GI SPECIAL 4B21 22/2/06

[W.W. Norton & Co., NYC; 2005 and worth every penny.]

“I Thought This War Was Probably Wrong, Didn’t Want To Go”

[Excerpts]

I thought this war was probably wrong, didn’t want to go. The lies that got us there, that killed some of us, that wounded and maimed more of us: Only the most messed-uppatriotic-head-up-his-ass-blind-faith-my-country-right-or-wrong soldier believed them.

At full battle rattle we ran drills periodically in which everyone huddled into the back of a MILVAN, which resembled nothing so much as a metal truckbed. (Officers got into concrete bunkers, where, I imagine, they had a higher chance of survival.)

The story was that a MILVAN would protect us, either from incoming rounds or from chemical attacks, but this appeared quite unlikely. If a MILVAN took a direct hit, having us all together meant that the enemy would kill us all at once. We also put on gas masks while standing inside these metal containers, so it became extra uncomfortable and difficult to breathe. The whole thing would have been completely insane if it hadn’t also been incredibly real.

*************************************************

North. The mood changed after a time. We slowly drove past 4th Infantry Division (4 ID) guys looking mean and ugly.

They stood on top of their trucks, their weapons pointed directly at civilians. The civilians were moving tensely through ordinary activities. Acting as if there were no damned guns aimed at their heads, and these were women with children in tow! What could these locals possibly have done? Why was this intimidation necessary? No one explained anything, but it looked weird and felt wrong.

In the last several days I’d heard all sorts of horror stories: soldiers busting down civilians’ doors and dragging people into the streets; soldiers purchasing a damned sheep only to muzzle it and then beat it to death. Soldiers taking shots at people as they ran away, or shooting up entire cars of people as they approached a manned checkpoint (women, children, whatever) because they didn’t stop in time.

We all knew that local women were afraid of soldiers and would not necessarily stop at checkpoints. They were not used to dealing with men, let alone American men. They would see American men with guns and panic.

If an American sees a checkpoint with armed soldiers, the American stops. Wouldn’t she? But in Iraq there was a lot of confusion. From what I heard, things got out of hand pretty often. Fucking mayhem was what it was.

And meanwhile there were no signs in Arabic to alert locals that they were approaching a checkpoint.

No respect for the customs of the people, for the rhythms of their lives, for the shit they’ve had to suffer.

There was way too little attempt to communicate with the people. Too many soldiers acting like it was shoot-em-up time. I already missed 3rd Brigade. None of them ever said they wanted to feel what it might be like to shoot someone. Or thought killing a local might be cool. These 1st Brigade soldiers made me uncomfortable.

It’s also around this time that we receive new instructions on the ROE (rules of engagement). Actually they have been changing constantly, and it can be difficult to keep up. Like a lot of soldiers, I carry a copy of the ROE card in my Kevlar, though I’m sure it’s outdated.

The threat level is now high enough, we’re told, for yet another escalation. So our instructions on one particular convoy are: “If you see a guy on the side of the road on a cell phone, point your weapon at him. And if he won’t get off the phone, you can shoot him.

He might he calling in your location to somebody else. So if you think that he is on the phone passing information about your convoy and where it’s going, and you feel he’s a threat, you are authorized to shoot him.”

I cannot believe we’re told this. I think it’s insane. It’s crossing a line to shoot somebody just because he’s on the phone.

Can you imagine a foreign power coming to the United States and deciding to drive around and shoot your neighbor because he’s on his cell phone? Maybe he’s out there talking because he can’t get a good signal in his house.

How to explain this dilemma? If you see someone heading toward you, he could be approaching to offer you information. He could have an explosive device strapped to his waist and be about to kill you. He might want to ask for food.

You have to make that call, instantaneously. You have to decide whether or not you will allow this man anywhere near you. You have to decide whether you shoot him where he stands. Or whether you attempt to communicate with him from a distance and tell him to stop.

Every car you see driving past you, you have to judge whether or not this could be an attempt to kill you. Or will the driver or passenger wave or completely ignore you? You have to make that judgment call. Every single time. Every time you see any person anywhere close to you.

In truth, every incident that happens is a completely discrete incident, but it’s almost impossible to live this way.

Basically we all reach a point where we have to assume that everyone is friendly (and respond accordingly), or assume that everyone is a potential enemy (and treat them as such).

