STEVIE NICKS launched her charity
 

NICKS ASKS FAMOUS FRIENDS AND FANS TO GIVE iPODS TO TROOPS
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf...troops_1013312

STEVIE NICKS launched her charity drive to provide iPods to wounded and maimed US troops last night (09NOV06) - with a little help from her famous friends. The FLEETWOOD MAC star has founded The Stevie Nicks Soldier Angel Foundation and used famed rock photographer pal NEAL PRESTON's new exhibition at Los Angeles' Morrison Hotel Gallery to spread the word. NEIL DIAMOND, HEART siblings ANN and NANCY WILSON, movie maker CAMERON CROWE, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS frontman ANTHONY KIEDIS and rocker KEITH EMERSON were among the famous faces who attended Nicks' charity party, which coincided with the preview of Preston's latest show. Nicks explained she came up with the idea for her new foundation after visiting rehabilitating soldiers in Washington DC's military hospitals two years ago (04). She said, "You're in a room with about 25 to 40 soldiers who have all been left without limbs and you're told that this young guy has lost both his legs and all his friends were killed by a bomb. It changed me forever. "They have prosthetic limbs and many of them need two years of rehab. You can't imagine how expensive this is. I left thinking, `What can I do?' I can't exactly take my guitar, which I play very badly, and play for them. "So I'm asking people to give me money for iPods and I'm going to fill them with my favourite songs and I'll take the iPods with me every time I go back and the music will help them with their rehabilitation. It makes them happy." Nicks admits her first visits to the hospitals were "heartwrenching" and she spent a lot of time crying, but now she just wants to offer the wounded soldiers as much hope as possible. She adds, "I'm very attached and I will follow their progress to the end of my life." Generous Preston donated the night's proceeds from all sales of his photographs, which featured famous shots of Nicks, to the cause. He said, "Stevie spends a lot of time with these soldiers and what she's doing is really angelic."

wouldn't troops be more helped by a less aggressive government?

:angel: :angel: :angel: sweet girl sweet girl:angel: :angel: :angel:

this is so awesome. yay Stevie.

I'm jealous that Stevie hung out w/ Anthony Kiedis! :D

YAY, Stevie! Love the guitar quote too!

That charitable bitch! :mad:

Healing through music :xoxo: God Bless her :angel:

This reminds me of a upcoming special that CNN will be airing this weekend called "Combat Hospital". It looks like it may be pretty hard to watch:

http://www.turnerinfo.com/newsitem.a...f-74d708f50107

how awesome of her!!!:xoxo: ~ she is a thoughtful one:xoxo: ~

If she's lucky enough to get enough attention out of this and if it grows, maybe Apple would be kind enough to donate the iPods. She could then expand the foundation and provide other stuff for these guys in recovery.. or after.

I'd love to have a Stevie compiled iPod! I wonder what songs she's put on 'em? Cool.

I have a feeling this charity will evolve much like you stated. Apple has probably already heard of Stevie doing this and hopefully is considering the great PR that would come with helping her help the troops.

This is such a beautiful thing. The legend of Rhiannon carries on with her doing this.

What the hell is she doing starting charities!?! She should be in the studio working on a new album!!!!

:p

Actually this is a great program...and I think it's great that Stevie is trying to do some good out there!

I was thinking the same thing - the whole in times of strife, you close your eyes and see the three birds and the songs and, if you are lucky, Rhiannon turning and smiling at you - and in that moment, she takes your pain away.

What a fukcing woman!!!!!

i'm glad she is getting people involved with her cause. It's a very good thing that she is doing.

That would have been a cool party to attend, too.

Good for her. I love that she's supporting the soldiers themselves, rather than trying to get involved in government & policies. She's putting her efforts toward things that can actually make a difference.

And can I just say - OMG NEIL DIAMOND WAS THERE!!!!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

They got $25,000 - cool. OMG, The Chain just came on the radio...wild.

NEAL PRESTON's Star-Studded Exhibit Garners $25,000 for Stevie Nicks Charity
10-Nov-2006
Written by:

It was a star-studded event on November 9 at the newly-opened MORRISON HOTEL GALLERY on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Luminaries such as Stevie Nicks, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Cameron Crowe, Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Diamond and Keith Emerson came to support their friend, legendary rock photographer NEAL PRESTON, at his first ever West Coast photo exhibit.

All proceeds from PRESTON’s print sales that night were donated to The Stevie Nicks Soldier’s Angel Foundation, totaling $25,000.00.

