian now!

[Zech Marquis]

57. Skeletor FEELING sorry?!

I'm shocked! darth Rummy feels..sorry?!! :wow:

[Massachusetts]

59. Rummy and company have to change tactics again,

what a cretin.:bounce:

[DrDan]

60. this SOB needs to start with

1300 personal apologies

[BrainRants]

61. Maybe he can direct himself to sign a letter of resignation!

Dickhead!

[Vidar]

63. Directed to whom, asswipe.

"I have directed that in the future I sign each letter,” he said in the statement.

[Ilsa]

65. Two lazy (apathetic) to sign five letters a day?

Makes me wonder wonder what they aren't telling us about casualty numbers.

[SodoffBush]

66. How much longer is this deranged individual going to be on the US payroll?

I can't wait to see him gone.

[DFWJock]

67. You have to sign the letters you have...

Not the letters you want.

[demokatgurrl]

69. And he bloody well ought to too, he owes much condolence. nt

[BiggJawn]

70. This man has the GALL of a thousand livers!

He CAN'T be human!


Writing the fucking letters isn't the ONLY thing he's "responsible" for.....

"I am deeply grateful for the many letters I have received from the families of those who have been killed in the service of our country..."

Does that include the ones that ask WHY their kid/brother/sister/mom/dad/husband/wife had to die for a bogus pile of horseshit?

In another time and place, Bremer, Tennet, and Franks would have been stood up against a wall...Now we give them fucking MEDALS!.

[chomskysright]

71. here's an anti rummy letter to send out

Mr. Rumsfeld must go. Not later: NOW. He has absolutely no respect for the citizens of the USA, nor of the world.

He is wanted as a war criminal in Germany.

He signs letters to families of OUR dead soldiers with a computerized, automatic name-signing program.

He has refused us seeing the caskets of OUR dead.

He has been responsible for Iraqis being tortured. He is responsible for the torture which has taken place at Guantanamo Bay. These events did not happen randomly; they were ‘OK’d’ by the top brass.

More than 5500 American soldiers have deserted the Armed Forces. They are filling up the homeless shelters in Canada as well as the US.

There are more amputations associated with this war than any other.

OUR soldiers are not even accorded decent equipment. They ask questions about why they have to ‘make-do’ by digging for scrap metal in order to protect their vehicles in order that they not be blown to smithereens---or become amputees.

They are required to stay in Iraq past their ability to endure if some members of their company remain there.

THIS MUST STOP.

He has deeply offended many Americans: we want him OUT NOW.

[stanwyck]

73. If I receive one of those

letters from Rummy in reference to my son, a Marine, I doubt he'll be "deeply grateful" for the letter he'll receive from me.
The man is grossly incompetent. He has been wrong about everything. He's a disgrace. And his performance with the soldiers last week was abysmal. "I'm an old man. It's early in the morning." How insulting to those soldiers. They're putting their lives on the line and he's whining about some tough questions.
The Bushies surround themselves with syncophants and then start trembling when people with functioning brains question them.
I wish we had better leaders for our people. We all deserve better.

[anarchy1999]

77. Note to Rummy: RESIGN NOW!

n/t

Save us all and save yourself. Retire "to spend more time with your family". Please. Pitiful POS that you are, Mr. Dinosaur.

[Buns_of_Fire]

80. Dear (Mr./Mrs./Ms.) < Family Last Name>;

I am writing you today to offer my sincerest and deepest condolences on the loss of your (son/daughter), <Deceased's First Name>. Please be assured that (he/she) died in the finest traditions of our military, fighting for the defense of (our country/Halliburton's profits) in the most honorable fashion, with their last full measure of devotion.

Please remit $4,285 in a check, money order, or cashier's check, payable to the U.S. Treasury, for the cost incurred in transporting your beloved's remains back to the United States. Please remember to put your beloved's name ( <Family Last Name>, <Deceased's First Name> ) on the remittance to insure proper accounting.

Thank you for your prompt attention, and God Bless America.

<pensig name=rumdh 8.25 18.80>
Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense, United States of America

[Moloch]

81. What an asshat.

This is SO obviously a PR move designed to minimize the fallout from his "go to war with the army you have" debacle. Even Repugs are starting to call for his dismissal.

[against all enemies]

82. He signed their death sentence.

He sucks.

