June 11 , 2007

One year later…

June 11, 2007 11:07 PM

To the hour of when Suzanne was arrested, put in handcuffs, and hauled to jail.

Honestly, I am glad she went AWOL. The unit is now in Iraq again for their third tour in 3 years. Insanity.

Suzanne is on her way to her new Ft. and doing ok. Not dealing with her PTSD. You can lead a horse to water, ya know. Thanks to everyone who has offered to help her. She has spent some good time at home with her nephew, and siblings which has been soothing to this mother's heart.

Surprises me that as recent as last week she is still receiving death threats. Some "brave" soldier saying he wants to volunteer to be on her firing squad. Violence everywhere.

I have a lot more to say, but I have been the main babysitter for Lucky lately and this granny needs to sleep.

Much love to you all. Thank you for support. It has been an intense year. We are still working hard to end military sexual violence.

Peace—

Sara
http://suzanneswift.org/

posted 12 june 2007

May 2, 2007

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Today, in your veto message regarding the bipartisan legislation just passed on Operation Iraqi Freedom, you asserted that you so decided because you listen to your commanders on the ground.

Respectfully, as your former commander on the ground, your administration did not listen to our best advice. In fact, a number of my fellow Generals were forced out of their jobs, because they did not tell you what you wanted to hear -- most notably General Eric Shinseki, whose foresight regarding troop levels was advice you rejected, at our troops' peril.

The legislation you vetoed today represented a course of action that is long overdue. This war can no longer be won by the military alone. We must bring to bear the entire array of national power - military, diplomatic and economic. The situation demands a surge in diplomacy, and pressure on the Iraqi government to fix its internal affairs. Further, the Army and Marine Corps are on the verge of breaking - or have been broken already - by the length and intensity of this war. This tempo is not sustainable - and you have failed to grow the ground forces to meet national security needs. We must begin the process of bringing troops home, and repairing and growing our military, if we are ever to have a combat-ready force for the long war on terror ahead of us.

The bill you rejected today sets benchmarks for success that the Iraqis would have to meet, and puts us on a course to redeploy our troops. It stresses the need for sending troops into battle only when they are rested, trained and equipped. In my view, and in the view of many others in the military that I know, that is the best course of action for our security.

As someone who served this nation for decades, I have the utmost respect for the office you hold. However, as a man of conscience, I could not sit idly by as you told the American people today that your veto was based on the recommendations of military men. Your administration ignored the advice of our military's finest minds before, and I see no evidence that you are listening to them now.

I urge you to reconsider your position, and work with Congress to pass a bill that achieves the goals laid out above.

Respectfully,

Major General Paul D. Eaton,
US Army, Retired

posted 07 may 2007

April 25, 2007

I just visited your website - wow - people that think alike - I am impressed !!! Anyway - my 21 yr old son is a weapons specialist for the Army and he just went to Baghdad today - this is his first tour and what little he can say is - it is really crazy over there - even though I support our troops - they are only doing their jobs - I DON'T SUPPORT THIS WAR!!!!

It feels good to be able to have my voice heard - at least someone might be listening - STOP THE MADNESS AND BRING HOME OUR LOVED ONES - I actually would protest this war, but I don't know how to go about it - anybody have any ideas?? I have gone to other "support" sites - apparently they don't like people who don't support this war .

Thanks for letting me vent,

Lindy
Simi Valley, Ca

posted 29 april 2007

April 20, 2007

George W. Bush denounces those who dare to shed light on his justification and motivation for America's foolhardy, immoral, and possibly illegal excursion into Iraq. He hopes that we will dismiss the mistakes that were made, the lies that were perpetrated, and even the devious intent of those influencing his administration. He would like us to believe that all in the past is inconsequential. We are in Iraq now, so deal with it, he admonishes.

That would be a monumental mistake. The very same reasons, or more explicitly excuses, that took us on this priggish venture are the ones that are, and will, keep us there permanently if Bush is not stopped.

Zealously patriotic American citizens can expect to be brutally hammered with vengeful accusations, frightened, and even ridiculed by the Bush people if they seek the truth.

The truth, the unvarnished truth, is that the Iraq war is about the control of the region's vast reservoirs of oil, and further expansion of the United States global empire for the protection of Israel. But as we see, their ill-conceived plan has been a total failure, and as a result Israel is less safe, as is the United States.

