Blog Spotlight: Rebecca pens a Dear John letter

Rebecca writes a good-bye letter (picked by Courtney and Tim in e-mails for the highlight from Rebecca).

dear john

dear john,

i know that we both agreed to try.

november of 2004 was very busy, very humilitating.

for you and for me.

i don't trust a man who says 1 thing and does another. i mean, i've never forgiveen h. ross perot for saying, in 1992, that he'd pull out but not doing it. a woman just can't trust a man like that.

back in 2004, when you refused to insist upon making sure that all the votes were counted, i really was furious.

i think you grasped that.

you slunk around for a few months.

you weren't there when barbara boxer and shirley tubbs-jones were standing up for voters.

then you seemed to nurse your wounds and i could see you hanging around, on the edges.

we'd avoid each other and how you allowed yourself to be humiliated from, basically, september 2004 through election day 2004.

it was a sore spot and bringing it up would be like picking at a scab for both of us.

then your wing mate started contacting me with his '1 america' stuff and i guess you felt a little left out.

so you started e-mailing me.

looking at those e-mails now, i see you were still the same sucker you always were, the 1 that pissed me off in 2004.

take the e-mail you had barak obama write me:

Help Harold Ford, Jr. in Tennessee, Claire McCaskill in Missouri, Bob Menendez in New Jersey, and Jim Webb in Virginia.

john, that e-mail went out on october 25th.

i never thought we were 'exclusive,' so i'm sure a lot of people saw it.

most of them must be thinking, as i am, that you're a simp. you're a simp because today harold ford jr., who you supported and raised money for, was 1 of the 1st to publicly attack you.

that's not a surprise. harold ford jr. is running for office on the i-love-bully-boy ticket. he's a democrat in name only.

and there he was dissing you like his spiritual soul mate zell miller. but when zell was trashing you, at least you hadn't been vouching for him a week prior.

harold ford jr. took your money and stabbed you in the back.

any 1 could have seen it coming. but not you, john, never you.

you seem intent upon playing the fool. over and over.

so today, you were apologizing. you were sucking up to don imus and laughing like a fool. 'wind surfing'? john, that wasn't funny in summer 2004. they smeared you with that.

you didn't come off like a good sport, you came off like a fool.

as you increased your apologies throughout the day, it honestly started to come off like you were reveling in demonstrating how low you could go, how you had no pride or conviction, how you would sell out even yourself if it meant those mean 'ol republicans would stop trashing you.

john, we've danced this dance before.

you stepped on my toes and ripped the hem of my best dress.

it's time we both stopped pretending like what happened didn't happen.

it happened. you caved in 2004.

now you've caved again.

the republicans attacked you, and you caved.

it's as though tony snow waved a gun in your face and demanded your watch but you decided he needed that, your wallet, your shoes, your tie, your shirt and your pants.

john, i wouldn't trust you with my vote now.

you talked a big talk. i was willing to believe you'd learned something from the attacks of 2004 but that's all gone now.

don't e-mail me.

don't think i'll give you money.

why would i? you'd probably just hand it over to grover norquist if he promised not to scowl at you.

honestly, i've met some 1 else.

the name? self-respect.

i don't think you and self-respect have ever met.

i doubt the 2 of you ever will - you both have very little in common.

you and i kidded ourselves before. we thought we could act like 2004 didn't happen because you were talking big.

john, the trash talk doesn't mean anything if you can't take that attitude out of the locker room and onto the court.

so do us both a favor. just give up on being president in 2008. we don't need the baggage.

it shouldn't be too hard for you to give up that dream, you already gave up everything else today.

me & self-respect are much happier together than i ever could be with you. with self-respect, i can hold my head high and don't have to worry that after you're done beating yourself up for the amusement of others, you'll turn around and start beating up on me.

sincerely,

rebecca winters



here's c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Wednesday, November 1, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, American commanders appear to just notice that long established fact, Kyle Snyder is again lied to, John Kerry takes himself out of the 2008 race, and October's death toll for US troops continues to rise even though, yes, it is November 1st.

US war resister Kyle Snyder turned himself in at Fort Knox yesterday. After which, David Montero (Rocky Mountain News) reports, the army went back on their deal and Snyder was "shipped from Fort Knox, Ky., to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., possibly to face a full court-martial." Snyder's attorney, James Fennerty, told AP that after Snyder turned himself in, the military attempted to get him "to sign a form that would have hastened his return to his unit" and that "We wouldn't have brought him back here if we knew this was going to happen." As Katya Cengel (Courier-Journal) reports, Fennerty, who also represented Darrell Anderson, has stated, "We're going to make sure nobody comes back from Canada again because we were lied to."

Kyle Snyder self-checked out of the US military after serving in Iraq during which time he saw abuses that were not investigated, his girlfriend lost their baby, and his grandfather returned. In April 2005, he went to Canada. He returned last Saturday and turned himself at Fort Knox yesterday with the understanding that he would discharged.

War resistance within the military is an under-reported story in small media as Ruth, Rebecca and Mike pointed out yesterday. But, in fact, all waves of the peace movement are under-reported in small media. For those within the military considering resistance, Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign are among the resources out there. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.

Elizabeth de la Vega (TomDispatch) reported on war resister Ricky Clousing yesterday and noted meeting him at Camp Democracy in September and he reasons that he led him to refuse to fight in the Iraq war and concludes: "Twenty-four years old, Clousing told the world in simple declarative sentences why he had to give up his college money, receive a dishonorable discharge, and go to jail to take a stand against the invasion and occupation of Iraq. He'd make a very cool action figure. Come to think of it, Sgt. Ricky Clousing -- tattooed arms, Laguna Beach t-shirt, and all -- would make an awesome shepherd in that manager scene. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker are just going to have to move over."

Turning to England, poodle Tony Blair avoided the inquiry into Iraq in the House of Commons. Philippe Naughton (Times of London) reports that Blair says maybe later to an Iraq inquiry "hours after narrowly avoiding defeat on a Commons motion calling for exactly that." Patrick Wintour (Irish Times) reports that the vote has left prime-minister-wannabe Gordon Brown "anxious to restore the authority of parliament, and trust in politicians" so "he will be under pressure to hold an inquest into the wider foreign policy failures of the Iraq invasion." As the Guardian of London notes, the vote was 298 to 273 with "12 Labour MPs" voting "against the government." As noted yesterday, the Farewell Tour isn't going the way Blair's handlers planned it.

Neither is Iraq. From yesterday: "In addition CNN notes that 'at least 40 people' were kidnapped north of Baghdad." CBS and AP note that the 40 kidnappings are confirmed and that the death toll from the bombing of the wedding party yesterday has risen from 15 to 23 "including nine children." In addition, they report that two coaches were kidnapped in Baghdad today "by a group of men in SUVs". The violence and chaos continue daily and, as Michael R. Gordon (New York Times) reported, the US Central Command has just prepared a chart ("two weeks ago") to note that. It takes some a little longer.


Bombings?

Reuters reports many bombs: in Baghdad, 2 car bombs resulted in 7 deaths (and 7 wounded), one minibus bombing resulted in 3 deaths, and 1 roadside bomb resulted in 2 deaths (10 wounded); Ramadi, five dead three wounded from two car bombs; Mosul, two wounded from a roadside bomb; Baiji two wounded from a roadside bomb.


Shootings?

CBS and AP report that Izzaddin Abbas was shot dead in Baghdad and a Ministry of Industry employee was shot dead in Baghdad. Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) reports four shooting deaths in Mosul. In addition, Reuters notes that a policewoman was shot dead in Mosul.


Corpses?

CBS and AP note three corpses were discovered in Baghdad today ("blindfolded and bound at the wrists"). CNN notes that the number of corpses discovered in Baghdad grew to ten. And Reuters then updated to note thirty-five corpses were discovered in Baghdad, nine in Mosul, five in Falluja, and one in Numaniya. Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) notes that five corpses were discovered in "the Tigris River near Suwayrah".



