ACTION'S CALL: For Darrell and Agustin, Plus Troops

Support For Darrell Anderson & Agustin Aguayo


VETERANS FOR PEACE
Veterans Working Together for Peace & Justice Through Non-violence. Wage Peace!


Darrell Anderson
**Joined Army in Jan. 2003, received Purple Heart for injuries at roadside bomb
**Spent seven months in Iraq, when he was to be deployed back to Germany for another tour, he fled to Canada.
**Darrell will return to the United States to turn himself in to Fort Knox, Kentucky sometime in the next week.

Agustin Aguayo
**After one year of service, he realized he could "no longer in good conscience be a part of the Armed Services"
**Deployed to Iraq as a medic, where he refused to load his weapon
**Two years of trying to be recognized as a conscientious objector, he made the decision to go AWOL

On Agustin's Return:

This is on shorter notice, as I just received the e-notice while putting together the information on Darrell, so if you can offer support, in person, Please Do!

On Tuesday the CO & war resister Agustin Aguayo will turn himself in at
Fort Irwin in California. I am in the process of drafting a press advisory, a press release, and a flyer and will send these to you as soon as they are approved by his attorneys, etc. Meanwhile, I have attached the press release and LA Times article from last week.
We hope for as much support from VFP and your allies for Agustin as you can muster. We know this is short notice, but Agustin ("Augie") was originally going to turn himself in in October, and it was only decided on Thurs. night that he will do so this coming Tuesday.
Elsa Rassbach

Agustin Aguayo Support Website
Enlistee Flees Return to Iraq
Medic's attorney and wife say he had been told he could be taken by force for a second tour. He seeks a discharge as a conscientious objector.

WASHINGTON — An Army enlistee from Los Angeles who escaped through a window in base housing and fled rather than face a second deployment to Iraq had been told that military commanders would send him into combat in handcuffs, if necessary, according to his wife and his attorney.

Army Spec. Agustin Aguayo, 35, has been missing since fleeing Sept. 2 but wants to turn himself in and would rather face prison than another tour of duty in Iraq or any other conflict, said his wife, Helga Aguayo, who recently moved back to California from Germany, where her husband was based.

On Darrell's Return:

AWOL soldier says he wants to come home

Report: U.S. soldier who fled to Canada plans to return to face consequences

KY Soldier Plans To Return After Desertion From Army

Kentucky Army deserter plans to return from Canada

VFP Action Alert: Support Needed for Darrell Anderson
Dear Veterans For Peace Members, Associate Members, Supporters, Coalitions, Any and All, But Especially Veterans

We've been given a mission and we're looking for volunteers. Iraq vet Darrell Anderson is coming home from Canada and we need as many veterans as possible to stand with him as he returns. We'll be demanding that the Army discharge Darrell from service and help him to get treatment for his PTSD.

There are two events where VFPers can lend a hand:
Saturday, September 30th @ Noon
Lion-Sugarbowl Park, corner of Central Ave. and Gilmore Rd.
Fort Erie, Ontario, just across the border from Buffalo, NY
And
Tuesday, October 3rd @ Noon
Vigil at Fort Knox, KY

The first event will be to support Darrell shortly before his crossing back into the United States. The second one is to stand with Darrell as he returns to the Army. The exact location of the vigil at Fort Knox is yet to be determined, but it will be somewhere near the gate to the base. Anyone who can make it should please contact Darrell's mother, Anita Dennis, for further details. Everyone is encouraged to attend either event. Arrangements can be made to help with transportation to and lodging in Kentucky:
Anita Dennis
Contact at these e-addresses:
Act For Peace or Resist With Darrell

Even if you can't make it, emails of support for Darrell and his family would be greatly appreciated.
For more information on Darrell and the plight of the other resisters to this illegal war please check the VFP homepage and the links below. You may also contact Chris Snively with the VFP National Office for more information.
Thank you,
Chris Snively VFP National Office

AWOL in Canada ~ Darrell AndersonA Video from Darrell in Canada (a must see).
An Essay on Darrell by Peter Laufer at Huffingtonpost.Com
Darrell's Support Website