Many reading this, I suspect, are aghast at these accusations. They should not be. The following is a quote from a speech given by General Smedley Butler, USMC in 1933.

"War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses."

Bush may not read, but he does listen, contrary to popular belief. Here is who he listens to, and what he hears:

Michael Ledeen, neo-conservative, and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. (AEI) - His acclaim is that he is the most influential warmonger of our time. This is what he says.

"The level of casualties in Iraq is secondary."
"We are a warlike people (Americans)… we love war."
"The only way to achieve peace is through total war."
"The purpose of total war is to permanently force your will onto another people."
"Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against a wall."

Another of the neo-conservatives who may not be Bush's brain, but surely has captured Bush's ear is Joshua Muravchik. He also is a fellow at AEI. His rallying cry: WE MUST bomb Iran.

I have painted a bleak picture. Is it hopeless? Not if we all stand up with courage, and put a stop to it. Only our determined voices can save us now.

Joseph J Ohnstad
Master Sergeant U.S. Army (retired)
Kindred, ND

posted 26 april 2007

April 4, 2007

Dear BTHN,

I have been reading your website for the last year and feel heartened that there are still some sane people left in this world. Recently, I wrote a small essay (primarily inspired by you) on how we could leave Iraq.

My essay is at: <http://heretics-corner.blogspot.com/2007/03/victory-in-iraq.html>

Growing up, I used to read a lot about Vietnam and used to wonder how a President with all the information with him could make such disastrous decisions. Not any more...

With warm regards,
Neel

posted 16 april 2007

April 1, 2007

Senator John McCain
Dear John

I read about your latest trip to Baghdad in articles like McCain, in Baghdad, says city is safer than before, McCain lauds security during Baghdad visit, and McCain Sees Improvement in Iraq.

I'm sure you wanted to stage a "shopping in baghdad" spree to show us how great and safe baghdad is, and to encourage more Americans to go do their Shopping in downtown baghdad, but I'm not sure your plan has worked.

It doesn't seem like good security to me when One shop-owner in Shorja, which was closed to traffic after the February bombings, said there had been a heavy security presence, with many U.S. soldiers on the ground and U.S. helicopters overhead. I don't think many Iraqis can afford to hire some hundreds of bodyguards and a few helicopters to protect them while they are shopping. Do you realize how would it be for a regular Iraqi to go shopping without the US army's protection, do you realize how your shopping spree would have looked like if you went to a real market with cars driving around?

How does it feel when you can't stop lying? Don't you think that a better way to support the US, the President, the Republicans, or even yourself is to tell the truth and end illegal interventions in other countries?

Did you check the number of Iraqis who have died last month? It's more than 2000, which is 15 percent higher than the month before. Does this look like an improvement to you?

Did you check the number of Americans killed in Iraq last month? It's more than 80, an increase over the previous month. Do you know that the US casualties in the first three months of 2007 are 65% higher than the US casualties in the first three months of 2006? Does this look like an improvement to you?

I don't know whether you don't know the facts, or whether you know and just prefer to continue telling lies to the public.

Dear John, leave us alone. Go shop elsewhere and let Iraqis and Americans find a better option than continuing this expensive and pointless war.

Raed Jarrar
[Raed Jarrar is an Iraqi architect living in the US, who previously blogged from Baghdad (see Raed in the Middle).

posted 02 april 2007

March 16. 2007

"Most Walls are meant to divide us and separate me from you, but God bless the wall that brings us together and reminds us of what we've been through."
-James W. Herrick, Touch a Name on the Wall

The night air was cool and damp with spring rain as I walked down the dimly lit path in front of the Vietnam Memorial Wall for the first time. I was only nine years old and too young to fully grasp the meaning of the seemingly endless sea of names etched on black onyx tablets in front of me. I was also far too young to understand the impact of the Vietnam War on our country or the impact it had on the generation of young Americans that fought it. But, even as a young child, I could tell that The Wall was sacred space. There was an overwhelming air of sorrow that permeated the air around the shrine; people spoke only in hushed tones, many stared at a single name for long periods of time, and even a young child like me could easily be moved to tears. The Vietnam War tore the nation apart. Nearly 60,000 Americans gave their lives in the struggle, over 300,000 more were wounded, and countless more are still suffering with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and Agent Orange. The nation itself was polarized into camps of "pro-war" and "anti-war," casting aside similarities, such as love of country, in favor of political differences. The result was a nation that to this day has not reconciled the societal cost of the war. Worse, the concentration of public opinion also forced the war's veterans into polarized camps of "pro-war" and "anti-war" regardless of shared their suffering and shared experience. The chasm created by this unfortunate polarization has prevented many veterans from finding peace with the war. The Vietnam Memorial Wall was built to deliberately cast aside these controversies and create hallowed ground where the nation could grieve the loss of a generation of its youth, away from the political distractions and away from the turmoil surrounding the war. Though many vehemently opposed The Wall as inappropriate or simply an "ugly black gash in the ground" before its construction, the nation has come to treasure the memorial as a shrine to 58,253 unfinished lives.

