Saturday, December 22, 2007

THIS JUST IN! JUNIOR PRETENDS HE DOESN'T PLAY DIRTY!

 
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA JUNIOR REALLY WANTS THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT.  WHICH IS WHY HE'S RETURNED TO HAWKING HIS STALE CHICKEN SOP FOR THE SOUL.
 
HE HAS AGAIN TAKING TO DECRYING "NEGATIVE CRITICISM" AND NO, HE DOESN'T MEAN THE RUMORS THAT HE WEARS LIP GLOSS TO LOOK EVEN MORE LIKE GRACE JONES.
 
PUFFING OUT HIS SUNKEN CHEST AND SUCKING IN HIS EXPANDING GUT, BARACK JUNIOR STIFFLY DECLARED, "SO FAR, I THINK, ATTEMPTS TO GO NEGATIVE IN A WAY THAT'S NOT POLICY-BASED HAVE BACKFIRED ON THE CAMPAIGN PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE IN THAT DIRECTION."
 
ABOUT AS BELIEVABLE AS WHEN BRITNEY SPEARS WAS TRYING TO PASS HERSELF OFF AS A VIRGIN.
 
WHO WENT NEGATIVE FIRST?  WHO STRAYED FROM "POLICY" FIRST?  AS HOWARD KURTZ REPORTED THIS WEEK, "THERE WAS ALSO A LACK OF MEDIA PICKUP WHEN THE ATLANTIC'S MARC AMBINDER REPORTED THAT AN OBAMA AIDE HAD SAT DOWN NEXT TO HIM AND 'WANTED TO KNOW WHEN REPORTERS WOULD BEGIN TO LOOK INTO BILL CLINTON'S POST-PRESIDENTIAL SEX LIFE'."
 
BARACK JUNIOR HAS NEVER APOLOGIZED TO EITHER CLINTON FOR THAT SEWER POLITICS ATTEMPT NOR DID HE FIRE THE AIDE.
 
WHEN THESE REPORTERS CORNERED THE CANDIDATE AS HE APPLIED FRESH MASCARA FOR THE PETER FRAMPTON LOOK (HE'S CONCERNED ABOUT APPEARING TOO "BLACK"), BARACK JUNIOR REPLIED ONLY, "PRESENT."
 
 
 
Starting with war resistance.  Travis Lupick (Canada's Straight) notes the season and, "It will be a lean Christmas for some Iraq-war resisters living in Vancouver.  These former U.S. army recruits are waiting on refugee claims and are fighting a return to the U.S. that could include imprisonment.  Brad McCall moved to Vancouver after abandoning his army company in September.  He told the Straight that this Christmas was going to be different from those of his childhood in Alabama.  There wold be no spending money on presents this year, said McCall, who is still without a work visa.  But it's not all bad. 'I've got plenty of dinner invitations,' he added.  'There will be no lack of food for me.'  McCall said that he would spend the holidays quietly, just hanging out with his Canadian girlfriend.  He maintains that he has no regrets, including joining the U.S army. 'Now that I'm in Canada and I'm in Vancouver, I realize how little I did really know about the world,' he said. 'I had pretty much been brainwashed my entire life, not to realize the struggles that are happening all over the world on a daily basis'."  The publication first told McCall's story in October when Charlie Smith reported on McCall's attempt to enter Canada September 19, 2007 only to be denied entry by Canadian authorities, "I don't know what kind of police officer he was.  He put me in handcuffs in front of all these people that were watching that were trying to get into Canada also. I told them, 'Why are you playing the part of the hound dog for the U.S. army?' They didn't know what to say.  They just started stuttering and mumbling." 
 
 
On November 15th, the Canadian Supreme Court refused to hear the appeals of war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey.  The Canadian Parliament has the power to let war resisters stay in Canada. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use. Both War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist are calling for actions from January 24-26.


There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.



Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
 
 



In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.

 
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation. 
 
