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New group wants a Presidential debate - Military Spouses for Change

Lets give these military spouses a Big Hand and Pass this to your E-Lists as well as posting on your sites!

Take 'testvets' request, last sentence of posting, and make some contacts, Make It Happen!!

Or debates on Iraq, Military and Veterans Issues

by testvet6778
Fri Nov 23, 2007 at 04:33:00 PM EST

I ran across this website today, Military Spouses for Change and I agree that a debate on these issues should be held. Both partiesshould agree since they are going to keep utilizing the five militaryforces of this nation occupied in Iraq or Afghanisatn or both and maybenew ones during the next term of office.
Some numbers to think about active duty 1,380,082 number of living veterans 26,403,703 and the number drawing veterans benefits are 2,735,559 these are voting age people, that usually DO vote. Most are married andhave children many of them have adult children, like myself I have 3voting age children, and you all better believe I tell them myopinions. Does that mean they will vote that way, NO, but they willlisten to me and I will have an influnce on their decisions, becausewhat affects me affects them. That means there is a potential 100million Americans directly affected by policies these candidates canpossibly impact in their lives, veterans benefits, home loans, old agecare, medical care, etc.

This is their message about the desired debate and the purpose behind it,because it DOES affect them, personally and up close, they are the ones either going into harms way or waiting at home for their loved ones,the candidates should be able to face them, their questions and debate the future about the military, with them in the audience, and all of us as Americans might learn more about the people that was to be the'Commander in Chief' of the Armed Services in addition to their duties as President of the United States.

As much as individual presidential candidates talk about health care plans or personal values, the fact remains that we are electing a war president. We are electing a president who will probably spend the bulk of his or her first term managing military conflicts and performing extensive foreign policy damage control. In 2008, the next President will inherit at least two wars and the costs of those wars,internally as well as internationally, will continue to grow long after the last service member comes home.
Consequently, Military Spouses for Change[1] is inviting the presidential candidates from both parties to Fort Hood, Texas(Killeen), on February 1st, to talk about foreign policy, our military,our veterans, our wounded warriors, and our military families.
Fort Hood is the largest military installation in the United States.There are almost 46,000 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood and more than24,000 spouses. On any given day, at least a third of these soldiersare deployed to Iraq and every week at least two soldiers from FortHood (on average) are killed in Iraq. (I am 34 and I know more widowsthan my mother knows.)
This kind of event has never been done before and it needs to be done now. Not only because Americans on both side of the aisle need to be reminded (before Super Tuesday) that we are electing the next Commander-in-Chief, but also because our service members and their families deserve to be addressed and heard by the people who wish to be elected in that position.
We also think this country’s large veteran community should know which candidates truly value the military and veteran vote (if not for moral reasons, then for practical reasons). There are approximately1.4 million active duty service members in America and 1.2 million inthe National Guard/Reserves. If you include the spouses, that comes toa total of 4.1 million votes.
Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 8 adults wereveterans (26.4 million) in 2003. If we assume that at least half ofthose adults were married, then we have approximately 39 million vetcouples giving us a total of almost 43 million American adults who arecurrently serving in the military, have served in the military, or aremarried to someone serving or who had served. That is not aninsignificant number.
As an organization and as military spouses, clearly U.S. foreignpolicy is important to us. But the American public has an interest inthis as well, not only for fiscal reasons (e.g., we have spent 447billion dollars on the war in Iraq alone), but for national securityreasons.
Furthermore, what about the depletion of our states' National Guardand reserve units? How are we going to replenish those units so thatindividual states can respond to a natural disaster or, heaven forbid,another 9/11?
So far 1.5 million service members have been deployed to Iraq orAfghanistan. What are the candidates’ positions on the possibility ofreinstating the draft if, for example, we become engaged with Iranbefore he or she enters office?
Since September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense has reportedmore than 64,000 wounded and 4,000 killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. TheDepartment of Veterans Affairs, however, has reported treating 250,000Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, including 95,000 for mental healthconditions.
Meanwhile, an estimated 700,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans areexpected to seek care from the VA within the next ten years, at aprojected cost of 7 to 9 BILLION dollars. A recent DoD taskforceassessing the mental health capabilities of the military announced: 'The system of care for psychological health that has evolved overrecent decades is insufficient to meet the needs of today's forces andtheir beneficiaries, and will not be sufficient to meet their needs in the future.' ( MHTF Report Final in PDF )
What do the candidates propose to do for our returning wounded warriors and their families? How do we effectively identify their mental, physical, social, and financial needs and how do we effectively meet those needs?
The suicide rate is the highest in almost 30 years and the propensity to serve is at a 20 year low. Consequently, the Army and Marine Corps are relying on reenlistment and recruiting bonuses that will cost nearly 2.5 billion dollars next year.
Iraq is the defining electoral issue of 2008. Nothing can be done domestically until we have settled our foreign affairs in such a way that does not require a large military presence in hostile countries. Yet because Texas is not an early primary state, it does not warrant the attention of the Presidential candidates. Nonetheless, we cannot imagine an event more powerful than these candidates answering questions posed to them by the very people whose service and sacrifice allow forums such as these to exist.
Shouldn't we as certain which candidates are the most qualified (from both parties) to lead our nation and our military prior to SuperTuesday? And shouldn't this be done in front of an audience of service members, veterans, wounded warriors, advocates, and their families?
If you have any questions or are interested in being involved, please contact:
Carissa S. Picard
President
Military Spouses for Change