Twenty years after my first visit, I visited The Wall as a combat veteran. The Wall took on an entirely new significance to me during that visit. The Iraq War is in many ways similar to the Vietnam War. Both wars were controversial at home, causing the veterans to feel betrayed or abandoned by government or the population at large. In both wars, the mission was often unclear to "the grunts on the ground." Much-needed equipment and material goods were denied to the forces in the field by Washington bureaucrats, and in both wars, the care of veterans has not been a true priority. The treatment of veterans has led many veterans of both wars to feel cut off from the nation they love and honorably served. On that and subsequent visits, The Wall felt like a sanctuary from the political storm that has surrounded "my war." The memorial is a place where I can mourn the dead not only of the Vietnam War, but of all wars, including mine. As a warrior, I carry the loss of life and the loss of innocence tightly within my heart. On every visit to The Wall since returning from Iraq, I have met people who disagree with me about the Iraq War. Yet, there is no politics around the wall; we mourn in silence or share our grief aloud not as liberals or conservatives, not as hawks or doves, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as human beings united by our suffering.

I was saddened to learn recently that for the first time since the beginning of the Iraq War, the sanctity of The Wall will be challenged by protest. On March 17, a coalition of citizens concerned about the war gathers for a protest march originating at Constitution Park across the street form The Wall. A group of counter-demonstrators, calling themselves The Gathering of Eagles, will gather around and presumably in the memorial while spreading their pro-war, pro-Bush/Cheney message. The "eagles" claim that their intention is to "defend" The Wall from attack by the anti-war demonstrators. Yet, through four years of anti-war protest, there have been few incidents of vandalism and no war memorial has been damaged in the past. Further, hundreds of veterans and military families, including those who have had loved ones die in this war, are at the forefront of today's anti-movement. None of us who have sacrificed in this war would tolerate, much less condone, such behavior.

While the mission statement of the "eagles" states, "... we are adamantly opposed to the use of violence, vandalism, physical or verbal assaults on our veterans, and the destruction or desecration of our memorials ... we defend and honor those whose blood gave all of us the right to speak as freely as our minds think." Yet, a cursory look at the comments section at the bottom of the page tells a different story. One commentator said, "I hope one of these Muslim commies cross the line so we can teach them a valuable lesson. I will be there with my brothers and will be victorious over these Dimicrat scum. This will teach them not to look at us with seditious eyes." Another expressed similar sentiments: "We need to show these anti-war turkeys we are all business that the sacrifice and honor of the men and women of this Memorial will not be defaced by the likes of them." Organizers for the veterans' contingent of the anti-war march have also received death threats from "eagle" supporters. It seems that the real intent of the Gathering of Eagles is to intimidate those who do not agree with their position on the war. They purport to believe in free speech and to forever honor America's men and women in uniform until the men and women in uniform disagree with them. At the point at which we veterans who feel a duty not to remain silent and advocate that our brothers and sisters in arms be brought home alive and cared for both now and when they get here, the "eagles" call us "commies," "traitors" or "dimicrat scum."

I took an oath to defend the Constitution and honorably served ten years in uniform. I still hold my oath no less sacred than the "eagles" claim to. One of the ways to honor that oath is speak freely and from the heart. I sacrificed everything I had and everything I was when I went to Iraq. I lost my marriage, a job I loved, and the very way I viewed the world. It is a shame these "eagles" who claim to love and support me so much not only want to silence my voice, but they have chosen to put a wall between me and the one place in America I where I can truly let my guard down and grieve.