It simply becomes too overwhelming to play that line at every single moment. To look at each person and make that choice over and over and over again. To ask yourself: Will I give this person food? Or will I point my gun at this person?

So we make one choice: We come to assume the worst about everyone. And we stick with it.

Speak to infantry soldiers who have been in tough situations for a long time, and they will say that they treat everyone as the enemy. That’s how they deal. That’s how they survive.

I consider myself a reasonably compassionate person. I speak the language, and I have Arab friends, so I believe I’m better equipped than most soldiers to see these civilians as people. Not simply as the enemy. But even for me there are times I am feeling overwhelmed by the situation. God, why can’t we just kill everyone, or leave them to fucking kill each other? Because I cannot care any more. I cannot walk this line all the time. It’s too hard. I get too angry.

Increasingly many of us are just feeling angry all the time.

When we think about the local population now, we’re thinking: What are you people doing? We’re here to help you! And you’re trying to kill us! Are you insane? Do you even want peace? Or freedom? Or democracy? Do you want anything?

Or do you just want to kill all the time? What’s wrong with you?

What is wrong with these people?

IRAQ WAR REPORTS

Marine Dies In Humvee Explosion

February 21, 2006 The Advertiser

GREENHILL: A Lauderdale County native was killed in Iraq after a device exploded near the Humvee he was riding in over the weekend, exactly one week before his 22nd birthday, family members said.

Tommy and Debbie Conley said members of the U.S. Marine Corps came to their Greenhill home early Sunday to tell them about the death of their son, Cpl. Matthew Conley.

“When I saw who was there, they didn’t have to say a word, I knew what was going on,” Tommy Conley told the Florence TimesDaily.

Conley, 21, graduated from Rogers High School in 2002, where he was quarterback of the football team. He was a squad leader for the 37th Weaponry Division of the U.S. Marine Corps, stationed at 29 Palms, Calif., and had been in Iraq since September 2005. He and other members of his squad were killed Sunday while on security patrol in the province of Al-Anbar.

Conley was a passenger in the Humvee, training the soldier who was to take his place when he returned home. He was killed when the vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.

Tommy Conley said his son was scheduled to leave Iraq on March 6 and was to be home March 22.

Family and friends were planning a belated celebration for his Feb. 26 birthday and were going to have a baby shower for him and his wife, Nicole, who is expecting their first child in March.

“It’s like this really isn’t happening. It’s like a nightmare,” Debbie Conley said as she wiped away tears.

Lexington Marine Injured;
“We’re Going To Miss Him If He Doesn’t Come Back”

2/20/2006 Johnny Chappell, Reporter, WLTXTV, (Lexington)

A Marine from Lexington is hospitalized in Germany after being injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq last week.

Second Lieutenant Almar Fitzgerald was among a group of Marines, based out of California, who were injured in the attack. At least one Marine was killed.

Fitzgerald had been in Iraq for about six months before the attack. He was scheduled to return home in March.

Clint Hudson is Fitzgerald’s best friend. The two graduated together from Lexington High School.

“We used to joke around with people that we were brothers, and we really were brothers.”

Clint’s father, Robin Hudson, says Fitzgerald is truly one of South Carolina’s finest.

“The boy was a first class young man, with the best manners of any child you’d ever meet. We’re going to miss him if he doesn’t come back.”

Fitzgerald’s family has flown to Germany to be by his side. He’s reported to be in serious condition.

Fitzgerald is a 2000 graduate of Lexington High School. He graduated from the Citadel in 2004.

U.S. Vehicle Destroyed In Abu Ghraib,
Passengers Injured

2.21.06 DPA

A blast targeted a US army patrol in Abu Ghraib, 25 kilometres west of Baghdad, killing two Iraqi civilians, eyewitnesses said.

According to the witnesses, the US army vehicle was destroyed leaving its passengers injured.

Rockets Fired At British Base

21/02/2006 Thomas Crosbie Media

Unidentified attackers fired four rockets on a base with British and Danish troops in southern Iraq, but caused no injuries or damage, Denmark’s military said today.

Four rockets hit the Shaibah Logistics Base near Basra late yesterday, but only two of them exploded, Defence Command Denmark said in a statement.

“There has been no damage and no one was injured,” the statement said.

The base houses hundreds of British troops and Denmark’s entire Iraq contingent of 530 troops.