The Stevie Nicks Soldier’s Angel Foundation, established in 2006, seeks to aid the healing process of wounded U.S servicemen and women returning from overseas duty through the gift of music. Donations are used to purchase iPods, which are then loaded with music and personally given to the wounded recuperating at Walter Reed and Bethesda Hospitals in Washington, DC.

PRESTON, who is perhaps most famous for his fly-on-the-wall, “you are there” photos of Led Zeppelin during the 1970s, is one of the most highly-respected photographers in the genre. With a prolific body of work that spans the most significant rock n’ roll decades, PRESTON has photographed such rock royalty as Zeppelin, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and many others too numerous to list. PRESTON was one of the lucky few that were allowed inside, behind the velvet rope, touring with superstars and capturing the entire experience on film. PRESTON’s work has appeared on numerous magazine covers (Rolling Stone, Time, Newsweek, People, etc.).

Well, getting involved in government/politics, etc. and taking a stand on the war can make a huge difference as well. I personally get a bit annoyed with the "whatever you think of the war" thing. The war is immoral and shameful.

That said, I love what she is doing for the soldiers. I think she has a huge heart and it's clear that her experience with them has affected her in a very profound way. I would like to donate to her foundation. :angel:

This is wonderful news of raising the $25,000. That is a lot of iPods.
I wonder when the Nicks Fix will post on the site on how to donate.

How wonderful! Good for you, Stevie. :xoxo:

Didn't one of these iPods pop up on Ebay a few months ago? If I remember correctly there was only Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks and BuckinghamNicks material on it.

Really? I'd read that she consulted Jessie about the latest music and put some current stuff on there.

The tracklist got posted somewhere...I think. Someone help me out here!

I am not really sure how it works, but if she would put other people's music on it, wouldn't she need permission first? That whole copyright schtick?

:shrug: I don't know? I remember Touched By An Angel being one of the tracks, but that's it.

Just googled quickly and I found this at mp3.com
Stevie Nicks donates iPod to troops

Stevie Nicks has found an innovative and philanthropic way to market her own music, as well as that of Aerosmith and Elvis Presley. The former Fleetwood Mac singer is donating hundreds of iPods, loaded with music from the aforementioned artists, to US soldiers wounded in Iraq. Nicks regularly visits soldiers at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. "I refuse to be pulled into the politics of war. But once these soldiers sign up, go to war and come back to a hospital, I will do whatever it takes to make them better." (1:30 p.m.)

I remember reading that Aerosmith gave her 10 grand for her cause, so that would be a reason to put THEIR music on pods.

Here's another article:

NEAL PRESTON's Star-Studded Exhibit Garners $25,000 for Stevie Nicks Charit
10-Nov-2006
Written by:

It was a star-studded event on November 9 at the newly-opened MORRISON HOTEL GALLERY on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Luminaries such as Stevie Nicks, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Cameron Crowe, Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Diamond and Keith Emerson came to support their friend, legendary rock photographer NEAL PRESTON, at his first ever West Coast photo exhibit.

All proceeds from PRESTONS print sales that night were donated to The Stevie Nicks Soldiers Angel Foundation, totaling $25,000.00.

The Stevie Nicks Soldiers Angel Foundation, established in 2006, seeks to aid the healing process of wounded U.S servicemen and women returning from overseas duty through the gift of music. Donations are used to purchase iPods, which are then loaded with music and personally given to the wounded recuperating at Walter Reed and Bethesda Hospitals in Washington, DC.

PRESTON, who is perhaps most famous for his fly-on-the-wall, you are there photos of Led Zeppelin during the 1970s, is one of the most highly-respected photographers in the genre. With a prolific body of work that spans the most significant rock n roll decades, PRESTON has photographed such rock royalty as Zeppelin, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and many others too numerous to list. PRESTON was one of the lucky few that were allowed inside, behind the velvet rope, touring with superstars and capturing the entire experience on film. PRESTON's work has appeared on numerous magazine covers (Rolling Stone, Time, Newsweek, People, etc.).

