Saxby Chambliss Takes the Cash, Sells out the Troops
If you are in the military, a veteran, or someone who cares about our servicemen and women who are in harm’s way, you can not in good conscience vote for Saxby Chambliss in this year’s Senate race. When my son was ordered to go to war against Iraq on March 20, 2003, neither he nor his fellow Marines had been given the equipment they needed to do their mission or keep them safe. My son was not in an armored vehicle- he was in a canvas covered Humvee which wouldn’t stop a pocket knife, let alone an RPG. My son's unit was typical of the thousands of troops sent in to invade Iraq: they lacked body armor, short barreled M-4 rifles for urban combat, and armored humvees. Congressmen like Mr. Chambliss voted for war- but never bothered to provide the military with simple things like two way radios, desert boots, adequate eye protection from desert winds and sand, sun block, and handi-wipes to clean the dirt and sand. They lacked essentials like enough Arabic speaking interpreters-- some took one look at combat and went home. They were not even provided enough bullets for training before they were sent over. When my son was deployed a second time in 2006- four years after Mr. Chambliss won his Senate seat-- he still didn’t have body armor, and I paid several thousand dollars out of my pocket to equip him and other members of his unit-- he had refused my initial offer to pay for his body armor because he didn’t want to have it and leave his fellow Marines unprotected.
Mr. Chambliss had voted to send my son to war in October of 2002, but he couldn't be bothered to vote for the funds to properly equip the troops before they went. After he won his seat, instead of doing his job, he spent his time soliciting money from huge defense contractors. According to Federal Election Commission records, on August 1 and 2 of 2007, he raked in thousands from sixteen top executives from the world's biggest arms dealer, Lockheed-Martin, collecting money from Californian Robert Stevens, its President and CEO, and numerous Vice Presidents and top executives who live in California, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia. In return for their tens of thousands paid to influence Mr. Chambliss, that company made over twenty billion dollars in additional government contracts since the beginning of the war, and its stock price shot up almost 600 percent (from $20 a share to near $120 a share), making millions of additional dollars in salary, bonuses, and stock options for each of the executives. It’s a real bargain for the defense contractor- but it’s a disgrace to Mr. Chambliss and a disaster for unprotected servicemen who came home maimed or in body bags.
APPENDIX:
If some dedicated researcher for Senator Chambliss thinks this is an unfair smear, then take a moment and check the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Records for the contributions which, not coincidentally, almost all took place on the same days in August of 2007, with others kicking in in February and March of 2008. Here's Lockheed's information from its website, followed by a partial list of FEC records of campaign contributions, in alphabetical order, with the title of the Lockheed Martin executive and his or her business or home address:
Chairman, President, and CEO Robert J. Stevens
EVP Information Systems and Global Services Linda R. Gooden
SVP, Human Resources Kenneth J. Disken
Key Lockheed Martin Financials
Company Type Public - NYSE: LMT
Main Headquarters
Fiscal Year-End December
2007 Sales (mil.) $41,862.0 (41 billion dollars)
2007 Employees 140,000
FROM FEC DISCLOSURE REPORT BY SAXBY CHAMBLISS:
BRUNO, SALVATORE
FREMONT, CA 94536
LOCKHEED MARTINVICE PRESIDENT GEN 02/28/2008 1000.00
BURBAGE, TOM
ALPHARETTA, GA 30005
LOCKHEED MARTINEX. VICE PRESIDENT 08/10/2007 1000.00
BURICK, RAYMOND
KENNESAW, GA 30152
LOCKHEED MARTIN VICE PRESIDENT 08/02/2007 1000.00
CESSARIO, NICHOLAS
MARIETTA. GA 30063
LOCKHEED MARTIN PROGRAM MANAGER 08/03/2007 1000.00
CHAUDET, STEPHEN
ARLINGTON, VA 22201
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 08/02/2007 1000.00
#2 03/06/2008 1000.00
CRANDALL, MYLES
PLEASANTON, CA 94566
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP.VP STRATEGIC 02/28/2008 1000.00
CROCKER, JAMES
CASTLE ROCK, CO 80104
LOCKHEAD MARTIN CORP.VICE PRESIDENT 03/28/2008 1000.00
CROWLEY, MARK
MORGAN HILL, CA 95037
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP. VICE PRESIDENT 03/24/2008 500.00
DAHLBERG, GREGORY
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22308
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 08/02/2007 1000.00
#2 (misspelled as “Delberg in #2) 03/07/2008 1000.00
DAILEY, BRIAN