REALLY BAD PLACE TO BE:
BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW

U.S. Marine 2nd Lt. Jordan Reese of Rockfield, Illinois, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Regiment, checks up on Marines manning posts atop the Anbar provincial government headquarters in Ramadi Feb. 5, 2006. The government center, protected by dozens of Marines, has been a favorite target of insurgents in central Ramadi. (AP Photo/Antonio Castaneda)

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

Taliban Raid Afghan Police Station, Kill Three

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb 19 (Reuters)

“An unknown number of Taliban attacked the post in Marja district and three policemen were killed,” the deputy chief of police in the southern province of Helmand, Assadullah Shairzad, said of the Saturday night raid.

A Taliban commander claimed responsibility, saying his men had captured and occupied the post before withdrawing on Sunday.

In a separate incident, a rocket landed near a Kabul hotel where foreigners often stay but no one was hurt in the late Saturday attack.

“The Taliban Now Had The Public Support Needed To Defeat The British”
“We Intend To Trap Them And Kill Them All”

19/02/2006 By Massoud Ansari in Kila Saifullah, Pakistan; Telegraph Group Limited [Excerpts]

Stroking his long beard and flashing a smile, Mohammed Khwaja, a Taliban organiser in the lawless borderlands of Pakistan’s tribal areas, contemplated the imminent arrival of British troops in Helmand province.

“We thought that it would be between us and the US, but it looks like souls of the British buried in the Helmand after they were killed by the Afghan warriors in the 19th century may be feeling bored.

“Now they are calling their grandchildren to be reunited with them in hell,” he said.

By the early summer, 3,300 troops will be based in Helmand, in southern Afghanistan, close to where 962 British troops were slaughtered at the Battle of Maiwand in 1880.

“The Americans had either confined themselves to their bunkers or they were uselessly patrolling in the air.

“Once they are joined by several thousand British, you will be witnessing Talibs blowing themselves up left, right, and centre.”

“We realised that we were losing too many men in traditional guerrilla warfare. But when it comes to a suicide mission, we can be one against many.”

Khwaja said the adoption of the suicide tactic had come after close study of events in Iraq. Far from being borne “out of desperation”, as President Hamid Karzai has said, it was a calculated move to give the Taliban campaign fresh impetus.

The resurgence of the Taliban has been felt most strongly in the southern provinces of Helmand, Zabul, Kandahar and Uruzgan, where 1,600 were killed last year.

Syed Abdul Sattar Shah, of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam, a Pakistani pro-Taliban movement, in Quetta, said that the Taliban now had the public support needed to defeat the British.

After the Taliban regime fell at the end of 2001, poor Afghans had expected a “sea of dollars” from American incomers but had instead got “peanuts” from the occupation.

Sardar Haji Lashkari, a tribal chief in Baluchistan, said Afghans now saw the Taliban as becoming the dominant force in the south. “Many of them have started joining the Taliban bandwagon as an investment for the future.”

In Kila Saifullah, there was no doubting the popularity of the Taliban. “They never had a dearth of volunteers, but they needed funds as well as logistics,” said Mullah Abdul Wahid, a local cleric. “Now, within a few months they have proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with.”

Khwaja said he was relishing the arrival of British soldiers. “We intend to trap them and kill them all. There will be no opportunity for escape.”

TROOP NEWS

Sgt. Sues DoD Rats For Cheating Him Out Of His Re-Enlistment Bonus:
“I Feel Like They Threw Up A Smoke Screen”

February 20, 2006 By Kelly Kennedy, Army Times staff writer

More than one year after re-enlisting while serving a tour in Iraq, Sgt. 1st Class Carl Latson should finally get his $15,000 bonus, if he signs the paperwork.

“All the bonuses are approved with the single exception of Latson,” said Army spokesman Master Sgt. Jeff Clayton. “His lawyer has the paperwork, and he just needs to sign it.”

National Guard soldiers who did not receive their re-enlistment bonuses because of an error last winter signed new, properly worded re-enlistment contracts this month, Clayton said.

“I don’t know how soon they’ll get the bonuses, but it will probably be after normal processing,” Clayton said. That usually takes between 30 and 90 days, he said.

“I hope none of these guys are planning to pay rent with it next month,” he said. “It may not come that quickly.”

According to Latson’s re-enlistment contract, he was supposed to receive the bonus last March, when his new term of service began. But the Army later said National Guard soldiers were not eligible for that particular bonus.