NICKS TAKES TIME TO SMILE FOR THE CAMERA

FLEETWOOD MAC star STEVIE NICKS always smiles for the cameras these days after she was reprimanded for being too sullen by a four-year-old. The rocker was reminded of her all-too serious poses at the preview party for rock photographer NEAL PRESTON's new exhibition at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in Los Angeles last night (09NOV06), and scowled when she saw pictures of herself taken in Venice, California in 1982. She said, "I never used to smile in photos, but then I posed with this little girl and she said, `You're not making a smiley face.' It was very touching. "Ever since then, I've always made sure I smile in photos." Nicks wasn't the only famous face checking out Preston's exhibition - NEIL DIAMOND, rocker ANTHONY KIEDIS and LAKE + PALMER star KEITH EMERSON also showed up for a blast from the past. When Diamond came face to face with a concert photo Preston had taken of him 30 years ago, the stunned SWEET CAROLINE singer said, "I cannot remember that shot. It was taken 30 years ago."
10/11/2006 08:10

And this is why I love Stevie. She's the best! :angel:

This seriously put tears in my eyes. Thanks Stevie for what you are doing. So wonderful....

i love that she is bringing attention to the wounded soldiers. i find that they are often forgotten - so much of the focus is on the dead - and their lives can often be pure hell when they get back. lost limbs, brain damage, etc. here in canada, we devote a lot of attention to our soldiers who are dying in afghanistan. but if there's an ambush, and six soldiers are wounded, it is hardly noted. and then they are promptly forgotten. not dead = good. but the news organization i work for has just started doing stories now on some of the soldiers who have come home with injuries - and i think many people are realizing how devastating it can be. they deserve as much attention as do the soldiers who have died.

and one other thought - i have struggled for years with the whole supporting our soldiers thing because i don't support the war(s) at all. thankfully, canada isn't in iraq - but we ARE in afghanistan, and i, like many canadians, don't think we should be, and don't think our soldiers should be dying over there for what we believe is a futile mission. but just last week, i heard someone say something which really helped me. she said "you can support our troops without supporting the mission. it's two different things." and she was right. i am completely anti-war, and i do not support the mission. but i do feel that i can, in good conscience, support the canadian soldiers who are in afghanistan.

That is so true. And I heard a story somewhat recently about how the soldiers from this war are coming back more damaged and such than from any other war. That's due to the technology available today. So many soldiers who have been severly injured in this war would have died in others - we have a lot more protection...

But this story was highlighting some of the effects of surviving something horrible -and these poor men will probably never fully recover :( It was a sad story.

So I do think it's awesome that this program Stevie's doing brings more focus to the men and women who are alive and fighting...:o

My brother-in-law did three, three month stints in Iraq. Stevie's journal entries and comments on the soldiers and their families have been a light in a dark tunnel of celebrities who think their opinions about the war are so f*cking important and then they do nothing.

Stevie understands what 'support the troops' means. Love them, help them and shut your trap about your 'precious opinion about the war'. She's talked to these men and women and she knows this cause is important to them and they see it as serving their country and they're proud of that. She doesn't degrade them by lecturing with her opinions.

I love Stevie for being so wise. I love her mom for helping her figure it out. And I love her for doing this. She's precious. As if I didn't love her enough for the music she's given us. Thank you, Stevie. :)

The one that was sold on Ebay several months ago supposedly had this as the tracklisting:

Bella Donna
Kind of Woman
Stop Draggin
think about it
AFter the Glitter
edge of 17
How Still my love
leather & lace
Outside the rain
the highwayman
crying in the night
Stephanie
without a leg to stand on
Crystal
Long DIstance winner
Django
Dont let me down again
Races are run
Lola my love
Frozen Love
Monday morning
Warm ways
Blue Letter
Rhiannon
Over my Head
Crystal
Say you love me
Landslide
World Turning
Sugar Daddy
Im so afraid
Second hand news
Never going back again
Don't Stop
Go Your own way
Songbird
the Chain
You Make Loving Fun
I dont wanna know
Oh Daddy
Gold dust woman
I cant Wait intro
Outside the rain
dreams
talk to me
I need to know
No spoken word
Beauty & the Beast
Stand Back
Has Anyone Every Written
Edge of 17
Trouble in ShangriLa
Candlebright
Sorcerer
Planets of the Universe
Everyday
Too Far from TX
That made me stronger
Its only love
Love changes
I miss you
Bombay Sapphires
Fall from Grace
Love Is
Wild Heart
If Anyone Falls
Gate & Garden
Enchanted
Nightbird
Stand Back
I Will Run to You
Nothing ever changes
Sable on Blond
Beauty and the Beast


I believe someone had contacted the seller at the time and that is the list that they gave. Although Stevie has mentioned filling up the Ipods with music from other artists, so who knows. Perhaps the earlier ones were just filled with her own music and then she decided to add some additional stuff as time went on..