Charlie Anderson
Hampton, VA

First published online in truth•out, Charles E. Anderson served in Iraq with the Marine Corps' Second Tank Battalion during the invasion of Iraq. During his nine-year career, he served in infantry, armor, and medical units. He lives in Hampton, Virginia, where he is a World Studies student at Thomas Nelson Community College. He can be contacted at his website, http://www.charleseanderson.com.

posted 16 march 2007

March 11. 2007

With no apparent end in sight to the debacle in Iraq, now anyone not in the GOP 'Asses of Evil - ChickenHawk' war cabal is automatically branded as 'un-patriotic' or, now, 'anti-troop' as their latest diversion from their shenanigans to prolong Our Military Men and Women's misery over fighting for nothing less than a 'bald-faced lie'! Why can't the Republicans get the message, now written in blood, that we are not ever going to win 'their' war which is but a 'notion' from our delusional president's moving the conflict into a regional issue that could snowball exponentially worldwide with one bad move?

Are we to allow these oil-mad, money-worshipping partisans of a totally-failed, half-baked policy to go to war in the first place to spend more 'patriotic' lives to cement their diplomatic ineptitude? Face it, America. The day of cheap gas is gone and we must now start evaluating the price of a fill-up against an ill-equipped, exhausted American soldiers' life which was SPENT to make it possible!

Jess Paul Tomey
Huntington, WV

posted 14 march 2007

March 3, 2007

My Husband just retired from the Air Force after 24 years, and it is sad but true that he is no longer proud to have served the last 6 years.

I see the pictures of all these young kids we send to war, they are not old enough to buy a drink but they are old enough to die. We are sending them to their deaths and for what?? A War that will never stop, that began so long ago no one even knows. A so-called Holly War that will never end and so many lives have to be lost over it. So many Children will never know their Father because he was proud to serve his Country.

I am not a American but I cry everytime I hear of a Soldier dying in Iraq. We should have never send them over there and I can't understand why it can not be stopped. Will nobody ever learn that War only hurts everyone and does not solve anything. When Saddam was hanged, did it stop the WAR?? No, it just got more Soldiers killed.

Most of these Soldiers do not even have the training to go to war; why do we allow this to happen? I am against violence, all this war brought us is higher Oil prices and grief over the loss of all these brave Soldiers that lost their lives.

Once again I ask why can this not be stopped? What about being proud to be an American? I had to take all those stickers off my car because people got angry about military members and their families. It is a very sad world that we live in; we are not moving forward in time and History, we are going back in time. I know this letter will not bring the war to an end, but this is how I feel about innocent People dying for this Country. They are dying because the President of this Country wanted the WAR.

My thoughts and Prayers are with all the Soldiers and their families and I hope they get to come home, soon.

Michaela,
Browns Mills NJ

posted 11 march 2007

March 1, 2007

Bringing them home now is clearly what it's all about. This foray to spread "Democracy" by bombs and guns is just plain wrong. This was wrong from the very beginning and is wrong now. As painful as it is to see our guys and gals dying over there, it is equally painful to see the Iraqis dying.

I saw the article BTHN! had in the news digest last week about Americans not being aware of how many Iraqis are dying and it pushed me to do a 'toon on the grim reality of the Iraqi deaths. While I have done some in the past on this issue, this was the first time I had seen a mainstream article on Americans and how they are so unaware.

It's important to remember the humanity of the Iraqis. I can't imagine that sort of violence in our daily lives...and Laura Bush this week was whining on how the war is "wearing" on her....unbelievable!

The mainstream media is pathetic. It astounds me how they let this Administration get away with everything. There should be pictures of the carnage on the news every night. If folks support this war, they should have the images of what they support stuffed down their throats everyday. The same goes with our fallen being hidden from the American people. The news media should hang their heads in shame for not fighting to show Americans the cost of this war...they are gutless!

Sorry for the soapbox ranting. Keep up the fight and hopefully more people will see what the Bush, Cheney and their crowd have done to our country.

Paul Jamiol
Boston, MA
Cartoonist and Illustrator

posted 07 march 2007

February 27, 2007

My husband and his National Guard unit are currently in Iraq. They just flew out Feb. 23, 2007. There are 152 members.

I think if the people of the US want our troops out of there, that is what our president should do. He is not a dictator, he represents the people of the US. His job is to do what the people want, not what is going to get him the most publicity.

I don't have a problem sitting here in my little house all depressed and all alone for a just cause, but there is no just cause in this mess that Bush has gotten us into. What is the US gaining out of this? We are going to be paying for this war for at least the next 18 years, if it ends now.