The Defense Department quickly approved the bonus for National Guard troops who had served full-time active duty, but the wording was still wrong on the contracts, and Latson’s chain of command could not tell him if he would ever receive his bonus.

“I feel like they threw up a smoke screen,” Latson said. “I had a congressman and my brigade commander calling me saying we are getting our bonus. When I asked when, it was, ‘I will get back to you,’ or, ‘We don’t know how to pay it.’”

So, almost one year to the day after he re-upped, Latson filed a lawsuit in federal court.

The lawsuit, filed Jan. 13, seeks the $15,000 bonus, plus legal fees, as well as an investigation into whether Latson should have received up to $60,000 as a bonus as an active National Guard soldier. It states that more than 100 National Guard soldiers were affected by the bonus error.

Lawson’s lawyer, Mark Clausen, said Latson will sign a new contract only if the other issues in his lawsuit are addressed.

“The National Guard apparently is going through procedures to have the re-enlistment papers in question voided and re-signed by the soldiers,” Clausen said.

“Sgt. Latson will do this upon a settlement of all his claims and our determination which bonus program is in his best interests.”

Iraq Combat Veteran Who Went AWOL Surrenders:
“He Believed That His Unit’s Leaders Were Indifferent To His Adjustment Problems”

Jacob Hounshell

Feb. 11, 2006 By CHRIS VAUGHN, STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

Jacob Hounshell called Thursday afternoon on a cellphone, the sound of the road in the background.

“I’m heading down to Fort Hood,” he said.

Nine months after going absent without leave following a yearlong deployment to Iraq, Hounshell, a private first class, was returning to his unit in the 1st Cavalry Division.

His mother, Bobbie, dropped him off at the gate Thursday evening, and military police officers picked him up and took him to his command, said division spokesman Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl.

“It’s time to go before I get arrested with a warrant,” Hounshell said in the phone conversation to the Star-Telegram. “It’s better to turn myself in and get it over with.”

Hounshell, 20, had been living and working in Brownwood since May when he went on leave and never returned.

In a profile last June in the Star-Telegram, Hounshell said he was suicidal, having anxiety attacks and nightmares, and exploding in rage at the slightest provocation because of what he experienced on the combat deployment in Iraq.

He served with a scout unit in Baghdad, honorably and with commendations, according to his records and a fellow soldier quoted in the story.

Hounshell went AWOL, he said, because he believed that his unit’s leaders were indifferent to his adjustment problems.

Hounshell said Thursday that he learned that a federal warrant was about to be issued, prompting him to return to Fort Hood. He said he has been doing much better with his problems in recent months, but he still hopes to be discharged from the Army.

Somewhat bizarrely, Hounshell was working for a manufacturing plant in Brownwood that makes uniforms for the Army.

Hounshell reported to his command at 4th Battalion, 9th Cavalry and was assigned a noncommissioned officer to help him with his needs, Bleichwehl said. He will live in the barracks, Bleichwehl said.

He will have the opportunity next week to seek mental health counseling and to ask for a lawyer if he wishes, Bleichwehl said.

“What happens next is not known,” he said. “The commander has different options,” including administrative punishment, criminal charges and discharge from the service.

THIS IS HOW BUSH BRINGS THE TROOPS HOME:
BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW

The coffin of Filipino-American U.S. army chief warrant officer Ruel Garcia at his hometown in Obando cemetery, Bulacan province, Philippines, February 7, 2006. Garcia, 34, died in a crash after their Apache helicopter gunship was shot down by a surface-to-air missile on the morning of January 16 in Taji, Iraq. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Bush Wants Vets To Pay A Lot More For Health Care:
“You’re Having To Choose Between Health Care Premiums, Guns, Bullets, Airplanes And Ships”

February 21, 2006 By Liz Sidoti, Associated Press

The Bush administration wants many military retirees to pay more for health care, a proposal that could force the Republican-run Congress to choose between savvy politics and budget discipline.

To help contain those costs, President Bush’s proposal includes higher prescription drug co-payments for all beneficiaries of military health care except those on active duty, and increased annual enrollment fees for military retirees under age 65.

Those enrollment fees, $230 annually for an individual and $460 for a family, would rise under Bush’s plan. Depending on military rank at the time of retirement, individuals would pay from $325 to $700 by 2008, while a family would pay $650 to $1,400.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., chairman of the Senate Armed Services personnel subcommittee, said “You’re having to choose between health care premiums, guns, bullets, airplanes and ships,” at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing this month.