I have a hard time believing that Stevie would put the soundtrack to 'Live At Red Rocks' on there. Not to mention the fact that some of the songs are doubles.
I think the seller was pulling everyone's leg.

THis is beautiful and wonderful. I agree, she IS rhiannon.

I that crazy woman put "That Made Me Stronger" on there, it could lead only to more pain :laugh:

Amen - What she is doing ( personally visiting the soldiers and letting them know they are appreciated ) goes way beyond the b.s. politics of a lot of other hollywood blowhards.

I am unsure any celebrities lecture the troops about their opinions of the war. Nor do they villify the troops. I think you are making a common mistake by equating speaking out against the war with supporting the troops. In other words, it is one thing to say we were mislead by the Bush adminsitration into thinking this war was the only way to handle a relatively nonexistent threat by SH and then the Bush Adminsitration sent our troops there ill equipped and with no coherent plan for anyone but Halliburtin et al to succeed. Saying that does not mean you do not support our troops. In fact, saying that IS supporting our troops. But, most people cannot make that distinction and for the life of me I will never get why.

I mean look at that idiot from the Dixie Chicks - all she said was they were embarrassed W was from Texas. By the time, Hannity, O'Reilly, and that ilk got through with her, the vast majority of Americans thought she said she openly supported SH and sent him weapons to use against our troops :rolleyes:

In the end, everyone has a right to their opinion and to suffer the consequences of it. It is the gross spinning of it that angers me.

Put it this way, our troops were dying in the "wars" under the Clinton Adminstration, but Hannity, et al were allowed to villify Clinton in public and no one batted a patriotic eye. Hypocrites.

I understand very well. Having someone you love in harm's way let's you see things from a different perspective. 'Support the troops' doesn't get clouded with all the 'noise' and rhetoric. That's what I like about the way Stevie is handling this. She's not prattling about the president, or Halliburton(Oh, God when will people get off that schtick?) blah, blah... She's supporting the troops. Visiting them. Doing 'something' to touch their lives besides rattle on with 'opinions' about what a waste their very existance is. Because if you think that you can call this a wasted effort and the result of a lie and not insult these people and their mission, you're fooling yourself.

No one likes war. Especially people who actually have a family member to lose because of it. I know. People can say what they want about this war. It won't take away my pride in my brother-in-law. Or the memory of watching his plane leave that first time. Or the memory of when he came back home. Or the pride I felt because he was doing a job most people wouldn't and doing it well and the sacrifice we all made when he left. Then listening to person after person who can get their names in the news call troops murderers and nazis. Protest funerals. Protest outside Walter Reid, in front of returning wounded soldiers.

Stevie is a breath of fresh air. Whatever she thinks about the war hasn't gotten to be more important than respecting those guys and girls who are serving. Sadly, that hasn't been the majority of celebrity cases, but we'll take Stevie over the lot of them. :) Bless her heart.

When they are imprisoned for the thieves they are :shrug: to wit:

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

I mean if anyone of us schlubs tried 1/10 of this ****te on our taxes or where ever, we would be imprisoned :shrug: I get that Halliburton does a good job, but the no bid contract was nothing less than grand theft.

But, to the point - Stevie is great for doing this. Interestingly, Cher, who says she was not for the war, etc., has a great charity that provides a device the Bush Administration refused to providem to all soldiers, though some apparently get them - that goes into helmuts and greatly reduces the chance of head trauma http://www.operation-helmet.org/

In the end, I think stifling dissent is a very dangerous thing because where is the line drawn. In other words, is it okay to verbally support the war but not okay to speak against it, though you support the troops and the clearly vast and positive difference their efforts made in the lives of most Iraqis. It's that whole free speech thing. But, I readily agree that if anyone states an opinion on anything, they should be prepared to accept the backlash.
_______________________________________________________

Here is a transcript of Cher's position. I think she correctly lambasts the Adminsitration while simultaneously supporting the troops.

Cher's call to C-Span(transcript, and lou dobbs is one of Cher's best friends)
C-Span, ProgressiveU ^ | 5/28/06 | Cher


Posted on 06/25/2006 11:39:12 AM PDT by Dane


INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

C-SPAN'S "WASHINGTON JOURNAL"

Call from Cher on C-SPAN Sunday, May 28 at approx. 7:20 a.m. ET

CHER: HELLO?

Host: GOOD MORNING.

CHER: NO, THIS IS MALIBU, CALIFORNIA.

