Sarah Palin: Bradley Cooper portrayed ‘true heroism’, like Ted Nugent

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It seems like there’s a rash of conservative politicians horning in on celebrity gossip lately. I still believe that Mike Huckabee name-checked Beyonce just to get more attention for his book and presumptive presidential run. So why is Sarah Palin obsessed with talking about American Sniper? Well, as it turns out, she knew Chris Kyle personally, and she thinks American Sniper is A-OK because they depicted Kyle as an American Hero. Her logic gets twisted when she tries to make it sound like American Sniper was not in fact made by a bunch of anti-war hippies and Democrats though. Palin sat down for an interview with People Magazine to describe the Chris Kyle she knew:

The real-life American Sniper, Chris Kyle, was more than “an ultimate warrior,” says Sarah Palin, he was her friend. As the screen version of Kyle’s story stirs both controversy and box-office records, Palin spoke with PEOPLE via email Wednesday about the former Navy SEAL killed in 2013.

Palin first met Kyle in 2011 when, already retired from the military, he helped with security at one of her public appearances. They bonded when Kyle went on to star with Palin’s husband, Todd, in the reality TV competition show, Stars Earn Stripes.

People: Did Bradley Cooper do justice to the Chris Kyle you knew?
Palin:
“Bradley Cooper, Clint Eastwood, Mark Wahlberg and others like Dean Cain, who was another friend of Chris, defy typical Hollywood self-centeredness by putting their heart and soul and tremendous physical efforts into accurate portrayals of true heroism. I honor them for honoring the US Military through projects like American Sniper, Lone Survivor, and their pro-military charity events. Guys like those four – and Gary Sinise, Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, and others – know that the hope for our future is protected by and embodied in brave men and women represented in their work. I love them for standing strong in the face of cowardly fire from their colleagues.”

Tell us something about Chris that would surprise viewers of the film.
“Chris was a humble guy, like most vets, who did his job and was never really comfortable in the limelight. His passion was his family, faith, his country, and his fellow vets whom he always supported. We joke with Todd that Chris called him “Rambo” – this, coming from an ultimate warrior! After getting to know Todd he said when challenges arose, “I want Todd on my side.” No higher higher compliment from such a hero.

“My son Track, also a combat vet, shuns the limelight and has met enough ‘celebrities’ to not be star struck, so when he said the most impressive opportunity I’ve had over all these years was meeting Chris Kyle – and he’s ‘the one’ Track really wanted to meet – that said it all. The only poster on his wall was Chris Kyle, even before Chris’ horrific murder. And my son has the bumper sticker on his refrigerator, reading: ‘God bless our troops. Especially our snipers.’ He knows who deserves America’s respect”

How is Chris’ wife, Taya, and their children taking the controversy over the movie?
“Taya and her family have faced much harsher enemies than those the film gathers in Hollywood. She’s a strong Christian woman, an amazing single mom, so beautiful and confident, she honors Chris’ legacy by rising above horrible actions by the haters. You know, I believe from bad comes good, and though this is all inexplicable to our worldly minds, God has a plan and gives real hope to those who’ll accept it. He’s given this to His daughter, Taya, and she’s sharing that hope with the rest of the world now.”

[From People]

You know what? Palin’s Facebook thing sent me into a rage yesterday but today, I just feel like letting the ‘Murica wash over me. Fine. So Sarah Palin is fine with celebrities as long as they’re Bradley Cooper (Democrat), Clint Eastwood (anti-war hippie), Mark Wahlberg (who used to assault minorities), Dean Cain (???), Gary Sinise (I agree, Sinise is a saint), Kid Rock (blah) and TED NUGENT?! You’re going to put Ted Nugent in that same group? The same Ted Nugent who took a dump in his pants to avoid the draft? Literally, he did that. And why not Chuck Norris? Is it because Chuck is pro-Huckabee?!

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Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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114 Responses to “Sarah Palin: Bradley Cooper portrayed ‘true heroism’, like Ted Nugent”

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  1. insomniac says:

    I asked this yesterday and I think it got buried, so I’ll ask again: Is there *really* some huge Democratic backlash against “American Sniper”? I’ve seen some criticism of both the film and Kyle himself, and I’m aware of the snarky Tweets from Rogen and Moore, but I’m really not seeing this massive Democratic outrage that Palin, Huckabee, Kid Rock, etc. are moaning about.

