While I am as happy as a man can be about Jerry's being discharged without having to face a kangaroo court, we must remember that Jerry has been a prisoner for the past 5 months. When Jerry was transferred from the brig at Parris Island to Camp Lejeune it was with the recommendation to administratively discharge Jerry. The command at Camp Lejeune rejected that recommendation.

Knowing they did not have a real case against Jerry, LTC Annie Best chose to try and do a character assignation job on Jerry by release false info that was in his personal military file. To simply state that was against the law is an understatement. I will be keeping a close eye on the situation as I am way too familiar with the Separation Barracks at Camp Lejeune. There are a couple of people there, a 1st Sgt in particular that are not nice people to put it mildly.

That said, it is a good thing that the Marine Corps has backed off its desire to prosecute him. But like I said, the Corps did in the end imprison Jerry for over 5 months.

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, activist/writer who is widely published. His blog is Jack's Straight-Speak and his email address is: jack_dalton@comcast.net. He was a contributor to the book, "Neo-Conned! Again!"

From what I have learned from Tod Ensign thru his emails and phone calls:

" Lt. Colonel Annita Best, Camp Lejeune's spokeswoman, illegally released confidential data taken from the Marine Corporal Jerry Texiero's personnel file to at least two news reporters on January 4, 2006. The federal Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits such disclosure without Texiero's consent.

"Colonel Best read an excerpt that appears to have been taken from Texiero's file to reporters from the Associated Press and the Raleigh News-Observer. According to their news accounts, she referred to a section of the file that discussed an alleged larceny of $5,490 from a Marine Corps Exchange in California on July 14, 1965. The one paragraph passage contains no corroborating evidence tying Texiero to the missing funds and recommends that the FBI be asked to search for evidence."

"Colonel Best's defamatory statements are an attempt to 'dirt-bag' Texiero's because he had the courage to refuse Vietnam duty. Part of an military officer's oath is to obey the laws of our country," stated Tod Ensign, Legal Director, Citizen Soldier."

Tod Ensign and Jerry's lead civilian attorney, Louis Font have called for, "an investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee into official misconduct by the Camp LeJeune chain of command."

In 1965 Jerry Texiero chose to walk away from the Marine Corps due to the simply fact he was opposed to the American War on Vietnam. Now today Jerry Texiero is being held by the Marine Corps at the detention facility at the Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejuene, N.C.

Now in an effort to make an example of Jerry the Marine Corps at Camp Lejuene wants to launch a smear campaign of character assassination in the media against him.

Since Jerry Texiero has been in Marine Corps custody he has lost over 30 pounds and is now having significant health problems. His entire body trembles similar to Parkinson's, and pretty much constantly. In short, these problems Jerry is experiencing are due to the Marine Corps terrorizing him. But then terrorizing people at Camp Lejuene seems to be the "order of the day" at that place.

In the past year I have helped 4 different people get out of the Marine Corps and away from Camp Lejuene. I have spoken with the family of a young man that was found hanged by the neck until dead, which the Marine Corps wrote off as a "suicide." The Marine Corps would have us believe this young man was despondent and that's why he killed himself. Only problem there: this young man was told his discharge had come thru and within 48 hours would be on his way home. Suicide? I think not.

Another young man at Camp Lejeune/Camp Geiger was written off as a suicide. According to officials at Camp Lejeune, this young man committed suicide by drowning himself in a 4 inch deep creek. Suicide? I think not?

Another young man I know was just recently released from the brig at Camp Lejeune. He had active PTSD from his tour in Iraq. Instead of treating him, the Marines threw him in jail. I've heard nothing good about the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune, N.C. In fact, the Marine Corps I see today since Bush & Co is not the Marine Corps I served in 40 years ago. I have never seen it as highly politicized as what it is today. In fact that extends to all branches of today's military in my opinion.

If I am certain of anything it is this: The Marine Corps wants to hang Jerry Texiero out to dry in a public forum, not because of his being AWOL for 40 years, but to send a message to any and all on active duty. And the message? "Sit down, shut up, go along to get along, follow orders without question or thought, and trust and obey." "If you don't, we'll track you and make a public spectacle out of you by any and all means we can get away with, including breaking the law to do it."

Today we as a nation find ourselves caught up in another U.S. created War of Aggression, this one in Iraq. Like the illegal wars of the past there are people of principle, deep moral conviction that will choose, as is their right, for which cause they will be willing to follow orders and go kill another human being.

There are tens of thousands, civilian and active duty that stand in opposition to participation in this Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld created war on Iraq and that have either filed as a Conscientious Objector, or that just took off, much as Jerry did 40 years ago. I support both.

And that is why the Marine Corps wants put Jerry in jail for the next few years. If the Marine Corps is able to beat hell out of Jerry publicly that will send a loud and clear message to those on active duty to stay right where they are whether they want to or not. "If not, we'll do to you what you see us do to Jerry Texiero."

The simple fact that the War on Vietnam that Jerry walked away from was created from lies and deception seems to make no difference to the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps would have us believe that in walking away, even with what we know about that war, that Jerry still broke military law and needs to be punished.

Between what the Marine Corps is doing, specifically LTC Annita Best, and the underhanded covert hatchet job being done on Jerry; and Jerry walking away as a matter of principle, from possible participation in Vietnam - between the two, the Marine Corps is by far the real criminal in this.

For further or additional information on and about Jerry Texiero and his situation contact: Tod Ensign, Citizen Soldier (http://www.citizen-soldier.org/) or at (212) 679-2250

Here is the link to the original story on Jerry: Marine Refuser From 40 Years Ago Faces Court Martial

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and writer. His blog is Jack's Straight-Speak and his email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net

Why would the Marine Corps take so much interest in Jerry Texiero and want to court-martial him 40 years later, when we all know for absolute fact the 'American War On Vietnam' was contrived, a war crime on a grand scale, and a war in some ways that has never ended? After all, the Agent Orange we "salted" the earth with in Vietnam is still killing large numbers of people there, as well as here with veterans of that mess; thousands have been and still are being killed by all the unexploded ordinance and land mines all over the country, especially in Quang Tri Province.

The Marines want to court-martial Jerry to send a message to the growing number of active duty military, who are becoming resistive to their participation in this new war of choice in Iraq, that if they are unwilling to deploy to Iraq, they will suffer the same fate as Sgt Kevin Benderman, who is doing 15 months at the RCF (or Gulag if you prefer as do I); If they take off, they will be hunted for the rest of their lives, like Jerry Texiero.

The military, the Department of War and the Pentagon are in serious manpower trouble and they need to make examples of people for the purpose of intimidation and coercion - make them afraid to do anything but "follow orders;" to send a loud message to others so they will not follow the example of people of conscience. That's why Sgt Benderman is in jail, and why the Marine Corps wants to court-martial Jerry Texiero.

Two different men separated by 40 years; two different created wars and both are being "beat up" by an out of control Pentagon and Military for their refusal to be used for rather nefarious purposes. And all due to the fact both men refused to be turned into mindless obedient killers - or dead in the process, in mind and spirit if not body. They have refused to used as the "pawns" as stated by Kissinger among many, many others.

Recruitment is down even with the lowered enlistment standards; officers are leaving in bigger numbers as are enlisted ranks' divorces are soaring as a result of extended and repeated deployments to Iraq; thousands of active duty military have followed in the footsteps of the active duty war-resisters during the war on Vietnam and have left the country; suicides in just the Marine Corps alone since the invasion of Iraq has increased by over 29% far above not only the national average but the increased overall military average as well.

I have received many emails behind the story about Jerry Texiero saying that while the War on Vietnam may have been wrong, Jerry still volunteered to join and due to that he had an obligation to follow the "rules" and go to Vietnam regardless of what he though or how he felt about the war he was being ordered to go into. My reply to that thinking is simply this - Hogwash!

When we enlist in the military, yes there are rules that must be obeyed and followed. No problem with that. Without that the military would simply fall apart, I realized that (after all, I did spend over 4 years in the Marine Corps myself). However, that all changes when it comes to being sent into a war that up front we know to be wrong, illegal, and by definition a war crime; A War Against the Peace.

When it comes to following orders to kill or be killed, every single human being has the inalienable right to choose whether or not they will be a participant in those killing fields! To tag or label someone as a "criminal" for making the conscience choice not to kill is absurd. Simply "following orders" does not relieve one of the responsibilities of their actions, period. That is all compounded when the war you are being ordered into has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the security or defense of this nation; which is what we all swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend - this nation. No oath was sworn to be of assistance to "Empire Building" period. Not 40 years ago and surely not today.

It was not Jerry Texiero who broke the faith, it was not Jerry Texiero who betrayed his oath; it was not Jerry Texiero who violated any trust; it was not Jerry Texiero who betrayed honor; it was not Jerry Texiero betrayed anything... it was those in command and control of the nation and the military who broke the faith, who broke trust, who betrayed everyone in uniform and the people of this nation as a whole.

It has been said that free speech does not give a person the right to walk into a crowded theater and yell "fire." My answer to that has always been - but what if there is a fire? The same principle applies to Jerry and his supposed "rule" breaking; what if the rules are wrong?

The following report/essay, War Resistance, Amnesty and Exile - Just the Facts by Harold Jordan, explains in great detail the so-called Amnesty programs initiated in the 70's by Ford and Carter. I strongly urge you to read it carefully and closely. Harold Jordan also goes into the tremendous numbers of people in uniform who opposed the War On Vietnam with up to 550,000 that went AWOL or deserted (those are the Pentagon's own numbers).

Why does the Marine Corps want to prosecute Jerry Texiero? - what if the same numbers of people in uniform today do what those in uniform did during the War on Vietnam and start putting down their guns in large numbers? Interesting proposition is it not? Now with so many standing in opposition to this new imperialistic misadventure in Iraq, what if those involved in following the "rules" take their lead from Sgt Kevin Benderman or Jerry Texiero and say no, or just put down their gun and just leave?

No, it was not Jerry Texiero who betrayed anything. It is those who have been and are currently turning our Department of Defense into the Department of War; who for decades has been slowly turning this nation's military into the U.S. Multinational Corporation's enforcement arm. Or as Henry Kissinger who was quoted in the book, "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" stated, "Military men are just dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy."

More info: Tod Ensign, Citizen Soldier (212) 679-2250: citizensoldier1@aol.com
War Resistance, Amnesty and Exile - Just the Facts by Harold Jordan Vietnam War Resisters

Jack Dalton is a disabled veteran of the American War on Vietnam and writer that lives in Portland, OR. His blog is Jack's Straight-Speak, and his email address jack_dalton@comcast.net. He is widely published on the internet and was a contributor to the book, Neo-Conned! Again! Published by Light in the Darkness publications, IHS Press.

Mrs. DANG THI HONG NHUT. 69; Mr. HO SY HAI, 61; Dr. NGUYEN TRONG NHAN, 75 were the three speakers at the presentation. A brief bio of each of them can be read here: http://www.vn-agentorange.org/ao_bios.html

There was a forth man who was supposed to accompany these three on their presentation here in the U.S., bringing the issue of Agent Orange use in Vietnam, and its disastrous consequences on the Vietnamese people over the years, to us the American people.--Mr. NGUYEN MUOI - born August 10, 1983, suffers from spina bifida. His father, NGUYEN DINH THANH, born April 10, 1946, was a former soldier in the former South Vietnamese army (ARVN) who was exposed to toxic chemicals in approximately June 1970. Mr. THANH suffered from headaches, nausea and vomiting, colic, and dyspnea. Nguyen Muon's mother had two miscarriages in 1974 and 1976. His visa was denied by the U.S. government.

It was really difficult to sit thru the slide and film presentation, detailing exactly what the over 20 million gallons of Agent Orange has done to Vietnam; what it has, and is doing to the Vietnamese people right now, today. But sit thru it I did; mostly thru tear filled eyes. They were the tears of sadness that come with the realization of just exactly what this country has done to the Vietnamese people and their land.

It was very difficult to listen to Mrs. Dang Thi Hong Nhut when she was speaking. She talked of things I have first hand knowledge of - torture! She talked of the over 6 years she was held as a "prisoner" by U.S. and ARVN (South Vietnamese Army) during which she was tortured repeatedly. The torturing of those in captivity in Vietnam was not simply "bad apples" acting on their own in Vietnam any more than the torture of those in captivity in Iraq are a result of just a "few bad apples"--the entire apple barrel is rotten! Never again is here again! Actually, "never again" never went away.

Mr. Ho Sy Hai was a supply truck driver in the North Vietnamese Army. He was driving supplies from the North to the South thru Quang Tri Province in 1965 and 1966. I wondered, with deep anguish, if it was me and my friends who sprayed him with Agent Orange. I broke into tears again as I sat and listened to him ... and struggled with my sense of responsibility that it may have been me who left him in the condition he is in with cancer - or the miscarriages his wife has had; or the three children he has that thru the father were crippled by Agent Orange? Who knows, that area was a madhouse. But then that's what war is, one great big madhouse - Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" come to life. Great guilt, great sadness...

That guilt and sadness did not last long however, as it was replaced by anger:

Anger at having allowed myself to be so deceived, like so many others, into believing that the Vietnamese, in their own country, were our "enemies" and as such deserved anything we did to them - like chemical warfare. For that was, and is, what Agent Orange usage is--Chemical Warfare - think War Crime on a grand scale (as it is now in Iraq and Afghanistan with the use of Depleted Uranium - chemical/nuclear warfare).

Anger at learning this nation we call America, knew from day one what Agent Orange was and what it would do to human beings. We know this from the statement of Dr. James R. Clary (among many others), a former senior scientist at the Chemical Weapons Branch (Air Force Armament Development Lab in Florida) who wrote:

"When we initiated the herbicide program in the 1960's, we were aware of the potential for damage due to dioxin contamination in the herbicide. We were even aware that the military formulation had a higher concentration than the civilian version due to lower costs and speed of manufacture. However, because the material was to be used on the enemy, none of us were overly concerned."

"The racism inherent in this quote characterizes the continued use of Agent Orange against the Vietnamese people and the failure to compensate them." They didn't care about the Vietnamese, and they sure didn't care much about us either, as they knew we were all being poisoned at the same time. But then when I was in Vietnam my friends and I didn't care about the Vietnamese either - would that that could be taken back! They didn't care then, and the "they's" today don't care. We must make them care.

Two U.S. zoologists went to Vietnam in 1969 and then wrote:

"The chemical weapons of a technologically advanced society are being used massively for the first time in a guerilla war... [Our] military efforts are aimed at increasing the toll of fatalities, denying food to the enemy, and depriving him of the concealment provided by natural growth. This type of warfare is, therefore, enormously destructive, both on human life and the environment."

Agent Orange was not the only chemical used on Vietnam and the Vietnamese people during the American War on Vietnam. Not by a long shot. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first to start the destruction of Vietnam by chemicals. John F. Kennedy built on what Eisenhower started when in 1961/62 he signed off on Operation Ranch Hand. That took the chemical spraying of Vietnam to an all new level. It also included other "agents" such as Agent Blue; Agent Pink; Agent White; Agent Green. You could tell which was which from the color of the band around the 55 gallon drum (each with skull and cross-bones on it).

"Teams of international scientists working in Vietnam have now discovered that Agent Orange contains one of the most virulent poisons known to man, a strain of dioxin called TCCD which, 28 years after the fighting ended, remains in the soil, continuing to destroy the lives of those exposed to it. Evidence has also emerged that the US government not only knew that Agent Orange was contaminated, but was fully aware of the killing power of its contaminant dioxin, and yet still continued to use the herbicide in Vietnam for 10 years of the war and in concentrations that exceeded its own guidelines by 25 times. As well as spraying the North Vietnamese, the US doused its own troops stationed in the jungle, rather than lose tactical advantage by having them withdraw." (Specter Orange; Guardian LTD; 3-29-03)

The greatest evil we do is to deny the evil we do:

When we as American's fail, no, refuse to seriously look at, balance, weigh and judge those things our governing body does in our names we are complicit in all that is done. If what is done is wrong, illegal, criminal - we as a people, as a nation, are equally guilty of those crimes. Silence is acceptance; acquiesce; the greatest sedition after all, is silence is it not?

It is way past time for the silence on what this nation did to the Vietnamese people during the American War on Vietnam to end; and end it must! In the process of poisoning the Vietnamese people, their land, their water, we also poisoned ourselves. This is always the result of being, or rather "allowing" ourselves to be lied and deceived into war. That is true about the invasion and occupation of Iraq today, just as it was and is true about American War on Vietnam. Both were based on lies and deceptions on a grand scale. No one wins in war - everyone loses, and the cost is always very high and it always last for decades.

35 years ago, Daniel Ellsberg, in the "Pentagon Papers" told us the event that led to full blown war on Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, in fact did not occur! Ellsberg was attacked by government and media pundits over this (sound familiar?). Some of us knew he was right. Today, we have absolute proof of the deception; just as we have the proof of the foreknowledge of what Agent Orange (dioxin) would do to the people who come in contact with it - like thru massive aerial spraying.

My thoughts on our national and individual responsibility

Maybe my own Agent Orange caused myriad diseases and illnesses are simply the dues to be paid for being so willing, at that time, to be deceived and sound the horn of "American Exceptionalism" and volunteer to go to Vietnam. So many contaminated; so many of my friends now dead from Agent Orange. As I wrote in a letter to my girlfriend while on my way to Vietnam: "...I'm going ... to kill a commie for Christ..." and went on to say, "...don't want them here, so I'll help take them out there..."

I'm not making this up; I was a real gung-ho flag waver then. She gave the letter to her father who gave it to one of the editors of the Oakland Tribune (I'm originally from the S.F/Oakland Bay Area), who printed it on the front of the society page (1965) - Local Marine Supports Vietnam War, or something to that effect. This also has a today's "familiar ring" (Iraq) does it not, soldiers in support of the war they are in? That letter still haunts me today.

Today I know this: what Agent Orange is doing to the Vietnamese people concerns me a lot more than what it has and is doing to me personally. That stems from a sense of responsibility and a little guilt. This nation's refusal to acknowledge the horrendous ongoing problems Vietnam is faced with, that the people are faced with due to the years of massive Agent Orange usage is way above just an outrage. It's a continuation of that which has yet to end - the American War on Vietnam! To bring it to an end, we must of necessity as a nation, face what we have done, accept the responsibility for our actions, and then do something to address that responsibility, in real terms--reparations to the people of Vietnam. In the name of our common humanity alone, this is demanded. Nothing less is acceptable, period, end of story on that point!

Consequences, there are always consequences and dues to be paid; action-reaction 'kinda' thing. This has nothing to do with forgiveness and everything to do with consequences of actions, whether intentional or not. It's about assuming and accepting responsibility for our actions, pure and simple.

We must do this, supporting Vietnamese reparations; not seeking forgiveness--No, No. If seeking forgiveness from them is behind the support, wrong reason. We must do this because as a nation, as a 'people' what we did to Vietnam and the Vietnamese people was WRONG! It was, and is, by all international standards, and common human decency, a war crime. That's what chemical warfare is, and that's what Agent Orange use is, chemical warfare. And not living up to our responsibilities to Vietnam and the Vietnamese people who have, and are suffering so greatly, is an obscene act of betrayal. And maybe in the process of standing with them in this fight for justice, we can get justice for Agent Orange contaminated veterans in this country. It is after all the very same fight against the same government is it not?

30 years ago they were promised $3 billion by our government to help Vietnam clean up the mess we created - to this day the people of Vietnam have not seen one penny of that money. What does that say about us? Why do we continue to sit back and watch our nation's government fail to fulfill the pledge that was made to the people of Vietnam? The broken promises to us here, the U.S. veterans of that war by this nation are for another essay.

The Vietnamese have appealed a recent Federal Courts denial of their claim. That appeal should be heard sometime in March 2006. We cannot let these people be forgotten when they go back to Vietnam, to hold their 'breath and wait' for justice; while they attend the sick, the dying, the deformed and crippled from Agent Orange contamination - that which we as a nation did to them. This is our responsibility and we cannot turn away or walk away from this, period!

When we left Vietnam we left it a killing field - those not poisoned by Agent Orange get blown up by all the unexploded U.S. ordinance and land mines, what a legacy.

What the evening meant to me personally

Two men met each other that night, one, a former North Vietnamese soldier, the other a 'former' U.S. Marine. In 1965/66 they fought as enemies. 40 years later they met in Portland, OR. and came away from that not as enemies, but as two men who were born in the same year, hurt and damaged by the same war, in the same places at the same time, who tightly held each other--and I wept.

I went there seeking forgiveness for that which I would not forgive myself; I came away, not with forgiveness, but with something much, much more. Something I could not put into words if I tried - and I have tried. I'll simply say that when I left that night, it was with something in me that I had left in Vietnam many years ago - I think it was a part of my soul. And it was, in part, given back to me by a man I once considered an enemy, thru his embrace. I will never forget Mr. Ho Sy Hai. I will never again fail to focus on the Vietnamese when discussing Agent Orange as I have done in the past.

Closing Questions

Invading Army's all have said the same thing about the people in the country they have invaded - they are the enemy, usually in very racist terms. Today this is being repeated in Iraq. How absurd! We that went to Vietnam were betrayed by those who sent us by their lies and deceptions, as was the nation. Those who have been sent to Iraq have been betrayed by those who sent them, much as we were...

When will we ever keep "never again" from continuing to happen again? When will this nation be willing to accept responsibility for its actions - or better stated when we will as individuals be willing to accept the responsibility for those things done in our names?

We had best answer those questions real soon as "never again" is still with us.

Jack Dalton is a disabled veteran of the American War on Vietnam. He is an independent writer and political activist who is widely published on the internet. He was also a contributing writer in the recently published, Neo-Connded! Again! Published by IHS Press. His blog is Jack's Straight-Speak and his email address is: jack_dalton@comcast.net

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE FOLLOWING:

JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF AGENT ORANGE PETITION
Sign the Petition

Agent Orange Lawsuit filed by Vietnamese Victims

Vietnam War Intelligence 'Deliberately Skewed,' Secret Study Says

Chemical Warfare

Chemical Reaction

Scorched Earth - U.S. Chemical Warfare in the Colombian Rainforest

Spectre Orange

30-year Anniversary: Tonkin Gulf Lie Launched Vietnam War

Flawed Intelligence and the Decision for War in Vietnam

Death squads; criminals and gangsters make life in Iraq a living nightmare. And the worst of it is yet to happen. Look for the U.S. sometime shortly after the first of the year, 2006, to start massive carpet bombing in Iraq. I have it on very good authority, a source that must remain un-named for obvious reasons, that some Air Force B-52 pilots have been given "sealed" (classified) orders for deployment to Iraq. Iraq and the Iraqi people are going to end up being blown back further into the Stone Age that what has already been done to them.

In the meantime, young girls keep being hauled away for what reason...

Bassim sent me the following email earlier. He received it from an Iraqi NGO and forwarded it to me. The rest of what I have to say on this will follow the letter Bassim forwarded to me:

Dear friends, I've received the here-under letter from an Iraqi independent NGO (this is who he writes for: http://www.iraqirabita.org ) whose activities are to document, do the follow-up and reveal inhuman practices taken by the occupiers and the puppet regime in Iraq.

Bassim

***************
On Monday 25th November at 3a.m., a unit of US soldiers raided a house in the Bayaa' district south of Baghdad. The small house was inhabited by Mrs Adeeba Raihan and her two daughters Hanan and Jihan.

Adeeba's husband was killed in 1982 during the war with Iran. Her son, Jamal, died of cancer last year aged only 23. No men were therefore in the house. US soldiers were apparently working on the usual tip-off that an insurgent lived at this address.

It was very distressing for Adeeba's small family to be woken up at gun point at this late hour. The girls were dragged from their beds: the first question they were asked was strangely whether they were Sunni or Shi'a.

The house was completely ransacked. Nothing was found apart from the family savings of 500,000 Iraqi Dinars ($340), their personal jewelry and two mobile phones. All were taken by US soldiers.

Having failed to find their catch, the soldiers decided to take the two girls instead. In the past such action has been taken to pressure family members to surrender themselves. Of course, Adeeba was extremely upset at the arbitrary detention of her remaining family. Her cries and pleas to the soldiers went in vain.

I have spoken to the girl's cousins, Adnan and Hassan, who did not feel easy to talk about their ordeal. Detaining women in Iraq's conservative society is not an easy issue, while Abu-Ghraib's memories have not yet been forgotten.

I learnt from the cousins that an Iraqi translator working for the US army suggested to the family that they pay $8000 in order to secure the release of the girls.

We need to strongly condemn the practice of taking female hostages by US troops, which is a clear breach of international law. We must also demand the immediate and unconditional release of Hanan and Jihan.

I would be grateful if you would suggest ways of taking this matter further.

This has got to be looked into to say the least. Actually, looked into is incorrect; how about stopped immediately! How long are we going to keep allowing things like this - the carrying away of young girls in the middle of the night to who knows where or to what fate? Is this what you in this country, my "fellow" American citizens, want to be known for - war against innocent people, young girls and young boys?

For over two years Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Baghdad Bulletin (among many other groups and organizations) have been reporting on the human rights violations being perpetrated by the U.S. occupying force in Iraq.

One report after another have described the arbitrary and capricious imprisonment of people guilty of nothing more than being caught up in an outrageous "sweep." Then months later, sometimes years, and after much pain, torture, rape, they are turned loose.

Welcome to "freedom and democracy" in Iraq. And it was brought to Iraq, the U.S. and the rest of the world by a shadow government around Dick Cheney - Wolfowitz, Feith, Hadley, Libby, Perle, Rove, Ledeen... I'll stop as the list of names is too long to include here. Keep in mind that a lot of those involved with the planning and initiation of the invasion of Iraq come to us right out of Iran/Contra from the Ronald Reagan days in the 1980's. Seems no matter how much things change they always seem to remain the same - at least in this nation relative to the national politics and policies.

But, this is one repetition of our history that must be stopped and stopped now! What is going on in Iraq, which would not be going on if we were not there, cannot be allowed to continue, period. Shooting and blowing up kids; arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, torture, murder, rapes of young boys and young girls - this is as wrong as wrong can be.

Here is some additional reading I highly recommend reading. Then get on the phone, write some letters and above all, scream loudly non-stop that the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of innocent people, especially this propensity for hauling young girls away in the dead of night (or any other time of day for that matter), as has just happened, again, has got to end and end now!

Trained for Torture

Iraq: The "Salvadoran Option" = Death Squads!

FOCUS. Norman Solomon: US Media Dodging Air War in Iraq

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, writer and activist that lives in Portland, OR. He is widely published on the internet and in print. He was a contributing writer for the book, Neo-Conned! Again! (IHS Press) His blog is, Jack's Straight-Speak and his email address is: jack_dalton@comcast.net

"Defense Contractors Haven't Just Doled to "Duke"" is a report by the Center for Responsive Politics: Money in Politics Report which shows the enormous amount of "influence" the defense industry money buys in congress - Republican and Democrat alike. Influence is incorrect; rent, lease, buy or own your own congressman is more accurate a description of the government of this nation today and how it operates. They have one and all "forgotten" exactly who it is they all work for! We have got to remind them in no uncertain of terms.

The report and state by chart by Wayne Madison shows how deep this has gone so far - with more names coming up almost on a daily basis. Wayne's, State by State GOP Scandal Scorecard is an absolute must read! In it, Wayne charts state by state, name by name, those who were involved with Abramoff, and took his money. It is a thick and deep web the "spider" has woven. This, even more than the investigation and indictments around "Plamegate," more than Iran/Contra, more than Watergate, has the potential to bring down the house of cards the Republican Party, with Democratic help, has built. And come down it must if we are going to ever have the chance to build the nation as envisioned by the framers of our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution - which has been done almost irreparable harm.
In his article, "An Open Letter to Congress from a Veteran and Military Dad", Stan Goff states:

"It is because we understand power that we haven't the slightest intention of allowing ourselves to be used to promote your careers past the 2006 elections. If you fail to demand US withdrawal now, you are supporting the war; and if you support the war, as far as we are concerned, you can go straight to hell in 2006."

Now that is something I can really get behind, getting rid of each and every member of congress--all 435 of them in the House have got to be removed. The entire congress is dysfunctional at this point in time. Their fight in congress is all about, "power, power who's got the power?" In the meantime, we have people in Iraq being told to kill, kill, kill, and then be killed themselves; we have two deficits due to massive tax cuts and absurd levels of military wasteful spending - just think "Starve the Beast" ala Newt Gingrich and Grover Norquist & Co.

It is obvious to me that we, the people of this nation, the nation itself, are in dire straights, to say the least. February of 2004, Michael Chossudovsky at Global Research, wrote a paper titled, "The Criminalization of the State" which I highly recommend reading. He very accurately describes what we are facing in this nation: criminals in the highest levels of decision making, law making, policy making and setting the "rules" we all must live by. Just think Tom Delay, Dennis Hastert, Ney, Bill Frist, and the list goes on and on and on and on... If this is not the "criminalization of the state" I don't know what is!

In a recent article, "Wishful Thinking Promoted, Truth Jailed", by retired Air Force LT Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, she states, (this, as are all the links in this piece, are a must read):

"... Just to be clear, by "establishment," I am referring to the big government, big oil, and big military-industrial-congressional complex that is actively strangling the last bit of life out of an already unconscious American Republic.

Mark Warner attended the 2005 Bilderburger [inserted link added] meeting in Italy. He was the only governor to do so this year, and I think they approved. Thus vetted, his interest in the Presidency is now revealed, and his campaign theme may well be "A Wish for America" or "Hope Rising."

It will sell, and the establishment will get its share, its access, its murder, death and chaos, in Iraq and elsewhere. Americans, vaguely aware that we are in the early stages of a long economic decline and the eventual and costly collapse of the great American empire, will today heartily support more hope, more joy, and more state. As Americans clamor for these things, they will be only partially satisfied. Hope and Joy will be discussed, but only more State will be delivered.

Wishful thinking is promoted. But what of its competition? Truth, that poor relative, always hard to face, never needing anything and yet creating a certain discomfort among others in the room, remains a smoldering problem for Washington... "

Our own Declaration of Independence tells us:

"... that whenever any Form of Government destructive of those ends, it is the right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security..."

A good place and time to do just this, "alter of abolish" what we have, in a manner of speaking, will present itself this next year as all 435 members of the House of Representatives comes up for reelection. It is my opinion, as it is of others, that a single member of the House should be returned to congress. This also applies to those in the Senate coming up for reelection next year as well. We cannot leave anything, or anyone, out in our struggle to regain control over this nation, its politics, its policies, its economy, everything. If we do not, I question what will rise from the ashes when the nation collapses under the weight of what the Republican controlled congress and the Bush/Cheney shadow government has done to it in just 5 short years.