[Let’s see: hundreds of billions in tax cuts for the rich and giant corporations, hundreds of billions for Bush’s Imperial war for oil and Empire in Iraq, but nothing left for vets health care? There is no enemy in Iraq. Iraqis and vets and serving troops have a common enemy, the gang of looters located in Washington DC, running the U.S. government for the purpose of filling their pockets, and the pockets of the war profiteers and the pockets of their campaign contributors. Duh.]

MORE:

Bush Requests $72 Billion More For Wars

2.21.06 Christian Science Monitor

Congress is chafing, but not yet refusing, to provide the administration “emergency” funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush is asking for an additional $72 billion.

[Thanks to Mark Shapiro, who sent this in.]

IRAQ RESISTANCE ROUNDUP

Resistance Attacks On Baghdad Transmission Lines Cut Off Power 18 To 20 Hours Daily

20 Feb 2006 By Nick Olivari, AP

The Iraqi Reconstruction Management Office has registered 29 successful attacks on major transmission lines, or almost one a week, since they began keeping statistics in June 2005.

With the majority of attacks on the vulnerable lines feeding Baghdad from the north, the capital can get as few as four to six hours of electricity a day, said Bender.

That compares with some 10 to 11 hours of power a day around the rest of the country, including the city of Basra, alternating with a few hours on and a few hours off. Reuters.

OCCUPATION ISN’T LIBERATION
BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

Assorted Videos That FOX And CNN Would Love To Show

February 20, 2006 Imad Khadduri, abutamam.blogspot.com [Excerpt]

www.iraqsnuclearmirage.com/Media/PreparingRocketi.wmv Preparing a rocket, locally, in Thoulouiya (Jabha Islamia) and firing them at an American military base, followed by helicopters searching for what you see for one whole hour.

Cost of two rockets plus manual labour plus materials, about $100.

Cost of two helicopters flying for one hour plus salaries plus logistic support, about $100, 000.

Cost of damage inflicted by the two hand-made rockets, Priceless (ask Master Card).

Assorted Resistance Action

02/21/06 By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, The Associated Press & Reuters & DPA & (KUNA)

An Iraqi Cabinet minister escaped injury when a bomb exploded near her convoy in eastern Baghdad, police said. Three security guards were wounded. The attack against Suhaila Abed Jaafar, minister of migration, occurred as she was traveling along the Mohammed al-Qassim highway, police Lt. Mohammed Khayoon said.

Three policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Four Iraqi soldiers were seriously wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near a joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol near the town of al Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.

Two police commandos were killed and four people wounded, including a civilian, when a roadside bomb went off near their patrol in southern Baghdad, police said.

An Iraqi policeman was killed and two others were wounded in an explosion that took place as their patrol was passing in a suburb in western Baghdad.

Militants attacked a judge while he was heading to his work in Baquba, police said. Baaquba Court judge Mohammed Abbas Shalaka was killed.

The local Al-Sharqiya television channel reported Tuesday that the United Nations envoy to Baghdad, Asraf Qadi, had escaped a roadside bomb explosion near the western city of Ramadi,

The report said Qadi’s convoy was targeted during a visit to the region whereby he met with the provincial governor and his office staff on Monday.

The bomb exploded near the first vehicle of the convoy which stopped for a while and then went ahead to Baghdad with no casualties or damages, the report said.

An Iraqi Army officer and soldier were killed, two soldiers were wounded, on Tuesday when they came under attack by unknown militants.

Chief of Aqdheya Police in Kirkuk Brigadier Sarhad Qader told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the guerrillas opened fire on a car occupied by the officer and three soldiers in the Iraqi Army in the city of Kirkuk, noting that the officer and a soldier were killed, while the two other soldiers were wounded.

In another incident, the source said armed fighters opened fire on the residence of Colonel Burhan Taha in the area of Wahed Athar, wounding his son 1st Lieutenant Wesam Burhan and his daughter Zaynab Burhan, who were transported to hospital.

In a similar incident, resistance fighters opened fire on a car occupied by two Iraqi soldiers, killing them instantly and wounding a woman who happened to be at the site of the attack.