    Tl;dr: This whole “We must defend ‘American Sniper’ and Chris Kyle from the eeeevul libruls” thing smells like yet another instance of ginned-up right-wing outrage to me.

    • Jules says:

      All of their outrage is over false BS. I haven’t heard a thing about any political backlash against this movie. But I really don’t have any interest in seeing the movie now that the RW have decided to have a temper tantrum over it.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      No, there isn’t. Unless you count Seth Rogan and Michael Moore. To me, two men I can’t stand and who don’t speak for me do not constitute a big backlash. But Palin sees things differently. I see Nugent as scum.

      • ginmar says:

        You mean, Ted Nugent who obtained guardianship of an underaged girl so he could molest her? Who still sings a song about molesting a thirteen-year-old girl? How old is he, seventy? Ugh. I think I just turned myself into a lesbian.

      • alice says:

        And who crapped in his tidy whities to avoid the draft during Vietnam. Chicken hawk patriot.

    • Kiddo says:

      I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the noise from the War on Christmas.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Isn’t there a ceasefire? It’s January. Ever notice there is no war on Easter? Why isn’t she fighting to make Good Friday a holiday?

      • Kiddo says:

        WHAT? pew -pew- pew…HOTEL-ECHO-LIMA-PAPA… santa, sales!

      • lucy2 says:

        Ha! Lilac, it’s a war that never stops. Christmas is always under assault.

      • Say What!? says:

        Hahahaha! The War on Christmas (TM) is proof that these people will friggin whine about ANYTHING. So many of them have even written books on this completely made up subject.

      • alice says:

        Xmas, Xmas, Xmas, Xmas. Oh, wait, X is the Greek symbol for Christ, isn’t it. Such stupidity.

    • TheOnlyDee says:

      Alec Baldwin tweeted something last night, basically saying Dean Cain perpetuated violence in his response to Seth Rogen, but other than that I haven’t seen anything else. It’s really all about that tweet Seth Rogen wrote and then tried to back peddle (which they are ignoring). I’ve heard of about ten country music stars, including Blake Shelton, who are saying celebrities should shut up because they have never served and support our troops. It’s a made up controversy that Palin and her ilk are using to whip their supporters into a patriotic frenzy. People are replying to Blake Shelton and retweeting his tweet saying he is a great patriot and a great American. They are using a totally blown out of proportion controversy to get attention.

      • Mich says:

        Funny how all those going into a ‘support our troops’ frenzy are silent on making sure vets get the services they need once they get back home.

    • Say What!? says:

      You are absolutely right. Without the fake outrage and the endless whining about the lame stream media and liberals there would be no Sarah Palin. There wouldn’t even be a Rush Limbaugh b

    • Tiffany :) says:

      You are correct, there isn’t a big democrat backlash…this is just Fox News hype-of-the-moment. You’d think there was nothing else going on in the world but this movie release.

  2. KQ says:

    Does she know Nugent shagged underage girls. Yeah he’s great. NOT

    • mia girl says:

      Ted Nugent is Tea Party conservatives’ Polanski.
      Many will excuse his disgusting behavior because he spews their unhinged “Gun-toting , Mericun” rhetoric.

    • Say What!? says:

      Wasn’t Nugent also a draft dodger during Vietnam? I’m pretty sure I remember reading that. Like Cheney I think he got a bunch of deferments.

      • doofus says:

        he outright (literally) sh*t his pants to get out of the draft.

        he told a story about how, 30 days out of going in for his physical FOR the draft, that he stopped showering, didn’t shave or cut his hair, and he stopped eating “good” things and only ate crappy food and drank beer, and then he “stopped going to the bathroom” a week before so when he got there…well, you can imagine the rest. the man is, simply put, a hypocritical bigot who has sex with underage girls.

      • sapphire says:

        Absolutely true. Mr. Lock and Load was a draft dodger.

        True Ted story-before he moved out to George Bush land, he lived in a semi rural area of Michigan. He was always getting sued for running his mouth on local radio stations. Nobody could get him served. All the process servers said he’d run and hide in his house and wouldn’t answer the door.