Cheney, Bush, and their entire secret "shadow government" must also be held to account. If we are able to break the strangle hold on our congress, maybe then we will be able to proceed with impeachment for them as well as criminal prosecution of the entire lot of them. (I do dream big if nothing else)

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, writer and activist that lives in Portland, OR. He is widely published on the internet and in print. He was a contributing writer for the book, Neo-Conned! Again! (IHS Press) His blog is, Jack's Straight-Speak and his email address is: jack_dalton@comcast.net

References, Sources and Additional Reading:

"Wall Street, Banks, and American Foreign Policy"

An Open Letter to Congress from a Veteran and Military Dad: On Power

Wishful Thinking Promoted, Truth Jailed

The National Campaign to Impeach President George W. Bush by Professor Francis A. Boyle

STATE BY STATE GOP SCANDAL SCORECARD By: Wayne Madison

PLANETARY / DLC rebukes Pelosi, Murtha By: Michael Carmichael

Business as Usual: Corrupt

The Bilderberg Group

The Criminalization of the State

Daily DeLay

National Security Archives: Iran/Contra

Captain Schenk, S-2 at FT. Stewart, GA. (S-2 is Army military intelligence), was busted for stealing. He was stealing the armored plates for the body armor vests the troops from FT Stewart would be wearing in Iraq. Capt Schenk was then selling those plates on E-Bay for between $3,000 and $4,000 a piece. Capt. Schenk was sent to jail for 45 days behind his theft of and sale of the protective gear the troops from FT. Stewart would need in Iraq.

Now I ask you, between the two men, who in fact was it that endangered the troops: Kevin, by his refusals to be a part of needless and senseless killing, like shooting kids just for climbing on a wall? Or Capt. Schenk by stealing and selling, for personal profit, those things needed to prevent injury to the troops?

For me, this presents an unanswered question: Why does a man who refuses to be a participant in what were illegal orders, in an illegal war, which was based on provable lies and deceptions, spend 15 months in a military jail; while a thief, a commissioned officer at the same base at the same time, gets caught selling the troops protective equipment and only gets 45 days in jail? Something is seriously wrong with this picture to say the least! In fact, why is Kevin Benderman in a military jail at all? What was Kevin's "crime" other than having the courage to act on his principles, his convictions, and then through proper military channels, filed application as a Conscientious Objector?

A Partial Explanation:
When Sgt Kevin Benderman requested a change in his status as a Conscientious Objector, his command at Ft Stewart went absolutely ballistic, which is putting it mildly. The command structure of Kevin's unit, the 2-7 F Co, 3rd ID, knew that they had to make an example of Kevin so as to discourage others at FT Stewart from following Kevin in his resistance to this war as a CO. Re-enlistments were, and are going down drastically; recruitment was down and decreasing further. In short, the Army was, and is, having critical manpower shortages and the last thing the Army needed, or needs, is a growing chorus of active duty war resisters - CO's. So the Army command at Ft Stewart set about trying to "prove" that Kevin was making "disloyal" public statements. If they could succeed with this tactic, they would be able to not only shut Kevin up, but send a message to others that if you do not shut up and just do what you are told, your next residence will be a jail cell.

Regardless of what the "formal" charges which were leveled against Sgt. Kevin Benderman - "Missing a Movement"; regardless of what Kevin was "formally" convicted of; regardless of what Kevin was "formally" sentenced for by the Army at his Court Martial at Ft Stewart, GA., on July 29, 2005, one thing is certain: Sgt. Kevin Benderman, having been to Iraq once, who was now speaking out in opposition to the war in Iraq, as far as the Army was concerned, had committed a court-martial offense and they were going to "get" him [Kevin] at all cost.

According to the Army's own manuals, it is a court-martial offense to issue public statements that are critical and or denouncing one's "commander-in-chief" more so in a "time of war." With the military falling in step with the Bush/Cheney team of "Mayberry Machiavellis" it could not allow anyone, especially a voice as loud, clear and articulate as Kevin's to continue. Kevin had to be silenced, least others follow suit and also start saying no - thereby bursting the bubble of the Washington consensus of high troop support for this war of choice in Iraq, among other issues about just what are we doing in Iraq.

The Army's Biggest Problem However:
The biggest problem comes in over the simple fact the Army could not, as much as it wanted, and tried, they could not court-martial Kevin for disloyal statements; as Kevin, at least initially, was not speaking out publicly against the war or the Bush Administration. Kevin wrote one letter to Bush in Nov of 2004 but that was months after he had filed his CO application. Somehow it ended up on the 'Military Family Speaks Out' web-site and it was that letter the Army attempted using to prove Kevin was disloyal.

However, when the Army lawyers at Ft Stewart forwarded those charges of "Disloyal Statements" to JAG (Judge Advocate General), JAG wrote back and essentially told them at FT Stewart they were out of their minds, as there was absolutely no evidence what-so-ever that Kevin had ever made a disloyal statement. Basically, dissent in the Army is considered disloyalty. How absurd! So, the Army at FT Stewart started trolling around to find other false and phony charges they could level at Kevin in the effort to shut him up and make an example of him to keep others in line.

From the outset, Kevin was not railing against the Administration or even the premise for the Iraq invasion. Kevin did not apply as a CO to protest the war, he applied as a CO as an individual who had made the conscious decision that he, as an individual, could not participate in that which war is, mass killing on a grand scale; with the majority of those being killed innocent, women and children, the aged, the infirm - as is true in all wars. Innocents are killed 10 to 1 when compared to "troops" on all sides.

It was not until, during the months between Kevin filing as a CO and Nov 2004 when Kevin wrote his letter to Bush, that Kevin began seeing all of the evidence that was coming out, pretty much confirming the lies and deceptions behind the invasion and occupation of Iraq. It was not until well into 2005, and based on increasing amounts of irrefutable evidence of the grand deceptions of Bush/Cheney & Co., that Kevin began to challenge the very premise of this invasion/occupation.

I've learned a lot of things about Kevin and Monica over the past 15 months or so. We have spent so many, many hours upon hours on the phone. Kevin Benderman is one of the single most deliberate, deliberative, seriously critical thinking men I know. I've yet to witness Kevin making a snap decision, or a decision based on emotional response. Nope, not Kevin, when Kevin makes a decision, such as he did when he applied as a CO - or as now, speaking out publicly in condemnation of what Bush/Cheney has unleashed - it is only after much deliberative thought after disseminating serious amounts of factual information.

Kevin has, in my opinion, been able to do what most still have yet to achieve - a good balance between brain and emotions. Emotionally charged decisions always end up a disaster, as the emotions over-rule the brain and critical thinking. When Kevin, or Monica for that matter, makes a decision it is not an emotional response, it is a decision that is well thought out over a period of time, and which is based on empirical evidence and fact; not like the fantasy based decisions coming out of Washington, D.C. today. "That which is emotionally rooted is intellectually insoluble"--something to contemplate. Kevin and Monica Benderman understand that concept fully. Back to where I was at before getting side-tracked.

Having been to Iraq once; having been witness to the tragedy, the senseless brutality, the horror that is war, Kevin had no doubt that war was not and is not the answer to our problems. It was hearing orders given to shoot children if they were to climb back up on a wall, among many other things Kevin saw and heard, which turned Kevin against this war - against war and killing.

Kevin, like all who go into the military, have some idea of the "rules of war" and basically what constitutes a war crime. After being in Iraq, Kevin came to understand, like so many others that have seen the brutality and insanity that is war, that war itself is the ultimate "war crime" and it was this, as a Conscientious Objector that Kevin was speaking out against.

"All Kevin did was speak to the fact that war was not the answer - and that he had seen enough of war to know that he was going to not participate in it any longer." So as much as the Army wanted to try and use that to court-martial Kevin for disloyal public statements, it/they couldn't. So the Army's next step was to trump up an entirely different set of charges, which is pretty much what then happened to Kevin. I know I'm repeating myself here, but this is so important, it bears a bit of redundancy.

The way I see it, that is why Kevin Benderman is serving time in a military jail at FT Lewis, WA. For the Army, Kevin was a threat, as he openly articulated what so many were thinking and feeling but afraid to say openly, in part due to the threat of court-martial hanging over their heads for speaking out publicly. If Kevin was not silenced, openly and publicly by the Army, others might also shed their fear and end their silence. Then like Kevin, also speak out in opposition to this war in the public forum.

But, and I must emphasize this, it was not until well after Kevin had filed as a CO that he started making any public statements against the war in Iraq or the Bush Administration. Kevin did not start making such statements until after much information and evidence came to public awareness about just how and why the invasion of Iraq even took place. Kevin is way too cautious and deliberate in his thinking and decision making to ever take the chance of making a "snap" decision. So, contrary to what the Army has stated many times, Kevin's speaking out against the Iraq invasion itself is relatively recent. And it came only after much "evidence" as well as much very deliberate contemplation and serious prayer.

Kevin is speaking out against the invasion and occupation of Iraq now due to the simple fact there is now irrefutable evidence that it was and is wrong. That it is being conducted for every reason other than any of the stated reasons, and has no purpose other than continuing to get a lot of people killed needlessly with absolutely no end in sight.

There is no doubt in my mind the "official consensus" of high troop morale is on its face a lie. I've spoken with way too many military and veterans organizations, and have received mega-hundreds of emails from active duty military in the past couple of years, with the numbers increasing this year - all saying the same thing, our people in uniform are in serious trouble as morale is going thru the floor! No one knows what the "mission" is past just kill, kill, and kill some more - in between the dying that is; and all while like us that were in Vietnam, just fighting to stay alive and get back home. How can we allow anyone to go to jail for refusing to participate in this insanity? To me, that defies all logic and reason.

Kevin, the Military and Conscientious Objector Declarations:

"In a small, quiet courtroom, on the Ft. Stewart military installation, the stage is set. One soldier who, after firsthand experience with the destructive force of war, decided to take the Ten Commandments at their word - "Thou Shall Not Kill" - and use the rights given to him to declare his conscious objection to war, to no longer be in a position to voluntarily have to kill another human being, is now on trial for not wanting to kill.

The Army has removed itself so completely from its moral responsibility, that its representatives are willing to openly demand, in a court of law, that they be allowed to regain "positive control over this soldier" by finding him guilty of crimes he did not commit, and put him in jail - a prisoner of conscience, for daring to obey a moral law.

It is "hard work" to face the truth, and it is scary when people who are not afraid to face it begin to speak out. Someone once said that my husband's case is a question of morality over legality. I pray that this country has not gone so far over the edge that the two are so distinctly different that we can tell them apart." (Monica Benderman)

The following letter of Feb. 2004 was written to Sen. Chuck Warner by the father of a young man who was in the Marine Corps. While in boot-camp this young man determined that he would not be able to do that for which the Marine Corps was training him - to kill. After much discussion with his family, with chaplains, with his own conscientious, he filed the proper forms and paperwork as a Conscientious Objector - that was in 2004.

What this young man then went thru for the next 11 months prompted his father, an active duty U.S. Navy Captain to write the following; and which I consider to be the single most articulate and well though out statement on the subject of conscientious objectors, as well as how the military does, or rather does not deal with legitimate CO applications and the people who file them.

This has direct application and relevance to what Kevin Benderman has, and is going thru behind his filing the application as a Conscientious Objector and going public with that; as it does with all who make such application in the current "environment."

Substitute Kevin's name in this, Ft Stewart and the Army for the Marine Corps and this letter has direct application and bearing on everyone who stands as a CO in today's military - especially Kevin Benderman, one of the single most ethical, principled and honorable men it has ever been my privilege to know. (The full letter of Feb. 2005 may be read Here.) Now on to those parts of the letter with direct application to Kevin; which explains how rules, laws, and regulations that are in place for people in the military, are used in very insidious ways to suppress and repress active duty personnel; especially if they have the “temerity” to file as a Conscientious Objector.

"... Additionally, I wanted you to know that Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) is investigating the possibility of preparing and introducing a Bill - to be known as the Military Conscientious Objector Act - that would seek to protect the rights of military members who desire status as a Conscientious Objector.

... there is great opportunity for the military to waste time and money because of our generally negative predisposition when considering these matters. While it doesn't make sense from a personnel management aspect for the Services to make the process to attain Conscientious Objector status easy, the Services could do a much better job of making the process fair - and to NOT treat applicants as though they have committed a crime while working through the process...

... it appears to me that he is judging... qualification for CO discharge on the basis of his own stereotypes rather than any legal definition of conscientious objection. In short... is judging... beliefs and sincerity on the basis of his own ideas rather than any requirements of the regulations...

...The law does not require a conscientious objector to be opposed to all forms of... requires only that a person be conscientiously opposed to the planned and organized killing that takes place in warfare...

...I am sure that by comparing... the experiences of other CO's past and present, you will quickly see that the process is indeed broken. Not only is the process inconsistently applied, it's subject to the stereotypes/prejudices of the assigned Investigating Officer. While that's a variable that might be impossible to contain, we - the services - could still do a better job of codifying the Conscientious Objector discharge process...

... Military Officers are not trained to make these kinds of assessments. More importantly, line officers are compromised from the start and should not be placed in this position because a positive endorsement on their part is currently culturally unacceptable in the officer corps generally and could impugn the credibility and professionalism of the Investigating Officer specifically...Officers will deny this bias and publicly, firmly deny that they are to act as expected. Yet we cannot deny that competition for promotion is keen and an officer's decision to be supportive of a Conscientious Objector while on the cusp of further promotion is an extraordinarily difficult prospect just prior to his 20th year of service when vested in retirement. These are especially difficult decisions when many must ensure they will be retained at mid-career and have a retirement for the benefit of their family - generally, no blemish on an officer's service record is sustainable..."

This makes one wonder why the U.S. Military even bothers to have rules, regulations or guidelines on the what, who, and how of filing as a Conscientious Objector. Especially when looking at how various Officers see anyone within their commands requesting CO status as a threat to their next promotion, as what happened with Sgt Kevin Benderman.

"...The value and right to a free conscious, after all, is what this is all about..."

A Brief Look Back:
When Kevin's unit was sent to Iraq the first time, Kevin, like so many of us from previous U.S. wars, saw the utter destruction caused by our invasion of Iraq. He saw the slip by people around him into complete disregard for human life in their struggle to just stay alive; he saw the slaughter of innocent people; he saw the total disregard and elevation of man's inhumanity to man; he heard orders to "shoot to kill" even children. He saw, heard, and began to understand that what American's were being told about what was happening in Iraq were lies; whose only purpose were to keep public approval for this U.S. war of aggression up - deliberate deception. Kevin began to realize, as have so many others, that war is not the answer. And a war based on deliberate deceptions and lies, as is this war of choice that has been unleashed in Iraq, is definitely not an answer to anything.

"He returned knowing that war is wrong; that it is the most dehumanizing creation of humanity that exists. He saw war destroy civilians, innocent men, women and children. He saw war destroy homes, relationships and a country. He saw this not only in the country that was invaded, but he saw this happening to the invading country as well, here in the U.S. - and he knew that the only way to save those soldiers was for people to no longer participate in war. Sgt. Kevin Benderman is a Conscientious Objector to war; and the Army is mad.

Sgt. Kevin Benderman, after serving one tour of duty in Iraq, filed for Conscientious Objector status, his Constitutional right. His commander refused to accept his application and one called him a coward. One chaplain was ashamed of his lack of moral fortitude, another, of higher rank, testified to the true sincerity of Sgt. Benderman's beliefs, in writing. A military intelligence officer decided that he knew matters of the soul better than a man of God, and recommended to deny the CO claim. Five commissioned officers who had never met Sgt. Benderman agreed with the "intelligent officer" and the claim was denied, twice." (Monica)

Here in the U.S. there is a "deeply-held belief that no matter what this nations governing body does abroad, no matter how bad what it does may appear, no matter what horror may result, the American government means well;" That the 'government has good intentions and means well; And, generally speaking, the American public wonders why the rest of the world can't see how "kind" and "generous" and "self-sacrificing" America is and has been. Unfortunately, the road to hell is paved with "good intentions." Who can forget George W. Bush in 2003, when Iraqi's started standing up to the invasion and occupation of their country and started fighting back saying, "What is the matter with those people, don't they know how good we are?" Pretty much says it all does it not?

According to Monica Benderman (who is simple one of the 5 most incredible, solid, intelligent, tireless and committed women it has been my pleasure to have met in the past few years) two things took place at the end of Kevin's "court-martial": "The entire prosecution team, including witnesses, all stood outside the doorway and laughed while Kevin was walking to the van. They wanted to put him in shackles and chains "so that the media could take pictures of him that way" but his supervisor, the man they had placed in charge of that, refused to do that, so Kevin walked freely. This supervisor has been very supportive of Kevin from the start - and continues to be very upset about what is happening, as he knows the truth."

Also according to Monica, among others, photos of Kevin being led out and away after what flimsily passed for a "trial" were plastered all over the walls of the company offices for the Forward Operating Base outside of Baghdad where the 2-7th Foxtrot Company is currently deployed with the caption - "This is what happens if you do not obey and follow orders." If that is not a threat to those in uniform - telling them, yes it is within anyone's rights to file as a Conscientious Objector, but if you do this is what will happen - I don't know what you can call it!

Right now - my husband and I are fighting against this country - for the right to be together - to be US - to have what we have worked on - our relationship - and our private life. It is all we ask - and we will give what we can - we have given what we can - all we want is us - and for the soldiers and their families who have been so severely disrespected to be able to have themselves back again too. (Monica Benderman)

A Few Concluding Thoughts:
Since this nation lost its mind behind Bush & Co and their subsequent "wars of aggression," those who now make application as a C.O. according to the "rules," have almost all been criminalized by the military; and in most cases have been imprisoned - as has Kevin Benderman. Who, in my book, is a man of tremendous ethics, integrity, honor, character; and that's why I agree with, as Norman Solomon has stated, "Kevin Benderman, now in prison, is providing greater moral leadership than any member of the United States Senate." I would just take it a step further: Kevin Benderman is providing greater moral leadership than any member of the Senate, the House of Representatives, the White House, and the nation as a whole. We would all do well to follow his example, and that especially includes those who are currently on active duty in the military.

Quite frankly, I do not see this Cheney/Bush "War of Aggression" coming to an end as long as they are in office. Like Vietnam, this illegal war in Iraq will come to an end when the troops start putting down the guns and, also like in Vietnam, start openly rebelling against illegal orders given in an illegal invasion and subsequent occupation. Especially when considering the group of thugs, extortionists and criminals that are in charge of the White House and both houses of Congress.

This Kevin Benderman has done already - he put down his gun. As have many others and who have now been joined by the first women in uniform, Katherine Jashinsky, to openly oppose this war and who has recently filed as a Conscientious Objector.

This much I know: we cannot continue to allow good people like Kevin Benderman to be sent to prison for refusing to be a participant in illegal wars, as we know this one to be. Especially when you consider that many of those making the "rules" that send people of conscience like Kevin to prison are under indictments - criminals sending honest men to prison. Really makes a lot of sense does it not??

This is an email Monica sent to me about life in the RCF at Ft Lewis, per a conversation with Kevin:

"The tables at the RCF mess hall were decorated with cornucopias full of fruit and nuts -- there were candy dishes full of treats in front of every inmate -- and there were three enormous ice sculptures on the serving tables. Kevin talked to one of the cooks who told him that the ice sculptures alone cost almost $1000.00. The inmates were not allowed to eat any of the candy, nuts or fruit.

They have to wait longer to make phone calls home today - the phones near the command center at the front of the facility are off limits to them today because that is the entrance being used by family visitors who are coming to eat with the inmates - and for special military guests. The inmates are not allowed to interact with anyone who has not been approved to come visit them - so they have been kept in hiding with access to the phones only at the back of the facility.

Kevin approached the Colonel who is commanding one of the brigades, I believe the 704th MP Brigade. He told the Col. that they had no business spending almost $1000.00 on the ice sculptures when the showers were not working, the toilets and sinks were backing up and the windows were broken and letting cold air in throughout the living quarters of the facility. The Col's response was that there were two budgets, one for decorations for the mess hall, and one for maintenance, and the toilets were part of the maintenance budget. Kevin said he told him that they needed to cancel the decor budget and fix the toilets.

Kevin also told several that he was thankful for being at the RCF, and that he was sure he wanted to stay now that he had such a beautifully decorated mess hall to eat in. He said he told every commander he could find that he was grateful for his command at Ft. Stewart having lied and manipulated evidence just to put him at Ft. Lewis so he could see everything that he had - he thought he'd seen it all until he got there, and now they had just given him more to speak out about.

Several told Kevin that it was Thanksgiving and that he should give it a rest for one day - Fools - "

This concludes Part 1 of what is an ongoing story about Kevin, and about the situation at the RCF, Ft Lewis, WA. - the military's mini U.S. Abu Ghraib for its own. See: Torture and Prostitution at Ft Lewis - The Investigation Begins.

For those of you that are letter writers, as am I, here are the addresses of those in command at the RCF, at Ft Lewis. They really do need to hear form as many as are willing to write, which hopefully will be all of you.

Fort Lewis Garrison Commander
525 Replacement
Ft. Lewis, Washington
98433-9500

Commander
Fort Lewis Regional Facility
Box 339536
Ft. Lewis, Washington
98433-9536

Kevin Mitchell Benderman
Box 339536
Fort Lewis, Washington
98433-9536

******

Also See:
Freedom to make a choice. By: Monica Benderman

The Case of Sergeant Benderman By: Camilo Mejia - Truthout

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, activist and writer who lives in Portland, OR. He is widely published on multiple web publications. He was also a contributing writer in the recently released book: "Neo-Conned! Again," by: IHS Press. He may be contacted thru his blog, "Jack's Straight-Speak": http://jack-dalton.blogspot.com/ or, jack_dalton@comcast.net

While preaching about spreading "freedom and democracy" they have turned our own on its head. There are people within the Bush/Cheney cabal who have articulated the need for a limited dictatorship to preserve our "freedoms" and to make us "safe and secure" from all those dirty "terrorists." That was stated recently by none other than Michael Ledeen and Charles Krauthammer both of whom subscribe to the prevailing Leo Strauss ideology: only the "elite" can rule and that to maintain their power over people they must at times lie their asses off.

I find it rather interesting that in a discussion with Media Benjamin of CodePink, an Iranian woman stated that the women of Iran do not want the Theocracy they live under, and at the same time said that they ask America not to bring them "American democracy." That speaks volumes to me. She understands more than those in this country that the "freedom and democracy" being articulated is nothing more than a ramped up "free market capitalism" unrestrained and unrestricted.

"The greatest evil we do is to deny the evil we do" and that has been taken to an entirely new and elevated level by the extremists, Bush/Cheney & Co., Inc. that currently occupy the seat of power in this nation. One by one due to an acquiescent congress we are losing one enumerated right after another: equal protection, right to council, free speech zones replacing free speech, military spies in our midst, voting rights, just to mention a very few on an increasingly huge list.

At the same time we are losing our protections corporate American is gaining in their rights to lie, deceive, cause harm, and pollute. In fact so much of what has come out of this current administration and congress is geared to one thing - profits over people and people be damned.

For three decades these very same people have been trying to "take-over" the Supreme Court thru which they will then be able to change what this nation is and is not. The Supreme Court is the last body the cabal needs to completely secure their ability to fundamentally change this nation from what it was founded to be, to what the cabal wants it to be. And what that is stares us right in the face: a nation of obedient sheep that will sit down, shut up and do what we are told.

If John Roberts gains a seat on the Supreme Court there will be no court to hold the Bush/Cheney cabal of self-righteous neo-fascists in check or accountable for anything they do. Roberts will be there to help Scalia and Thomas to insure that happens.

The following is a summary of the 50 page report on John Roberts by Save Our Courts (PFAW) and should be read closely by everyone. This is one of the most important issues facing us right now, if not the most important. We must not allow ourselves to be sidelined on this issue. We must continue our anti-war efforts but not at the expense of non-involvement or non-action on the single most critical issue facing this nation right now - the Bush/Cheney cabals attempted destruction of the Supreme Court.

If Roberts gains a seat on that court we can kiss the so-called "rule of law" goodbye as it will then become something to repress and oppress at a level not seen before.

Enough from me, on to the report:
People For the American Way Report in Opposition to the Confirmation of Supreme Court Nominee John Roberts

Save the Courts.org

Executive Summary
The record of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts demonstrates that his confirmation to the nation's highest court would undermine Americans' rights and freedoms and limit the role of the federal courts in upholding them. People For the American Way calls on the Senate to reject John Roberts' nomination.

The opinions he has issued during his short tenure on the federal bench, the documents from his tenure in senior positions in the Reagan Administration, and what we know of Roberts' tenure as principal deputy solicitor general in the first Bush administration, combine to make a compelling case against confirmation.

For much of the past 25 years, Roberts worked to impede or undermine progress toward realizing the Constitution's promise of equal justice under law. He has been an active participant in efforts to advance a legal and judicial ideology grounded in a narrow view of constitutional rights and a restricted role for the federal courts in protecting and enforcing them. As a federal judge, he has indicated support for an approach to the Constitution that would undermine the authority of Congress to take action for the common good in areas such as environmental protection.

As special assistant to the Attorney General in the Reagan Administration, and later as a key legal strategist in the Reagan White House counsel's office, Roberts was an aggressive participant in the administration's attempts to restrict fundamental constitutional and civil rights. In fact, Roberts often came down to the right of ultraconservative legal luminaries, including Robert Bork, William Bradford Reynolds, and Ted Olson. He supported the legality of radical proposals to strip the courts of jurisdiction over certain school desegregation remedies, abortion, and school prayer. He denigrated what he referred to as the "so-called" right to privacy, resisted attempts to fully restore the effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act, and worked against measures aimed at increasing gender equity. As the Washington Post has reported, at times he was "derisive, using words such as 'purported' and 'perceived' to describe discrimination against women."

When Roberts became top deputy to solicitor general Kenneth W. Starr in 1989, he continued to advance a right-wing agenda. He urged the Court to limit the remedies women could seek when their rights under Title IX were violated. And he asked the Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, saying it has "no support in the text, structure or history of the Constitution."

In his limited time as a federal appeals court judge, Roberts has shown enormous deference to the executive branch, with a broad and expansive view of presidential power that threatens the system of checks and balances. A key dissent by Roberts suggests that he has embraced the ideology of a legal and political movement that seeks to weaken Congress' ability to protect Americans' rights and interests, potentially threatening decades of progress made since the New Deal in safeguarding air, water, and public health, and protecting individual rights and liberties. Among the aspects of Roberts' record documented in this report:

**Roberts supported a restrictive interpretation of the scope of civil rights laws banning gender discrimination in publicly funded school programs, including athletics, a position that would have restricted the reach and enforcement of other important civil rights laws as well.

**Roberts played an important role in an unsuccessful Reagan Administration effort to make it harder to prove violations of the Voting Rights Act.

**Roberts referred dismissively to the "so-called 'right to privacy;'" his record strongly suggests that he does not believe that the Constitution guarantees or protects a right to privacy, a position that threatens reproductive choice, gay rights, and families' medical decision-making. He signed a brief on behalf of the first Bush Administration arguing that "[w]e continue to believe that Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled."

**Roberts' record indicates he would allow government endorsement of and favoritism towards religion. His confirmation could open the door to a range of activities that threaten religious liberty, including coercive religious practices in public schools.

**Roberts took the position that Congress could constitutionally strip the Supreme Court of the authority to rule on cases regarding school prayer, abortion, and other issues, a position to the right of that advanced by Theodore Olson and adopted by the Reagan administration.

**Roberts criticized the Supreme Court for overturning a Texas law designed to keep undocumented immigrant children from getting a public education.

**While in the White House, Roberts urged that the administration should “go slowly” on proposed fair housing legislation, claiming that such legislation represented "government intrusion."

**As a judge Roberts has signaled that he subscribes to the ideas of the new "federalism" that would limit the federal government's power under the Constitution's Commerce Clause to act on behalf of the common good. In Rancho Viejo, LLC v. Norton, Roberts issued a troubling dissent from a decision upholding the constitutionality of the Endangered Species Act. Roberts's dissent suggested that Congress lacked the power under the Commerce Clause to protect endangered species in this case. The consequences of such a radical view, if held by a Supreme Court majority, would extend far beyond the Endangered Species Act to whole areas of Congressional authority, including such longstanding programs as Medicare and Social Security.

**Roberts has written that affirmative action programs were bound to fail because they required "recruiting of inadequately prepared candidates"; and as deputy Solicitor General he unsuccessfully opposed a federal government agency's affirmative action program designed to diversify media ownership.

The White House has broken with precedent and unfortunately continues to deny the Senate access to key documents from Roberts' time as second-in-command to Ken Starr in the solicitor general's office in the Bush I Administration. In the absence of such documents, we must assume that the views expressed in the briefs Roberts signed during his tenure are in fact his own.

Conclusion
John Roberts has spent much of the past two decades in political and legal positions of great influence. The public record that has been revealed over recent weeks demonstrates that Roberts has consistently advocated positions that would undermine Americans' fundamental rights and liberties under the Constitution and federal law. The confirmation of John Roberts to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor would bring dramatic change, move the Supreme Court significantly to the right, and shift the balance of the court to the great and lasting detriment of Americans and the constitutional principles and legal safeguards that protect their families and communities. We urge senators to vote against his confirmation.

There is a lot I could "say" here about them; the V.A.; congress who for 40 years has never properly funded the VA - both "Parties" are guilty on that point; and the Bush/Cheney cabal who are out to eliminate the VA by privatizing it; but, for now, I will let the V.A. Watchdog and Vets for Justice do most of my "talking" for me; but not all.

Over the past couple of years I have come to rely on both to keep me up with those issues that directly affect and impact all of us that are veterans, their families and friends. That which has direct impact on us veterans affects not only us, but family and friends, directly, as well. We all pay the cost of a screwed up and under-funded VA as it is not only veterans who pay that cost but everyone around us pays the cost also.

The VA system was already a mess, but since Bush/Cheney captured, or stole this nation thru hijacked "elections" (and I use the term elections loosely) what has been happening to the VA in terms of funding has gone past simply being an outrage - it's criminal!