Please contact the campaigns of the people you support and ASK themto please commit to this group and see if we can enable a debatebefore Super Dooper Tuesday.

Warriors Steppin Out

No matter what branch of service one joins, in the service of this Country, they have an Obligation to Stand Up to the Oath taken, against what they may feel are Unlawful Orders, No Matter Who Gives Them.
And especially as NCO's and Officers, if those Orders put their personal into extreme danger, against the Oath to Defend Country and Constitution, it is their Duty to Question those orders.
Military personal have few options to be heard, outside of ranks, but the Appeal For Redress gives them an Avenue to discuss their grievances with their Elected Representative in Congress who Work For Them and Us Civilians.
The Military Personal need our Real Support, just speaking the Words is not the support wanted nor needed!

From the Daily Press-Hampton Roads Virginia
Warriors rally against Iraq war
Active-duty personnel join activists in Norfolk to ask for an end to the conflict.

Now a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, he joined other active-duty personnel and peace activists at a Norfolk church Monday to promote an "Appeal for Redress" that asks Congress to bring the war to an end.

More than 1,030 soldiers, sailors and airmen have signed the petition, which is to be presented to Congress today.

"We've served in combat, and we've seen the futility of this war," said Magruder, who serves in an Army National Guard unit based in California. "The soldiers want to resist. The soldiers want to come home. We need the citizens to back us up."

More than 100 people attended the protest. Roughly one-third of the crowd were active-duty service members.

One message was repeated at Monday's protest: Dissent is not disloyalty, and those who object to the war are not traitors.

"It is not political, despite how others try to label us," said Liam Madden, a Marine who served seven months in Iraq. "Veterans often say, 'Not one more of my brothers should die for a lie.' This is not political. It is a call to conscience."

Active-duty war objectors face ostracism among their peers and potential retaliation from their superior officers, said Fabian Bouthillette, a former Navy officer who joined Iraq Veterans Against the War.

"Supporting the troops means more than slapping a bumper sticker on a car," he said. "I think it is very difficult for active-duty men and women to protest, to speak out. They have that right. We're all in this together."

A soldier based in Fort Lewis, Wash., 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, is awaiting court-martial for refusing to be deployed to the war, to which he publicly objected.

Magruder said he will go back to Iraq if his unit is redeployed there. But, he said, he'll do it only to support his brothers and sisters in arms.

From the Washington Post
Why They Fight -- From Within
Two Navy Men Create an Outlet For Military Protests on the Web

For Jonathan Hutto and David Rogers, life has become something of a surreality show. The two Navy men, comrades in arms, are waging a war against a war.

Jonathan Hutto, left, and David Rogers, who serve in the Navy, put together a Web site with names of active troops who are against the war in Iraq. (By Jay Paul For The Washington Post)

Working from within, Hutto, Rogers and others have established AppealforRedress.org , a Web site that enables active-duty, reserve and National Guard troops to appeal directly to Congress to withdraw military personnel from Iraq. On Monday, the group held its coming-out news conference in Norfolk, announcing that more than 1,000 people have signed appeals. On Tuesday, the pleas will be presented to Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) on Capitol Hill.

"Just because you joined the military doesn't mean your constitutional rights are suspended," said Hutto, a petty officer third class and 1999 Howard University graduate. "True patriotism is having a questioning attitude about the government."
Redress in this situation means relief, he said. "Relief from this war."

Audio Clip

Hutto on Antiwar Group Inspiration
Jonathan Hutto discusses the book "Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War."

Some, however, are reticent to appear in public. Organizers estimated that about two dozen active-duty members showed up at the Norfolk event, in a church near the naval base here. They were expecting 50. Hutto pointed out that many of the signers do not live in the Norfolk area.

The idea for the within-the-ranks antiwar group came after Hutto read "Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War" by David Cortright. Hutto showed the book to Rogers. They invited Cortright to come to Norfolk.
"I was so impressed by the seriousness of the discussion," said Cortright, who teaches peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. He said it takes guts for active military members to speak out. "But they do it respectfully."