Host: GO AHEAD.

CHER: HI, I HAVE CALLED YOU BEFORE, AND I'M GOING TO TRY TO BE REALLY CALM WHILE I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT I HAVE TO SAY, THIS REGIME IS -- I'VE BEEN ALIVE FOR 11 PRESIDENTS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE. I BELONG TO AN ORGANIZATION CALLED OPERATION HELMET. AND THESE PEOPLE. THE SO-CALLED CHRISTIAN REPUBLICANS HAVE SENT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ARMED FORCES INTO BATTLE WITHOUT THE PROPER HELMETS. THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE THE KEVLAR INSERTS. I WOULD LIKE TO READ SOMETHING, IF YOU WOULD LET ME, FROM ONE OF THE SOLDIERS, HE SAID: "HI, MY NAME IS CORPORAL __, I AM IN THE U.S. MARINES THIRD BATTALION, 4th MARINES WEAPONS COMPANY. THANK YOU FOR THIS ENDEAVOR IT'S TRULY GREAT WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. I HAVE BEEN IN IRAQ TWICE, WE ARE SLATED TO GO BACK, ALMOST ALL OF OUR SENIOR GUYS ARE GETTING OUT. WE HAVE AROUND 80% NEW GUYS IN DEPLOYMENT. WE DO NOT HAVE -- WE DON'T HAVE THE ARMOR FOR OUR HMVs. WE ALSO HAVE HAD TO USE OLD HELMETS, AND WE WOULD TRULY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD DONATE THIS TO OUR CAUSE BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY MEN WHO ARE GETTING -- THERE ARE SO MANY MEN WHO ARE HAVING HEAD WOUNDS. AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD PLEASE HELP US BUY THESE INSERTS." SO I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS GOVERNMENT CAN SEND MEN INTO WAR WITHOUT THE PROPER HELMETS, WITHOUT THE PROPER ARMOR FOR THEIR HUMVEES.

AND I HAVE PERSONALLY HELPED THIS DR. MEADER WITH HIS OPERATION HELMET, GATHER $116,000 SO THAT WE COULD PUBLICLY DO WHAT THE ARMY IS NOT DOING. I AM SORRY I'M EMOTIONAL ABOUT THIS, I AM SO PISSED OFF AT THESE PEOPLE. I HAVE FINALLY JUST HAD ENOUGH OF THEM.

HOST: HOW DID THIS GET UNDERWAY?

CHER: DR. MEADE HAD A GRANDSON AND HE WAS SAYING THEY WERE REALLY NERVOUS BECAUSE THEY WERE HAVING TO USE USED HELMETS AND HAD NO KEVLAR INSERTS, AND THE ARMY WAS SAYING THEY HAD RUN OUT OF MONEY FOR THIS PARTICULAR THING. THE WORST WOUNDS ARE HEAD WOUNDS AND AMPUTATIONS. SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW OUR GOVERNMENT... I MEAN, THIS PRESIDENT WHO CLAIMS TO BE A CHRISTIAN, HOW CAN A CHRISTIAN SEND PEOPLE INTO HARM'S WAY AND NOT MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF? SO, YOU KNOW, IF HE BELIEVES IN HELL, I WOULD BE REALLY NERVOUS IF I WAS HIM.

HOST: THE WEBSITE IS OPERATION- HYPHEN-HELMET.ORG AND YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THIS?

CHER: I AM ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT DONATED TO IT.

HOST: IS THIS CHER?

CHER: YEAH.

HOST: THANK YOU FOR CALLING THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU PHONED?

CHER: YEAH, I KNOW THAT I AM AN ENTERTAINER AND FROM HOLLYWOOD AND SHOULDN'T HAVE A CONSCIENCE BUT I AM AN AMERICAN AND I CANNOT BEAR THESE PEOPLE FOR ANOTHER MOMENT.

HOST: DO YOU THINK WE WILL SEE MORE OF YOU AND OTHERS SPEAKING OUT ON THE WAR?

CHER: ACTUALLY I HAVE TO GO WITH DR. MEADERS TO GO TO CONGRESS. HE HAS TO GO AND MEET THEM, BECAUSE SOMEHOW THE ARMY SEEMS TO THINK THAT HE IS CREATING A BREACH BETWEEN SOLDIERS AND THE ARMY AND NOT LETTING THEM HAVE CONFIDENCE, YOU KNOW, IN THE ARMY, SO HE'S HAVING TO MEET WITH PEOPLE OF THE PENTAGON FOR SOME OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND HE'S QUITE NERVOUS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE HE'S JUST DONE ALL OF THIS BY HIMSELF. HE'S JUST A GRANDFATHER.