Bush had appointed Anthony Principi to head up the VA. When Principi started trying to get things done on behalf of veterans Bush replaced him with good "party loyalist" Jim Nicholson. (Side Bar Note:"...the Moret study may be the reason behind Veterans Administration Secretary Anthony Principi's recent and sudden departure. Bernklau says Principi was "aware that DU was causing illness and death as far back as 2000. He and the Bush administration has (sic) been hiding these facts, but now, thanks to [Lauren] Moret's report, is far too big to hide or to cover up.")

Twin killers - PTSD and Depleted Uranium, which is a weapon, and this government is in total denial about both. In fact, a disinformation and misinformation campaign about both is at the top of the Department of War and Pentagon's "hit" list.

Nicholson's only qualification for the position he now holds: Nicholson, like David Chu at the Department of War, thinks that continued payments to service connected disabled veterans poses a "threat to national security" as it takes away money needed for the current Bush/Cheney & Co., Inc war machine - which is creating more disabled veterans at an alarming rate, physical and mental - in short, Nicholson is a good party loyalist, period.

How do those "men" respond to this increase of PTSD imbued veterans from previous wars, and those coming back from this "war of aggression" in Iraq seeking help for their PTSD? They claim "fraud" and start "reviewing" tens of thousands of disabled veterans, 72,000 to be exact, who are currently receiving compensation for combat related PTSD. And they do this at a time when by all accounts PTSD is on a marked increase as a direct result of the invasion and continued occupation of Iraq. But then what do you expect when this government, from top to bottom, is headed up by a bunch of "bean-counters" that can't see past "cost-benefit" analysis?

Just in the last three years, since Bush/Cheney unleashed the "Dogs of War" on Iraq and Afghanistan the payouts to veterans with PTSD has shot up from a little over $1 billion a year to over $4 billion per year. That's not fraud, that is a direct result of combat and war. But the three men who make the determinations about the VA and veterans, instead of realizing the madness Bush/Cheney created by their "war against the peace" and the untenable position they have put those in uniform in has been more than enough to generate even more people with PTSD (those of us that spent any time in Vietnam are very familiar with being put in an untenable position by politicians who try their hand at running a war, and an illegal war at that).

For these people, Nicholson, Buyer and Craig, to recognize cause and effect in terms of combat and PTSD would mean they would have to counter the reigning ideology of "perpetual war for perpetual peace" and this not one of the three will do. They are after all part of the Bush/Cheney cabal. Their answer to the self-generating mess their boss has created, simple, use the time "honored and tested" tactic of pitting one group of veterans against another group of veterans, and then pit all the veterans against active duty military.

Keep in mind that it was not that far back that the VA "budget" was placed in the hands of David Chu at the Department of War. The VA now not only has to fight year after year to even have a budget, but it must now compete internally with active duty military family housing; active duty military health-care; and the list goes on.

In the mean time, while this wanna-be Emperor (Bush, Cheney, take your pick) wags his finger at the world, the disabled veterans being created by the war of aggression in Iraq will in the end, not fair any better than those of us from previous wars, period. It is already happening. Even those that the Bush/Cheney cabal pontificate about being "heroes" who are fighting to spread "freedom and democracy" are being tossed aside when they come home a physical and mental basket case.

The essay, "Behind the Walls of Ward 54" is but one of many examples of how those coming home from Iraq are being treated - in this case it drove a man to commit suicide at Walter Reed. This is not a singular event as the suicide rate in the military today is on an exponential increase; as are people being killed by those returning from Iraq.

58, 195 soldiers and Marines were killed in Vietnam and suicides as a result of untreated PTSD have claimed the lives of more Vietnam veterans than did the war. Is that what we will allow to happen to the people Bush/Cheney are sending to Iraq? Apparently so as the VA is out to eliminate up to a third of all PTSD disabled vets from the disability rolls. Like I stated earlier, this goes way past just outrageous - this is criminal, period, end of story.

So much for yellow ribbons and supporting the troops.

Who can forget Henry Kissinger when he was the so-called "National Security Advisor" when he stated that, "...people in uniform are dumb animals to be used for our purposes..." Take a hard look around you; look at all the available information about how the VA is not taking care of veterans; take a hard look at how one congress after another has refused to not only properly fund the VA but has refused to make the VA budget a mandatory item; take a hard look at the VA Appeals Court and all the Bush appointed judges that now control it - all but two of the appeals "judges" were appointed by Bush 1 and Bush 2 and how ever since almost no vet wins on appeal.

For this congress and Bush/Cheney to do anything but what they are doing, in terms of continuing this onslaught against this nation's veterans, would mean they would have to acknowledge they screwed up and that their "war" is in fact nothing more or less than one great big corporate/investor cash cow.

Bush/Cheney have just about bankrupted this nation because of what they are doing in Iraq, and they are willing to sacrifice veterans and their own active duty military and their families in the attempt to pay for their "perpetual wars."

General Smedly Butler was so very right-on when he wrote that, "War is a Racket."

But, enough from me, for now. Read carefully the following information from "V.A. Watchdog" and "Vets for Justice" - and keep in mind that, "The Greatest Sedition is Silence."

The march on Washington Sept. 24-26 will be a great place and time to end the "silence."

Being a disabled veteran myself (Vietnam 1965-67) and an active anti-Iraqnam war activist, those yellow ribbons just over-load my good sense sometimes, I confronted the guy right there in the middle of downtown Portland (which on a Saturday is one very busy place) about yellow ribbons; supporting the troops; what that really means as well as what is being done to veterans by this Bush/Cheney cabal. All he could muster was the "welfare" comment.

But I have heard that same kind of statement before. Just recently, David Chu, at the Department of Wars' Pentagon, told us all that, "... continued payments to veterans presents a threat to our national security, as it is taking needed funds away from the military..." Chu has oversight of the V.A. budget as it, V.A. budget, now has also got to compete with active duty military family housing, active duty healthcare which Chu also has oversight of.

What's scary though, is not people like the man I confronted today, statements like that from party loyalists are expected, it's veterans who still support this madness Bush/Cheney have unleashed. One guy, a Korean War vet in a wheelchair, is still fighting with the V.A. over his healthcare and sporting a pro-Bush pin and yellow ribbon; but he is not the alone.

For the love of whatever you hold dear my "fellow" veterans discontinue your support of, and for those who have lied this nation into war, Bush/Cheney & Co., Inc, and who have total disregard for those who have "borne the brunt of battle" - us veterans; you, me, my friends and your friends - and the kids that have been sent off to Iraq who are coming back to a rapidly vanishing V.A.

I have a very good friend who is a Chaplin at a V.A. facility. Recently he wrote me in reply to a couple of questions I asked him. I am not going to give his name or the V.A. he works at for as I am concerned for him. He is a Vietnam veteran as well as being a preacher. I do not want to chance bring more "heat" on him than what he already has:

"My Friend and brother,

Peace and love."

Congress, while patting each other on the back for the recent emergency supplemental for the V.A., has nothing to cheer about. People knew this was going to be the result when an addition $2 billion for the V.A. was rejected soundly earlier in 2004 when the 2005 budget was being voted on. They knew and didn't give a damn. If those in Washington really cared, the V.A. budget would be a mandatory item.

S 1042, the Department of War budget for 2006 was passed by both parties in congress recently. But not before an amendment that would have made the V.A. budget mandatory was removed, and left it as it is now: a year to year discretionary budget item competing with active duty military healthcare and family housing. Take a look below, at what those that pontificate about "support the troops" prevented from being a part of S. 1042 - take a look at how much they care about veterans; about those they are turning into veterans who are just now coming back from Iraq, scared in body, mind and spirit.

Also keep in mind that those doing these things, themselves have never served this nation in uniform, with rare exception, let alone ever having seen war up close and personal - and that especially includes George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, "chickenhawks," one and all.

"Republicans block amendments to provide health care to veterans. Senate Republicans' efforts to stop debate on S. 1042 could mean that the following efforts to support our nation's veterans will not receive consideration (Senate Republicans Block Progress on Key National Security Priorities":

Ensuring that the VA can provide health care for new veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Secretary Nicholson testified that an underestimation of the number of wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan was one major reason for the VA funding shortfall. Indeed, the Department of Defense has reported only roughly 13,500 casualties in Iraq, while the Air Force Surgeon General reports that 55,000 service members have been evacuated from Iraq, and Secretary Nicholson testified that over 100,000 veterans of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan will be treated by the VA this year. The discrepancy in these numbers demonstrates a serious problem in the Defense Department's casualty reporting system which makes it impossible for policymakers to accurately predict the resources the VA needs to ensure that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will receive the care they need. In response, Senator Johnson has introduced an amendment to improve the Defense Department's casualty reporting system in order to ensure that policymakers receive the information they need to fully support the newest generation of veterans."

So, here we are at what it was I read that so ignited me today when I saw that man and his friends with all their nice neat little yellow ribbons on their chests. Keep in mind that the majority of the 72,000 disabled veterans that are under review are Vietnam veterans. Some of whom fought the V.A. for decades, now only to come under the "gun" again by this government; by this country.

Post Traumatic Stress: Sticker Shock over Shell Shock
The US government is reviewing 72,000 cases in which veterans have been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, claiming that misdiagnosis and fraud have inflated the numbers. Outraged vets say the plan is a callous attempt to cut the costs of an increasingly expensive war. (Sticker Shock over Shell Shock)

That "civilians" blindly follow under the Bush/Cheney banner, well, that's one thing, but for veterans, who are victims of a grossly under-funded V.A. to follow under that Bush/Cheney banner is inexcusable. For to do so is to side against fair and just treatment of your fellow veterans and those who are coming back from the war in Iraq Bush/Cheney sent them into.

We also know that many, an inordinate number, are coming back from Iraq with raging PTSD. But this government is looking at the dollar cost and is shaking as a result. So what do they do, eliminate those on the service connected rolls and make it almost impossible for anyone else - like those coming back from Iraq no longer knowing where they belong to "qualify" as service connected disabled for combat related PTSD. And at the same time, they send even more to Iraq.

So much for supporting the troops; so much for supporting the nation's veterans.

For more information on just what veterans in this nation are up against and fighting for see:

Vets for Justice

Veterans for Peace Chapter 72

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and writer/activist that lives in Portland, OR. He is widely published on the internet and may be emailed at: jack_dalton@comcast.net

But first I have a couple of things I want to say. Not the least of which is simply this: if you want someone of character; of high ethics and integrity; of high moral conscience and standards that you want as a role model you need look no further than Kevin Benderman. Kevin is all of that and more. To be called 'friend' by him is an honor.

When Kevin's unit was sent to Iraq the first time, Kevin saw the utter destruction caused by our invasion of Iraq. He saw how quick and easy it was for people to develop a complete disregard for human life in their struggle to just stay alive; he saw the slaughter of innocent people; he saw the total disregard and elevation of man's inhumanity to man; he heard orders to "shoot to kill" even children.

He saw, heard and began to understand that what Americans were being told about what was happening in Iraq were lies; whose only purpose were to keep public approval for this U.S. war of aggression up - deliberate deception. Kevin began to realize, as have so many others that have been to war, that war is not the answer. And a war based on deliberate deceptions and lies, as is this Bush/Cheney & Co., Inc war of choice in Iraq, is definitely not an answer to anything.

Kevin returned from Iraq knowing that war is wrong; "that it is the most dehumanizing creation of humanity that exists. He saw war destroy civilians, innocent men, women and children. He saw war destroy homes, relationships and a country. He saw this not only in the country that was invaded, but he saw this happening to the invading country as well, here in the U.S. - and he knew that the only way to save those soldiers was for people to no longer participate in war. Sgt. Kevin Benderman is a Conscientious Objector to war, and the Army is mad." The Army's response was to send Kevin to a military jail at Fort Lewis, Washington for the next 15 months.

Sending Kevin to Fort Lewis was the Army's last jab-in-the-back at Kevin and Monica. Fort Lewis is 3,000 miles away from where Kevin was stationed - Ft Stewart, GA - and where the home they are buying is located. Now, not only is Kevin in a military jail, but one 3,000 miles away from the home Monica is now living alone in.

"Is this what we have allowed this nation to become? Lives that are not our own, but the states to do with as it will when it will? That's not an all volunteer military, that's called forced indenture - once it was called slavery." (Monica Benderman)

See Kevin Benderman Defense Committee for further information and updates about Kevin and Monica Benderman and their fight for true justice.

After 8 months, the conscientious objector application Jonathan submitted according to all military law, rules and regulations, Jonathan's command has not even begun to process his application. It would seem that today's Army does not think its command structure has to follow its own laws, rules and regulations when it comes to those who stand as conscientious objectors. In fact just two weeks ago, Jonathan's new Commanding Officer told Jonathan, "you might as well start training as your C.O. application is never going to be approved."

The military is really slick, especially the Marine Corps (that's the branch of military I was in) in how they not only approach these kids in school, but in who they have approach them and their parents. The "how and who" in Jonathan's case really points out just how "slick" military recruiters are. Jonathan's parents immigrated to this country from Ecuador. Jonathan's mother does not speak English and his father speaks broken English. Jonathan is first generation born in this country.

When Jonathan's parents answered the knock at their front door, there in the doorway stood a tall, smartly dressed Marine in full dress uniform - a most impressive sight. There was no language barrier as the Marine recruiter that was sent to convince Jonathan's parents to give their permission for Jonathan to enlist in the Delayed Entry program also had immigrated to this country from Ecuador. Get the picture?

This fellow "countryman" the Marine Corps sent to hustle Jonathan and his parents did a really good job at it. After the recruiter made a lot of promises and guarantees that, to paraphrase, "I will be there to watch over him; those of us from Ecuador after all have to stick together." This recruiter then went on to tell Jonathan and his parents, "as an electrician, you will not be going into combat or even be training for combat." Jonathan and his parents signed the Delayed Entry papers behind these statements of this recruiter.

Jonathan and his parents had just been conned and hustled by one of the Marine Corps so-called "finest." At the same time this Marine Corps recruiter had just committed the Corps to a verbal contract in terms of what Jonathan would and would not be doing. And, yes, I know that verbal contracts don't hold water with the military. Hell, today, written contracts don't hold water in today's military from what I have been seeing. But Jonathan and his parents didn't know that. They believed what the recruiter told them, which under the circumstances is understandable.

Jonathan was now in the Marines Delayed Entry program. According to Jonathan, "I joined the Marines because of my recruiters good way of talking." But then Jonathan told me, "Before leaving for Boot Camp I got this feeling like I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I told my recruiter I didn't want to go no more, that I think it's not for me." Rather than take the chance of a bad fitness report that would prevent promotion, Jonathan's recruiter told him, "... I can't; it's too late." So off to Boot Camp went Jonathan.

When Jonathan arrived at Marine Boot Camp, things went from bad to worse for him. According to Jonathan, "... that's when it hit me, I've been lied to." Jonathan went on to say, "everything that was said to us recruits was 'kill' ... I remember plenty of times while getting disciplined, the drill instructor would be screaming we need to be ready and tougher; that we need to be able to kill a little kid ... coming at you and have no physical or mental feeling towards it and carry on." For crying out loud, Jonathan is still a "kid" himself! Kids with guns killing other kids with guns; and that is called "spreading freedom and democracy" by the megalomaniacs in Washington, D.C. - the people I refer to as Bush & Co and that my friend Dr Steven Jonas at "The Political Junkies" calls the "Georgites."

Jonathan's conscientious objection crystallized even more when the time came to train with the M16. Jonathan says it best: "The force and power that the weapon contained was incredible. I held in my hands what can determine a human beings fate as well as mine. The severity of killing became more apparent when we were trained to shoot at targets in the shape of human beings. Although it was not made of flesh and blood, it made me feel depressed. I actually talked to my drill instructor on several occasions telling him, I couldn't continue with further training. I didn't fully express my objection to war or killing due to being intimidated by what would happen if I did. None the less, he [drill instructor] told me to "suck it up" and that I can't [stop training] because I signed a piece of paper called a "contract.""

When Jonathan graduated from Boot Camp at Parris Island in Nov. 2004, he went home for leave. By the time he got home he was in a state of total depression and a lot of stress. It was while he was at home on leave that Jonathan filled out the military's forms to file as a conscientious objector. When his leave was over he reported to his next duty station at Camp Geiger, N.C. which is right next door to Camp Lejeune, where AWOL's and "suicides" are increasing in numbers. As soon as Jonathan got to Camp Geiger on Dec. 7. 2004, he filed his paperwork as a conscientious objector.

8 months later, Jonathan's application is still sitting on some Colonels desk. Two of the people at Camp Geiger that held up Trent Helmkamp's CO paperwork and gave him such a bad time were the same people that would be handling Jonathan's application, Maj. Laws and 1st Sgt Watkins - it you remember it was 1st Sgt Watkins that called Trent a "F...g faggot conscientious objector." No wonder Jonathan was so intimidated and did not fully express his objection to war - he was in the very same Separation Barracks as was Trent and Jonathan saw on a daily basis what the Marine Corps subjected Trent to after he made application as a C.O. 4 different young men in those barracks have attempted suicide in the past 4 or 5 months - something is seriously wrong at Camp Geiger and Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Over the months Jonathan has had three interviews and all three of those that interviewed Jonathan all have said the very same thing: "... all three have found me to be a conscientious objector within the military's regulations and meaning." However, Jonathan was told by Maj. Laws, "my investigating officer I appointed recommended you for a discharge but that doesn't mean that I have to." That was Jan. 2005. Since then Jonathan has heard nothing other than what his new commanding office told him two weeks ago, "you might as well start training as your application is never going to be approved."

Someone I have gotten to know over the past year, and who is an active duty high-ranking officer with 26 years of service under his belt, wrote to me just today and relayed a conversation he had with a British officer. The conversation was about "conscientious objectors" how they are handled in this country and how they are handled in Briton. It is more than worth looking at and then taking note of: "While In England a few weeks ago, I was talking to fellow RN officers I know about Trent, and they were dumbfounded when I told them Trent could not get out on the basis of his beliefs. They told me Royal Marines who objected to killing would be released and without stigma." Could our military "leaders" learn from that or what?

Here in this nation, as a direct result of the total top-down insanity unleashed by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rice, and the rest of that totalitarianistic mob of Mayberry Machiavellis', people who apply as a conscientious objectors are turned into "criminals" and I use that loosely as the only criminals are the ones in charge of this Twilight Zone episode.

"Is this what we have allowed this nation to become? Lives that are not our own, but the states to do with as it will when it will? That's not an all volunteer military, that's called forced indenture - once it was called slavery."

This nation set up the process by where those in uniform that refuse to participate in war as a matter of moral principle and conscience, may make application as a conscientious objector. The procedures and process are very well spelled out for the applicant and the military. The problem comes in due to the simple fact the military uses its own laws, rules and regulations to create a major obstacle and stumbling block for those that make application as a C.O. Let's hear it for the "rule of law" which does not seem to exist in today's politicized military.

At one time in this nation individuals had the right to choose how to live their own lives; what they would do; where they would work; what kind of work they would do; at least until now. If, when after starting a "job" the individual decided, nope, this is not for me, they could quit and move on from there. Now we are in a situation where a person that goes into the military full of John Wayne movies (what can I say, I'm old), highly trained military recruiters who know how to get inside a kids head and computer generated war games gets confronted with the reality of the military and its mission says, "nope, I cannot do this," and then is criminalized for not wanting to kill or even learn how to kill.

For decades we have been told that "serving in the military is the highest form of national duty and service." And for decades people have enlisted in great numbers to stand against all the so-called "enemies" our government has told us wanted our national downfall. In fact that was what motivated me to enlist in the Marine Corps behind the Cuban missile "crisis" in Oct of 1962 - gotta stop our "enemies."

Some of us, once we got to boot camp, understood that there were some people who just did not belong in uniform. Some were not physically able and no amount of training or "motivation platoons" would change that. Others were not mentally or emotionally fit for military service. That in no way is meant to impugn those not mentally or emotionally fit to be in the military - it's just a statement of fact. And young Jonathan Berriga definitely does not belong in the Marine Corps. So why won't those in command and control at Camp Geiger just do what the investigating officers recommended and discharge Jonathan?

The following from an active duty Naval Captain may have more than just a little to do with why not:

"... ill-equipped to make a determination with respect to an individual's desire for status as a Conscientious Objector. Military Officers are not trained to make these kinds of assessments. More importantly, line officers are compromised from the start and should not be placed in this position because a positive endorsement on their part is currently culturally unacceptable in the officer corps generally and could impugn the credibility and professionalism of the Investigating Officer specifically - especially in the Marine Corps where the "warrior ethos" is strongly espoused at commissioning and reinforced daily thereafter. Officers will deny this bias and publicly, firmly deny that they are to act as expected. Yet we cannot deny that competition for promotion is keen and an officer's decision to be supportive of a Conscientious Objector while on the cusp of further promotion is an extraordinarily difficult prospect just prior to his 20th year of service when vested in retirement. These are especially difficult decisions when many must ensure they will be retained at mid-career and have a retirement for the benefit of their family - generally, no blemish on an officer's service record is sustainable.

I am not suggesting that comments on an officer supporting an applicant for Conscientious Objector status would appear in detail on his annual Fitness Report, but his judgment might well be questioned and marks that are less than superior in any category will cause promotion board members to reject an officer when most competitive officers present perfect records. Grade inflation has been and remains a well documented problem within the services and has caused several "course corrections" to be made to governing instructions for officer fitness reports and enlisted evaluations. With a very limited number of promotion spots available, it is difficult to blame an officer for not wanting to "stand-out" from his peers for any reason other than superior performance in an "acceptable" realm - such as combat."

"Since most all records presented before promotion boards are those of superior performers, board members must hunt for any fault, weakness or some data-point that is "less-than-perfect" to distinguish between those eligible for promotion. Of course, as you know, not everyone can be promoted as officer corps manning is limited (by rank) by Congress so even small discrepancies in an officer's record can make the difference between being promoted or not. Some might consider the process cut-throat, or Darwinian or just simply unfair; but whatever you call it, it's the process we have, like it or not. Nevertheless, we can not blame the Investigating Officers for the environment they are subjected to, but we must understand the impact the system might have on an officer's decision process and eventually, his clear-minded willingness to render a recommendation for approval."

"Additionally, it would not surprise me if the officers would prefer that Conscientious Objector applicants simply go on Unauthorized Absence and eventually become Deserters rather than having to deal with the staff work associated with preparing and investigating the application for the desired status."

"Separations for reasons of misconduct are, after all, a "face-saving" alternative to admitting that our recruiting process does not properly disclose, in sufficient detail, the ugliness of combat to young enlistees. Perhaps instead of handing out decals, tee-shirts, and other do-dads to potential recruits, the services should provide some kind of realistic portrayal of the Services' combat performance expectations by MOS before the contract is signed. I simply do not believe proper, full-disclosure is provided our recruits. Certainly no "amnesty program" exists at Boot Camp to excuse recruits who begin to understand better what is expected of them personally after they are placed in training and then decide they can not live with some aspects of these requirements burdening their conscious for the rest of their lives. The value and right to a free conscious, after all, is what this is all about."

The contract Jonathan signed as far as I am concerned is null and void. Bush & Co along with the military voided that contract by this war of choice, this war of aggression, this war against the peace in Iraq. As such, Jonathan has all the right in the world to be let out of the Marine Corps.

"Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace" is exactly what this nation is being led into by a relatively small group of hard core neo-cons with an army of pundits, religious zealots, corporate greed merchants and "Mayberry Machiavelli's" comprised of: the Project for a New American Century; the Carlyle Group; the Heritage Foundation; the American Enterprise Institute; the Club for Growth; and the Federalist Society. All of whom are at the head of the BushCo parade attempting to redefine this nation.

This is by no means all that comprise the menagerie of megalomaniacs pulling the strings of "government." But these "groups" are pretty much at the top of the heap of those that "help" formulate what the foreign and domestic policies emanating from the Bush administration and Congress will be. And have led this nation to where it is now today and it is due to the Bush & Co policies that have put Jonathan in the position he is in; it is those same policies that has caused the imprisonment of Kevin Benderman for doing nothing more that declaring himself a conscientious objector.

Butler Shaffer sums things up rather nicely in his essay, The Exploitation of Soldiers:

"Politically-structured societies wallow in lies and, in so doing, tear apart the fabric of decent social behavior. War, by its very nature, is sociopathic, as are those who plan for and execute the systematic slaughter of millions of persons. The idea of a "just" or "moral" war is so palpably absurd as to make even its suggestion a basis for questioning the sanity of its advocates. War makes "heroic" and "honorable" that which, if done privately, would render one a despicable criminal. We rightly condemn the serial killer who murders ten or twelve victims, while rewarding those who plot the political murders of hundreds of thousands with high political office or the Nobel Peace Prize!

It has been encouraging to observe, in recent months, the emergence of an apparent awareness among many American soldiers of the insanity of the war system, particularly as it has been playing out in Iraq. Soldiers have refused to obey orders that would send them on life-threatening missions; others have spoken out about the lack of adequate armor and protective equipment; still others have questioned the national purpose and/or morality of their participation in the killing of innocent people, particularly children. A number of soldiers have brought a lawsuit challenging the continuation of their service beyond the original commitment. Not surprising, National Guard officials announced that enlistments have fallen well below anticipated levels."

Thru all of this I am absolutely certain of this: recruiters have absolutely no business hustling kids to join the military while they are in school. And the situation Jonathan is now faced with clearly points that out. On top of that, the "war" these kids are being trained to go fight is by all standards of international law, illegal on face value!

So why do we sit back and continue to allow young men like Jonathan, Trent among many others to be brutalized in the manner they are; why do we continue to sit by as men like Kevin Benderman are sent to prison only because they believe in the immorality of war and especially one like this in Iraq which was initiated on nothing but lies, manipulation and disinformation; and one that has absolutely nothing to do with defending or protecting this nation. If anything this Bush & Co war of choice has made this nation one great big target. Let those that started this mess as well as those that support it send their kids to go fight it and leave everyone else the hell alone! Especially the nation's young people in school.

Free Kevin Benderman - Free Jonathan Barriga!

Additional reading:
As Recruiting Suffers, Military Reigns in Abuses at Boot Camp

Military Recruiters Teaching High School Classes

Center on Conscience and War

Military Families Speak Out

Gold Star Families For Peace

Killology

Traprock Peace Center

Leave My Child Alone

Child Victims of War

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran an anti-war independent writer that lives in Portland, Or. His blog is Jack's Straight-Speak and his email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net

Kevin Benderman is a man of the highest ethics, integrity and sense of honor; and one that I have had the good fortune to have met. We have had many, many conversations over the past year and I always come away from those conversations with increased admiration and respect for Kevin and his wife Monica. Kevin has raised the "bar" and has set an example that we would all do good to follow. It was Kevin's willingness to go public with his decision not to re-deploy to Iraq that has got in the position he is in currently. It was after all his going public that got the Army's shorts tied in a knot. It does not like or appreciate media or public attention and anything or anyone that puts a spotlight on the Army will, as has Kevin, suffer its full wrath.

But Kevin has not been intimidated by the Army - honorable men of ethics and integrity are not easily intimidated - but has stood tall with honor against the beast this nation's military has been turned into thanks to the "perpetual war for perpetual peace" insanity of Bush & Co.

Here is the email response I sent to Kevin and Monica today behind the one I received from them, also today:

No Monica, it is not for me...it is for your children; it is for all the children you do not know but who will be affected by all of the efforts of you and Kevin. It is for the wives and children of those in the same position as you and Kevin; that's what you are fighting for and that is also what I fight for.

It is up to people like us to fight for those who for one reason or another cannot fight for themselves. And it is that which you and Kevin have fought so well for.

You are an amazing woman, Monica and one with a good heart as well as mind. You, like Kevin, have looked the "beast" dead in the eye and have fought it on its own terms. Regardless of how this turns out, you have raised the bar of open active resistance for others to see and follow--you have set the example for others to follow and nothing and no one can ever take that away from you.

I can only hope at this point in time that others in this country will recognize the extremely important example you have set for the rest of us. A living example of ethics, integrity, honor and a refusal to compromise any of that for any reason--That is something to be emulated by all.

My prayers are with you both and do so hope that the court tomorrow will see and understand that the right thing to do with Kevin is just to give him a discharge and send him home. Anyone who has served this nation with honor, as has Kevin over the past 11 years, does not deserve to be treated in the manner in which he is being treated. It is the Army that has committed an act of dishonor after all by even wanting to put him on trial.

Read this email sent to me by Kevin. Kevin sums "things" up rather nicely:

Jack: We are going to "slay the dragon" that is threatening our very existence as a country and we are going to do this together as a team. I could not do what you have helped me do if you had not been there to get this message out to others.

You have been fighting the beast far longer than I have and I am now trying to get up to speed on what I should have been doing all along.

Jack, I have never felt that your generation has gotten a fair shake from the powers that put you into that hellhole called southeast Asia but I never actively tried to force them to put things right, well all that is changing for me now and I will use my energy to try and set things right for you and everyone that has gotten the shitty end of the stick from these assholes. And I hope my efforts will prevent another generation from receiving the same treatment from the assholes that hide behind people like us. In peace, Kevin

Kevin Benderman truly is a man of courage and honor.--Jack

Kevin Benderman On Trial by John Catalinotto

Recently congress established a "national ID"; created a "secret police" comprised of FBI, CIA and the military; the courts said Bush could declare anyone he wants an "enemy combatant" and hold them forever; and now all of that is being unleashed against the citizens of this nation. Sinclare Lewis was wrong in the title of his book, "It Can't Happen Here" because it has happened here.

Also see: Morphing the Gestapo by Doris Colmes. Pay heed to her warnings!

Welcome to the New World Order and the death of any semblance of democracy thanks to the Theocratic / Fascist / Oligarchy ideologues running this Twilight Zone episode - Bush & Co. This is but one more of the mounting reasons for all of us that are able to be in Washington, D.C. this Sept 24-26 for the mass rally to be held there.--Jack
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Welcome to Tom's place - for those who seek Peace and Justice - By "Tom Joad"

Spc. Dale Bertell, U.S. Army and his wife, Amy Bertell:

This is a first that I know of, a spouse has been charged in the case of a military resister. A felony charge has been filed against the wife of a man who fled the military rather than go to Iraq where he had done a previous tour of duty. Amy was charged with "enticing, abetting a deserter." Given the moral bankruptcy of this war, I believe this is a badge of honor. Though I have not seen the indictment, it sounds like Amy Bertell was charged under this Federal Law. If so, Amy, mother of four children, (the military, in its compassion, has not charged any of the children) is faced with a maximum term of three years.