You may also want to view these video's, taken at the Canadian/U.S. border, also.
Peace Has No Borders ~ David Cline

A.W.O.L. in Canada ~ Ryan Johnson

A.W.O.L. in Canada ~ Christopher Mogwai

Peace Has No Borders

A.W.O.L. in Canada ~ Patrick & Jill Hart

A.W.O.L. in Canada ~ Christian Care

For The Troops:

An Appeal for Redress from the War in Iraq

Many active duty, reserve, and guard service members are concerned about the war in Iraq and support the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to their member of Congress to urge an end to the U.S. military occupation. The Appeal will reach thousands of service members who seek redress from the war. The Appeal messages will be delivered to members of Congress on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January 2007.
The wording of the Appeal for Redress is short and simple. It is patriotic and respectful in tone:
“As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.”
The Appeal lists these grievances:
• The fabricated justification for war (nonexistent weapons of mass destruction)
• The failure to provide troops adequate protection and preparation for combat
• The human cost in thousands of deaths and severe injuries among American service members
• The cost to American taxpayers and diversion of resources from other priorities (inadequate response to Katrina, etc.)
Several organizations have come together to form a support committee to assist active duty service members. The organizations include Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Military Families Speak Out. The committee serves at the discretion of active duty service members.
The Appeal for Redress will circulate initially among active duty service members in communities near military bases, beginning in Norfolk and Quantico. The Appeal will also circulate on the Internet through a web site with sign-on function to facilitate service member participation. An Internet message with the Appeal will be sent to thousands of individual service members, who will be encouraged to forward the message to others, in the hope that it goes viral.
Attorneys and counselors experienced in military law have been contacted to provide assistance for any service members who encounter interference with their right to communicate with members of Congress. Participating service members will receive a fact sheet describing the rights and restrictions that apply to the exercise of First Amendment rights in the military.
Members of Congress are being asked to encourage and
support the Appeal through a statement that reads:
“We respect and welcome this initiative from our brave men and women in uniform. We look forward to receiving the Appeals and sharing your important perspectives with colleagues in the Congress.”
Professional public relations assistance will be available to expose any interference with service member rights that occurs and to ensure that the Appeal for Redress attracts press attention at the time of delivery.

September 2006

Appeal for Redress, P.O. Box 53052, Washington, DC 20009-3052 Phone: 360-241-1414 • E-Mail Appeal for Redress

Appeal for Redress Site



Add This....

New York City’s Reservists Are Asked to Return Iraq Pay

Now the bills from the city are coming due, for far more than many veterans imagined they would have to pay — as much as $200,000 — and often for more money than they ever received.

Don't Shut Up - Stand Up

Provided By:
Ava Lowery

PeaceTakesCourage



As Ava writes:

The Bush Administration tries every day to slander and silence those of us who dare to speak out against their criminal decisions. Let them know that we will not be silent and that we want our troops home.

Static:

Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back



From the authors of the "New York Times" bestseller "The Exception to the Rulers" comes a new book that pushes back against official lies and spin and gives voice to the silenced majority.

Just days after the publication of Static: Government Liars, Media
Cheerleaders and the People Who Fight Back, By Amy Goodman and her
brother, journalist David Goodman, the book reached #18 on the New York
Times bestseller list.

WMD's - Cluster Munitions

The war in Lebanon has not ended. Every day, some of the million bomblets which were fired by Israeli artillery during the last three days of the conflict kill four people in southern Lebanon and wound many more. The casualty figures will rise sharply in the next month as villagers begin the harvest, picking olives from trees whose leaves and branches hide bombs that explode at the smallest movement.
Lebanon's farmers are caught in a deadly dilemma: to risk the harvest, or to leave the produce on which they depend to rot in the fields.

Lebanon: Israeli Cluster Munitions Threaten Civilians

Dangerous unexploded submunitions, duds that fail to detonate on impact but are still live and at risk of exploding, are present in areas of Nabatiyeh, Tabnine and Beit Yahoun, as well as areas adjacent to the 3km road connecting Tabnine and Beit Yahoun, U.N. demining officials said. They have been able to visit only a limited region so far, and fear that the 10 sites identified in the first two days could be the “tip of the iceberg.” U.N. teams have received reports of at least 16 casualties from cluster submunitions that exploded well after they had been fired, and they fear many more.

