Wednesday, January 10, 2007

THIS JUST IN! HE'S ALL SOMETHING!

 
IT ONLY TOOK 6 YEARS BUT TONIGHT THE BULLY BOY WILL ANNOUNCE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT HE HAS MADE 1 "MISTAKE" WHILE INSTALLED IN THE OVAL OFFICE -- NOT SENDING ENOUGH U.S. TROOPS INTO HIS ILLEGAL WAR.
 
IRONICALLY HIS "MISTAKE" ALLOWS HIM TO JUSTIFY ADVOCATING MORE U.S. TROOPS BE SENT TO IRAQ TO BE USED AS TARGETS IN HIS ILLEGAL WAR.
 
HE'S A BIT LIKE THE HUSBAND CAUGHT CHEATING WHO PLEADS HE'S JUST A MAN WHO LOVES TOO MUCH.
 
 
 
Turning to news of war resistance, Robert Fantina (CounterPunch) writes of Ivan Brobeck.  Yes, Ivan Brobeck -- the war resister independent media forgot.  Or those who keep up.  The Full Brobeck is a term the community uses to note what passes for coverage of war resisters in independent media -- so named when only  KPFA's Flashpoints covered Brobeck when he returned to the US from Canada to turn himself on election day (November 6, 2006 -- day before the election -- is when the interview conducted by Nora Barrows-Friedman aired).  Robert Fantina (CounterPunch) writes: "Lance Corporal Ivan Brobeck, Sergeant Ricky Clousing, Sergeant Kevin Benderman, Sergeant Camilo Mejia: each a veteran of the Iraq war, and each charged with desertion.   Mr. Benderman, Mr. Mejia and Mr. Clousing were convicted, sentenced and have completed prison time.  Mr. Brobeck is currently serving an 8-month sentence.  Yet with government studies indicating that thousands of soldiers have deserted during the Iraq war, why are only a few charged, while so many others are basically ignored?  This is not a new phenomenon.  As communication has improved over the two centuries of America's life, the ability for war resisters to reach a wider audience has greatly increased.  The four brave men listed above demonstrated their courage first on the battlefield.  They then not only further showed their bravery by leaving the U.S. military -- a tremendously brave act in and of itself -- they went the additional step of speaking out publicly against the war.  This, it seems, is what brought down the wrath of the U.S. government upon them."
 
In Peggy Got A Message For Me, From Jesus news: Wonderful article but can someone get it to The Nation -- with sections highlighted?  ("Peggy Get . . ." line from Tori Amos' "Cooling" off To Venus And Back.)  Elaine will be addressing that topic this evening at Like Maria Said Paz.  That topic?  The Nation's refusal to cover war resisters.
 
Meanwhile William Hughes (San Francisco Indymedia) reports that, in a recent speech, Daniel Ellsberg opposed the escalation option (that Bully Boy will be pimping in the Big Speech), opposed expanding the war and "lauded Lt. Ehren Watada for his principled stand against the Iraqi war."  Ehren Watada is the first US officer to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq.  Last week, a pre-trial hearing began which preceeds the planned February 5th court-martial.  John Catalinotto (Workers World) reports that Camp Resistance is across from Fort Lewis (where Watada is stationed) and "plans to stay until the end of Lt. Watada's court-martial" while there will be "nationally coordinated demonstrations for Feb. 5, the day his court-martial is scheduled to open."
 
Information about Camp Resistance can be found in The Nation.  Did you laugh at that idea?  Me too.  Seriously, information about Camp Resistance can be found at Iraq Veterans Against the War which has a page for it and other actions entitled Iraq Veterans Against The War Deployed with photos and blog posts.
 
Watada and Brobeck are a part of a movement of resistance within the military that also includes Kyle Snyder, Darrell Anderson, Ricky Clousing, Aidan Delgado, Mark Wilkerson, Agustin Aguayo, Joshua Key, Camilo Meija, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Jeremy Hinzman, Corey Glass, Patrick Hart, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske and Kevin Benderman. In total, thirty-eight 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, and the War Resisters Support Campaign. 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 next week (MLK day).  [Yes, that is a federal holiday and, yes, Congress won't be in session.]
 
And remember that Lisa Brobeck is requesting people write her husband, war resister Ivan Brobeck, "so he is constantly reminded that he is not alone during this time in the brig and that he is supported in his brave and courages stand."  The address:
 
LCPL Ivan S. Brobeck 
MCB Quantico Brig 
3247 Elrod Avenue 
Quantico, Virginia 22134 

 


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