      • alice says:

        Five deferments for Big Dick. As he explained it, “I had other priorities.” Yeah, like letting poor whites, Blacks and Hispanics be shipped off to be cannon fodder.

        If I seem testy, it’s ’cause my father was a WWII vet then a 25 year Army man. People like Cheney, Nugent and their ilk disgust me.

    • alice says:

      Nugent loves to kill animals, just like Palin, so of course he’s great to her.

  3. Belle Epoch says:

    Track is a “combat vet” now? Is that even remotely true? I know they shipped him to Iraq to avoid the scandal back home about his being a hooligan, but didn’t he have a desk job and magically reappear a year later? Did he even enlist?

    • ginmar says:

      Not even remotely true. That fucker drove a general’s car and yet it seems his enlistment got cut short….not something they usually do for just anybody. I’m a combat vet, and he was window dressing.

      And I cannot format.

      • Belle Epoch says:

        Thanks GINMAR. It infuriates me that they found some way to turn this loser into a political story (“my son in Iraq”) when there are people like you who played it straight and actually served. Track is like those phony “vets” who wear fatigues and get thanked for their service – but who never left Peoria. Scum.

      • Pandy says:

        God, it’s amazing how people have such a selective memory and think the rest of us are idiots! What an insult to actual combat vets. A Chauffeur.

    • jwoolman says:

      Track is very definitely not a combat vet. His mom made sure he had a much safer job. Most likely a judge decided it was the military or jail for Track, he was in trouble at the time. Sarah just thinks we all have the memory of a gnat.

    • alice says:

      I believe she was mayor when Track and his cronies let all the antifreeze out of school buses. The blocks froze and cracked, causing thousands and thousands of dollars in costs to the city. It was jail or the military. Another real patriot. Not!

  4. aims says:

    She’s delusional and a nut job. I feel like she exploiting our military people to remain relevant. She has no idea about what she speaks. I’d be angry if someone would be exploiting my husband for their own personal gain.

    She’s an absolute jackass.

    • Tifygodess24 says:

      My husband is in the military (17 years this summer) and he’s been overseas , war and so forth. There are so many people exploiting military members for their own personal gain that you begin to not even notice anymore. Honestly as sad as that is to say. She’s just another a$$ hat to add to the group.

      • ginmar says:

        When I was in the VA hospital, everything offered to the vets was something somebody somewhere wanted to get rid of or had spotted an opportunity to sell. We had vets like me with PTSD who were being fed utter sh*** like “Ten Days to Better Self Esteem” when we needed help with nightmares and panic attacks and stuff like that. They tried to sell me on moccasin kits……..in size eleven. For men. I’m a woman who wears a size seven—-in womens’ shoes. Somebody had wound up with a warehouse full of those kits and saw a way to dump them and claim to be a philanthropist. It was NOT impelled by the needs of the vets, many of whom suffered from horrifying injuries or symptoms. It tended to be a lot of junk/fad “science” crap that would be too expensive to toss out. And no wonder some vets suffer horrible symptoms for years. They’re not getting treated, they’re getting thrown the crap that Oprah puts on her shows.

      • Kiddo says:

        Sorry ginmar.

      • aims says:

        Ginmar, that is disgraceful and I’m so sorry.

      • Katy says:

        Wow – Tifygodess24!! That sucks and I bet it makes you feel very cynical after a while! Thank you and your husband so much for all of your sacrifices for so many years!!

      • Katy says:

        sorry Ginmar!! I just saw your comment – that breaks my heart and makes me livid at the same time. AND – thank you so much for your sacrifices too!!!

    • Esmom says:

      Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And yes.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      “I feel like she exploiting our military people to remain relevant”

      I completely agree.

    • BooBooLaRue says:

      This over and over and over again.

  5. Kiddo says:

    I don’t know this Kyle guy, haven’t read his book, but he wrote a book and went on to do interviews, correct? He made up gigantic fish tales for which he was sued. Now that can be a product of PTSD and acting out, but Kyle was not just quietly tending to his family, in the aftermath of service. However, I think Palin imagines that she is NOT seeking attention either, so it’s all relative.

    Anyway, she’s right about Bradley Cooper portraying pure heroism; it’s difficult to share the camera with a scene stealing/chewing fake baby and not be some enormous hero.