 
"In the face of a scandalous health care system, failing schools, and a fraudulent endless war, we are as docile as tattered scarecrows in a field of rotten tomatoes.  As for that war, you may have heard that a quarter of the heavily-armed 'shooters' working in the streets of Baghdad for the Administration's mercenary Blackwater foreign legion are alleged to be chemically influenced by steroids or other mind-altering substances," declares Bill Moyers on tonight's Bill Moyers Journal.  That's from tonight's essay and you can catch it right now at YouTube.  PBS is fundraising in some markets so if you're thinking of watching PBS programming this week, check your local listings to make sure that the program airs at its usual time.  On WBAI Sunday, 11 a.m. to noon, The Next Hour will feature Paul Krassner and Sean Kelly joining Janet Coleman and David Dozier for a discussion about the season.  Monday's Cat Radio Cafe (also on WBAI, from two p.m. to three p.m.) will continue the seasonal motif with Coleman and Dozer.  And Wednesday (the 26th), CCCP returns to WBAI for their monthly broadcast.  The Christmas Coup Comedy Players is original comedy programming created for public radio.  It will air from two p.m. to three p.m. and feature Coleman, Dozer, John McDonagh, Marc Kehoe, Scooter, Moogy Klingman and (Wally's favorite) Will Durst.  Remember WBAI broadcasts from NYC and for those not in the broadcast area, WBAI streams online.  For those who may miss Bill Moyers Journal, remember it streams online and it provides transcripts as well.  It is fully accessible for all news consumers.  PBS' NOW with David Brancaccio also regularly airs tonight (again, check your local listings) and the half-hour program will be addressing the issue of being homeless as they probe a new program which provides apartments to homeless persons."  This show is already posted online for streaming. NOW with David Branccacio has also selected their "Top 10 NOW reports of 2007" (currently on the front page of the website).
And lastly, Rory O'Connor examines what's being left out in the promotion of  the selection for Time magazine's latest "Person of the Year"  in "Time to Cover up?" (MediaChannel.org).
 
 
 

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

THIS JUST IN! TOUGH TIMES FOR REPUBLICANS!

 
TOUGH TIMES FOR REPUBLICANS.
 
IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, G.O.P. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TOM TANCREDO EXPLAINED WHY HE WAS RUNNING FOR HIS PARTY'S NOMINATION, "WE AS CONSERVATIVES CANNOT AFFORD TO SIT THIS ONE OUT. . . . WELL, THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TODAY. I WANT TO GIVE VOICE TO EVERY CONSERVATIVE IN THIS COUNTRY UNHEARD AND UNREPRESENTED."
 
WITH FAR LESS SWAGGER, HE TRIED TO BLUSTER TODAY BY ANNOUNCING, "I AM HAPPY TO SAY, I AM ECSTATIC TO SAY, WE HAVE MADE REMARKABLE PROGRESS."  ECSTATIC?  HE WAS ANNOUNCING HE WAS DROPPING OUT OF THE RACE.  DOING SO, HE ENDORSED MITT ROMNEY FOR THE G.O.P. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION.
 
THAT WOULD BE THE SAME MITT ROMNEY WHO HAS REPEATEDLY SPOKEN IN PUBLIC ABOUT SEEING HIS FATHER MARCH WITH THE LATE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING.  IT TURNS OUT, HIS FATHER NEVER MARCHED WITH MLK.  WHEN REACHED FOR COMMENT, HIS CAMPAIGN RESPONDED, "IT WAS THE '60S.  MAYBE MITT HAD BEEN SMOKING BANANA PEELS AND THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT HE SAW?  MAYBE HE GOT MLK CONFUSED WITH HUEY NEWTON?  QUIT CALLING US!"
 
AS TOM DROPPED OUT AND MITT LOOKED LIKE A LIAR, ALL EYES TURNED TO RUDY G. WHO PROBABLY COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT THE ATTENTION.
 
'TOUGH GUY' RUDY G GAVE THE ORDER YESTERDAY TO TURN THE PLANE AROUND, HE HAD TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL!  HIS STAFF IS SAYING THAT RUDY G, WHO WAS RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL TODAY, ONLY HAD THE FLU.  WORD TO THE CAMPAIGN: 'TOUGH GUYS' DON'T GO RUNNING TO THE HOSPITAL FOR THE SNIFFLES. 
 
MEANWHILE SENATOR INSANE JOHN MCCAIN WAS GOING SPASTIC IN PUBLIC DENYING A REPORT THAT MAY OR MAY NOT EXIST BUT HAS NOT YET RUN IN THE NEW YORK TIMES.  WHEN REACHED FOR COMMENT, MCCAIN -- WHO INSISTED WE ALL HIM "BEVERLY" -- EXPLAINED, "I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE ON TOP OF THINGS AND THAT MEANS CONFRONTING THE COVERAGE.  I AM DEDICATED TO CORRECTING THE RECORD.  EVEN BEFORE IT IS ON THE RECORD.  IF ELECTED, I WOULD CARRY MY EXTREME ATTENTION TO DETAIL EVEN FURTHER!  VOTE INSANE!  VOTE JOHN MCCAIN!"
 
 
AFTER GETTING OFF THE PHONE WITH "BEVERLY" BY EXPLAINING WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME "TO TRADE TURKEY STUFFING RECIPES," THESE REPORTERS CAUGHT DAVID CORN ON DEMOCRACY NOW! EXPLAINING G.O.P. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MIKE HUCKABEE HAS CALLED ENVIRONMENTALISTS "PORNOGRAPHERS" WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY LOIS DAVIDSON EXPLAINING HOW WHEN HUCKABEE RELEASED SERIAL RAPIST WAYNE DUMOND FROM PRISON EARLY, DUMOND WENT ON TO RAPE AND MURDER HER DAUGHTER CAROL SUE SHIELDS.  A DOUBLE BLOW FOR THE HUCKSTER.
 
