Saturday, July 14, 2007

THIS JUST IN! WHITE HOUSE 'PAT TILLMAN IS A SECRET!'

 
THIS MUCH CAN BE AGREED UPON, NFL SUPERSTAR PAT TILLMAN ENLISTED IN THE MILITARY, WENT TO AFGHANISTAN AND WAS KILLED. 
 
THIS MUCH ANY NON-COMATOSE PERSON CAN AGREE ON, TILLMAN WAS KILLED BY SOLDIERS IN HIS OWN DIVISION AND THE WHITE HOUSE PUT FORWARD A PROPAGANDA PUSH TO USE THE HORRIBLE DEATH TO SELL MORE WAR, LIED REPEATEDLY IN PUBLIC AND ONLY HAD TO SEMI-COME CLEAN DUE TO THE HARD WORK AND COURAGE OF THE TILLMAN FAMILY.
 
 
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS DECIDED THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW ENDS SOMEWHERE ABOUT A MILE FROM BULLY BOY'S PASSING FANCY OF ANY MINUTE AND THAT THEY ARE NOT ACTUALLY A PART OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THEREFORE NOT RESPONSIBLE TO THE PEOPLE.
 
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES TOLD THESE REPORTERS, "DON'T EVEN TRY TO DRAG ME INTO THIS.  DON'T EVEN.  I WASN'T EVEN HERE BACK THEN.  WHEN I JOINED I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A GROWN UP COMING IN TO RIGHTEN THE SHIP.  NOW I LEARN I AM SURROUNED BY CROOKS!"
 
 
 
Starting with war resistance.  The Progressive's Hidden History Of The United States (available in calander form) notes that on this day in 1863, "Draft riots began in New York City, leaving 1,000 dead over four days."  Ehren Watada is the first commissioned officer to public refuse deployment to Iraq.  Currently, he is waiting while the appeals process determines whether he will have to face a second court-martial and, if so, whether Judge Toilet (aka John Head) will be allowed to preside over it again.  While this goes on, people continue to demonstrate their support for Watada.  Last Friday, we noted a rally held in San Francisco in support of Watada.  Ryan Baladad (Asian Week) informs, "Members from the various groups, including Aisan Pacific Islanders Resist and the Watada Support Committee, took turns speaking in support of the Japanese lieutenant.  Supporters held signs that read, 'Refuse Illegal War,' 'Bush lied, People Died' and showed photos of Watada in uniform.  Malcolm Yeung of the Asian Law Caucus called the Army's actions 'frankly reprehensible' and said the case 'chills free speech'."  Baladad closes with this statement from Rev. Norman Fong (Chinatown Presbyterian Church), "There shouldn't be another trial; they messed up the first time.  We're proud of Lt. Watada."
 
Meanwhile, who is Steve Yoczik?  The War Resisters Support Campaign explains, "Steve arrived in Toronto on November 25th, 2006.  He trained in communications at Fort Gordon, Georgia.  After a few months there, he began to realize that the decision he'd made to join the Army was a serious mistake and that trading 4 years of his life for the opportunity to have college paid for was not an agreeable enough trade.  Also after seeing pictures of wounded or killed Iraqi civilians (and combatants) as well as stories from soldiers that had been to Iraq and Afghanistan, he knew without a doubt that he did not want to be involved in the war.  Halfway through training, the 'job' he'd been signed on for was cancelled, and 'joblees' people in this particular war zone go on patrols and kick in doors, so Stephen prepared a last-ditch effort to come to Canada, as all other attempts to leave the Army 'legitimately' were exhausted.  Since arriving in Toronto, Steve has adjusted fairly weel, and is being careful in the decisions he makes in life now, as his Army expereience has taught him that signatures hold a lot of power . . ."
 
Yoczik is part of a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Ross Spears, Jared Hood and James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Augstin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder , Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Care, Kyle Huwer, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.

Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.
 