    And if anyone deserves a medal of honor, it is WITHOUT doubt, the person who wrote Cat Scratch Fever.

    • ginmar says:

      He claimed he went to New Orleans in the wake of Katrina and climbed 275 feet to the roof of the sports stadium—what’s the name?—–and picked off thirty looters, either by himself or with a buddy. He also claimed two guys tried to carjack him and he shot and killed both of them, then so awed the cops with his special Pentagon privileges that they let him off and covered it up. He made up an incredible fish tale about Jesse Ventura, the former governor of Minnesota, and Ventura won.

      People tell lies either to make people like them or to make themselves feel better. He really wanted people to believe that he killed people without compunction. And I bet if he was talking to certain groups of people in certain circumstances, those whoppers would get more detailed. Wanna bet he specified race or skin color when he told these stories in private?

      • Kiddo says:

        Pathological lying can be a symptom of several psychiatric disorders or the person can simply be an asshole, but I’m no expert. No one has linked any solid sources to indicate that he was THAT person before going into combat. I’m not saying I don’t believe them, or that I do believe them; it’s possible it’s an either/or as well as both, or that the war experience exasperated his issues. From what people have said, this isn’t an honest, fully-developed portrayal of the real life Kyle in the film. Maybe Eastwood shouldn’t have made this a film based on a real person, but a composite instead.

        My impression is that Sarah Palin is a malignant narcissist, but again, not an expert. However, I think I would recognize a duck by its quack, webbed feet and feathers.

      • vava says:

        I’m no expert either, but Palin DOES seem to be a “malignant narcissist”, Kiddo.

      • Just Me (and my Bobby McGee) says:

        “Pathological lying can be a symptom of several psychiatric disorders…”

        Exactly, kiddo. I wish this provoked more of a conversation on PTSD, vs turning this into yet another reason to fight, politically.

    • doofus says:

      #fakebabyistherealhero

  6. savu says:

    In one of my classes my professor was talking about the lawsuit Kyle lost for libel. He had to pay $1.3 million in damages. Libel cases are INCREDIBLY hard to win. Just thought it was interesting nobody’s brought up the fact that Kyle was a liar according to the US legal system. (I’m not even expressing an opinion, I’m just playing devil’s advocate and saying it’s interesting what’s been left out of this debate.)

    • insomniac says:

      I agree. It’s especially difficult for a public figure to win a libel suit in the US, so it’s really remarkable (and telling) that Ventura won.

    • mia girl says:

      Good point. I have no opinion about the movie (haven’t seen it) or Kyle (haven’t read much about him), but I definitely have an opinion on Palin.

      So I would venture to say that even if it the subject of this is brought up to Palin, the narrative would likely be… it was a liberal judge, advocating from the bench in trying to silence a “conservative/true American values” point of view. Or something like that.

    • doofus says:

      it was mentioned several times in yesterday’s Palin post.

  7. Talie says:

    I hate stuff like this because it brings up feelings of “If you don’t think this way, you’re anti-troops or anti-America.”

    • Kiddo says:

      She’s nothing more than an uninteresting, repetitive shock jock.

      • Say What!? says:

        Who loves to throw bombs from behind her Facebook page. She acts like she herself was in the military.

    • Dońt kill me i'm french says:

      You nail .

    • Kitten says:

      Right.
      Criticizing a veteran like you would any normal person = you don’t support veterans.

      • ginmar says:

        I think the ‘hero’ crap is pretty disturbing because it erases the fact that all military personnel are ordinary people who chose to do an extraordinary job. Heroes deserve to be addressed as such, not lumped in with everybody else. The military itself does do some of this; combat is regarded as a test. I sure wouldn’t put myself alongside anybody in a battalion that was fighting day after day in some place like Korengal.