Free the Dale and Amy Bertell!

July 22 Update: According to Amy's attorney Bill Durland, the military wrongfully charged a civilian wife of a AWOL soldier with the crime of "enticing, abetting a deserter" (see link). This may be the first time the statute has been used, and it was not done properly (military police issued the warrant without a U.S. Attorney's approval, but as you can see below, Ft Carson plays fast and loose with the law). There is a hearing for Amy on August 17th.

Read the following ...Story from the Colorado Springs Gazette ...

Ft. Carson GI convicted of dodging duty By DENNIS HUSPENI

A Fort Carson soldier has been convicted of intent to avoid hazardous duty - what amounts to desertion - and is serving time in a military prison after trying to declare himself a conscientious objector.

Army officials also have filed a felony charge against his wife, alleging she was "enticing, abetting a deserter," her attorney said.

Spc. Dale Bartell, assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, didn't always oppose war. He enlisted almost three years ago and served a tour in Iraq.

But Bartell and his wife, Amy Bartell, joined a Mennonite church, and their philosophies changed, she said Wednesday outside a U.S. District courtroom in Colorado Springs where she was scheduled for a hearing.

"He's changed since joining. If he knew the teachings then that we know now, he never would have joined," Amy Bartell said. "He knew there was going to be consequences for his stance."

"I didn't know I'd get into trouble for being a housewife."

As his unit was preparing to go back to Iraq, Bartell's commanding officers would not help him - and even hindered him - in filing the paperwork to become a conscientious objector, said Amy Bartell's attorney, Bill Durland.

"He knew that once they got him over there, they would have their way," Amy Bartell said, noting officers offered to let him use "non-lethal" ammunition in Iraq. "He would have to ignore his religious convictions. What choice did he have? He went AWOL."

Soldiers have filed about 150 conscientious-objector applications since 2002; the Los Angeles Times reported [Story link] recently using Pentagon figures [The actual number is probably much higher. Soldiers fill these long forms out and then it sits on his/her commanding officers desk for months at a time. --Tom]. About 71 of those applications were approved. During the Vietnam War - where many soldiers were drafted - there were some 17,000 applications from active-duty soldiers, according to the Times report.

Bartell, who has been transferred to a military prison in Fort Sill, Okla., was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

The first time Bartell went absent without leave was from March 7 through April 8, according to Durland. During that time, Bartell never left Fort Carson, where the couple lived on base with their four children, ages 1 to 11. Amy Bartell received a letter saying all pay and benefits were being cut off.

The second time Bartell went AWOL was on the day he thought his unit was to ship out, April 17. He met with a military defense attorney May 12 and turned himself in.

By that time, the couple had moved to the Canon City area to be near their church, the Skyline Mennonite Church. Military police showed up in early May and served Amy Bartell with the felony charge of "enticing, abetting a deserter," Durland said.

That charge could result in punishment of up to three years in prison, Durland said.

Prosecutors charged Spc. Bartell with "intent to avoid hazardous duty," which is basically the same as desertion, Durland said. On advice from his military attorney, Bartell pleaded guilty to the charge in hopes his conscientious objector position could mitigate a harsh prison sentence.

"He pleaded guilty because he accepted responsibility for what he had done," Bartell said. "It was his only option. He was not going to say 'no' to God."

Bartell's military attorney told a Fort Carson public affairs officer Wednesday she would have to get permission from her client before answering any questions.

The spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver declined comment on the case Wednesday.

On July 12, Spc. Bartell was sentenced to four months in prison, after which he will be dishonorably discharged.

Rev. Loren Miller, of Skyline Mennonite, said the church is for pacifist Christians. Church officials and volunteers have helped the Bartells, and were at the hearing Wednesday - which was postponed until Aug. 17.

"We are harmless, peace-loving people," Miller said, noting Mennonites take the Scriptures literally.

Amy Bartell is worried about the felony charge she faces. And she's worried about her husband.

"He's going through a lot," she said. "It does affect him. He's sitting in prison knowing I'm getting into trouble for what we believe."

Ft. Carson Bans the Denver Post
The same military base that attacks the wife of a soldier whose religious beliefs forbid him from participating in combat was in the news last December, when it temporarily banned the Denver Post from covering its activities, after it printed an article it did not like. Cutting ties to the outside world is the modus operandi of religious cults and/or dictatorships. Read two stories below.
U.S. War Heroes of the Iraq War - War Resisters from within the Military

How people, at this point in time with all the empirical evidence we have, which is backed up and supported by the Downing Street Memo, along with the new revelations and additional reports from Britain proving that this nation was LIED into invading Iraq, is now beyond me; unless of course they are ideologues that really believe in American "exceptionalism." That anyone can still support Bush, Cheney and the Republican Bush&Co loyalists that are out to, as they have said themselves, "restructure the entire federal government" is beyond me.

That anyone in this nation can still claim that Bush&Co is/are telling the truth and everyone else is lying; that everyone outside the Bush&Co and it legions of cheerleader squads is just anti-American, disloyal, and unpatriotic or a traitor is something I find absolutely ludicrous! That there are active supporters of those that lied this nation into war, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, only shows how far this nation has been pulled away from being the nation it was founded to be.

Side Note: Personally, I think the word/term "patriot/patriotism" should be stricken from the American lexicon. I have yet to talk to anyone on the right who uses the term that is not actually articulating the definition of "nationalism." And non-stop attempts at defining or re-defining the term by Bush opposition voices is time lost focusing on what is being done to this country, us and the rest of the world.

Quite frankly, since Bush has occupied the seat of power, our so-called government has become the biggest criminal enterprise in history; simply put, the criminalization of the state has taken place in this nation. That is what we have as national leaders; liars, thieves, fools, fanatics, and Iran/Contra criminals; and John Negroponte the head of America's newly created "secret police" is at the top of the list. Spies, spies everywhere and all their eyes are on us here - and all under the direction and control of John Negroponte. This nation, under Bush & Co, truly has become the monster it has always professed to be fighting.

In Federalist paper #47, "The Particular Structure of the New Government and the Distribution of Power Among Its Different Parts," James Madison stated, "The accumulation of all powers, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether heredity, self appointment, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

What we are facing today, the Bush&Co takeover of our government/country, is nothing new and is essentially the same "fight" we have been faced with since this nation was founded is beyond question, at least for me it is. In 1777 John Jay stated, "The people that own the country ought to rule the country" is exactly what Bush&Co articulates today.

What is new is how openly every federal program, agency and department has become totally controlled by BushCo ideologues and adherents of the "New World Order" as well as the enormous absolute wealth they control. Also new is the three-way death grip the Bush cabal has on all branches of our government, which will increase as Bush fills and stacks the Supreme Court with more pro-corporate, theocracy oriented political ideologues.

John Jay's call for rule by America's property owners, supported by Alexander Hamilton, was opposed by James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington among others, started a 'fight' between those that wanted some type of 'corporate rule' and those who held the interests of people as well as the 'commons' to be paramount, has continued to this day. The fight goes on, as a direct result of the "policies and laws" being heaped upon us by Bush&Co, Inc., and at a level that Madison, Jefferson, Washington could not have envisioned.

G.W. Bush may occupy the "seat of power" right now, but he is not the architect nor is he the actual "head" of this "radical revolutionary movement" of "Straussian" pro-corporate, theocratic ideologues within the Republican Party--who are determined to forever change what this country is, does and represents. Bush is the "poster child" for that "movement." He is the "puppet" who has been allowed to pick his "puppeteers." To a large degree it is what Strauss taught that is the ideology driving Bush & Co.

"Strauss believed that the role of religion was indispensable to the political success of a nation. For a political society had to hold together and act as a unit in lock step with the leader. Strauss believed that religion was the means to inculcate the desired ideas into the minds of the masses. He didn't care what religion - just as long as it was a religion that could link itself to the political order." Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, Don Rumsfeld and Michael Ledeen did their doctoral studies under the tutelage of Leo Strauss at Chicago and it is they who brought Straussian ideology to government and have wrapped their "policies" around that ideology. It goes without saying Bush believes this.

Those four are not the only members of the "inner circle" around and guiding Bush that studied under or that subscribe to what Strauss said and taught. The ideology of Strauss via Rumsfeld, Ledeen, Wolfowitz et al, is a perfect "fit" for Bush and is the driving force behind the new Bush & Co American "exceptionalism" as articulated by them. In fact this has now been elevated to a level where they believe not only are they above any laws, but are a law unto themselves. Alberto Gonzales said so ... guess that makes it true?

This, however, is not meant to down play the role Bush plays in all of this, as he is very savvy politically. In fact he is the consummate politico, which to me equates to a sociopath. He is a man that views everything in black and white terms; who views compromise as weakness and personalizes opposition voices much in the same manner that the old Mafia "Don's" did - and Bush responds with the same manner of intimidation, coercion and extortion; he is a man that appears to me to be totally self-absorbed, cold and calculating. He's in love with the power he throws around the way I see it. Unrestrained power is the drug of choice for Bush.

"It"--the moneyed powers who choose the people who will be offered to us to "vote" for--allows Bush to have his way, and supports as well as rabidly defends him. This "It" will continue to do as-long-as he adheres to the movement's basic precepts, which simply stated are "profits over people; guns over butter." Social/political/economic Darwinism at its worst! Welcome to the "New World Order," a term first articulate by papa Bush in 1991; Sept 11, 1991 to be exact. If this is "democracy" please give me something else!

"The essence of oligarchcal rule is not father-to-son inheritance, but the persistence of a certain world-view and a certain way of life ... A ruling group is a ruling group so long as it can nominate its successors... Who wields power is not important, provided that the hierarchical structure remains always the same." (George Orwell, 1984)

When we combine the warnings of Madison and his definition of "tyranny" in Federalist Paper #47 with Orwell's definition of Oligarchcal rule, you end up with two things: George W Bush on the seat of power and the "radical revolutionary movement" of the Republican Party, which is comprised of and led by those that were once know as the "crazies" throughout Washington D.C.. The "crazies" were the originators and founders of the PNAC - Project for the New American Century. And it was these people that had been calling for an American invasion of the mid-east, specifically Iraq, for a decade and a half! More specifically, Paul Wolfowitz! And they are all essentially Straussian ideologues.

Ever since the Republican Party gained control of the Senate and the House of Representatives in the early 1990's, they have made no attempt to hide what they want. In fact, essentially the very same faces have kept popping up around the "One Party Rule - New World Order" for the past 35+ years; Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, Perle, Ledeen (Ledeen is the "advisor" to Karl Rove, the Bush hatchet man), just to mention a few of the "good old boys" who make up this club of megalomaniacs and "Mayberry Machiavelli's" (another term I use interchangeably for the "radical revolutionary movement") currently driving this nation over a cliff. (Additional Must Read info on and about Ledeen)

These are the people who in the mid 1990’s gave the world the WTO - World Trade Organization (which Bill Clinton fully endorsed). While the members of Bush&Co pontificate about judges who use international laws in their decisions and complain that U.S. law should not be based on other nation's laws, they have subjected us to the "laws" of the WTO which supercede our federal, state and local laws! And which is used to create more "client" states for U.S. multinationals.

Newt Gingrich, in 1994 articulated his "Contract for America" which included the "policy" of "Starve the Beast" which was the partial brain-child of Grover Norquist while driving the WTO thru congress - not old news as Gingrich is back and Norquist never went away; Tom DeLay articulating his plan to "de-fund the federal government" while joining the congressional choir of Bush&Co neo-con/neo-liberals calling for a GOP "restructuring of the entire federal government." Tom DeLay in November 2004 stated, "we gained 4 more seats in the Senate, a bigger majority in the House, Bush is back in the White House; we will now be about securing permanent Republican rule." No mistaking his meaning here. Sounds "Straussian" to me.

Over the past thirty plus years these people have been dismantling our Constitution one piece at a time, at least until now under Bush - now they are out change the Constitution, government organization and infrastructure in it's entirety; which they, Bush&Co, are determined to re-write and re-create in their own image. And it is this right here that is at stake over the Supreme Court—this is a battle over what this country will be, a nation that is free with free citizens; or like what Bush & Co want to impose, a "Theocratic Oligarchy." At least that's what I call it - Fascism is another good term that applies.

All one need do is just a cursory look at the "laws" that have been passed in Washington since 9/11. Everyone one of them has in effect, been directed for the most part at us in this country. From the so-called "Patriot Act," "arguably the most un-patriot act since the short lived Alien and Sedition Act of 1798;" to the "Real ID Act - Papers Please;" to the "Sunset Commission;" there is a seemingly endless list of "laws" that have been put into operation that in actual application, irrespective of the stated purposes, are designed to silence dissent and Bush opposition voices. They are there more to control us than for any other purpose. I wonder how much larger the prison population is going to get in this country before this is all over?

What is Bush & Co after? Basically, they want power centralized. They would like to see the concept of the separation of powers as manifested in the current Constitution eliminated and they are out to do just that. And once Bush & Co take over the Supreme Court, as they have stated they are out to do, they will then have the full weight of the "law" to re-write what this nation will be. The "Rule of Law" will then become a toy in the hands of Bush to do with as he will - that is a truly scary picture is it not? Everything is in place currently to literally impose autocratic rule over us. The takeover of the Supreme Court by Bush appointed ideologues will guarantee it.

Question: "When criminals choose those who will make the laws, are we obligated to obey those 'laws?'"

During the 2000 "election" and I use that term loosely, Bush, while awaiting his Supreme Court appointment, stated: "This would be much easier if this were a dictatorship; as long as I was the dictator." Ever since, we have been faced with the Bush "ends justify the means" which also is an outcropping of Strauss--"Machiavelli…has not lost his democratic faith. His call for a brief period of iron rule is a choice of the lesser of two evils: if the corruption continued, a real tyranny would be just a matter of time (making it even harder to restore free institutions); whereas freedom can be preserved if a good man can be found to put the state back in order. Just as it is sometimes necessary temporarily to resort to evil actions to achieve worthy objectives, so a period of dictatorship is sometimes the only hope for freedom." (Michael Ledeen)

For those that still not only support Bush but also are cheering him on, I pray you awake from your dreamlike sleep - and real soon. You will not be safe from what the Bush & Co cabal is out to impose upon us all, as they view you in the same context as the rest of us - we are all part of the Bush cabals great "unwashed, uneducated masses" to be conned, hustled and manipulated to serve the wishes of those who view themselves as our "masters."

Some years back Henry Kissinger while he was this nation's so-called "National Security Advisor" stated that, "... people in the military are dumb animals to be used for our purposes..." Now today, as far as the Bush cabal is concerned, we are all "dumb animals to be used for their purposes."

I will end this here with this letter Eve Ensler, who was a member of the Third World Tribunal on Iraq. We should all pay very close attention to what Eve writes:

Dear America,
I am longing to reach you - crossing this river of indifference and consumption and denial. I am trying to find you, reaching out through the desperate limitations of words and descriptions, swimming through the rhetoric of terror and God. I need you to wake up. The house is on fire and you are still sleeping, lulled by the intoxication of smoke and mirrors. I need you to wake up and I know that shaking you, scaring you will only make you cling to your sleep and sleep more. (here is the link to the full letter)

"There is a trend toward autocratic takeovers of imperial republics ... especially after they reach a certain stage of growth. Even now this process is underway in the U.S.A. - the President, like the first Roman emperors, decides when and where to wage war, and his Senate rubber stamps and extorts the funding for his imperial adventures, just as the original came to do in the time of Caesar and Octavian." (Chalmers Johnson; "The Sorrow of Empire;" Metropolitan Books).

Totalitarianism: "... imposing a form of government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life, the individual is subordinated to the state, and opposing political and cultural expression is suppressed [emphasis added]." -- The American Heritage Dictionary

(To Be Continued in Fools and Fanatics - Pt. 4)

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and independent writer. He writes for many web publications, POAC, The Political Junkies, Uncommon Thought Journal as well as many others. Jack's "Straight-Speak' is the name of his blog. Jacks email address is, jack_dalton@comcast.net,/a>

Since the megalomaniacal "Mayberry Machiavellis" in the White House and Congress kicked off their little "war of aggression" in Iraq, the V.A. has been overwhelmed with new veterans back from Iraq with myriad physical, mental and emotional problems - over 103,000 so far. However, the BushCo cabal has not seen fit to even remotely come close to the proper funding of the V.A., and the veterans from this latest war of deception in Iraq are now joining with the rest of us from wars gone by in the fight for veterans' fair and just treatment. Or should I just say treatment - as that is what is lacking across the board.

"With nearly 240,000 employees, the VA is larger than all other federal departments except the Pentagon. But even before the "war on terrorism" began, it had to scramble in dealing with the needs of 7.5 million enrolled vets, including a large number of homeless - 33 percent of homeless men in the US are veterans."

To make matters worse, if that's possible, the BushCo appointment of the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Jim Nicholson, as the head of the V.A. pretty much sealed the fate of veterans needing health care at the V.A. Nicholson is nothing more than a BushCo ideologue who is promoting the ideological position of BushCo. In fact Nicholson stated, when he appeared in front of congress that, "health care for our veterans is not being affected by the V.A. shortfall." How to lie with a straight face - that is what he did, lie with a straight face.

Nicholson knew in April of this year that the V.A. had run out of budgeted money yet he wrote Kay Hutchinson in congress telling her and the Veterans Committee that the V.A. was fine and did not need any supplemental money. To hell with fact and truth - follow the ideology; Which today is calling payments to veterans a "threat to our national security" as stated by David Chu at the Pentagon - so much for supporting the troops; so much for supporting anything but the current ideology of "profits over people" and "perpetual war for perpetual peace."

"Funding for programs like veterans' education and job training, health care, pensions, VA housing and the like are "hurtful" to national security, Pentagon official David Chu said. Chu was defending a new round of cuts during a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal."

VA funding was shifted from the subcommittee that includes housing and NASA programs to the subcommittee on military quality of life and VA related agencies, which forces the VA to compete for limited funds with such programs as Defense Department health care, military cemeteries and military construction.

BushCo administration policies and votes in the House and Senate suggest that the GOP (and the Democratic Party) does not view the care of veterans as "a continuing cost of war." Both parties have over the years been "asleep at the wheel" when it comes to properly funding the V.A. so that veterans that come back from the messes they are sent into.

For the next few weeks the House and the Senate, will fight over whether to give emergency funding of the V.A. of $975 million as says the House, or $1.5 billion as says the Senate. When the truth of the matter is that the V.A. needs right at $3.2 billion to do what it is set up to do - care for this nations veterans. The House and the Senate will put on a show of care and concern; they will go home over the congressional recess and tell everyone how much they care and what they are doing to resolve the V.A. shortfall. In the end, the V.A. will still lack the funding it needs to properly take care of the veterans of this nation who continue to pay the "cost of war" for the rest of their lives.

There will be many parades and many speeches about the sacrifices of veterans and how the nation must honor veterans; Special days so people can feel good, and for the veteran, the day after the parades and speeches, nothing changes.

Year by year more veterans seek help for mind and body at Veterans Administration Health Care facilities only to be turned away in increasing numbers - V.A. has no money, no room at the Inn.

But, every year on "Veterans Day" on "Memorial Day" on the "4th of July--Independence Day," there are parades and speeches extolling the sacrifices of those that went to war - and the day after the speeches, for the veteran, nothing changes. Bodies are still broken; minds are still tormented and haunted by nameless faces in the night.

A young man returns form Iraq missing both legs. After discharge from the Army he ends up having to live in his car - where is the "honor our veterans" for this young man?

Stu, 25 year old Marine is in an auto accident within 24 hours of his discharge but has to go to a civilian hospital for treatment and surgery. Why? The V.A. told his family he did not qualify for V.A. care.

Josh, another 25 year old Marine goes nuts while still in Iraq. Instead of the Marine Corps trying to treat his multi-symptomatic PTSD they put him in jail for 5 years.

How does any of this show honor to those that have given their all? It would be easy to dismiss these three as imaginary people, but they are real and their stories are real. The worst of it is the simple fact these three are not atypical.

One generation of veterans after another have been asking this nation to live up to the agreement, the promise, it made to veterans; simply to provide the mental and physical healthcare in an timely manner by qualified medical personnel. To provide disability compensation for those that are unable to work due to their disability; And to stop pitting one group of veterans against another in a fight for decreasing funds in the V.A.

If this nation really cared about "honoring" those that have borne the cost of battle it would make the V.A. budget a mandatory budget line item instead of what we have today. Today not only is the amount of money for the V.A. up for grabs from year to year and voted on, but if there will even be a budget for the V.A.

Where is the "honor for those that given their all?" Keep the parades; keep all the fine speeches. If this nation was really serious about honoring this nations veterans it would provide decent, qualified and timely healthcare for veterans and no veteran would ever be told there is no room at the Inn or that did "do not qualify."

In short, properly fund the V.A. and that would be a first step at living up to the promises made to those, by this country, that would experience the inhumanity and brutality that is war.

According to Veterans for Justice: "As the cost of the Iraq War blunder continues, costing America's Tax Payers billions, and billions, of dollars every couple of months to set up a puppet government in Iraq, our own government is in danger of following in the path of the Soviet Union and falling due to the massive debt, and out of control spending by the Bush Administration ....Unpatriotic President Bush, and the extremely unpatriotic Republican Party has schemed and set up a Veterans Disability Benefits Commission with the goal of finding ways to get our disability checks.

One of their schemes is to take claims already decided and review them. This means that some poor Veteran that already fought 30 years for his disability may have it arbitrarily taken and have to start fighting all over again. Keep in mind that even though it is President Bush, and the Republican Party mainly behind this present scheme AGAINST America's Veterans that the Democrats have not been much better when they had power."

This lack of across the board care and concern past just lip service from congress over the health care needs of this nation's veterans has got to end! The cost of war does not end for those who went to war when they come "home," it goes on and on and on and on.

Take Action VA Budget Shortfall, Please Contact Your Senators Today!
It is from the DAV
Click here

Sources, references and additional information:
Snapshot of How VA Budget Shortfall is Hurting Veterans' Access to Safe and Timely Care across the Nation (Col Dan's web site)

Funding for programs like veterans' education and job training, health care, pensions, VA housing and the like are "hurtful" to national security, Pentagon official David Chu said. Chu was defending a new round of cuts during a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal.

VA Confirms 103,000 Iraq and Afghan Veterans Seek Healthcare: Senate Plans $1.5 Billion Spending Boost for Veterans

With nearly 240,000 employees, the VA is larger than all other federal departments except the Pentagon. But even before the "war on terrorism" began, it had to scramble in dealing with the needs of 7.5 million enrolled vets, including a large number of homeless - 33 percent of homeless men in the US are veterans. Christian Science Monitor

The war against veterans

PRESIDENT Bush gives plenty of lip service to men and women in uniform. Now it's time for the President to put his money where his mouth is and fully fund veterans' benefits.

An official of the Department of Veterans Affairs admitted last week that it is short $1 billion for the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, but giving short shrift to those who have served their country is nothing new for this administration. Toledo Blade

Vietnam War Resisters in Canada Open Arms to U.S. Military Deserters

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration agreed Wednesday to ask Congress for more money to meet veterans' health care expenses after disclosing last week a politically embarrassing $1 billion shortfall in the program.

Veterans Continue to be Left Behind

Collateral Risk: DU research gap could impact Vermont troops

Of all the issues we in this country are faced with today the illegal invasion/occupation of Iraq is at the top of the "important list." Within BushCo's war policies one thing in particular has got to be not only looked at, but we must act, and the sooner rather than later as a lot of lives are at stake due to the use by the U.S. of Depleted Uranium. Jack's Straight-Speak

It was approximately three years ago the GAO (General Accounting Office) attempted to do what congress requested: an audit of the DoD/Pentagon. After a solid year, the GAO had to report back to congress that they could not complete the audit as there was no supporting documentation to account for what had happened to a little over $1.4 Trillion, yes Trillion with a capital "T" that was MISSING! Jack's Straight-Speak

Vietnam vets still living with the pain

As the nation honors its veterans Thursday, some advocates say too many are falling through the cracks. from the November 10, 2004 edition of Christian Science Monitor

A Soldiers fight to overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Army.....

"Depleted Uranium Casualties: Care Denied"
Dr. Doug Rokke, Ph.D.
Major (retired) United States Army Reserve
Former Director U.S. Army Depleted Uranium Project

April 1, 2004

I received the following letter from Bobby who is one of the founders of "American's for Shared Sacrifice" late yesterday. Bobby, who is retired military and both a Vietnam vet and Gulf War 1 vet. He also has a son doing his second tour in Iraq. The next time anyone tries to tell you how high troop morale is or how well things are going in Iraq, just show them this young man's letter. What is so heartbreaking is this is not just a singular young man's opinion - I've received so many letters like this I have lost count. We must "Bring Them Home Now!" -- Jack (Open Letter to America

Mark Benjamin, Salon.com
Posted 2005-05-26 07:03:00.0
More than 85,000 U.S. soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan have sought medical care from the Department of Veterans Affairs after getting back, that department told Congress Thursday. That is an increase of 52,000 GIs since last summer -- last July the VA said 35,000 vets from Iraq and Afghanistan had sought medical treatment from the department.

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and writer that lives in Portland, Or. He has a blog, Jack's Straight-Speak and is a columnist for the Project for the Old American Century as well as many other web publications.

The PNAC - Project for a New American Century - in its essay, "Rebuilding America's Defenses" stated how the U.S. must eliminate all competition/competitors to the U.S.; that is to include all social, economic and political competition as well as in business. This is to include air, ground, sea and outer space competition.

The Carlyle Group is a "group" of investors. They make their money by investing in other companies, to the extent that Carlyle gains controlling interest thru their "investment" in many of those companies. The majority of the upper tier at Carlyle are also members of the PNAC. They are the same people that signed on to "Rebuilding America's Defenses" which articulated the absolute need for this country to squash any and all "competitors" in anything and everything, real or perceived, to the U.S., external and internal.

CitiGroup is the largest investment bank on the planet. The Carlyle Group owns controlling shares in CitiGroup/CitiBank. So now we have the PNAC whose members are also partners in the Carlyle Group which is heavily invested in the CitiGroup.

Last year in 2004, CitiGroup bought controlling interest in China's 2nd largest "development" bank (investment bank). A side note: CitiBank a few years ago also bought 49% interest in Banamex a large bank in Mexico. Banamex was on the international list of banks laundering massive amounts of drug money - something to the tune of $500 billion a year - it does get interesting does it not? Narco-News ended up in a two year court battle with Banamex/CitiBank when Al broke the story about this. Al did win the case and CitiBank could not do what they wanted to do, shut Al and Narco-News down. I wonder how much of the billions in drug money coming out of Afghanistan CitiBank is handling today. But, back to where I was at before I digress too much.

In Oct/Nov of 2000, this nation attempted to negotiate with the Taliban in Afghanistan on behalf of UNOCAL, for an oil pipeline thru northern Afghanistan. That did not happen so the State Department told the Taliban to "accept our carpet of Gold, or you will receive a carpet of bombs." We all know what happened next - BOOM! Now UNOCAL has its oil pipeline with 4 U.S. military bases to protect it at taxpayer expense.

Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, Michael Leeden, John Bolton, Richard Pearle among many others in government today, were and are all members of the PNAC. In fact they are founding members along with Bill Krystal of the Weekly Standard and Charles Krauthammer of the American Enterprise Institute. They are also the ones who came up and were behind the "Iraq Liberation Act" in 1998. They are also at the heart of the BushCo war cabinet.

Of late, a lot of fingers in Washington have been pointed at the growing "threat" to us posed by China. China is the biggest competitor this nation has for the worlds dwindling oil reserves and soon China will need even more oil to sustain its economy than what we demand.

If you want to eliminate a competitor such as a nation, pull them into the WTO--as we know that thru the WTO a nation's laws can be circumvented--then take over one of its banks, which gives the access to the internal economy, and using WTO rules along with the power of the bank, "restructure the economy" so that no matter what happens the investors will still make money. The ultimate in playing both ends against the middle, don't you think? And that is what is taking place right now.

China's banks and oil company has made an $18.5 billion bid for UNOCAL. CitiGroup owns controlling interest in one of the banks involved in this "deal" and Carlyle Group owns controlling interest in CitiGroup and the members of the PNAC are part and parcel a part of both CitiGroup and the Carlyle Group. And these are the very same people that have led this nation, under the banner of G.W. Bush, into a "war of aggression" and a "war against the peace."

These are the very same people that have outsourced American jobs to cheap labor markets so the U.S. multinationals bottom line will be higher. These are the same people who have all but eliminated our ability to challenge U.S. corporations in court for the harm they cause. These are the same people who consistently tell us we are a nation of laws that adheres to the "rule of law" while BushCo openly turns the "rule of law" on its head.

These are the same people that while telling us how great the economy is are setting about the business of making sure they are protected financially, while eliminating any chance at financial security for those in this nation. All the new "laws" coming out of congress; all the federal court decisions being made in the past 5 years have all been skewed to the very wealthy and to U.S. multinationals, with us, the people of the nation, being left totally out of the picture. These are the same people who invoke the name of the American people behind everything they do, while everything they do leaves the American people behind. And then they tell us we must now "watch what we say" and give us "free speech zones."

So the next time any of you feel the need to cheer for what BushCo has bestowed upon us and the rest of the world try and remember that those behind this madness believe as did John Jay who in 1777, during the writing of our Constitution stated, "The people who own the country ought to rule the country." Only now it should be changed to, "the people that own the country ought to rule the world" as that is what they are headed toward.

There is no lie that is beyond them; there is no back-room deal that is beyond them; there is no deception that is beyond them; in fact there is virtually no one that Bush has appointed to a government position that has not come out of the those who want to turn our governing body into one big corporate board of directors. Virtually everyone Bush has appointed came out of corporate America or was a corporate lobbyist.

BushCo & Company are making self-serving back-room deals, as they have with the taking over of one of China's banks, while continuing to point their collective fingers at "evil" China and declare it a threat to our security. At the same time U.S. multinationals and investment banks are plowing borrowed money into China's economy with the aid of the same people calling China a threat to the U.S.

With the world facing "Peak Oil" and the emergence of China as a growing economy, and the decline of Saudi oil, U.S. investors will continue to make money, only now through China's oil industry. For BushCo, it's all about power and money. Who gets hurt in the process is of no concern to them. Both ends against the middle is going on here, and we are the ones in the middle getting squashed.

