Dear VoteVets.org Supporter,

"As you may have heard, yesterday the Senate passed the 21st Century GI Bill with an overwhelming majority. What you may not have heard is that many of those who signaled they would oppose the bill, but voted for it, were talking about the heat coming from VoteVets.org.

Let me make it clear - it was you who had many Senators quaking in their shoes. They knew that all the work VoteVets.org had done, (including the over 16,000 letters you wrote to the Senate and the ad we aired) made Americans well aware of what was at stake, and were fearful of having to go back to their constituents and have to explain why they voted against the GI Bill.

Thank you for all you have done to help the troops and veterans. The fight is not over, yet. The House of Representatives still has one more vote to go, and then the President might veto the measure, meaning we will need to get a two-thirds majority in Congress to override the veto. But, for now, as we go into this Memorial Day weekend, know that you have done a great thing to support those troops and veterans who have come home and only want to make a better life for themselves and their country."

Sincerely,
Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets.org

Still in Iraq

Is this what America needs right now?

Still in Iraq

The US Palestine-Israel Fairytale

By Ramzy Baroud

"A memorable quote in Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894) still carries a wealth of relevance. He writes, "They own the [holy] land, just the mere land, and that's all they do own; but it was our folks, our Jews and Christians, that made it holy, and so they haven't any business to be there defiling it. It's a shame and we ought not to stand it a minute. We ought to march against them and take it away from them."

Recently an influential pastor, John Hagee of the Dallas's Cornerstone mega-church, followed his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate John McCain with some telling remarks. "What Senator McCain, I feel, needs to do to bring evangelicals into his camp is to make it very clear that he is a strong defender of Israel and that he has a strong 24 years of being pro-life. And I think on those two issues they will get on common ground and have a common understanding."

Such are the views of a man who has ever- growing influence among an ever-swelling culture in the US -- the evangelical Christian bloc. No mention was made of the well being of Palestinians, even Christian Palestinians, many of who are descendants of the early church.

To be sure, the human rights and needs of Palestinians are rarely addressed by American officials. On the rare occasion that they are, any expression of support must be closely followed by a strong condemnation of "Palestinian terrorism".

Welcome to America's parallel reality on Israel and Palestine, bare-faced in its defying the notions of common sense, equality and justice, ever-insistent on peeking at the Arab- Israeli conflict through a looking glass manufactured jointly in the church, in Congress and in the newsroom, where the world is reduced to characters interacting in a Hollywood-like movie set: good guys, well groomed and often white-skinned versus bad guys bearing opposite qualities.

One may become accustomed to watching, reading and listening to the chorus of support that America -- its politicians, most of its mainstream media and a large conglomerate of its churches and clergies -- tirelessly offers Israel. While the advocacy for Israel by various evangelical churches is both bizarre -- since the ultimate objective of this crowd is the annihilation of most Jews and the conversion of some as prerequisites for "the Rapture" -- and widely acknowledged, their influence on the political culture of America is not equally recognised. For example, Pastor Hagee, a televangelist to 99 million viewers, established Christians United for Israel (CUFI) in 2005 following the publication of his book, The Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World.
US writer Robert Weitzel explains, "Hagee envisions CUFI as the Christian version of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful pro-Israel lobby whose political clout has significant influence on US foreign policy in the Middle East."

Journalist Max Blumenthal took his cameras to the CUFI's Washington-Israel summit held July 2007, in Washington DC. The result was a documentary entitled, Rapture Ready: The Unauthorised Christians United for Israel Tour. It opens with former Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay, who is asked how important the Second Coming is as a factor in his support for Israel. "Obviously, it is what I live for. Really, I hope it comes tomorrow. Obviously, we need to be connected to Israel to enjoy the Second Coming of Christ."

Weitzel reports, "John Hagee is not without fawning friends in Washington. Presidential hopeful John McCain made a campaign stop at the summit and admitted to the audience that, 'it's very hard trying to do the Lord's work in the city of Satan ... ' House Minority Leader Whip Roy Blunt followed McCain to the podium and assured the faithful that 'This is a mission, this is a vision that I believe is a vision for God's time.' Senator Joe Lieberman was there and described Pastor Hagee as an 'Ish Elokim,' a man of God." Even President Bush sent his best wishes, "I appreciate CUFI members... for your passion and dedication to enhancing the relationship between the United States and Israel. Your efforts set a shining example for others ..."

