Letters to the Editor

This letter was sent to the Minneapolis Star and tribune

This second article is a letter received by the Minneapolis Chapter 27 of Veterans For Peace. Bob is a member and a virtual clearinghouse of information for the membership and others to read, so as to inform and take action.

Veterans Arrested and Beaten at Presidential Debate

in service to their country, veterans are standing up to fight for what’s left of the american democracy.  they swore to defend america and they are doing their damndest- in spite of the cowards in league with the republicans in office.  i am proud to call joe spado my friend- he is a veteran who served in vietnam and has been working for peace in wisconsin and minnesota for years as a member of veterans for peace.  he didn’t know i was going to write this but i want to share with you how our veterans are truly being treated in this country that many gave all for.  from my email:

“Department of Veterans Affairs regional offices have been ordered to immediately stop shredding documents after an investigation found some benefits claims and supporting documents among piles of papers waiting to be destroyed.

Claims often include personal records supplied by veterans that are not duplicated in government files and might be difficult to replace, such as certificates for births, deaths and marriage.”

story here

On October 15th, the third Presidential debate was held at Hofstra University in New York. A group of Veterans from the peace activist group Iraq Veterans Against the War, or IVAW, assembled peacefully and asked to deliver questions for the candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, about Veterans issues.

Ten members of IVAW were arrested with one Veteran trampled by a police department horse. His cheek bone was crushed and he required stitches on his face. You can read the Whole Story right here. It is complete with pictures. Some of these photos are graphic and there is blood so be aware of that.

Please read the whole article. It seems that these Veterans are saying that they assembled in a peaceful manner. They claim the injured protester was not given any medical attention until it was demanded by the other Veterans in their midst. They go on to claim the police harassed the injured Veteran while chaining him to a bench at police headquarters.

I am a member of Veterans For Peace. I attended the annual convention and met many IVAW members. Their mantra and behavior during RNC was stellar as far as practising peace was concerned. When conventional methods of trying to negotiate through proper channels is ignored, the protest march and requests in person might be one of the only avenues left. Men and women in uniform, attesting that they are indeed Veterans and want to peacefully assemble and ask questions of our future leaders, need not be attacked and thwarted without cause by authorities.

We have come to a time when the people we are to trust need to protect themselves with heavily armed guards, some who are private contractors such as Blackwater, just to stand and tell us how good and trustworthy they are.

The article published phone numbers of the appropriate department heads to complain, ask questions of or just put your two cents worth in about such treatment of peaceful Veteran protesters wanting issues pertaining to all Veterans to be heard. I urge anyone concerned to call and voice your concern.

While you’re at it, the RNC 8, the group of people arrested under the Patriot Act and charged with “suspicion to commit terrorism” could use a few letters and phone calls as well. My friend, who was arrested during the RNC is not one of the RNC 8, but he did get arrested and detained. He was released but had to wait a ridiculous amount of time for his personal belongings. Here he is, in a strange town, without money, credit card, cell phone, transportation or clean clothes, waiting for the bumbling farce of a police force to process him, only to find out that now, a month and a half after the event, his case is still pending charges. All the while, the City of Saint Paul raking in the 50 million dollar “fee” to hold the Republican Convention in a city where no Republican wanted to be, and no local wanted to have in our midst. That’s another rant and I may have made that one already previously. Feel free to scroll down to earlier articles about my involvement at the RNC march and the aftermath.

I have bowed out of the politics thing. It is obscene to me. The money being spent to attack another candidate. These politicians are no better than the government as far as spending, no, wasting, millions of dollars to get elected. I am voting for the lessor of two evils. I think that my vote will end the current regime in Washington if the candidate I choose wins. But both are serving the interests of big money contributors and special interests.

The bottom line for me here is to call attention to the fact that there are many issues on the table during this presidential election. The issues for Veterans returning from this illegal and immoral war are as real as they get. When the police attack and beat back people, Veterans, who simply want to deliver a message, in this case questions of concern about Veterans issues, those law enforcement entities are the problem and stand for what America has become. It is no less a police state than what Americans were told about East Germany and the USSR during the cold war.

In my opinion, since there has been no report by either the McCain or the Obama campaign intervening on the behalf of these Veterans proves they are out of touch and not worth a pile of shit, either of them.