The children of all disabled and heroes who gave their lives to this war will be eligiable for Social Security until they reach the age of 18 years. President Bush has said we are not leaving Iraq until the mission is complete. I guess we will be present until we get rid of him, because he has not stated what the mission is.

I say send Bush over and bring the troops home!

Tina,
Muldrow, OK

posted 05 march 2007

February 28, 2007

I am so angry with our leaders that they cannot stand up and do what we, the American people, have told them that we want to do.

And that is to bring our young men home. I think that things are going to continue to change, some big changes are coming for our elected officials, including our President. He and they are paid and elected to do what we want and is best, in our opinion for us.

Can so many of us be wrong???? I don't think so. It is time we start making changes in Washington and make them understand that they need to do what we have sent them there to do, not what is politically correct.

Ann Parker

posted 04 march 2007

February 21, 2007

Sisters and brothers,

The Friday night vigil in front of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center started two years ago, and continues. From the beginning, the Walter Reed Vigil has called for funding the needs of the wounded and other returning veterans, not the War. The Vigil has called for care for the wounded, full benefits for veterans, and jobs. At the same time, we declare that the best support for our troops is bringing them home now. We must not forget our sisters and brothers after their return.

In the light of recent public disclosures of the conditions that await our wounded when they arrive here from the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Walter Reed Vigil insists that Congress act now. Congress must restore full funding for the care of our wounded soldiers and full funding of their promised benefits, including care for their wounds, and the effects of PTSD, for as long as necessary.

There are already budgeted funds earmarked for Iraq. Congress must use these funds for the welfare of our troops, care for the wounded, and transport to bring our troops home.

The many doctors, technicians, nurses, and other workers inside Walter Reed devote their energy to heal and care for our wounded. Those who toil inside WRAMC confront the horror of this war everyday, witnessing what it has done to so many young lives. At the same time, the army bureaucrats and politicians entrusted with overseeing the hospital and its services fail in their duties. Funds for healing, treatment, and benefits repeatedly end up cut or misspent. For the wounded, life in Walter Reed can seem like being in prison.

Family members come to Walter Reed to give the care their children and spouses might not otherwise receive. A mother stays at Walter Reed, hoping each day that her son might show some small sign that he recognizes her presence. Walter Reed employees, after a long day inside, make their way home, shaking their heads, thinking of what they have seen and wondering why this war still goes on. The white WRAMC buses, more often now with sirens wailing and lights flashing, hurry their fresh burden through the gate on Georgia Avenue.

Please do not forget our loved ones. They do not want us to call them heroes. They did their job, now they want the care and benefits promised. They want to know that we have not forgotten them. They want to pick up their lives and continue, and they want their buddies home from Iraq.

Contact your Congressperson, write letters to your local newspaper, or call radio talk shows. Tell Congress to act now. We do not need tears; we need action.

In solidarity,
Bruce Wolf
Walter Reed Vigil
Washington, DC
Walterreedvigil.org

posted 24 february 2007

February 21, 2007

This is all I have to say. Nothing has ever changed in this country, ever, without some form of sustained and widespread civil disobedience. Period. If you go back to the immediate post-revolutionary times, the "founding fathers" found that they had to expand their notions of what democracy would be, not because they were so enlightened, but because there were riots and mayhem. The original GW had to raise an army of 15,000 and take them to western PA to put down the Whiskey Rebellion. Black people were able to gain legal rights due to widespread, massive non violent civil disobedience, not because LBJ and Congress were so enlightened that they dreamed up the Civil Rights Act of 1964. You can look at the entire labor movement as far as I'm concerned as one long, long sustained civil disobedience, so we have (or had at least) an 8-hour day because of that, not because of "good" legislators or nice respectful middle class Progressives who politely lobbied them.

All of these assorted plans are coming at a time when there are many people leaning towards moving a little further, participating in some form of non violent civil disobedience. Murthra and others are still sticking to the old white powerful male "be responsible" mentality. This attitude is keeping people confused, with all of the myriad plans and legislation available, and holding people back from arriving at solutions that are truly moving us to actually end the war and withdraw the troops. I don't even care what the details of their plans are, maybe I'm just being ignorant, and even so, I don't care, defund the war period, no conditions. Fund the withdrawal, not the war. Stop playing games.