THE PHONE WAS RINGING.  IT WAS G.O.P. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FRED THOMPSON BEGGING FOR ATTENTION.  "I CAN'T GET ANY ATTENTION," THOMPSON WHINED, "DON'T PEOPLE WANT TO SEE ME?"  PEOPLE SEE HIM MULTIPLE TIMES EACH DAY ON CABLE RERUNS AND APPARENTLY THAT IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.
 
 
Starting with war resistance.  Joe McMorrow (Western Catholic Reporter) notes Sophie  Scholl  and Franz Jagerstatter (who both resisted the Nazi regime in Germany) and how the Catholic Church in Germany remained silent and McMorrow builds on that to call out: "The general indifference by Canadian Catholics to the plight of American war deserters who have fled to Canada in recent years rather than fight in Iraq is evidence that selective conscientious objection to war is still viewed as somehow not a valid Catholic moral, position.  This despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Catholic moral theologians agree with these deserters: the Iraq war is unjust; destertion, in a situation where there are no other alternatives, is preferable to participation in an unjust war.  The war in Iraq is conservatively estimated to have taken the lives of over 100,000 civilians and violates every traditional criterion used to justify war: the invasion of Iraq is not defensive, is not declared by a lawful authority, is not a last resort, does not sufficiently distinguish between civilian and military participants, and is not likely to create more good than the harm it is inflicting.  Yet, the plight of American deserters who have fled to Canada for refuge has not drawn a word of attention from the Canadian Conference of Cahtolic Bishops (CCCE)."
 
The Canadian Parliament has the power to let war resisters stay in Canada. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use. Both War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist are calling for actions from January 24-26.


There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.



Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).



In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.

 
March 13th through *16th* are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.  I would assume that this is fairly obvious but I would have assumed wrong: IVAW is asking that there be no anti-war rallies, marches, etc. called for the national level during that time period and that, since the Investigation is based in DC, that no "local" anti-war actions be planned for that period in DC.   The illegal war started on March 19, 2003 so that's two days after the event.  The 19th falls on a Wednesday.  If there are other actions held during that period, we won't be noting them.  This is something that was in planning stages for some time, something that a lot of people have worked very hard on and it's been announced for sometime.  IVAW has carved out these dates and we will note the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation announcement in every snapshot leading up to this event.  We won't be noting any other actions that take place during this time period.  I don't believe any one group leads and I certainly don't believe the peace movement should attempt to hide behind the military (is there any room left with the White House and Democratic leadership already crowded around back there?).  But this is a major event that's required intense planning and organizing and they gave more than enough notice ahead of time that everyone should have been aware of the event.  Those days should belong to the Investigation.  And the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation is a public event.  So, in terms of mobilization, if any group or organization wants to mobilize, they can can mobilize people to Investigation which will include the testimonies of those who have served as well as people from Iraq and Afghanistan who have survived the illegal war.
 