While most US politicians are self-seeking, power-hungry and would do whatever it takes to be elected, the average American, though it may seem otherwise, is not born "pro-Israel" and "anti-Palestinian". Most Americans are pro the manufactured yet misleading images of Israel that reach their homes through television, wait at their doorsteps in the morning newspaper, and confront them through the web. Israel has mastery over the language of the Western media, which, again, helped create a parallel reality that has little correlation to the real world, that of facts, numbers and actual events. That alternative universe only exists on newspaper editorial pages, in mega-churches and in the blabber of Fox News "experts".

There is no serious or equitable debate regarding Palestine and Israel in the US corporate media, nor in any other US cultural, political and religious circles. If the existing narrative is to be called a debate, then it's one with an imagined, not real, language, almost entirely irrelevant to realities in Palestine and Israel; one that is largely predicated on a narrow minded, apocalyptic religious discourse that for decades has found itself an accepted point of departure for most politicians, even those who falsely pose as liberals.

Between the two discourses, that of misguided religious fantasies and pandering politicians, there maybe exists enough room for alternative narratives. Unfortunately, that space too is overwhelmed by cultural misconceptions, institutional bias and deliberate confusion introduced and instilled by media producers, pundits and other manufacturers of American popular culture.

Until the gatekeepers of US culture are seriously challenged, Palestine will continue to reside in American imagination as a battle between good and evil, a "Holy Land" that must be wrested from the hands of those who might have owned the land, at some point, but now (as Mark Twain wrote) "haven't any business to be there defiling it."

-Ramzy Baroud www.ramzybaroud.netis an author and editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His work has been published in many newspapers and journals worldwide.

Please see a very interesting discussion End Timer's and Right Wing Evangelicals in a discussion with Bill Moyer's, an evangelical minister, and a Rabi.

On the campaign trail, Senator Obama and Senator Clinton both say that the war in Iraq needs to end. Military Families Speak Out has one question for them: what are they doing now as sitting United States Senators, to bring our loved ones home from Iraq?

Military Families Speak Out is an organization of almost 4,000 military families with loved ones who are serving in Iraq , ready to deploy or re-deploy, have been wounded physically and/or psychologically, or have died as a result of the war in Iraq . We know first hand the devastation of this war.

We are more than five years into a war that Clinton and Obama say should never have begun. Over 4,000 U.S. troops and, by some estimates, over a million Iraqi children, women, and men have died in this unjustifiable war. Countless more have sustained devastating life long injuries to their bodies, minds, and spirits. More are killed and wounded every day. The suicide rate among active duty and returned Veterans is skyrocketing. We simply can't wait nine more months for a new President to begin a process for ending this war.

And we don't have to: Congress has the power to end the war in Iraq now. The President can't spend a dime on this war without the approval of both houses of Congress.

A single act of bold leadership by Senator Clinton or Senator Obama could be instrumental in ending this war. When the Senate takes up the next war funding bill, either one of them could lead a filibuster, refusing to stand down until their colleagues agree to vote against any bill that provides funding to continue the war rather than funding specifically for the swift and safe return of all our troops from Iraq . They wouldn't even need a majority of their colleagues to back them up -- all they need is 40 Senators prepared to unite behind their leadership and block additional funding to continue the war from making it through the Senate.

Democrats and Republicans alike have routinely used filibusters and the threat of filibusters around important issues. What could be more important that ending the war in Iraq ?

If Senator Clinton and Senator Obama aren't willing to use the power they have now as U.S. Senators to end the war, what makes anyone think they will exercise bold leadership on January 20, 2009 ? If they fail to take action to stop funding the war that is killing our troops and the Iraqi people, we can only conclude that when their campaigns talk about ending the war, they are just using the memory of the fallen, the sacrifices of our troops, and the grief and pain of our families, for political gain.

As military families, we appeal to the American people: Call Senator Clinton, Senator, Obama, and your own two Senators and urge them to use the power of the filibuster to block any bill that continues to fund the war in Iraq rather than funding the swift and safe return of our troops. We also call on Congress to appropriate the funds needed for our troops to get the care they need when they return.