HOST: WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BE IN WASHINGTON?

CHER: I THINK IT'S THE 14th BECAUSE HE'S SO NERVOUS ABOUT GOING THERE, HE'S AFRAID OF WHAT THEY WILL DO WITH HIM AND ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IS LOU DOBBS SO I CALLED LOU TO GET THIS PREPARATION BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE AND I AM JUST GOING TO BE WITH HIM. SO, LOOK, HE'S JUST A GREAT MAN TRYING TO DO SOMETHING FOR HIS GRANDSON, AND HIS GRANDSON SAID, LOOK, I CAN'T TAKE THE HELMET INSERTS, UNLESS YOU CAN GET IT FOR ALL OF THE REST OF MY BROTHERS.

Host: HOW MUCH DO THESE INSERTS COST?

CHER: I THINK IT'S $79 AND $99, TWO DIFFERENT PRICES FOR THE DIFFERENT SIZE HELMETS.

HOST: WELL, WHEN YOU ARE HERE ON JUNE 14th, WHY DON'T YOU STOP ON BY AND TAKE SOME CALLS AND COME ON THE WASHINGTON JOURNAL.

CHER: OKAY, HE'S A VERY WONDERFUL MAN.

HOST: CHER, THANK YOU FOR CALLING BACK, WE APPRECIATE IT. KEEP WATCHING.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1655373/posts

Thank you for making my point. I notice that you didn't address the troops being called murderers and nazis and having protestors show up at funerals. One soldier at Walter Reid was sent a Christmas package designed to look as if it came from a child. Instead there was a note saying this person was glad he was wounded and wished he had died.

A group of us got together and sent him more Christmas cards than he could handle. Real ones, wishing him well.

This is not about expressing hate for the president and that's what I appreciate the most in the way Stevie's conducted herself. Not using helping the troops to take shots at anyone. Just helping them. With all this I'm amazed someone has grasped that concept. I'm glad it's our Stevie.

I thought we were talking about celebrities using their position to be heard, etc. -- which differs from the lay conduct you use above by way of example.

But and in any event, other than when a member of the armed forces commits a crime (which has happened in the Iraq War and mostly, according to the evidence, due to a lack of training, which again is W and Rumsfeld's fault for rushing into a war the evidence clearly indicates we did not have to wage) -- our troops are no such thing. They are there because they are told to be there and, by almost all accounts I have read, the Iraqi people welcomed them and still welcome them with gratitude and open arms -- it is the insurgents who are causing the trouble. So, anyone that says those things you say have occured IMO is misdirecting their anger at W and crewe. Interestingly, I have not seen too much of what you say occurs actually occuring -- or at least the media is not reporting it -- but I am sure it exists and IMO those people are pathetic for doing that.

In the end, I think it is correct and warranted and even our duty as human beings to call out W and his crooked friends on this BS war and to be pissed off at them for the deaths of 3,000+ or so of our beloved troops. That is not bashing W. That is stating a fact. W should not be allowed to get away with this crap he pulled on us and we should not just look the other way and say oh well I can't comment of W because Sean Hannity says that is bashing the troops. I mean that is BS. W is accountable for his actions just like everyone else and saying it out loud is no sin. I mean read Cher's remarks. To me, they ring very true and W is an evil man for rushing into an unnecessary war without properly equipping our troops to the point that lay people have to supplement the uniforms, etc., while Halliburton is getting paid $45 or so dollars for a six pack of Coke in a no bid contract and their people and others are getting paid many times more than than our troops - that is just fukced up.

I also think at the same time people can support the troops by doing things like you and Stevie do.

I mean we can chew gum and walk at the same time can't we :shrug:

On edit -- Free speech mandates Americans be allowed to say anything that does not cause a riot, etc. So, while I disagree with the people you talk about and think it inappropriate for them to protest a funeral for a soldier, it is their right. And, as much as it sickens me, that right needs to exist because I certainly do not want W and company to start telling me where and when I can protest, etc. They would have no dissent, which is not the American way.

what does that mean? who is rhiannon?

the more peope who speak out the better. and the more famous they are the more attention. revolutions don't just happen one day, people need to be encouraged and seeing people speak out is a great way. It's where real change starts from.