Today on Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman noted, "On Capitol Hill, Justice Department officials are coming under criticism for refusing to attend a hearing on allegations of rape ans sexual assault of female contactors in Iraq.  A former employee has sued Halliburton and its former subsidiary KBR after she says she was gang-raped by employees of the company in Baghdad.  The alleged victim,  Jamie Leigh Jones, accuses the company and the U.S. government of covering up the crime."  Feminist Wire Daily summarizes: "Jones filed a lawsuit against her former employers, Halliburton and its then-subsidiary KBR in May, stating that she was drugged and gang-raped by a group of her co-workers in the KBR camp in the Green Zone in Iraq in 2005. In her testimony, Jones stated that her experience while working for contractors in Iraq was not an isolated incident, reports the Associated Press. Representative Ted Poe, R-TX, who was contacted for help by Jones's father while she was held in Iraq by her co-workers after the attack, also testified that several women have now come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and assault while employed by Halliburton's former subsidiary, KBR.  As of yet, no charges have been brought against Jones's alleged attackers. According to ABC News, legal experts say they might never even have to stand trial: A loophole in US law effectively leaves contractors working in Iraq out of the jurisdiction of US courts."  [Feminist Daily News Wire's item is also up at Feminist Majority Foundation.]  On yesterday's House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security,  Maddy Sauer (ABC News) points out that DoJ "refused to send a representative to answer questions from Congress today on the investigations into allegations of rape and sexual assault on female American contractors."   Rebecca Carr (Cox News via The Plains Dealer) observes, "Glaring at the empty seat assigned to an absent Justice Department official, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Republican of Texas, vowed to 'move Justice in the right direction.'  Gohmert told Jones she is giving a voice to other victims of rape."  Barbara H. Peterson (OpEdNews) considers the meanings of these events: "Is the United States taking a step backwards in the area of women's rights?  It would seem so.  Violence against American women goes un-prosecuted, and women who have suffered violence remain traumatized with no justice in sight." CNN quotes Rep Poe declaring, "We need a new sheriff in Iraq to enforce federal laws."  We also a need a US State Department that provides the oversight it is supposed to.  AP notes that Rep Poe "says three women -- including Tracy Barker, who submitted written testimony of her account and was at the hearing -- contacted him" -- three women who have also been assaulted.  The Secretary of State is Condi Rice.  She heads the State Department and she assumed those duties January 26, 2005 which means she was in the charge of the department that was supposed to be overseeing contractors when the assaults on Jones and Barker took place.  Tracy Barker was harassed by contractors, true, but she was assaulted by an employee of the State Department -- Ali Mokhtare  -- an employee who, as of 20/20's report last Friday was still employed by the State Department.  It's not as if the State Department's a model department.  Warren P. Strobel (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that Charles Williams, who was in charge of oversight for the department's embassy construction in Iraq just became "the third senior State Department official to depart amid failures in managing the burgeoning U.S. diplomatic presence in Iraq.  The department's inspector general and head of diplomatic presence in Iraq."  Barker's statement was noted in yesterday's snapshot and maybe the fact that she submitted her statement in writing is why some of the press ignored her today?  Jones testified in public.  Flip through the New York Times today to find that report.
 
It's not there.
 
Jane Fonda speaking in January of this year (here for video, here for text)
 
Last month, in the Washington Post, there was a heart-breaking article by Nancy Trejos about the women's lives in Iraq.  The headline was, "Women Lose Ground in the New Iraq.  Once They Were Encouraged to Study and Work; Now Life Is 'Just Like Being in Jail'."  The article was on page A12.  If the female half of the world were visible and powerful, that article would have been the lead story, on the front page and above the fold. 
And to return to the Abeer Al-Janabi's tragic story.
The U.S. Army wants us to believe that what happened to Abeer was just another tale of a few bad apples.  One of the soldiers allegedly responsible -- the pupropted ringleader, private Steven Green, of Midland, Texas -- had a criminal record, and a history of drug abuse and emotional problems.  Once, the army would have rejected him.  But in 2005, desperate for recruits, they dismissed his dangerous past by granting him a so-called "moral waiver," and accepted him into their ranks.
 
On the first point, and Jamie Leigh Jones would be on the front page of today's New York Times (instead of not even noted) while on the second point, US soldiers carried out a criminal conspiracy to gang-rape and murder Abeer Qassim Hamza and to murder her parents, Qassim Hamza Raheem and Fakhriya Taha Muhsasen, and her five-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza on March 12, 2006.  Brian De Palma's brilliant film Redacted is work of fiction inspired by Abeer.
 

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

THIS JUST IN! WHO WILL SPEAK FOR THE WACK JOBS NOW!

 
IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, G.O.P. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TOM TANCREDO EXPLAINED WHY HE WAS RUNNING FOR HIS PARTY'S NOMINATION, "WE AS CONSERVATIVES CANNOT AFFORD TO SIT THIS ONE OUT. . . . WELL, THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TODAY.  I WANT TO GIVE VOICE TO EVERY CONSERVATIVE IN THIS COUNTRY UNHEARD AND UNREPRESENTED."
 
 
WHEN THE GOING GET TOUGHS, THE SUNSHINE 'PATRIOTS' GET TO RUNNING!
 
HAVING ALREADY ANNOUNCED IN OCTOBER THAT HE WOULD NOT BE RUNNING AGAIN FOR CONGRESS, TANCREDO'S FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN.  HOWEVER, A CAMPAIGN AID TOLD THESE REPORTERS,"I THINK HE JUST WANTS TO RELAX.  YOU KNOW, HE'S ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT MIAMI.  MAYBE HE'LL MOVE THERE."
 
 
Starting with war resistance. We're noting s3nn5 video online, which is one of the PSAs in support of war resisters in Canada,  entitled "Let them stay: US war resisters in Canada (2 of 3)" and we're focused on Ryan Johnson, Jeremy Hinzman and Clifford Cornell.
 