ARLINGTON, VA 22209
LOCKHEED MISSILES & SPACE BUSINESS 08/02/2007 1000.00
#2 (misspelled as “Brien” in #2) 03/06/2008 1000.00
DUNCAN, LAWRENCE
BETHESDA, MD 20816
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP.EXECUTIVE 04/11/2008 500.00
GRANT, JAMES
COLLEYVILLE, TX 76034
LOCKHEED MARTINE XECUTIVE 08/02/2007 1000.00
HAINES, DAVID
MARIETTA, GA 30068
LOCKHEED MARTIN VICE PRESIDENT 08/10/2007 1000.00
HEATH, RALPH
ALEDO, TX 76008
LOCKHEED MARTIN
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT 08/01/2007 1000.00
#2 03/06/2008 1000.00
INGLEE, WILLIAM
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22309
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 08/02/2007 1000.00
JOHNSTONE, J BRIAN
MARIETTA, GA 30064
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 08/02/2007 500.00
KRISCH, CHARLES
NEW HOPE, PA 18938
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP.EXECUTIVE 03/06/2008 1000.00
KUBASIK, CHRISTOPHER
POTOMAC, MD 20854
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 08/02/2007 500.00
MAGUIRE, JOANNE
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA 90266
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 02/28/2008 1000.00
OVERSTREET, JACK
BURKE, VA 22015
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP.V.P.LEGISLA 08/02/2007 1000.00
REYNOLDS, ROSS
ACWORTH, GA 30101
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 09/21/2007 1000.00
RHYANT, LEE
ROSWELL, GA 30075
LOCKHEED MARTINEXECUTIVE 08/02/2007 1000.00
RUE, STACIE
SAN JOSE, CA 95120
LOCKHEED MARTIN GOVT RELATIONS 03/06/2008 500.00
SEALBACH, MARIJEAN
SUNNYVALE, CA 94087
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP.VICE PRESIDENT 02/28/2008 1000.00
SHREWSBURY, JUNE
COLLEYVILLE, TX 76034
LOCKHEED MARTIN
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT 03/06/2008 1000.00
STEVENS, ROBERT
POTOMAC, MD 20654
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE
(note: he is Chairman,
President & CEO but
did not list that) 08/01/2007 1000.00
#2 03/07/2008 1000.00
STEVENSON, RICHARD
ALEDO, TX 76008
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 08/02/2007 1000.00
STREATKER, JOHN
SAN JOSE, CA 95148
LOCKHEED MARTIN VICE PRESIDENT 03/06/2008 1000.00
SWISTKOWSKI, LEONARD
SAN JOSE, CA 95138
LOCKHEED MARTIN VICE PRESIDENT 03/06/2008 1000.00
THOMSON, J R
LOS ALTOS, CA 94024
LOCKHEED MARTIN VICE PRESIDENT 02/28/2008 1000.00
TRICE, ROBERT
ARLINGTON, VA 22207
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 08/22/2007 1000.00
VALERIO, MARK
EVERGREEN, CO 80439
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT 03/06/2008 1000.00
WALTERS, GREGORY
VIENNA, VA 22182
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP. VICE PRESIDENT 04/11/2008 1000.00
WILDFONG, D JOHN
CENTREVILLE, VA 20120
LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE 08/01/2007 1000.00
posted by James Finkelstein (Ga.) at 9:11 PM
3 Comments:
Dear Mr. Finkelstein, Thanks for your very informative article. Unfortunately, it is more of the same from this crew. I happened to become aware of the national meeting of the National Guard from all over the U.S. this week. Guess who received the Harry S.Truman award--the Guard`s "highest honor" for service to the Guard? Yep, good old Saxby. Harry is probably turning over in his grave (also, Eisenhower, since there were many awards given to companies such as Raytheon and the like). Does "military industrial complex" ring a bell?
I was a soldier who served in Iraq from 2006-2007, and thankfully, by then, we did have body armor, up-armored humvees, etc. But I have many friends who went in on the initial invasion like your son and cringe at thinking of what my Iraq experience would have been like without the necessary protective gear to survive.
Anyway, thought you might like to see an ad being produced by votevets.org about the issue you wrote on. It is a sad day for our country when we "go to war with what we have" instead of "having everything we could possibly need to go to war."
http://votevets.org/pages/?id=0018
I am the Disabled Vietnam Veteran talking with Senator Jim Martin in his latest commercial. I have heard so so many time about Saxby being a "Draft Dodger". The one thing that I do know that John McCain suffer from a case of PTSD as myself. I am on several Psychotropic Medication and knowing that would not want John McCain with the "Button". I am campaigning very hard for Senator Martin because he is a humble respectful upright man whom at my age of 61 will follow him into battle, literally. And for Saxby to run Senator Max Cleland, an honorable Nam Vet in the ground is simply just WRONG. The country does not need people as SAXBY CHAMBLIS> Paul L. Baldwin
Post a Comment
<< Home