Thread: LA VOZ DE AZTLAN: Tancredo mentally ill

Isn't there a story as to Bushs' military service?
Personally I don't care if Tom Tancredo has/had depression,I really don't,it also has no bearing on his ability to run the country.He has obviously shown leadership capabilities being Governor,so whats the big whoop?

And what about Bush saying he cries alot-if thats not depression what is????




Head 'em up,move 'em out Rawhide!

So what if Tancredo has mental issues, he still speaks the truth. Most who voted for immigration reform aren't sick and voted for the crazy idea. Rather have a "crazy" person doing the right thing than having a "healthy" person doing the wrong thing.

Welcome aboard Ranger! I agree.

Let me add some details for everyone here to ensure the conversation stays objective and on-track...

Most people aren't aware of it, but most, if not all, brain disorders are highly related to chemical imbalances of the brain. Even more... these disorders have a strong tendency to be passed genetically through family lineage.

So, let me make a couple basic points here:

1. Whether or not a person has such a disorder, it is not by choice - they are 'no fault' disorders which people do not "choose" to exhibit or not. There is no philosophical 'high-ground' to be gained by blaming the victim /sufferer.

2. Why is it, that when people have heart problems - we spend huge amounts of money to deal with the problem? No one questions the sincerity of the diagnosis, and even just as rare, few question the sincerity nor behavior of the heart patient. And how about those people that suffer from lung cancer - can we 'question' the existence of their disease?

3. In fact, nearly all brain disorders have a strong physical component which allows modern medical imaging techniques to accurately differentiate the baseline 'healthy' (eg. unaffected) brain, vs. those exhibiting brain disorders. They are not vague and imaginary symptoms - but real things that can be measured and quantified.

Further caution: stigmatizing people because of the existence of a brain disorder is no different than exercising racism, bigotry, etc. These are all the most ugly aspects of human nature which have their basis in presumption, fear and lack of accurate information. One can have a brain disorder and still have common sense. Conversely, some of the cruelest, most arrogant, most destructive people I have ever known, never had a 'brain disorder' that I was aware of - perfectly "normal" people can be just as dangerous. In fact, most don't know, but from a pure statistical perspective, the rate of violence among the mentally ill vs. the non-mentally ill is approximately equal.

Yes, some of Tom's comments in public are less than refined at times - I'd agree with that. I don't necessarily view that as a bad quality. At least he knows what the truth is and isn't afraid to speak it. Few of the options we are posed with for presidential material can say such thing.
I like Ron Paul on many issues. I like Duncan Hunter on many other issues. I will still vote for Tom.

Right on Guys...I'll take Tancredo anyday...

aren't we all depressed and talking to ourselves over the state of this country? Is it the depression that makes him honest?

boy the other-side is desperate......GO TOM...IT'S OK TO TALK TO YOURSELF OR BE DEPRESSED...JUST KEEP TALKING THAT HONEST TALK AND WALK THAT WALK.....

He has obviously shown leadership capabilities being Governor,so whats the big whoop?

To my knowledge, Tancredo was never a governor.

Military Records of ‘08 Presidential Candidates
June 12th, 2007 (7:36 am) by You Served Editorial Staff-

More than a dozen Democrats and Republicans are vying for the presidency as the 2008 General Election nears. Health care and immigration are among the most hot-button of topics, but the war in Iraq will likely remain the single largest issue for candidates from both parties. Despite the talk about battle and warfare, only one of the 14 declared candidates — Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona — has any significant military service.

It turns out that being battle-tested is becoming less and less important for American voters, though. Polls conducted in the past few months indicate that voters don’t give the kind of weight and importance to military service that they once did.

The tipping point may have been the election of President Bill Clinton, who bested two World War II veterans, incumbent George Bush and Sen. Bob Dole. Despite the shift in cultural thinking, many voters still consider military service when examining a candidate’s credentials and experience as a whole.

Here’s a look at the military service records of some of the most likely candidates for the presidential nod in 2008:

Democrats

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden: None. Rejected for medical reasons, but would have been eligible in a national emergency.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: None.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd: Army Reserve (1969-75).

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: None. Draft number was never called.

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich: None. Was rejected for military service because of a heart murmur.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: None. Too young to have been drafted for the Vietnam War.

Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico: None. Received student and medical classifications. Draft number was never called.


Republicans

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback: None. Came of age as draft was ending.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani: None. Received student and occupational deferments. Draft number was never called.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: None. Came of age as draft was ending.

California Rep. Duncan Hunter: Served as an Army paratrooper and Ranger in Vietnam (1969-71).

Arizona Sen. John McCain: Served in the Navy (1958-81); prisoner of war in Vietnam (1967-73).

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: None. Received a deferment as a Mormon missionary in France. Was eligible for the draft upon his return to the states but was never selected.

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo: None. Received student deferments. Was available for military service in 1969. Reclassified in 1970 because of stress-related anxiety and could have been called up only during a pressing national emergency.

http://www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/20 ... andidates/

Military experience rare among '08 candidates
Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:58pm EDT
By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Though the next president will probably command soldiers in two separate wars, few of those hoping to win the job can say they've ever seen combat or even taken abuse from a drill sergeant.

Of the 18 announced Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, only Republicans John McCain and Duncan Hunter have served on the front lines. Three others served in noncombat roles and another two served in the reserves.

Voters aren't likely to care very much, experts say.

"I just don't think we expect that obligation, and that's because we don't expect it of ourselves either," said Bruce Altschuler, a Vietnam veteran and political science professor at the State University of New York at Oswego.

That might allow voters and candidates to focus on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Ohio Wesleyan University history professor Michael Flamm.

"If no candidates in 2008 are running on or against their Vietnam records, perhaps we won't have to look at Iraq through the prism of Vietnam," he said. "Perhaps we will be able to look at the Iraq war as a new situation."

Between 1944 and 1992, military experience was seen as a must for presidents.

That ended when Democrat Bill Clinton, who never served in the military, defeated Republican President George H.W. Bush, a decorated World War II veteran. Four years later, Clinton defeated Bob Dole, another World War II combat veteran.

Republican George W. Bush, who spent the Vietnam years on U.S. soil as a member of the Air National Guard, defeated two Democratic candidates who served in Vietnam, Al Gore and John Kerry.

Experts say Americans' conflicted attitude toward the Vietnam War makes a military background less of an advantage.

That won't be a concern for many running in the November 2008 election.

DEFERMENTS, FLUNKED PHYSICALS

Republicans Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama had not yet turned 18 by the time the draft was discontinued in 1973.

Democrat John Edwards, who became eligible in the waning years of the war, drew a high lottery number that was not called when the lottery determined who would be inducted into military service.

College and missionary service kept Mitt Romney out of the draft until 1970, when he drew a high lottery number.

Rudy Giuliani also drew a high lottery number in 1970 after receiving deferments as a student and law clerk.

Democrats Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich failed their physical examinations, as did Republican Tom Tancredo.

Republican Fred Thompson, who is expected to formally enter the race soon, received a deferment because he had children.

As a woman, Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton was not subject to the draft.

McCain's biography as a Navy airman who endured years of torture in a Hanoi prison is a central part of his appeal. Hunter, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, has made military issues central to his career in Congress.

Republican Jim Gilmore served in the Army in West Germany, while Ron Paul served as an Air Force surgeon. Democrat Mike Gravel served in the Army in the 1950s.

Democrat Chris Dodd joined the Army Reserve when he left the Peace Corps in 1968. Republican Tommy Thompson joined after law school in 1966.

The candidates' collective lack of military experience reflects the population as a whole.

Veterans accounted for 11 percent of the voting age population in 2000, according to the U.S. Census, down from 21 percent in 1970. By 2030, that figure will shrink to 6 percent, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"Service in the military provides perspective on war, perspective on sacrifice," said University of Denver political -science professor Tom Knecht. "To the extent that we're losing that, that might be kind of a problem."

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/ ... 22&sp=true

Hunter for President 2008!

Originally Posted by MW

He has obviously shown leadership capabilities being Governor,so whats the big whoop?

To my knowledge, Tancredo was never a governor.

Thanks MW-I get a bit mixed up on titles/rankings sometimes-guess this proves I'm the one who needs the check-up from the neck-up.

Seems Big Jim was another troll.Funny how they don't like to stick around,just hit and run.

Rawhide!