Yesterday, Bully Boy went on and on, desperately attempting to stretch the definition of progress in yet another attempt to fool the American people.  How bad did the spin and lies get?  Kenneth R. Bazinet (New York Daily News) informs, "Even the White House was concerned Bush overstepped with his upbeat war talk, sending spokesman Tony Snow out to talk to the cable news outlets to clarify the President's remarks.  'The President isn't saying we're winning. He says we're in a fight. He says we cannot afford not to win,' Snow told Fox News."  Tony Snow need not worry, reality will always Fact Check the Bully Boy upside his face. How are things with the Iraqi Parliament? Joshua Partlow and Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) reports, "Iraqi politicians on Thursday struck a more pessimistic tone about Iraq than did the White House assessment, and said the deadlock between warring Sunni and Shiite factions makes major political progress unlikely in coming months." Well, as least those Iraqi troops are coming along nicely, right?   Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) informs, "Despite stepped-up training, the readiness of the Iraqi military to operate independently of U.S. forces has decreased since President Bush's new strategy was launched in January, according to the White House progress report released yesterday."  And try to find out the hard figures on this from the Pentagon, as DeYoung did, and be informed that's "classified information."  Classified, apparently, on the grounds that Bully Boy is an incompetent. 
 
And on the January 20th attack in Karbala that killed 1 US soldier immediately, wounded three and saw four kidnapped (all of whom would later turn up dead), Gregg Zoroya (USA Today) reveals the army's internal investigation has found:

 
•Iraqi police suddenly vanished from the government compound before the shooting started.
•Attackers, evidently briefed on how U.S. forces would defend themselves, bottled up more than three dozen soldiers in a barracks and headquarters complex using a combination of smoke and fragment grenades and satchel charges to blow up Humvees.
•Gunmen knew exactly where to find and abduct U.S. officers.
•Iraqi vendors operating a PX and barbershop went home early.
•A back gate was left unlocked and unguarded.
Investigators recommended several changes to toughen defensive positions, including the installation of closed-circuit cameras to provide better early warnings, "duress devices" that can allow overrun outposts to signal headquarters, and requirements that any arriving convoy provide identification.
 
 
Now how do you suppose that got left out of Bully Boy's attempt to sell the continuation of the illegal war?  In more reality the Bully Boy Never Told You, Robert Burns (AP via Los Angeles Times) reports that yesterday's White House progress report "strongly implies that the administration believes its military strategy will take many more months to meet its goals."  And really driving home the lack of progress in Iraq, Mike Drummond and Hussein Khalifa (McClatchy Newspapers) tell the story of Nawal Na'eem Karim whose 18-month-child has learned to cry "Talaq inanan! Talaq inana!" ("Bullets here! Bullets here!").  Needless to say, the mother tells the reporters she just wants the US to leave.  Of course, Bully Boy would probably get that dopey grin on his face (as when a woman explained she had to work two jobs) and say, "That's wonderful."
 
Meanwhile, Congressional Dems try to put one over on the public -- again, and it's the same shell game.  From Democracy Now! today:
 
 
House Iraq Pullout Bill Leaves Thousands of Troops Behind
The House has approved a measure that would begin withdrawing combat troops from Iraq within the next three months. The final vote was two hundred twenty-three to two-hundred and one, mostly along party lines. Before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged lawmakers to vote "yes."
    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "Let us pass this bill and those that will follow in the coming weeks and provide the new direction on Iraq that the American people demand and that is so urgently needed. I urge a 'yes' vote on the Skelton bill."
Ohio Congressmember Dennis Kucinich was the lone anti-war Democrat to vote against the bill. The measure would remove most combat troops by April of next year but still leave tens of thousands soldiers behind.
 
As Amy Goodman noted above "leaves tens of thousands soldiers behind."  And that's provided Bully Boy doesn't reclassify the ones that would be set to leave.  Pushing the non-existant link between 9-11 and Iraq is a thread he picked up again yesterday.  He could follow the Pelosi measure (if it passed) and reclassify "combat troops" as troops who will be fighting terrorists ("al Qaeda!") and none have to leave.  He could also declare that the illegal war is over and that 160,000 US troops need to remain to maintain "police operations" which would mean no troops leave. It's the con game they pulled in March, credit Goodman with telling it straight and not sugar coating it. 
 
 

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