Support our troops

From Bob's Links & Rants:

$87 billion more for war in Iraq

and the Michigan Army National Guard is still having to beg like a charity to get stuff that the troops need, and to get it there:

Boxes of goods for American troops in Iraq have been piling up lately at the Michigan Army National Guard Armory in Ypsilanti.

That's because the National Guard does not have funding to pay the postage to send them, said Sgt. Brenda Harris.
...
Harris also emphasized that it's better to send small, light items, and said some goods are more needed than others. For instance, nutritious foods such as dried fruit or soy nuts are better than candy. Some other much-needed items include black or white, one-size-fits-all cotton socks, duct tape, tie-string type camouflage bags for carrying personal hygiene items, bulbs for Mag-Lite flashlights, AA size batteries, underwear, over-the-counter medications such as remedies for rashes and sore muscles, and disinfectants so long as they are not in aerosol containers. -- Ann Arbor News

Jeez. If the Pentagon isn't feeding or clothing the soldiers, why is it costing so much? The deep pockets get deeper, I guess, while the grunts get dumped on, as usual.

As Bob says, the military is not even providing the soldiers what they need military-wise. (Eg. protective equipment and armored vehicles and medical treatment and hospital meals.) In addition, a friend recently found that a pile of packages intended for Iraq was sitting in a storage trailer in D.C.

Don't count on your good intentions making it through. Kind of like donating to charities - the intended beneficiaries don't always get the benefit.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.