Vietnam: They Stopped An Imperial War

Active Duty Troops Go Public To Oppose War;
“We’ve Sacrificed Too Much At This Point”

[Thanks to a whole lot of people who sent this in.]

October 24th, 2006 Democracy Now & By Drew Brown, McClatchy Newspapers & October 25, 2006 By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS, The Virginian-Pilot & Associated Press & By Ann Scott Tyson, Washington Post Staff Writer & Reuters

More than 200 men and women from the United States armed services have joined a protest calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, organisers say.

The soldiers said they did not think it was worth their while to be in Iraq and questioned the use of repeated tours of duty.

In a conference call with reporters, a sailor, a marine and a soldier who had served in the Iraq operation said American troops there have increasingly had difficulty seeing the purpose of lengthy and repeated tours of duty since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The group of active-duty military members opposed to the occupation of Iraq, including a Norfolk-based sailor, have created a Web site intended to collect thousands of signatures of other service members who agree.

[See box below for web site location.]

Service members can submit their name, rank and duty station if they support the prompt withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

The electronic grievances will be passed along to members of Congress, according to the Web site. “Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home,” the Web site says.

Seaman Jonathan Hutto, a Norfolk based sailor who helped set up the Web site this month, said in a telephone interview 65 service members from multiple branches of the military initially decided to file their appeal, a number that had grown to 219 at the start of today’s conference call.

Hutto of Atlanta, a Navy seaman based in Norfolk, Virginia, says the idea to appeal for redress originated in January when he was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom when one of his friends suggested he read the book “Soldiers in Revolt.”

It chronicled opposition to the Vietnam War by active duty military.

Speaking in a conference call with an attorney and two other active members of the military, Hutto said that many soldiers have reservations about their orders and feel compelled to let their feelings be known.

“We’ve given enough,” said Hutto, who joined the Navy almost three years ago. “We’ve sacrificed too much at this point.”

He said he is not a pacifist, but he has been skeptical about the reasons behind the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

“This is the crisis we have created,” Hutto said. “We’re not anti-war. But at this point, our position is anti-occupation.”

“I hear discussions every day among my shipmates about the war in Iraq and how it doesn’t make any sense at this point,” said Hutto, who is based in Norfolk and served from September 2005 until March on a ship off Iraq’s coast.

He said he opposes the war because of its human and economic tolls, adding that the billions of dollars should be spent on jobs and education at home.

Marine Corps Sgt. Liam Madden, 22, served in Iraq’s Anbar province from September 2004 until February 2005 and found his opposition to the war intensified after he returned to the United States.

“I don’t think any more Iraqis or Americans should die because of the U.S. occupation,” he said, expressing disappointment that Iraqi elections in January 2005 did not lead to a decline in violence.

“The occupation is perpetuating more violence,” he said. “It’s costing way too many Iraqi civilian and American service member lives while it brings us no benefit.”

“I think some things are worth fighting for, I just don’t feel Iraq is one of them,” said Madden, of Bellows Falls, Vt. The Quantico-based Marine plans to leave the service to attend college in January.

Madden, said he opposed the war in Iraq even before he deployed with his Marine unit in late 2004. He came home more convinced that the war was wrong.

“The more informed I got, the more I opposed the war,” said Madden, 22, a Marine Corps sergeant in Quantico, Va.

“The more people who died there, the longer we stayed there, the more I opposed the war. The more I know, the easier it is to support withdrawal.”

“The long-term goal is to end the occupation of Iraq,” Madden said.

“The short-term goal is to spread the word that service members who feel like we do have a tool to have their voice heard, and it’s their duty as a citizen of a democratic society to participate in democracy.”

He told a Vermont newspaper, “The war is being paid for by American people and they’re not seeing any benefit from it, and neither are the Iraqi people. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Madden said he and Hutton met and learned of the vehicle for expressing their views to Congress when they attended a lecture at the YMCA in Norfolk by David Cortright, the author of “Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War.”

The grassroots movement of active-duty service members is based in Norfolk, Va., and is sponsored by several anti-war groups, including Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace, and Military Families Speak Out.

Service members can submit their appeals online, giving their names, duty status and service branches.

Eric A. Seitz, a Honolulu attorney who has handled military cases for more than 40 years, said: “The kinds of resistance and opposition and outrage that military people are now beginning to express has been simmering for quite a while. But it’s about to just burst out in huge waves.”

If dissent continues to build, more soldiers might refuse to fight, Seitz said.

Pentagon officials might “think they can continue to prosecute a war, but when the troops stop fighting, that’s it, they’re out of luck,” he said.

Hearing publicly from active-duty troops is rare.

Military laws bar officers from denouncing the president and other U.S. leaders, and regulations typically prevent service members from lobbying for a particular cause while on duty or wearing the uniform.

Legal experts who reviewed the Web site said the effort probably would not violate any rules because the site is not a personal attack on members of the administration and allows service members to quietly pass their grievance to Congress in their free time.