In election news, though he may not grasp it, US Senator John Kerry's just taken himself out of the 2008 presidential race. It wasn't the remark he made ("You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."), it was the fact that he went through a variety of positions on it including hedging it, distorting it, saying he wouldn't apologize for it until finally doing just that. And on Don Imus, of all places, where the supposed Fighting John allowed Imus to Swift Boat him with ha-has of "wind surfing" and more. It's over, 2008 is now officially over for John Kerry. Those willing to give him the benefit of doubt despite his caving in Boston in the early morning hours of the day after the election had been told Fighting John would never cave again. "Good of the country" was the excuse that morning. There is no excuse for not fighting this go round, there is only the admission that Fighting John will buckle each and every time and that Fighting John lacks drive, lacks leadership, lacks passion and lacks committment. Send him his "Dear John" letter, it's over.


He was unable to defend either himself or the military he's spent the last few years hiding behind. What should have been an opportunity for the American public to have a serious exchange about exactly what Donald Rumsfled has done to the US military instead became a case of Save-My-Own-Ass.


The conversation will be had and it will be had without John Kerry. As the Miami Herald reported in October of 2005: "Army Secretary Noel Harvey and Gen. Richard Cody, the vice chief of staff, said Monday that the Army is using loose Defense Department rules that permits it to sign up more high school dropouts and people who score lower on mental-qualification tests, but they denied that this meant it was lowering standards." In February of this year, Kelly M. Greenhill penned an op-ed for the New York Times noting: "The Army inducted both more recruits without high school diplomas and more youths scoring in the lowest category of the Army's aptitude test, so-called Category IV recruits. Welcoming more such recruits into the military has obvious appeal at a time when recruitment numbers are slipping, while manpower needs remain acute. But the adoption of lower standards to fill the ranks is shortsighted and imprudent. Moreover, continuing or expanding this policy would be a mistake for the Army and for the recruits themselves. Pentagon officials should know this better than anyone: their previous experiments with lower standards were clear failures." USA Today noted in July of 2005: "The Army in 2005 began accepting up to 4% of those who score in the bottom third on the Armed Froces Qualification Test. Previously, it had a limit of 2% from that category." In October of this year, AP reported that the "new lower aptitude standards" allowed the U.S. army to meet its target goal and noted "13,600, were accepted under waivers for various medical, moral or criminal problems, including misdemeanor arrests or drunk driving. . . . Of those accepted under waivers, more than half were for 'moral' reasons, mostly misdemeanor arrests. Thirty-eight percent were for medical reasons and 7 percent were drug and alcohol problems, including those who may have failed a drug test or acknowledged they had used drugs." In 2005, Fred Kaplan (Slate) raised some of the concerns career officers in the military have with these lowered standards.

Need a face on this issue? Try Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi. In July of this year, AP noted that Steven D. Green (one of several accused in the rape of fourteen-year-old Abeer, her death and the deaths of three members of her family) was arrested in Janurary 2005 and "[d]ays later . . . enlisted in the Army."

The conversation will go on and will do so without John Kerry who may be next seen at a Democratic Convention saying, "John Kerry, reporting for wedgie." UPDATE: Reuters reports John Kerry is now going through a ceremonial ritual of apologies. Someone call Barbara Walters.

CNN reports two more US troop deaths were reported today bringing the number of US troops who died in Iraq in October to 105. The military tends to let those deaths trickle out after the press has done their monthly look back. Thom Shanker and David S. Cloud (New York Times) reported that the toll included forty who died in Baghdad and 37 who died in Al-Anbar Province. 'Conventional wisdom' (not speaking of the NYT report just noted) is that the deaths are up due to the 'crackdown' in Baghdad (that cracked up). Those spinning that conventional wisdom don't appear to be willing to address the whack-a-mole problem US Senator John McCain pointed out in August:

Senator John McCain: So, General Abizaid, we're moving 7,500 troops into Baghdad, is that correct?
General John Abizaid: The number is closer to 3,500.[. . .]
McCain: And where are these troops coming from?Abizaid: Uh, the troops, the Styker Brigade, is coming down from Mosul.
McCain: From Mosul? Is the situation under control in Ramadi?
Abizaid: Uh, the situation in Ramadi, is better than it was two months ago.
McCain: Is the situation under control in Ramadi?
Abizaid: I think the situation in Ramadi is workable.
McCain: And the troops from Ramadi came from Falluja, isn't that correct?
Abizaid: I can't say senator, I know that --
McCain: Well that's my information. What I' worry about is we're playing a game of whack-a-mole here. We move troops from -- It flares up, we move troops there. Everybody knows we've got big problems in Ramadi and I said, "Where you gonna get the troops?" 'Well we're going to have to move them from Falluja.' Now we're going to have to move troops into Baghdad from someplace else. It's very disturbing.

Borzou Daragahi (Los Angeles Times) reports that "224 Iraqi security forces and 1,315 civilians were killed in October". That count seems low and the source of the figures isn't identified.



In Australia, the report from the military inquiry into the April 21st Baghdad death of Jake Kovco and the events after Kovco's death remains unreleased but remains in the headlines. Australia's ABC reports that Angus Houston has stated that the report maintains Kovco wasn't rushed home (which would explain the mix up that sent Juso Sinanovic's body to Australia and left Jake Kovco's in Iraq) to try to build on the Anzac Day coverage. Expect to hear a lot about what it reportedly says as opposed to what it actually says, AAP informs the report won't be released until next year.

Back in Iraq, the issue is over who's pulling who? (Sing it, Aretha.) Did Nouri al-Maliki manage to outsmart his puppeteers? The Australian reports that he did and that he's "exploiting Washington's vulnerability in the US congressional elections to flex his political muscle."



Closing with the reminder that Ehren Watada's father Bob Watada and his step-mother Rosa Sakanishi continue the speaking tour to raise awareness on Ehren -- the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Upcoming dates include:



Nov 1, TBA Miami, Florida Democracy for America Miami Dade and the South Florida Veterans For Peace Chapter 32 Venue and time TBA


Nov 2, TBA Cincinnati, OH Meet Dr. Victoria (Vic) Wulsin, candidatefor congress 2nd district Ohio currently leading Jean Schmidt whocalled Rep John Murtha from PA. a coward. Sponsor: Vietnam Veterans Against the War Venue: TBA

Nov 3, TBA St. Paul MN. Location: Quaker Peace Center -- 1725 Grand AvenueSponsors: Veterans for Peace Chapter 27 Contact: Barry Reisch, (H) 651-641-1087 © 612-269-8934 bwrvfp@earthlink.net

Nov 4, 11AM Milwaukee, WI. Location: Great Lakes Arlington EventContact: Mark Foreman, 441-760-9991, bethmark@execpc.comSponsor: VFP Chapter 102 * See the unveiling of a new "Arlington"


Nov. 5, 2PM Boston, MA Encuentro 5 33 Harrison Ave. 5th floor (Chinatown)Sponsors: Asian American Movement Ezine Asian American Resource Workshop Boston Hawaiian Club Chinese Progressive AssociationMassachusetts Global Action New England Japanese American Citizens League

Nov 5, 7PM Cambridge, MA. Location: Unitarian Church, Harvard SquareSponsor: Veterans for Peace Chapter 9, Smedley Butler Brigade and Chapter 45, Samantha Smith Chapter Contact: Lee VanderLaan, 978-257-2350
Nov 6, 2-4:30PM Boston, MA Location: University of Massachusetts/BostonSponsor: The Institute for Asian American Studies William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequence Time: 2-4:30 pm

Nov 6, 7PM Worcester, MA. Location: Clark University University Building, Lurie Room Sponsors: Veterans For Peace Chapter 10 Contact: Bob Flanagan, 508-755-1479, IrishBob54@aol.com


A full schedule can be found at Veterans for Peace and those interested in hosting a Bob Watada speaking engagement in their area are urged to contact Doug Zachary.

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C.I. reminds that the war drags on

And the war drags on . . .

