Conservative Idea of 'Strong on National Defense': Enhance more Hatreds anywhere possible, through propaganda, destruction, mass death, in order to Continue threats against from similar Failed Policies of Past!
Those Hatreds lead to 'Blowback' by recipients of the many Failed Policies called 'Criminal Terrorism'!
Take the word 'Terrorism', while practising same, and paste it on any group needed to Enhance the Fear in Populations causing Perpetual Conflicts and Huge Profits for any Military Industrial Complex and Control by same for Further Policies setup to Fail!
And when 'Johnny and Jane' come Marching Home, Dump Them {that one cuts across all Political Ideology and Society }
It's Not 'Strong on National Defense', it Destroys 'National Defense' and brings about more and more 'Conflicts of Choice' for Greed and Power!
If we don't hold those Responsible for the Wrath of Failed Policies instituted than in the eyes of the World 'We Have Excepted All That Has Been Done In Our Names' and are thus Just As Guilty!!
As we were organizing Thursday's petition delivery to the FOX building in New York, we put a call out for field producers to help cover the event. Robin Laverne Wilson answered that call, and we’re so glad she did. The following is her account of what happened yesterday, as well as her thoughts on the struggles veterans face and her personal connection to this issue. If you are interested in joining our army of field producers raising hell across the land, go here.
Robin starts her narrative with this:
I put on my brown military thermals, my chocolate chip cammies, my black bandana and my black boots. I was off to represent for my father, my uncle, their army buddies and all the people in my life that I knew and didn't know who had served this country and in some way, often the same way, got the shaft from it.
I grabbed my gear and went into friendly warrior mode to help these vets broadcast their story. And believe me -- their stories are AMAZING.
Which leads in to short descriptions of just two of the Veterans met on that day.
This:
My father served 20 years, including Korea and Vietnam.
leads into what her father went through during life after his 20 year Service To Country and Two Theaters of Conflict Operations.
And what they ran up against
The Freedom of Speech they fought for entitles me to wield my camera and document the truth, from my worldview. But the News Corporation security detail insisted that we stay behind their property line.
At the FOX studios.
Go over and read what Robin Laverne has to say, I don't think you'll be sorry you did, you'll also be able to view the Video of the Homeless Veterans attempting to deliver the petition to the loudmouth 'chickenhawk', with a podium to spew his venom from, getting very wealthy in return!
And sadly many who watch and listen to him are connected in one way or another to others who have Served This Country, either directly or through their family trees, and Don't Speak Out but wave their flags and use wordspeak catch phrases, while hanging onto each venomous word attack he wages against others!!
The family of Marine Sgt. Carmelo Rodriguez says military doctors misdiagnosed his skin cancer. Now, as Byron Pitts reports, they wants the U.S. government held accountable for his untimely death.
(CBS) Carmelo Rodriguez was dancing with his niece just last year. By all accounts Rodriguez, a 29-year old, loved life, his family and the Marine Corps. He was also an artist, a father, and a part-time actor. He once appeared with Katie Holmes in a scene on the TV series Dawson's Creek.
An image of Sgt. Rodriguez with his Marine buddies in Iraq in 2005 shows him as a fit, gung-ho platoon leader.
Now, a group from Fitzgerald House, an "organization representing homeless veterans," plans to bring their fight for recognition to Fox's doorstep. They plan on visiting the Fox News Channel Studios today at 3:00 pm, and will come carrying a petition signed by 17,000 people demanding an apology from O'Reilly for his ignorance and abuse. In a press release, Brave New Films and Fitzgerald House say thay "have found that it is very easy to locate homeless veterans and are willing to help O'Reilly find them if his desire to help homeless vets is sincere."
Homeless Vets Attempt to Deliver Petition to Bill O'Reilly
Documentary filmmaker Dan Lohaus { When I Came Home } and field producer Robin W. captured the action
I am honored and pleased to accept my appointment, by the Board of Directors, to be Exec. Director of Fitzgerald House, Inc. Over the years, I have had nothing but admiration for our Veterans who have served the people of the United States of America and its allies very well. It is my role and responsibility to improve the lives of these homeless Veterans. Our reputation for providing better homes is stellar. We will build upon it and widen the support base to help raise awareness of the plight of the homeless Veterans in America today. Fitzgerald House, Inc. is a young and growing non-profit organization. It has a solid group of experienced and dedicated board of directors, who will work tirelessly to make the operation of Fitzgerald house a success.