Backers of the Web site also cite a “whistle-blower protection” law as added protection. Under the law, service members can file complaints to Congress without reprisal.

At least two senators, both critical of the administration’s handling of the war in Iraq, said they were concerned that service members speaking out against the president may undermine the military’s apolitical status.

“We expect our soldiers to follow the legitimate orders of their commanders,” said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who is helping lead Democratic opposition to the war this election season.

“And if you feel a course of action is inappropriate, your choice is just getting out of the service, basically, if you can, and making your comments as a civilian,” said Reed, a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger and paratrooper.

[How nice that the Democratic Party Senator speaks so clearly: shut the fuck up. Don’t you just love the “if you can” bit?]

[You can die, but keep your mouth shut. He understands perfectly what it means when troops start organizing against a stupid, lost Imperial war. He remembers that it was the troops that rebelled against the war on Vietnam, and refused to fight it any more, and stopped that war. He’s pissing his pants. He and the Democratic Party loved the Empire as much as the Republicans back then, and they still do. That’s why it had to be the troops that stopped the Vietnam War, and that’s what it will take to bring this madness to an end as well. T]

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a former reserve judge for the Air Force, said vocal complaints by active-duty members represented a “disturbing trend” that threatened to erode the cohesiveness of the military.

“We’ve had a long tradition making sure the military doesn’t engage in political debate,’ said Graham, R-S.C. [What a lying, worthless piece of shit. For years various ass-kissing generals have been “engaging in political debate” by telling the world how wonderful the war in Iraq is, and how Bush and Rumsfeld are marvelous people. But let some active duty troops question that, and all of a sudden asshole Graham trots out this stupid, lame, whiney bullshit.]

Hutto and supporters of his Web site said they see no problem with active-duty military personnel weighing in to politics.

Hutto, 29, is a native of Atlanta who graduated from Howard University with a degree in political science. He says he joined the Navy to bring structure and focus to his life .

He won Blue Jacket of the Quarter for his diligence in the photography department aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, according to a news release on the ship’s Web site.

Hutto draws a bright line between his Navy and civilian responsibilities.

He cited the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and thousands of enlisted active-duty Vietnam War protesters as sources of inspiration.

By joining the Navy, he said, “I don’t believe I have somehow canceled my rights as an American citizen.”

Scott Silliman, director of Duke University’s Center on Law, Ethics and National Security, said he sees the increasing political noise being made from military members, active and retired, as a relatively new phenomenon. [New to anybody utterly ignorant of what happened in Vietnam that is.]

“Fifteen, 20 years ago you wouldn’t have seen it happen,” Silliman said.

Still, Silliman said, he sees little wrong with troops speaking out on their own time so long as they are not senior-ranking officers needed to carry out the presidents orders. “It depends certainly on who it is” ramping up opposition to the executive branch, he said.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said members can share their views with the media so long as they are not wearing the uniform and make clear that they are not speaking on behalf of the armed forces.

An Appeal For Redress From The War In Iraq
www.appealforredress.org/index.php

Do you have a friend or relative in the service? Forward GI Special 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 or write to: The Military Project, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657

IRAQ WAR REPORTS

Terre Haute Based Marine Was Honored To Do His Duty

October 17, 2006 By Deb McKee, The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE: Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Hines was honored to fight alongside his fellow Marines in Iraq, according to friends.

“He loved the idea that he was actually going to get to do his part as a Marine,” said Cpl. Jason St. Jean, a member of Kilo Company 3rd Battalion 24th Marines Reservists, based in Terre Haute. St. Jean said Hines was the first Marine he met when he was transferred to the unit, more than a year ago.

Hines, 26, formerly of Ventura, Ca., and Olney, Ill., and most recently of Westfield, Ill., died Sunday while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, about 50 miles west of Baghdad. Hines was riding in a Humvee with two other Marines when an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle, killing Hines and Sgt. Brock Babb, 40, of Evansville. Lance Cpl. Joshua Bleill, 29, of Greenfield was seriously injured, but expected to recover.

Hines leaves behind his wife and 2-month-old son. Hines and his wife were married in February, St. Jean said. When his son was born in August, Hines was training in California for his deployment. The proud father traveled back to Westfield two days later to see his firstborn, St. Jean said.

Hines was one of more than 70 Wabash Valley Marines sent to augment other Marine infantry units in Al Anbar, where fighting was expected to be intense. Earlier this year, 1st Sgt. Troy Euclide, family readiness officer with Company K, told the Tribune-Star the unit would be “the ground pounders that kick the doors in and save the world.”

Company K had been in Iraq only about 2 1/2 weeks when the incident occurred, according to Staff Sgt. James Primm, who has been acting as the casualty assistant calls officer in support of family members.