Sometimes I truly believe we shouldn’t vote, as it just encourages them to think that we really want them as leaders. Most of the time, we are voting so the more evil of the two doesn’t get elected. The “real” candidates are lost and forgotten. The good messages and strong support towards a real sense of peace and justice for all people is forgotten. We are told that a vote for and other party is a lost vote and will surely allow the other candidate to win. All we really want is a balance of the issues that are unfair to be shifted either to the right or left so as to bring peace and real justice to all Americans and to the citizens of the Sacred Earth Mother that this country has forsaken with their bombs, money, one-sided self-righteous foreign policy and arrogance.

By the way, I got my absentee ballot in the mail and there are no less than nine candidates for President. The choices are there, but our bought and paid for media mentions none of this. We are suppose to be represented, but only the high rollers are mentioned. The Republicans and the Democrats.

Seems the Green, Libertarian, Socialist Party USA, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Independent, Constitution and We The People parties don’t exist in the news, but have candidates on the official sanctioned ballot.

Please make your calls about these Veterans or do whatever you think appropraite, then read THIS ARTICLE.

A Salute to an Honorable Soldier

The Oregonian reports:

“An Oregon soldier whose case has caused a stir in anti-war groups nationwide has been sentenced to six months in jail, a loss of pay, a reduction of rank and a bad-conduct discharge for being absent without leave.

Pfc. James Burmeister, who was born in Portland and raised in the Eugene area, received the sentence Wednesday from a military judge at a court martial held at Fort Knox, Ky. Burmeister agreed to plead guilty to the charge in exchange for an agreement by military prosecutors not to seek more serious charges.

Anti-war activists from filmmaker Michael Moore to groups such as Veterans for Peace have called publicly for Burmeister to be released, arguing that he did the honorable thing by refusing to carry out unethical orders.

But Army Capt. Christopher Cross, a military prosecutor, told the Louisville Courier-Journal that “soldiers considering going AWOL… must know there are consequences for abandoning their comrades.”

Burmeister said he left the Army without permission because he had become disturbed by a tactic known as “small kill teams,” in which soldiers would plant U.S. government equipment in parts of Iraq in the hopes that insurgents would come to claim it. Army snipers would then have an opportunity to shoot the Iraqis before they could make off with anything.

Burmeister said he complained to superior officers that the snipers couldn’t know for sure whether the people they shot were actually insurgents, or presented any threat to U.S. forces.

Eventually, the soldier from Cheshire, Ore., was injured by a roadside bomb and sent to Germany to recuperate. While there, he left his unit and went to Canada, where he campaigned against the use of “small kill teams.”

I caught an interview from Burmeister’s Mother. She was quoted as saying the military failed to address the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder serving time in Iraq had caused him. His punishment was too harsh- but his plea deal gave him 6 months in jail, instead of 9 months. The family had a 10 minute post trial visit, then they recommended the family leave, so they did not have to witness their son in handcuffs & leg shackles. She said, “This is no way to treat a soldier”.

To be honest, I would have done the same thing Burmeister did. I woud rather serve jail time, then have to live a life with the memories of the hell of the occupation. Make no mistake, military prison is no easy way out. But at least Burmeister was able to follow his moral compass, and refuse war. I hope he uses his time in jail to write his memoirs of the occupation. So much goes on there we don’t know about.

While we are on the topic of mistreating soldiers…..

Arlington National Cemetery

When Gina Gray took over as the public affairs director at Arlington National Cemetery about three months ago, she discovered that cemetery officials were attempting to impose new limits on media coverage of funerals of the Iraq war dead — even after the fallen warriors’ families granted permission for the coverage. She said that the new restrictions were wrong and that Army regulations didn’t call for such limitations.

Six weeks after The Washington Post reported her efforts to restore media coverage of funerals, Gray was demoted. Twelve days ago, the Army fired her.

Click here to read the Washington Post article

In my humble opinion, the Military should honor the wishes of the families of the deceased. These soldiers fight for freedom and pay the ultimate sacrifice. They should be granted their freedom of choice in death. It is the very least the military could do.

Crossposted at Ramblings.

Critical 7 days of Impeachment action - please help

WE must find the strength for this push for Impeachment. Even if all it succeeds in doing is distracting Bush from further destruction in his final months, then it would be worthwhile.