Much of Fitzgerald House’s success has been as a result of the vision and hard work of several Board Members over the past year. I believe that it has been the combination of drive, commitment, hard work and enthusiasm that have piloted our organization to its current level of success. For that immense accomplishment, I will be forever grateful to the following Board members, Roy A. Forbes, Miguel L. Forbes, Linval Taylor and Conrad Johnson. As well as a dear friend, Carla Patrick-Alexander.
The Board has given me the directive to take Fitzgerald House to the next level, that is, increasing the size of the organization and its programs significantly. My own vision is to make Fitzgerald House the best and most respected non-profit organization in the U.S.A. Currently, we are operating five (5) homes. I want to move slowly and calculatedly, but I would like to expand Fitzgerald House’s operations to Ten (10) homes within the next year. Over the next five (5) years, I also would like to double Fitzgerald House’s housing capacity, so that we can help more Veterans.
Currently, we secure properties by a combination of purchasing and leasing. But, our aim is to have 100% ownership of multi-family buildings for future growth and logistics. Fitzgerald House has operations in Queens, N.Y. and Brooklyn, N.Y. It is our goal to serve all boroughs.
In order to realize that vision, I will need your help. Among our priorities is the further diversification of donor support. Fitzgerald House has always been blessed with dedicated supporters from all sectors. I regard the Fitzgerald House community — staff members, donors, and colleagues as a team and a family, captivated by our common love for ensuring that our beloved Veterans are living their post-war and/or service years at a standard befitting those who have served our country well. Thank you for all that you have already done to help Fitzgerald House to be as successful as it is today. I believe wholeheartedly, that if we continue to work together, we can realize our ambitious goals for the future of Fitzgerald House, and, most importantly, for meeting the needs of our present and future Veterans.
Soldier facing charges for trying to kill herself last year attempts suicide again, one of a record number who have tried or succeeded in ending their lives after serving in Iraq, Afghanistan.
{The report, at the Washington Post, is now taking a long time to come up, had it once but now it's a real slow load.}
On this day a Man of Peace was Gunned Down but His Legacy, Teachings, and Humanity Lives On!
Mohandas K. Gandhi was killed in Delhi by an assassin who fired three shots from a pistol at a range of three feet.
An American reporter who saw it happen Read It Here
"Just an old man in a loincloth in distant India: Yet when he died, humanity wept." This was the observation of a newspaper correspondent at the death of Mahatma Gandhi. The tragedy occurred in New Delhi as the gaunt old man walked to a prayer-meeting and was engulfed by one of history's great ironies - a life-long pacifist and promoter of non-violence struck down by an assassin's bullet.
Wars of Choice are Atrosities even before they begin, as the Rethoric grows to lead to the Hatreds of others, enough Hatreds that when the First Bombs Drop many Cheer the Death and Destruction on! Those we've been led to Hate are than called Colateral Damage, another Atrosity, for it's the Innocents who suffer the most!
January 31, - Febuary 2, 1971 The Winter Soldier Hearings began in a Howard Johnson's motel in Detroit. Sponsored by Vietnam Veterans Against the War, the three days of hearings were an attempt by soldiers who had served in Vietnam to inform the public of the realities of U.S. conduct in the war. The veterans testified that the My Lai massacre was not an isolated incident, and that some American troops had committed atrocities. More than 100 veterans testified to such brutal acts. Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield later entered the transcript of the Winter Soldier hearings into the Congressional Record but, otherwise, the proceedings captured little attention.
