Sunday, September 28, 2008

Fallen Soldier's Family Asks Obama to Stop Wearing Bracelet

Back in March, the family of fallen soldier Ryan David Jopek from Merrill, Wisconsin asked Barack Obama publicly to stop wearing the bracelet engraved with his name. Yet, as recently as the Friday night debate, Obama inserted Sgt. Jopek's name into his own political campaign. The family is not happy with Senator Obama's exploitation of their dead son.

You may remember how odd it was that Obama countered a story from Senator McCain, recalling meeting and accepting a bracelet with a soldier's name from a grieving mother on the trail, by saying in a very juvenile fashion, "I have a bracelet, too". Then he had to look down at it to remember the soldier's name. This display was not a shining moment for Obama.

According to transcripts of a radio show, "Route 51", hosted by Glenn Moberg, even with Moberg going to bat for Obama, Jopek's father who is divorced from Jopek's mother, said the soldier's mother gave the bracelet to Obama, "because she just wanted Mr. Obama to know Ryan's name." "She wasn't looking to turn it into a big media event" and "just wanted it to be something between Barack Obama and herself."

From the News Busters article, "He said that his ex-wife has refused further interviews on the matter and that she wanted Obama to stop wearing the reminder of her son's sacrifice that he keeps turning into a campaign soundbyte."

That interview was back in March. This speaks volumes of Obama's character. He uses a fallen soldier's name on a bracelet, a name he has to refresh himself with, as a prop in a Presidential campaign debate to "me, too" what his opponent said.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

While the "me too" infuriated me -- almost as much as his nearly forgetting the soldier's name -- this leaves me speechless. And very, very angry.

Hamster said...

I was wondering if anyone had any comments about McCain's first wife and the circumstances behind their divorce.

Chuck said...

Hamster, what?!

Karen, I had not heard about this bracelet issue until today, I've been out of town. Yet another new low for Obama, how low can he go?

Hamster said...

Hi Chuck
The reason you hadn't heard about it is because it's another made up internet hoax.

AP headlines read more like...

"Soldier's mother 'ecstatic' about Obama's bracelet"

http://www.mercurynews.com/presidentelect/ci_10584171

Karen Townsend said...

Hamster,
If McCain's first wife is ok and supporting him for Pres, it's their business. Thanks for staying on topic.

Karen Townsend said...

According to Jake Tapper's blog, the mom told an AP reporter that the ex-husband's story is true. She asked Obama to stop wearing the bracelet. She was 'estatic' that he mentioned her son's name. Not that he was still wearing the bracelet.

Hamster said...

Hi Karen
I wouldn't start relying on blogs for my information if I were you.
It takes 2 minutes to start a blog of your own and any tom , dick or harry can start "spreading the news".
Better to rely on news organizations with first hand information like the Associate Press which reported
"Tracy Jopek of Merrill told The Associated Press on Sunday she was honored that Obama remembered Sgt. Ryan David Jopek, who was killed in 2006 by a roadside bomb."

Hamster said...

I only mentioned McCain's divorce because Pondering Penguin said of the bracelet affair "This speaks volumes of Obama's character."

Are you familiar with the details of McCain's sad divorce from his first wife Carol?
It's a story that doesn't get much mention but is worth reading
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html
When I read all the articles about John McCain's first wife I could hardly believe that it was talking about the same McCain who is running for President.
McCain himself admits that Nancy Reagan "was particularly upset with me and treated me on the few occasions we encountered each other after I came to Congress with a cool correctness that made her displeasure clear."
and Ross Perot, who paid Carol's hospital bills after her disfiguring automobile accident said of McCain:'‘After he (McCain) came home (from Vietnam), Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona. And the rest is history.’

Yes. Character is an important issue in this election.

If you don't believe me just "John McCain divorce"
There are plenty of articles about the sad affair