Thru this all we are constantly reminded by BushCo that "freedom and democracy" is on the march! My question is simple--by whose definition? A "For Sale" sign was hung on this nation when Bush & Company manipulated not only our system of elections, but the courts as well, when he was "appointed" to the seat of power; and he is now the man that tells us about freedom on the march.

Through the WTO this consortium of ideologues that make up BushCo will attempt to do to China what it has done everywhere else, and that simply is to privatize, privatize, privatize. Wal-Mart is going strong in China as are all the other U.S. multinationals that are there. Now, U.S. companies are buying into Chinas banks that are trying to buy up U.S. companies. That's a win-win for multinationals and their investors, and a lose-lose for us and the Chinese people.

Welcome to "free market capitalism, freedom and democracy" BushCo style. I hope you find the following articles as interesting as what I have. And if what I have written here seems confusing, that's because this is rather confusing in terms of all the inter-connectedness of all these various right-wing organizations, their corporate connections and their nexus with government as they maintain a high level of "plausible deniability" in everything they do. Am I correct in how I am looking at this? I believe that I am, but time will most assuredly tell.

That said, I am certain of this: no one operates under a cloak of such secrecy as does BushCo if they do not have "things" to hide. And I am firmly convinced BushCo not only has a lot to try and hide, but it has even more to answer for.

Additional sources and references:
U.S. Firm to Control China Bank

*****

Citigroup Buys 8.3 Percent PDB Stake

*****

Citigroup regroups

Citigroup unveiled "aggressive growth plans" for its consumer, retail, corporate and investment banking operations in China last month. During the launch of a new dual currency card with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Charles Prince, the group's Chairman and CEO (above), said that he was "very bullish" about the way the Chinese regulators and the government are dealing with the banking system. Citigroup is planning new offices in Beijing, and perhaps Guangzhou, and an investment banking presence will be built involving analysts specializing in Chinese companies. Prince did say, however, that the pace of any expansion depends on the opening of the market in line with China's accession to the WTO, and the group's ability to strike partnerships with Chinese institutions. So far, CitiBank has expressed interest in taking an equity stake in China Construction Bank as part of the Chinese bank's IPO expected to take place early next year.

*****

But the political debate about China is lagging behind events on the ground. The $18 billion bid for Unocal by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), China's third-largest oil company, was merely the latest and by far the biggest move by a Chinese company to buy a formidable American company.
Capital Nearly Speechless on Big China Bid

*****

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, activist and writer. His blog is Jack's Straight-Speak, and he is a columnist for the POAC as well as many other web publications.

This past Memorial Day Chris had me on his program for the entire hour, and for those of you that read my writings you have a pretty good idea of what I was saying on Chris' program. The very next week, Chris was given the axe and his program was replaced with some music thing. I am not saying Chris was eliminated on Saturdays at KDKA due to having me on; it's just the timing, one week after I was on, the station chopped his time on air exactly in half - which also included his pay.

I attempted to call Steve Hanson at KDKA, he's the program manager, but once I told the people who I was and who I wanted to talk to I was put on hold and then got an answering machine. However, I did manage to verify that Chris had been canceled on Saturdays. And it was Chris that verified this. We spoke for about half and hour today and he also told me that the phone calls and emails are having a very pronounced effect on KDKA station management - so keep them coming in, please.

PBS is going down the tubes as it is now in the hands of right-wing ideologues; progressive radio and press are under non-stop attack by those that worship the ground BushCo walks on. Now, the oldest station in the nation is attempting to silence the only progressive voice willing to take on all the issues of the day as does Chris at that station. Daily we are bombarded with right-wing propaganda - and those that speak out against it, like Chris, are silenced.

I do not ask people that often to makes phone calls or write letters but I am asking on this. If you make no other call today; if you write no other letter today, please take the time to respond to this. All the station numbers, names, email address are at the end of this; please use those numbers to tell the people at KDKA to re-instate Chris Moore.

We cannot continue to sit silently by while the nut-jobs running this country continue to hold court on a censoring media. This is not what free speech or free press is – this is the action and censorship of a tyranny. We must support Chris and every other progressive journalist while we still have a few.

Please make those calls! Now the email that touched this off:

Dear Jack, I heard you on the Chris Moore show on KDKA radio over Memorial Day and I wanted to alert you to something.

I sent the email below to the oldusa100@gmail.com address and I wanted to make sure that you received it.

Since writing the initial email, the management at KDKA informed one of Chris Moore's listeners that another station in this area didn't employ any veterans or have a moderate voice. That isn't the point. Chris Moore works at the first radio station in the nation and reaches a wider audience. Perhaps that is the problem in the age of cowardice and disregard for wisdom and truth.

I wouldn't have heard your voice of dissent if Chris Moore hadn't invited you and we'll hear less and less if he isn't reinstated on Saturday evenings on KDKA.

The host who has taken over for him on that evening opened his show discussing Michael Jackson. You understand why we are unhappy.

I'm asking for your assistance. Please let me know what excuses they give you.

Cynthia

I am contacting you to request that complaints begin to pour into KDKA radio and to Viacom/ Infinity broadcasting regarding the demotion of talk radio host Chris Moore.

A week after he interviewed Jack Dalton, he was informed that his Saturday evening show would be replaced by a MUSIC/talk show even though his show is rated number one in his time slot in the 25+ age range.

Just what we need in a time when the media won't tell the truth about how veterans are being misused and short changed, Chris Moore who has been with KDKA for twelve years will be silenced so we can be entertained.. Please don't let this stand!

Chris is the ONLY veteran on KDKA and this demotion is an outrage as people tell us to support the troops, patriots and America. Telling the truth is the only way to do that.

If you want to hear veterans, Gold Star Mothers and people like Ray McGovern, Sibel Edmonds and others interviewed on KDKA about what is really going on, I implore you to complain and forward this to ALL other interested parties to DEMAND that his show on Saturday evening continue to bring us the truth.

Complain to:
Sumner M. Redstone
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
(212) 846-3939

Joe Hollander CEO Infinity Broadcasting
INFINITY BROADCASTING
1515 Broadway, 46th Floor
New York, NY 10036
212-846-3939

KDKA Radio Vice President and General Manager Michael Young (412) 575-3262

Greg Jena, Director of Marketing and Promotion, (412) 575-2508

Steve Hansen, Programming Director- shansen@kdka.com

KDKA 412-575-2200
One Gateway Center
Pittsburgh, PA

KDKA-AM
One Gateway Center
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
To send e-mail: http://kdkaradio.com/contact.shtml

contact Chris Moore at workshop@pbmfonline.org

Bush and those around, beside and in back of him have articulated non-stop that they (he) are after permanent republican "rule" over this nation and us, the citizens of this nation. Virtually every government agency within the federal bureaucracy has as its head or director a BushCo loyalist. Those that the U.S. Senate have been unwilling to give an up or down vote for, Bush has waited for a congressional recess and then just signed off on an "executive order" recess appointment, totally by-passing the "advice and consent" of the Senate.

Bush and company have stated many times and in no-uncertain of terms that they will be satisfied with nothing less than 100% approval for everything they want; and they will do whatever it takes to make sure of that. Lie, cheat, steal and hire pundits to read the BushCo script and try and pass it off as "news."

Today the fight goes on in the Senate over John Bolton, the BushCo proposed U.N. ambassador. Bolton will not get the senate vote, but no matter as the senate will recess this next week for the 4th of July and Bush will give Bolton a recess appointment by way of an "executive order" much as he has done in the past. There goes the U.N. which BushCo wants and needs. Other wise they run the risk of being prosecuted at some point in time by the international community for committing a war of aggression under the Nuremberg principals - which to date BushCo has not withdrawn from, at least not yet.

That was what was behind all the "force protection" so-called "agreements" BushCo extorted so many to sign. At least they would sign if they still wanted U.S. dollars coming their way. So much for "agreements."

This is all about power, pure unadulterated political power. Everything is secondary to securing permanent political power. The securing of this political power extends way past just the rest of the world. In order for BushCo to do that they must of necessity secure their power over us here in the U.S. first and foremost.

Virtually everything BushCo has done since 9/11 especially the "Patriot Act" has been to silence dissent and opposition to the plans of BushCo, which simply stated is permanent one party "rule" (their word not mine) and the pushing of their "world view" and moralistic self-righteousness down our throats; and all while BushCo violates every international law, agreement and our own constitution. But, no matter as BushCo is rewriting that document on a daily basis.

Now we have something else that BushCo wants to rewrite, or just do away with all together and the BushCo mouth pieces in the U.S. House of Representatives are right there to help - can anyone say, Tom DeLay & Co?

They are out to repeal the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution - the two term limit on the presidency! The GOP has already announced it is out to "restructure the entire federal government" just last month. In fact they made this declaration just 2 weeks after the Downing Street Memo was released to the public.

This cannot be allowed to happen! BushCo has already turned this nation on its head to the point I do not recognize my own country any more. BushCo lies its butt off about everything it does and has done the while the army of hired Karl Rove pundits tags all voices of opposition as liars, or un-American, or, traitors, or un-patriotic, or, or, or... Everyone lies but BushCo according to them, and half the country just quietly accepts that and joins in the choir of condemnation.

I for one shall not go "...quietly into that good night..." I will resist this till I draw my last breath. If this, concerning the move to eliminate the two term limit to the presidency, does not motivate people to take immediate action I am afraid this nation truly is lost. For those of you that write this off as just another nut-job Vietnam vet screaming "the sky is falling" I have news for you - the sky is falling!!

So while the members of BushCo attempt to divert our attention with false arguments - like the one they are trying to generate by falsely saying the Downing Street Memo is a forgery - they are quietly about the business of turning this nation into something it is not supposed to be - a tyrannical dictatorship and they will succeed to a great extent if they manage to overturn the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

Just keep in mind when you read the following that this is not old news - it is recent today history in the making - how it turns out is up to us.

HJ 24 IH
109th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. J. RES. 24

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 17, 2005

Mr. HOYER (for himself, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. SABO, and Mr. PALLONE) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification: Article -- 'The twenty-second article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is repealed.'.

The 22nd Amendment
Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section. 2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, activist and independent writer that lives in Portland, Or. He has a blog, Jack’s Straight Speak and is a columnist for the POAC as well as many other web publications

Trent's story points out the absolute need to get military recruiters out of this nation's high schools! And get them out we must! At least as they exist and currently operate on the grounds of high schools today.

How many more "suicides" by young people in the military is it going to take before this nation wakes up to what is happening to young people; to us a nation? We truly have become the monster we have always professed to be fighting.

"Is this what we have allowed this nation to become? Lives that are not our own, but the states to do with as it will when it will? That's not an all volunteer military, that's called forced indenture - once it was called slavery."

Background on Trent

Trent was a 17 year old high school student when he "considered" taking the Marine Corps recruiters up on the Delayed Entry Program. Kids still in school like Trent with their parents consent "sign up" (parents have to sign the paperwork for anyone under 18) and as soon as they graduate, off to boot camp. Trent's parents, initially, were not in agreement with his desire to sign up for the Delayed Entry Program and at first would not agree to sign the consent papers for him. Trent did what all kids do when they are told "no" by mom and dad - he dug his heels in and became more determined to get them to sign the consent papers.

From what Trent's mom and dad have told me in our many conversations, Trent begged, pleaded, asked and kept on asking, typical of all kids who are determined and who have "made up" their minds on something. It took Trent a few weeks, but in the end his parents finally acquiesced and signed the consent forms. In June of 2004, Trent, having graduated high school that month, was off to boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.

That Trent's father is a career Naval Officer and Navy Diver, with 25 years active duty, more than likely had a sizeable influence on Trent and his wanting to be a Marine. His mother, Kathie believes so, and I pretty much agree with her on that point. Based on many conversations with Trent's father, it is a safe assumption he thinks that also.

Trent's father is a Navy diver and, as such, is pretty much separated from all the other facets of the military and its mission, whatever that may be at any given point in time. That's the kind of military Trent grew up with and saw. A far cry from what he would be confronted with in boot camp. Trent, his father, and his mother have been going thru one big learning experience since Trent has declared himself, as a matter of conscience, a conscientious objector; which has not been easy or pleasant to say the least.

Trent graduated boot camp and went home for "leave" in September of last year. According to his parents, when Trent came home; "He was depressed and confused and was sent to see a military Chaplain and a mental health counselor at the Marine base close to our home. He knew he was now a part of something that would expect things from him that he couldn't do."

It was while he was home on leave that he first learned of "conscientious objectors" Up until that time Trent had no idea that someone in the military who became opposed to war could apply for status as a conscientious objector and possibly be discharged. The conviction that war, all war, was inherently wrong that had crystallized within him at the rifle range earlier now had a name - Trent declared himself a conscientious objector and requested status as such to his commanding officer when he returned to Camp Geiger from his leave.

Trent is now learning another lesson and this one is not pretty either. He is now learning that all Marines do not take care of each other; they do not all watch each others back; and they are not all supportive of their fellow Marines - especially when a Marine is directly and indirectly publicly insulted and humiliated by what is essentially "command and control" as is Trent after declaring himself a C.O. In fact he has been attacked by a "fellow" Marine once already and that required stitches. So much for Semper Fi - as a former Marine, and a combat Marine, that hurts to see and say. This new national policy of "perpetual war for perpetual peace" has more than just a little to do with men like Trent being treated in this manner.

One road block after another has been thrown in front of Trent after he declared and filed paperwork for status as a C.O. In fact, the investigating officer assigned to Trent's case acted more like a prosecuting attorney rather than just follow the law and carry on an impartial investigation into the legitimacy of Trent's application. During one session with the investigator, Trent was belittled and berated by this so-called "investigator" who then proceeded to tell Trent that he "found his letters of support annoying." These were letters from active duty military, some of which held very high positions of authority within the military. But, the investigator found them "annoying." Give me a break! That's not an investigating officer; that is someone bound and determined to find any reason at all to deny Trent's application. The Marine Corps hates to lose. And if it were to approve Trent's application, the Marine Corps would view that as them losing and that it cannot allow.

The "interviewer" came at Trent as if he were a criminal. There was no impartiality whatsoever; he came into the interview attempting to bait Trent and proceeded to treat him with little to no respect or dignity. But, then that is the Marine Corps way when one stands like a man of conscience as is young Trent Helmkamp. One Major in Trent's command even went so far as to tell Trent if he went UA (unauthorized absence) or did anything wrong that they would keep him there forever. While another one suggested Trent go UA and that way he could get out with other than an honorable discharge, but at least he would be out, as it was stated. Now you tell me, how nuts is that?

There is so very, very much more to this, but that is for another essay. Trent's father wrote a letter to Senator Warner and it is a must read. In it he confronted the entire issue of conscientious objector status in a way I have never seen anyone else ever do, and I strongly urge all to read it. You will be able to better understand the entire process and how it is geared to deny and not help. In his letter, Trent's father made some rather profound observations about the entire process and what his son has been subjected to.

A Marine LT. at Camp Lejeune (Lejeune and Camp Geiger are right next to each other) - on condition of anonymity - told Trent's parents not long ago, "By letting your son go, they, the Marines, will feel like they have lost, and the Marines are trained to always win." And in this instance they want to win even at the expense of what is right and at Trent's expense, as it is his life they are attempting to turn upside down and to a large degree already have. In the meantime Trent, who is at the same base as was Jason Pirro, the young man the Marine Corps is trying to say killed himself, is going thru essentially the same type of brutality and harassment as did Jason Pirro - you take it from there. I only know this; I am more than just a little concerned for his safety, health and well being.

Devolved into a Militarized Nation that now Eats its Own

There is a "train wreck" I see coming, and it is the one that has been created by this current administration and the entire concept of "perpetual war for perpetual peace;" or as those who occupy this nation's seat of power like to put it, "preventive wars." How do you prevent war by going to war as the aggressor?

This nation incarcerates more of its own citizens than does any nation on earth. We have many in prison for murder, and for those who are in fact guilty, that's where they belong. At the same time, when a young man such as Trent stands up and states that he cannot train to kill, he will not train to kill, nor will he ever kill another human being, he is threatened with prison for not wanting to kill! Right now today, we have people in prison who have been convicted of murder and in the cell next to them, are people in prison due to the fact they said no to killing as has Trent. Is this not insane?

And I will not accept as some have tried to tell me, "That's different. They are in the military and the military's job is to kill." Hogwash! In general it takes a lot to train people to get over their natural aversion to taking a life. The military trains and indoctrinates young men into a culture of "killing" and then sends them off to war where killing is the order of the day and too often a matter of personal survival. Then they come home, all twisted by war where you learn to act and react instantly to "adverse" situations and that same type of reaction stays with them.

The next thing you hear, is another combat vet has killed his family (it happened a couple of years ago at Ft Brag) or his girlfriend while in a rage (a man was just sentenced for 2nd degree murder here in Oregon recently - he had just recently come back from Iraq) and they all end up where - in prison. And those two are far from singular events! Go to prison for killing - go to prison for not killing.

At one time in this nation individuals had the right to choose how to live their own lives; what they would do; where they would work; what kind of work they would do; at least until now. If, when after starting a "job" the individual decided, nope, this is not for me, they could quit and move on from there. Now we are in a situation where a person that goes into the military full of John Wayne movies; highly trained military recruiters who know how to get inside a kids head; and computer generated war games, gets confronted with the reality of the military and its mission and says, "nope, I cannot do this," and then is criminalized for not wanting to kill or even learn how to kill.

"Is this what we have allowed this nation to become? Lives that are not our own, but the states to do with as it will when it will? That's not an all volunteer military, that's called forced indenture - once it was called slavery."

Now we are facing the very real possibility of more wars other than the two currently going on in Iraq and Afghanistan - Iran and Syria: Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off to War We Go has to quickly become the mantra for this country since Bush and company have gained the seat of power - this must not be allowed to continue or many more lives will be destroyed - if not by participation in war, then by the U.S. military that will eat it's own if they choose, as has young Trent Helmkamp, to say no, "I will not train to kill nor will I participate in killing", period, end of story!

Trent's current situation and status and the Marines Separation Barracks

Right now Trent is doing alright. At least he was per the phone conversation he and I had last night. He is still quite shaken but at least now the Marine Corps has him seeing a Doctor. It is the Doctor Trent is now seeing who has not only recommended an immediate discharge for Trent, but has stated he will fight on behalf of Trent, as he sees clearly what the Marine Corps has done to Trent, and the extreme negative reaction by Trent to the treatment he has received at the Separation Barracks.

Not only has Trent been victimized by the Marine Corps at the Separation Barracks, there have been and still are many others being treated in the very same manner as what Trent has been subjected too.

Last year, young Jason Pirro supposedly hanged himself at least that is the "Official" report from the Marine Corps. The biggest problem with that is simply this: less than one hour before Jason was found hanged in a bathroom stall he had breakfast with his friends in the mess hall; all of whom have stated essentially the following: "Jason was in very high spirits as he was getting discharge in a couple of days. He would be home when his wife had their second child ... he was elated at going home finally." Less than an hour later Jason was found hanged and the Marine Corps wrote off his death as a "suicide." The Marine Corps completely ignored the fact that for months while awaiting his "discharge" Jason had been subject to a string of brutal hazing at the base. Myself, after many discussion with Jason's mom, and reading many reports and statements, firmly believe that Jason Priors' death was the result of a hazing that went terribly wrong and the Marine Corps has covered that up!

Not long ago, at the very same base, another young man was chalked up as a suicide - he was found face down in a creek in 4 inches of water. Excuse me! Committed suicide by lying down in a 4 inch deep creek? Give me a break! What in the hell is going on there?

According to what Trent has told me on several occasions; according to what Trent's mother, Kathie, has told me over a period of many months, there have been many in the Separation Barracks that have attempted suicide; while many others have gone AWOL so they could get sent to the brig. It seems life in the brig is better than life in the Separation Barracks. There is something terribly wrong when people choose to go to jail because life is better in jail than out of jail.

Massive and continuous "corporal punishment" from what I have been told is a daily event at the Separation Barracks at Camp Geiger/Camp Lejuene, S.C. The level of fear these young people are forced to endure there is driving some of them to do as Trent attempted to do, just end it all - driven to helplessness and hopelessness by the very military they are in. They live with the daily fear of reprisals, corporal punishment, humiliation, physical hazing (Trent has had stitches put in his face once already behind a fight over this), threats and intimidation.

If this does not point out the absolute necessity of getting military recruiters out of this nation schools I don't know what does!

Letter from Trent's Mother

Letter to Senator Warner from Trent's Father

Rebuttal to Investigating Officers Report

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, activist and independent writer that lives in Portland, Or. He has a blog, Jack's Straight Speak and is a columnist for the POAC as well as many other web publications.

Everyone included in that heading are striving to impose the same "world-view," their world-view upon us all; whether we like it, approve or not; and they do not care who they sacrifice to accomplish that end. I include the Republican Party at all times.

After spending a lot of time looking thru a lot of publications and web sites, I have found RightWeb to have just about everyone and every organization I include in "BushCo" all together in one neat package. Sure has made life a lot easier in
following those whom Bush/Cheney has picked to run the federal bureaucracy.

BushCo, essentially, among other things, is one great big "good old boys" club of very wealthy, right-wing zealots and ideologues after the same thing, permanent rule, and I do mean rule. I'll save the rest of that for one of my rants, raves, diatribes, whatever...

For now just open the links and here's BushCo as I see "it/him" for the most part:
BUSHCO "A" TEAM LIST. IF YOU DON'T READ THE REST, READ THIS ONE

LIST OF RIGHT-WING ORGANIZATIONS AT THE HEART OF BUSHCO

BUSHCO CORPORATE MEMBERS AND WAR PROFITEERS

"The Right Web Archive is composed of some 50 profiles of foreign policy organizations that were complied in the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Center's Group Watch program (maintained in the interim by Political Research Associates). Although outdated, these profiles provide valuable historical information about many of the groups and individuals included on Right Web."

What follows are some of the current Bush/Cheney appointments, nominations, whatever one chooses to call them. I have my own terms but will refrain from using them here. After going thru all of this, you will then know to whom and what I refer when using BushCo.

The Bad Stuff ... like we need more, huh?

Hawk and "Colonial Governor" All but chased out of Turkey as a "persona non grata," Eric Edelman is being promoted to undersecretary of defense for policy. Right Web Profile Eric Edelman

On Top of the World More than ten years ago Paul Wolfowitz was the principal author of the strategy of preventive war to ensure global supremacy. Now he is moving from the Pentagon to direct development politics as World Bank president.
Right Web Profile Paul Wolfowitz

Nuclear Enthusiast as Top National Security Official J.D. Crouch, a virulent nationalist, enthusiast of nuclear weapons, and Christian-right adherent, has recently become the right-hand man of National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. Right Web Profile J.D. Crouch II

Bunker Busting Brain Linton Brooks and the National Nuclear Security Administration are involved in efforts to develop so-called bunker-busting nuclear bombs, including the proposed Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator Weapon - and, according to one respected critic, "coming up with all the crazy ideas" about how the U.S. military can use nuclear weapons.
Right Web Profile Linton Brooks

Nuclear Warrior Replaces John Bolton as Arms Control Chief Arms control chief Joseph is a new breed of militarist who believes that in a world where weapons of mass destruction may be proliferating it behooves the United States to bolster its own WMD arsenal and then use it against other proliferators.
Right Web Analysis Robert Joseph -The Counterproliferationist

Moving America Backward If you believe that immigrants are destroying our country, free speech is anti-American, and the UN should be kicked out of the United States then Move America Forward is your kind of group.
Right Web Profile Move America Forward

The Immigration Debate: Whose Side Are You On? That's the question that President George W. Bush asked in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. And he gave the world his answer and warning: "Either you are with us or against us."
Right Web Analysis Whose Side Are You On?

Taking on the AARP The right-wing USA Next, founded by mass-mail guru Richard Viguerie, aims to dismember the American Association of Retired Persons. Right Web Profile American or Israeli? The arrest of Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin should focus much-needed public and congressional attention on the influence of the pro-Israeli lobby in shaping U.S. foreign policy. Right Web Analysis Where's the "American" in the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee?

...The Good Stuff. While I may not be optimistic, I am hopeful.

A Global Good Neighbor Ethic of International Relations By Tom Barry, Salih Booker, Laura Carlsen, Marie Dennis, and John Gershman (May 2005) Inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt's vision of international relations guided by "mutual respect" and cooperation, the IRC's Global Good Neighbor Initiative is initiating a process of reclaiming this legacy by promoting dialogue and action aimed at forging a new animating vision for foreign policy in our time:
A Global Good Neighbor Ethic for International Relations. Read the full report now; the executive summary is also available.

Now today we learn that even more money is missing. The GAO (Government Accounting Office) has reported that the DoD has lost another $3.5 billion of taxpayer money -money and equipment have just disappeared and no one knows where. SEE: DoD Management Control Breakdowns Result in Substantial Waste and Inefficiency.

Right now, with more people being sent off to war, on any given day there are between 300,000 to 500,000 veterans living on the streets of this nation. Congress sees fit to acquiesce to the DoD/Pentagon and White House demands for more money and they get a budget of $491 billion, which includes the $82 billion the senate recently voted 100-0 for; and at the same time veterans are being turned away from the V.A. due to substantial under funding. That brings the grand total to right at $300 billion in less, that's less, than three years; and all of it "borrowed" money. Since being lied into invading Iraq BushCo is averaging $125 billion a year just in Iraq alone.

Of the little over 360,000 veterans of this BushCo war of choice in Iraq, 85,000 have applied for care at the V.A. To date, right at 350,000 veterans of the first war in the Gulf are receiving disability from the V.A. and I've seen numbers as high as 150,000 that have been essentially told, "no more room at the Inn." There are Vietnam veterans that have fought for 30, 35 and 36 years for that which had been promised, which to paraphrase says, "to care for those who have borne the brunt of battle."

There are veterans from WWll and the Korean War that are still fighting for their rights as veterans as V.A. facilities are being closed forcing some of these veterans in their mid to late 70's and early 80's out of the V.A. nursing homes they currently are residents of -next stop, living on the streets.

We must all remember what David Cho at the Pentagon had to say about payments to veterans, "The amounts have gotten to the point where they are hurtful. They are taking away from the nation's ability to defend itself." Translation - "disability payments to veterans are a threat to our national security." Takes money away from those who started the very war that is creating more veterans needing V.A. healthcare - but then as Cho said, they [we] are now a threat to our national security.

Maybe that is why the head of the V.A. just recently announced the V.A. will review ALL of the veterans that have been given disability ratings and payments due to PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome - between 1999 to 2005. The single biggest reason this nation has never admitted to the harm caused by the Agent Orange used in Vietnam is primarily because of the money that would have to be paid out. That is also the primary reason this nation is doing the very same thing to those who have been exposed to Depleted Uranium in the first Gulf War and the current invasion/occupation of Iraq. It's all about the money. There is enough money to start wars, to send people to fight the wars, but there is not enough money to take care of those sent to fight the wars.

The amount of money Rumsfeld's Department of War "loses" every few months would be more than enough to properly fund the V.A--instead veterans of this nation's wars are being denied access on a daily basis; others wait for months to get appointments for even basic medical services; specialized care is even worse - all due primarily to under funding. SEE: From Vietnam to Iraq: Ignoring the Veteran Healthcare Crisis.

GAO: Pentagon Squandering Billions on Excess Property
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 -- The Government Reform Committee National Security Subcommittee holds a hearing to examine a new GAO study on waste and inefficiency in the Defense Department. The report finds that the Department has improperly disposed of valuable equipment at a cost to taxpayers of more than $3.5 billion.

"The litany of Administration mismanagement of federal contracts is long and costly. The value of no-bid contracts has skyrocketed under the Bush Administration. Oversight of federal contracts has been turned over to private companies with blatant conflicts of interest. And when government auditors do find abuses, their recommendations are ignored.

Nearly every week, the papers are of full of stories of contract abuse. The Department of Homeland Security has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars on security contracts that have produced virtually no results. The FBI has spent $170 million on "Virtual Case File" software that doesn't work. And in Iraq, Halliburton has overcharged by hundreds of millions of dollars, yet the Administration continues to shower the company with federal funds, bonuses, and special treatment." Rep Henry Waxman

While I may have missed the June 8th "Million Veteran March" on Washington, whatever it takes I will be at the march on Washington this September 24th. I hope that a lot of people make the plans and set aside that time to come to Washington. The one thing the people who keep creating these wars fear the most is an informed and mobilized public.

The people who run this country currently are destroying the nation's ability to pay for anything but war; while at the same time creating more veterans to toss aside. If for no other reason than the lack of fair and just treatment for veterans by this nations governing body, this alone is more than enough to march on Washington - something I will be doing, bad health, wheelchair and all! I hope to see many of you there -start making plans while there is still plenty of time.

The majority of the "advisors" and department heads Bush has surrounded himself with all come from the state of Texas. They have set the policies that have led us into this current war. They have set the policies that have us on the road to economic ruin. They have turned this nation into a military juggernaut the likes of which the world has never before seen. It would be good to remember the words of Dwight D Eisenhower as he saw this coming a long time ago:

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid." President Dwight Eisenhower, 1952.

Unfortunately for us, the nation, and the rest of the world, the people Eisenhower called "stupid" in 1952 are now the one's running the country (over a cliff.) These people that were called "stupid" and the "crazies" regardless of whether they call themselves Democrats or Republicans are essentially two ends of the same "party" the way I see it. The illusion of two parties is what we are faced with. In fact, just recently the GOP stated it is out to completely restructure the federal government in their own image.

A $491 billion bloated War Department budget is helping to create deficits so high that the Newt Gingrich and Grover Norquist "policy" of "Starve the Beast" so as to eliminate all social spending by breaking the bank, is well under way - and this definitely includes eliminating spending for and on veterans!

"The time has long since passed for ALL military veterans - especially career military retirees - to take up our arms and join in the struggle to restore ALL promised military pay and benefits....." James Nolan Campbell, Senior Master Sergeant, United States Air Force Retired - military.com

"IT IS NOT 'UP TO SOMEONE ELSE' - IT'S UP TO US!"

Mass March on Washington, September 24, 2005

1 in 4 Iraq and Afghan War Veterans Seek VA Medical Care

Depleted Uranium Education Project

IAMB Report on Iraq funds

Agent Orange Website

Vietnam Veterans of America Guide on PTSD

$69 million gone

Smedly Butler: War is a Racket

GOP Out to Restructure the Federal Government

Analysists Warn DoD Budget "Train-Wreck" Coming

Senate Silent on Halliburton

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, activist for veteran's rights, and writer who lives in Portland, OR. He is a columnist for the POAC as well as many other publications. He may be contacted thru his blog, Jack's Straight-Speak

This really brings the entire concept of the "law" and the "rule of law" into question, does it not? But that is for another discussion.