What does one call Foreign Occupation Forces conducting a Murderous Military Campaign, in anothers country, if we call those who Live in those Lands 'Terrorists' when they Fight Back That Occupation-Invasion??

Especially when countries like the U.S. and Israel use 'Weapons of Mass Destruction', such as 'Cluster Bombs', supplied to Israel by the United States by the way, designed to Inflict Maximum Casulties!

A bit of U.S. history of there use:

YUGOSLAVIA:

Despite their acknowledged threat to civilians, cluster bombs have already been used in Operation Allied Force. Both the U.S. and Britain have acknowledged using cluster bombs. . .
Though probably no more than a few hundred air-delivered cluster bombs have been used to date in Yugoslavia, there reportedly already have been civilian casualties. A NATO airstrike involving cluster bombs on an airfield in Nis on May 7 went off target, hitting a hospital complex and adjoining civilian areas. On April 24, five boys were reported to have been killed and two injured when what was evidently a cluster bomb submunition exploded near the village of Doganovic, fifteen kilometers from Urosevac in southern Kosovo. The munition was described as having a yellow-colored jacket, identical to that of the CBU-87 or RBL755 bomblets.

GULF WAR:

During the 1991 Gulf War, the United States and its allied coalition dropped bombs containing about twenty million submunitions, and also reportedly fired artillery projectiles containing more than thirty million submunitions. These resulted in millions of hazardous duds, each functioning like an indiscriminate antipersonnel landmine. At least eighty U.S. casualties during the war were attributed to cluster munition duds. More than 4,000 civilians have been killed or injured by cluster munition duds since the end of the war.

AFGHANISTAN:

U.S. military sources have told Human Rights Watch that the Air Force began dropping cluster bombs within a matter of days.
During the first week of the campaign, it is believed that Air Force B-1 bombers dropped 50 CBU-87 cluster bombs in some five missions. CBU-87 cluster bomb use has continued after the first week, and it is believed that other airplanes joined B-1s in dropping cluster bombs on both fixed and mobile targets. . .
United Nations officials have stated that on October 22 U.S. cluster bomb submunitions landed on the village of Shaker Qala, near the city of Herat in western Afghanistan,
killing nine civilians and injuring fourteen. The head of the United Nations Mine Action Program in Afghanistan (U.N. MAPA) noted that villagers are afraid to leave their homes after encountering the yellow soda can-like objects characteristic of CBU-87 submunitions that were left scattered in the village after an air strike on a nearby military camp.
He called upon the United States to provide information on the types of ordnance dropped on Shaker Qala and elsewhere. . .On October 25, the U.S. for the first time publicly acknowledged using cluster bombs. In response to a media question, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers said, "Yes, we have used cluster bomb units.. There have not been a great number of them used, but they have been used."

IRAQ:

U.S. ground forces, particularly the Army, also used cluster munitions near populated areas, with predictable loss of civilian life. After roughly a quarter of the civilian deaths in the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia were caused by the use of cluster bombs in populated areas, the U.S. Air Force substantially curtailed the practice.
But the U.S. Army apparently never absorbed this lesson.
In responding to Iraqi attacks as they advanced through Iraq, Army troops regularly used cluster munitions in populated areas, causing substantial loss of life. Such disregard for civilian life is incompatible with a genuinely humanitarian intervention.

Kosovo

U.S., British and Dutch aircraft dropped more than 1,765 cluster bombs containing more than 295,000 cluster bomblets during the NATO air campaign in Yugoslavia from March to June 1999. During Operation Allied Force, the U.S. dropped about 1,100 CBU-87s (each containing 202 submunitions), the United Kingdom dropped about 500 RBL-755 cluster bombs (each containing 147 submunitions), and the Netherlands dropped 165 CBU-87s.

