Mr. Moyer,
Thank you for your input.


The annual "Ride For Freedom" is a political
protest demonstration.Rolling Thunder has been
searching for political remedies to a terrible
in justice done to abandoned POWs, forgotten
MIAs, and mistreated POW and MIA families with
our annual Memorial Day weekend demonstration
for 17 years.

President Bush is the first President in 17
years to even sit down and talk with our
leadership.

Rolling Thunder has Demonstrated for 17 years
solely for the POW/MIA issues and veterans
benefits. This will be our only mission.

Since, President Bush has demonstrated his
willingness to address our issues we feel that
a change in the Presidency, at this time would
be detrimental to our cause. Again, it has taken
us 17 years to get this far, and we have along
way to go.

There is some major reconstruction going on in
the VA Hospitals. Yes, it is possible that 8 to
12 hospitals maybe closed. The reason for this
is in order to provide better health care, and
not to just spend funds to keep a hospital open.
Any hospital that closes will have a clinic and
or clinics opened in and around the state to make
it easier for the Veteran to obtain Health Care.
By doing this there will be more money available
for health care and not just maintaining buildings.
Some of which are under used, due to the fact that
there locations are inconvenient and costly for the
Veteran to access on a regular basis.

We are working hard with those in Washington for
Mandatory Health Care, and this will remain one of
our goals.


We remain faithful to our Mission Statement:

Our major function is to publicize the POW/MIA
issue. To educate the public that many American
prisoners of war were left behind after all past
wars, and to help correct the past and to protect
future veterans from being left behind should
they become Prisoners Of War/Missing In Action.
Second, we are committed to helping disabled
veterans from all wars.

ROLLING THUNDER® is a non-profit organization, each
and every individual donates his or her time because
they believe in the issue at hand.


MY REPLY:

Thank you for answering my e-mail. A few few things
I'd like to address concerning your response and
subsequent news reports that condern the plight of
our Brothers.

About the VA Hospitals. We here in Iowa have two
major VA Hospitals, one in Knoxville, the other here
in Des Moines. The Knoxville hospital is threatened
to be shut-down completely. It is the only hospital
for miles for thousands of Veterans. It is also the
the main mental health facility for Veterans in an
eight hundred mile radius. If inconvenience is a
factor, then closing a facility that supports
thousand of rural Vets doesn't exactly make things
more convenient. Plus the only other facility in the
State, Des Moines, has been cut in funding by 30% in
the last two years, and is slated for another cut of
15% in 2005. If the closing of the VA hospital in
Knoxville is to benefit other hospitals, where
exactly are these hospitals that are benefiting?

Just yesterday on CNN and MSNBC it has been reported
that our wounded Brothers in the Guard and Reserve
that have just recently returned from Iraq and
Afganastan, are being place second in line for
treatment and extended medical services in
consideration of the regular military. The reason for
this has been explained that the military has limited
funds for treatment and that the regular military has
priority. Since 40% of our military fighting these
wars consists of the Guard and Reserve, is it
reasonable for them to be treated as second class
citizens? This is unacceptable and falls in line with
this administrations proven track record.

On May 26th, 2004 the Bush Administrations own budget
office came out with a proposed budget cut of nearly
one billion dollars for Veterans services. When the
budget office was questioned about it, they fained
surprise that anyone would be shocked by such a
proposal. That the deficit has to be trimmed, and
entitlements, (Vet Benefits being an entitlement),
are going to be the first to get cut.


All of this that I have stated is contrary to the
benefit of our Veterans past, present, and future.
And they are directly attributal to the Bush
Administration that Rolling Thunder now seems to
endorse. Could it be maybe that this organization is
just getting it's collective chain pulled for the
endorsement of an administration that has no
intention of fullfilling it's promises??? It seems
likely. Talk is cheap, actions speak volumes.

You did conveniently leave one part out of Rolling
Thunders Mission Statement;

Rolling Thunder®, Inc. National is NOT connected with
or an affiliate of any other organization or
political party and we do not raise funds for profit.


I personally am a Boy Scout Scoutmaster. I was told
by an attorney a few years ago that WE, as a non-
profit organization cannot publicly endorse any one
political candidate or party. If we did, we could
lose our tax-exempt status. Do you not risk the same
as a non-profit??? Or has this organization received
special consideration for it's endorsement?


Harry Moyer
Des Moines, Iowa

Well, this says it all. Rolling Thunder is hewing to the Republican Party line no matter how off base it is. They've sold their souls to the devil for what? Apparently nothing except the emnity of a bunch of veterans who think clearly. The Bush administration gets this endorsement for nothing - Bush cannot and will not do anything about POW/MIA issues and he will cut veterans services and benefits (he barely counts as a veteran anyway) as sure as the sun comes up every morning......thanks for selling out RT!! I wonder what the IRS will think about their tax-exempt status when they hear about this endorsement?

Here's the snappy come back to my many
many points:

#########################################

Mr. Moyer,

Thank you again for your input. I believe
we will have to respectfully agree to disagree.

Concerning our non-profit status.
We are a 501 C-4 not a C-3.

###########################################

This is a typical response to when a debate
has been ultimately lost. Don't respond to
the points made, just "agree to disagree".

Anyone so inclined to comment to Rolling Thunders
spokesperson directly, contact here:

Marie DeLoach
Clinton, NJ Office
rtnj1@att.net
Rolling Thunder Inc.
National
908-369-5439