The recruitment practices of military recruiters have of late been under serious scrutiny as one report after another surfaces about the "misadventures" of the recruiters: lies, forged documents, rapes and the list is seemingly endless. Just a cursory search on any of the internet search engines will bear this out.

Former Marine recruiter, Jim Massey, now an anti-war activist, has stated many, many times about the lies, coercion, and other such "techniques" that are employed by recruiters to meet their "quotas." That those "techniques" described by Massey are wide spread is now beyond doubt, by anyone. The DoD and the Pentagon both have recently acknowledged that "Houston -we have a problem!"

The question is: what if anything past putting on a show, will they do about this problem? Given how the DoD and Pentagon deal with other problems with and in the military, like the systemic problem of rape, which after 19 investigations over the past 18 years and many nice sounding speeches, continues to not only be a wide-spread problem but is increasing in numbers! I bring this up due to the simple fact that recruiters are being arrested for raping young women they are attempting to recruit!

The military is having major problems with getting new recruits as well as retaining those already in the military and this is becoming a bigger problem the longer BushCo continues articulating "perpetual war for perpetual peace." Even those in the military currently are beginning to see thru the smokescreen of deception being presented by BushCo and they are leaving the military in wholesale numbers.

In an attempt to make up for those decreased numbers, the DoD and Pentagon will continue to target the poor and the young. You, who have children, have got to ask yourself: what do you want for your children? What kind of life do you want to see them have? Then you must ask yourself if sending them to an unjust war of choice that this nation was lied and deceived into fits what you envision for them.

If you have problems with recruiters in the nation's schools then I strongly urge you, those with children and those who do not but still find this unacceptable to join me in joining the efforts of "Leave My Child Alone," "Citizen Soldier" and "Not in Our Name" demanding to get recruiters out of our schools! And I do mean demanding!

Leave My Child Alone: Nationwide Military Opt Out June 1, 2005

Citizen Soldier: Enlistment Guide PDF File

Not In Our Name: Stop Military Recruitment in Our Schools

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, writer and activist. He is a columnist for the POAC and has a blog -Jack's Straight-Speak

One of 'things' that really stands out to me is simply this: the extreme right of the Republican Party is not satisfied with "winning" some of the time; is not satisfied with "winning" the overwhelming majority of the time; the only thing that will satisfy them is "winning" 100% of the time on every single thing they want to super-impose upon us all.

Priscilla Owen, William H. Pryor, Janice Rogers Brown ( see profiles of these and other judicial nominees here) all three of whom have been "vigorously" opposed by senate "democrats" will get now a rubber stamped into a life-time seat on our federal courts -oops, their federal courts.

From the very start, this was, and still is about a lot more than just these three or some of the others still waiting in the wings -all of which it appears will now "win" senate approval. This is about the vacancies that are coming up in the Supreme Court. BushCo (my pet name for that marvelous mob of Mayberry Machiavelli's) has had the eye on the Supreme Court for day one.

Gain control of the Supreme Court, control of all three branches of government will then be complete. You say I am making too much of this? You say I am pushing a panic button? You say I am taking this too an absurd conclusion?

To those who think or say that I remind them of this: "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." James Madison, Federalist Paper 47

While the specter of what Bill Frist had planned to eliminate the opposition filibustering judicial nominees was not a good one to contemplate, let alone have to deal with; the Democratic Party caving in to the extortion is worse. They thru their "compromise" have helped to insure the completion of the radical rights three way power grab.

This is just one more thing convincing me that we only have one party in this country with only minor differences in the opposing ends of the same stick -the one we keep getting in the back. They care more about "preserving the institution" of the senate than they do about the people whose name they so freely and constantly invoke. How can giving away the courts be in the "interest of the American people?"

In 1935, Sinclair Lewis wrote his novel, "It Can't Happen Here." A "fictional" account of what amounts to a fascist take-over of this country. I wonder what the title of a sequel would be if Sinclair Lewis were alive today? "The 15% Solution: A History of American Fascism, 2001—2022" another fictional account of the rise of fascism by constitutional means which so perfectly describes this nation today since 9/11 it is frightening. Especially considering it was written years before 9/11 ever happened.

"Those who believe a police state can't happen here are poor students of history. Every government, democratic or not, is capable of tyranny. We must understand this if we hope to remain a free people. (Ron Paul, R-Tx, Dec. 2004 -he's one of the only republicans in congress with some sense of integrity).

The last thing needed to permanently secure power with some air of internal legitimacy by Hitler and the Nazi's over Germany and the German people were the courts. These they stacked and then completely took over, and using their constitution to do it. If you want to secure complete power and control over that which you govern, control of the courts is an absolute must. This is about gaining so much power and control everyone will be forced to live according to the world view these nut jobs have; and they will have the courts to back them up.

If I sound like someone screaming "the sky is falling" so be it. I just can't stress the danger we face with this power grab for the courts. There will nothing to stand between people and government/corporate predators. The very people that lied this nation into invading Iraq and then lied about lying. These are the people who determine whom will sit as life-time judges on U.S. federal courts.

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, writer and activist. He is a columnist for the POAC and has a blog -Jack's Straight-Speak

Paul O'Neill, who was Secretary of the Treasury until Bush replaced him, was very clear when he stated that invading Iraq was on the table from the first day Bush took office. Richard Clarke who was the "Terrorism Czar" was also replaced by Bush. Writing in his book, "Against All Enemies" he is very clear in explaining how the only thing Bush wanted to discuss, or hear, was invading Iraq.

The recent articles by Juan Cole, "The Lie That Led to War" and Robert Parry's article, "For Bush, Iraq Lies are Fundamental" detailing the trail of BushCo deceptions that ultimate led to this war of choice and the slaughter of over 100,000 Iraqi's with untold wounded in mind and body; as well as over 1800 Americans dead and up to 85,000 seeking medical care -these are numbers far in excess of what the Pentagon is reporting.

None of this is new information. What is new are the memos recently released which give additional confirmation to the simple fact, Bush & Co wanted to invade Iraq and nothing was going to stop them.

"The Downing Street Memo, recently leaked, reveals that President George W. Bush decided to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in summer 2002 and—determined to ensure that U.S. intelligence data supported his policies -"fixed" the intelligence and facts relevant to WMD." To date, three weeks after the release and confirmation of the memos, the media, especially broadcast media, has been silent!

It never ceases to amaze me what broadcast media in the U.S. considers "news-worthy" and what is not; what the public should be informed about and what the public does not need to know. We were lied into war and the media is complicit in this criminal enterprise know as the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

The group, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, has one of the best and most complete analyses on the "Smoking Gun Memo" and the lack of media attention in this nation. Instead of properly informing us, the people of this nation, print and broadcast media have become nothing more than mouth-pieces for Bush and "The New World Order" as articulated by groups such as the Project for the New American Century and the American Enterprise Institute.

I've left the entirety of the FAIR report and call to take action here rather than just provide the link, which is above. Information to enable you to contact various media outlets are provided at the conclusion of this. Remember that the "greatest sedition is silence." Join with me and do "not go quietly into that good night..." as our continued silence and inactivity will surely be the death of us all.

FAIR ACTION ALERT:
Network Viewers Still in the Dark on "Smoking Gun Memo"
Print media continue to downplay story

May 20, 2005

Following FAIR's call for more mainstream coverage of the "smoking gun memo"--the secret British document containing new evidence that the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to justify its plan to invade Iraq--a steady trickle of news reports have appeared. But that coverage has been downplayed in general and is still completely absent from the nightly news.

The Los Angeles Times published a page 3 story on the memo on May 12, and the Washington Post ran a page 18 story the following day. More than two weeks after the story broke in the Sunday Times of London (5/1/05), it finally made the front page of a major U.S. newspaper, the Chicago Tribune (5/17/05).

After referring to the memo (5/2/05) in a story on the British electoral campaign, the New York Times failed to report on the document's implications about the Bush administration until today (5/20/05); the one-column story didn't mention the manipulation of intelligence until the eighth paragraph. (Times columnist Paul Krugman also discussed the memo on the paper's opinion page on May 16.)

The Washington Post's ombudsman, Michael Getler, who the previous week (5/8/05) had mentioned reader complaints about the Post's lack of memo coverage without evaluating their substance, revisited the issue with a much more critical eye in his most recent column (5/15/05). (The ombud gave back-handed credit to FAIR and the group Media Matters for America--both "self-described media watchdog organizations"--for prompting him to delve into the story.) Getler wrote that Post editors initially told him they didn't pursue the story because they were "tied up with election coverage"--this despite the fact that the leaked memo became a major election story in Britain and likely contributed to Tony Blair's weak returns. When he questioned them again after the email campaign, Getler wrote, "editors agreed that this story should be covered and said they were going to go back and do that"; the Post's May 13 story followed.

Getler called investigation of the memo's conclusions "journalistically mandatory" and suggested that the Post story should have been placed on the front page.

While the memo has begun to get wider coverage in print, broadcasters have maintained a near silence on the issue. The story has turned up in a few short CNN segments (Crossfire, 5/13/05; Live Sunday, 5/15/05; Wolf Blitzer Reports, 5/16/05), but the only mention of the memo FAIR found on the major broadcast networks came on ABC's Sunday morning show This Week (5/15/05), in which host George Stephanopoulos questioned Sen. John McCain about its contents. When McCain declared that he didn't "agree with it" and defended the Bush administration's decision to go to war, Stephanopoulos didn't question him further. A look at the nightly news reveals not a single story aired about the memo and its implications.

When finally questioned by CNN (5/16/05), White House press secretary Scott McClellan claimed he hadn't seen the memo, but that "the reports" about it were "flat-out wrong." British government officials, however, did not dispute the contents of the memo--which can be read in full online at http://downingstreetmemo.com/ --and a former senior American official called it "an absolutely accurate description of what transpired" (Knight Ridder, 5/6/05).

The Chicago Tribune (5/17/05) named several factors that had caused a "less than robust discussion" of the smoking gun memo: Aside from the White House's denials, and the media's slow reaction, the paper asserted that "the public generally seems indifferent to the issue or unwilling to rehash the bitter prewar debate over the reasons for the war." Of course, it's hard to judge the public's interest in a story the media have largely shielded them from.

ACTION:
Please contact the nightly news programs and ask them to investigate and report on the new evidence that the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to support its plan to invade Iraq.

CONTACT:
ABC World News Tonight
Phone: 212-456-4040
PeterJennings@abcnews.com

CBS Evening News
Phone: 212-975-3691
evening@cbsnews.com

NBC Nightly News
Phone: 212-664-4971
nightly@nbc.com

PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Phone: 703-739-5000
newshour@pbs.org

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, writer and activist. He is a columnist for the POAC. He also writes his own blog, Jack's Political "Straight-Speak"

On March 20, 2003, as you know, Iraq was invaded and is now occupied. Since then, tens upon tens of thousands of Iraqi's have been killed, with an untold number wounded; with the number of Americans killed moving toward 1,700; and the actual number of total medical evacuations for all reasons, closer to 30,000 (that number includes the 17,000 that the Pentagon said were evacuated but not "wounded" -a great number of which were for psychological reasons). That is for another discussion, so on to the "illusion."

The "smoking gun" memos were made public on May 5th, less than two weeks ago. 88 members of the House of Representatives signed a joint letter demanding the White House explain them. After all, everyone around Bush, and Bush included, stated over and over again that there were no plans in place to invade Iraq; and that they would make all decisions based on the "best available intelligence."

If the members of the House were aware of the memos, it stands to reason the members of the Senate would also have been aware of the memos. I clearly remember, and not in the distant past, many voices of outrage coming from Senate Democrats over the manner in which this nation was lead into this BushCo war of choice.

A few days ago, these Democratic Party voices of opposition had the chance to, in part, show "what they are made of" and take a stand against the $82 billion supplemental earmarked for Iraq, and everything it represents. Not only would passage of the supplemental throw additional huge sums of "good money after bad," but tucked away inside it is an amendment that will allow the Department of Homeland security the power to waive laws with no oversight what-so-ever.

"A stroke of the pen makes it final: President Bush signed into law the Iraq war supplemental, which includes a controversial provision giving the secretary of homeland security the power to waive all law when securing U.S. borders." Now here's the kicker -when the Senate votes were tallied up, the supplemental and all the tucked away provisions like the one above, the vote was unanimous--100 to 0.

If ever there existed a time the mandated a strong, determined and uncompromising voice of reason in our congress, especially the Senate, it is now -but they were nowhere to be found.

At the same time the Senate Democrats, in total, were joining their Republican comrades in passing this piece of "legislation" -again a term used loosely- it was simultaneously announced by the Pentagon they would be back in August for more.

I've said it many times and repeat it again, we only have one political party in this nation with two ends of the very same pole -the one that we, the people of this nation keep getting in the back. The silence of broadcast and print media on and about all of this especially the memos makes them, by the failure to bring this to the publics' attention, guilty of deception by omission. The "media" has failed itself and has betrayed the people of this nation by its silence.

For those that find this unacceptable and would like to join me in letting the people in congress know just exactly how you feel and what you think of what they are doing in your name, here is the link to Congress.org. If you follow the link you will see how easy it is to contact those in congress. They need to hear from us and the more of us the better.

A few letters to editors of local as well as national newspapers wouldn't hurt either.

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, political activist and writer. He is a columnist for the Project for the Old American Century as well as many other web publications. "Straight-Speak" is the title of his blog. His email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net

Bear with me on this trip down memory lane as it is very relevant in terms of what we are faced with today (I'm taking the long way ‘round the barn). Especially in terms of the power grab by the "radical revolutionary movement" that backs and supports Bush, more commonly referred to as the "neo-cons." I have a lot of other names for that group but will refrain from using them here.

Back to John Davis: He was the number two man at the State Department during the Grant administration, which, up until G.W. Bush was propelled into the White House, was without a doubt the most corrupt administration in the nation's history. Davis was also the president of a railroad company and at the time it was the railroad companies that essentially "owned" the nation and the government. The graft and corruption was at a level not seen before, or since; at least until now. It is here that you may substitute the name of Dick Cheney for John Davis, and "Halliburton, Bechtel, etc" for railroads, as the similarities are too similar to ignore. Eventually Davis was impeached, then was given a Presidential Pardon” and twenty years later was a Supreme Court clerk.

Keep in mind that the so-called advisors who are the heart of the "Bush inner circle" are duplicitous carbon-copies of John Davis in many ways. The commonality is simply this; they all invoke the name of the American people while what they do is totally about securing, maintaining and increasing their power over the very people whose name they constantly invoke.

It is through decisions rendered by our federal courts and the judges that sit on them that we, the people of this nation, are protected from the over-reaching of government, abuses of power both public and private (corporate). But, what if those courts which decide what is or is not legal, what is or is not constitutional, what is or is not in the best interest of the people of the nation, what if those very courts are filled with and by individuals whose allegiance is to a deeply held ideological belief system--as are those that BushCo is attempting to stack our courts with?

We in this nation have either forgotten or just flat out have tossed away the "lessons of the past" as this nation right now seems "hell bent for leather" to repeat each and every one of them. Our own history is replete with examples of the disasters that follow an ideologically driven system of federal courts. >From John Jay and his ideas about an "ownership" society (sound familiar?), to John Davis, to the federal courts that effectively turned post civil-war reconstruction of the south on its head which left the "evil" southern states to "sink or swim" on their own.

Now, here we are again at the same cross-roads of the past. Only now the stakes are much higher as George W. Bush, those that surround him, and those that put him in the seat of power have raised the "bar" so to speak.

"... let us be clear with the American people what the debate over ideology in judicial nominations is about. It is not about partisan jockeying or trying to make the president look bad. It is about the role of government and whether the past seven decades of bipartisan legal achievements will survive. Right-wing activists believe Supreme Court Justices should admit the "mistakes" of the past 65 years and overturn many historic precedents." This is what we are faced with today with our federal courts and why it is so extremely important that we oppose this attempted takeover of the courts in the strongest of terms!

We have a White House and congress that want to roll this country backwards to pre-reconstruction days. Every law, government agency, government program that was created in response to the depression of the 1930's by the Roosevelt administration is now on the chopping block as never before in this countries history. This is the single biggest, most open grab for power entrenchment in this nation's history; the stakes are higher than they have ever been.

For decade after decade our federal courts have made one decision after another that have placed corporate interests over the people of this nation. Civil rights are being turned upside down (free speech zones and all), environmental laws being overturned one after the other, increased secrecy by those in power, lack of government transparency, and literal criminals now setting U.S. policy (Elliott Abrams for one) and all "legal"-- so sayeth our courts.

If this BushCo take-over of the courts succeeds; if Sen. Bill Frist and his cohort of nut-jobs succeeds with their plans to overturn and re-write the senate rules on "advise and consent" on judicial nominees, we can pretty much kiss the "rule of law" and the constitution good-bye; as they will be forever re-written and changed -and not for the benefit of us, the American people.

The one single thing that secured total and complete power by Hitler and the Nazi's over Germany and the German people was when they were able to capture the German courts. That one event gave them the air of legitimacy and legality. They then used the ideologically stacked courts to re-write and change the German constitution.

Right now, 7 of 13 federal courts are in the hands of those that would forever redefine this nation. Soon that will increase to 11 of 13 and quite possibly 13 of 13, especially if Bill Frist manages to cram the "nuclear option" down everyone's throats. If this succeeds there will be nothing to stop those who are attempting to permanently change, redefine and secure, as Tom DeLay put it, "permanent 'conservative' republican rule. There is a name for "one party rule" -it's called despotic tyranny! And we are headed right into its heart ala Bush and Company.

Everyone in the senate needs to hear from us all in demanding an end to this unprecedented power grab -and sooner rather than later. If your senator is on the list below, call, register your demand that they do not support the "nuclear option." If your senator is not on the below, call them anyway as they still need to hear from us. Call every day if need be…there is too much at stake…keep in mind that "The greatest Sedition is Silence."

AK: Sen. Lisa Murkowski
IN: Sen. Richard Lugar
ME: Sen. Susan Collins
Sen. Olympia Snowe
NE: Sen. Chuck Hagel
NH: Sen. John Sununu
OH: Sen. Mike DeWine
OR: Sen. Gordon Smith
PA: Sen. Arlen Specter
VA: Sen. John Warner

Calling your Senator's office is easy! The staff member that answers the phone will relay your views to the Senator. When you call, just give your name, and make sure to say you're a constituent. Then, let them know you are calling to urge your Senator to oppose the nuclear option on judges.

Other points you could mention if you like are:

* The nuclear option would destroy any hope of bipartisan cooperation in the Senate
* The Senate has a responsibility to carefully consider lifetime appointments and should not rubber-stamp confirmations for any White House

Take Action:
Click here to take action on this issue. (Earth Justice)

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, writer and activist. He is a columnist for the Project for the Old American Century. His blog, Straight-Speak is at http://jack-dalton.blogspot.com and his email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net

The "product" (invading Iraq) was then "bought" by a serious majority of the American people and the BushCo juggernaught was unleashed upon Iraq--to the chagrin of most the other nations of the world--as well as a large number of us in this country, who still need to mobilize into a more cohesive whole.

Ever since the unleashing of the "Dogs of War" in Iraq the BushCo PR and marketing campaign, the firm of OMINCOM at the head of that feeding trough, has continued, now telling all how well things are going in Iraq. And, additionally, Bush keeps repeating how, "This is a time of war, and in war sacrifices must be made." It is that right there I want to take a look at to some degree - sacrifices. What are the sacrifices being made during this "time of war" and who is sacrificing what, if anything? Along with that, I want to briefly look at the cost of war, especially in terms of the individual people affected, as is Carl Webb, among many others, and who are being told, not asked, but told they must go participate in this war of choice or go to prison; with that list of people growing daily and almost exponentially. The cost of this current war is much more than just the huge amounts of money that keep disappearing, as the real cost of any war is borne by individual people, military and civilian alike.

Questions, Questions, and more Questions

When was it that we gave the state the power over our individual lives so that now the state, and not we, determines if, when and how we will go off to kill or be killed--for any reason, let alone this war of choice in Iraq? When was it the state gained the power to dictate to any of us when, where, how and if, we will participate in the killing of other human beings? When was it the state gained the power over us to now tell anyone of us we will go to jail if we are not willing to participate in the mass murder that is war, let alone one launched behind deliberate lies and disinformation as this one in Iraq? When was it we allowed U.S. multinationals to become the "ruling party" of this nation irrespective of the political party holding the "seat of power?"

These, among other questions roll around in my head on a daily basis and every time I speak with active duty war-resisters or their family members, more questions are added to the list of unanswered questions. Why are people being criminalized by this nation for no other reason than they will not take a life, or train to learn how to take a life? Like I said, nothing but more questions, and questions which need a lot of people demanding answers to and for.

The ultimate catch-22

People convicted of murder are put in prison, as that is where those who have been rightfully convicted should be (although there are so many innocents locked away for crimes and murders they did not commit - but that is for another discussion about the American Gulag). Now today, the cells next to convicted murderers will be occupied by people who refuse to commit murder, and will not train to learn how to kill - welcome to the "new" America and the "rule of law."

The land where if you commit murder you go to jail; and where if you refuse to train to kill you will go to jail--then find yourself living in a cell next to one occupied by someone who has killed - something is terribly wrong with that picture, is it not? Did I mention that some of those in the cells convicted of murder are veterans with PTSD? Is that what is meant by "support the troops?"

Plenty of blame to go around

Make no mistake about it, I hold the so-called "people's party," as the Democratic Party likes to frame itself, as guilty and responsible for the mess this nation is in as I do the Republican Party and the BushCo administration; which is comprised of neo-con/neo-liberals, criminals from Iran/Contra, corporate and personal Bush "loyalists," as they all have the very same "master" - U.S. multinational corporations, Wall Street and its investment bankers, whose desire for "profits over people" has them on the same page as was John Jay over 200 years ago when he and Alexander Hamilton, during the drafting of the Constitution and then the Bill of Rights, stated, "the people who own the country ought to rule the country." BushCo shows us, in real terms, that battle over who will "rule" this nation is still being fought, and at a much higher level than ever.

We have "devolved" into a system of "party politics" and what is good for the people of the nation has gotten lost in the process. It is now what is good for the "party" which has nothing what-so-ever to do with the American people other than our so-called "leaders" attaching that term to everything they articulate. Everything is in the name of, and for, the "American people," while those very same "leaders" take away more and more of our rights, liberties and freedoms as well as our right to choose if, how, when or where we will put our lives in the line of fire.

It has been said that "truth is the first victim (cost) of war" and that is especially true with this BushCo war of choice in Iraq. One only need take a cursory look at the ever changing and evolving reasons for the invasion of Iraq coming out of Washington, D.C. to bear this out. One only need take a cursory look at the unbelievable amounts of taxpayer money which is disappearing in Iraq to know that something is terribly wrong. One need only take a cursory look at what the other nations of the world are saying about this country to understand this nation is now viewed as the single greatest threat to world peace there is on the planet, to grasp how far in the back-seat truth has been placed - by Republican and Democrat alike.

People in uniform see thru the rhetoric and disinformation

Is it any wonder that people in uniform currently on active duty are starting to stand up and tell the world they will not be participants in this or any other war? After all, just because they are in uniform does not mean they can't read, or hear, or see the world around them. They hear those in uniform being called heroes, and at the same time hear about Wells Fargo Bank foreclosing on the home of one of those "heroes," which, by the way, is not a singular event. They hear the rhetoric about "support the troops" and then hear about the wounded sent back from Iraq having to pay for meals at the hospital; they hear about the returned Iraq war vets that go weeks and months without pay due to administrative screw ups; they hear about those caught up in "medical holds" that go without treatment. They hear this at the same time they are being told they also will be going to Iraq; or, as in a lot of cases, back to Iraq.

They also hear about their fellow reservists and National Guard members being cast aside after coming back because they are not part of the full time active duty "regular" military; lives totally disrupted, marriages broken, families turned up-side down, homes lost, jobs lost, unemployed, homeless, rampant PTSD, suicides, and they find little to no real help because they are not "active duty military." Even though they do the same job, go to the same places, have been in the same war, and a lot of them on multiple call ups and re-calls, get wounded, some die, caught up in the same stop-loss, they are treated in a totally different way by the military - our people in uniform see this also, and they are beginning to understand what Henry Kissinger said some time back when he told us that people in the military "... are dumb animals to do our bidding ..." is pretty much how their own command structure sees them, and they are resisting this in growing numbers.

Not everyone shut down their cognitive minds or critical thinking when they put on one of this nation's military uniforms. They are more than able to see the disparity between words and actions such as, "we are not occupiers" and at the same time seeing 12 permanent bases under construction as well as the largest "embassy" on the planet being built in Iraq. They see and hear about all the taxpayer money that was earmarked for them and their safety, as well as rebuilding in Iraq that which we blew up, going to companies like Halliburton, billions at a time, poof, now its here, now it's gone; and the rebuilding has not happened nor have they been better protected.

They hear Bush & Co. pontificate about how "we" must make sacrifices, as this is a time of war; and when those in uniform look around, the only ones they see doing the "sacrificing" are themselves and their families, as well as other poor people and people of color, including the ones they are being told to go kill, or be killed, in Iraq. Our people in uniform are more than capable of seeing and understanding the economic "train wreck" headed our way due to the "profits over people" policies of BushCo.

In fact, a big number of them understand it more than most as it is they, their families and children, who go without health insurance, whose schools are closing due to lack of funds and whose homes are being foreclosed on while they have been ordered to go fight this war of choice. This war that has nothing to do with freedom and democracy and everything to do with trying to secure a continuous flow of oil, which world wide has reached its peak--peak oil has arrived. It has everything to do with creating a bigger U.S. "footprint" on the Middle East; it has everything to do with Empire expansion and spreading "freedom and democracy" is the "necessary illusion" to help BushCo "manufacture consent" for their megalomaniacal "policies."

The "involuntary servitude" that is "stop-loss"

Some of the people who are being ordered to fight this war of aggression, empire expansion and war profiteering are telling us that while they are willing to fight for the defense of this nation, they are not willing to fight this BushCo war of choice which has nothing to do with our national defense or freedom and democracy, and everything to do with selfishness, greed, xenophobia, nationalism, self edification and self righteousness. Nor are they willing to quietly accept involuntary servitude, for that is what the stop-loss that Carl is caught up in is. You may place Carl Webb in this group of people and me right there in support of him. But I'm getting ahead of myself, so ...

People have the right, uniform or no, to decide for what cause, what war, if any, they are willing to put their life on the line for; and be willing to kill for. If that is not true, then we are definitely not the nation of free people we keep telling ourselves or the world we are. A revolution was fought by this nation once upon a time and one of the grievances by the colonies leveled at King George in the Declaration of Independence was conscription (military draft, stop-loss, etc.) - which was rightly viewed as a form of indentured servitude, Slavery is another appropriate term! What, if anything, has changed since then?

For the majority of my life, starting as a young person going to school in the late 40's and thru the 50's, I, along with others my age, were taught about the human rights violations perpetrated upon their own people as did China and the Soviet Union, just to mention the two big ones back then. Today, those very nations this nation condemned for civil and human rights violations, now chastise this nation for the very same thing: This nation truly has become the "monster" it once professed to be fighting--and people in uniform are able to see that also, as they did not relinquish their cognitive abilities just because they signed on the "dotted" line. Is it any wonder that people in uniform are now coming out publicly in opposition to this BushCo war of choice and profiteering in Iraq?

Carl Webb - active, active duty war resister, one of many in their growing numbers

Carl Webb is just one of an ever increasing number of those on active duty who have become active, active duty military war-resisters. Where Carl is different than most, is that Carl has come out opposed to this war in Iraq, not all wars. It is this war in Iraq, the "reasons" for it, the people behind it, what it is costing this nation socially, economically, politically, in all ways that Carl openly opposes. Carl's three year re-enlistment was due to be up in August of 2004. Less than 8 weeks before his enlistment was up, he was notified he would be kept on active duty for an addition 15-18 months and would be sent to Iraq on top of it. Carl had just been hit with a "stop-loss" order, more correctly called a back door draft and involuntary servitude.

Carl has not filed for status as a conscientious objector as have many others. When I asked him why not, he simply stated, "I'm not a pacifist" and "it is this particular war of imperialistic aggression I oppose," and "stop-loss which is conscription against a person's will." But then this was not new for Carl, as for years he has been an activist in opposition to the very thing he was now being ordered to participate in - imperialistic wars of aggression. He has been opposed to this war in Iraq since it was launched two years ago and that opposition holds true today.

If you spend enough time talking with someone, even if just over the phone, you are able to discern a lot about that person, if you listen; and Carl and I have spent a great deal of time talking for the past 6 or 7 weeks and what really comes across to me most is his sincerity and compassion for others, as well as the depth of his convictions. He is an incredibly intelligent man and a man of strong character, and one the Army is trying to criminalize due only to Carl's refusal to participate in a war of aggression, oppression, and corporate profiteering.

Carl Webb enlisted in the Texas National Guard as a medic in early August of 2001 for three years. He had been in the Guard prior to this from 1982 - 1995. He was a trained Army medic. Carl chose to become a medic for various reasons, not the least of which was his wanting to be able to help make people's lives a little better thru the care he would be able to provide to his fellow human beings who were infirm, injured, sick and needing medical aid. And, for the better part of ten years, that is exactly what Carl did as an Army medic. At the same time, he has also been outspoken about his opposition to militarization and imperialism.

After spending 12 years in the Army, Carl went back to full civilian life. During the 12 years Carl was in the military he received additional training and schooling, studied and became a Licensed Practical Nurse. Now, back in civilian life and after being unemployed for a growing period of time, receiving an eviction notice and with no good job prospects, Carl re-enlisted. But, as he thought to himself, he would be working in his chosen field of health care and his financial crisis would be over, at least in the immediate short term. And, as Carl has said, "we've invaded about everyone we possibly could invade and it was relatively peaceful for the U.S." so it was a win for the Guard, they got a medic and nurse; it was a win for Carl his immediate financial crisis was ended.

Good deal all around for the three years of the enlistment contract. That was until 9/11 happened and the subsequent national xenophobia, nationalism and politics of fear promoted by BushCo that swept the country.