Senator Hillary Clinton -- (202) 224-4451

Senator Barack Obama -- (202) 224-2854

Senate Switchboard -- (800) 828-0498 Click here to find out who your Senators are. Senate.gov

Click here to sign our online petition.
Take Leadership to End the War in Iraq



QuestionItNow Still in Iraq

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/JDF-Saddam-Report.pdf

Here is a link to Crooks and Liars of the 230 page report that Bush spent the first part of this week trying to suppress. This report was published by the Pentagon itself, and examines 660,000 documents and reports after which it concludes without shadow of doubt that the was ZERO connection between Saddam and Al Qaeda.

The report is available under the Freedom of Information Act, by contacting the joint forces command website and ordering the CD through the contact form. I don't have a link for that, but if you want to find it, I am sure it would be easy.

or you can go to Crooks and Liars and see the report.

The point here is that even for cave people here in Texas and Sidney, Montana the information that those of us in the anti-war movement have known for more years than Operation Iraqi Liberation aka OIL has been going on, is now available, now, if only cave people could read!

Read it and weep for our dead and betrayed troops, for the Iraqi people, and our world that will be worse for wear thanks to Bush's dirty little war.


t~85,441
helena peace seekers
bake sales for body armor
military families speak out


"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in."--George McGovern.

"They have always taught and trained you to believe it to be your patriotic duty to go to war and to have yourselves slaughtered at their command. But in all the history of the world you, the people, have never had a voice in declaring war, and strange as it certainly appears, no war by any nation in any age has ever been declared by the people."
-Eugene Debs
Still in Iraq

Subject: SICK OF IT DAY Campaign Begins | Sick of it Day

http://www.sickofitday.org/node/8

veterans for peace and iraq vets against the war, are kicking off sick of it day- i think i'll join them- how about you- sick of it yet? stay home on march 19, and make a lot of telephone calls to let all those people in congress, in your workplace and your town know how sick of it you are.

call your senators more than once, they seem to be having the hardest time figuring it out. the house isn't rolling over for the telecom immunity crap. and they are doing something about harriet myers and bolten.... yay... so, call your senators twice at least, about sick of it day, just to be sure they get the message. maybe they are a little thick.

and log on to the sick of it website to see what all actions are taking place, or create one and post it there.

all i know is that i am so sick of it at this point it takes about 10 pills to get through the day. too bad there just isn't another continent that we sensible people could move to and leave these *&^%tards here to sink in their own mess.

I'M REAL SICK OF IT.

t~85,441
helena peace seekers
bake sales for body armor
military families speak out

"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in."--George McGovern.

"They have always taught and trained you to believe it to be your patriotic duty to go to war and to have yourselves slaughtered at their command. But in all the history of the world you, the people, have never had a voice in declaring war, and strange as it certainly appears, no war by any nation in any age has ever been declared by the people."--Eugene Debs

QuestionItNow

Dear Editor,
Greetings.

This is my latest article for this week entitled: The Iraq Charade. It focuses on the recent talks about the ‘good news’ coming out of Iraq. I hope that you will find it interesting.

Thank you and best wishes
Ramzy Baroud
+++++

The Iraq Charade
By Ramzy Baroud

In recent months, we have been inundated by media reports bringing good news from Iraq, with countless testimonials to the great improvement in security enjoyed by the country in general and the Baghdad area in particular.

This progress is attributed solely to the judicious ‘surge’ of US military presence, and the astute tactics enacted by occupation forces in a place that once personified despair and violence. Indeed, reports repeatedly point to the figure indicating that violence in Iraq has dwindled by 60 per cent in the past three months.

BBC reporter in Iraq, Jim Muir, is one of the leading enthusiasts of the apparent miracle. In his report, ‘Is Iraq Getting Better?’, he indulges in over-generalised estimations which just happen to be shared by the US military.

"Over the past three months, there has been a sharp and sustained drop in all forms of violence. The figures for dead and wounded, military and civilian, have also greatly improved...People walk in crowded streets in the evening, when just a few months, ago they would have been huddled behind locked doors in their homes. Everybody agrees that things are much better."

Elsewhere, Muir goes further in discussing the role played by Sunni militias in bringing peace to Baghdad. He quotes a militiaman as saying, "At the beginning, people saw it as an occupation which had to be resisted. But then they saw that the Americans were working in the interests of the people."

The BBC represents only a mild example in this charade, which is instilled mostly by the Bush administration and its allies in the military and in the mainstream media. It is mind-boggling how the latter could accept the so-called transformation from chaos to semi-order without any real questioning.