FORWARD OBSERVATIONS

Camouflaged Replay

Photo from the I-R-A-Q (I Remember Another Quagmire) portfolio of Mike Hastie, US Army Medic, Vietnam 1970-71. (For more of his outstanding work, contact at: (hastiemike@earthlink.net) T)

From: Mike Hastie
To: GI Special
Sent: February 21, 2006
Subject: Camouflaged Replay

The Vietnam War was the greatest masterpiece of lying in American History.

Fast-forward 30 years, and that masterpiece has been replaced with amnesia.

Iraq is another head-on collision with deceit.

Another war that will introduce soldiers to betrayal.

This generation of warriors never saw us die in Vietnam, or because of Vietnam.

Welcome Home.

Mike Hastie
Vietnam Veteran
February 21, 2006

Do you have a friend or relative in the service? Forward this E-MAIL along, or send us the address if you wish and we’ll send it regularly. Whether in Iraq or stuck on a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the war, at home and inside the armed services. Send requests to address up top.

Fuck Gun And Fuck Off

From: N
To: GI Special
Sent: February 21, 2006
Subject: Fuck gun and fuck off:

three years of crap,
more shit to come before they come home.

Some more dead.
free speech only an opportunity for those who left alive, so I’ll
be shooting my mouth off while we can still hear each other-

despair, hope and solidarity, N

***************************************************

Fuck gun and fuck off:

we need you here.

At ease soldier.
Stand straight, George.
You’ve got a lot to answer 4, 4A a dummy.

It’s time to get out-
yes you, you READ this
don’t you
it’s time to get out
go and grow
potatoes in Texas

International Diplomacy, fact #1:

Hamas, has been chosen

by the people of Palestine

and so is inherently constitutional.

Fact #2:

The Government of Venezuela, courtesy of Chavez,

expresses the will of its people.

Fact #3:

Bring it on? They did.

You’re a mighty sick joker, — (little) george.

and, you don’t represent anyone:

in fact, you represent – shit!

so Factoff !!! !! !

Begone.
Let some other slimy turd take your place
in the bottom of the bowl where
we vomit on. In the kindest words,

goodbye and good

riddance to you.
If you don’t go now then time will surely make you and sure as rotten
eggs, will even make you worried if your pension will cover your bird-flues. What?
Worried about that already,?

the only long-term attribute of those who

have historically called themselves

leaders, has been the gradual expose

of their stupidity.

- face, it, ---, george, duh, your mother don’t
- mind that you is stupid

-          she was dumb enough to think that you were
-          goodlookin’. it was summertime, she was probably drunk and free
-          you like that joke, george, you happy I’m havin fun
-          at your expense?
-          Hey, George,
-          are you the fashion God
-          of Fallujah?
-          do you think we should all window-dress like you?
-          Yes, Sir, Mission Accomplished Sir, the Boondocks have prevailed. Should we dress
in your image?
Or should we let the dogs, sic You? Hey, big, boy, stand up straight.

Hey, your magical mystery tour is over fuckwit
take your scaly mates with you- and – – – -------
-------- shove your fucking ipod

right up your ass
read my fucking lips

and fuck off.

Got it? I tried to keep it simple, stupid.

“If Tyranny And Oppression Come To This Land, It Will Be In The Guise Of Fighting A Foreign Enemy”

James Madison, 4th President of the United States:
March 4, 1809 to March 4, 1817

If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.

The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.

Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.

The loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad.

What do you think? Comments from service men and women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Send to thomasfbarton@earthlink.net. Name, I.D., withheld on request. Replies confidential.

OCCUPATION REPORT

Bomb Goes Off;
Iraqi Collaborator Troops Flee

February 21, 2006 London Times,

100,000 have joined the Iraqi army, but our correspondent discovers that the locals are far from ready to survive without the logistical support of coalition forces.

Iraqi troops fleeing the site of exploded roadside bomb provide stark evidence that it will be a long time before Iraqi security forces can become a credible alternative to the coalition forces.

Inflation Out Of Control:
Occupation Currency Worthless

February 14, 2005 By Abdulzahra al-Hindawi, Azzaman

Iraq inflation shot to 22% in January driven by hikes in essential commodities like food, fuel, transport and rent.