Now, with a total of 15 years out of the past 22 of honorably serving this nation in the military, Carl Webb finds himself, as do so many others, being looked upon as a criminal by the U.S. military which has issued a federal warrant for his arrest. The reason: Carl refuses to report for duty behind the "stop-loss," and because of his opposition to the war in Iraq, and has been listed as AWOL for the past 5 months. It is his right to choose to go to war or not, as it is everyone's right, especially considering as how this war in Iraq was embarked upon behind everything but truth and fact; and definitely for reasons other than those stated by BushCo.

That brings up another question to add to the ones asked earlier: How have we allowed this country to get to the point where those that commit criminal acts are allowed to criminalize those that will not be participants in criminal acts? That's pretty much what Carl now finds himself confronted with, as do so many others in uniform today behind the up-side down "policies" of the Bush war machine.

As this is getting longer than intended I'll conclude this, for now

The attack on the World Trade Center and murders of 3,000 people on September 11, 2001 opened the door for three separate "groups" to unite under one banner, which I always refer to as BushCo: The religious right, the military/industrial/government ideologues, and the anti-environment pro-corporate deregulation FTAA, NAFTA, CAFTA ideologues, all under the banner of George W. Bush. This is the "radical, revolutionary movement" that is out to redefine this nation in "their" image. And "they" have no shame in the way "they" have "used" the horrific event of 9/11 to further "their" cause, which ultimately is our subjugation under the BushCo corporate banner. This is the movement that if not stopped will turn this nation into something else other than what it was created to be, a free Constitutional based Representative Republic, which "they" have already accomplished to a big degree - "free speech zones" and the "Patriot Act" are good examples, but there are many more.

In four short years BushCo has turned this nation on its head. Surrounding himself with hard core ideologues and neo-con hawks, Bush has propelled this nation into what are becoming endless wars; he has created the environment that now allows for the criminalization of people who object too loudly against the BushCo policies. By bringing criminals into the upper reaches of government decision making like Elliott Abrams, John Negroponte just to mention two, BushCo is looking more like a "crime family" than a governing body. But then "they" always have "Mr. Torture Memos," Alberto Gonzales, to give "them" some appearance of legality and legitimacy. John Gotti would be proud of "them," would he not? In the mean time, the level of secrecy under which "they" operate is still increasing, leaving the majority of us in the dark about what is really being done in our names.

These are also the very people that keep articulating how we are in a "time of war" and due to that "sacrifices" must be made. So they "sacrifice" by giving tax cuts to those who do not need tax cuts; "they" bury the nation in two way debt loads which are going to bankrupt the national treasury; "they" profess to be doing everything in the name of us, the American people, at the very same time "they" tell us "either you are with us or with the "terrorists," whoever they may be? In other words, sit down, shut up, and do what you are told! "They" tell us, the American people "they" have our interests in mind while at the very same time put into effect "laws" that do nothing for the people of this nation but everything for the corporations that "own" the country and our congress. "They" pontificate on how we must "support the troops" when what "they" really mean is we must support BushCo policies, who are themselves throwing the "troops" aside like used dirty dishrags. Through "their" own actions "they" show us that the only thing "they" are really interested in is increasing profit margins and making "their" three-way strangle hold on our government, and us by extension, permanent.

Over two hundred years ago James Madison, in Federalist Paper #47, stated (to paraphrase) that whenever one person or one group controls all three branches of government, judiciary, legislative and executive, that rightly may be called the definition of tyranny.

The people serving this nation in uniform see all of this and much more. They see and understand the deliciousness and "double-speak." The see and understand that what they signed up in the military to be a part of has been turned on its head by BushCo and are now being told, not asked but told they must be willing participants in the BushCo grand scheme of spreading "freedom and democracy" around the world - or go to jail! And they see that freedom and democracy vanishing in this country at the same time!

What surprises me is not those in uniform which have already gone public in opposition to this BushCo policy of "perpetual war for perpetual peace" what surprises me is that a lot more have not as yet gone public as has, Darrell Anderson, who, after receiving one Purple Heart, was ordered to go back to Iraq and who choose instead to go to Canada, where he is now very active in anti-war efforts; or Carl Webb, who like Darrell, was more than willing to serve in the defense of this nation and did for 15 years; but not willing to participate in the current efforts of imperial aggression going on in Iraq currently and who objects strongly to the "stop-loss" orders that were extending his time past the three years of his contract - involuntary servitude, period!

Like I stated earlier, just because people are in uniform that does not mean they are not able to use the cognitive abilities, or think critically. They are more than able to discern the double-speak and dupliciousness coming from our so-called leaders. They are more than able to understand that what BushCo means when talking about the "ownership" society applies only to "a less sanguine form of ownership - huge, absentee owned, business structures where those that make the decisions are very far removed from those who feel the impact of those decisions." It does not mean that we "own" our bodies, our lives, our privacy, our dignity, or our right to decide how we will "spend" our lives as the "state" now believes it "owns" that part of our lives. This is not missed by those in uniform.

And it is that which has led so many to openly stand opposed to this BushCo war of choice in Iraq and its empire expanding, imperialistic driven war policies. That is not what any of them enlisted to be a part of. Like anyone else in this "free and democratic" republic, they have the absolute right to quit, just like anyone else once they start a job and then find out the job is not for them, or that is something else other than what they were told it would be. Anything less than that right and you then are confronted with indentured servitude which was once called slavery (and by any definition still is). Welcome to Bush and Company's "New World Order."

The following links cover a lot of the "ground" covered in this essay and are helpful in painting the picture of how up-side down things have become in 4 short years. There so very many "things" going on at the same time it really gets difficult trying to keep up with it all, let alone to wrap ones mind around it and then to be able to make any sense out of it all. But, wrap our minds around it all we must while we still have any chance of ending this madness.

Wage Peace and the Human Cost of War

Heads Roll at V.A. Over DU

The Bush Ownership Society

Halliburton could get over $9 billion

The Hypocrisy Taboo

Elmer Gantry Politics

Bush uncle profits from war in Iraq

Where was the press?

Bremmer's CPA Lost $9 billion Earmarked for Iraq Re-construction

Is this your ownership society?

When AWOL is the only option

Covert ops in your neighborhood

In Control

Defense Budget 2006

Why are we welcoming this torturer?

Military recruiters face resistance from anti war resisters

Marines Suicide Rate Dramatically Increasing

Economic crash coming

Pentagon Seeking Leeway Overseas

The world prefers China to the U.S.

US government outsources interrogations to foreign torture-chambers

Who Owns What?

On the February Employment Situation

United States has been digging in for the long haul A

bu Ghraib was supposed to be the end of U.S. torture, once the scandal was exposed. But what if it was just the beginning?


Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century. His email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net Carl Webb may be contacted at carlwebb1965@yahoo.com

There is not a cabinet post, administrative post, agency head, that has not come out of the very same corporations or lobbyist groups the agencies they now head are supposed to be watchdogs for and over. Or, that does not come out of hard core neo-con think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute. Does the "fox guarding the hen house" ring a bell?

Elliott Abrams, who was convicted of lying to congress during the Iran/Contra "investigations," was kept out of jail due solely due to a pardon given to him by George H.W. Bush in 1991. He is now the number two security advisor to the current Bush.

John Negroponte, also nailed for lying to congress during the Iran/Contra investigations, and who really worked very hard at covering up death squads, murders, assassinations, and other such "things" while the Ambassador to Honduras during "Iran/Contra." Actually, Negroponte was at the very heart of Iran/Contra and he is now slated to be the head of "Homeland Security." Oh, whoopee! I really feel secure now!

Karl Rove, never elected to any office, now the Bush deputy chief of staff, a policy making position - does anyone else see anything wrong with that picture?

Now we are informed that Bush will appoint John Bolton as the ambassador to the U.N. Instead of me going into a tirade or diatribe on and about John Bolton (a man I have pointed my finger at in many articles as an out of control hawk and neo-con) I have placed a lot of links at the end of this on enough info about Bolton to keep any interested person busy reading for awhile - and read up on him all should do!

Even other hawkish neo-cons are not all big Bolton fans. In fact, the title I put on this piece is a quote from someone who knows and works with him, "Bolton is to diplomacy what Jack the Ripper was to surgery;" and that pretty much sums up quite nicely who and what Bush is sending to the U.N.

If I still had any belief, faith or hope that there was still a government of, by and for the people to some degree in this nation, I no longer do. We are faced with a radical, revolutionary movement which has captured the "throne" of power of this nation and which is out to redefine this country in its own image. We have a governing body comprised of liars, thieves, bullies, extortionists, and self-serving greed merchants and megalomaniacs that are so full of themselves that can't see "the forest thru the trees." And that have wrapped what they are doing in the cloak of religious self-righteousness and who have as their mantra, "profits over people" as well as "perpetual war for perpetual peace."

What it is going to take to stop this madness, to get back to the attempts at creating a democracy in actual fact, I am not sure. What I am fairly sure of, is that what we have is so broken and upside down I am wondering if it can be fixed - or do we need to just start the entire great American experiment all over at the beginning? And then hopefully do it right at long last. All that said, we must still bombard the people in the U.S. Senate too not vote to approve John Bolton to this post at the U.N.

Bush Appoints Right-Wing Extremist to U.N. Post

A Lot More On John Bolton

Oppose the nomination of Bolton

More on Bolton

The dubious career of John Bolton

Who is John Bolton?

John R. Bolton

Source Watch on John Bolton

Bolton is at least consistent. His political career began in UN-bashing

Negroponte's Dark Past

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam War veteran and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century. His email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net

The article goes on to list all the 31 counts of sexual assault and rape this recruiter is now charged with. All of which took place over an 18 month period of time.

"Nationwide, military recruiters reportedly have been linked to at least a half-dozen sexual assaults during the past few years, since the creation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. This broad education law requires, among other things, that high schools give military recruiters greater access to students."

I wonder how many more such instances of sexual assault by recruiters have taken place and gone unreported? Why are we allowing recruiters on this nation’s high schools in the first place? Why are not more people in this nation outraged by this? Why have so many been willing to allow, what was supposed to be a bill about education (ha ha), to give military recruiters access to all information on and about all students on all high schools which receive federal funding? Why do we sit back and tolerate this government telling schools they will lose their federal funding if they do not work in cooperation with military recruiters?

Why do I persist in asking rhetorical questions? That said, why have we allowed our nation's high schools and the students of those schools to become the military's primary source of "recruits" for the current U.S. military juggernaut?

We have all sat back in silence for way too long and now we have a governing body, BushCo, that has created a military arm that now eats it's young.

For years we have been inundated with stories and reports about the systemic problem of rape in the military. 19 investigations in the past 16 years have done nothing to stop that problem women in the military are confronted with. Now, today, with the environment of "anything goes" created by Bush and company, women will be sexually assaulted by recruiters in the nation's high schools before they even get to boot camp. Is this part of "spreading freedom and democracy" the Bush cabal keeps articulating?

We and I mean we, all of us, really do need to do a lot more than keep having "meetings" to discuss what has to be done and just get busy. Openly and publicly and we had best to get busy the sooner rather than later. We do not need a lot of planning meetings to counter the recruiters. Here are a couple of organizations and their web sites that have a lot of good useable and current information we can all use in this effort, including brochures that can be downloaded - the only thing needed is people that will be willing to commit themselves to using the material and then get busy. We can use the in-between busy times to hold "planning meetings" but we must get busy with the anti-recruitment efforts now, today.

The more we wait, the longer we hesitate, the more young people will continue to be misled, taken advantage of, and now, sexually assaulted. This must be stopped!

American Friends Service Committee

Before You Enlist

Quaker House: Anti-Recruitment

Not In Our Name: Stop Recruitment Efforts in Our Schools

Children Are Not a Commodity

The military spends about $3 billion each year to convince young people that enlistment will give them college money, job training and an alternative to working at McDonald's.

Is The Army Focusing On Black Youths?

Military Recruiters Out of Schools

Anti-War Group Targets Military Recruiters on Campus

Should parents have the right to choose to protect a child from being targeted by military recruiters in school? Is it an inherent part of public school education to be pressured to sign an irrevocable contract and join the U.S. armed forces?

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century web publication and his email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net

It comes as no big surprise to me that this government would petition the court to drop the case the Vietnamese have brought. Hell, this government still refuses to accept what AO did to us that wore this nation's uniform let alone be willing to acknowledge what AO has done to millions of Vietnamese. If the courts were to not only hear, but decide the case the Vietnamese brought, that would open the floodgate of additional lawsuits by us vets of that war.

This government would then have to acknowledge that AO is definitely a chemical weapon of mass destruction. The government would then be compelled to look at real science, medical science and the hundreds of verifiable reports worldwide that state in no uncertain of terms that Agent Orange has drastic and dramatic negative impacts on people's health and well being. The government would then have to face up to, and openly admit it knew what AO would do to people ever before it was used the first time. The government would then have too start giving contaminated vets their just due - medical treatment and disability checks monthly where appropriate and that is something this government is flat unwilling to do. Not in today's climate and not with the Bush Cabal in charge of the asylum.

One of the Bush mouthpieces recently told the world that paying veterans’ disability money for injuries and illnesses sustained while in performance of their duties is a "threat to our national security."

Not one Congress or Administration since that war in Vietnam, Republican and Democrat alike, has been willing to look at, or deal with, what Agent Orange has done to people and is still doing to people; like killing them slowly, piece by piece on a daily basis.

Starting in the 1990's this government, in conjunction with the Veterans Administration, started putting together a list of "presumed" conditions as a result of AO contamination. Currently there are ten different diseases on that list, for all the good it does. That's due to the simple fact that even if you have one of the "presumed" conditions, have the absolute proof you were exposed to AO on an ongoing basis, are being medically treated for the disease, the VA will still deny "service connected" disability to that veteran.

Here is a real life example of what I mean. There is a veteran of the American War in Vietnam whom I know real, real well and have for a very long time. He was in Vietnam for close to two years and was at a place which was a storage and transfer depot for Agent Orange (Agent Brown, Agent Green, Agent White, and Agent Pink were also used in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia).

By the time he came back to he had already started getting sick. He was in the Long Beach Naval Hospital for close to three months with kidney failure, internal bleeding, and the nerves in his legs and hands started going numb constantly. After he was stabilized he was sent back to his duty station which was the Marine air base at El Toro, CA. He was then discharged in December of that year, 1967; but less than four months after being discharged he found himself in a VA hospital with kidney failure, internal bleeding, nerves going dead in his legs and hands. While there, paperwork was submitted to the VA for processing as a disability claim - it was denied. Less than a year out of that VA hospital he found himself back in the hospital for the very same conditions.

This continued off and on for the next 35 years with over twenty requests being submitted to the VA for service connected disability as by then this veteran had 22 documented diseases covering virtually every system in his body - bones, muscles, nerves, immune, endocrine, you name it, it was affected. Every claim that was submitted by this veteran was denied. By now he had 4 confirmed diseases that were on the VA's list of "presumptive" Agent Orange diseases - but still he was denied service connected disability.

Finally he was able to get non-service connected disability in mid 1999 due to the massive amount of physical damage which kept him unemployed for the better part of 20+ years. By then he had undergone over 80 major surgeries just to keep his body working; arms, hands, shoulders, legs, kidneys and bladder, nothing was left out of the mix. All of his doctors pretty much were in agreement with Agent Orange being the culprit and cause of all of this. But, still the VA denied his requests for service connected disability classification. He kept fighting and in 2003 he was finally granted "service connected" disability - but not for his physical conditions, nope, the VA re-classified him service connected disabled for combat related PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). There was no mention of his physical conditions in his new VA classification. I guess the VA decided that all of his physical problems disappeared.

Peripheral Neuro Neuropathy is one of the presumed Agent Orange diseases; this he has, and the VA still refuses to add this to his service connected classification. This government will go to great lengths to keep anyone and what they have from being connected to Agent Orange. If they didn't do this, this government would then have to openly admit a lot of things - not the least of which is, as Henry Kissinger put it, the people in the military "are dumb animals" to do with as we will. Test animals for the makers of drugs and chemicals.

40 years after extensive use of and the harm produced, this nation still denies the harm caused by Agent Orange and as a consequence, tens of thousands of veterans of that war are dead due to lack of treatment, lack of medical care and a host of other "lacks." 40 years later this country still tries to cover up its use of a chemical weapon of mass destruction - Agent Orange - and now Depleted Uranium can be added to the list.

40 years later, people are sent to Iraq where a new weapon of mass destruction is being used that will do more harm than what Agent Orange has done and is still doing - the new one is Depleted Uranium. This current government of ours is saying the exact same thing about the use of depleted uranium - there is no harm to humans from the use of depleted uranium. They said the same thing about AO and look at the death toll. The death toll from disease due contamination by depleted uranium will be worse; it will be higher as the use of depleted uranium is nothing less than nuclear warfare. But then, no Empire has every really given a darn about a thing other than invade and conquer at any cost. The people running this nation right now, Bush and company care even less than those which came before them as evidenced by their own words and actions - as a result, we now have a nation, a governing body and a military that willingly and willfully, eats its own!

Additional info on the Agent Orange issue and lawsuit:
From ZNet Blog:

Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin

Agent Orange Project, Fund for Reconciliation and Development (Great resource. Includes links to material drawn from the class-action lawsuit presently before the U.S. District Court in New York City.)
Agent Orange Lawsuit Filed by Vietnamese Victims
Justice for Victims of Agent Orange (Petition)

Operation Ranch Hand: The Air Force and Herbicides in Southeast Asia, 1961-1971, William Buckingham, Jr. (U.S. Air Force, 1982)
Preliminary Assessment of Environmental Impacts Related to Spraying of Agent Orange Herbicide During the Viet Nam War, Hatfield Consultants, Ltd. (Canada, October 1998)

""Agent Orange Victims Sue Monsanto," Tom Fawthrop, CorpWatch, November 4th, 2004
"Vietnamese seeking redress from US in Agent Orange suit," Matt Steinglass, Boston Globe, February 27, 2005
"U.S. urges Judge to Dismiss Suit On Agent Orange Use in Vietnam," William Glaberson, New York Times, February 28, 2005

Jack Dalton is a disabled veteran of the American War in Vietnam and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century. His email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net

Since that POAC op/ed went up and out on the POAC action alerts I have been receiving a lot of emails about it. Most were appreciative of the info and links that were provided for people enabling them to contact the groups and organizations involved in anti-recruitment efforts around the country. Some of the emails were not appreciative for bringing up the need for anti-recruitment efforts. In fact some of them were reminiscent of street preachers who like to chase you down the street beating you on the head with their Bible until you accept all they say.

It is those emails that proceeded to let me know in no uncertain of terms that the Democratic Party is as responsible for the mess we as a nation are in as are Bush and company. No disagreement from me there, as if one looks at history they will see the over whelming majority of the wars this country have been in are a result of the Democratic Party being in control of the seat of power. In fact for those that have been reading what I write they understand I blame the entirety of congress, Republican and Democrat alike, as they are two ends of the very same pole, the one that we keep getting in the posterior! We have two parties in this nation that have "institutionalized" our political system into "party politics." As that has taken place over the decades, we the people who are supposed to be the real seat of power, have been relegated to that of by-standers in the political process of the nation. And that needs to be changed and quickly as we are in great danger of becoming a sort of "Theocratic Oligarchy."

Before that will be able to be changed there is something else that will need to be addressed and changed, and that is the force behind both parties - U.S. multinational corporations which own both parties. I bring this up as one of the critics of what I wrote asking people to get involved in anti-recruitments efforts in their local areas pretty much chastised me from only pointing my finger at Bush and company about all of this because I did not bring up the Democratic Party or anyone in it, nor did I bring up the imperialistic designs of them. As I have done that so much in past articles and due to the fact I wrote the piece for those that have been reading my work for sometime, I did not see the need for that extensive and inclusive of a "diatribe" in a simple call to get involved with anti-recruitment. Others however have seen it a little differently.

Before going any further with this let me say it loud and clear for all to see and hear - I hold party politicks totally responsible for every bit of the mess this nation is in, Repuglicans and Demoncrats alike as they are all pretty much bought and paid for by their corporate minders. And until the day comes we strip corporations of "personhood" I do not see anything changing, not for the better at least. This mess has nothing to do with party politics, as one of my critics intimated when telling me how I or anyone else for that matter, must of necessity include the Demoncrats as part and parcel of the imperialistic designs of the nation. To my critics I say you had better look past both parties at what the real heart of the problem is and that is the "ownership" of this nation's body politick by giant monolithic profits over people U.S. multinational corporations.

Until that is changed nothing will change. We all could go after one party or another from now until they serve ice tea in hell, but until corporations are once again looked at for what they are, an artificially created "thing" NOTHING will change. It's the multinationals that currently own the entire shebang. And we can continue to go after each other, but until corporate control of the body politick is done away with what we are facing today will continue. Due to the fact the Bush administration has notched up corporate rule to an extent never seen, I will also continue to point my biggest finger in that direction, period, end of story there.

I have no problems with criticism or critics, none what so ever. In fact, I welcome them as that is what keeps me on my toes. What I do mind, and see as counter productive to a very high degree is simple this: it is people that profess to be activists, liberals, left, progressives, et al, that are faster on the "trigger" than are those we profess to be aligned in opposition to, and publicly, thereby undermining each other so the opposition has got to nothing but sit back and watch.

When will we learn to put that aside and be more willing to have individual private discussions over possible points contention with each other before launching a public discussion that has as an end result showing how divided we are? What purpose does that serve in the end other than to keep us in opposition with each other?

Less than 18 months ago I was just an old disabled vet sitting at home. Then I started writing my opinions about what I was seeing. Since then I've had hundreds of discussions with people from all over the country. Mostly we all came away with a greater understanding of each other, our individual nuances, and a higher degree of willingness to work together for a common cause. That said, the ugliest letters I've received (other than the 217 death threats) has not been from the Bush cheerleader squad, it has been from those that profess to be progressive activists. Mostly due to me not articulating anything in the manner "they" thought I should be.

There is something terribly wrong with this picture the way I see it. I have talked with many others that write polemics, op/eds, commentaries and every one has told me the very same thing - the worst critics they have are people that profess to be working for the same cause - which is getting this nation to be less profit/corporate oriented and much more people oriented for one.

It is U.S. multinationals that are at the heart of the nation's problems, the two different parties are the people they own and that do their bidding. We can hammer at the individual parties all we want, and that must be done, but until the personhood of corporations is revisited and changed nothing else will change, not really; maybe in appearances, but not in fact. So, no, I did not include anything in the call for anti-recruitments efforts about the Demoncratic Party, not did I include the leading culprit, U.S. multinationals, but that does not negate what I said and that is we badly need to accelerate our nation wide anti-recruitment efforts and get in back of the organizations that are leading the way in that effort.

And along the way, hopefully people will learn things they did not previously know, and also hopefully part of that is being willing to talk with others before going public with everything they think should have been said. From here on in I would appreciate it if anyone disagrees with anything I say, or thinks I should include other things, write to me, and we can discuss "it." From there I am pretty certain most will find we are pretty much on the same page. After that type of discussion we can then together work at trying to "frame" or "reframe" various things, what ever they may be. I do believe that is a little more appropriate than trying to tell me you are attempting do discuss things with me but in a public forum where people have a tendency to jump the gun and usually with a lot of incorrect assumptions. I do not see that as productive in the least.

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century. His email address is jack_dalton@comcast.net

A big chunk of the military's recruitment advertising budget is spent on, and in, this nations high schools "selling" these young people everything about the military and what it means to be in the military--except the truth. Now, today, with BushCo preaching perpetual war world-wide, the military has stepped up its efforts at selling enlisting in the military.

As these young people go off to boot camp they learn immediately how badly they were lied to and deceived about what they would be confronted with and ultimately have to do. Some of them have gone AWOL, some have committed suicide, and some have developed deep depression. All have been severely affected negatively. I have talked with too many of these young people to not understand how badly they have been affected mentally and emotionally.

So what is this "rant" of saying things you all are already aware of about? Just this: I've been receiving lots of emails asking me what can be done to stop some of these recruitment efforts aimed at young people still in high school by many people, including teachers in high schools. I wish I did have an absolute answer to this but like a lot of you I am trying to grasp all this also. That said one thing that can, and must be done and that is for dedicated and committed individuals to organize at the local level.

This country, under BushCo, has driven the militarization of the nation to an all new level, and a level that is frightening to say the least. While he (they) preach about "... this is a time of war and sacrifices must be made..." we all need to take a hard look at what he/they mean by that. Take a hard look at what is meant by "sacrifices must be made" and exactly who the people are that are making the sacrifices.

I do believe behind looking at that, you will, as have I, come to the conclusion the only ones doing any sacrificing are the working poor, the young people being "persuaded" into enlisting, reservists and national guard personnel caught up in the back-door draft of "stop-loss," and you, the working families of this nation who are being told, not asked, but told you must send your sons and daughters into the "Heart of Darkness" that is war currently taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan - with more wars on the way such as Syria, Iran, Colombia, Venezuela, the Philippines, Indonesia among other "targeted hot-spots" on the BushCo's agenda of control, occupation and subjugation.

In the meantime BushCo is doing everything possible to create the conditions economically to, as Newt Gingrich calls it, "Starve the Beast." A deliberate policy of creating deficits so high the only thing taxpayer money can be spent on is the military. A deliberate policy that will create the only open door for economic survival for the majority of this nations young people to be found in enlistment in the military. A few years ago Henry Kissinger referred to those in the military as "dumb animals to do with as we want..." Not much has changed since he made that statement has it?

The Bush family is not sacrificing as the Bush family are profiting nicely from this war of choice; as are Dick Cheney and Halliburton; as are the majority of those that are and have been a part of the BushCo promoters of war; and as are those that are a part of Wall Streets "investor class" who earn their living investing in the military/industrial complex. It is not their sons and daughters that are bombarded by military recruiters in their schools - it is your sons and daughters.

Pull together those of your friends that feel as you, that military recruiters have no place inside this nations schools; get together with local veterans and veteran organizations like Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War and put together an local anti-recruiter "task force" aimed at countering the info, or lack there of, to counter the recruitment efforts of distortion and misinformation aimed at these young people.

Get the brochures the recruiters pass out and go down the list of statements and create your own brochure disseminating truth and supportable fact on every single thing the recruiters enumerate. Include info for parents that explain how if the schools do not allow recruiters space during school hours federal funding for the school can and will be eliminated. Give them real world examples of how they will be left to their own devices if they go to war and come back physically and mentally injured as those that sent them to war de-fund the Veterans Administrations Heath Care system.

A great majority of this information is just not common knowledge so bring it to light. Also, all of us must be constantly on guard when confronting those that essentially support recruiting kids and war, not to get into shouting matches or allow them to draw you into a side discussion. Drive all discussions right back to the topic at hand - recruiters in schools must go and why. A quick goggle search for "anti recruitment efforts" may yield a wealth of info that is appropriate, truthful and factual to help in your efforts at the local level. One thing I am pretty much certain of and that is as local anti-recruitment efforts start taking hold, it will spread. But it will take dedication and commitment and giving up some time that would be spent doing other things.

Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families as well as organizations like the National Veterans Foundation, SNAFU and Citizen Soldier may be able to help in some way with your local efforts; especially in advice and suggestions in terms of focal points. Veterans organizations comprised of Vietnam vets are an outstanding resource as most Nam vets understand first hand how unwilling this nation is to take care of those it sends to war; a lesson returning veterans of this American war in Iraq are unfortunately now learning. They can provide an excellent counter to a great deal of the disinformation put out by military recruiters, especially the returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan that are willing to speak out - and that number is growing daily.

The only thing that will prevent anti-recruitment efforts to not only start taking place in your individual local areas, but to start making an impact as well, is and will be people's willingness or unwillingness to put forth the time and effort.

As more information comes my way I will be certain to pass it on to all of you. As you learn of things others are doing around the country, please pass it on to me so I in turn may pass it on to others - after all we are in this together are we not? There is a quote from an old movie I just absolutely love (every so often a script writer comes up with something really good) and it goes something like this: "Change can come from the many, but only when the many come together to form that which is invincible - the power of one."

There are so many issues of great importance hitting us all at once and from multiple directions I fully understand the difficulty of trying to sort it all out and figure out where efforts may best be applied to maximize the chance for positive affective change. But this we must do or we will become impotent on doing anything. And getting behind, and building anti-recruitment efforts are something I really believe needs to be at the top of our "to-do" list, or at the least on our top ten priorities list.

The links below will give you a small idea of some of what is going on nation wide in various local communities, additional info on the issue itself and hopefully they will provide a little impetus to spur all on toward becoming more informed about recruiting on the nations schools and the absolute need for many more to become publicly visible and vocal in a coordinated concerted effort at getting recruiters out of this nations schools.

War, any war is bad in and of itself - but a war such as in Iraq, that was started behind lies, deceptions, misinformation, disinformation, greed and hidden agendas makes anti recruitments efforts that much more of an imperative.

American Friends Service Committee

Before You Enlist

Quaker House: Anti-Recruitment

Not In Our Name: Stop Recruitment Efforts in Our Schools

Children Are Not a Commodity

The military spends about $3 billion each year to convince young people that enlistment will give them college money, job training and an alternative to working at McDonald's.
Calling all soldiers: Military recruiters face resistance from young anti-war activists

Is The Army Focusing On Black Youths?

Military Recruiters Out of Schools

Anti-War Group Targets Military Recruiters on Campus

Should parents have the right to choose to protect a child from being targeted by military recruiters in school? Is it an inherent part of public school education to be pressured to sign an irrevocable contract and join the U.S. armed forces? The State.com - News Columnists

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, activist for military and veterans affairs, independent writer and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century web publication http://oldamericancentury.org/index.htm He may contacted thru the POAC web site or directly at his email address at: jack_dalton@comcast.net

That learning experience started last August when I meet Jennifer Dyer, who at the time was a 1st LT in the New Jersey National Guard. On the 8th of that month, while undergoing pre-Iraq deployment training at Camp Shelby, MS, she was raped by another "officer" who now faces a General Courts Martial on multiple charges. The full story about this is archived here, http://oldamericancentury.org/jennifer.htm.

It was not until getting so heavily involved with Jennifer and her husband Edward, who is a 20 year veteran of the police in New Jersey where they live, did I even begin to understand how devastating rape is to the women who are victims of this crime of violence by men. Like a lot of other men - most actually - when I heard of another women being raped I pretty much said, "that's not right, poor woman" and then went about my daily life with no more thought about what was just read than "what will I have for supper tonight."