A CALL TO ACTION FOR IMPEACHMENT

An intense 7-day VFP campaign of calls to congress for
impeachment. Get everyone you know to call Congress before
July 25 demanding for impeachment now

Lobbying Day for Impeachment - July 24th Wash, DC
VFP attends Judiciary Committee Hearing - 10AM July 25th
Wash, DC

VFP meets with Chairman of Judiciary Committee, Rep.
Conyers - 12 Noon July 25th Wash, DC

——————————————————————————–

Dear VFP Members

Believe it or not, we finally had to threaten a sit-in.

After more than two months of trying to schedule a brief
meeting with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) to deliver VFP’s
23,000 impeachment signatures, we politely informed the
Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, in writing, that we
would drop by his Washington office with them. And we would
sit there until he met with us or hauled us off in
handcuffs.

On June 10 VFP issued a news release explaining our
intention to call on Conyers the following day.
Coincidentally (!) the morning of the 11th, his scheduler
called asking, “I hear you’re in town today, would you like
to meet with the Congressman?”

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

In the 1930’s, who in Germany could correctly fix the day
when fascism actually arrived?

Today in the U.S., who knows for sure how close we’ve come
to it?

The human race learns slowly, but we do learn. For example,
as VFP members we’ve learned that war is not the answer. And
in these perilous times more of our fellow citizens are
learning that the “Good German” excuse just doesn’t get it.

We know what our government is doing abroad. We know that
our republic here at home has been beaten nearly unto death.
We know we are the responsible parties who must set things
right here at home - for our children, for the world.

One important way to begin absolving our complicity and
discharging our responsibilities is to hold our malfeasant
misleaders in Washington accountable through the way the
Constitution provides - impeachment.

When we met with Congressman Conyers on June 11 (link to
video 2 minute of that meeting) he said
he had not yet read the 35 Articles of Impeachment
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) had introduced two days
previously, but that he would do so and report back at a
meeting in early July. A second meeting was held, with even
more VFP members attending, on July 9th (link to 9 minute
video of that meeting- and link to 45
minute video) at which Conyers said he
was still trying to make up his mind whether to call
impeachment hearings in his committee. He said he needs more
support in Congress! Yet another meeting is scheduled with
VFP for July 25th.

The platoon of VFP members who attended the meeting say if
he says he needs more support in Congress - we will give it
to him. Then there will be no more excuses. We need your
help to create this impeachment buzz on the Hill.

The Army used to tell us that it took 21 soldiers to keep
each one of us grunts fighting in the field - providing us
with our life support, from ammunition, to fire support, to
medevac. Today a platoon of us is working in Wash, DC on
impeachment; we can do it together but we need your
support - raise your voice until Congress hears you.

JOIN THE ACTIONS:

FOR JUST NEXT 7 CRITICAL DAYS CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND
DEMAND IMPEACHMENT. If they are for impeachment have them
push the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Rep Conyers,
to act now. We need as many calls, emails and letters as
possible before July 25th. GET YOUR FRIENDS AND NEGHBORS TO
CALL.

If you are able come to Washington, DC, July 24th will be an
impeachment lobbying day where we will personally visit
Congressmen demanding impeachment. On July 25th we will
attend a Judiciary Committee Hearing, and then meet with
Rep. Conyers.

CALL 202-224-3121 for the house switchboard and LEAVE A
MESSAGE FOR YOUR OWN CONGRESSMAN TO IMPEACH. Find your
Congressman by ZIP Code

Call a member of the Judiciary Committee (202-225-3951) demand impeachment now. (List of Judiciary Committee members) Maybe your Congressman is on the Judiciary Committee call him again.

For our 4,118 KIAS, and the more than one million Iraqis killed by the Administration’s lying & murderous policies, GET UP, & CALL CONGRESS!

Elliott Adams
President

PS: Here is a link to a memo I got from David Swanson, www.davidswanson.org/?q=node/1369 one of the most knowledgeable leaders of the impeachment movement, explaining what Congress members could do if they are seriously interested in preserving the rule of law and what is left of our republic.

——————————————————————————–

VETERANS WORKING TOGETHER FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE THROUGH
NON-VIOLENCE.
Veterans For Peace, 216 S. Meramec, St. Louis, MO 63105,
314-725-6005
www.veteransforpeace.org/