The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War intended to publicize war crimes and atrocities by the United States Armed Forces and their allies in the Vietnam War. The VVAW challenged the morality and conduct of the war by showing the direct relationship between military policies and war crimes in Vietnam. The three-day gathering of 109 veterans and 16 civilians took place in Detroit, Michigan, from January 31-February 2, 1971. Discharged servicemen from each branch of military service, as well as civilian contractors, medical personnel and academics, all gave testimony about war crimes they had committed or witnessed during the years of 1963-1970.[1][2][3] With the exception of Pacifica Radio, the event was not covered extensively outside Detroit. However, several journalists and film crews recorded the event, and a documentary film called Winter Soldier was released in 1972. A complete transcript was later entered into the Congressional Record. The Winter Soldier hearings were followed in April and May 1973 by the Fulbright Hearings, convened by Senator J. William Fulbright, chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Verification of participants' credibility
The organizers of the Winter Soldier Investigation took several steps to guarantee the validity of the participants. Each veteran's authenticity was checked before the hearings by the investigation event organizers, and subsequently by reporters and Pentagon officials. In addition, they also gave specific details about their units and the locations where the events had occurred. Those who wanted to testify were carefully screened by the officers of VVAW, and care was taken to verify the service records and testimony of the veterans. After the severe criticism of the accuracy of Mark Lane's book about atrocities a month before the event, the organizers of the Winter Soldier Investigation made the credibility of the participants a top priority. All veterans participating in Winter Soldier were required to bring their discharge papers (DD-214's) and IDs.[17] In this connection, the identifying military affiliation of each veteran testifying, including in almost all cases, the dates of service, appears on the roster for each panel that was included with the testimony in the Congressional Record [4] As noted in VVAW records, each veteran's authenticity and testimony were checked after the hearings by Nixon's "plumbers." Charles Colson was assigned the task. In a confidential "Plan to Counteract Viet Nam Veterans Against the War", Colson wrote, "The men that participated in the pseudo-atrocity hearings in Detroit will be checked to ascertain if they are genuine combat veterans." At one point, the Nixon team suggested in a memo about VVAW, "Several of their regional coordinators are former Kennedy supporters." [18] VVAW was also targeted by the FBI for observation as a possible dissident organization. Although military documentation was provided, some media organizations such as the Detroit News made further inquiries into the hearings by questioning the authenticity of the testifying veterans. Discharge papers were examined; military records were checked against the Pentagon records; after all their digging, not one fraudulent veteran was found.[19] Several months after the Winter Soldier Investigation, NBC News reported on an incident with VVAW executive and Winter Soldier co-organizer Al Hubbard. Hubbard lied about being an officer during a Meet the Press television interview, and was confronted about it shortly afterward. Journalist William Overend states he had met Hubbard and he had been introduced as being a former Air Force captain. Overend learned Hubbard was only an E-5 Staff Sergeant when Hubbard had apologized on the Today Show a few days later, for exaggerating his rank. NBC's Frank Jordan recalls, "He was convinced no one would listen to a black man who was also an enlisted man." Hubbard did not testify at Winter Soldier, but detractors of the WSI frequently raise Hubbard's fabrication in attempts to generate doubt. Fritz Efaw, a Chapter Representative of VVAW, stated: "The claims that the WSI hearings contained falsified testimony from men who were not veterans is an old one, and it's definitely false. The testimony was startling even at the time it took place: startling to the general public, startling to the military and the Nixon administration, and startling to those who participated because each of them knew a piece of the story, but the hearings brought a great many of them together for the first time and provided a venue in which they could be heard for the first time. It's hardly surprising that those on the other side would set out almost immediately to discredit them." Seven years after the hearings, writer Guenter Lewy claimed in his book, America in Vietnam, that allegations against Marines were investigated by the Naval Investigative Service. Lewy wrote that the report stated that some veterans contacted by the NIS did not attend the WSI hearing in Detroit or had never been to Detroit, and many refused to be interviewed. However, government officials today cannot verify the report's existence, and no other historian has seen it.[5] Lewy later said that he could not recall if he had actually seen the alleged report or simply been told of its contents.[6] [7] See the text of this excerpt from Guenter Lewy's book, America in Vietnam, in wikiquote In addition, the Army found the allegations made by 46 veterans at the hearings to merit further inquiry, and were able to identify 43 of the complainants. The Army's CID investigators attempted to contact 41 of the people who testified; of the 36 they were able to locate, 31 submitted to interviews. [8] One participant, Jamie Henry, had reported the massacre he described at the hearings [9] to the Army, which investigated and subsequently confirmed the story. However, the details of the investigation were not made public until 2006, when the Los Angeles Times published the declassified information [10].
This Country has Still not come to terms with Vietnam and Now it will need to dig Real Deep Within to come to Terms with the Present and the Hatreds it has Instilled in Many over the Actions We Have Taken!!
The fact that this process of truth-telling was not respected and honored as a part of the experience of these soldiers is one of the reasons that the subject of the war in Vietnam continues to be misunderstood and misrepresented. This is a very disturbing film about the making of war, the making of young men into killers, the bringing of our society into acceptance of a war against people of a different color, a different culture, all the way around the globe. It brings to the surface of consciousness questions that must be confronted and asked again as our country is again sending off soldiers to die and to kill."
War crimes "encouraged?" WATERTOWN, NY - "I was messed up in the head. It was okay for me. I laughed afterwards. We all did. It's just the way things go." SNIP
But Turner says it wasn't his choice to be encouraged to do it from higher ranking officers. He and three other veterans speaking out Saturday at the Different Drummer Cafe in Watertown said committing war crimes is not only the way things go, but it's unofficial policy. SNIP
You can read the rest at above link, along with catching the News 10 Video there as well.
