letter from Baghdad

[Cleetus]

NICE TRY AT THE BIG LIE, FIREMONKEY. UNFORTUNATELY THE FACTS ARE NOT TRUE.

Yes, Snopes.com verifies that Ray Reynolds wrote the letter. However almost all of the facts are BLATANT LIES or MISREPRESENTATION. In fact the website that Snopes chose to quote as disputing the content of the letter provides factual proof citing various sources as to why almost NONE of what Reynolds said is true. See it yourself http://www.orwelliantimes.com/2004/04/26.html

I am also disappointed that no one even thought to check this out.

btw in investigating the letter the orwelliantimes recevied this info about "MEDIC" Reynolds:

Contrary to the information in the email I received, Sgt. Reynolds is not a medic. He does communications work. In fact, the 234th Signal Battalion's "mission is to provide wide area communications support in a theater of operations."[*] Sgt. Reynolds' civilian job is as a police officer.

Good article, of course now someone is going to say that you are trying to help the enemy in refuting this.

By the way, the article said he is a fireman, not a police officer.

[JeffO93]

Goes to show, never simply believe anything you see on the 'net. Check and cross-check everything.
Newspapers lie, magazines lie, reporters make stuff up, TV is the All-Star Wrestling of news,...
Whether from the Internet of radio/tv or paper, take it in, remember it, but don't take it as gospel until it colates with numerous other stories.

[techs]

By the way, the article said he is a fireman, not a police officer.

I edited my post to indicate that he is indeed a fireman.
According to various websites I have seen regarding this email Sgt. Reynolds has basically admitted to lying or in his words "i was only trying to say something positive about what we are doing there" and that he knows much of the info is false. He has taken to proving that he is a fireman by saying "I am a fire fighter in Denison, Iowa and to verify, call Mike McKinnon of the Denison Iowa fire department" Apparently he is now considered an ureliable source even for his own job.

[Escape_Driver]

At what point does it become to much???? 1000 Lives ???? 2500 Lives ???? 10,000 Lives ???? Where do you stop ????

[Major Kong]

Hmmm...the OrwellianTimes makes the statement "An email is making the rounds that sure looks like Republican propaganda."

Then we have Sgt. Reynolds statement:
"I did write it and I am in Kuwait now on my way home. I wrote it while at home because I felt that too many people were exploiting the violence in Iraq to sell papers and gain votes." (not his whole statement)

Now you know that doesn't sound much like Republican propaganda to me, but just a man in harms way speaking his piece - though not necessarily accurate. Seems to me the Orwellian Times has got an agenda of its own. I be a wonderin' what that is?

I'm a thinkin' that the truth lays somewhere in between as it is with most things. I do think that Snopes (http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/reynolds.asp) gives a much more even handed account.

[techs]

I truly understand a soldiers feelings that maybe people don't appreciate their services when the country had turned against the war. However, the countries opinion of its soldiers is different then its opinion of the war. The fact that were no longer all "Gung Ho" lets invade Iraq and turn it into a Western Nation doesn't mean most of us don't appreciate their sacrifices. But making up "facts" to support the war does our soldiers no good.
I for one don't think that our soldiers are war criminals but sad to say a few appear to be. That doesn't change may opinion of the huge majority.
I guess the thing that really blew me away was the posters going Rah Rah over the "facts" in the email. Even without looking them up they were clearly untrue. Are so many people not following what is going on in Iraq? Or are people knowingly supporting false statements because they appear to support thier beliefs?