Something I came across today

So, I have another example of why we should all be wary of the internet and its absolute inability to protect itself from being absolutely corrupted. I received a message on my Facebook from a friend in NC, asking me my opinion on an email she received. Here is a copy of the text of that email:

Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to 'The War Zone'. I wanted to share with you what happened. He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram. As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service. So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you. I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.
If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier
(married and father of 6 children)

Other than the fact that, as a military officer, CPT Porter should have a little bit better grasp of the written English language, I agree with his opinion about Barak Obama. Someone else, I think it was my mom, asked me about this the other day about the senator's visit to Afghanistan and I gave a similar response, although, I don't have first hand knowledge of what happened at Bagram Airbase. I am stationed in the middle of nowhere on a tiny base I am not allowed to name. As far as I could tell from the news reports, Obama's chief reason for visiting Afghanistan was to meet with the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai; however, it wouldn't be prudent for him to come all the way here and not stop at a military base to show "support" for the troops. I doubt that he was genuinely interested in seeing the troops, but more so in appearing to be in tune with the world situation and the global war on terror. However, I was not there, so I cannot attest to his sincerity or to the actual specifics of his visit.

That being said, I did a little research on the good ole internet, something everyone should do when receiving something like this. I tend to be very wary of when something like this hits the email. What I found was that this "CPT Jeffrey S. Porter" is a military intelligence officer in a Utah National Guard unit, but not the "battle captain", an official position, that he cited in the email. The press release about this email says that Obama never went to any clamshell tents to play basketball, nor did he "blow off" soldiers and not shake hands. In fact, troops from his home state were invited to come and meet with him during his stay. I don't like Barak Obama and I won't vote for him, but it is this kind of nonsense that makes people look down on the military and if you are going to attempt to discredit someone, then your information needs to be above reproach. This is one of the first laws of PSYOP. Anyway, I just wanted to pass it along, so that if, or more likely when, you receive this email, please reply to all and let people know that it is not true. Again, I have no desire for the election of Barak Obama as our next president, but I also have scruples and do not see this as playing fair.

God Bless and Have a Good Night.