Talking from Louisville, Kentucky, on a borrowed cellphone, 23-year-old U.S. army deserter Kyle Snyder informed the Georgia Straight he was about to turn himself in.
It was Halloween, and the Colorado-born Snyder was off to Fort Knox--about 55 kilometres from Louisville--to obtain what he hoped would be an honourable discharge from the U.S. military.
Snyder was scheduled to speak at an antiwar protest rally in Vancouver the previous Saturday, where thousands marched from Waterfront Station to the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery to demand that Prime Minister Stephen Harper bring Canadian troops home from Afghanistan. According to Juergen Dankwort of the War Resisters Network, who spoke to the Straight at the time, Snyder was a no-show because he was antsy about TV cameras ahead of his Fort Knox showdown.
"I think maybe he's nervous," said the Swedish-born Dankwort, a Kwantlen University College sociology instructor and Vietnam War--draft evader who came to Canada from New York almost 40 years ago. "I saw him the other night when we all had dinner."
(Accompanied by Vancouverite Gerry Condon, Snyder was in transit to Kentucky all day October 30.)

The above, noted by Vic, is from Matthew Burrows' "U.S. deserter misses Canada" (Canada's The Straight). Since that story was filed, there have been developments. And our Canada members whose names start with V both represent for this entry. Vince notes "U.S. deserter from Vancouver goes AWOL again" (Canada's CBC):

Snyder refused to report to his unit and said he is now in hiding in Kentucky.
He said if the matter isn't resolved soon, he'll return to Canada and apply for refugee status again.
Snyder also said he wants to warn other U.S. deserters to stay in Canada.
"Just don't come down. Don't trust it. I mean, if they're doing this on a case-by-case basis, like they said, then it's not worth it."
U.S. military officials could not be reached for comment on the case.

And with more on the story, Dick Foster's "AWOL soldier hides again as Army deal evaporates" (Rocky Mountain News):

Neither his attorney, Jim Fennerty, nor Gerry Condon, his sponsor from Project Safe Haven, a Seattle- based sanctuary for AWOL American soldiers, would reveal the whereabouts of Kyle Snyder, 23.
Now, Condon said, Snyder wants any deal with the Army in writing before he will surrender.
[. . .]
Fennerty said he thought he had brokered a deal for Snyder with Maj. Brian Patterson, the head of the Army's Personnel Control Facility at Fort Knox, Ky. Fennerty and Condon escorted Snyder from Vancouver, B.C., where he had lived for the last 18 months, to Fort Knox on Tuesday.
"We had an understanding with the Army officials at Fort Knox that he'd be in and out of their facility in three days with an other-than-honorable discharge with no further punishment," said Condon, a former Army medic who moved to Canada rather than accept orders to Vietnam.

Want to end the war? Treat the peace movement like it matters. Grasp that Kyle Snyder's story is one you should be sharing. And it's obvious we can forget about any assistance on that from independent media. For more on that topic, check your inboxes tomorrow for the gina & krista round-robin, that's the topic of the roundtable. With Gina and Krista's permission, I brought a friend into the roundtable who could speak of how they covered the peace movement then compared to how today's press covers it now. You won't want to miss that. Especially the comparisons to mainstream media then and now contrasted with alternative media then and now. Isaiah's also done an illustration on the coverage coming from independent media. Eli contributes a column on the peace movement spanning decades. Three Cool Old Guys ask why all the experts in independent media tend to be White? Beth runs down the three questions that have popped up the most this summer and offers her thoughts on them. And much more. Polly understands that come Sunday morning, I'm just trying to throw something together as quick as possible and get back to the sessions for The Third Estate Sunday Review. So I rarely am able to note Polly's Brew. So let me plug it now. There will be a roundtable on the peace movements in England and the US. (Polly has one more slot open for a US member. If you're interested, e-mail her for the time on Friday that it's taking place.) Pru has a hilarious column about foreign correspondents entitled "Lost In England." Gareth and James in Brighton are putting together visuals from recent rallies. Mike and Goldie both have columns. Mike's not sure what he's going to write about but Goldie's going to explain how the news of Kyle Snyder has been received at her middle school. (Goldie's finished her column and it's very good.) DK is taking a look at the theatre as an agent of change. And Wally and Cedric will have a joint entry (not a humorous one) about their efforts to turn out the vote in their areas. Dominick has something planned as well but he's still working on it. (I will have a column but I haven't even thought of anything to write about yet, so I have no idea what it will be about. The column for the round-robin is on Abeer.) Polly's Brew hits inboxes Sunday morning.

And the peace movement hits independent media when?

They're just there to try and make the people free,
But the way that they're doing it, it don't seem like that to me.
Just more blood-letting and misery and tears
That this poor country's known for the last twenty years,
And the war drags on.
-- words and lyrics by Mick Softly (available on Donovan's Fairytale)

Last Thursday, the total number of US troop fatalities stood at 2809. Right now? 2826. The passing of the 2800 mark received little attention. And are we surprised? After all this time, are we surprised? Here's something that might surprise, the toll thus far for the month of November is 8. It's the second day of November, the toll is eight. If the deaths for the month of October (105) are averaged out it comes to 3.52 deaths a day.

In other news, AP reports:

A former soldier in the 101st Airborne Division was indicted Thursday in the rape and death of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the slayings of three of her relatives last March.
Former Army private Steven D. Green, 21, was charged with murder, aggravated sexual assault and conspiracy, among other offenses, in the federal indictment. If convicted, Green could face life in prison or the death penalty, a Justice Department statement said.

From Reuters:

The indictment charges that Steven Green, 21, and four other soldiers who are still in the Army sexually abused 14-year-old Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi, then killed her and her father, mother and 6-year-old sister. Green is accused of trying to burn the bodies to conceal the crime. Another soldier is charged with covering up the March 12, 2006, crime in Mahmudiya, Iraq.
Among the charges brought against Green were murder, murder in perpetration of aggravated sexual abuse, conspiracy charges, sexual abuse of a minor, and obstruction of justice.

Yes, Abeer and, yes, AP seems to not know her name to judge by that report. Steven D. Green spent the days before enlisting in jail. But let's not talk about the lowered standards Donald Rumsfeld has imposed upon the military, right? There was an effort, post-Vietnam, to professionalize the military but Rumsfled junked that to meet the quotas needed for the illegal war, but we're all supposed to look the other way. People in the military don't look the other way. Those who have elected to make it their life and chalked up years of service don't look the other way. But let's all pretend that Rumsfled has done a bang up job.

Why not? Everything else under the Bully Boy's reign has improved, right? Wrong. But we won't talk about that or about "The ones we never know." There's always something else to talk about, right?

And we wonder why the war drags on?

And who makes the money. Reuters reports:

The U.S. Air Force asked the Pentagon's leadership for a staggering $50 billion in emergency funding for fiscal 2007 -- nearly half its annual budget, defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute said on Tuesday.
The request is expected to draw criticism on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are increasingly worried about the huge sums being sought and approved "off budget" to fund wars, escaping the more rigorous congressional oversight of regular budgets.
Another source familiar with the Air Force plans said the extra funds would help pay to transport growing numbers of U.S. soldiers being killed and wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Times are tough for the air force. Supposedly. They need "extra funds" to just get troops home.
Probably be a bit more convincing if other news wasn't breaking. AP reports Lockheed Martin just got a contract for $30 million and that it will go to things such as "the Dual Miniature Inertial Measument Unit Single Startracker configuration for the Defense Meteorological Systems Group Flight 19 and 20." Doesn't sound like it's going to help troops return from Afghanistan and Iraq. But there's more. The largest contract announced today, according to AP, went to Boeing, $229.8 million, to produce "Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) Space Vehicle 4." L-3 got $42 million. 'Poor' DRS only got $6.3 million. None of its for the troops. It's for gadgets. The same military that couldn't provide body armor now prepares to spend a fortune so that the air force can fight in space (see previous) and cyberspace.

It's the same old story every war. Promises are made, then you come back wounded or the war is over and the government breaks the agreement. It's been going on since the days of George Washington (longer outside the United States). And when scare tactics may be on the way out, it's time for the greed to really kick in to squeeze those big money funds out of Congress. If the people don't have health care coverage provided by the government and the school systems are woefully underfunded, where does the money go? Not to the troops.

