OT: Very important.

[Arioch7]

Well, I e-mailed this letter all over the place and I would appreciate it if you folks would do the same! It is a good cause. Ok, I will reprint the e-mail below. Feel free to send it to who ever you wish...


My name is Daniel Halligan and I was a member of Strike-Fighter Squadron 83 during Desert Storm.

Some of you might know me while others do not. I am going to tell you a little story and then I am going to ask you to sign an EXTREMELY important petition. Those who know me realize that I hate chain letters but the situation is life or death.

One of the first casualties of Desert Storm was Lt Cdr. Michael Speicher. He was a pilot in our sister sqaudron Strike-Fighter Squadron 81. He was flying with the pilots in VFA-81 and VFA-83(VFA means Strike-Fighter Squadron in military jargon.) when he was shot down and presumed killed. He was presumed killed by a Surface to air missle site.

He was presumed KIA(Killed in Action.) during the Gulf War. We were upset at this occurence but it did not take away from our mission. We honored him as a valiant hero lost to the enemy.

Well, it seems that he has been declared MIA(Missing In Action.) and has spent the last decade in Iraq as a prisoner of war. The facts of the case can be reviewed by yourselves with the links I will provide. It is a sad tale.

This whole turn of events has left me extremely frustrated and the only thing I can do is try to get any who might listen to sign this petition.

Bear in mind that this young man has been languishing in an Iraqi prison for over a decade abandoned by his own government... abandoned by us.

It costs nothing to sign this petition. If any of you want to do more, that option is available.

Also, if any of you have any questions about this, feel free to e-mail me with any questions you might have.

Please take the time to respond to my e-mail. Imagine the anguish that his family must be feeling... he was thought to be dead. That must have been very painful, now he is presumed to be alive and held by a hostile country that does not respect the Geneva Convention.

Here is the link... http://www.petitiononline.com/Speich...ion-sign.html?
This is the reply I received when I said I was sending a chain letter...

"It will not be a "chain" email if you do.
There is not a single issue out there that is as important as this one.

Tell me one good man that you know who wouldn't stop what they were doing right now and go in and get Scott if asked?

Yet...?"

Thats it people! Lets do something worthwhile on the internet for a change. E-mail EVERYONE on your lists and maybe we can get the poor kid home. To HELL with maybe, LETS GET HIM HOME!!!

You all have my gratitude,
Daniel J. Halligan

[Stranger]

Korea, Vietnam, and now Iraq have managed to hold back during the repatriation process. Can you even imagine how awful it would be to get left behind?

[Arioch7]

Yeah man, I can only imagine how horrible it is to be imprisoned by that country.

I first heard about this on the news breifly and then I read this...
http://www.nationalreview.com/commen...pf031902.shtml

It was written by my old CO. It is long but very informative.

Have you ever noticed why whenever the US is involved in a war with other allies, everyone wants to surrender to the US?

Even now, with the International media squealing about our "human rights abuses" of the prisoners in Cuba, Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan are BEGGING to be sent there.

If truth be told, the media would say what anyone with half a brain knows, most countries in the world are brutish and barbaric.

It might be harsh but I really cant think of any country outside of Europe and us that is very civil to its POWs. What use is the Geneva Convention if no one sticks to it?

[Serpent]

That's no reason for the US and Europe (and Australia, NZ and many others) not to stick to it. I know that's not what you're saying, but I just wanted to mention it.

Wu de.

Very sad situation. The petition wouldn't load for me though. Anyone else having problems?

[Arioch7]

It is fixed now I believe.

Oh and I do believe that we should stick to it under any circumstances.

War sucks enough without at least the simplest effort to being civilized with your enemy when he is helpless.

I am not trying to be a pacifist but there has to be a line that shouldnt be crossed. We cross it at times but never to a very large degree, IMHO.

[Arioch7]

JUst giving it a bump for the cause. Look people, I know it seems like spam but this is a very worthy cause.

BTW, I wish to thank all of the people at KFO who have signed the petition. It means a lot. Send this letter around.