    • TheOnlyDee says:

      I had a really big “debate” with my mother about this. She asked me how I liked the movie, and I told her that it was an okay film and Cooper was good, but that the subject matter wasn’t something I am especially interested in. I said that I have heard numerous stories about Kyle making up lies and that he was sued for libel by Jesse Ventura and Jesse won and that he seemed pretty racist and seemed to like shooting “brown” people. She said he was a hero who served our country, that I have never served, and that because of people like Chris Kyle, I’m allowed to spout my mouth off. I told her being a soldier is a brave thing to do, but they are still human and I don’t consider men who brag about killing “savages” heroes. She went into some rant about how I was calling my grandfather and unlces who served in WWII and Vietnam cowards and that everyone else on her facebook loved the movie, and people in their 20s and 30s, not just older people like her. That’s because all my mom’s fb friends besides me, my siblings, and some of my cousins are right wingers. I haven’t said anything about the movie, or about questioning Chris Kyle to many people because I know the argument will be the same.

    • PennyLane says:

      That’s exactly the sentiment being repeatedly expressed on the right-wing blogs (I lurk) – Republicans’ attitude towards this movie has become disturbingly religious. Like going to this movie is somehow supporting the troops! Ha!

      And for all their horror at the totalitarian attitude of many leftists, the social conservatives have the exact same attitude. You have to march in lock step and go see this movie because you love America, right? Right?? What are you, some kind of pinko America-hating commie?

      Seriously, on the right-wing blogs it’s become a gesture of faith towards ‘Murica to go see this film, and anyone with any kind of a nuanced interpretation and attitude towards the film or its subject is an evil America hater. Sarah Palin’s incoherent, self-serving lunacy is par for the course on these websites…sigh.

      • Say What!? says:

        i agree, but can we please stop referring to people as leftists? That’s a conservative term meant to paint an entire political group as nothing short of communist.

      • ginmar says:

        Yeah, and Republicans stop supporting the troops real quick once the troops show off complicated opinions or actually need help. They basically treat us like a wife they can divorce if we get broken or injured. I might be mixing my metaphors or something; they think if something gets broken you toss it and get something new.

      • GreenTurtle says:

        Ginmar, I am loving your comments. I’m also a vet and was already out for a year when this bizarre romanticizing of the armed forces began. It’s easy to slap a support the troops sticker on your car and talk about “heroes”. Well, if you really want to support the troops, write an effing check, volunteer, get involved in improving how vets are treated after they get back. Oh help the troops, except for all those vets that end up homeless and self medicate because they were never able to get help after witnessing horrific things. Sigh.

    • gooner says:

      Totally.

  8. aenflex says:

    True heroism isn’t sniping people from hundreds of yards away. The man had a job to do, and he did it, but I can’t confuse it with heroism. And this is coming from someone whose husband is in spec ops.

  9. tifzlan_ says:

    I know i shouldn’t be as enraged about this stupid movie as i am but when LBJ’s portrayal in Selma gets more flak than the romanticized version of Chris Kyle in American Sniper, it’s really hard not to be.

    • Kiddo says:

      Well, the main character or focus in Selma really isn’t LBJ, is it? This is a story, not about history in general, but it purports to be about one specific real life soldier, and so I can understand how changing the character could become more disconcerting. But full disclosure, I haven’t seen either film yet.

      • Kitten says:

        I’m always kind of indifferent to stuff like this because a film has no obligation to be objective and let’s be real–Hollywood biopics are not really know for their neutrality.

        A biopic is usually one viewpoint of a complicated story with a lot different angles that could be exploited to suit a director’s vision. In the end, I think it’s the viewer’s responsibility to take that into account. Movies are a story–they’re entertainment–they’re not necessarily factual depictions.

        That being said, I think there’s value in pointing out that this man shouldn’t be seen as a hero.

      • Kiddo says:

        I think if you are doing a biopic, you can dance around smaller issues, or limit it to a time frame, but if you remove SIGNIFICANT portions of that person, very important elements of who they are inherently, especially when ONLY that person is being shown, then it’s kind of pointless to make it a biopic. But I realize that this happens. Now, if you intend to review the film and then people take off calling the subject of the film a hero, based on the presentation of the film, then alternative opinions should be welcomed and not quashed; which is exactly what Palin-types are trying to do.

        And I think that it shouldn’t be sacrosanct to consider that not all soldiers are heroes. In other words, being a soldier doesn’t automatically elevate someone to being a hero by virtue of that position.

        It’s just a vehicle that war hawks use to deflect against criticism of THEM and not really soldiers. They like using symbols as shields.