Kayla notes Thomas Farragher's "LAST OF FOUR PARTS: THE WAR AFTER THE WAR' I need to blaze my own trail'" (Boston Globe via Military Families Speak Out):

He'd worked until midnight, drank late-night beers with the boys, and as a mid-winter dawn broke, Andy Wilson stood in the rutted parking lot of a dingy after-hours bar, pointing his gun at a man who had pushed him too far.
"I snapped the other night," Wilson wrote in a mid-February e-mail. "I went out after work on Saturday and a friend of a friend decided to try to tell me what to do. I pulled my gun on him, fired a shot, and have no regrets."
He was lying about the last part.
Wilson had purposely aimed high and wide, and he was frightened and embarrassed by what he'd done. He apologized, drove the man home, and when he recounted the incident later that week to his veterans support group, he was inconsolable.
"He curled up in a ball and just cried," said Will Thiery, a Desert Storm veteran who coordinates the weekly sessions at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dayton. "He lost it."
More than a year after returning from Iraq, Wilson was barely hanging on. The smiling, hopeful 30-year-old student who had begun classes at Wright State University in early January had grown sullen and isolated. It didn't take much to set him off.
"One day I'm cool," Wilson said. "The next day I want to lock myself in the attic."
His complex relationship with his mother was wearing him down. His $6-an-hour job at a drive-through convenience store near the college was hardly inspiring. And his weekly stint as disc jockey at the campus radio station hadn't blossomed into a more regular gig.
The medicine chest in his apartment was now stocked with pills to battle sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression. Zoloft. Trazodone. Clonazepam. Risperidone.
"I feel sedated all the time," he said. "It's like I'm not even living life anymore."

Kayla also notes Karen Jowers' "Military families group seeks Rumsfeld meeting" (Air Force Times via Military Families Speak Out):

A national organization of about 3,000 people with family members or loved ones in the military has asked for a meeting with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to speak their minds about the war in Iraq.
Representatives of the group Military Families Speak Out will deliver a petition to Rumsfeld and Congress calling for an end to the “backdoor draft” and for all troops to be brought home now.
Examples of this “backdoor draft,” they say, are troop extensions, stop-loss orders, involuntary recalls and multiple deployments to Iraq.
“As Secretary of Defense, it is not only your job but your moral duty to hear what they have to say and to answer questions that they have,” wrote Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson, co-founders of Military Families Speak Out, in the Oct. 30 letter to Rumsfeld in which they ask for a Nov. 9 meeting.

But remember, Bully Boy's on the campaign trail bragging about Rumsfled and what a great job he's doing (apparently in an alternate universe-- the Bully Boy universe where 'up' is 'down' and 'war' is 'peace').

Susan notes that CODEPINK is attempting to bring the Iraqi people into the discussion with a new exhibit:

Walk In Their Shoes. Shoes, like this pair representing the 3-year-old daughter of Hussein al Tarish, help people visualize unspeakable pain and suffering this war has inflicted on the Iraqi people. In the final weeks of the election season, let's take shoes like these to the doorsteps of pro-war candidates--outside a fundraiser, a debate, their campaign headquarters or their homes.

CODEPINK continues to be creative and inspiring. Also inspiring are rallies. Last weekend, A.N.S.W.E.R. held rallies around the country. We noted the one in Los Angeles earlier this week and Kyle wanted to note the one in Chicago. This is from A.N.S.W.E.R.'s "Thousands protest Iraq War on Oct. 28" which also notes Florida, New Haven (Conn), New York, Seattle and San Francisco:

In Chicago, the ANSWER Coalition organized a "People's Street Campaign to Vote to End the War on Iraq." Campaign teams set up at busy street corners at 12 noon all over the city with people's ballots, ballot boxes, sandwich boards and leaflets for an upcoming anti-war educational forum on Sunday, Nov. 12. The teams were very well received, especially on Chicago's south side, a predominantly African American community where disgust with the capitalist elections is very high. Throughout the city, cars honked in approval and people stopped at campaign tables to line up to vote on the people's ballot against the war. Campaign organizer Stefanie Beacham said, "There really was an overwhelmingly positive response to the campaign. It's obvious from being out on the street that the vast majority of people are against the war. If a referendum about the war was on the ballot on Nov. 7, the troops would be coming home on Nov. 8."
The people's campaign in Chicago was part of a month long effort in Chicago by activists and volunteers to take the anti-war movement to the people. All throughout the month of October, campaign teams went out to every community to conduct the people's vote on the war. The campaign reached out to thousands of people in the greater Chicago area.

The rallies are no longer a one organization thing or a twice a year thing (March and September). Organizations are registering their voices weekly (weekly may be an understatement). In communities everywhere. Each one, whether it's covered by the media, big or small, sparks an idea, adds to the movement. It's true now and it's true in every era. Contrasting today's illegal war and Bully Boy with an earlier one, Robert Scheer's "Turning the Corner Into Madness" (Truthdig):

Every time I hear President Bush railing against those who would "cut and run" in Iraq instead of pursuing "victory," as he does almost daily, I think back to similar claims being made for the Vietnam debacle when I reported from Saigon in the mid-'60s. Back then, the U.S. troop presence was lower and casualties fewer than now in Iraq, but the carnage, on all sides, would escalate for the next decade, as we waited miserably for the corner to be turned.
Then, as now, calls for setting a timetable for an orderly withdrawal were rejected as emboldening our enemy to attack America. Instead of a dignified withdrawal, we plunged ever deeper into the quagmire, leaving 59,000 U.S. troops and 3.4 million Indochinese dead as tribute to our stupidity. Finally, there was nothing to do but "cut and run" in the most ignominious fashion. With our U.S. personnel being lifted by helicopter from roofs near our embassy, it seemed like a low point for U.S. influence, and there were dire predictions of communism's global dominance--just as there is today for the "Islamo-fascist" bogeyman the president has seized upon.
Those predictions, however, proved dead wrong. Communism did not advance as a worldwide force after our defeat in Vietnam. On the contrary, a victorious communist-run Vietnam soon went to war with the China-backed communists of Cambodia--overthrowing Pol Pot's evil Khmer Rouge--and with communist China itself, in a bloody border war.
Today communist Vietnam is still battling communist China--but now it is for shelf space in Wal-Mart and Costco. The United States, meanwhile, spending itself silly under the haplessly irresponsible President Bush, is now dependent on China both to carry its debt and contain communist North Korea’s nuclear threat.
That was Micah's highlight and it's important to grasp the historical burps (if not gags). History repeats as long as we let it. But the repeat of the bad can also mean the repeat of the good. Bully Boy declares an illegal war and the people respond. In larger and larger numbers and respond in various waves that make up the peace movement. Tracey, Ruth's granddaughter, notes Katrina vanden Heuvel's "The Soldiers Speak Out" (Editor's Cut, The Nation) on one wave:

"As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for US troops to come home."
This statement -- the Appeal for Redress -- has been signed by over 600 active-duty soldiers who have had enough of seeing their brothers and sisters sacrificed to the disastrous war in Iraq. In this month alone, 101 American soldiers have been killed, more than in any month since January, 2005 and the fourth highest monthly total since the war began in March, 2003.
Seaman Jonathon Hutto and Marine Sergeant Liam Madden spearheaded the Appeal which is co-sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out. It is the latest effort stemming from the antiwar energy that has emerged among military families, veterans, and active military, including generals and other high-ranking officers. It's also the first antiwar movement organized by active military personnel since the Vietnam War.

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Blog Spotlight: Mike talks about Cindy Sheehan's Peace Mom

Mike was a tough call and we may have made the wrong one. Friday or Thursday were our final two choices. Both are strong. We're going with Thursday because our readers have been asking for more book coverage.

Kyle Snyder, Cindy Sheehan and more

Thursday. Almost Friday, but not quite. Kyle Snyder's where we'll start because it's where independent media can't seem to go.
If you've been following the story, you know that Snyder served in Iraq and then self-checked out in April 2005 and went to Canada. He's a war resister opposed to the illegal war. He decided to come back to the United States. He came back Saturday, turned himself in at Fort Knox on Tuesday and then found out the deal worked out wasn't for real. So he checked out again.

There's a story there, there are about 50 stories there. But where is the independent media?