Local Soldier, Luis Enrique Tejeda, Killed In Iraq

Spc. Luis Enrique Tejeda, a 20-year-old soldier from Lynwood, Calif., was killed Sept. 30, 2006 during combat operations in Hit, Iraq. Tejeda was one of two soldiers from the Germany-based 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment who was recently killed during combat operations in Iraq’s western Al Anbar Province. Photo by: Sgt. Roe F. Seigle . Photo ID: 2006108105556. Submitting Unit: 1st Marine Division. Photo Date: 10/04/2006

October 13, 2006 By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition

BAUMHOLDER, Germany: The unanswered roll call. The firing of volleys. The playing of taps.

Once again, those somber sounds fell upon the Baumholder community.

On Thursday afternoon, the tight-knit community that is home to the 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team bid farewell to Army Cpl. Luis E. Tejeda in a memorial ceremony.

Tejeda, a Bradley fighting vehicle driver with the Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, died Sept. 30 from injuries received during a roadside bomb blast in Hit, Iraq.

The native of Lynwood, Calif., passed away almost a month before he turned 21.

Known as “TJ,” Tejeda will be remembered for his infectious smile, his friends said. Pfc. Dannie C. Cooper, a one-time roommate of Tejeda, expressed condolences to the fallen soldier’s family.

“His youth, his love of life, his laughter and smile were taken from them, from us — his friends, his comrades,” Cooper said. “TJ will always be missed and remembered as a hero and a friend.”

While living together, Cooper and Tejeda would often talk fondly about their families and going home.

“He wanted to go back home to California,” Cooper said. “TJ, you’re finally home.”

A roadside bomb struck Tejeda’s Bradley while he was traveling to relieve fellow soldiers at a checkpoint.

Tejeda was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He is survived by his wife, Alondra, and his parents, Sergio Zuniga and Liliana Tejeda.

Baumholder has held about a dozen memorial ceremonies this year as its soldiers have been serving in Iraq, and the Baumholder soldiers are nearing the end of their deployment.

KC Family Mourns Loss Of Son To War In Iraq

10/18/06 CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING, INC.

BAKERSFIELD: The community is mourning the loss of a Bakersfield soldier killed in Iraq. Sgt. Domenico Baroncini, 33, was supposed to return home from Iraq this month, but his tour was extended, putting him in harm’s way.

Baroncini was in Iraq for more than a year. His family asked for privacy as they remember their only son. He loved his family’s ranch and America.

Father Craig Harrison from St. Francis Church spoke for the Army Sgt.’s family and said the military is investigating his death. The Baroncinis knew their son will receive several awards, including the Purple Heart.

Baroncini joined the Army after 9-11 and was part of the 82nd Airborne. He graduated from Bakersfield High School in 1991, and was remembered as an excellent student by his former shop teacher.

He was supposed to return home this month, but requested that fellow soldiers with young children leave for home first, so his tour was extended.

Now his parents, Lester and Pixie, privately remember their only son.

The family is not sure when Baroncini’s body will return to the U.S., but plan to hold services at St. Francis Church.

Soldier Killed In Iraq ‘Only Thought Of Others’

Pfc. Kenny Stanton Jr. is the third Hemet High alumnus killed in Iraq

October 16, 2006 By HERBERT ATIENZA and JAMIE AYALA, The Press-Enterprise

A Hemet High School graduate who was a budding journalist and a youth leader at his church has become the latest Inland serviceman — and the third from his school — to be killed in the war in Iraq.

Pfc. Kenny Francis Stanton Jr., 20, of Hemet, died Oct. 13 in Baghdad from injuries he suffered after a bomb detonated near his armored Humvee, U.S. Army spokesman Sheldon Smith said Monday.

Smith said the incident occurred about 9:10 p.m., Baghdad time, while Stanton was inside the vehicle on patrol. He said it’s uncertain if the bomb was set off after the vehicle ran over it or if it was set to explode remotely.

Stanton had been assigned to the 57th Military Police Company in Waegwan, Korea, but was in Iraq as part of his assignment rotation, Smith said.

Stanton’s death follows those of two other Hemet High alumni who were killed in Iraq. Marine Cpl. Michael Estrella, 20, died in June and U.S. Army Specialist Jason Chappell, 22, died in January 2004.

“Hemet High is back in sad times,” Assistant Principal Larry Kinney said about Stanton, who graduated in 2004.

Stanton’s death has brought sadness to his friends and family, who gathered Monday at their Hemet home. Inside, they set up a small shrine bearing pictures, including of Kenny Jr. in uniform; mementoes, including his Army diploma; and messages of remembrance from friends and family.

“He was big hearted. He only thought of others,” said his mother, Gloria L. Stanton, who fought back tears as she described the last time she spoke with her son last week. In that conversation, she said, he said everything was fine and urged her not to worry.

“He wanted to know how everybody was doing,” she said.

She said he had urged her not to read the news about Iraq or worry too much about him.

His father, Kenny Stanton Sr., said it was like his son to try to paint a better picture of the situation so as not to cause worry for his parents.

“He wanted to protect his mom,” Stanton said.