      • TheOnlyDee says:

        It’s very hard to make a warts and all biopic and still have the blessing of the family. The screenplay was based off of Kyle’s memoir, and if Clint wanted to include the stuff about his questionable looter shooting and carjacker killing stories as well as the libel lawsuit, I doubt Taya would have been so involved and enthusiastic. The screenwriters and directors have to take it easy on the subject if they want the estate to give their blessing to the film, and in the case of a musician, license their music. LBJ wasn’t the focus of Selma, so they weren’t as interested in appeasing his estate as they were Dr. King’s. It makes sense and I understand it, but why can’t we, the viewing audience, question Kyle without being called anti-American or communists?

      • Kitten says:

        @ Kiddo-Ok, but let’s not forget that this movie is based on an autobiography written by Chris Kyle himself. Do you really think he has the ability to see himself as a monster? I would think that possessing a callous indifference is an integral part of being a sniper and I can see how that would extend to one’s self-perception as well.

        I certainly don’t think anyone’s opinion should be “quashed”, I just think that people need to be more discerning in general. Then again, people that who watch American Sniper expecting to see a hero will come away satisfied and those of us who want to see great acting and an interesting story will come away satisfied. The only people who will feel unsatisfied or let down are those that expected objectivity and as I said, I would caution anyone who goes to the movies looking for that.

      • Kiddo says:

        Yeah I guess REALLY my biggest issue is this oppressive campaign to control what can be discussed, more than anything.

        BTW, some of us are interested in none of the above, and check off Box C, for FAKE BABY.

        Frankly, after hearing about the real life person, I’m less interested in this story, overall.

      • Kitten says:

        I agree with you guys, especially the stuff about The Fake Baby (yay).

        …But keep in mind these are the same people who put George Zimmerman and Cliven Bundy up on a pedestal.

  10. Catk says:

    You are not relevant. Please, go away.

  11. PunkyMomma says:

    Just two points: stunned that Sarah Palin used the word “inexplicable” in an accepted manner, and, secondly, I’m not surprised at the love Palin has for Nugent. He owns quite a bit of property here in Michigan which he uses for canned hunts – the prey have the same odds of surviving the hunt as prey hunted from, say, a helicopter using a high powered rifle.

  12. Anna says:

    The more I hear about Chris Kyle the more I dislike him. I don’t see him as a “hero” at all.

    I haven’t seen any Democrats really criticize or protest this film so I’m not sure what Palin and all those Fox News type people are talking about. Palin’s probably just mad about Obama’s great comeback at the State of the Union (about winning twice) so she feels like she has to take that anger out by spewing out more delusional garbage.

    • Esmom says:

      Yes, I don’t think there’s been much criticism of the film except by a few. And Palin and her ilk have seized on it, absolutely. Gotta keep the 24/7 “news” cycle churning.

  13. Sixer says:

    At ANY point in this discussion, is anyone going to give the chuff from a flying monkey about 100,000 dead Iraqis? Or the 250,000 Iraqi children who died as a result of sanctions in the years leading up to this war?

    I pity Chris Kyle. I want all the returning vets from every country in that war to be taken care of. But I also remember the legions of dead, mostly from the other side.

    • Kiddo says:

      Very little news coverage of casualties of our opponents here. We like sterile euphemisms like ‘collateral damage’ and whatnot.

      • Kiddo says:

        In fact, There was a hell of a lot of control over presenting our own casualties. There were journalists ’embedded’ during the war, but with very strict limitations. They didn’t want the horrors of the war coming out from either side, like what happened in Vietnam. It was about “controlling the message”.

        And on the returning dead:

        “In 1991, President George H. W. Bush implemented a ban on media coverage of returning war dead and their dignified transfer process at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Shortly after he assumed office, President Barack Obama asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to review this policy, and Gates later reversed it, giving family members of the fallen the right to allow or disallow media coverage. On April 5th, 2009, the repatriation of the remains of Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Meyers became the first such event to be covered by the press in 18 years. This process has taken place, undocumented, over 5,000 times since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Collected here are photographs documenting the transfers of nine soldiers that have taken place since April 5th, 2009.”

        http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/04/documenting_the_return_of_us_w.html

      • Sixer says:

        I remember reading about the secretive repatriations! Ours were all attended by spontaneous public tributes (and protests). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Wootton_Bassett#Repatriations.