And abit of information on 'Cluster Bombs':
Human Rights Watch Cluster Munition Information Chart
Cluster Munition Questions and Answers: The M26 Rocket

"He Swapped The Bottle For The Bible"

From refinish69
The insanity of the Bush Regime

here's another from 'refinish69' just posted

War...There Has To Be A Better Way


From refinish69
War was the #1 song September 20th, 1970. The song is still revelant today as it was then, The Bush Regime are killing off a whole generation of Americans in their War based on lies. They need to be stopped!!!!

The soldiers pictured are just a few of the thousands who have died so far.

'Sulfur' Stench Getting Stronger!

Satisfied 'Grim Reaper'



Stop 'Murdering' The Children



The One 'We've' Got Is Enough



Speaks For Itself

This Sunday

This Sunday Is Gold Star Mothers Day

By Karen Meredith, Proud Mom of Lt Ken Ballard- KIA 5.30.04

In 1994, President Bill Clinton proclaimed the last Sunday in September to be Gold Star Mothers Day. He said that we should " honor of women whose sons and daughters have pledged their lives to securing for all Americans the blessings of liberty. These mothers have made tremendous sacrifices, the most painful being the loss of their children, and deserve the respect and recognition of the nation." This proclamation was made during a relatively peaceful period for our country.

Gold Star Mothers Day is not a Hallmark holiday to send flowers or cards. Gold Star Mothers Day 2006 should be a day for sober reflection about how President Bush set in place a new generation of Gold Star Mothers when he sent our children to fight his illegal war in Iraq. These new Gold Star Mothers will be his legacy as the War President, as he proudly claims himself to be.

The current president says we must honor the sacrifices of fallen soldiers by completing the mission. How will more bloodshed and more dying honor my son, who was killed in Iraq more than 2 years ago? The president can prevent the creation of new Gold Star Mothers. It is time for this president to put ALL options on the table and make necessary and immediate changes to his disastrous course in Iraq. He can start by bringing the troops home now.

We will never forget our loved ones; they will live forever in our hearts. On Sunday, the citizens of this country must remember our sacrifice and consider the human cost of this war. That and our broken hearts are something that Gold Star Mothers live with forever.

I AM the proud Gold Star Mother of Lt Ken Ballard, KIA in Najaf, Iraq 5.30.04

American Gold Star Mothers

AL QAEDA, IRAQ, AND JIHAD

Excellent BBC doc about how the US invasion of Iraq has fired the
flames of terrorism.

Five years after the 9/11 attacks, Al Qaeda shows no sign of weakening. Thousands of young Muslims have become radicalised - many joining the jihad against American-led forces in Iraq.
Some become suicide bombers there. Others return, with military training, for operations in western countries.
Peter Taylor follows the trail which takes these men from their homes in the West to Iraq, and asks what progress is being made to stop the recruitment.

Listen To Report

BBC World Service Report Link

Powerful Video

Before You Enlist


Provided By:
The real deal on military enlistment
More info about enlistment::
Youth4Peace
Video producer::
telequestinc.com

'Iraq For Sale'

Over the past couple of weeks, as Robert Greenwald's new movie Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers has been screened in theatres across the country, the buzz has been fantastic. The New York Times review says:

"Mr. Greenwald compiles a horrifying catalog of greed, corruption and incompetence among private contractors in Iraq, focusing primarily on Halliburton, Blackwater Security Consulting and CACI International... the movie goes on to trace connections between the contractors and the Republican Party, assert the buying of influence and explores what it says are questionable accounting systems that encourage an exorbitant waste of taxpayer money. And that's just the first 30 minutes."

Halliburton, Dick Cheney and Republican leaders everywhere don't want you to see this movie, especially in October, just a few weeks before Election Day. That's why DFA groups around the country have set up almost 200 screenings of Iraq for Sale so you can see it FREE.

Search for a free screening



You probably remember a few of Robert Greenwald's other movies such as Outfoxed and WalMart: The High Cost of Low Price. In Iraq for Sale, Greenwald takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. The film uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who let it happen.

