Monday, November 27, 2006

THIS JUST IN! IT'S A CIVIL WAR!

 
THIS JUST IN! 
 
IT'S A CIVIL WAR!
 
IT IS BECOMING OFFICIAL, A CIVIL WAR RAGES IN IRAQ.
 
IT'S LIKE A HEAD TOSS THAT MONTHS TO CALL.
 
TODAY, NBC NEWS DECIDED TO STATE THE OBVIOUS AND DECLARE IT A CIVIL WAR.
 
FOR SOME STRANGE REASON, THE WHITE HOUSE HAS SO MUCH FREE TIME THEY DECIDED TO BICKER OVER THE CALL.  MARGARET SPELLING, SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, AND CONDI RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE AND ANGER, STOOD OFF TO THE SIDE WHILE NAMES WERE CALLED AND SACKS HANDED OUT.
 
WAVING HIS SACK, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL FLACK GORDON JOHNDROE RUSHED OVER TO DECLARE HE HAS A FOOT LONG MEATBALL SANDWICH FROM SUBWAY AND "OH YEAH,  THE VIOLENCE IS PRIMARILY CENTERED AROUND BAGHDAD AND BAGHDAD SECURITY AND THE INCREASED TRAINING OF IRAQI SECURITY FORCES IS AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA WHEN -- DID THEY TOAST THIS?  I DON'T THINK THEY TOASTED IT!"
 
SWINGING HIS ARBY'S SACK AND EXPLAINING, "GOTTA SNACK BEFORE WE BOARD AIR FORCE ONE!", STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WHO HAS NEVER ANSWERED FOR HIS ROLE IN THE OUTING OF C.I.A. AGENT VALERIE PLAME, DECLARED, "OBVIOUSLY EVERYONE WOULD AGREE THINGS ARE NOT PROCEEDING WELL ENOUGH OR FAST ENOUGH.  BEEF BACON 'N CHEDDER AND HOMESTYLE FRIES?  I ORDERED CURLY FRIES!  I ORDERED CURLY FRIES!  CRAP!  MY WHOLE DAY IS RUINED NOW!"
 
WHEN ASKED IF ESTONIA MIGHT SEND MORE TROOPS TO IRAQ, HADLEY RESPONDED, "WHAT?  OH MAN, MY JAMOCHA SHAKE!  THIS ISN'T JAMOCHA, THIS IS STRAWBERRY!  VERMONT AND NEW HAMPSHIRE COMBINED ARE BIGGER THAN NOTHING COUNTRY!"
 
WHEN IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT THEY DID HAVE 35 SOLDIERS SERVING IN IRAQ AND THAT TWO HAVE DIED SINCE THE START OF THE WAR, HADLEY EXCLAIMED, "BIG WHOOP T' DO!  35?  WOOOO.  THEY'VE GOT LIKE A MILLION CITIZENS AND THEY SEND US 35?  F**K THAT S**T.  ONLY REASON WE'RE GOING IS BECAUSE LITTLE MIKE CHERTOFF TOLD BULLY BOY IT'S A HUGE TRANSFER PLACE FOR OPIATES, WEED, COKE AND SYNTH DRUGS.  THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING.  CRAP, CRAP, CRAP.
WHERE'S THE PECAN STICKY BUN? HUH!"
 
SECRETARIES SPELLING AND RICE GIGGLED AND HIGH FIVED.  LATER, SECRETARY RICE EXPLAINED, "EVERYBODY FOCUSES ON THE NEGATIVES.  'YOU HAVEN'T WON THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN, YOU'RE LOSING IN IRAQ, OSAMA'S STILL ON THE LOOSE, YOU HAVEN'T FIXED THE DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE KATRINA . . .'  WHAT ABOUT OUR PRACTICAL JOKES, HUH?  NO ONE GIVES US CREDIT FOR THOSE.  EVERYONE STILL WANTS TO TALK AUGUST 6, 2001 AND WHY I DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE PDB.  THOSE BEDS IN CRAWFORD WEREN'T GOING TO SHORT SHEET THEMSELVES!"
 
WHEN IT WASN'T POINTED OUT THAT GETTING ORDERS WRONG REALLY WASN'T THAT MUCH OF A PRANK, SECRETARY RICE LEANED IN AND WHISPERED, "OH YEAH?  MAGS SPIKED ALL THE FOOD WITH EXLAX!"
 
LAUGHING, SHE THREW SEVERAL FOLDERS WORTH OF DOCUMENTS STAMPED "URGENT" INTO A TRASH CAN AND SAUNTERED OFF.
 
 
 
 
This morning,  WBAI's Law and Disorder wrapped up their four-part series on the police state by exploring how a democracy could exist at home and an empire abroad.  Hosts Michael Ratner, Heidi Boghosian, Dalia Hashad and Michael Smith spoke with Anthony Arnove on the topic of Iraq.  (Arnove's Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal is now available in softcover.
 
Arnove offered strong critiques of the Democratic party and noted that US Senator Harry Reid is pushing for an additional 75 billion dollars going to the military bill and that the Democratic majority in the US Congress has little interest in using their power of the purse
to stop funding the illegal war. Arnove's opinion is that the peace movement is in a stronger position due to the fact that so many Americans are against the war and want the troops home.  If you missed the broadcast you can visit the Law and Disorder website or at the WBAI archives. Mike will be discussing the broadcast at Mikey Like It! tonight.  Ruth will probably highlight in a report this week as well.  (And thanks to Ruth for providing the 'streaming audio' via telephone line.)  (Ruth called and put her phone up to the radio speaker if anyone's confused.)
 
Arnove also spoke of the importance of keeping the pressure on the government to end the war and of the importance of resisters within the military. 
 
Turning to news of US war resisters. Janet McConnaughey (AP) reports that  Kyle Snyder "spent Thanksgiving week gutting houses flooded more than a year ago by Hurricane Katrina" and that he was part of "two dozen volunteers from Iraq Veterans Against the War".
Snyder, on October 31st, turned himself in at Fort Knox only to self-check out again after discovering the military had lied yet again. Since then Snyder has been underground, surfacing to speaking out against the war.  He is now underground and tells McConnaughey that, these days, "I just travel" while his "lawyer has tried to contact Fort Leonard Wood like 75 times -- it's documented, 75 times -- and tried to get in touch with the military. They've avoided this entire subject."
 
Meanwhile, Carolyn Thompson (AP) reports that US war resister Patrick Hart has stated he has "no desire to go back."  Back being the United States.  Hart is among the thirty plus war resisters who are attempting to seek refugee status in Iraq.  Hart tells Thompson, "Every day I wake up with my son [Rian], it just assures me I did the right thing." 
 
Hart and Snyder are a part of war resistance within the military that also includes, among others, Ehren Watada , Joshua Key, Ivan Brobeck, Darrell Anderson, Ricky Clousing, Mark Wilkerson, Camilo Meija, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Jeremy Hinzman, Corey Glass,  Joshua Casteel, Clifford Cornell, Agustin Aguayo, Joshua Despain, Katherine Jashinski, and Kevin Benderman. And those are only some of the names of those resisting who have gone public.
 
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, Soldier Say No!, the War Resisters Support Campaign, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans For Peace.  Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Appeal for Redress is collecting signatures of active duty service members calling on Congress to bring the troops home -- the petition will be delivered to Congress in January (on MLK day).  (Jonathan Hutto was also interviewed on Law and Disorder today.  Hutto is one of the organizers of Appel for Redress.)
 
 
 
 
Recommended: "Iraq Snapshot"
 
 

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