I was at a MoveOn "Ground Truth" showing the other day, trying to plug the Occupation Project. A former candidate for congress here, a great guy, a veteran of both the military and diplomatic corps who spoke at our Watada event here, was so concerned that we would "alienate" people by suggesting that. For some reason, he used an example of how people would be alienated if he started calling GB a Nazi. I told him I called him a fascist all the time. If we are not alienating people, we are not on the right track. If people in this country are still able to live nice comfortable lives with this war going on, we are not doing the right thing. Why do I care if people who say they are against the war but won't lift a finger to do anything to stop it are alienated? I don't care.

As soon as they started tearing down that fence and rolling into Iraq in 2003, and I knew that my son was going with them, I knew that we had failed. We outnumbered GB and all his minions, we just did not do enough, we were collectively not willing to do enough to stop it. I have felt that responsibility deeply, I always knew that my son was part of this occupation because I was simply not willing to inconvenience myself enough. Shoot, even if we had no good plan, even if we all had just gone out and laid down in the middle of the road, shutting down the whole country, it would have been better than this. Irresponsible? Very, but all of those nice responsible people in DC got us into this and have kept us in it, and now they are trying to play the responsible card again. As long as they and their staffs can drop by the Starbucks or Panera's or wherever they get their coffee in the morning, and hope to squeeze in a round of golf later, then we are not doing our job. If life in this country is not disrupted, this war won't end, and we won't have done our job. And they can come up with all the gradualist legislation they want, it will still be the same, dragging it on and on with thousands and thousands more lives disrupted.

I talked for about four hours the other day with another mother of a soldier, the mother of a war resister, and it really put things in perspective for the first time. We are just on the same page, how much we resent all the nice people who say they are against the war but would not really lift one finger while our sons were in Iraq, or when they came home and we had to deal with them. These people want to go with the responsibility section, that is just an excuse to go on with their nice undisrupted lives while our lives are disrupted permanently. This mother is very active, mainly because she lost her job due to her anti war work. She described what she is doing as going around the country cussing people out for not getting with it. Why should we feel there is something wrong with us because of our resentment and anger?

So I agree that Murthra is very sincere, I have no question about that. And I do think we should keep pressuring Congress in very real ways. But as long as we are playing the same games we will get the same results. Writing nice letters to Congress and letters to the editor or setting up nice meetings is just not going to do it. Being nice is not going to do it. Worrying about not alienating people is not going to do it. We've been up that road for four years.

I'm sorry to rant and rave, but I hear too much of people discussing the ins and outs of congressional plans. We need to stop worrying about the plans they come up with, they have already failed miserably in their alleged responsibility, and start pushing them to take our plans. Period.

Jeri Reed
Norman, OK

posted 21 february 2007

January 26, 2007

Dear Sirs:

I imagine you have received many letters like this. I am a veteran of the U.S. Army and I served in Vietnam from Oct. 1967 to Oct. 1968. I have such a difficult time, I have to make a concious effort NOT to hate the Bush administration for what they are doing to our young men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I am 61 years old and I still suffer from the effects of my year in combat in Vietnam. I ache inside from the futility and inuterable waste of lives and all the suffering of the wounded veterans returning from a conflict that is so beyond the comprehension of intelligent human beings. We all know what this war is about. We all know it is not about the people of Iraq, freedom, or democracy. We all know what Bush and his legion of sycophants in Washinton want. It's a three letter word, folks, called OIL! This war trancended 9-11 a long time ago.

If we truly wanted this war to end and if we truly wanted the killing and wounding of our young men and women in Irag and Afghanistan to stop, those of us who truly beleive in freedom and democracy would all get together and march on Washington, D.C. and forcibly eject Bush and his political pals out of the White House and the halls of Congress. If we truly want to help those young people that Bush sent to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan come home, then we need to unite together as one people and take this country back for its rightful owners!

Right now, the death toll of our men and women in uniform stands at just over 3,000. Are we going to sit by and watch and do nothing until that death toll climbs beyond 58,000?

As a Vietnam veteran, it pains me to write these kinds of things because my comments might be miscontrued by our soldiers fighting overseas right now. I support everything that they believe in and are fighting for. However, I believe that the people of the U.S. should unite in an effort to force the Bush administration to bring every single one of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan back home to their families and loved ones where they belong.