Stanton said military personnel knocked on their door on Saturday morning to tell them what happened.

Born in Downey, Stanton Jr. was a loving child who did well in school, his father said. He was the oldest of four children and was active in youth ministry at their church, Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church.

Stanton said his son was a reporter for the Hemet High newspaper, The Bulldog, and enjoyed sports, such as wrestling and basketball.

Stanton Jr. also enjoyed poetry and had thought about becoming an English teacher, his father said. He said Stanton Jr. was active in youth ministry at church.

Stanton Jr. joined the Army because he wanted to make a difference and have the time to decide what to do in college, his father said. He attended boot camp at Fort Leonard in Missouri and was then transferred to South Korea. He was deployed to Iraq in July and was to stay there for a year, his father said.

“He was a great brother,” said his younger brother, Mario, 17, a senior at Alessandro High School. He always checked on Mario to make sure he kept up with studies. “He was always concerned about the family and he told me take care of the family.”

Hemet Vice-Mayor Marc Searl said the community shares in the family’s grief and shows how the war in Iraq touches everyone.

“I don’t think there are any words to express that kind of sorrow and heartache,” he said. “This thing that’s happening in Iraq affects the whole country.”

After reviewing his transcripts, Kinney said, Stanton was the kind of student teachers wanted in their class.

Keith Rossi had Stanton in Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition. He said Stanton was eager to share ideas, inquisitive and always up for a challenge.

Kinney said the school is considering hanging a plaque in honor of the three alumni in the school’s Freedom Shrine. The patriotic display on the second floor of the school’s two-story classroom building includes historical documents such as the Bill of Rights and the Gettysburg Address.

Stanton kept an online journal on MySpace.com. There he wrote about what he thought was important.

“The key to freedom lies within the soul of the mind. We need the heart to (breathe) and to survive, but when the soul of the mind is deceased, then you are dead.”

As the news of his death reached his friends, his Web page has logged a number of messages.

One friend wrote: “You were a wonderful person with a wonderful heart. You had room for everyone there and that’s where you kept us all.”

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO COMPREHENSIBLE REASON TO BE IN THIS EXTREMELY HIGH RISK LOCATION AT THIS TIME, EXCEPT THAT A CROOKED POLITICIAN WHO LIVES IN THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU THERE, SO HE WILL LOOK GOOD.
That is not a good enough reason.

U.S. troops at the scene of a car bombing in Kirkuk Oct. 15, 2006. A string of bombings in Kirkuk killed 10 at least people on Sunday. (AP Photo/Yahya Ahmed)

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

Reporter Exposes Another Stupid Occupation Command Lie;
Silly General Butler Caught Faking Victory Reports, As Usual

Last week the British were forced to abandon their “platoon house” at Musa Qala, and were only able to get their vehicles after a deal brokered by local tribal elders.

“We gained our freedom from the British 160 years ago, and should remain free.” Thousands of young men now see them as a resistance force against international troops

25 October 2006 By David Loyn, Independent News and Media (NI)

Racing across the desert in the north of Helmand province, our convoy was kicking up a dust-storm that could be seen from space.

The Taliban were demonstrating their control over a wide region.

These are the same Taliban that Brigadier Ed Butler, the commander of British forces in the region, said were “practically defeated” in Helmand.

Instead, they are confident and well-armed, all with AK-47s, and many of them carry rocket-propelled grenadelaunchers.

We passed the burnt-out remains of a Spartan armoured personnel carrier, destroyed on 1 August with the loss of three British lives.

Last week the British were forced to abandon their “platoon house” at Musa Qala, and were only able to get their vehicles after a deal brokered by local tribal elders.

The plan to spread goodwill from these “inkspots”, and provide an environment to deliver aid, has had to be radically reviewed in the face of heavy Taliban attacks.

Their communications equipment and vehicles are new and they have a constant supply of fresh men from the madrassas, the religious schools in Pakistan.

The man leading these forces against the British said this kind of high-speed patrol was vital. “It’s essential training,” he said.

The Taliban always valued speed and mobility. It was the secret of their success when they swept aside rival mujahedin to take the capital and most of the country 10 years ago. Few carry any possessions other than weapons.

When we stopped for the night, they broke into groups to eat in different houses in a village. They demand and get food and shelter wherever they stop, but it is impossible to say how enthusiastic the villagers really are.

The Taliban commander said the tactic of suicide bombing, still relatively new to Afghanistan, would be employed far more intensively in the future.

He denied that the Taliban supported the growing of opium poppies, claiming that it had been trying to persuade people to stop it because it is against Islam. For the past two years of their rule before their government fell in 2001, they imposed a nationwide ban. The commander said “the British have brought it back by encouraging warlords and not giving the people anything. Poppy-growing has led to support for crime, so Helmand is full again of corrupt bandits.”

What is clear is the Taliban are now far more numerous than the “200 core fighters”, dismissed by the Afghan President Hamid Karzai not so long ago.