That's the question to ask and C.I.'s been asking it for some time. "War in Iraq bad." That's what independent media says but they don't cover it. They don't cover the war resisters.

Kyle Snyder is the story of today's military. He comes from a troubled home where his mother was beaten and he was as well. He was placed in foster care. The recruiters came to pounce. They promised him the world and delivered nothing.

He thought he was going to be doing reconstruction in Iraq and was trained for that but there was no reconstruction in Iraq, just construction of US bases and the US embassy.

He saw an Iraqi shot by a buddy who was serving. And the Iraqi shouldn't have been shot. So he reported it and it was ignored. No investigation. The message was that the military can do whatever it wants to Iraqis.

In the meantime his girlfriend lost their kid, his grandfather died and the war was all one big lie. So he self-checked out.

Where's the media? I guess it's self-checked out as well. Did you see C.I.'s answer to Zach's question in "Other Items"?

Dona's already asked that I talk about the Goodmans' new book for The Third Estate Sunday Review. Readers of TTESR don't want to wait until after the election for book coverage so we'll be discussing an art book and I'll address the Goodmans' book -- the good, the bad, the typos. On the latter check out page 53 (if I'm remembering correctly). (I was asked because no one else has read it.)

Dona's actually been asking that all week. She learned it was a go when she read "Other Items." :D Well, when you can't cover Kyle Snyder, you piss C.I. off. I'm not expecting C.I. to go to town on the book but I am expecting to hear about some serious flaws so I'm really looking forward to this edition. Nobody else read it. The days when we would get all excited faded in the heat of the summer when Goodman & co. couldn't find Iraq with both hands. C.I.'s the only one who regularly listens to the show. Dona says she thinks C.I. wouldn't be discussing the book at all this weekend if Democracy When had bothered to cover Kyle Snyder. He didn't even rate the one-day-baby-cried-the-day-the-circus-came-to-town coverage the others got. Democracy When has been too busy doing voting drives to cover Iraq. I also know from Jess that C.I. was outraged by a deaf member. He wrote to C.I. because he was furious that the Galludet students were ignored until after the fact. If C.I.'s always on the road, it's not always possible to catch Democracy When so C.I. wasn't aware of that but checked it out and it is true. That was why there was such a hug gap between the two entries. C.I. came across that e-mail right after posting "Kyle Snyder self-checks out again after the military tries to burn him again" and looked to see if the program had ever offered anything more than a headline here and there? While C.I. was looking through the program's archives, everyone was getting quizzed about whether or not they remember any stories on Galludet? No one did. It was like Abeer all over again.

Back on October 22nd, the core six wrote "The students of Gallaudet University are standing up" and that was supposed to have been covered the week before. There were too many problems with the website to do it then. The core six worked on it because there was something else we were all doing together and C.I. said fine but if we stay up until 6:00 p.m. we are writing about Gallaudet. That's one of the places C.I. had talked with students and then C.I. wrote about what was going on there for Polly's Brew the first Sunday of October. The deaf and hearing impaired members of the community really responded to that and were e-mailing to say how it just seemed like there was time for everything in the world to be covered by independent media except Gallaudet. So C.I. was trying all month for that feature. I don't even remember what got traded. But I know C.I. pitched in with at least one story that otherwise would have been written without. And when it couldn't make it into the October 15th edition, C.I. was very clear that it would be covered the next week.

Which is how you have to be because we're all working at once during the marathon session and there are times when we really have to start cutting out pieces because there's not time or making them for the print edition only because there's not time to polish them. So if someone forgets something, someone else has to remember or it gets forgotten.

By the way there's a site I just heard about and it's www.warslavery.org which sounds pretty cool. If I don't write about it by Tuesday, somebody remind me.

So I'm looking forward to the book discussion and I'm also reading a book so I can be ready. No, not the Goodmans' book. I don't need the headache. I'm reading Cindy Sheehan's Peace Mom which I think everyone else has already read. It's really a great book, which doesn't surprise me, but it does surprise me how strong it is. It really speaks to you.

I'm up to the part where she's responding to some Congress guy with "King" in his last name. I think that's the half-way mark. My only suggestion would be for some pictures. :D

Seriously, I wondered what Casey looked like out of his uniform (she holds a picture of him in his uniform in the cover photo) and what Andy, Carly and I forget her other daughter look like. The part where she goes back to work a few weeks after Casey dies is probably what stood out most to me so far. The drive back after the first day of work and I don't want to spoil it for you.

But she's Cindy Sheehan and when I say that I mean she's just putting it out there, not trying to pretty it up, just telling it like it is. There are probably fifty books I have from C.I. that I haven't had time to read and when I decided to grab a book, I was actually thinking I would grab something else. But I was going through the stacks and that one just said "Read me" for some reason. I'm really glad that I listened because it's really a powerful book.

If I'm rushing the entry tonight it's because I want to get back to reading it. I probably won't have time tomorrow. Fortunately, I read fast even though I type slow. :D

If you haven't read the book yet, you should but if you're not sure, check out the book discussion Sunday at The Third Estate Sunday Review and I bet you'll be going, "Okay, I've got to read this." By the way, check out Rebecca's "dear john."

That's it for me tonight. Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

[Apologies to Mike, we've sent this six times and it will not hit the site. C.I. said pull the snapshot and see if it does.]

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Endorsement Spotlight: Wally and Cedric endorse Chris Lugo for the US senate

The other highlight by Wally and Cedric was one third party members wanted noted, where they endorse a Green candidate for the US Senate. Here for the post at Wally's site, here for the post at Cedric's site.

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

WHILE SPEAKING TO OTHERS IN THE D.C. PRESS POOL -- EVERY NOW AND THEN WE LIKE TO CHECK IF ANYONE'S GROWN A SPINE, WE'RE ALWAYS DISAPPOINTED, BILL THEOBALD, OF TENNESSEE'S THE TENNESSEAN TOLD US, " EVERYONE WANTS TO TELL TENNESSEANS HOW TO VOTE IN THE U.S. SENATE RACE BETWEEN DEMOCRATIC REP. HAROLD FORD JR. AND REPUBLICAN BOB CORKER."

WELL PUT US DOWN ON THE LIST, BILLY.

IN THAT RACE, WE ENDORSE CHRIS LUGO.

WHO?

THE CANDIDATE BIG BILLY 'FORGOT' TO MENTION.

CHRIS LUGO HAS DONE STRONG WORK AT TENNESSEE INDYMEDIA AND HE KNOWS WHERE HE STANDS ON THE WAR.

UNLIKE HARRY FORD JR., LUGO DOESN'T STAND UNDER BULLY BOY'S BUTT WITH HIS MOUTH WIDE OPEN, EAGER TO SWALLOW.

CHRIS LUGO'S A REAL CANDIDATE. HE'S FOR ENDING THE WAR. HE DOESN'T SHUCK & JIVE ABOUT HOW HE CAN'T HELP LOVING THAT BULLY BOY -- HAROLD FORD WOULD DO WELL TO FIND A NEW SHOW TUNE. POSSIBLY HE COULD PICK 1 UP WHEN NEXT POST-SUPERBOWL PARTYING?

OUR ADVISE TO BILLY IS TO LEARN THE CANDIDATES IN THE RACE AND ALSO TO STOP PULLING THAT "I'VE GOT TO RUN TO THE BATHROOM! BE RIGHT BACK!" WHENEVER IT'S TIME TO CLOSE OUT THE BAR TAB.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Starting with war resistance. Kyle Snyder self-checked out of the US military in April 2005 and moved to Canada. Saturday, Snyder returned to the United States with the intent of turning himself in at Fort Knox under the deal the military had worked out with Snyder's attorney, James Fennerty. The military elected to burn Snyder yet again and did not move to the agreed upon dishonorable discharge but towards deploying Snyder back to Iraq.


Kyle Snyder didn't sit around passively. He's checked out again. Brett Barrouquere (AP) reports that Snyder checked out "Tuesday after being dropped of at the Greyhound Bus station in downtown Louisville," Kentucky and Synder explained to Barrouquere, "I realized this deal was going to go bad." A longer AP version notes Synder explaining, "I came back in good faith. I put my trust in them one more time. Why should I put my trust in them again when I can just go back to Canada?" Also noted is that Snyder is traveling with activist and Vietnam war resister Gerry Condon who is hopeful that this was a misscommunication. Condon wrote on the subject of war resisters to today's illegal war in the July issue of The Objector [PDF format].