Ryan Johnson: The contract, when you go to sign your contract, it's about 30 pages long.  And you go, 'Okay, I want to flip through this real quick.'  And the sergeant that's helping you with your contract and stuff, they say, 'No, you don't have time to read it.  I'll just tell you what each page basically says that you're  -- or what the contract basically says.  And he just goes, 'Well the contract basically says that you're going to be signed up for four years and after that, you have four years of call-back basically -- if there's a military action we can call you back.  At the end of the contract, it says that everything in this contract that we have promised, as in the army, 'can be changed at any time without your notice.  And, uh, it also states in there that everything I promised is non-negoitable so I have to serve my four years no matter what. 
 
Jeremy Hinzman: I did break a contract.  I signed up for four years, I didn't stay for four years.  But a contract is two ways. It's two people agreeing to certain terms and conditions and the army didn't live up to it's to its terms and conditions.  It-it's not defending the Constitution of the United States . . .
 
Ryan Johnson: Most units, just like mine, are saying they aren't going to accept any Conscientious Objector claims.  You can apply but you won't be granted.
 
Clifford Cornell: My first sergeant who's my higher supervisor,  he got up in front of a formation and basically told us there was like two guys who applied for [CO] status.  He got up there and told us those two guys who applied for it and that he didn't want anyone else to apply for it because we was going to Iraq whether we liked it or not.
 
Ryan Johnson: There is I think when I left there was 15 other people that went AWOL from my unit alone So I mean if you look at how many units are deploying in any given time, if there's five or fifteen or twenty from that unit that go AWOL, that's a lot of people going AWOL.  Being AWOL in the States, it's impossible to do and actually like have a real life.  I mean you have a choice to going back to jail or living underground for the rest of your life. That's what choices you have unless you go to Canada.  That's the only other options that I know of.
 
The Canadian Parliament has the power to let war resisters stay in Canada.  Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.  Both War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist are calling for actions from January 24-26.
 
 
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.

Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
 
 
 
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
 
 
March 13th through 15th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
 
Turning to the US Senate.  Yesterday, Senator Russ Feingold declared, "The issue I heard most about this year as I traveled around the state was anger over the President' war in Iraq and Congress' inability to end it.  If those of us in Congree who want to end this war don't take every opportunity to push back against this administration, we will be just as responsible for keeping our troops in Iraq."  The statement came on the day the issue of funding the illegal war rose again, "just days after the Senate authorized another $189 billion dollars in war funding," as Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted.  Feingold proposed an amendment to the bill on funding (link has text and audio):
 
The amendment is one I have offered before and I will not hesitate, if I must, to offer again and again and again.  I'd add the 17 cosponsors is the greatest number we've ever had for this amendment.  It requires the President to begin safely redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq within 90 days of enactment, and requires redeployment to be completed within 9 months.  At that point, with the bulk of our troops safely out of Iraq, funding for the war would be ended, with four narrow exceptions: providing security for U.S. government personnel and infrastructure; training the Iraqi Security Forces; providing training and equipment to U.S. servicemen and women to ensure their safety and security and conducting targeted operations, limited in duration and scope, against members of al Qaeda and other affiliated international terrorist organizations.
Some of my colleagues complain that we have spent too much time debating Iraq this year.  They'd rather be talking about issues.  Well, we have a lot of important priorities here, but nothing is more important to me or my constituents than ending this disastrous war.  As I do every year, I held a townhall meeting in every county in Wisoncsin this year.  That's 72 meetings, for those of you who aren't from the Badger state.  I heard a lot from my constituents at these meetings about health care and education.  But the number one issue I heard about was foreign affairs, particularly the war in Iraq.  Let me tell you, they weren't asking why Congress is spending so much time on this issue.  They weren't asking us to give the President more time for his so-called surge.  Like Americans all across the country, they want an end to this war and they want to know what's stopping us.
The Senate needs to address the concerns and demands of our constitutents, who more than a year ago voted for a change in congressional leadership in large measure because of the debacle in Iraq.  But we have yet to follow through and end this misguided war, before more Americans are injured and killed.  And we are about to adjourn for the year and let the war drag on even longer.
 

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

THIS JUST IN! IT DON'T GET ANY WHITE-ER!

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIX MIX -- DC.

HAVING ALREADY BEEN ENDORSED BY 1 ICON OF WHITE AMERICA, OPRAH WINFREY, BARACK OBAMA ADDED ANOTHER TODAY.

PBS HOUSE PET AND LATINO HATER KEN BURNS ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT HE WAS ENDORSING OBAMA FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION. THE ANNOUNCEMENT MAY THROW SOME BECAUSE, UNLIKE HIS MEANDERING DOCUMENTARIES, BURNS MANAGED TO GET TO THE POINT IN TWO SENTENCES.

WHEN REACHED FOR COMMENT, AN OBAMA STAFFER EXPLAINED THAT NEXT ON THEIR CELEBRITY WISH LIST WAS ANITA BRYANT.


FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Starting with war resistance. s3nn5 has posted a video online that's one of the PSAs in support of war resisters in Canada. It's entitled "Let them stay: US war resisters in Canada (2 of 3)" and the 9 minutes and 53 seconds video features Ryan Johnson, Clifford Cornell and others. We're going to focus on Joshua and Brandi Key and I've switched the order a bit (others speak between the excerpts) and also moved around Josh and Brandi based on what they're talking about. "[. . .]" indicates a space and that's where I've plugged in and moved around, just FYI. This is the Keys telling their story starting with Josh describing his time in Iraq.
Joshua Key: Then they go outside, what we call zip-cuffed -- which is just basically, you just tie their hands together. Then from that point, they put them on a truck and I don't ever know whatever else happened to them after that. After that you don't ever see them again, to our standpoint. You, uh, when you're in the house you usually . . . You demolish all of it. And it's real dramatic because you have women and kids -- you know, they're screaming because, hell, you just scared the hell out of them. You woke them up with an outrageous bang. I mean, C4 is very explosive. Um, you do that, you just ripped their brothers or their husbands from their arms, they threw 'em out, they don't know where there husbands, sons are going, they don't know when they're going to be back, if they'll be tortured, they don't know . . . you know? And you can't communicate with the people because you don't know how to communicate with them. And it adds more, I guess, grief to yourself and a lot more questions because you have to do it on a constant basis. And it rips people's families apart. And it rips you apart as well because you're the one having to do it and you don't have no say in 'Well I don't want to participate in this any longer,' you can't do that.
[. . .]
I didn't go trying to kill innocent farmers and kids trying to protect their own country. You have innocent people all around you dying all the time. Then you have, on the other hand, you have your friends, your American soldiers, either getting maimed, you know, with their legs blown off and then you start thinking to yourself for what purpose is any of this, you know? And then the only thing you can come up with after all's said and done, after you think and it drives you nuts, is that we're here for the benefit of the Bush administration. That's why we're here. And then nobody, even your superiors, big time superiors, they can't sit there and tell you what your goal is, what are we here for? They don't know that either. They couldn't even tell you. So then it comes to the point where, 'Okay, then I'm obviously I'm here for the oil.'
[. . .]
I was coming home for a two-week leave and I was supposed to return to Iraq for an unknown amount of time but by the time I got home, I mean, the whole entire time I pretty well know what I've got to do but I have to talk it over with my wife and see how everybody sees -- if they see it my way or if they don't see it my way. Well we did so we decided we're going to have to leave. So basically at that time, I considered, I deserted at that time.
Brandi Key: He didn't want to go and do the things he was doing to the civilians -- that part of what he had to do was tearing him up inside. So we thought, well, he might go to jail. That was very scary. And we thought about, um, he would be dishonorably discharged
which really upset him because that would follow you for the rest of his life in any job he tried to get or anything like that. We had to do what we had to do to keep our family together.
Joshua Key: So all I knew was we had to run. So then basically we left Colorado Springs and just took off driving. So we started driving east and we ended up in Philadelphia which was, you know, big enough for us. We lived there for fourteen months, basically from hotel to hotel. You, uh, you know you still have to work because you have to provide which is very nerve wracking and stressful at the time. And basically you have to, you have to be in the shadows constantly. You can't let nobody know who you are really. You have to be very very quiet. You have to constantly lie because nobody can know the real situation. Then it just got to the point where . . . I mean, then it was like in October, you have to start thinking of something, there has to be another way out of this because I was pretty paranoid, you might say, and pretty nervous. But I had a reason to be. So then it got to the point well, 'Well there's got to be something there, there's got to be something out there.' So I started looking on the internet and that's when I found Jeremy was up here, Jeremy Hinzman was up here and how Jeffry House had helped him and that there was a war resister campaign. So then I tried to contact them people but even then you really don't know, you know what I mean?
Brandi Key: Before Josh went to Iraq, he was very passive, very calm -- always calm. He never was nervous or got upset. The boys could do whatever, he was all fine with them. Like when he came back, we went out to have a drink, right at first to, you know, celebrate, he's home, whatever. And he totally flipped out because there was so many people in the place and he kept doing like this and like this [Brandi shifts her body to act out discomfort and looking around] cause he didn't want anybody behind him and he was like having flashbacks -- with a crowd of people around him. He would just freak out. He was just freaking out totally. That same night, he got so mad. He like flipped out in the house and was throwing things and cussing and yelling and ripping drawers out, and tear the ceiling fan down. It was just . . . things that . . . way different from him. It's kind of hard when you try to talk to him sometimes -- his mind'll be somewhere else and for the kids it's kind of hard because you try to interact but he's thinking about Iraq. Like he'll see something and that triggers it to where that's all he thinks about even though he tries to talk to us . . . um, he's just not there. He's gone.
March of 2005 was when the Keys moved to Canada and they had four children at that time, they now have five. Joshua Key tells their story in The Deserter's Tale which he wrote with Lawrence Hill. It's an incredible book (and has been optioned to be turned into a film). It makes a wonderful gift. And it's apparently moving to all readers including [language warning] The Stateside Army Book Club who apparently were so moved by the book, they crossed over into Canada and posed as Canadian police officers in a desperate attempt to meet their literary hero whose book had moved them so. When a book has a devoted fan base like that, it's a must-read. Jordy-boy (Propagandhi) notes that the book covers everything: "From the lies told in recruiting offices, to the racist indoctrination of soldiers-in-training, to the terrorizing of iraqi citizens, to the systematic pilfering of their possessions . . . all the way to the refusal of a soldier to go back to war, putting himself and his family underground, ending up in canada, and truly seeking refuge from a nation that wishes to criminalize his decision to note take part in what of course amounts to the genocidal program of the united states of america, and their s**t-eating allies."
The Canadian Parliament has the power to let war resisters stay in Canada. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use. Both War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist are calling for actions from January 24-26.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.

Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
March 13th through 15th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.


RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot"
"Other Items"
"Stop-Over Rice tries to look busy"
Truest statement of the week
Truest statement of the week II
A Note to Our Readers
Editorial: We keep giving them money, they keep funding the illegal war
TV: ABC's Cesspool
Mailbag
"I love my drug buddy . . ."
Best war song you may not have heard
Dope of the week
Ike Turner (Ava and C.I. feature)
Highlights
"dems, nyt, hillary, britty, etc."
"Mercanaries mistaken for the military"
"Music"
"Isaiah, Cat Radio Cafe, Harvey Wasserman"
"Howard Zinn, Third"
"Who will call out Traitor-Joe?"
"THIS JUST IN! JOE LOVES JOHN!"


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Monday, December 17, 2007

THIS JUST IN! JOE LOVES JOHN!

 
 
THERE WAS MUCH WEEPING IN GAS BAG LAND.
 
CBS' BOB SCHIEFFER WEEPED, "IS THAT THE KIND OF THING ONE PERSON SHOULD DO TO ANOTHER?"
 
THE WASHINGTON POST'S RICHARD COHEN DECLARED THE ENDORSEMENT "SHOWED HOW SQUALID POLITICS CAN BE."
 
 
LIEBERMAN THEN BEGAN TO SERENADE SENATOR CRAZY WITH A TOUCHING VERSION OF SADE'S "NO ORDINARY LOVE" THAT ENDED WITH A DEEP, OPEN-MOUTHED KISS FOR THE TWO MEN.
 
SAID ONE SPECTATOR ROLLING HER EYES, "IT'S LIKE SEEING TWO BOBSEY TWINS MATE."  SHE WAS REFERRING TO THE FACT THAT LIEBERMAN AND MCCAIN WORE THE SAME OUTFIT IN DIFFERENT COLORS, RIGHT DOWN TO THEIR SWEATERS OVER THEIR DRESS SHIRTS AND TIES BUT UNDER THEIR SUIT JACKETS. 
 
 
(SCHIEFFER AND COHEN'S REMARKS ARE FROM 2003 AND WERE AIMED AT AL GORE WHO CHOSE TO ENDORSE HOWARD DEAN CAUSING THE TWO MEN -- AND MANY OTHERS -- TO WEEP OVER HOW UNFAIR IT WAS TO JOE LIEBERMAN -- SCHEIFFER: DECEMBER 21, 2003 ON FACE THE NATION; COHEN: DECEMBER 11, 2003 IN THE WASHINGTON POST,)
 
 
 
Starting with war resistance.  Today, from eight p.m. to ten p.m. at NYC's The Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery at Bleecker St.) Jazz for Peace --  Radam Schwartz & Conspiracy For Positivity will perform for the amazingly low price of $8 admission with a one drink minimum and the proceeds going to Peace Action NY and the War Resisters League.  The War Resisters League started in 1923 and advocates action (such as tax resistance), "war resistance and individual conscience."  Among their many efforts are the War Resisters League Youth and Countermilitarism Program.  Also on a musical and resistance note, Different Drummer Cafe (12 Paddock Arcade, Watertown, NY)  will host the opener of Greene Reveal and Forever Falls Through's national tour on December 27th (that's a Thursday) starting at 7:00 p.m.  Different Drumer is the first and, thus far only, GI coffeehouse in the country.  You can click here to see a YouTube music video of Greene Reveal and here for an interview with the band on YouTube.
 