The latest figures by the Central Statistical Bureau show that January’s inflation level was 5.8% higher than the preceding month. [Which means the preceding months’ inflation was 16.2%. Which means a rate in excess of 100% a year. Which means that Iraqi paper currency is worthless. Which means the economy is a complete disaster. Which is just one more sign of a failed occupation and a collaborator government nobody can please the slightest reliance upon. Iraqi currency may someday be a collectors’ item, right up there with that of Puffin Island.]

Transport and fuel saw the highest increases (27%) followed by foodstuffs (26.4%).

[The increase in fuel and transport may be partially explained by government approved increases in their retail price. However, for those who are interested, the Iraqi dinar is now (Feb. 18) worth: 0.0006803 US Dollar, meaning 1,000,000 of these worthless pieces of shit would cost you about $680 U.S. Most banks and currency exchanges won’t have anything to do with it. And there you have the vote of world finance on the prospects for the U.S. occupation of Iraq. T]

Despite the hikes the government has stopped short of raising salaries.

DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

After Killing Families, U.S. Government Bars Iraqi Women From Visiting Because They Don’t Have Families

Feb. 17 Brendan Coyne, 2006 The New Standard

Earlier this month, the US State Department denied the visa applications of two Iraqi women who intended to participate in a speaking tour of the United States. Both women say that US troops killed their families. They were slated to travel with other women activists opposed to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In denying the visas earlier this month, the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan said it could not guarantee that the Iraqi women, Vivian Salim Mati and Anwar Kadhim Jawad, would return to Iraq after their visit, according to the anti-war organizers coordinating the circuit.

In a joint statement, Global Exchange and Code Pink said that according to the embassy, the women’s applications were denied because they supposedly do not have enough family members in Iraq to ensure their return.

The women were informed of the embassy decision on February 4, after traveling to Amman from Baghdad to apply for the visas, the organizations said.

“It’s appalling that the US military killed these women’s families and then the US government rejects their visas on the grounds that they have no family to return to in Iraq,” Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin said.

“These women have no desire to stay in the United States. We had a very hard time convincing them to come, but we told them how important it would be for their stories to be heard by Americans.”

REQUEST:

From: H
To: GI Special
Sent: February 19, 2006
Subject: Cheney’s New Weapon

I heard you ran a really good piece about that, but I missed it. Please reprint. Thanks. H

REPLY: OK

Cheney Approves New Weapon For Iraq Combat:
Says Pentagon Will Save Billions

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File via PB)

Vice President Dick Cheney, center, inspects a prototype of the new Minus 16 rifle that will be issued in April to all U.S. forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unveiled at an undisclosed location Feb. 12, the weapon will be produced by Halliburton Corporation.

In 2005, Halliburton received a $41 billion secret emergency Defense Department grant for weapons research and development after a Pentagon task force on counterinsurgency, led by three-star General M. T. Soot, recommended development of a fresh response to the simple but effective weapons used by freedom-hating baby-eating terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“This will show the enemy that whatever they can do, we can do better,” said Cheney, pointing out that the simplified design of the new rifle not only represents a technological breakthrough, ideal for use in arid, sandy terrain, but will also save billions yearly in manufacturing costs, and save additional billions yearly in expenses for ammunition.

The new rifle uses an easily manufactured round lead ball, another technical breakthrough Cheney said was achieved by the Halliburton R & D team tasked to come up with the specialized counterinsurgency weapon.

“No other troops in the world will have this weapon,” Cheney said. “Our fighting men and women deserve nothing less.”

In other news, the Pentagon announced today that General M. T. Soot will retire May 1, 2006. He will accept a position with Halliburton Corporation as Director, Weapons Research and Development, at a salary of $2,500,000 a year.

Halliburton would not confirm rumors that General Soot will personally take charge of a new $10 billion Pentagon funded top secret program at Halliburton to develop technology that can replace the heavy and expensive ceramic plates used in combat body armor with compressed fish scales.

Speaking anonymously, a Halliburton official pointed out that this could save the Pentagon an additional $40 billion a year “because the fish scales will cost next to nothing. As it is, the fish processing industry just throws them away.”

If the program is a success, the Halliburton source said the new technology can also be used to protect vehicles in combat areas. “Instead of all that heavy steel that has to be bought and installed at great expense, the troops will be issued cans of concentrated fish scale, and apply it to the vehicles themselves on the spot in Iraq or wherever.”

