This is an interesting letter written to President Obama from a WWII veteran in Hawaii. It’s amazing how effective spinning of sound bites can be although there are some good points.
Harold Estes wrote a letter to Preident Obama which has been confirmed by Snopes but wasn’t has been confirmed is the accuracy of the allegations made. Here are some of the things Obama has done that Mr. Estes found offensive.
Point #1 – Obama said, “We are no longer a Christian nation.”
The full quote is “we are no longer a Christian nation; we are now a Nation of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists”
Personally I think this statement is very reflective of America ideals of freedom of religion and not in the slightest offensive. Sure our national demographic has shifted from primarily Christian but unless we want to forget about freedom of religion we should acknowledge there are many other faiths and creeds being practiced by Americans.
Point #2 Obama is quoted to say – “America is arrogant”
This quote according to the Times was actually – “In America, there is a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world. “Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive”
Not nearly as inflammatory is it?
Although my favorite part of the letter is -
Point #3
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don’t want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don’t mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don’t want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
I couldn’t have expressed this sentiment better myself.
But there is another point of contention I have with this letter.
Point #4 was “When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him.”
This one really bothers me simply because the ridiculous flip flop that was made by the inflammatory elements of the conservative media.
The first position was that the President wasn’t taking the issue seriously since he didn’t personally meet Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Every talking head that likes to inflame the populace couldn’t help mentioning that you don’t ignore the general on the ground.
Then when Obama approved the troop surge stating that not only did we need the troops but we needed them yesterday and approved a much faster time table for deployment he know is wrong for sending the troops too quickly.
Which is going to be? And this is why the “news” (entertainment companies that pose as legitimate sources of information) should be ashamed of themselves, because while this honored veteran disagrees with the President on many different points this part of the letter should have read very differently. President Obama did his job and did it admirably well and after his speech addressing troop escalation a real reporter would have eaten crow and admitted they were wrong.
The email that was shared follows:
This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii
for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.
Dear President Obama,
My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don’t believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos’n Mate. Now I live in a “rest home” located on the western end of Pearl Harbor , allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
So here goes.
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.
I can’t figure out what country you are the president of.
You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
” We’re no longer a Christian nation”
” America is arrogant” – (Your wife even announced to the world,” America is mean-
spirited. ” Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our
war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a
whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)
I’d say shame on the both of you, but I don’t think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
After 9/11 you said,” America hasn’t lived up to her ideals.”
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn’t mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
I don’t think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.
Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don’t, I’ll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue . You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don’t want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don’t mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don’t want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you’re the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you’re not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you’re thinking of.
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You’re not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That’s not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure don’t want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle…
Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
Snopes confirms as true:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/haroldestes.asp
When a 95 year old hero of the “the Greatest Generation” stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can. Please pass it on.