The Los Angeles Times review says the film could "unite viewers across all political spectra." The Houston Chronicle says "[Iraq For Sale] carries the torch for the families of civilians who died while driving unprotected trucks on unsafe routes." The Village Voice says, "Iraq for Sale is a much needed reminder of the criminal negligence of those who led the troops into this mess and those who have gotten rich off of it."

Search for a free screening

Movies are a great way to spread a progressive message and have fun. It's also an excellent tool to recruit new members and students. If you can't find a screening near you, we make it easy for you to set one up.

Set up your own event (you may need to login in first)

Thanks for everything you do to move the message forward,

Charles Chamberlain
Field Director

P.S. To read full reviews, see the trailer, or find out how to get your own copy of the DVD, you can visit Iraq For Sale

Or you can pick up your copy here:

Where Torture Got Him

Read Sidney Blumenthals lastest HERE
Bush's effort to gut the Geneva Conventions has antagonized the military, split Republicans, and undercut his war on terror.

By Sidney Blumenthal

President Bush's torture policy has provoked perhaps the greatest schism between a president and the military in American history, deeper, broader and more fundamental than those of previous presidents with individual generals. Seen from the outside, this battle royal over his abrogation of the Geneva Conventions appears as a shadow war. But since the Supreme Court's ruling in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld in June, which decided that Bush's kangaroo court commissions for detainees "violate both the UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice] and the four Geneva Conventions," especially Article 3 forbidding torture, the struggle has been forced more into the open.

And pick up a fine read in his latest book:

'The Decline and Fall of Truth'

You can listen to an NPR Interview with Rich, from 9-20-06, at the below link. The reports, that were under the so called Radar, that the MSM weren't reporting, were being followed by many of us in the 'Focus Groups' {as the bush liked to call us}. They were also widely reported by ex-government offials, U.N. Inspectors, and many others, yet the Majority were Not Listening!!
We could have Avoided All the Death and Carnage had the Majority Paid Attention!!!

Frank Rich on 'The Decline and Fall of Truth'

Fresh Air from WHYY, September 20, 2006 · New York Times columnist Frank Rich's new book is The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina. Rich has been with the Times since 1980, when he was named chief theater critic.

With reviews that could be devastating, Rich earned the nickname The Butcher of Broadway. In 1994, Rich became an op-ed columnist for the paper, turning his focus to politics and culture. Slate recently re-dubbed him The Butcher of the Beltway.

Wounded Warrior Center

Wounded Warrior Center has list of needs for Iraq War Veterans
Linda McIntosh


San Diego Union-Tribune
Or Here: Veterans For America

Sep 19, 2006




CAMP PENDLETON – Therese Thomas is calling sewing groups across the country to round up a few more quilts for the beds of injured Marines.

Others are buying coffee makers and dinner plates for wounded service members recovering in the base's new Wounded Warrior Center.

The 26-bed center, which opened last month, is geared to service members in long-term rehabilitation who are out of the hospital but not well enough to return to their units.

“We're trying to make it more like home instead of military barracks,” said George Brown, executive director of the Camp Pendleton Armed Service YMCA.

The center needs household items such as wastebaskets, pictures for the walls, barbecue grills, ceiling fans and steel shelving along with sports equipment, hand tools and some furniture.

“They're not pie in the sky wishes. They're just things to keep morale up,” said Thomas, a retired police officer whose late husband served in the Navy.

Over the last few months, Thomas sewed two quilts, one featuring Marine Corps red patches along with other multi-colored squares.

“Little bits help. I'm just trying to do what I can,” Thomas said.

In a wish list put out by the center, Gunnery Sgt. Mel Greer Jr., who was wounded in 2004 and works at the center, wrote, “Everything is of value to us. Your volunteer time, any items you would like to donate or even a simple visit just to say 'Hi' is greatly appreciated.”

Thomas is trying to get the word out to community groups, schools and individuals who might want to donate items.

“Sometimes the wounded feel like they're left by the wayside and nobody cares. This is a way to show our respect and appreciation,” Thomas said.

Noncash donations for the wish list are coordinated by the Camp Pendleton YMCA.

Cash donations are handled by Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and checks should reference the Wounded Warriors Center.