The source pointed out that a secret $4 billion Defense Department grant to Halliburton for researching terrorist religious views had learned that Middle Eastern terrorist fanatics believe fish scales are “unclean.” “They think any Muslim who comes in contact them will be turned into a frog and forced to listen to speeches by President Bush for all eternity,” he said.

“This is the perfect answer to the IED problem. They won’t use them if they know that after one goes off, fish scales will be blowing around all over the place. We’ll have them where we want them.”

General Soot declined to be interviewed for this report.

Obviously The Government Doesn’t Care What The Majority Of Americans Want:
So Much For That “We Live In A Democracy” Bullshit

December 2005 The Hightower Lowdown, Vo. 7, No. 12

In recent polls by the Pew Research Group, the Opinion Research Corporation the Wall Street Journal, and CBS News the American majority has made clear how it feels.

65% say the government should guarantee health insurance for everyone, even if it means raising taxes.

86% favor raising the minimum wage (including 79% of self-described “social conservatives”)

60% favor repealing either all of Bush’s tax cuts or at least those cuts that went to the rich.

66% would reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.

77% believe the country should do “whatever it takes” to protect the environment.

87% think big oil corporations are gouging consumers, and 80% (including 76% of Republicans) would support a windfall profits tax on the oil giants if the revenues went for more research on alternative fuels.

What Happened To Kenneth?

From: David Honish, Veterans For Peace
To: GI Special
Sent: February 19, 2006
Subject: Bush

President Bush recently went to a primary school in Macon, Georgia, to talk about the world. After his talk, he asked if the children had any questions.

One little boy put up his hand, and the president asked him his name.

“Kenneth.”

“And what is your question, Kenneth?”

“I have three questions:

1) …Whatever happened to the weapons of mass destruction?

2) …Why did you give a tax break to the super wealthy?

3) …Did you steal votes to win both elections?”

Just then the bell rang for recess. President Bush informed the kiddies that they would continue after recess.

When they resumed, the President said “OK, where were we? Oh, that’s right, question time. Who has a question?” A different little boy put his hand up.

Bush pointed him out and asked him his name.

“Larry.”

“And what is your question, Larry?”

“I have five questions:

1) …Whatever happened to the weapons of mass destruction?

2) …Why did you give a tax break to the super wealthy?

3) …Did you steal votes to win both elections?

4) …Why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early?

5) …What happened to Kenneth?

CLASS WAR REPORTS

“37 Million Americans Live In Poverty”
“The Highest Percentage In The Developed World”

While 45.8 million Americans lack any health insurance, the top 20 per cent of earners take over half the national income. At the same time the bottom 20 per cent took home just 3.4 per cent.

[Thanks to Phil G and JM, who sent this in.]

February 19, 2006 Paul Harris in Kentucky, The Observer [Excerpts]

A shocking 37 million Americans live in poverty. That is 12.7 per cent of the population – the highest percentage in the developed world.

They are found from the hills of Kentucky to Detroit’s streets, from the Deep South of Louisiana to the heartland of Oklahoma. Each year since 2001 their number has grown.

Under President George W Bush an extra 5.4 million have slipped below the poverty line. Yet they are not a story of the unemployed or the destitute. Most have jobs. Many have two.

Amos Lumpkins has work and his children go to school. But the economy, stripped of worker benefits like healthcare, is having trouble providing good wages.

Even families with two working parents are often one slice of bad luck, a medical bill or factory closure, away from disaster.

The minimum wage of $5.15 (£2.95) an hour has not risen since 1997 and, adjusted for inflation, is at its lowest since 1956.

The gap between the haves and the have-nots looms wider than ever. Faced with rising poverty rates, Bush’s trillion-dollar federal budget recently raised massive amounts of defence spending for the war in Iraq and slashed billions from welfare programmes.

Oklahoma is in America’s heartland. Tulsa looks like picture-book Middle America. Yet there is hunger here. When it comes to the most malnourished poor in America, Oklahoma is ahead of any other state.

While 45.8 million Americans lack any health insurance, the top 20 per cent of earners take over half the national income. At the same time the bottom 20 per cent took home just 3.4 per cent.

The United States has 269 billionaires, the highest number in the world.

Almost a quarter of all black Americans live below the poverty line; 22 per cent of Hispanics fall below it. But for whites the figure is just 8.6 per cent.

There are 46 million Americans without health insurance.

The richest town in America is Rancho Santa Fe in California. Average incomes are more than $100,000 a year; the average house price is $1.7m.