Thousands of young men now see them as a resistance force against international troops who have had five years and are not seen to have delivered results.

Driving around the region during the next day with a local commander, Mahmud Khan, was a little like visiting villages in Britain might be with a popular local politician. He knew everybody, and stopped often to chat.

He said: “We gained our freedom from the British 160 years ago, and should remain free. We don’t accept the claim that they are here to rebuild our country. They have done nothing for us.”

On 7 October, two bombs fell on the village of Regan in Helmand. One hit a house, killing six members of a family, including three girls. After the bombs fell, villagers saw four helicopters land.

Haji Mullah Sadeq said: “I was carrying two children, one on my shoulders, and one in my arms, when the helicopters landed and they started shooting at me. God saved me and I escaped.”

Nato sources describe this village as being heavily defended by the Taliban. They arrested a suspect and flew away.

One of the villagers pointed to the torn and bloody women’s clothing left in the ruins of the house and said: “Are these the kind of houses they have come to build: the kind where clothing is cut to pieces?”

Meanwhile, the scale of institutionalised corruption practised by the Afghan National Army is shocking.

They demand money at gunpoint from every driver on the main roads in the south. It was to stop just this kind of casual theft that the Taliban was formed in the first place in 1994.

For the first time since then, the Taliban are now being paid again to sort out the problem.

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

TROOP NEWS

Oct. 27th Press Conference For New Internet Cafe At Ft. Drum

The Different Drummer Internet Cafe
12 Paddock Arcade, 1 Public Square
Watertown, N Y 13601
www.differentdrummercafe.org

October 19, 2006 Citizen Soldier,
Additional Info: Tod Ensign, Citizen Soldier (212) 679-2250
Citizen Soldier Home Page: www.citizen-soldier.org/

On Friday, October 27, 2006 at 11:00 am, Different Drummer will host a press conference at its Paddock Square venue to announce its Grand Opening and to provide an overview of its programs and future activities.

Watertown’s Mayor Jeff Graham and Downtown Business Assn Director, Christine Hoffman will be joined by Congressional candidate Dr. Bob Johnson (D-23d CD) and Howie Hawkins, the Green Party’s candidate for US Senate, all of whom will make brief remarks of welcome. All elected officials, both state and federal, have been invited and others are expected to attend.

The Internet Cafe will entertain Ft Drum servicemembers, their families and friends with performances of music, dance, comedy, rap, poetry and authors’ readings reflecting a wide variety of viewpoint. It seeks to promote a free and uncensored exchange of ideas and information among military personnel on political issues which affect their lives.

Finally, it will provide alternatives information, referrals and legal counseling regarding the rights and duties of America’s servicemembers.

During the Vietnam war, dozens of similar coffeehouses were established near every major US military base, both at home and abroad.

The Different Drummer will be the first such project of the current Iraq war.

THREE WEST POINT GRADS TO BE HONORED FOR ANTIWAR ACTIVITY DURING VETERANS DAY WEEKEND AWARD CEREMONY:
Founders of West Point Graduates Against the War to Receive Peacemaker Award

From: West Point Graduates Against the War
To: GI Special
Sent: October 20, 2006

NEW YORK (October 20, 2006)

In a tribute to honor and country, the PEACE ACTION OF CENTRAL NEW YORK will present Peacemaker Awards to Dr. William Cross, James Ryan, and Joseph Wojcik, the three founders of West Point Graduates Against the War on Veterans Day weekend in Syracuse.

These anti-Iraq war advocates will be honored at the annual Peace Awards Dinner in Syracuse on November 12, 2006. Dr. Cross will also deliver the keynote address, entitled “Loyalty to Whom?”

The Peace Awards Dinner will be held at 5 p.m., Sunday, November 12, 2006 at Drumlins Banquet Facility, 800 Nottingham Road, Syracuse, New York.

For reservations call: 315-478-7442 or e-mail: giege3m@twcny.rr.com.

About West Point Graduates Against The War

The three founders launched the grassroots organization, West Point Graduates Against The War, in the spring of 2006 to convert the disgrace of governmental misinformation and evasions about the assault on Iraq into a force to redeem the honor of the United States.

The organization’s mission is to encourage, empower, and support all graduates of U.S. service academies to speak out against the policies of the current administration.

These policies have disastrously undermined and damaged the reputation of the United States and its military throughout the world.

To this end, the organization has recently called for the impeachment of George W. Bush for his deceitful and illegal actions that insult the founding principles of America and have so endangered the interests of the American public, its military, the Iraqi people, and the world.

Membership is open to all alumni of the United States Military Academy, and widows, widowers, parents, and children of deceased graduates. Enrollment has grown steadily and includes retired and active duty graduates.