Before purchasing something on the wish list, it is advisable to call the Wounded Warrior Center to confirm what they need.

Wounded Warrior Center: (760) 725-9805.

Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund: (760) 390-4930.

Camp Pendleton Armed Service YMCA: (760) 385-4921.

Donation of quilts e-address: SBC Global

War Vets' Mental Health has Police on Alert

War vets' mental health has police on alert
By Erin Emery
Denver Post Staff Writer


Colorado Springs - After returning from Iraq, Jason Harvey, a combat soldier with the Fort Carson-based 2nd Brigade Combat Team, raced his car at speeds of more than 100 mph on Squirrel Tree Road and played paint ball to replicate battle situations.
"You have no idea what stress is until you've been in combat. When you're in combat, the adrenaline rush, it becomes fluid, you're used to it all the time. Then when you come back, it's not there anymore and you have to find something to get back to how it was," said Harvey, 23, who was diagnosed with post- traumatic stress disorder. "I know a lot of guys who started going sky diving or rock climbing; for me it was street racing. ... It might sound strange, but for me, when I was driving fast, it made me calm again."
Harvey was kicked out of the Army after he was found driving with a loaded gun on Fort Carson. He now lives in Wellington, Fla. He is among the untold number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who have found themselves in what law enforcement officials increasingly realize are crisis situations - situations that often prove deadly.
While there is no hard data on whether high-risk or violent behavior is increasing, studies show the death rate for veterans returning from Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm was higher than for veterans who had not served in either theater.
"We expected it to happen, and it is now happening," said Steve Robinson, director of government relations for Veterans for America, a program of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation.
Colorado has seen the following in the past two months:
On July 17, after an El Paso County sheriff's deputy stopped a pursuit that began when he saw two men on motorcycles popping wheelies and screaming up Academy Boulevard at speeds of more than 80 mph, Army Spec. Kelon Jones slammed his Kawasaki into a car. He flew 85 feet and later died. Jones, 20, had served in Iraq with the 43rd Area Support Group.
On Aug. 7, Robert Ziarnick, 25, was accused of shooting at Greenwood Village police and carjacking a 2005 Acura before fleeing to Cherry Creek State Park. Seven months earlier, Ziarnick used a knife to cut the words "kill me" into his abdomen. His wife told police he had served in Iraq and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Two days later, in Colorado Springs, a police officer found Reisom Markose, 25, dead of an intentional overdose of bupropion, an antidepressant. Markose served in Iraq with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and recently had become a U.S. citizen.
More than 1.36 million Department of Defense personnel have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. Surveys show that 19 percent to 21 percent of troops who have returned from combat deployments meet criteria for PTSD, depression or anxiety, Army Col. Charles Hoge, chief of psychiatry and behavior services at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, told a House subcommittee last year.
That war veterans may be in need of mental-health help is becoming increasingly clear to law enforcement.
In Massachusetts, Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating developed "Beyond the Yellow Ribbons: PTSD and Veterans," a training video for first responders. The DVD has been provided to police, fire, probation and court personnel to help them understand when a veteran is having trouble readjusting from the combat zone to the streets and what resources are available in the community.
"This is going to become, in my mind, one of the major, major issues to deal with in this war: the aftermath," Keating said.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police, an organization with more than 17,000 members, said that in the future, it may issue guidelines - or helpful hints - on how police officers can help veterans in crisis.
In Colorado Springs, police Sgt. Kerry Duran said he has advised officers to be aware that thousands of soldiers from Fort Carson have returned from war. Duran tells his officers to protect themselves at all costs but also to understand that the soldiers are trying to adjust.
"They can"!

Camp Democracy - Video's

Camp Democracy Video of Gael Murphy on her recent trip to Iraq

Camp Democracy , Washington DC, on Sept 16 2006
Gael is one of the founders of 'Code Pink', Women Activists Organization


Camp Democracy Video of Allison Hantschel

Camp Democracy, Washington DC, Sept 17th 2006


Camp Democracy Video of Kevin Zeese

Camp Democracy, Washington DC Sept 16th 2006

I Was A PR Intern in Iraq

By Willem Marx, Harper's. Posted September 18, 2006.