[parkenyc]

83. How magnanimous of him.

If it isn't too much trouble for a soldier to die, it shouldn't be too much trouble for Rumsfeld to pick up a pen in the safety of his office.

[recovering democrat]

84. Hackworth's "With deepest sympathy"

if it works, here is the link to the original article by Col. Hackworth about the auto-pen signatures.

http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Hacks%20Target.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=101&rnd=5.562757471877733

The arrogance of Rumsfield is simply beyond belief.

[steely]

86. What a schmuck!

"I direct myself to sign each letter, and to try to be less of a pompous dimwitted arrogant asshole."

What a completely thoughtless bastard.
my 2 cents

[AngryOldDem]

87. He's a despicable piece of work

:puke:

[Plaid Adder]

88. He wrote the messages but couldn't be bothered to sign them?

Sure thing, Don.

What do his personally written condolence letter say?

"Dear Grieving Parent: As you know, death is one of the great known unknowns. We don't know how much of this unknown we can ever know, but however much that is, your son now knows it. Do I appreciate his dying so I could have a chance to test my theory about the new light 'n' lean army? Sure I do. Is it a crime and a shame? Well, you'd have to ask my staff, cause my sense of shame blew a gasket back in '72 and it hasn't worked since. Do I miss it? Good golly no!

Sincerely,

Donald Rumsfeld (a.k.a. "Rummy the Wack")

Sigh,

The Plaid Adder

[Osamasux]

89. What a transparent schmuck.

When it was just their lives on the line, it wasn't worth his time. Now that he's taking heat from McCain and some other republican senators and his job is on the line, he'll sign some letters as a PR stunt?
:argh:

[Arkana]

91. Is this supposed to make him look human?

Cause it ain't working. Just because the coldhearted bastard can rubber-stamp condolence letters to families that have lost loved ones in Bush's war, it doesn't make him look human.

[Daybreaker]

92. Yeah! That'll teach him! Why, I bet his hand will cramp!

Of course the perfect crime is to have to write your name a bunch of times! I bet he'll never do it again! All those millions and billions of dollars moving around in the Bush adminstration because of this stupid war would never make up for a punishment popular with third-graders!

Man, the world is surreal sometimes.

[jwirr]

94. Maybe he will issue a recall

so he can sign the first 1300. I seriously doubt that he personally wrote the letters either.

[WhiteTara]

96. I thought signing was the PRESIDENT'S job! eom

[liberalhistorian]

97. I'm still good friends with

an ex-boyfriends, and his son is a Marine in Iraq. I guaran-damn-tee you that if something happened to his son and he received one of Darth Rummy's canned bullshit machine-signed form letters (NOTHING will convince me that he's actually going to sign them himself), he'd publicly burn the letter, then stuff the ashes down Rummy's throat himself. And then he'd have to be restrained from any further actions against Rummy.

[Rose Siding]

98. Milbank is covering this in the Sunday WP

if this is the format of his new column, it's pretty good. He's more biting, almost like a blogger, but it isn't investigative or "breaking" news...

After Outcry, Rumsfeld Says He Will Sign Condolence Letters

By Dana Milbank
Sunday, December 19, 2004; Page A05

The Pentagon has acknowledged that Donald H. Rumsfeld did not sign condolence letters to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq, but it said that from now on the embattled defense secretary would stop the use of signing machines and would pick up the pen himself.
...
This is an unwelcome discovery for Rumsfeld, whose handling of the Iraq war has earned him complaints in recent days from several Republican senators. In particular, Rumsfeld drew criticism for his dismissive treatment of a question from an Iraq-bound soldier about the lack of protective equipment.

Stars and Stripes quoted families of the dead saying they were insulted that Rumsfeld did not sign the letters himself. They also said they were suspicious about the signature on similar letters they received from President Bush, but a White House spokesman said Bush does put pen to paper himself.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10891-2004Dec18.html

[Catchawave]

100. Read Maureen Dowd's "Not So Wonderful Life" (Rummy)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x92676

[alfredo]

101. When Iran decides to use the Bush Doctrine and launch

a preemptive strike on US forces in Iraq, Rummy will have his arm is a splint from writer's cramp.

[leesa]

102. Is this his punishment? Like writing on the blackboard 5000 times?

[Calliope]

103. Can we hope tis will help him realise the numbers?

Nope

[theshadow]

104. "You get the condolence letter you have.....

.... not the one you want".