Bill Harper
U.S. Army veteran (1967-1968)
Chicago, IL

posted 30 january 2007

January 1, 2007

Hi. Keep up the good work and let's get yours and ours back home safely to their families.

Best Wishes,
Frank O'Neill
United Kingdom

posted 14 january 2007

January 3, 2007

I would like some copies of this card with the 3000 to distribute to people who would send them to congress. How do I go about this? I don't have much $ but I do support this cause however I can, including letters and petitions. I could distribute a hundred or so, I expect.

We really need to exercise our rights as citizens and act to preserve our country. This is the land of the free and the home of the brave, for cryin' out loud — we must not allow ourselves to be manipulated into fear-ridden wimps. Our country should not be in corporate hands, or in the hands of those they bought, president and v-p included.

They have treated our brave soldiers like so many game pieces. Our kids, our husbands, our fathers. Willing to give their all to protect our country, sent into a war with deception as a base. The government conducted a war with such an immoral bent - condoning torture, 'rendition' . There are mental costs of knowing you're doing the wrong thing that will be a great burden on the troops that survive to come home, to add to missing limbs, brain trauma, terrible burns, cancers from the depleted nuclear fuels in some of the weapons we used. All for corporate profit.

The Iraq war was completely obscene and insanely expensive, counting not only dollars and pain, but our country as a whole.

Sherry Svec
Middletown, NY

posted 10 january 2007

December 29, 2006

Dear friends,

Thanks for the word about the postcards. I'd like to order 100 of them, and will send you the money in a check if you wish.

I am grateful for all you are doing. I am more than 70 years old and marched in Washington and Chicago on numerous occasions to protest the Vietnam war. I remember well the speeches of Abraham Joshua Heschel, Robert McAfee Brown, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bill Coffin and many others in those days.

I am convinced people must go back into the streets. Non-violent Civil Disobedience is necessary. Also tax resistance! My wife and I resisted war taxes for many years. I have heard little about such resistance in re: Iraq or other US aggression around the world.

The country has, in my lifetime, never been in worse shape or more vulnerable. Keep up your good works!

Sincerely,

Rev. Frederick Trost
Middleton, WI

posted 06 january 2007

December 29, 2006

At what point do we start telling the young men and women who sign up in the military that they are accountable for their decisions and actions, instead of saying that they are serving their country and protecting our freedom?

At what point do we teach our young people that wars are started and capitalized on by the war profiteers, and the young naive patriots are fighting for the corporations, not the people of the United States.?

Major General Smedley Butler of WWI wrote a book called War Is A Racket and one quote from him was "The flag follows the dollar, and the soldiers follow the flag". That is true, more so now than at any time in this country's brief history.

At what point do the people fighting wars become accountable for their actions, and stop using financial gain, or blind patriotism as a "moral blank check" to go around the world invading, occupying , killing, and controlling other human beings?

If we the people know that a war is wrong and every young life that is snuffed out from this point on is totally unessessary, yet we do nothing to stop it, are we not accountable for our silence, and lack of action?

Would you be willing to sacrifice your son or daughter today in Iraq or Afghanistan, and tell them they died for freedom and their country? You have no right to sacrifice your child for YOUR beliefs.

The real tragady in all of this is that we are teaching our children to blindly obey and be loyal to a group of war-mongering businesmen who don't care about you or I at all.

We are not fighting for freedom around the world, never have, we are fighting for the biggest corporation in the world: the USA. Inc.

The next person to die in Iraq and Afghanistan today will die for the Corporation.

Tony Soldo
Hobe Sound , FL

posted 03 january 2007

December 21, 2006

Colorado Christian University has created an art of religious manipulation. Here I am, a senior with very little left to go on my degree and I am expelled. I attempted to follow their policies even though many of them were un-American and un-Christian. They have attempted to create a safety bubble where idiots can stand in the middle of Campus with signs and scream about finals being almost over but if you dissent toward their fornicating relationship with the world you will be immediately silenced.

Both Richard Crombie and Mr. McCormick have lied. Last week I went back on Campus to sell my books and stopped in the financial aid office. Inside, right on the table sat recruiting pamphlets for the military. Outside two men were obstructing traffic on the sidewalk (something I was told they would arrest me for) holding signs and shouting. At first Elliott and I thought they were preaching and so he went over to film them as evidence I had been discriminated against. They were making a spectacle about the last days of final exams. So apparently you can only hold signs, scream, and obstruct traffic if you are acting like a high school kid but woe unto you if you are seriously trying to address an issue.

