Saturday, November 24, 2007

Iraq war is a betrayal of American democracy



By MATT HOWARD November 11, 2007
In 2003 I illegally invaded the sovereign nation of Iraq with 1st Tank battalion 1st Marine Division. My commander in chief unleashed the world's fiercest fighting force upon the country and people of Iraq, and now those of us used and betrayed by him are demanding justice.

Four and a half years after our opening "shock and awe" Bush's lies are known throughout the world, and yet he continues to act with impunity. Four and a half years later the Bush regime has unleashed a hell upon the country of Iraq that only those who have been there can truly understand.

As a two-tour combat veteran of this brutal war, I have a responsibility to speak honestly and openly about what has been done and what continues to be done in our name. We veterans know that this war is not the one being sanitized on the nightly news. It has nothing to do with the liberation of the people of Iraq; instead it has everything to do with the subjugation and domination of these people in the name of U.S. imperial economic and strategic interests.

We did not go to war with the country of Iraq, we went to war with the people of Iraq. During the initial invasion we killed women. We killed children. We senselessly killed farm animals. We were the United States Marine Corps, not the Peace Corps, and we left a swath of death and destruction in our wake all the way to Baghdad.

Let me say again so that there is no misunderstanding. I stand here today as a former U.S. Marine saying we are killing women and children in Iraq. This is the true nature of war. War lends itself to atrocities. Don't think you can use an organization designed to kill other human beings for anything humanitarian. That has never been our mission. That was crystal clear from the moment I was forced to bury the crate of humanitarian food given to me in Kuwait.

Four and a half years later we as soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are done. We are done being told under threat of court martial to run over children that get in the way of our speeding convoys.

We are done raiding and destroying the homes of innocent Iraqis on a nightly basis.
We are done abusing and torturing prisoners.
We are done being hired thugs for the 160,000 contractors and U.S. corporate interests in Iraq.
We are done being poisoned by depleted uranium, the unspoken Agent Orange of this war.
We are done coming home broken, from two, three, four tours of duty – only to find our commander in chief has actually tried to CUT funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs. To find our doctors being told to diagnose us with pre-existing personality disorders instead of post traumatic stress syndrome.
We are done killing for lies.

So Iraq Veterans Against the War is taking back our history – the history that has been robbed from us. We are dispelling the myth that the Vietnam war ended when the Democrats started voting against it. Instead we are spreading the truth about how the American War in Vietnam ended.

The Vietnam War ended when soldiers put down their weapons and refused to fight; when pilots dropped their bombs in the ocean.

We are re-educating the public to let them know that the power ultimately lies with the people. Just take a look at the thousands of pages of internal documents from the Department of Defense explicitly detailing how at the end of the Vietnam war the military had collapsed. It was literally in a state of mutiny. And that movement is slowly starting again. Because ultimately in every war waged throughout human history, those forced to fight quickly realize they have much more in common with those they are being told to kill than with those telling them to do the killing.

And we are re-educating the public about the true nature of sectarian violence. No, the middle east is NOT inherently violent. In fact, in the 1,400-year schism between Sunnis and Shias – there has NEVER been a civil war fought. They have always lived in the same neighborhoods and even intermarried. The United States has caused this civil war using the classic colonial techniques of divide and conquer.

George Bush is a war criminal who has violated international law, the Geneva convention and the Nuremburg standards and needs to tried accordingly for crimes against humanity.

I ask every red-blooded American today: What would you do if your homeland was savagely invaded and occupied by another country?


The Iraqis will continue to resist and fight until the last American has left their homeland. Period. End the violence in Iraq? End the occupation.



We veterans are speaking out to stop the violence being perpetrated in our name. When we voted in the Democrats on an anti-war mandate, the Bush regime expanded the war. As we are marching against further occupation, the Bush regime is making threats against Iran.

And we will not continue to be silenced by the mainstream media. Top generals and bottom privates are all speaking in unison now. We know the truth about the slaughter of upwards of one million Iraqis. Why is no one listening? We will not stand by as this regime tricks the country into thinking that if you oppose the war you do not support the troops. We ARE the troops and we have never felt support from this administration. Stop mindlessly supporting the troops. Start demanding that we come home – and maybe think about apologizing to us when we get back.
Original Article

Matt Howard attained the rank of corporal in the United States Marine Corps. He is head of the Vermont chapter for Iraq Veterans Against the War. This statement was made at a recent protest at the Vermont State House.

If you would like to attend an event and lend your personal support to Iraq Veterans Against the War, check here for upcoming events.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Why Would Wolf Blitzer Want Hillary to Win?

Friday, November 16, 2007

From the Author of Armed Mad house,

Thursday, November 15, 2007

THE COMING WAR WITH IRAN

In the latest issue of Tikkun, "Israeli Peace Activist Uri Avneri explains why Bush will try a war with Iran to redeem his presidency...and why it will be a disaster."

The Last Refuge
"Israel is an island in the global sea. We live in a bubble. This week I was sharply reminded of this.

I was returning home from Germany. On the eve of the flight, all TV networks, from CNN and BBC to the German channels, were reporting on the events in Pakistan. In the airplane, I opened Israel's largest circulation tabloid, Yedioth Aharonoth, in order to read about the Pakistani mess. I did not find any mention of it on page 1. Nor on page 2. I found a small item on page 27. The first pages were devoted to something much more important: the shouts of protest by right-wing football hooligans when they were requested to stand up in memory of Yitzhak Rabin.