Winter Soldiers, according to founding father Thomas Paine, are those who stand up for the soul of their country, even in its darkest hours.
A group of Iraq war veterans are planning a gathering in Washington D.C. in March to talk about war crimes they've seen or committed during their tours of duty.
Humanity, that preaches Religious Beliefs, Human Rights, Morality has to come to terms with what War Brings On and it's Longterm Effects, Personal and to Security for All!
by Ari Shapiro Audio for this story will be available at approx. 9:00 a.m. ET
It starts out thus:
Morning Edition, January 29, 2008 · Army officials in upstate New York instructed representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs not to help disabled soldiers at Fort Drum Army base with their military disability paperwork last year. That paperwork can be crucial because it helps determine whether soldiers will get annual disability payments and health care after they're discharged.
And we get this from one of Drums soldiers:
"To be tossed aside like a worn-out pair of boots is pretty disheartening," the soldier says. "I always believed the Army would take care of me if I did the best I could, and I've done that."
What goes on with each and every Government Agency reflects the Nations Standards and Policies, by The Nation I'm talkin It's People, that's You and Me!
I caught the link in this very short post by IrritatedVet over at Vet Voice. I would have heard it driving to work, getting ready now, but wanted to pass on so More Hear This.
Hat Tip to IrritatedVet from another who's had some 37yrs., an continuing, of 'Irritation' towards an Apathedic Society!
Jan/26/08 08:41 ET Montel Williams turned the question on live television when he choose to focus on the solders dying in Iraq rather than the passing of Heath Ledger. Montel did not return for a further segment.
We have Two Theaters of Raging Conflicts Ongoing so I want to Thank You America for keeping us informed on What Is Really Important To You, Especially on these Political Blogs, both sides of the political ideologies.
One just needs to visit and read the Subject Topics!
A look at what happens to veterans when they come home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, how their families are affected who's there to provide mental health care should they need it.
Guests Dr. Barbara Romberg, Founder and President of "Give an Hour," a non-profit organization which provides mental health care needs to veterans and their families affected by the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She's also a clinical psychologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of children.
Kristin Henderson, Kristin Henderson is a journalist married to a military chaplain who has served in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. She's also author of "While They're at War."
Dr. Stephen Xenakis, Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Ret.), psychiatrist and consultant to Secretary of the U.S. Army. He's writing a report on PTSD for the Army and hopes to complete it by year's end.
Tanya Biank, Author of "Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage" which is now the subject of a Lifetime Television show. She also is a syndicated columnist (CinCHouse.com) and broke the story on four Army wife murders committed at Fort Bragg in 2002.
Karie Darga, CEO, Military Spouse Legacy Association. Her husband was killed in Iraq in 2006.
“They had a GI coffeehouse at Fort Hood, a place called the Oleo Strut. ... The GI movement started at Fort Hood—the Fort Hood Three, three years before I got there, guys who refused to go to Vietnam. That began to plant the seed. The soil was fertile because the reality was that the government was lying to us. Most people are decent people. They don’t want to go kill people and engage in brutality.... I went down there and got involved in publishing an underground newspaper called the Fatigue Press. We were putting out literature against the war and against the military and for GI rights and against racism.” —Dave Cline on organizing inside the U.S. Army, from the bookWinter Soldiers: An Oral History of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (Twayne's Oral History Series)
Well, I guess you could call it our summer of freedom, the year that we both turned eighteen - We hitch-hiked to Denver, fresh out of high school man, we were sights to be seen. And that was the year that you dated my cousin, 'til they took us away in the fall. Now I dearly wish you were standing here with me as I touch your name on the wall.
Touch a name on the wall, Touch a name on the wall. God help us all Touch a name on the wall.
Every time I come here I wear my fatigues, to honor the men that I knew. I touch every name that came from my outfit, and I read them out loud when I do. Now some people say that they all died for nothing, well, I don't completely agree - 'Cause this brother here didn't die for no country - He died for me.
[chorus]
Now, usually walls are made for division - to separate me from you. But God bless the wall that brings us together, and reminds us of what we've been through. And God damn the liars and the tin-plated heroes who trade on the blood of such men. God give us the strength to stand up and tell them - Never again!
[chorus]
You can find out more about Dave, that I have put together Here, collected from various sources after Dave passed away.
As we were organizing 
Mohandas K. Gandhi was killed in Delhi 
The Winter Soldier Hearings began in a Howard Johnson's motel in Detroit. 
The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event sponsored by the 