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To: elpolvo who wrote (18111)	11/1/2002 4:13:46 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 104197

Today's hawks conveniently avoided combat By RODOLFO ACUÑA Posted on Fri, Nov. 01, 2002 The Miami Herald I have three grandsons sprinting toward draft age whom I won't be able to shield from an impending war. At one time, caught up in the emotion of the Korean War, I volunteered for the service only to learn later that there was another side. Perhaps that is why I find the mea culpas of former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and his gaggle of hawks who orchestrated the Vietnam War so disturbing. But, as much as I am offended by McNamara, I am even more put off that many of today's sanctimonious patriots who are rallying for a war against Iraq managed to avoid combat service during the Vietnam War. They don't even have the good grace to learn from history. Vice President Cheney has no combat experience. During the Vietnam War, he received five student and marriage deferments of service. He told The Washington Post in 1989, ''I had other priorities in the '60s than military service.'' I am sure that others, too, had ``other priorities.'' President Bush spent the Vietnam War years in a Texas Air National Guard unit, where he received a preferential acceptance. He signed up for six years in 1968, moving to Alabama in 1972 to work on a Republican congressional campaign, then returned to Texas in 1973. He claims to have performed his Guard duties in Alabama, though the base commander, when questioned by reporters, had no recollection of Bush's showing up for drills. With this spotty military background, Bush is in no position to accuse Democrats of not being patriotic. Among others with no combat background who are pushing for a unilateral first-strike against Iraq are Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. On the other hand, many military officials have been vocal in their opposition to a possible war. ''Attacking Iraq now will cause a lot of problems,'' Gen. Anthony Zinni said in a speech in Florida on Aug. 23. ``It might be interesting to wonder why all the generals see it the same way, and all those that never fired a shot in anger and are really hellbent to go to war see it a different way.'' The only way to get an honest debate is to get rid of the volunteer army, which, after all, relies on the poor. A volunteer army gives the middle class and the ruling elite a convenient way to live with their hypocrisy. Instead, we should bring back the draft and include males and females, from ages 18 to 55. Draft deferments for college students should end, and it should be a felony for anyone to seek an exemption or special treatment for anyone. The public must pay for the consequences of war. Bluster comes easy if you have never had to pay the price. As long as Americans can go to war without the fear of their own children or grandchildren dying, they will continue pass the plastic, purchase weapons of mass destruction, and let future generations pay the tab. ______________________________________________________ Rodolfo Acuña is professor of Chicano Studies at California State University, Northridge. One of his books is Anything But Mexican: Chicanos in Contemporary Los Angeles. miami.com

To: elpolvo who wrote (18111)	11/2/2002 9:52:56 PM
From: abuelita	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 104197

elpo it seems that bush isn't the problem - it's the people ..... AMERICAN VOTERS DON'T SEEM ANGRY AT BUSH globeandmail.com what to do??? anti

To: elpolvo who wrote (18111)	11/2/2002 10:41:05 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 104197

Jimmy Buffett Rocks Key West with Street Concert Sat Nov 2, 1:42 PM ET By Laura Myers KEY WEST, Fla. (Reuters) - Jimmy Buffett (news), known for his "Cheeseburger in Paradise" song about the American diet staple, surprised a gathering of avid fans with a rare impromptu street concert in the Florida island city that he nicknamed "Margaritaville." The 55-year-old Buffett greeted about 3,000 members of the Parrot Heads in Paradise Inc. fan club, celebrating their 11th annual Meeting of the Minds convention, with favorite hits during a street festival on Friday. "The last time I sang on Duval Street I got arrested," Buffett quipped, referring to Key West's main drag, known for its lively strip of nightclubs and bars. "But the mayor's back there so I'm OK. Hi there, Jimmy," said Buffett, greeting Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley. Buffett played such hits as "Cuban Crime of Passion," "Havana Daydreamin"' and "Volcano." Parrot Head fans drank margaritas and tossed beach balls into a throng that gathered quickly in sweltering heat after word spread on the island that Buffett might appear. Most had missed a late-night performance, also impromptu, by Buffett on Thursday at Margaritaville Cafe. In town to celebrate Buffett's music, they were attending another beachfront concert by The Peter Mayer (news) Group, which sometimes tours with Buffett, from St. Louis, Missouri. "Who was that stranger who played at Margaritaville last night, 'till all hours?" Buffett said. "Oh yeah, that was me." Buffett is an active Democrat who now lives in Palm Beach, Florida. He reportedly maintains a house in Key West, where he launched his career and co-founded Margaritaville Cafe. Buffett formed the Coral Reefer Band in 1975. "I was just a lounge singer in a Key West bar," he told adoring fans. "I don't deserve this, but thank you. I just love being in Key West." Many of Buffett's songs celebrate a laid-back lifestyle in the Florida Keys, a chain of islands about 160 miles south of Miami. Parrot Heads have nearly 157 clubs with 18,000 members. The annual gathering, themed "Far Side of the Keys," ends on Sunday. The group typically dons tropical regalia such as foam parrot hats, grass skirts and loudly flowered shirts and shorts. Many in Key West sported bald heads and are graying. "This is ground zero for Parrot Heads and to see Jimmy play is just magic," said Ray Campbell, 45, a poet-carpenter and member of Parrot Heads chapters in Key West and Washington, D.C. Buffett last played at a Parrot Heads convention in 1998. The singer also is scheduled to perform on Saturday in Miami Beach's trendy South Beach at a children's benefit. The $500 per ticket event is hosted by Miami Heat basketball player Alonzo Mourning, who is ailing from a deteriorating kidney condition.