    • PunkyMomma says:

      Yes, sadly, the true toll of these actions is rarely reported in the States.

    • Sixer says:

      We have news items telling us how a Lancet study overestimated the total dead in the same news bulletin as the one reporting the definitely correct total who died in the Congo. Studies carried out by the same team using the same methodology.

      I kid you not. That actually happened.

      • The other paige says:

        You don’t sound like good muricans right now!
        We are exceptional and we are never wrong- no matter what we do or who we kill!
        you anti american, troop hatin book learnin anti gun…
        Word salad.
        I’m done…

      • Sixer says:

        Haha. Although, I am British. (But if you’re an Iraqi, I don’t think you worry about such petty distinctions).

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Whenever we bring that up here, the Palin types scream that the numbers are wrong. One dead on any side was too many as far as I’m concerned in what, to me, was essentially a Bush/Hussein family feud. My cousin did 3 tours of duty there. His mind will never heal. His exposure to Rumsfeld only knows what has wreaked havoc on his body. He is so damaged. But he is alive unlike so many thousands killed in that senseless war.

    • Sixer says:

      I think it was a disaster for everyone, you know (except the people who made money/gained power). For all the brutalised combatants, whichever side they were on, and yes, including Chris Kyle; for all the dead civilians; for all the displaced civilians (millions of whom went to Syria in such masses that it added to the destablisation there, and we know how that ended up); the rest of us, who could have benefited from increased public services or lower taxation if the monies hadn’t been spent on bombs. Everyone lost. Nobody got any extra “freedoms”.

    • tifzlan says:

      If you’re expecting anything from the Sarah Palin-Blake Shelton types, then no. I know some people who believe that all those hundreds and thousands of dead Iraqis, plus others imprisoned in Guantanamo for example, deserved what they got because they were either terrorists or sympathized with terrorists through a number of ways, ranging from actively helping terrorists out to living next door to a terrorist and not telling the authorities about it (lol). The term frequently thrown my way is “collateral damage,” which i detest.

  14. Tiffany says:

    The only thing I got from this is Gary Sinese needs to be back on television and/or movies.

  15. Say What!? says:

    Defy typical Hollywood self centeredness? What a gem of an observation coming from Sarah Palin, the most self centered politician of modern times.

    This woman is so selfish she quit her Governorship half way through her first term because she thought she was too important for merely one state.

    • lucy2 says:

      I loved that line too. Coming from Palin, who gets off at any opportunity to act indignant and victimized over stuff that has nothing to do with her, and who goes chasing cameras and attention like a dog after a bone.

  16. scout says:

    Whole team of American Sniper movie should call Palin and ask her to SHUD UP! She is going to cost them few awards in Feb, just in case and if they are deciding to award some of them.

    • lem says:

      i’m pretty sure that is part of her goal—she wants to yell at liberal hollywood for not awarding the pro-‘murica film any awards b/c hollywood is anti-troops/anti-america.

  17. minx says:

    Can’t stand this sleazy, stupid grifter! Go away.

  18. anne_000 says:

    I couldn’t read through her quotes because I can’t do mind twisters so early in the morning, at least not with this sinus cold…

    I’m glad that right-wingers think Palin is a capable, intelligent, knowledgeable, well-spoken, and the acme of womanhood…Makes it a lot easier for the other side to win elections…

    • Kiddo says:

      You forgot the part about Ted Nugent being heroic.

    • Lucky Charm says:

      Except that didn’t happen this last election. The GOP (or should they be called TPR now?) won a lot more than they should have which is really going to hurt us.

  19. Lucky Charm says:

    Her illogical logic would be funny if it wasn’t so scary because some people take it as fact. I suppose she also believes New England didn’t cheat in the playoff game Sunday, either, because you know, they’re PATRIOTS. It says so right there in their name! I swear, this woman really must be related to the Lohans in some distant way. Go sit on your back porch and keep an eye on Russia, Mrs. Pain in.

    • doofus says:

      They are now to be referred to as the “Deflatriots”.

      • Esmom says:

        Ha, I hadn’t heard that one. My Colts fan son will love it. I actually didn’t believe him when he told me about the deflated balls, so I need to make amends. 🙂

      • doofus says:

        Esmom, I can’t take credit for that one. I read it in a sports column today.

        but I LOVE it!