Meanwhile, there are a few sources of information regarding the violence resulting from the US invasion of Iraq. One of these is the US military itself, which keeps track of and publishes information pertinent to the violence only when it’s relevant to attacks on US installations and personnel.

Confirming or denying these reports in their entirety is unattainable by any independent source. Considering the politicised nature of the US military public relation strategies, such reports should hardly attest to what is indeed unfolding in Iraq.

Another source of information is the Iraq government and army. It’s no secret that those at the helm of both of these institutions are working under the command of the US military. Spokesmen for the Iraqi government coordinate their statements — with a few exceptions — to confirm those made by the latter.

It seems odd that the bulk - if not the entirety - of reports on the improvement in security are predicated principally on information released by the US military, Iraqi official sources or willing collaborates of both (conformist Shia sources, tribal Sunni leaders). The latter group reportedly receive a monthly-imbursement for helping guard their areas against Al Qaeda. Moreover, an estimated 80,000 Sunni fighters — many of whom were apparently insurgents fighting the US military — get paid US $300 each to perform various guarding duties. What else do media ‘investigative’ reporters expect to hear from those who get paid to improve security in Iraq? Can they possibly discredit their own efforts, thus losing badly needed incomes? It’s interesting how the US military can now lend its trust to arming and funding the same people who were supposedly blowing up their vehicles a few months ago.

A third source of news is the implausibly huge number of statements made by various organisations in Iraq — some fighting the US and British forces, others fighting amongst themselves due to differences of ethnicity or agenda. Moreover, many of Iraq’s death squads were found to be no other than Al Badr Brigades, the militant arm of some leading members of the Iraqi government. Much of the killing was also attributed to Al Mahdi Army, based mostly in Baghdad’s Al Sadr City. Internal politics and secretive dealings have contributed to the cessation of violence attributed to Al Mahdi militias. The Iraqi army and police are said to be assembled from these two large Shia militants groupings, and much of the violence seems to be of their own making.

Isn’t possible that the US allies decided to cease their violence and ethnic cleansing in Baghdad to give the impression that President Bush’s genius ‘surge’ strategy has paid off, thus discrediting all of his detractors, both at home and abroad?

Is it not ingenious that the Iraq ‘success story’ is now, retrospectively, associating such upbeat and positive terminologies - security, peace, safety, hope - with a most sinister act, that of military invasion of a sovereign country and the subjugation of its people? Why isn’t the media asking these questions instead of indulging in ‘good news’ which is likely to propagate and justify the unwarranted and humiliating occupation?

There are more sources that are closer to credibility than any of the ones above. Independent reports such as the survey of Iraqi households in the Lancet, estimating that by July 2006, 655,000 Iraqis died as a consequence of the war. UK-based polling agency Opinion Research Business reached even a higher number, in September 2007, suggested that 1.2 million people might have died as a result of the war. But no number can do justice to the hurt felt by Iraqi people, so many of whom perished by the firepower of their ‘liberators’.

On December 28, 14 Iraqis were reportedly killed, and 64 others were wounded in a Baghdad square crowded with shoppers following the Friday prayer. I wonder if the many families that collectively share the latest tragedy in Baghdad will find some peace and comfort in the figures and statistics issued by the US military and disseminated cheerfully be the media. I wonder how the people of the bloody Tayaran Square would respond to the question: "Is Iraq getting better?" Would any reporter even bother to ask them their thoughts?

- Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an author and editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People’s Struggle (Pluto Press, London)

QuestionItNow-Still in Iraq

"No man is good enough to govern another without the other's consent."

- Abraham Lincoln

QuestionItNow - Still in Iraq

WASHINGTON - "Defending his credibility, President Bush said Tuesday that Iran is dangerous and must be squeezed by international pressure despite a blockbuster intelligence finding that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program four years ago."

"Defending his credibility" really says it all, don't you think. Orwell is not dead. Double-speak is alive and well. They keep trying to remember how to sell a war. Fortunately, it appears this time America is not buying. Have we started to ask tough questions?

QuestionItNow Blogs

Pentagon Cover Up:

15,000 or more US casualties in Iraq War

By Mike Whitney, 11/17/07 "ICH"

The Pentagon has been concealing the true number of American casualties in the Iraq War. The real number exceeds 15,000 and CBS News can prove it.