"What's the big deal?" would run through my mind; "women get "screwed" every day and no one has died yet" would also bounce around in my head. But, the more I got to know Jennifer, the more I started seriously looking into the entire issue of rape in the military; the more I learned the more I wrote and the more I wrote the more letters I received from other women who had been raped while on active duty in the military. They all had the very same thing in common other than they had been raped - each and every one of them after reporting they had been raped - were further victimized, as the military started criminalizing them, the victim.

Every woman that has written me since the first article on Jennifer was published have all told me the very same thing: the rape was not the worst of what they had to go through; the worst treatment they all had to endure was what the military did to each and every one of them after reporting the rape. From the over three hundred, 300, women that have written me behind the articles I wrote on Jennifer, what she was facing and being put through at the hands of the U.S. Army, I learned, and what I learned was not nice to say the very least.

I learned of women whose careers were completely destroyed by a military that could care less about what happens to its women in uniform. I learned of a military that rarely ever prosecutes those guilty of rape as the military is more interested in "protecting" its name than protecting the women in uniform. I learned that as a matter of policy, the military views rape as "an incident of military service." I learned that the vast majority of those standing accused of rape are transferred to another base or are promoted and then transferred. I learned that these women are victimized by military men and then further victimized by the very military they serve and not enough seem to care. If they did this could be brought to an end.

As it is, in the past 16 years there have been 18 "major investigations" about the very real systemic problem of rape in the military by men in uniform. There has been a lot of talk, a lot of "feigned" outrage, a lot of political speeches, a lot of "new" rules & regulations put into place; but behind it all one thing remains a constant - nothing has changed - and that is the biggest outrage of all!

I could very easily throw out a massive amount of statistics about this, but it’s all in the public domain and very easily accessed by any and all who wish to see for themselves how rampant is the problem of rape by men in uniform. One of the big problems as I see it, is simply this, most people do not want to know and if they do, don't want to openly address this very real problem so they just grumble about it in the comfort of their homes.

Growing incidents of rape were part of what got the U.S. bases closed in the Philippines - people got fed up with seeing their young daughters turned into prostitutes by our men in uniform; they got tired of seeing their young daughters being raped by men in uniform; they got tired of seeing their daughters beaten and murdered by men in uniform.

The same thing has been taking place in South Korea where rape has been rampant and Okinawa, where not only has rape been rampant but also murder of women after being raped. The command and control of the U.S. military has not done anything to address that, just as it has done nothing to stop this country's women in uniform from likewise being abused, beaten and raped by men wearing the very same uniform of the very same nation.

Just today, on the "news" is the report of a woman that was in U.S. custody in Iraq who was raped (there are many reported cases of this in Iraq of women "detainees"). In fact, according to a recent AP release, over 300 women in the U.S. military serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Bahrain have reported being raped by men in the same military. Good grief, the poor women are in a war zone and now they must also have to view everyone as a potential enemy, especially men wearing the same uniform. What is wrong with that picture?

If you want to see some facts and statistics that are indicative of how bad this problem of rape in our military is, how extensive it is, how completely outrageous it is, and how little is being done by the military to stop it, take a look at the information provided by The Miles Foundation http://hometown.aol.com/milesfdn/myhomepage. If you can read this and not be willing to join in demanding that this be addressed, and in real terms, something is very, very wrong.

Last October, after contacting a lot of media behind the second article on the plight of Jennifer, Janice Tomlin of 60 Minutes got in touch with me asking if I could get her in contact with Jennifer and her attorney, Fred Klepp (it was a friend in Italy, Ani, owner, editor and publisher of Online Writers Against War http://www.writers-against-war.org/public/contents.html who helped me find an attorney for Jennifer and that was Fred Klepp). As I was saying, Janice was put in contact with Jennifer and her husband who some days later informed me that Janice was coming to see them and to start filming for a 60 Minutes broadcast.

We were all hoping it would be broadcast around last December but it did not work out that way. But then that was me and my impatience, which I never failed to inform Janice about. That said, when it finally did air this past Sunday, February 19th, it was actually better than what I thought it was going to be. Hey Janice, you did good!

I bring this up for multiple reasons not the least of which is that a lot more of this need to be done and a lot more often. There are almost no broadcasters that are taking on the systemic problem of rape by men in uniform on women in uniform other than what CBS and Janice at 60 Minutes has done. One of the striking things that was brought out, was the fact that when Janice and the 60 Minutes crew called the Department of Defense and Pentagon for their comments about this, none of them were willing to be interviewed - why does that not surprise me?

What happened to Jennifer Dyer was as wrong as wrong can be, as it is for all the women who have gone thru the same thing. What she had to endure after reporting the rape was in some ways, even worse than the rape. Jennifer, like so many other women, was the victim of a violent crime. She should have been treated as the victim she was by the Army. Instead, like the other women victims of rape, was treated as if she were the criminal.

That made it necessary for her, the victim of a violent crime, to hire an attorney in her attempt to get any semblance of justice or fair treatment from the Army whose uniform she wore. Jennifer, the victim of a violent crime, had to put all of this before the public and embarrass the Army in order to get justice; more embarrassment for her - I mean look at it from Jennifer’s side, would you want to splash something like this all over the world for everyone to know? I know I wouldn't.

She, the victim of a violet crime, due to the Army's unwillingness to do what was right, is now faced with a very large bill for legal services; which by the way are still on going and will be until the accused rapist, 1st LT Michael Hall has his day in court, which is coming up real soon. When I last spoke with Jennifer's husband Ed, he told me that Mike Hall's attorneys told him that Hall was willing to leave the Army with an other than honorable discharge if Jennifer would request the charges against him be dropped - you figure it out from there. Jennifer's reply, "Forget it, put him on trial."

The way I see it now, as opposed to prior to last August, rape, whether in the military or civilian, is not a "women's issue" as it is commonly referred to; it is a "man's issue" as the rapes are committed by men upon women - that makes it by definition a man's problem and issue. And make no mistake about it; rape is an act of violence, period, end of story!

As a side note; anyone that would like to help her with the mounting legal fees may do so at a fund POAC set up for her sometime back by going here: http://oldamericancentury.org/jennifer.htm, or by writing her attorney Fred Klepp direct at klepplaw@aol.com

For more information and what you may do to help end this see:
The Miles Foundation

The Feminists Peace Network

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century and can be reached thru there.

Bush and company just were wrong in terms of what the "train wreck" coming is. It has nothing to do with social security and everything to do with who has control over one's very own life - the individual, or as is happening now, the "state?"

One more thing to add to this before explaining what I see as the "train wreck" heading our way, and that is simply this: It is most assuredly possible to have the trapping of democracy without being a democracy in actual fact or practice. What I mean by this will also become clear as this essay proceeds and it has everything to do with how many rights we really have when it comes to our own lives and how we will live them.

First, let me illustrate what I mean, at least in part, with this story about a young man, Trent Helmkamp, who just turned 19 years old who is out of high school less than one year; who is in the Marine Corps and currently stationed at the Marine Corps base, Camp Lejeune, N.C. This is where Marines are sent after initial boot camp training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. for what is referred to as ITR or "Advanced Infantry training Regiment," at least that is what it was called when I was in, and I like using that term still.

This is not a short story, nor is it a singular story, so grab a seat, a cup of "fair trade" coffee or what ever you happen to like, and get ready to be angered, as was I after multiple conversations over the phone with Trent's mother and father. And after reading the letters, reports and correspondence between Trent's attorney - Charles Gittins - Trent's parents and the Marine Corps, the shock turned to complete outrage.

Trent's story will also point out the absolute need to get military recruiters out of this nation's high schools! And get them out we must! At least as they exist and currently operate on the grounds of high schools today.

Trent Helmkamp was a 17 year old junior in high school when the paperwork for Delayed Entry in the Marine Corps was filled out, signed, sealed and delivered, that was in June, 2003. Now, February, 2005, Trent is at Camp Lejeune, N.C. being treated like a criminal; being publicly embarrassed by those in "command and control;" being "hazed" by what is supposed to be "fellow" Marines to the point he has had to have stitches in his face from being assaulted. The realities of what the Marine Corps does and how - fight and kill the "enemy;" and how it trains, hard and brutally - caught up with Trent at boot camp and it was then and there he knew that he could not pick up a weapon to kill another human being, nor would he.

It was during boot camp that Trent was confronted with the reality of being in the Marine Corps and the Corps mission. It was not till boot camp that Trent began to understand what is meant when said of the Corps, "First in and last out;" as the first and foremost job of every Marine is that of a frontline rifleman. It was in boot camp that Trent learned the hard way, as have many others before him, myself included (USMC, 9/63—12/67) that there is a huge difference between what the recruiters tell you and what, in fact, you will not only be expected to do, but required to do.

That's a very rude awakening for someone who is now just barely 18 and relatively fresh out of high school. And who was showered with gifts from recruiters while still in high school, as was Trent, while being told of all the "sweet" jobs he could have and wonderful duty stations, and don't forget the money for college.

It was also in boot camp that Trent came to the realization he had made one very big mistake in wanting to be a Marine. He came to know that he could not deliberately train for the purpose of taking another human beings life, period, end of story. The knowledge that he could not kill, would not kill, nor would he train to kill came about when he was sent to the rifle range to train with not only the rifle, but with bayonet as well.

The human shaped rifle targets became someone's mother, father, brother, sister, son and daughter to Trent as he aimed thru the sights of his rifle. When Trent was told to imagine the bayonet dummy to be a human being, Trent knew right then and there he could not nor would he be a participant in the taking of a human life. And while being taught "to stomp on someone's throat to kill them" his belief of the wrongness of war, all war, crystallized and Trent became a Conscientious Objector, only he had yet to put a name to what he knew and felt in mind and heart - there was no way he would train to kill.

As Trent has stated, "I will not kill and I will not bear arms, to include bearing arms in order to train to kill. If I am ordered to bear arms, I will disobey such order." But I'm getting ahead of myself with Trent's story and current situation. So I'll back up just a little.

Trent was a 17 year old high school student when he "considered" taking the Marine Corps recruiters up on the Delayed Entry Program. Kids still in school like Trent with their parents consent "sign up" (parents have to sign the paperwork for anyone under 18) and as soon as they graduate, off to boot camp. Trent's parents, initially, were not in agreement with his desire to sign up for the Delayed Entry Program and at first would not agree to sign the consent papers for him. Trent did what all kids do when they are told "no" by mom and dad - he dug his heels in and became more determined to get them to sign the consent papers.

From what Trent's mom and dad have told me in our many conversations, Trent begged, pleaded, asked and kept on asking, typical of all kids who are determined and who have "made up" their minds on something. It took Trent a few weeks, but in the end his parents finally acquiesced and signed the consent forms. In June of 2004, Trent, having graduated high school that month, was off to boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.

That Trent's father is a career Naval Officer and Navy Diver, with 25 years active duty, more than likely had a sizeable influence on Trent and his wanting to be a Marine. His mother, Kathie believes so, and I pretty much agree with her on that point. Based on many conversations with Trent's father, it is a safe assumption he thinks that also.

I can hear the "comments" and questions from here, "Why would they sign the papers for Trent while he was only 17 and in high school, especially with his father being on active duty, a career officer, and with a war going on?" Do not be hard on either of them. How many of you who ask that question have a dug in determined 17 year old son? That is a formidable force to oppose especially when you add a Marine recruiter to the mix. And keep in mind also, that very few active duty personnel actually know anything about how recruiters actually work, just like the majority of the public in this country do not know.

On top of that, keep in mind that Trent's father is a Navy diver and, as such, is pretty much separated from all the other facets of the military and its mission, whatever that may be at any given point in time. That's the kind of military Trent grew up with and saw. A far cry from what he would be confronted with in boot camp. Trent, his father, and his mother have been going thru one big learning experience since Trent has declared himself, as a matter of conscience, a conscientious objector; which has not been easy or pleasant to say the least.

Trent graduated boot camp and went home for "leave" in September of last year. According to his parents, when Trent came home; "He was depressed and confused and was sent to see a military Chaplain and a mental health counselor at the Marine base close to our home. He knew he was now a part of something that would expect things from him that he couldn't do."

It was while he was home on leave that he first learned of "conscientious objectors." Up until that time Trent had no idea that someone in the military who became opposed to war could apply for status as a conscientious objector and possibly be discharged. The conviction that war, all war, was inherently wrong that had crystallized within him at the rifle range earlier now had a name - Trent declared himself a conscientious objector and requested status as such to his commanding officer when he returned to Camp Lejeune from his leave.

Trent is now learning another lesson and this one is not pretty either. He is now learning that all Marines do not take care of each other; they do not all watch each others back; and they are not all supportive of their fellow Marines - especially when a Marine is directly and indirectly publicly insulted and humiliated by what is essentially "command and control" as is Trent after declaring himself a C.O. In fact he has been attacked by a "fellow" Marine once already and that required stitches. So much for Semper Fi - as a former Marine, and a combat Marine, that hurts to see and say. This new national policy of "perpetual war for perpetual peace" has more than just a little to do with men like Trent being treated in this manner.

Trent is a role model of and for ethics, integrity, and honor. "He realizes that going against the crowd may be the hardest thing he has done," but he is willing to do just that "even if it means going to jail." That is strength of moral conviction. That is character to be admired. That is courage at a level which most men only think about and here is an 18 year old exhibiting just that. Trent, at 19 has more courage and strength of conviction than what I have seen in anyone in sometime - he is more man than most, that I do know, and one to be respected and greatly admired!

Those who have the temerity, the audacity to condemn Trent, could learn from him the meaning of courage, loyalty and honor. Instead however, Trent has been, and is currently being subjected to everything but fair and just treatment. Which so far he has not even come close to receiving; if anything, the treatment Trent has received by his "superiors" has been not only dismissive but extremely antagonistic as well; just as the military is to all who apply for conscientious objector status.

One road block after another has been thrown in front of Trent after he declared and filed paperwork for status as a C.O. In fact, the investigating officer assigned to Trent's case acted more like a prosecuting attorney rather than just follow the law and carry on an impartial investigation into the legitimacy of Trent's application. During one session with the investigator, Trent was belittled and berated by this so-called "investigator" who then proceeded to tell Trent that he "found his letters of support annoying." These were letters from active duty military, some of which held very high positions of authority within the military. But, the investigator found them "annoying." Give me a break! That's not an investigating officer; that is someone bound and determined to find any reason at all to deny Trent's application. The Marine Corps hates to lose. And if it was to approve Trent's application, the Marine Corps would view that as them losing and that it cannot allow.

The "interviewer" came at Trent as if he were a criminal. There was no impartiality whatsoever; he came into the interview attempting to bait Trent and proceeded to treat him with little to no respect or dignity. But, then that is the Marine Corps way when one stands like a man of conscience as is young Trent Helmkamp. One Major in Trent's command even went so far as to tell Trent if he went UA (unauthorized absence) or did anything wrong that they would keep him there forever. While another one suggested Trent go UA and that way he could get out with other than an honorable discharge, but at least he would be out, as it was stated. Now you tell me, how nuts is that?

There is so very, very much more to this, but that is for another essay. Trent's father wrote a letter to Senator Warner and it is a must read. In it he confronted the entire issue of conscientious objector status in a way I have never seen anyone else ever do, and I strongly urge all to read it. You will be able to better understand the entire process and how it is geared to deny and not help. In his letter, Trent's father made some rather profound observations about the entire process and what his son has been subjected to.

A Marine LT. at Camp Legeune - on condition of anonymity - told Trent's parents not long ago, "By letting your son go, they, the Marines, will feel like they have lost, and the Marines are trained to always win." And in this instance they want to win even at the expense of what is right and at Trent's expense, as it is his life they are attempting to turn upside down and to a large degree already have. In the meantime Trent, who is at the same base as was Jason, the young man the Marine Corps is trying to say killed himself, is going thru essentially the same type of brutality and harassment as did Jason - you take it from there. I only know this; I am more than just a little concerned for his safety, health and well being.

Letter from Trent's Mother http://oldamericancentury.org /trent.htm


Letter to Senator Warner from Trent's Father http://oldamericancentury.org /trent_002.htm

Rebuttal to Investigating Officers Report http://oldamericancentury.org /trent_001.htm

My Concluding Thoughts and the "Train Wreck" I See Coming

The "train wreck" I see coming is the one that has been created by this current administration and the entire concept of "perpetual war for perpetual peace" or as those who occupy this nation's seat of power like to put it, "preventive wars." How do you prevent war by going to war as the aggressor?

This nation incarcerates more of its own citizens than does any nation on earth. We have many in prison for murder, and for those who are in fact guilty, that's where they belong. At the same time, when a young man such as Trent stands up and states that he cannot train to kill, he will not train to kill, nor will he ever kill another human being, he is threatened with prison for not wanting to kill! Right now today, we have people in prison who have been convicted of murder and in the cell next to them, are people in prison due to the fact they said no to killing as has Trent. Is this not insane?

And I will not accept as some have tried to tell me, "That's different. They are in the military and the military's job is to kill." Hogwash! In general it takes a lot to train people to get over their natural aversion to taking a life. The military trains and indoctrinates young men into a culture of "killing" and then sends them off to war where killing is the order of the day and too often a matter of personal survival. Then they come home, all twisted by war where you learn to act and react instantly to "adverse" situations and that same type of reaction is with them.

The next thing you hear, is another combat vet has killed his family (it happened a couple of years ago at Ft Brag) or his girlfriend while in a rage (a man was just sentenced for 2nd degree murder here in Oregon recently - he had just recently come back from Iraq) and they all end up where - in prison. And those two are far from singular events! Go to prison for killing - go to prison for not killing.

If that is not a "train wreck" I have no idea what qualifies as one.

At one time in this nation individuals had the right to choose how to live their own lives; what they would do; where they would work; what kind of work they would do; at least until now. If, when after starting a "job" the individual decided, nope, this is not for me, they could quit and move on from there. Now we are in a situation where a person that goes into the military full of John Wayne movies, highly trained military recruiters who know how to get inside a kids head and computer generated war games gets confronted with the reality of the military and its mission says, "nope, I cannot do this," and then is criminalized for not wanting to kill or even learn how to kill.

"Is this what we have allowed this nation to become? Lives that are not our own, but the states to do with as it will when it will? That's not an all volunteer military, that's called forced indenture - once it was called slavery."

Now we are facing the very real possibility of more wars other than the two currently going on in Iraq and Afghanistan - Iran and Syria: Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off to War We Go has to quickly become the mantra for this country since Bush and company have gained the seat of power - this must not be allowed to continue or many more lives will be destroyed - if not by participation in war, then by the U.S. military that will eat it's own if they choose, as has young Trent Helmkamp, to say no, I will not train to kill nor will I participate in killing, period, end of story!

Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century publication http://oldamericancentury.org /index.htm Also: at Trent's parents request, anyone wanting to contact them or Trent, send an email to me at the above link or to jack_dalton@comcast.net and it will be forwarded to them. Trent's attorney may be contacted at cgittins@aol.com

From the women I have heard from since first writing about Jennifer, I would say it is a lot more than just ten. At the very least, there are a serious number of men raping women in uniform--so much for taking care of your own. Men in U.S. uniforms are responsible for an outrageously high number of rapes everywhere they are

The 60 minuets program Sunday will include an in debt interview with Jennifer Dyer who was a victim of a military rapist--while undergoing pre-Iraq deployment training. Jennifer became of casualty of this BushCo war of choice in Iraq without ever setting foot in Iraq.

Here is the link to the articles on and about Jennifer and what she had to endure at the hands of the Army after reporting what had happened to her. http://oldamericancentury.org/jennifer.htm

Two days Before Christmas Jennifer received an honorable discharge from the Army. In March, 1st LT Michael Hall, 278 Regimental Combat Team, will face a General Courts Martial for her rape.

Behind what happened to Jennifer, then after embarrassing the military on the internet and then in the corporate media, the DoD has opened an investigation.

Earlier today, CNN aired about two minuets of Sundays broadcast on 60 min. and from what I saw, it is going to be more than worth watching, as the issue of rape in the military is grossly under-reported to say the least.

Let us hope the investigation spurred by this will do what all the other "investigations" have not--stop this systemic problem of rape in the military. Regardless, we must keep bring this to the attention of the public as in the end it will only be non-stop pressure for the body public that bring this to an end. This has been a shocking learning experience for this old man.

Yours in solidarity and peace

Jack

"Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace" is exactly what this nation is being led into by a relatively small group of hard core neo-cons with an army of pundits, religious zealots, corporate greed merchants and "Mayberry Machiavelli's" comprised of: the Project for a New American Century; the Carlyle Group; the Heritage Foundation; the American Enterprise Institute; the Club for Growth; and the Federalist Society. All of whom are at the head of the BushCo parade attempting to redefine this nation. This is by no means all that comprise the menagerie of megalomaniacs pulling the strings of "government." But these "groups" are pretty much at the top of the heap of those that "help" formulate what the foreign and domestic policies emanating from the Bush administration and Congress will be.

This isn't rocket science; just a cursory look at the PNAC's statements and those coming from the American Enterprise Institute will bear me out on this. In fact the "members" of the PNAC, just a few short years ago were known as the "crazies" throughout Washington, D.C. Now they are dictating U.S. policy, as half the PNAC is the governing body of this country. Cheney, PNAC; Rumsfeld, PNAC; Wolfowitz, PNAC; Leeden, PNAC; Bolton, PNAC; Feith, PNAC; Perle, PNAC - need I go on? Check out this 48 minute video on the Carlyle Group if you want your blood to run cold. The Bush administration, PNAC, Carlyle, the Federalist Society, they are all one in the same for all practical purposes as these people bounce back and forth between them all.

Two and a half years ago we in this nation were "sold" a bill of goods by these people about the absolute "crisis" Iraq posed to the security of the U.S. In a relatively short period of time every single reason articulated by Bush & CO. proved to be one big scam perpetuated upon us by them. As a result of this BushCo war of choice over 100,000 people of Iraq are dead, with 60% of that number being innocent women and children; and over 1,400 U.S. soldiers have been killed , with that number increasing daily (and that number is understated by all accounts).

Now, today, we hear Bush, Condi Rice and the media pundits articulating the very same rhetoric about Iran. This comes as no surprise as the , stated in no uncertain of terms that after Iraq, Iran then on to Syria, and this was said prior to 9/11. Bush/Cheney have been following the PNAC's play book from day one and I see no reason they will not continue in terms of Iran, but then oil is in this mix also.

One "Crisis" after another says BushCo--when the only "Crisis" is BushCo.

We also are hearing Bush & CO., day after day, articulate one "crisis" after another, all generating non-stop 'fear' much the same way the invasion of Iraq was "sold" with fear. The purpose of which is to generate the necessary of the American people behind the creation of their "Necessary Illusions." And the Bush administration has plenty of pundits and PR firms to help in the "sales" campaign.

The "crisis" in Iran; the "crisis" with social security; the "crisis" with lawsuits; the moral values "crisis;" when the only "crisis" this nation faces is the one that has been created by those that are deliberately burying this nation in a level of unsustainable debt. And at the very same time turning the U.S. into a militarized empire/police state, and one great big "third world" cheap pool of labor (which by the way is what they mean when they talk about the U.S. needing to be more "competitive" in the global market - cheap labor & no benefits, like health care). We are being led down the same exact economic path as was Argentina when its economy went bust. Now that's a crisis.

If you want to look at a "crisis" (conspiracy as far as I'm concerned) here's a good one for you. It started back in the early 90's when Newt Gingrich was elected to the House of Representatives and became Speaker of the House and he gave the "gift" of the "Contract for America" to the nation. Along with this is the deliberate policy of "Starve the Beast" ala Grover Norquist. Either one of those two involved in government in any way, is a crisis!

What Gingrich and Norquist laid out is in action right now, today, in no uncertain of terms. Gingrich in a recent interview on Hannity and Colmes (who strongly urges Gingrich to run for Prez in 2008 - a truly scary thought) stated one of his three main agenda points - getting "God" back in the center of government as a matter of policy. The religious zealots (the American Taliban) love that one, and it is currently being articulated in congress.

"Starve the Beast" is up and running full steam ahead - it's a deliberate policy of creating deficits so large that the government will be forced into cutting programs across the country. Bush and Company has that one down to an art form. And the programs that will be cut - essentially all social safety net programs are on the chopping block: social security, V.A. health care and benefits to veterans, Medicaid, education, state block grants, all those things that were put into place to be of help to those in this nation that "free market capitalism" leaves behind.

It is the entitlement programs these people view as a threat to democracy, freedom and liberty because according to "them," these programs have created a "socialist welfare state" redistributing wealth downward. At least that is how the people running this nation, our so-called "elected representatives" view this. I guess a type of feudal system would be more to their liking with all us good little "serfs" doing as we're told, and fighting their wars. John Jay and Alexander Hamilton always did say, "The people who own the country ought to rule the country." Not much seems to have changed does it?

A look at the will bear this out as 150 so-called "unnecessary" government programs are to axed or have significant fund reductions and all the while the deficits will go higher. And while the poor get poorer, as programs are cut there will still be plenty of funding for the war department. The "crisis" we are faced with is what the militarization of the nation, under direction of BushCo, is creating and costing us: socially, economically, politically, morally and especially in terms of the cost to people's daily lives in a hundred different ways as a result of this BushCo war of choice in Iraq.

So while Bush and company keep rattling their sabers and threatening nations around the globe, "our way or we blow you to hell and back" or at least threaten it, the European Union, China, Russia, Venezuela, Iran, Brazil and a few other countries are starting to counter U.S. polices and threats with economic warfare of sorts.

See how much Bush and Company have accomplished in 5 years. Just keep in mind that if this country does not changes its direction, we will end as all other empires have ended - with an over-extended military, and the economy in the toilet; good-bye noble experiment called America. As a matter of fact, our military is already over-extended and we are in serious economic hot-water. In the meantime we have a lot of people in uniform whose lives are being destroyed behind lies, cons and deception. Being told to kill, or be killed. The cost of war is just too high a price to pay at any time, let alone as now, behind lies, disinformation and deception.

A Cost of Militarization and War

Some people are starting to see thru some of the disinformation and lies of Bush & Co, that includes those in uniform on active duty, some of whom have been to Iraq and seen the Bush war of "freedom and democracy" up close and too personal. They have come away from it knowing that war and all its barbaric inhumanity, especially when war is propelled by selfishness and greed, more commonly know as "national interest/national security" is not an answer to or for anything. The worst part is finding out after the fact you went to war for lies - those are bad "demons" to live with.

No longer is this nation content with having a defense force. The Bush bunch has transformed it into a military of aggression. And in the process this nation has become the monster it has professed to be fighting. People on active duty in the military are seeing this, objecting to it, and in a lot of cases are saying "no, I won't go!" Sgt Kevin Benderman, Darrell Anderson, Adam Mowery, Carl Webb, are but four - however, the list goes on, and on, increasing almost daily. War-resisters, one and all.

Over 5,500 active duty military have gone AWOL rather than be participants in the war in Iraq. In fact there is a growing number of active duty military that have been to Iraq once and now, after coming home, have become war-resisters.

22 year old Darrell Anderson is one such young man. After enlisting in January 2003, mainly to have money for college (sound familiar?) and in fact, according to Darrell, "I was ready to die for my country." After being sent to Iraq and seeing this war as a participant he began to change. He began to see the utter futility of war and he began to see thru the rhetoric of why he was there. Then in April, 2004, he was wounded by a roadside bomb.

Three months later, in July, he was sent back home. His mother, Anita, said Darrell seemed fine when he came home, but was deeply changed when he returned home again on leave for Christmas. "He paced the floor constantly, never once slept through the night," Anita Anderson said of her son. "He would get up in the middle of the night and go out walking. He was having nightmares; he was depressed; he couldn't even watch a movie."

According to Darrell, in early April he was ordered to shoot at a car full of people moving in his direction, which Darrell would not do. "This car kept coming, and the other guys were yelling, 'Why don't you shoot, why don't you shoot?' But I felt the car posed no threat. Then, the window of the car rolled down, and it was just an Iraqi family," Anderson said. "I said, 'Look it's just innocent people.' But they kept telling me, 'The next time, you open fire. We don't care."' A few days later Darrell was wounded by a roadside bomb.

When Darrell was notified about going back to Iraq, he said no and went to Canada. "They call me a deserter but it is not me that deserted; it's my country that deserted its morals and been over taken by greed. When a country (like ours) makes all its decisions based on money it has no compassion for the people in which their heartless decisions affect. I was willing to die to defend my country but they lied to me about what I was doing I was sent to kill Innocent people and die my self just so the rich could protect their investments. How long will the world stand by and let this unjust war go on how many young poor kids will die for the rich. Bush wants to set up a democracy in Iraq when we don't have one in the states; we have a plutocracy, a Government ruled by the rich. We as Americans have to open are eyes and question the country we have been raised to trust and it’s time to stand up and say I will not be a tool of destruction any more."

As Darrell told me over the phone, "Why should I have to face time in jail just because I do not want to fight in a war? I'm not the one who has done anything wrong." He is now pegged as a criminal by the U.S. military, which is the real "criminal" in this mix.

What the U.S. military is doing to some of its own is criminal. What the military is doing, directed by the Bush administration, is a direct result of the militarization of this nation as well as its plans for more wars - did someone say Iran?

To Conclude This Now

Thanks to the Bush cabal, we have a war in Afghanistan, a war in Iraq, an almost war in Venezuela and the Philippines, war drums beating for Iran and who knows what other country will be next on the BushCo/PNAC/Carlyle Group hit list.

At the very same time, the Bush cabal, along with burying the country in a mountain of debt that will last decades, is rolling back all public safety net programs for the old, sick, veterans, and children; as well as increasing the level of secrecy under which they operate, and they are criminalizing dissent. He preaches freedom and democracy around the world and destroys it here. "Free speech zones," give me a break!

The military is stretched so thin due to the Bush policies and war mongering it is now calling back to active duty people who have been out for years in some cases. Single mom with babies who has been out for 5 years, called back up; 20 year old kid with herniated disks in the neck while on active duty, sent back to Iraq anyway; people like Adam Mowery who the Army discharged due to a significant back injury, now being called back up. There is a long list of those in similar situations.

The Bush cabal's "preemptive wars" are creating a growing number of PTSD cases (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) who are ending up in jail, committing suicide and in some cases, killing their families, wives and girlfriends - here in Oregon, just a couple of days ago a veteran of the Bush war in Iraq was sent to prison for 2nd degree murder; he suffers from PTSD - he killed his girlfriend.

With cuts to the V.A. (Veterans Administration) where will these people go for treatm