In January at CCU I will hold a prayer vigil and fast outside of the University for seven days in order to protest their complicity in the crimes committed upon the Iraqi and American people under the Bush Administration. Bush is A Christian like King Herod was A faithful Jewish man. The professed evangelical Church in America has, up until now, failed at her duties to be salt and light. They have become agents of the State more concerned with their non-profit status than truth, or worse knowing servants of the destructive forces ushering in the age of Anti-Christ.

Please, join us January 15-21 in Lakewood.

Brother Raymond
Beit Shalom Ministries
Lakewood, CO

Isaiah 58
"As much as is within you pursue peace with all men"

posted 29 december 2006

December 22, 2006

FYI: Here is a new Christmas song that might bring some hope to the families of the troops. I found it on iTunes. The song is titled Back For Christmas, by Alexandra Lawerentz. Pass it around.

Peace and blessing,
Mitch Goodman

posted 25 december 2006

December 20, 2006

My husband is on his 3rd deployment in Iraq and has not spent a Christmas at home with my daughter and I since she was 5 months old. When he returns this next time, she will be 3 1/2. She is 2 1/2 now. When can my daughter be able to wake up on Christmas morning expecting to see her daddy waking her up to go open up Christmas presents and read the Christmas Story from the Bible as a family? This really sucks. Check out what happened and how the Army lied to keep troops going to Iraq.

My husband was getting done with his 2nd tour in Iraq when they asked him to re-enlist in the Army. He was thinking and probably not only thinking but probably telling them, "Are you kidding and go back to Iraq for a third time for another year, maybe a year and a half?"

He was not going to re-enlist at all, so here is what they said: "Well, we can send you to a non-deployable duty station so you will definitely not have to go to Iraq plus it will be a duty station close to where your wife's family lives, and we will give you a $7,000 tax-free bonus."

Yes non-deployable duty station--they have not deployed since WWII; yes, can you believe that? Well we did, and he re-enlisted. They talked to him into doing it as well as 4 other soldiers from the same unit as us, to go to the same duty station as us and telling them that it is a non-deployable unit. It was written in the re-enlistment contract that he and three others were going to a non-deployable duty station. His contract says that he would not be deployable.

Well, when I got there we found that there were several others that fell victim to this emotional trauma that was like a blow to the gut to us and them. Several soldiers, I mean officers, enlisted--they all had been deployed more than twice or 3 times and were promised that it was a non-deployable duty station. That they would NOT deploy and it was in their contract.

So March comes around and I am over here setting up our housing while my husband is still in Germany getting back from the last deployment. Then I find out from the First Sergeant at that time and the Commander that they would be deploying by the end of this year, beginning of the next year. I was, like, wait a minute, my husband has a contract saying that he would not deploy, that he was being sent to a non-deployable duty station, and usually if it is written on paper and signed then they have to follow by the contract. They said, " I'm sorry ma'am, we will deploying and your husband will be going too."

AHHHHHHH!!!!! Okay I am stuck in a reoccuring nightmare this is how I feel. We have been having marital problems already and he has PTSD and you are going to send him back to the place in which caused this crap. I was angry and there is nothing that I can do about it. THEY LIED. Can they do that? What are the chances of this, my husband getting sent to a supposadly non-deployable duty station, a duty station that HAS NOT deployed since WWII really, and this is his third time.

Do they not know that they are causing emotional abuse to families? Can we sue for them causing us emotional abuse? I have driven myself to the VA hospital because I am prior military, wanting to check myself in because I thought I was crazy. I am serious. My husband was asleep and I couldn't sleep because of being deployed myself before and my husband being deployed twice before and getting ready to be deployed again. I just got him back in June and he was leaving again this year. By the time I got there and filled out all of the paper work at the VA, I told them I was tired finally and just wanted to go home and go to sleep.

But I drove myself to a VA psychological hospital because this hurts so bad and won't go away. What do you do about that? My husband is gone now--sooner than we thought--and I am still absolutely emotionally, physically stressed and depressed, I quit my job. I am angry all the time, I talked to a counselor but she isn't helping because she didn't keep my husband from going again. I just sometimes don't want to live anymore.

Almost Hopeless,

Elisabeth
Ft. Leavenworth, KS

posted 22 december 2006

>> Read more letters ....

>> Sound Off!