Anti-war or not, people in the service deserve better.

[MONOLITH]

"4"
 

This pisses me off enough to take a ride to Wisconsin.      



"4"
Monday, January 22, 2007


An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground. What he got, instead, was a swift kick from the company's Web site, which not only refused the request but added insult to injury with the admonition, "If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."

Army Sgt. Jason Hess, stationed in Taji, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division, said he emailed his request to Discount-mats.com because he and his fellow soldiers sleep on the cold ground, which contains sand mites, sand flies and other disease carriers. In his email, dated Jan. 16, 2007, he asked the Web-based company, registered to Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent:

"Do you ship to APO (military) addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for ships to APO first."

On the same day, Hess received this reply:

"SGT Hess,

Request Denied We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.

Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com"

Khetani on Monday told FOX News that the person responsible for the email reply had been fired. The Web site, meanwhile, has been temporarily taken down. Hess emailed that he has since found two mat suppliers willing to ship to an APO address in Iraq.

[Ronin]

This guy sounds like he needs a swift kick in the ghoulies.  Hopefully his business will just dry up completely.  And not just from a political perspective.  He needs to learn that insulting his customers (potential or not) is a STUPID thing to do.  And insulting people who carry guns and know how to use them is just downright suicidal...

[MONOLITH]

I don't even see this as having anything to do with 'customers'; It was clearly anti-America bullshit, from a muslim living in America.

"Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent"

The American military he spits on is the very thing that gives him this country to live in.

[Ronin]

I don't even see this as having anything to do with 'customers'; It was clearly anti-America bullshit, from a muslim living in America.

"Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent"

The American military he spits on is the very thing that gives him this country to live in.

Agreed!

[Frozyn]

If the man's statement is true, and the owner didn't send the message back, then whoever did send it back should be imprisoned for being a traitor. That may be a little harsh, but I can't stand people who don't support the troops. Go give your anti-war propaganda bullshit to the senators and representatives.

[BajaBravo]

If the man's statement is true, and the owner didn't send the message back,

If it were true, the owner should ship some free mats to the troops along with a personal apology. If it isn't true... well ... it would still be a good idea.

"Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent"

It bothers me that they make a point to report this part. Would they report "John Smith, an American Christian of Irish decent" or "Sally Wonoski, an American Agnostic of Polish Decent?" Not a chance.

At best its irrelevant; all it does is fan the flames. It's not where his parents were born or his religious faith that make him a idiot. He's just an idiot straight up.

[MindlessOath]

why does someone need to give stuff away?  he doesnt need to do anything, and his opinions are his opinion and can say whatever he wants. regardless what it is, or who he is saying it too!

granted not everyone is going to like it.

but him and others feel the same way, get our troops out of there!  how about instead of some stupid matris guy in wis, how about president bush send them some f*ing matress's?  what about that, bush said f**K the troops, now yell at him, not some people in wisconson.

[TaLoN]

Agree'd really shitty thing to tell someone risking his ass for you, a citzen.

Agree'd with Baja, WTF does his religion have to do with anything, theres dickheads everywhere, in every religion.  

The way in which he wrote this denial was wrong and his anger was directed in the wrong direction, the troops arnt at fault here the policy is.  

Lastly just because people dont belive in the war doesnt mean they are anti- american.  It means they dont belive that your boys should be risking there lives  in iraq when there are other fights worth fighting, Afganastan for one.


PS: But WTH, how much has the U.S. spent on the war, and there guys still dont have "Mats" to sleep on?

[BajaBravo]

I just checked out foxnews and saw the video for this story. The text undeneath the video: "BIG STORY EXCLUSIVE: U.S. MAT COMPANY WRITES OUTRAGEOUS E-MAIL TO SOLDIER". They brought out some retired MGen for his comments too. Does anyone else think the level of hype about this story is ridiculous?

Another little thing that bugs me is that this MGen is talking about how much it sucks to sleep on the ground in Iraq (which I have NO DOUBT is true) and how important it is to get the soldiers off the ground at night "to keep them healthy and keep them alive". Why does some SGT need to order mats off the Internet in the first place?

Isn't the fact that the military doesn't provide the basic equipment the troops need to stay healthy more "outrageous" than some ignorant fectard sending a stupid email?

EDIT: a few posts slipped in while I was typing this.

[BajaBravo]

he doesnt need to do anything, and his opinions are his opinion and can say whatever he wants. regardless what it is, or who he is saying it too!

True, you can do or say virtually anything, but you still have to deal with the consequences.
Edit: Also, there is a difference between doing "whatever you want" and doing the right thing.