The next day, Yedioth found an Israeli angle that enabled it to put Pakistan on the front page after all: the fear that the Pakistani nuclear bomb would fall into the hands of Osama bin Laden, who would aim it at Israel. Hallelujah, there is again something to be afraid of.

But the putsch by Pervez Musharaf is a serious matter. It could well have far-reaching effects for the world in general, and for Israel in particular.

THE MAIN victim - besides, of course, the hundreds of political activists who have been thrown into prison - is George W. Bush.

Machiavelli said that it is preferable for the prince to be feared rather than loved. In the same vein, it can be said that it is preferable for a president to be hated rather than derided.

And derision is what George W. is attracting. He has asserted in the past that his main task was to bring democracy to the Muslim world, and has assured us that the implementation of this aim was well under way. That is a laughable pretense.

What is happening in fact?" Click here for the rest of the article.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Glen Greenwald on Ron Paul distortions and smears

This article includes a video of Rep. Ron Paul answering a question on who he would vote for if he was not running. The complete answer may surprise some. I wasn't. But it did raise my eyebrows a tad.

Ron Paul for President HQ

Monday, November 12, 2007

VETERAN BY TOM CHELSTON

This is my 3rd post on a Tom Chelston song. His songs are so powerful, you will not want to miss this one called "Veteran". His home page, Tomsongs can be found here. He has a new CD out and at $12.99 itsa steal.
My previous post on Tom Chelston can be found here.(scroll up)

Peace. And as I should constantly remind myself, if one wants Peace, one must Be Peace.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

'I feared I'd end up dead in the woods like Dr Kelly,' says biological warfare expert who criticised Britain and U.S.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

If Today's Actions of Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein & Chuck Shumer

does not convince Liberals that the Democratic Party does not hold the same values, what will? Do they have to come and personally burn your house down? Kick your children in the teeth?
At every turn they don't miss a chance to support the Bush Regime.
Support the American - Iraq War? Vote Democratic.
Support Torture? Vote Democratic.
Support Secret Prisons? Vote Democratic.
Support Warrantless Wiretapping of Americans? Vote Democratic.
Support Corporate Welfare? Vote Democratic.

Today I removed the Draft Al Gore plea on the sidebar. He missed the filing deadline in New Hampshire. It is obvious he will not run. He has proven himself to be a Coward. Twice.
Want to change the Democratic Party? You can't. They don't want your change. Only Big Donors need apply. You can't afford it. Pull the nose ring out and register Independent.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

James Circello Has The Courage to Resist

My Friend in Peace Dancewater has a letter she wants to share with you.
"I joined the Army after the towers of New York fell. Swept up in the fervor, I left college to enlist.
My country was attacked-I like many, wanted to defend it."

Please make any comments pertaining to it at her place, thank you.
Peace.

Friday, November 02, 2007

MIchelle Concentration Camp Malkin and her Hoardes are piling on NIckelodean and Hasbro






















Recently Linda Ellerbee ran a segment on Nickelodeon that showed just what Power and Responsibility Citizenship entails. This segment also profiled American Hero Ava of "Peace Takes Courage". Since this segment was not approved by the MSM and Michelle Malkin she has decided to unleash her deluded followers on Nickelodeon, Viacom and Hasbro, one of the sponsors of Linda Ellerbee's segments. So as to make sure Nickelodeon and Hasbro does not hear just the Sick Far Right's opinion on this, I contacted Nickelodeon and Hasbro via the info supplied by the Hate Site's of "ArmyWifeToddlerMom"(ahh if only we could go back to the 50's eh?) and Michelle Malkin.

This is the letter I sent to Nickelodeon -"I want to take this time to thank Hasbro for it's sponsorship of Nicelodeon. I'm sure that the company has received many letters of protest from the ranks of Michelle Malkin's hordes. I for one know that the segment was for the purpose of showing what power a Citizen has and ways to exercise it. I would be very disappointed if Hasbro pulled it's advertising because some don't like the idea of Citizen empowerment. As a father of a 3yr. old I must say, we enjoy a lot of Nickelodean's programming and don't see anything wrong with educating children on Citizenship and the responsibility it requires. Thank you for your time and have a good day."

Now we know what kind of letters and messages the Sick Far Right sends. This is from Ava's comment section on her blog,
"by waz_up14 @ 31 Oct 2007 04:37 pm
i hate this site it sucks your so wrong without this war you wouldn't be alive or even get to have this website"
Must be that "Compassionate Conservatism" that motivated that e-mailer.

If you are so inclined here is the contact info -

Nickelodeon Email

Nickelodeon-East Coast
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
Phone (212)846-2543

Nickelodeon-West Coast
4040 Vineland Suite 105
Studio City, Ca 91605

Viacom email

This is Alison Dexter's to Executive Vice President (EVP) of Production at Nickelodeon personal cell number - 818-736-3000. I would not have provided it except Stepford Wife "ArmyWifeToddlerMom" put it on her site. I called and she seemed delighted that I called. She thanked me and asked me to repeat my opinion on the message line which she then transferred me to.

Remember Politeness Counts. Oh yeah, the Kids are alright.

P.S. The above picture is not from the high lighted segment. It is from this place.
You can watch the trailer here.