James Fennerty also acted as war resister Darrell Anderson's attorney. (Anderson turned himself in October 3rd. He was released October 6th.) Claudia Bayliss (South Bend Tribune) examines the roll of faith and service in Anderson's stand and speaks with Anita Anderson (Darrell's mother), Margaret Pfeil ("professor of moral theology" at Notre Dame), Lt. Col. Kelly Jordan and Mike Schorsch (Catholic Peace Fellowship in South Bend). Schorsch states: "Kids like Darrell go through military training, they go to war, they change, they grow up -- but they never lose their humanity. And sometimes their humanity boils up inside of them and causes them to say 'No,' even if it means personal risks." More information on Kyle Snyder, Darrell Anderson and other war resistors who have gone public can be found at Courage to Resist.

War resistance among the general public in the United States continues (as it will continue to do, the opinion hardened against the war some time ago, there will not be a softening). Adam Nagourney and Megan Thee (New York Times) report on the latest NYT/CBS News poll which found only "29 percent of Americans approve of the way President Bush is managing the war, matching the lowest mark of his presidency. Nearly 70 percent said Mr. Bush did not have a plan to end the war, and 80 percent said Mr. Bush's latest effort to rally public support for the conflict amounted to a change in language but not policy." Those polled cited the illegal war "as the most important issue" -- if only the media, big and small, felt the same. AFP notes the Wall St. Journal/NBC poll released Wednesday which found: "54 per cent of [US] voters saying it had not been worth the human and economic price to remove former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from power."

Recommended: "Iraq Snapshot"
"Kyle Snyder self-checks out again after the military tries to burn him again"
"Other Items"
"dear john"
"Military attacks Kyle Snyder, John Kerry attacks himself "
"No bravery"
"Ruth finally filling in"
"Kerry acts like a loser, Harold Ford is one"
"THIS JUST IN! JOHN KERRY CRAWLS LIKE A COWARD"
"Sometimes it's not easy 'to do the right thing'"
"U.S. Soldier Goes AWOL Again"

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Camaign Spotlight: Wally and Cedric on the cowardly and the sick

Wally and Cedric covered a number of topics this week and hit hard on election topics. We had two requests for joint posts to highlight by them. This is the first.
Click here for Wally's site, here for Cedric's site, to read the original post.


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

CRAWL LIKE A COWARD IS THE NEW STEP U.S. SENATOR JOHN KERRY IS ATTEMPTING TO INTRODUCE TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. FORTUNATELY FOR SENATOR KERRY, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS BEEN INTRODUCING IT IN VARIOUS FORMATS FOR SOME TIME.


MEANWHILE HAROLD FORD JR. DUSTED OFF HIS O'JAY COLLECTION AND STARTED PROVING HE KNEW HOW TO DANCE TO "THE BACKSTABBERS."
FORD, A BUSH-LOVING, CORPORATE FRIENDLY, WAR HAWK WHO WOULD SOONER SELL HIS SOUL THAN STAND UP FOR THE COUNTRY STATED, "WHATEVER THE INTENT, SENATOR KERRY WAS WRONG TO SAY WHAT HE SAID." FORD DID NOT MEAN THE APOLOGY, HE MEANT THE MONDAY REMARK.


FROM THE TCI WIRE:


US war resister Kyle Snyder turned himself in at Fort Knox yesterday. After which, David Montero (Rocky Mountain News) reports, the army went back on their deal and Snyder was "shipped from Fort Knox, Ky., to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., possibly to face a full court-martial." Snyder's attorney, James Fennerty, told AP that after Snyder turned himself in, the military attempted to get him "to sign a form that would have hastened his return to his unit" and that "We wouldn't have brought him back here if we knew this was going to happen." As Katya Cengel (Courier-Journal) reports, Fennerty, who also represented Darrell Anderson, has stated, "We're going to make sure nobody comes back from Canada again because we were lied to."

Kyle Snyder self-checked out of the US military after serving in Iraq during which time he saw abuses that were not investigated, his girlfriend lost their baby, and his grandfather returned. In April 2005, he went to Canada. He returned last Saturday and turned himself at Fort Knox yesterday with the understanding that he would discharged.

War resistance within the military is an under-reported story in small media as Ruth, Rebecca and Mike pointed out yesterday. But, in fact, all waves of the peace movement are under-reported in small media. For those within the military considering resistance, Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign are among the resources out there. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.

[. . .]


In election news, though he may not grasp it, US Senator John Kerry's just taken himself out of the 2008 presidential race. It wasn't the remark he made ("You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."), it was the fact that he went through a variety of positions on it including hedging it, distorting it, saying he wouldn't apologize for it until finally doing just that. And on Don Imus, of all places, where the supposed Fighting John allowed Imus to Swift Boat him with ha-has of "wind surfing" and more. It's over, 2008 is now officially over for John Kerry. Those willing to give him the benefit of doubt despite his caving in Boston in the early morning hours of the day after the election had been told Fighting John would never cave again. "Good of the country" was the excuse that morning. There is no excuse for not fighting this go round, there is only the admission that Fighting John will buckle each and every time and that Fighting John lacks drive, lacks leadership, lacks passion and lacks committment. Send him his "Dear John" letter, it's over.


Recommended: "Iraq Snapshot"
"Ruth's Report"
"Kyle Snyder -- the story most small media couldn't bother to cover yesterday"
"At least 104 US troops died in Iraq during October"
"peace makers - sally lilenthal and kyle snyder"
"Kyle Snyder, Danny Schechter, John Kerry, Iraq"
"Kyle Snyder, John Lennon, George Michael"
"Taylor Marshall, advise yourself"
"THE FAUX LEFT 'ADVISES' JOHN KERRY"

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Humor Spotlight: Bettina gives the 4-11 on Friedman

Betty's latest takes a look at the state of gas baggery on the printed page. She not only made us laugh, she made us think.

Thomas Friedman enlists

We were walking through SoHo, my husband Thomas Friedman and I, when he saw the drawing at left.

He whined about defacing private property and wondered about the finanical impact upon the business properties. After delivering a five minute sermon on his-flat-world, he stopped long enough to ask, "What rapper or hoops star is it?"

I told him it was Kyle Snyder. I explained to him that Kyle Snyder was a young man who had said "NO" to the illegal war and gone to Canada in April 2005 to avoid returning to Iraq.

Somewhere after "Kyle Snyder" he tuned out.


He was fearing his 'power.' He explained that the Republicans didn't like him and it wasn an election year so he had to endorse someone. He felt it was better for the career (he called it the 'art') if he endorsed Democrats.

I tried to explain to him that neither Republicans nor Democrats liked him but he wasn't listening.

He was too busy attempting to figure out how he could endorse Democrats and come off "manly." I bit my lower lip to avoid laughing at him out loud. We were in public and I didn't want him to start stomping his feet and sobbing. If we'd been at home, I would've thrown my head back and unleashed a torrent of laughter. But here, on the streets of New York, I just bit my lower lip and tried not to remember his Marilyn Monroe drag period.

I could just picture him trying to butch up in print and strut around. Then I read his "Insulting Our Troops, and Our Intelligence" this morning and realized I got it wrong. Oh, he was strutting alright. But more than that, he was crotch stuffing.

The column reminded me of an old "Saturday Night Live" skit where Jim Belushi is in a night club and can't get any attention so he goes to the men's room and stuffs everything in there (including the hand dryer) into the crotch of his pants. That's what my husband's column was like.

It was a huge crotch bulge that was so obviously false and, in fact, laughably so. You know how you hear a word and you think you know what it means and then life teaches you the depth of its meaning?

I always thought I understood the term "overcompensating." I never really did until I read his column. It crystalized everything.

Reading him go on and on with his sneers about who severed and who didn't and his whines about how the war was lost because of the number of US forces on the ground, really brought across what an eternal boy-fraud he was, and always would be, as he attempted to pass himself off as some macho-pig-head that only he would think was 'manly.'

Still unable to admit that an illegal war had no option of 'redemption,' he's the phoniest of the 'manly' men. The number of US forces didn't matter if a 'democracy' was going to be created. The military never creates a democracy. It fights a war. Was the war legit or not?

It wasn't legit and therefore nothing good could ever come of it. But there he was, stroking himself to strategies like he was Michael R. Gordon.

Then, as that relization sunk in, it struck me that Thomas Friedman was even more useless than I knew. Here he was, with a column on Friday, weighing in about what had been said on Monday. All week long, everyone and their clone had been offering up endless takes on what John Kerry meant, what the attacks from Bully Boy meant, blah blah blah. On Friday, Thomas Friedman shows up with the idea that anyone gives a damn about the tired topic, that all week long, they'd been thinking, "I can't wait until Friday when Friedman weighs in so I'll know what I really think!"

It drove home the limitations of the daily paper and of columnists who sleep walk across the computer keyboard as they attempt to churn out a few superficial paragraphs. Not timely, not insightful, not passionate, his column just sort of lay there lifeless -- as though it was need of viagra.

And I realized, "We're back to the crotch region again."

So I started thinking about how Thomas Friedman was basically an alien in any movie you could think of or a Ken doll -- and then about how there was no action in the head or in the crotch. Top to bottom, Thomas Friedman was useless and here he was, in print, flaunting it for the world to see.

Then the song "Flaunt It" came to mind, the "Shake what your mama gave you part." And I realized that Thomas Friedman was doing just that. Mama passed on nothing and there he was, in print, with one hand down his pants, wagging his nothing for all the world to see.

My thoughts returned to Kyle Snyder and how it took real courage to say "NO" to war, to put yourself out there like that as opposed to doing and saying what everyone else did -- as opposed to doing what Thomas Friedman does.

Finally, it hit me. Thomas Friedman, who waxes on about the military non-stop is a soldier, a soldier of conformity. It's why he's never had an original thought.

He thinks we're as stupid as he is.

I, for one, don't think that's possible.


"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):
Friday, November 3, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, US war resister Kyle Snyder tells his story to Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez on Democracy Now!, the Giddiest Gabor in the Green Zone mistakes himself for Jackson Pollock, Bully Boy finally wins at a poll but it's doubtful he'll be happy, nearly 60 corpses are discovered in Baghdad, eight US troops have died since Wednesday, John Dimitri Negroponte heads to Iraq for a surprise visit, and the US air force goes on a spending spree because, hey, it's not their money.


On Saturday, US war resister Kyle Snyder returned to the US from Canada where he'd self-checked out to in April 2005. Tuesday, he turned himself in at Fort Knox only to learn that the arrangement between the US military and his attorney, James Fennerty, was being tossed aside. At which point, Kyle Snyder self-checked out again.


Today, he spoke with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez for Democracy Now! detailing his experiences in Iraq and Canada. Synder detailed the promises of recruiters and how they mirrored the empty promises of the agreement the military offered Synder's attorney: "They can verbally promise anything, but once you are in their custody they can do anything they want with you." Between the broken promises of recruitment and return came the assignment to tasks he wasn't trained for. This is the point of the stand Melanie McPherson has taken. McPherson was trained to be a journalist for the military (at Fort Meade, MD) in April 2000 and then, just as her contract was winding down, she gets orders to report to Fort Bliss to ship out to Iraq. She reports on July 23 of this year and discovers she'll be serving in Iraq as a military police officer, something she has not been trained. McPherson tells her own story here (scroll down).


Jim Fennerty was also a guest and he explained that the military wants to send him (Snyder) to Fort Knox (KY) and that he can't get a call returned from Fort Leonard Wood (MO). Fennerty also addressed the issue of another of his clients, Ivan Brobeck. Brobeck is from Virgninia and went o Canada after serving seven months in Iraq. Like Synder, Brobeck arrived in Canada in April 2005. Unlike Snyder, Brobeck is in the Marines. Fennerty spoke of the different processes in the different branches of the US military and that "Ivan will be taken into custody" and "he'll be placed in the brig" at which point he would most likely face a court-martial.


Snyder stated to the following when asked by Goodman what he would say to other soldiers: "To the soldiers that are in Iraq, for the third or fourth time. A lot of them are scared to make decisions about moral and consientious choices, they're told by their commanders that they can't make these decisions Just follow your heart if you feel that you need to be in Iraq and that you're doing the right thing, that's fine and I understand that. But if you feel like you're doing the wrong thing, please speak out. The G.I. resistance is very important in changing the policits of this country right now and I feel that as G.I.s start coming out that's what's going to stop this war. And that's the only thing that's going to stop this war. As far as the soldiers that are in Canada right now, I love every single one of you, just know that whatever happens here, just keep that in mind, and I'll be keeping in contact with them."


On those still in Canada, Brett Barrouqere (AP) spoke with US war resisters Corey Glass and Patrick Hart who are currently in Canada. Glass is now reconsidering his own decision to return from Canada and both Glass and Hart consider the war to be based on lies. Glass states, "After what they did to him [Kyle Snyder], I don't see anybody going back." Hart says, "I could see going back under some kind of amnesty program or something like that. But I don't trust them."


More 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. In addition Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. On the latter, Courage to Resist is asking supporters to call 502-624-2707 to speak to Major General Robert M. Williams and tell him "Discharge Kyle Snyder!"


In other news of deployment status, Jamie McIntrye (CNN) reports that Santos Cardona will be sent to Kuwait and not Iraq, the Army has decided, due to the fact that Cardona was the "U.S. Army dog handler who was convicted of abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison". As to how he's been allowed to remain in the service? In June, Santos was "sentenced . . . to 90 days hard labor and a reduction in rank . . . found guilty of derelecition of duty and aggravated assault" (AP). The prosecution had recommended a discharge for bad conduct but apparently the actions fit into someone's understanding of 'service' and Cardona has managed to remain in the military instead of being drummed out of the service. On a similar note, AP reports that Steven D. Green has been indicted in a civilian court (he was discharged from the military before the allegations were public) in Kentucky for the "premeditated murder in the death of Abeer Kassem Hamza al-Janabi, her father, mother and 6-year-old sister in the central Iraqi town of Al-Mahmudiyah. Green is accused of raping the teen and then killing her after rounding up and killing her family with the help of other soldiers in his unit."

And in Iraq today.


Bombings?

CNN reports that mortar rounds in Baghdad claimed the lives of three and left six wounded. Reuters notes four police officers dead in Madaen from a roadside bomb, two young males dead from a landmine in Kut, and three people dead from a roadside bomb in Baghdad. (CBS and AP note: "Police Lt. Thaer Mahoud said the death toll in the rush hour bombing of a crowded market in Baghdad's Sadr City district Thursday had risen to 11 on Friday, with 51 reported wounded." Yesterday, the known dead from that bombing was seven.)

Shootings?


Reuters notes that "Resan al-Sayab, a local singer" was shot dead in Baghdad, while, in Kirkuk, a preacher (Sunni) and a gas station worker were shot dead (the preacher Thursday night), the shooting death of "a bodyguard of Shiite cleric Sadiq al-Hakim" near Najaf, and a cab driver shot dead in Baghdad.


Corpses?


Sinan Salaheddin (AP) reports that 56 corpses were discovered in Baghdad. Reuters notes that the corpse of Abdul Majeed Ismael Khalil, freelance journalist, was discovered in Baghdad in addition to the 56 other corpses and that a severed head was found as well.


Today the US military announced "Three Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died Nov. 2 from wounds sustained due to enemy action while operating in Al Anbar Province," "One Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died from injuries sustained due to enemy action Thursday while operating in Al Anbar Province," "Three Multi-National Division -- Baghdad Soldiers died at approximately 2:15 p.m. Thursday when the vehicle they were riding in was strcuk by an improvised-explosive device in eastern Baghdad." That makes eight reported deaths for US troops since Wednesday. Iraq Coalition Casualties currently lists the toll for the month thus far as 11 dead (and 2829 dead since the start of the illegal war) which would indicate more announcements will be made later today or tomorrow. All as Italian troops prepare to leave Iraq and the so-called coalition continues to suffer from shrinkage.