[BOBK]

The question lies more with, as a few have stated, the idea of having to look to the Internet for some basic supplies.

it isn't a new thing, either.  The "silly-string" story was cool, but showed the same thing.  If I was in a place to do something, myself, and I saw that silly string could save lives, I would have been on the horn ASAP, and had ordered tons of it for the troops that needed it.  The same thing goes for the mats...if it is such an obvious need, why oh why isn't it just being obtained?  Why has it seemed so tough...from the beginning (armor, clothing, etc.) to provide basics?

By the way, this isn't intended as any kind of rip.  This question has been on the table from the beginning.

[MONOLITH]

Lastly just because people dont believe in the war doesnt mean they are anti- american.

This is true. And my post did not say that, I spoke only to this specific event. But supposedly, even Cindy Sheehan would have sympathy for troops on the ground. Isn't that what they claim?

So when someone takes such a negative stance towards the individual on the ground, there's clearly something 'more' there. I agree that pointing out the fact that the guy is a Muslim can be irrelevent and 'only fuels the fire'; but it also cannot be completely discounted that this fact may give insight into a possible "Oh, that's what part of the problem is".

I also agree that why troops have to look for resources on the internet is mind boggling.

[DaSmerg]

The company and it's employees, as citizens of an advanced free democratic society are free to reject the request as well as put in their two cents on top of it.

They are just as free to do so as those who have expressed their revulsion and shock at doing such a thing.

That's the beauty of living in a "free" society.

Completely agreed with BJB and others.  It boggles my mind at the astronomical defence budget numbers that the United States spends yet it's boys and girls out serving in a forward field of combat continually have to find, on their own, some of the basics to do their job.  

IMHO, that's where the real story is here...and that if a real world accounting audit (as in the real business world pretty much most of us exist in) was done of defence spending, there'd be a few politicians, public servants and high ranking defence department members who'd be looking at serving some time.

[BOBK]

that's just it.

I have more questions now.

After talking to two friends today, who were Army, they said things like:" they don't sleep on the ground.  "...The whole time I was there we never slept on the ground.  We were issued these foam type roll-up pads, so that we never had direct contact with the ground.  Most slept on cots actually..."

So now it isn't as clear to me how actually pressing it would REALLY be to get these matresses.:hmm:

[MONOLITH]

The company and it's employees, as citizens of an advanced free democratic society are free to reject the request as well as put in their two cents on top of it.

Yep, that's true.

But like Baja said, there's a difference between that, and doing the right thing.

Or to put it in my words, Free speech is not an excuse for being an ignorant arrogant cold hearted f*cking putz.

and that IS the real story here.

[Frozyn]

Or to put it in my words, Free speech is not an excuse for being an ignorant arrogant cold hearted f*cking putz.

And that's what I meant to say with my traitor comment. Traitor may be too strong a phrase for what I meant - my heated emotions may have inflated my comment a bit.

[JasonL]

I think that if those types of people are going to come and live in our great country that they should serve time in the military. They should earn their chance to live here, not move here and start bad mouthing the country and it's troops. Personally, we don't need these people. Shape up or ship out.

[BajaBravo]

I think that if those types of people are going to come and live in our great country that they should serve time in the military. They should earn their chance to live here, not move here and start bad mouthing the country and it's troops. Personally, we don't need these people. Shape up or ship out.

For all you know, he was born in the US. In fact he probably was, or they would have said "Pakistani immigrant" instead of "of Pakistani descent".

"American Muslim of Pakistani descent" means he's an American. So when you talk about your great country, you're talking about his great country too.

[MONOLITH]

If he's smart, he'll come back and say "I said 'those types', not 'that guy' ". (meaning ungrateful Americans).

And then someone will say "just because you didn't support the unnecessary invasion of Iraq, doesn't mean you're ungrateful towards being an American".

And I'll say "the point of my thread is the guy's response indicates he's a f*cking putz and he needs a good old fashioned American ass kicking, I don't care about his politics".



I really hate political discussions anymore.



PS. To Jason, forced military service does nothing for loyalty or patriotism. Forced conscription would just make me angrier at my 'captors'. It's our freedom that makes us patriots and loyalists to this country, and our military is the greatest because it's people all volunteer for it.



.

[BajaBravo]

"the point of my thread is the guy's response indicates he's a f*cking putz and he needs a good old fashioned American ass kicking, I don't care about his politics".

Fair point. No arguments there from me.

It's our freedom that makes us patriots and loyalists to this country, and our military is the greatest because it's people all volunteer for it.

WELL SAID! :cookie: