[Vision2020] anysoldier.com

[Melissa Hendrickson]

Just a quick note if people choose to send things to the troops.  I 
was talking with my mom's husband this weekend and he said the Army 
and the Marines are not allowing their troops to wear the "under 
armour,"  the shirts that wick away sweat from the body.  They are 
great in the heat, but if will melt to the skin if exposed to a 
situation with extreme temps, like a road side bomb or fire.  If you 
choose to send them to someone, they may not be able to wear them.  
Just thought I would pass this along.  

Supporting the Troops, Opposing the War,

Mo

----- Original Message -----
From: Joan Opyr <joanopyr at moscow.com>
Date: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 0:07 am
Subject: [Vision2020] anysoldier.com
To: Vision2020 Moscow <vision2020 at moscow.com>

> I won't bother to address the outrage of RV Cowboy's equating 
> opposition to the war in Iraq with being "happy" when U. S. 
> soldiers 
> are killed.  Chasuk has already dealt with this, and his comments 
> are 
> right on target.  No need to muddy the waters with a slam of my 
> own.  
> Instead, I'd like to direct Visionaries' attention to the 
> following 
> website:  http://www.anysoldier.com.  At Any Soldier, you can 
> donate 
> care packages to service members in Iraq.  Perhaps some of you 
> know a 
> service member; you can address your package to him or her.  Or, 
> like 
> me, you can pick any soldier, any Marine, any sailor, or any Coast 
> Guard member and mail that unknown person a care package.  From 
> cookies 
> to calling cards, from entertainment packages to personal hygiene 
> products, you can send someone overseas something to show that you 
> really do give a damn.  Just as opposition to the war is not the 
> same 
> as opposing those who serve, support for U. S. soldiers is not 
> support 
> for the war.
> 
> FYI, you can also just write any soldier a letter.  Not everyone 
> serving in Iraq has family with whom to correspond.  Even if your 
> "any 
> soldier" does, can you get too many letters when you're frightened 
> to 
> death and far from home?  The soldiers I know have said that 
> getting a 
> letter when serving in hostile territory can help get you through 
> the 
> day.  Help someone get through his or her day.  Help someone feel 
> less 
> alone.  That magnetic yellow ribbon on the back of your car is a 
> political statement.  A letter or a care package is one human 
> being 
> reaching out to another.
> 
> Apart from putting in a quick plug for Doctors Without Borders, 
> I'll 
> leave it to others to identify charities that are helping the 
> people of 
> Iraq and Afghanistan.  I believe in doing that, too.  Directing 
> our 
> generosity and kindness toward the people of those countries is, I 
> think, a moral and ethical responsibility.  If you can't see that, 
> then 
> consider this less-than-altruistic observation: the life you save 
> may 
> be your own.  Our standing in the world is at an all-time low.  We 
> might try sowing a bit of international goodwill for our own 
> selfish 
> sakes.
> 
> Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
> www.joanopyr.com
>