Meanwhile, Aimee Allison and David Solnit address resistance in terms of the young people in their amazing book Army Of None which Emily Drabinski (Left Turn) reviews the book and notes that "Allison, a veteran, and Solnit suggest that counter military recruitment campaigns offer a concrete way to challenge the military at its base-the individual soldier" and concludes, "Allison and Solnit insist on the importance of offering an alternative vision of the world.  They don't color in that vision here, but give readers the necessary tools to begin the process themselves.  Army of None is, above all, a hopeful book.  Poetry and visual art are included throughout the text, along with success stories from activists who have helped young people stay out of the war machine.  In a time of increasingly oppresive public and political life, Allison and Solnit's conviction that counter recruitment work will lead to a better world is refreshing."  Also working with today's young people is  Agustin Aguayo.  Madeline Chambers (Reuters) reports that he is now working to get "the grim realities of war" to young people "before they join the military" and quotes Aguayo as stating, "I want to bring young people awareness.  We ask them to sacrifice so much yet we don't educate them about the realities of war."  Aguayo is currently engaged in a battle to be awarded CO status that he deserves.  Aguayo was wrongfully denied CO status by the military which refuses to operate under its own stated purpose.  Aguayo clearly fits the religious critieria.  The US military stated he did not because they refuse to recognize the fact (though the military's policy does) that someone's religious beliefs can grow -- not just start -- when they engage in a war.  Serving in Iraq strengthened Aguayo's religious beliefs.  (And to be clear, religion is not a requirement for CO status.  The criteria for religion is what Aguayo fits, however.) Chambers notes that Aguayo is appealing the CO refusal to the Supreme Court -- as he should.  The US military's actions with denying COs during this illegal war are appalling period.  However, in terms of Aguayo, the militay is not only refusing to follow their own written policies, they are creating barriers that they are not allowed to and since this involves religion (and potential discrimination), the Supreme Court is the venue to address the issues and hopefully they will grant cert and hear the case.
 
Turning to Canada, Great Britain's Socialist Worker reports on war resister Phil McDowell's testimony to the Canadian Parliament's Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration noting, "McDowell joined the army in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks on the US.  He served a year in Iraq, ending his tour of duty in March 2005.  But a month and a half after being discharged, he was ordered back into the army under the notorious 'stop-loss' policy which allows the US army to re-enlist former soldiers.  Disillusioned with the war, McDowell fled to Canada in October 2006 where he joined a growing number of soldiers who have refused to join the illegal occupation.  He told a recent anti-war rally that 'thousands of soldiers in the military have told me that they feel the same way'."  War Resisters Support Campaign's Michelle Rodibdoux says of the resolution now sent on to the House of Commons, "I want to make sure that nobody leaves thinking that this is won.  It's very important that we understand that now the work begins."  In terms of e-mailing, where the pressure needs to be currently is on the these three: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. That's because the Parliament is now on break until February and because many are expecting elections to be called.  Action from the Parliament is necessary due to the fact that on November 15th, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear the appeals of war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey.  Aaron Glantz covered that in real time (one of the very few) and if you missed his report then, you can read "No refuge for U.S. war resisters in Canada" at The Final Call.com News.  The Boggs Center's Shea Howell (The Michigan Citizen) notes "Every day more soldiers are voting with their feet.  According to an Associated Press report released in mid-November, the number of AWOL Army soldiers has increased 80 percent since March of 2003.  The Army says 4,698 soldiers deserted their posts in fiscal year 2007, an increase of over 2,000 from 2006.  GI rights advocates the number is far higher.  Of course, soldiers go AWOL for many reasons, and the majority of them don't denounce the war.  However an increasing number publicly oppose the war, even though this could mean harsh punishments or jail time."
 
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.

Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
 
 
 
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
 
 
March 13th through 15th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.  Shea Howell (The Michigan Citizen) observes, "These soldiers, along with survivors of the war from both countries, will provide public testimony of what they saw and experienced."
 
Over the weekend, Kelly Kennedy (Army Times) reported on a platoon's revolt in Iraq following tremendous losses, lack of support and a host of other issues including the suicide of Master Sgt. Jeffrey McKinney. Captain Cecil Strickland explains, "If my guys had stayed at Adhamiya, they would have taken the gloves off.  We were afraid somebody was going to get in trouble."  Kennedy reports, "They decided as a platoon that they were done, DeNardi and Cardenas said, as did several other members of 2nd Platoon.  At mental health, guys had told the therapist, 'I'm going to murder someone.'  And the therapist said, 'There comes a time when you have to stand up,' 2nd Platoon members remembered.  For the sake of not going to jail, the platoon decided they had to be 'unplugged'."  After intimidation, warnings and threats didn't work, the brass broke up the platoon.  That was the third report.  For the first report click here, for the second here and for part four here.
 
 

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