  20. Jaded says:

    Palin’s only platform is built upon an illogical hatred of anything the least bit democratic, a complete lack of knowledge about global politics, and not understanding or even believing the tragic aftermath for both Iraqis and Americans of destroying a country’s entire infrastructure. After ‘Dubya’ flattened Iraq, billions of dollars in aid went missing and the country still looks like a war zone. Corrupt contractors took the money and ran, including Dick Cheney’s Halliburton. The real reason for invading Iraq remains a murky mash-up of revenge for an alleged plan to assassinate Bush Sr., an easy target to boost popularity for Dubya’s ‘War on Terror’ and greed for oil.

    Why she’s still in the news blathering inanities is beyond me, and why people still support her is an outright insult.

    • Kiddo says:

      I think, again, it speaks to the leverage that is used on the backs of soldiers. Palin isn’t alone in the narrative of American Soldier as saint. This effectively shuts down criticism of armed conflict. To evaluate motivation of any of the players is against dogma. They are used as shields. And let’s face it, a lot of these people like Palin are blowing smoke up soldiers asses, because they are happy there is an enlistment practice rather than a draft, where their kids, husbands, etc, would have to be exposed to the horrors of combat.

      As far as soldiers:

      Some may join the military because they have honorable intentions of serving and protecting.
      Some may enlist because they want to gain discipline and get out of bad circumstances or past bad behavior.
      Some may be sociopaths looking for an opportunity to kill.
      Some may have no other real financial opportunity.

      I’m sure there are more reasons than listed, but the soldier isn’t one type of person motivated by all the same things, just as all people are different.

      • Kiddo says:

        I forgot to add that I recall seeing news stories a couple of years ago, can’t search now, where skinheads and gangs were enlisting for the benefit of training. As I recall, there were a lot of people permitted in, who in the past were considered undesirable, because getting people to enlist is an uphill battle. And how many times can you continue to pull people back over and over with the backdoor draft, who already served?

        Okay, I’m done.

      • Jaded says:

        As always, great comments Kiddo and much added perspective to the conversation!

    • Esmom says:

      Well said, Jaded and Kiddo. Reading and thinking about this can really make one feel hopeless about the world today. Sigh.

  21. Veronica says:

    Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the whole point of Kyle’s book to essentially brag about his status about the being the best known sniper in the American military? How is that “humble?” Lol.

  22. Tig says:

    There was an excellent article in the New Yorker regarding his efforts to work with the former soldier who’s about to go on trial for killing him. In that article, there was discussion regarding his autobiography and certain of his claims therein. That was an eye-opener. It probably was a wise decision from the standpoint of making the movie to stay away from most of his autubiography upon his return home.

  23. Frosty says:

    LOL thank you so much for that top picture of her. Palin’s such a tool.

  24. Neelyo says:

    I think Palin is angling for an invite to the Oscars. By praising Eastwood and Cooper and reminding everyone that she was friends with Kyle, she’s hoping the producers will fly the whole Palin clan down to Hollywood. They need to hit the gifting suites and do some shopping.

    • Kiddo says:

      But on the other side of that, now Bradley Cooper has the ‘Palin Taint’. Ask John McCain about that. lol

    • doofus says:

      I bet you’re right. for all of her lamenting about “liberal Hollywood”, she’d give her eye teeth to get an invite.

  25. Dawn says:

    Sarah Plain just needs to stop being quoted in the media. She is a tool and will say anything that gets her picture printed. I still recoil that the Republican party pushed this woman to be V.P. She is a great example of what is wrong with the Tea Party and their “live as I say NOT as I live” ideaology. The sixth district in MN is responsible for sending Michelle Bachman to Congress over and over again when she accomplished exactly nothing for them. I am sure that Michelle will also be a big fan of that loser Nugent.

  26. carol says:

    Palin attracts so much press its annoying. Nobody takes her seriously except for the extreme right (which isn’t that large). I know plenty of Republicans who all think she’s stupid and an embarrassment to the party. But I guess she sells papers and is good copy. I wish more people would pay attention to more deserving people (BTW – I put Leanne Rimes, who is a homewrecker and a dumb as rocks, on a higher intelligence level).