CONTACT: Becky Kern WErPR, 914-772-2310
West Point Graduates Against The War: (www.westpointgradsagainstthewar.org/)

Horrible News:
“Thousands” Of Troops In Debt Can’t Be Sent To Iraq

[Thanks to Eric Ruder who sent this in. He writes: In case you missed this… The bolded paragraph made me laugh out loud. The explanation is reckless spending and euphoria at being alive, not poverty wages! Outrageous…]

Data supplied to the AP by the Navy, Marines and Air Force show that the number of clearances revoked for financial reasons rose every year between 2002 and 2005, climbing ninefold from 284 at the start of the period to 2,654 last year. Partial numbers from this year suggest the trend continues.

October 20, 2006 By Thomas Watkins, Associated Press. Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek in Washington, Melissa Nelson in Pensacola, Fla., and Estes Thompson in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report

SAN DIEGO: Thousands of U.S. troops are being barred from overseas duty because they are so deep in debt they are considered security risks, according to an Associated Press review of military records.

The number of troops held back has climbed dramatically in the last few years. And though they appear to represent a very small percentage of all U.S. military personnel, the increase is occurring when the armed forces are stretched thin.

“We are seeing an alarming trend in degrading financial health,” said Navy Capt. Mark Patton, commanding officer at San Diego’s Naval Base Point Loma.

The Pentagon contends financial problems can distract personnel from their duties or make them vulnerable to bribery and treason. As a result, those heavily in debt can be stripped of security clearances needed to go overseas.

Although the number of revoked clearances has surged since the beginning of the Iraq war, military officials say there is no evidence service members are deliberately running up debts to stay out of harm’s way. [Why, who would even think of such a thing?]

Officials also say the increase has not undermined the military’s fighting ability, though some say it has complicated the job of assembling some of the units needed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

[This is the pp. Eric Ruder refers to:]
The problem is attributed to a lack of financial smarts among recruits, reckless spending among those exhilarated to make it home alive from a tour of duty and the profusion of “payday lenders” that allow military personnel to borrow against their next paycheck at extremely high interest rates.

Data supplied to the AP by the Navy, Marines and Air Force show that the number of clearances revoked for financial reasons rose every year between 2002 and 2005, climbing ninefold from 284 at the start of the period to 2,654 last year. Partial numbers from this year suggest the trend continues.

More than 6,300 troops in the three branches lost their clearances during that four-year period. Roughly 900,000 people are serving in the three branches, though not all need clearances.

The figures gathered by the AP represent just a piece of problem, because the Army, which employs an additional 500,000 people and accounts for the vast majority of the 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, rejected requests for its data, saying such information is confidential.

At Point Loma, Patton said clearance revocations in key areas such as military police forces have become so common that he often looks for two sailors to fill a single posting.

Still, Patton said he had not heard of anyone racking up bills to get out of combat. [Why, who would even think of such a thing?]

Security clearances are revoked when service members’ debt payments reach 30 percent to 40 percent of their salary. The exact amount depends on the military branch.

There are three levels of clearance, confidential, secret and top secret. Not all troops need clearance. Marine infantrymen don’t, but it’s required for some Marine specialists such as those in intelligence. So do many jobs in the Navy and Air Force.

A key reason the military revokes clearances is the fear that soldiers in debt might be tempted to sell secrets or equipment to the enemy.

Also, “when they are over there fighting, we like them to have their heads in the game,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Lehnert, commander of Marine Corps bases in the western United States.

[Then you’re truly fucked. This Spring, over 70% thought all U.S. troops should be out of Iraq by 12.31.06. Get it? 12.31.06. Nearly 30% were for immediate withdrawal. Get it Lehnert? Immediate withdrawal. And war is not a fucking game. Unless you’re some chairborne asshole like dickhead Lehnert, with your nose firmly lodged in the next step the chain of command, menaced daily by nothing more threatening than a slip of the knife in your dining room. T]

Soldiers With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Are Being ReDeployed To Iraq

[Thanks to James Starowicz, Veterans For Peace, who sent this in.

[He writes: I’m off to work, but had caught the following on CBS News Early Broadcast, this morning.

[We are creating our own ‘Human’ WMD’s as these Troops without Proper Treatment, after Multiple Tours, and Already Diagnosed with PTSD are sent back into Theater! They will be, and are, ticking time bombs, through No Fault Of Their Own, to Explode on those around them!!

[I had a few friends who after returning from ‘Nam couldn’t handle living, once again, in a semi stable society. So they volunteered to return to the War Theater, Where They Were Killed!! As well as others who turned to Drugs and Alcohol, and there are others who turned to crime or committed Violent Acts when their Demons Took Over!!

[We hear the reports, than flip it out of mind, while we Should Be Studying this, because it not only happens to Military Personal and Civilians in War Theaters, it can happen to Anyone who goes through Traumatic Experiences in life that shake their perceived foundations!]

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

Oct. 19, 2006 (CBS)

(CBS) Army Staff Sgt. Bryce Syverson spent 15 months in Iraq before he was diagnosed by military doctors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sent to the psychiatric unit at Walter Reed Medical Center, CBS News correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports.