I find it sad when Futurama gets 95000 signatures to save the show but we cant even get past 2000 to SAVE A PILOT!!!

Its a good thing, do it. If any of you are angry at my comments, be aware that they are just that, my comments. They have NOTHING to do with the situation. Read it and lets get this young man home!

[Arioch7]

Oh, and the petition link is fixed. It has had problems but if you cant sign, try again later.

[David]

You make your bed and you have to lie in it. Desert Storm did not prevent a single humanitarian crime. Join the army. Get hyped up on bull. Pay the price.

Iraq: let the guy go. Iraqi torturers, get a conscience. American torturers: take note.


fuk it all for fuxake.

Add your flames here. Like I give a sh!t.

[David]

Saying all that terrible offensive stuff, I have signed the petition. I'm not heartless.

[Arioch7]

Of course I tHINK I understand your point.

A single humanitarian mission... I beg to differ.

We have two primary no-fly zones around Iraq. These zones are portrayed by foolish media sources to mean we kill Iraqi children. I am goig to explain to you what those zones actually are.

The Northern No-Fly zone is the homeland of the Kurds. They share a border with Turkey(Who doesn't really like them very much.), Saddam decided to rain chemical weapons on every Kurd living in the Northern Zone. It was systematic genocide so we decided to rule the Kurd airspace as a NO-FLY zone. What we do has NOTHING to do with Iraqi citizens. We are stopping CHEMICAL GENOCIDE from being practiced on the Kurds.

The Southern No-Fly zone is the home of the Shiia opposition to Saddams Batth party. these people have a delta(River) based economy and are at odds with the ruling government of Iraq(Saddam) Saddam has set up Dams and destroyed up to 80% of thier homeland while sending out Gunship(Helos) squadrons to cut down ALL forms of life. Yeah, we stepped in here too.

We stopped Saddam from following up on his actions in both zones and all I hear from Americans is "Why are you killing Iraqi children." Ludicrous, we are SAVING LIVES!

Are you all blind?

[Arioch7]

Another bump. A US delegation might meet with Iraqi diplomats to discuss Lcdr. Speicher.

If any of yoy got the wrong idea about this thread, it has NOTHING to do with going to war with Iraq. All it has to do with is finding the truth about a young man that was shot down.

Whether or not you hate us for attacking Iraq is not relevant. THis is just a post for this pilots release if he is alive.

For all of you who have signed the petition and/or e-mailed my letter to your friends... you have my truly heart felt thanks.

Futurama can get 95000 signatures to save it but Lcdr. Speicher's case cant seem to get the same kind of support from the American people.

I am not preaching but this saddens me deeply. My friends and thier wives will circulate e-mail quizes on what vegetables they like etc. that take a half an hour to fill out and it goes around the world.

Yet for the sake of a young man, some people cant take the FIVE SECONDS it takes to fill out the petition.

I dont know, maybe I live in the wrong universe or something...

Thanks to those who have helped and nothing but good will and confusion to those that did not.

[diego]

but i didnt sign, as i felt inconsequential... then you threatened a cuse, so now i'm gonna deliver .

Seriously tho as you mentioned about the vegetable q&a
imo most people feel flabbergassted at all the war in the world, and prolly feel inconsequential, as it is quite flabbergassting.
But a veggie Q&A seeks these peoples ops, so thier limited egos feel special, but for things like this to petition laws most feel like Sheep!?!>

[ewallace]

I signed it. I'd sign it 50,000 times if I could. Bring our boy home. I myself might not make a difference, but fifty thousand like me can make a huge difference.

[diego]

for no reason. Does it matter that most signature's i can get is from canada?.
Now thier is 3000 plus members on this forum, so Gene if you read this, I think you should do some free promotion.

[diego]

do you have to get like a million, so senators will get off thier ass?, do you have to be voter age, how will they count this, as you only had to give a emial and your name?, do they log ip's or something then put it on the master list, i mean if i think about it i could get about twenty friends and thier family and friends to sign this by the weekend wich would make about a hundred sigs, and thats just by the weekend.....So how does this work.