Don't Buy A Mat From These Guys

[chasd60]

From the web page below
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245718,00.html
Web Site Kicks Sand in Faces of GIs in Iraq Asking for Mats to Ease Hardship of Sleeping on Ground
 
Monday , January 22, 2007
 

 
An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground.
 
What he got, instead, was a swift kick from the company's Web site, which not only refused the request but added insult to injury with the admonition, "If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."
 
Army Sgt. Jason Hess, stationed in Taji, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division, said he emailed his request to Discount-mats.com because he and his fellow soldiers sleep on the cold ground, which contains sand mites, sand flies and other disease carriers.
 
In his email, dated Jan. 16, 2007, he asked the Web-based company, registered to Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent:
 
"Do you ship to APO (military) addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for ships to APO first."
 
On the same day, Hess received this reply:
 
"SGT Hess,
 
We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.
 
Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com"
 
Khetani on Monday told FOX News that the person responsible for the email reply had been fired. The Web site, meanwhile, has been temporarily taken down.
 
Hess emailed that he has since found two mat suppliers willing to ship to an APO address in Iraq.
 
FOX News' Douglas Kennedy contributed to this story.

[tlhdoc]

Thanks for posting this.  I hope they go out of business!:usflag:

[fritz_monroe]

I agree with tlhdoc.  

It doesn't matter to me what they think about the war in Iraq.  Our men and women are there because their government sent them there.  As long as they are there, these men and women deserve and need our support.

[cyclone]

I agree with Tracy and Fritz.  And, thanks Charlie for posting this.  I am appalled by that company's actions.

[brainpause]

I agree. Regardless of their opinion about the war....it's already been said.

Whatever happened to good old-fashioned taking care of the neighbor? They were willing to pay for the mats, and they needed help to get off the ground!

Larry

[wavemaker]

the www.discount-mats.com is down im glad...
 
i hope one of our hackers in the usa did this....
 
 
 

I agree. Regardless of their opinion about the war....it's already been said.
 
Whatever happened to good old-fashioned taking care of the neighbor? They were willing to pay for the mats, and they needed help to get off the ground!
 
Larry

[AustinBoston]

I'm going to suggest that I have seen enough from Fox news to know that the whole thing may have been made up.

Anyone who has seen Fox News' international cable feed (not normally seen in the US) knows that outside the US they do nothing but bash the U.S. and our troops.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was intended for non-US consumption and got on the wrong feed.

Austin

[ScoobyDoo]

Flamesuit ready...
     Why are the troops looking on the 'net for equipment? If the gov would give Haliburton 1000% profit on a cost-plus, no-bid contract the troops would be knee deep in mats.  I DO NOT AGREE with what the seller said but I took an oath, as did every soilder over there, to defend his right to say it.

[AustinBoston]

Flamesuit ready...
     Why are the troops looking on the 'net for equipment? If the gov would give Haliburton 1000% profit on a cost-plus, no-bid contract the troops would be knee deep in mats.  I DO NOT AGREE with what the seller said but I took an oath, as did every soilder over there, to defend his right to say it.

No flames from here.  IMNSHO, there is no worse way to "support the troops" than to send them into a situation without providing necessary material.

I know there are times and places that our troops are under-equipped, but in this case it's one of the things that gives me the nagging feeling that it's really a fake.

Austin

[dademt]

I'm going to suggest that I have seen enough from Fox news to know that the whole thing may have been made up.
 
Anyone who has seen Fox News' international cable feed (not normally seen in the US) knows that outside the US they do nothing but bash the U.S. and our troops. I wouldn't be surprised if it was intended for non-US consumption and got on the wrong feed.
 
Austin

I figured it was a fake also so I check snopes.com and it appears to be legit.  http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/apo.asp

[mountainrev]

I'm going to suggest that I have seen enough from Fox news to know that the whole thing may have been made up.

Anyone who has seen Fox News' international cable feed (not normally seen in the US) knows that outside the US they do nothing but bash the U.S. and our troops.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was intended for non-US consumption and got on the wrong feed.

Austin

Not made up by Fox, I'm afraid.  Check out this link to a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (the company is based in the Milwaukee area):  http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=555527

[ffej1010]

I don't think people should blame the whole company for the actions of one employee. In the story it said the employee who replied to the email was fired, so I don't know what else you want from them. Unless the reply was made by the owner, then the email reply was not necessarily his opinion.
I am currently active duty and I also agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if it doesn't agree with the propaganda being put out by the Bush Administration.

[dademt]

I don't think people should blame the whole company for the actions of one employee. In the story it said the employee who replied to the email was fired, so I don't know what else you want from them. Unless the reply was made by the owner, then the email reply was not necessarily his opinion.
I am currently active duty and I also agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if it doesn't agree with the propaganda being put out by the Bush Administration.

I agree that one of our greatest freedoms is that of expression through many forms but with that being said I would disagree that nobody who claims to be an American and capable of making a decision on something as complicated as war/national security should EVER be critical and rude to the honorable men and women who are willing to sacrifice so much for everyone else.  This is also considering that they ( the armed forces ) are following the orders of the President whom they may or may not agree with.
 
With that being said, let me end by saying thank you for being one of those people who actively serves our country.

[chasd60]

I agree that one of our greatest freedoms is that of expression through many forms but with that being said I would disagree that nobody who claims to be an American and capable of making a decision on something as complicated as war/national security should EVER be critical and rude to the honorable men and women who are willing to sacrifice so much for everyone else. This is also considering that they ( the armed forces ) are following the orders of the President whom they may or may not agree with.
 
With that being said, let me end by saying thank you for being one of those people who actively serves our country.

I totally agree