“It ended up they just took his weapon away from him and said he was non-deployable and couldn’t have a weapon,” says his father, Larry Syverson. “He was on suicide watch in a lockdown.”

That was last August. This August, he was deployed to Ramadi, in the heart of the Sunni triangle, and he had a weapon.

“To put someone in that situation and say ‘face your fears’ is contrary to all current medical and scientific knowledge about PTSD.”

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

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

IRAQ RESISTANCE ROUNDUP

WELCOME TO RAMADI:
HAVE A NICE DAY

Insurgent soldiers move in formation to control a road in Ramadi October 22, 2006. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ)

Assorted Resistance Action

10/24/2006 Associated Press & Reuters & 10.25.06 Reuters

At least two more policemen have been killed in the southern Iraqi city of Amarah.

Two roadside bombs exploded in quick succession in the northern oil city of Kirkuk. The first targeted the police deputy chief and wounded one of his security guards. The second exploded near a police station, wounding two policemen and two civilians, police said. A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol killed two soldiers and wounded another one in central Kirkuk, police said.

A bomb killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded three others as they entered a house in the northern town of Tal Afar, 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.

A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol wounded two policemen in the neighbourhood of Camp Sara of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.

Guerrillas wounded a policeman in Diwaniya.

FORWARD OBSERVATIONS

“In Bush’s Back Yard”

Arlington Northwest near Indian Island Weapons Depot

From: Mike Hastie
To: GI Special
Sent: October 23, 2006

400 demonstrators march for peace on September 23, 2003.

35 are arrested and jailed for civil disobedience,
as the madness in Iraq continues.

After the demonstration,
a wounded veteran solemnly walks through the grave markers
of American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the back of his T-shirt reads:
“In Bush’s Back Yard.”

Mike Hastie
Vietnam Veteran

Photo and caption 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)

OCCUPATION REPORT

Iraq Prime Minister Says U.S. Occupation Commanders Are Liars

Oct 25, 2006 By Mariam Karouny, BAGHDAD (Reuters)

Iraq’s Shi’ite prime minister pledged on Wednesday to crack down on illegal militias but criticised a U.S. raid on a Shi’ite militia stronghold that killed at least four people.

The U.S. military said Iraqi special forces backed by U.S. air strikes conducted the raid in the Sadr City district of Baghdad “to capture a top illegal armed group commander directing widespread death squad activity”.

Unusually, the U.S. statement specifically said the raid had been “authorised by the government of Iraq”.

Residents said the dead included two Mehdi Army militiamen loyal to anti-American Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a powerful force behind Maliki’s national unity government.

Asked about the raid by reporters, however, Maliki contradicted the U.S. account, saying: “We will be seeking an explanation from the multinational forces to avoid a repetition of what happened without our cooperation in advance.”

U.S. OCCUPATION RECRUITING DRIVE IN HIGH GEAR;
RECRUITING FOR THE ARMED RESISTANCE THAT IS

Iraqi citizens try to clean up the offices of Ansar al-Zahra Shiite mosque in Baghdad, Oct. 20, 2006, after an overnight raid by U.S. troops, who arrested two guards, wrecked the offices, and took computers and money without a search warrant, or giving receipts, according to witnesses. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

[There’s nothing quite like invading somebody else’s country and busting into their churches and trashing them, and taking their money by force to arouse an intense desire to kill you in the patriotic, self-respecting civilians who live there.

[But your commanders know that, don’t they? Don’t they?]

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

Duh!

“An insurgency is apolitical struggle,” said Kalev Sepp, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School who has advised U.S. commanders in Baghdad on counterinsurgency strategy.

“You can’t create security forces if they don’t have a government to fight for.”

What do you think? Comments from service men and women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Write to The Military Project, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657 or send to contact@militaryproject.org:. Name, I.D., withheld on request. Replies confidential. Same to unsubscribe.

DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

Bush Tells Americans To Ignore Everything He Says

“We must not fall prey to the sophisticated propaganda of the enemy.” Bush at Press Conference 10.25.06

LIAR
TRAITOR
TROOP-KILLER
DOMESTIC ENEMY
UNFIT FOR COMMAND

(Jason Reed/Reuters

“No Matter Which Party Controls The House, A Majority Will Be Committed To Pursuing The War On Iraq”

October 24, 2006 By JOHN WALSH, CounterPunch [Excerpt]

Last week in CounterPunch, I wrote that the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Congressman Rahm Emanuel, had worked hard to guarantee that Democratic candidates in key toss-up House races were pro-war.

In this he was largely successful, because of the money he commands and the celebrity politicians who reliably respond to his call, ensuring that 20 of the 22 Democratic candidates in these districts are pro-war.

So the fix is in for the coming elections.

In 2006, no matter which party controls the House, a majority will be committed to pursuing the war on Iraq, despite the fact that the Democratic rank and file and the general voting public oppose the war by large margins.

CLASS WAR REPORTS

More Strikes And Riots In Bangladesh:
Garment Workers Take The Offensive Again!

