[opiniojuris] Kevin Jon Heller: Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime for Body Armor?

[Email subscription to blog articles]

Posted by Kevin Jon Heller:
Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime for Body Armor?
http://www.opiniojuris.org/posts/1172033543.shtml


   Honestly, it's things like this that explain why I sometimes fail to
   choose my words carefully when I'm criticizing the Bush
   Administration. From the [1]Sparta Independent, courtesy of
   [2]Americablog:

     To the Editor:
     I have a son going to Iraq this summer. I was able to afford to buy
     state-of-the-art body armor for his protection. Unfortunately there
     are many parents that are not able to afford this body armor.
     My sonâs outfit has 24 Marines. Two parents, including myself, have
     purchased this armor. Five others have been sponsored. The families
     of all the Marines in the unit have banded together to raise the
     additional money for the other 17 Marines.
     The military has body armor available, but itâs heavy and not
     state-of-the-art. There is a company called Pinnacle Armor, out of
     California, that sells armor called Dragon Skin. This is what we
     have chosen for our sons. We need to raise $102,000 to outfit these
     17 Marines. Itâs approximately $6000 per Marine.
     Any and all donations are welcome.
     For more information please call _________ at _________.

   For a disturbing story about the substandard body armor the government
   has been purchasing, see [3]here.

References

   1. http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2007/02/16/sparta_independent/opinion/2.txt
   2. http://americablog.blogspot.com/2007/02/dad-writes-letter-to-editor-seeking.html
   3. http://www.newtimesbpb.com/2005-09-29/news/vested-interests/