In this astonishing confessional by an Oxford graduate who worked in the green zone of Baghdad, we see the perversity of the American version of a 'free press' in Iraq.

Last spring, during my final semester at Oxford, a cousin wrote to tell me that she was planning to work for an American company in Iraq over the summer. She suggested I join her. The company was called Iraqex, and it claimed on its website to have "expertise in collecting and exploiting information; structuring transactions; and mitigating risks through due diligence, legal strategies and security." Iraqex was also looking for summer media interns, my cousin pointed out, who would "interact with the local media" in Baghdad and "pitch story ideas." This was almost too good to be true.

SNIP, you can read rest HERE



You can also listen to an interview with Willem at the following:



Former Intern on Planting Iraq Stories for U.S. Military


Talk of the Nation, September 11, 2006

Willem Marx, a former intern with the Lincoln Group, a Washington-based government contractor, tells how he took stories from the U.S. military and planted them in Iraqi newspapers.

WTC Families for Proper Burial-Action Request

Unsung Heroes Helping Heroes

Tom Chelston of Tom Songs sent out the following request for Help and Action on our parts for the Missing of 9/11 and their families:


The remains of more than 1,000 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks have still not been found. Families are furious over how the remains have been handled, gathering Saturday at ground zero in New York

As the media spotlight fades from another somber anniversary, I ask that you take a minute to consider supporting these two organizations:
My friends Diane and Kurt Horning lost their son Matthew on 9/11. More than 1000 victim's remains were never found.
The Hornings co-founded WTC Families For Proper Burial, and it's this simple. "Remove the ashen remains of our 9/11 Victims from the garbage dump known as Fresh Kills in Staten Island and provide a dignified burial and resting place. The city of New York has yet to face this issue.
My friend John Sferazo is an Ironworker who dove in at WTC to rescue, recover and repair. Now he can barely breathe.
John co-founded Unsung Heroes Helping Heroes, in an effort to secure medical coverage and benefits for thousands of First Responders, Rescue, Clean-up and Recovery Workers who gave their all at WTC. They set aside their health and risked their lives inside the toxic cloud. The death toll continues to climb at WTC but the media and the world appear to have moved on.
Please share this message with a friend or two.

He included his New release of "Never Forget, Unsung Heroes" mp3.

ARTS OF WAR

Utah Program Offers Help for Returning Soldiers

Utah today launched a groundbreaking program to give returning war veterans and their families the counseling they might need. The state wants to be certain they don't fight personal battles when they get home. Deadly combat takes a toll on troops and strains their families, too. In an all-volunteer military, troops are older, married and supporting families, but returning troops can face psychological problems that threaten their lives.

ARTS OF WAR: Vets turning scenes stuck in their head into healing works
Books, plays, movies create an outlet to vent trauma, anger


Soldiers mass in a scene from 'The Ground Truth,' a documentary where soldiers share their war experiences.

A soldier's library
Below are works by soldier writers and filmmakers who served in the War on Terror:
Books
• Keith Armstrong, Suzanne Best & Paula Domenici, "Courage After Fire: Coping Strategies for Troops Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and Their Families"
• Colby Buzzell, "My War: Killing Time in Iraq"
• John Crawford, "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell"
• Nathaniel Fick, "One Bullet Away"
• Jason Christopher Harley, "Just Another Soldier"
• Paul Rieckhoff, "Chasing Ghosts"
• Brian Turner, "Here, Bullet"
• Kayla Williams, "Love My Rifle More Than You"
Films
• Ground Truth
• Gunner Palace
• The Sand Storm
Other projects
• Voices in Wartime Education Project

-- Compiled by Lorraine Ash
And there are others as well, with more to come, just as it was back in my day after 'Nam!

Records: Troubles vexed suspect before slayings
According to letters to the VA and conversations with his friends, Duzant thought he was the victim of Gulf War Syndrome.


Mystery Deepens in Case of Missing Colorado Marine who Served in Iraq War
The story was compelling. A marine home on leave from his first tour of duty in Iraq was injured in a fall while hiking down a mountain with a friend and vanished after the friend went to call for help.