Activst, author and Vietnam vet Ron Kovic (Truthdig) reflects on the wounded US troops in Iraq, noting that he was paralyzed January 20, 2968 while serving in Veitnam, and describes the moments after: "They are being put on a helicopter, with the wounded all around them. They try to stay calm. Some are amazed that they are still alive. You just have to keep trying to stay awake, make it to the next stage, keep moving toward the rear, toward another aid station, a corpsman, a doctor a nurse someone who can help you, someone who will operate and keep you alive so you can make it home, home to your backyard and your neighbors and your mother and father. To where it all began, to where it was once peaceful and safe. They just try to keep breathing because they have got to get back. . . . They are alone in their rooms all over this country, right now. Just as I was alone in my room in Massapequa. I know they're there -- just as I was. This is the part you never see. The part that is never reported in the news. The part that the president and vice president never mention. This is the agonizing part, the lonely part, when you have to awake to the wound each morning and suddenly realize what you've lost, what is gone forever. They're out there and they have mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives and children. And they're not saying much right now. Just like me they're just trying to get through each day."


As for the man responsible for so many US troops wounded and dead, for so many Iraqis wounded and dead, the polls haven't been very kind to him of late. However,
the Guardian of London is reporting that Bully Boy is 'Top of the Pops' in a new poll [ICM polled Isreal, Canada, Mexico and England for the poll]. Before Laura breaks out the good china and heats up the Frito Pie, the survey found that 69 percent of British respondents "believerd US policy had made the world less safe since 2001"; that 71 percent of British respondents felt the illegal war "was unustified, a view shared by 89% of Mexicans and 73% of Canadians"; and it "ranked President Bush with some of his bitterest enemies as a cause of global anxiety."


Anxiety was in the air as John Negroponte made a surprise visit to the heavily fortified Green Zone area of Baghdad. What exactly was the Director of National Intelligence doing in Iraq? Advising the death squads? Paying them off? He was a long way from Honduras or Nicaragua. John O'Neil (New York Times) reports that Negroponte had no public statements (proving he's smarter than the Giddiest Gabor in the Green Zone). Al Jazeera reminds that Negroponte "had served as the American ambassador to Iraq before the current envoy Zalmay Khalilzad." For those who've forgotten, it was his security detail that fired at the car carrying Giuliana Sgrena who had just been freed from her kidnappers. Nicola Calipari was in the car and killed. Sgrena sustained serious injuries. As AFP notes, the trip followed Stephen Hadley's (National Security Advisor for the Bully Boy administration) trip by three days and followed the video conference held last Saturday.


Staying in the Green Zone for news of the Giddiest Gabor, as Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted, Willie Caldwell made a surprising remark yesterday. Apparently inspired by the 140 million dollars a painting by Jackson Pollock fetched the other day, Little Willie decided to jazz it up a bit. Briefing the press yesterday, the Giddiest Gabor began with a presentation including slides ("Slide please"). The presentation included the following prepared remarks (note, this was not in response to a question, this was part of the presentation): "A transition is not always a pleasant thing to watch as it happens. But when common goals are achieved, speed bumps and differecnes of opinion along the way are soon forgotten. Every great work of art goes through messy phases while it is in transition. A lump of clay can become a sculpture; blobs of paint become paintings which inspire." As most know, there's no scarier stage than when a starlet fancies herself an artist.


Meanwhile, after requesting what Reuters called "a staggering 50 billion in emergency funding for fiscal 2007," the US air force quickly handed out contracts. Lockheed Martin got 30 million, DRS got $6.3 million, L-3 got $42 million and Boeing got a whopping $229.8 million. The whisper-it-to-the-press-but-don't-attribute 'reason' for the request in emergency funding is that, otherwise, wounded and dead US troops might not make it home. The shopping spree calls that 'reasoning' into question.

In more money being burned news, Thom Shanker and David S. Cloud (New York Times) report that the Pentagon is created a new office which will include the "rapid response unit" that they hope and pray will make all the reality vanish the way those waves of Operation Happy Talk used to. Remember the discolored fingers? Remember the any-day-now turned corner? Even most of the press sees new attempts at waves as a wipe out so the Pentagon intendes to dispense with the messenger and lie directly to the people.

Until then, some reality news still comes out. James Glanz (New York Times) reports that Stuart W. Bowen Jr. will be outed from his post as Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction next October as a result of Congressional legislation that no one in Congress appears able to explain or even able to figure out when that section entered the bill.


In election news, Carol Britton Meyer (TownOnline) reports that, in Massachusetts, Mary Sochacki, Shirley Brown, Katharine Sangree, and Chartis Tebbetts were among those members of the South Shore Peace Forum gathering signatures to put a resolution on next Tuesday's ballot "calling for an immediate end of the war in Iraq".


In other peace news, US war resister Mark Wilkerson reflects on his time in Iraq and notes: "Before I deployed to Iraq during OIF1, I was full of optimism for what we could do to help the people of Iraq. One of our missions, after all, was to 'win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.' And in that regard, we have failed miserably. In the year I was in Iraq, I saw kids waving American flags in the first month. Then they threw rocks. Then they planted IEDs. Then they blew themselves and others up in city squares full of people. The only conlcusion I can come up with as to why this happened is the way the American troops have treated the Iraqi people as a whole. From random raids of whole city blocks, to checkpoints that interrupted the daily lives of the Iraqis, to incidents of torture and even massacres, a majority of Iraqis now feel as though the American soldiers, once hailed as heroes and saviors, are now seen as conquerors." Wilkerson still awaits news on what the army intends to do now that he's returned from his self-check out.


Wilkerson isn't the only war resister who has said no to war and still awaits a decision/ruling. Keeping the issue front and center, Ehren Watada's father Bob Watada and his step-mother Rosa Sakanishi continue their speaking tour to raise awareness on Ehren -- the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Upcoming dates include:

Nov 3, TBA St. Paul MN. Location: Quaker Peace Center -- 1725 Grand AvenueSponsors: Veterans for Peace Chapter 27 Contact: Barry Reisch, (H) 651-641-1087 © 612-269-8934 bwrvfp@earthlink.net

Nov 4, 11AM Milwaukee, WI. Location: Great Lakes Arlington EventContact: Mark Foreman, 441-760-9991, bethmark@execpc.comSponsor: VFP Chapter 102 * See the unveiling of a new "Arlington"
Nov. 5, 2PM Boston, MA Encuentro 5 33 Harrison Ave. 5th floor (Chinatown)Sponsors: Asian American Movement Ezine Asian American Resource Workshop Boston Hawaiian Club Chinese Progressive AssociationMassachusetts Global Action New England Japanese American Citizens League
Nov 5, 7PM Cambridge, MA. Location: Unitarian Church, Harvard SquareSponsor: Veterans for Peace Chapter 9, Smedley Butler Brigade and Chapter 45, Samantha Smith Chapter Contact: Lee VanderLaan, 978-257-2350
Nov 6, 2-4:30PM Boston, MA Location: University of Massachusetts/BostonSponsor: The Institute for Asian American Studies William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequence Time: 2-4:30 pm
Nov 6, 7PM Worcester, MA. Location: Clark University University Building, Lurie Room Sponsors: Veterans For Peace Chapter 10 Contact: Bob Flanagan, 508-755-1479, IrishBob54@aol.com

Nov 7, 4:30PM Portland, ME Location: Meditation Center Sponsor: Veterans for Peace, Chapter 1 Contact: Doug Rawlings, 207-293-2580, rawlings@maine.edu,
Nov. 7, 6-9PM Brunswick, ME Location: Morrill Room, Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street Pot luck supper and speaking engagement Time: 6 - 7:30pm
Nov 8, 7PM Albany, NY Sponsor: VFP National Location: TBAContact: Elliot Adams, 518-441-2697, elliottadams@juno.com


A full schedule can be found at Veterans for Peace and those interested in hosting a Bob Watada speaking engagement in their area are urged to contact Doug Zachary.

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