A specialist 4 during Vietnam, Cortright said there were hundreds of active-military antiwar groups by 1970. "They published underground newspapers, ran coffeehouses, organized demonstrations and protests," he said. He recalled that in 1969, a petition signed by more than 1,300 active-duty military people -- calling for a national protest against the Vietnam War -- ran in the New York Times.
A widely circulated appeal for redress is a new wrinkle made possible by the Internet. The plea is simply stated. Here is the nut: 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. The site is also sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out.

Signers include:
Kevin Torres, 23, from Brooklyn, a sergeant in the 101st Airborne who has served two tours in Iraq. "I felt like with our being there, we were making more enemies," he said. "The people hated us. They wanted us out of the city."
And Liam Madden, 22, a Marine sergeant from Vermont. He spent seven months on the ground in Iraq. "I saw Iraq struggling to get on its feet and failing to do so -- despite the best efforts of American military," he said. "I have nothing against the military or my experience. It's the policy I oppose."

He said warriors have the right to question their mission and not be like the cavalry in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade": Theirs not to reason why /Theirs but to do and die.

From The Richmond Times Dispatch
25 service members urge Iraq pullout

In an hour-long event that paid homage to the anti-war teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the notion that dissent can be patriotic, the group claimed support from hundreds of actively serving personnel.
Speakers said they will be in Washington today to present members of Congress with the names of 1,031 actively serving members of the military who have signed an Internet document calling for the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
"It is respectful," said Liam Madden, a U.S.Marine Corps sergeant based at Quantico. "This is not politics. It's our generation's call to conscience."

"I don't have the capacity to be silent and complain [about] things I find to be immoral," Hutto said yesterday.
Hutto said about 25 personnel were present, including a number who are now in the reserves. None of the service personnel was in uniform, in accordance with federal law governing dissent by military members. He and others who spoke at the news conference said they have experienced no reprisals for their activities.
The group has been coached by legal advisers that the law permits them to speak out if they direct their speech at members of Congress.

Madden said after the news conference that serving as a leader of an anti-war movement does not conflict with his role as a Marine sergeant.
"In my heart, I'm doing what a sergeant should do, which is serving as an example," he said.

Cortright is also president of the Fourth Freedom Forum, which has provided help and raised some money for Hutto and Madden's campaign.
Cortright said 60 percent of those who signed the Appeal for Redress have served in Iraq, and all of them are brave: "It's an extraordinary expression of conviction and courage."

From The Navy Times
Service members to Congress: End Iraq war

“I am grateful for your courage,” he said to the service members and crowd of family, friends and peace activists who were present at a Capitol Hill press conference.
The effort by the service members did grab attention. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., issued a statement saying he has deep respect for service members willing to stand up for what they believe. “They have exercised their constitutional right to free speech, and they have questioned an unjust war,” he said.

A couple of the group of Active Military Personal, and one must be Active or very recenly Discharged to sign on to the appeal, with the Appeal For Redress were interviewed on Sunday on the Air America Phoenix - 1480 KPHX - Phoenix's ONLY Progressive Talk Radio show About Face which is hosted by members of the local Phoenix Veterans For Peace Chapter.
Those shows are not archived but the "About Face" show, though not live, airs also on The Progressive Radio Network a streaming online Radio Network. The About Face program airs on Saturdays, at 3pm PT 6pm ET.
The show, described above, was taped and will be aired this coming Saturday, on the Appeal For Redress. It will also be archived at the 'About Face' link above after it's aired.
Now last saturday it aired at 5pm ET don't know why so you might want to check it earlier if you are interested in hearing this interview.
If you know any Active Military Personal who might be interested, send the link to them, they can tune in anywhere in the world.
There is an archived show on PTSD with Ilona Meagher and guests already on the board at the left.

Just keep in mind these recent comments:

"I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of
gratitude" - The pResident

Yep up to 655,000 are really Grateful, many in their Mass Graves, as are their Survivors!

"I think once they get in harm's way, Congress's tradition is to
support those troops," Mr. Hadley said.

Harms Way, shows what the administration thinks of the Troops, it's called a Strong Defense!

The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!

Breaking Ranks

Charles E. Anderson | Breaking Ranks: Troops Call for Iraq Withdrawal

On Wednesday, January 10, President George W. Bush announced that he would be sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq as early as Monday. "The escalation of this war is very disappointing," said Mass Communications Specialist Third Class, Jonathan Hutto, 29, a sailor stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt. Ironically, as the additional troops begin arriving in Iraq, Hutto and other active duty troops will travel to Washington to present the Appeal for Redress of Grievances from the US Congress to US Representative Dennis Kucinich.

The Phoenix AZ Chapter of Veterans For Peace had a couple of the Active Duty Personal taking part in the Presentation of the 'Appeal For Redress' on their Radio Show 'About Face' today, Sunday, that show isn't archived but there will be an expanded version, with this Marine and National Guard member next Saturday at 3PT or 6ET PM:
HERE