Global Day for Darfur - Sep. 17

From Abuja to Vancouver, people around the world will take part in the Global Day for Darfur Sunday to show worldwide support for the Darfuri people and to put pressure on our governments to protect the civilians.

What will you be doing?

If nothing else Keep 'Darfur' in mind All Day, along with All that is happening on the Extreme Negative 'WorldWide'!!

This Sunday hundreds of thousands of people will take part in the Global Day for Darfur. Human Rights First has been at the center of organizing the Global Day – and has mobilized our network to organize 53 events in 37 countries, from Australia to Zambia.
This universal call for peace in Darfur could not come at a better time. The U.N. Security Council recently voted in favor of sending U.N. peacekeeping forces to Darfur, but this resolution fell far short of what is needed. The resolution called for the establishment of a U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur, but this initiative was immediately rejected by the Sudanese government. In recent weeks violence in Darfur has escalated and the humanitarian crisis has become more dire. Senior U.N. officials are calling Darfur a looming “catastrophe” and a “disaster.”
Read below to find out how you can make your voice heard and help stop the killings in Darfur.

Human Rights First
Maureen Byrnes

Take Part in A Day for Darfur - A Call for Peace
53 events in 37 countries – a single day, a single purpose.

Even though a U.N. resolution calling for peacekeeping forces passed earlier this month at the Security Council, the situation in Darfur has continued to deteriorate. The Sudanese government has launched a new military campaign; continues to reject the deployment of U.N. forces; and has threatened to eject African Union forces by the end of September, when their current mandate ends.
This Sunday, September 17, caring people around the world will join the call for an end to the mass murder in Darfur. From small candlelight vigils to mass concerts, citizens of the world will show the United Nations, their governments, and Sudan that they are paying attention and demand a peaceful resolution.
We hope you will join in the call for peace. Go to Day for Darfur to see a list of cities where events are happening in the United States and around the world. We also urge you to wear a blue hat this Sunday. Blue hats are the internationally recognized icon of U.N. peacekeeping forces - wearing a blue hat shows your support for civilian protection. Finally, you can also "virtually" wear a blue hat- go to Day for Darfur -Virtual Blue Hat to add a UN blue beret to a photo of yourself and post it in our gallery.

Join Me to Help Save Darfur
The U.N. secretary-general asks for help in pressuring Sudan to accept more international troops.

TOMORROW, SEPT. 17, people around the world will be taking part in a "Global Day for Darfur" to show support for the people of Darfur and to put pressure on governments to protect innocent civilians. They are right, and I hope their call will be heard.

After the "G Word," Then What?

"Some people call it genocide, some people call it ethnic cleansing, some people call it civil war, some people call it none of the above. Whatever it is, it's a desperate situation which requires the urgent attention of the world."

Nobel Laureates Ask Youth to Push Peace

Nobel Peace Prize laureates criticized the United States and the Bush administration Friday as they kicked off the PeaceJam conference in Denver dedicated to calling the world's youth to action. "The rest of the world needs America, but it doesn't need the current model it is getting," said Mairead Maguire, a 1976 Peace Prize recipient from Northern Ireland.

War, Murder, Rape... All for Your Cell Phone
By Stan Cox, AlterNet

Everyone's heard about the human rights abuses in African gold and diamond mines. But when it comes to their ultra-cool, razor-thin cell phones, American consumers won't get the message.

Sign at a rally for Dafur in April on the National Mall
in Washington, DC. © Amnesty International USA

We don't often do this, but we're leading today's Daily Headlines with an action alert. The beleaguered region of Darfur stands at a crossroads this weekend. Some would call it a precipice. The UN has agreed to send troops to protect the civilians caught up in the brutal conflict, but the Sudanese government has rejected that idea. Many believe only foreign governments, including China, Russia, and the United States, can convince Khartoum to let the UN troops in. So thousands--potentially millions--of regular people are rallying all over the world this weekend to tell their governments to use their "power to protect" to stop the conflict in Darfur. Will you be there?