[Thanks to JM, who sent this in.]

12/10/2006 by Ret Marut, Libcom.org

Since the garment workers revolt in May-June, negotiations on promised concessions, improvements in conditions and setting of a minimum wage have broken down and/or the bosses have refused to implement them.

It had previously been announced by unions that as a result of the stalemate a new wave of agitation would begin this week. There is a tantalising but vague report that workers at one point in the morning held a rally and “demanded minimum wage of Tk 3,000 [£24/$45/EUR36], and chanted slogans against the leaders who, they alleged, had “hatched a conspiracy against them.”

It is unclear, but “the leaders” seems to refer to their trade union leaders, presumably seeing the deal negotiated with bosses as an unsatisfactory sell-out. There is little evidence to suggest that union leaders (or any other body) dominate or lead the garment workers’ struggles. (Though there is also a report that one attack on factories was provoked by the arrest of a union leader of the National Garment Workers United Forum, apparently one of the more grass roots unions based in the workers neighbourhoods.)

At 9am workers poured out of their factories in their thousands, marched to other factories still working and closed them down.

Refining their tactics, they broke into smaller groups, attacking and looting factories and businesses. Vehicles were set on fire and roads blocked; due to force of numbers, the police could often only stand by and watch as workers attacked their bosses’ property and looted. The main police tactic appeared to be to restrict movement of the demonstrators and contain the crowds within a limited area.

Cops and workers clashed several times in different locations, with numerous injuries on both sides and 35 teargas rounds being fired. Eventually a massive force of Rapid Action Batallion (RAB) paramilitaries and police reinforcements managed to regain control by 12.30pm.

In Uttara, a northern suburb of Dhaka, thousands of workers seized the Airport access road in the morning and a pitched battle ensued with cops, as a main traffic intersection “became a battlefield”.

Police baton-charged the crowd, “fired 100 rounds of teargas cells and 60 rounds of rubber bullets on them”, leaving more than 50 workers and cops wounded. Workers looted offices, a supermarket, bank, filling station and other businesses. They also torched and damaged dozens of vehicles. Once again, a massive deployment of RAB and cops restored order by 12.30pm.

In Narayanganj, a river port town close to Dhaka, several processions of workers also clashed with cops. At Savar, 24km northwest of Dhaka, vehicles were damaged and 25 garments factories attacked by workers.

“Police arrested 15 workers, including Savar’s regional leader of the National Garment Workers United Forum, Harunur Rashid, from the scene.

After hearing that Rashid had been arrested, the workers hurled brickbats at Cannon Garments Ltd, Apparel Ltd and JK Garments near the bus stand.

The workers of other local garment factories, on hearing the news, came out and barricaded the Dhaka-Aricha highway and damaged 10 cars, including a police car.

“Protesting against the police attack and demanding release of the arrested workers, the agitators announced a demonstration programme on Thursday at around 10:00am at Muktangan.” (New Age, 11/11/2006)

The garment bosses’ federation, BGMEA, has demanded that the Government arrest several union leaders they have named as supposed instigators of the unrest, who they claim are in the pay of foreign sources.

This same absurd claim implicating India and/or other commercial rivals as the root of the troubles was made after the May-June revolt, conveniently absolving garment bosses from any responsiblity (and playing on time-honoured paranoia and prejudice against regional neighbours).

A spokesman for the employers threatened a lockout of the workforce if unrest continues and the Government fails to contain the agitation. “If steps are not taken, we may close down our factories together for an indefinite period”.

Factory owners have already tried this at several factories in an attempt to starve workers into submitting to worse conditions.”

“The ultimatum is to protect the industry,” claimed the BGMEA president. Meaning, to protect its bosses’ profits. A decision on the lockout is expected today, Thursday.

Other news:

Also on Tuesday, a national rail strike ocurred against the proposed privatisation of the industry. Workers blocked tracks across the country. One station master was severely injured by angry passengers when he refused to let a train proceed on a blocked track; another had his Stationmaster’s office burned by strikers when he attempted to move trains thru his station.

There have also this week been several more clashes between demonstrators protesting about the continuing power cuts across Bangladesh.

The opposition parties are trying to exploit the issue, and assume leadership of the protests, for maximum political gain in the run up to the general election in the New Year.

[Thanks to Pham Binh, Traveling Soldier, who sent this in. He writes: The IWW was right.]

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

Telling the truth – about the occupation or the criminals running the government in Washington – is the first reason for Traveling Soldier. But we want to do more than tell the truth; we want to report on the resistance – whether it’s in the streets of Baghdad, New York, or inside the armed forces. Our goal is for Traveling Soldier to become the thread that ties working-class people inside the armed services together. We want this newsletter to be a weapon to help you organize resistance within the armed forces. If you like what you’ve read, we hope that you’ll join with us in building a network of active duty organizers.  www.traveling-soldier.org/  And join with Iraq War vets in the call to end the occupation and bring our troops home now! www.ivaw.net

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