Flashback: Dispatches from Bagram – 8 April 2011

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Dispatches from Bagram
8 April 2011
“No Pay”

Sorry I haven’t written in a while, but I thought I’d throw this out.  If the budget compromise isn’t passed by midnight, then we will not get paid… more importantly, our families who live on base will not be able to go to the commissary to get food.  For those of you not military, the commissary is our “Walmart Food Center,” “Kroger”, “Safeway” supermarket for food.  They are located on base, as some military bases are far from civilian communities.  Hundreds of families on my base will be unable to purchase food after 7pm tonight, if the budget isn’t passed.

I probably shouldn’t use this forum for this simple request, but as I’m located far from home, our powers over here are very limited.  I humbly ask you to pick up your phone and call your congressman and/or senator.  You can call their Washington D.C. office or the local one nearest your home.  Leave a message and tell them to do whatever they can to fix this.  This isn’t a Democrat or Republican problem.  It doesn’t matter if you agree with the administration or disagree – this problem will prevent thousands of troops from getting paid, and more importantly… it will prevent their families at home from being fed.  No food and no money?  Absolutely criminal.

[This might be a simplification of the situation, but I’m angry… and you should be too.  If one child or family member is harmed due to no paycheck and no way to get food – there’s no excuse.]

Just call – don’t send an email.  Email is too easily dismissed.  Call, leave a message.  please.

Joe Page II

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Huh. Just found this in my email folders.

Funny we find ourselves in the same situation but under different circumstances. I’d have different advice in the closing section of the message today, however.

Felt like a good time to quote Snake Plissken from Escape from L.A.

“I shut down the third world, you win they lose….I shut down America, they win, you lose… The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

I’m going back to doing nothing for the 27th day in a row… while looking up a recipe for sawdust bread and making moonshine.

Russians were fond of draining the brake systems of MiG-25s to steal the alcohol. Know where I could find a spare Foxbat?