CBS’s Investigative Unit wanted to do a report on the number of suicides in the military and "submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Defense." After 4 months they received a document which showed--that between 1995 and 2007--there were 2,200 suicides among "active duty" soldiers.

Baloney!

The Pentagon was covering up the real magnitude of the "suicide epidemic." Following an exhaustive investigation of veterans’ suicide data collected from 45 states; CBS discovered that in 2005 alone "THERE WERE AT LEAST 6,256 AMONG THOSE WHO SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCES. THAT’S 120 EACH AND EVERY WEEK IN JUST ONE YEAR."

That is not a typo. Active and retired military personnel, mostly young veterans between the ages of 20 to 24, are returning from combat and killing themselves in record numbers. We can assume that "multiple-tours of duty" in a war-zone have precipitated a mental health crisis of which the public is entirely unaware and which the Pentagon is in total denial.

If we add the 6,256 suicide victims from 2005 to the "official" 3,865 reported combat casualties; we get a sum of 10,121. Even a low-ball estimate of similar 2004 and 2006 suicide figures, would mean that the total number of US casualties from the Iraq war now exceed 15,000.

That’s right; 15,000 dead US servicemen and women in a war that--as yet--has no legal or moral justification.

CBS interviewed Dr. Ira Katz, the head of mental health at the Department of Veteran Affairs. Katz attempted to minimize the surge in veteran suicides saying, "There is no epidemic of suicide in the VA, but suicide is a major problem."

Maybe Katz right. Maybe there is no epidemic. Maybe it’s perfectly normal for young men and women to return from combat, sink into inconsolable depression, and kill themselves at greater rates than they were dying on the battlefield. Maybe it’s normal for the Pentagon to abandon them as soon as soon they return from their mission so they can blow their brains out or hang themselves with a garden hose in their basement. Maybe it's normal for politicians to keep funding wholesale slaughter while they brush aside the casualties they have produced by their callousness and lack of courage. Maybe it is normal for the president to persist with the same, bland lies that perpetuate the occupation and continue to kill scores of young soldiers who put themselves in harm’s-way for their country.

It’s not normal; it’s is a pandemic---an outbreak of despair which is the natural corollary of living in constant fear; of seeing one’s friends being dismembered by roadside bombs or children being blasted to bits at military checkpoints or finding battered bodies dumped on the side of a riverbed like a bag of garbage.

The rash of suicides is the logical upshot of Bush’s war. Returning soldiers are traumatized by their experience and now they are killing themselves in droves. Maybe we should have thought about that before we invaded.

Check it out the video at: CBS News "Suicide Epidemic among Veterans"
t~85,441
military families speak out
bake sales for body armor
http://www.thehomefrontwardiaries.com/

Still In Iraq

OhioDem1 Sent the following:

"Take a look at the linked video of some anti-Iraq veteran protesters who were arrested at the Boston Veterans Day parade. They actually arrested a 76 year old and 92 year old WW II veteran. Veterans Arrested During Protest

These guys have so much class and dignity. These guys make me proud to be an American Veteran."

Still in Iraq

As usual, my good friend Stacy hits the nail directly on the head with this article. i have also met with Senator Clinton, and found her lack of understanding of the plight of military families to be distressing to say the least.

I must say loudly and clearly, i will vote for my dog before vote for Senator Clinton for our president. this is just one reason why.

Republicans will be overjoyed if Clinton is the nominee, because they know how divisive she is. We need some real democrats, not the pile of do nothing followers that are currently in congress.

t~85,441
military families speak out
bake sales for body armor
http://www.thehomefrontwardiaries.com/

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/01/4947/

Published on Thursday, November 1, 2007 by CommonDreams.org
War IS a Women’s Issue, Senator Clinton
by Stacy Bannerman

I spoke with Senator Clinton back in 2006, when I spent almost three months spearheading Operation House Call, a daily vigil in the summer sauna of Capitol Hill, with a growing number of combat boots representing what Congress’s decision to "stay the course" in Iraq was costing our troops. The Senator is smaller and softer in person than she is on TV, but I guess that’s the benefit of living in the political and financial Green Zone that affords the luxury of denial; that insulates and isolates an elected official from having to face the human and domestic costs of war.

In an effort to cement herself as the candidate of choice for working- and middle-class women, Senator Hillary Clinton is reaching out to those constituencies by touting issues like child care, Social Security and health care. Speaking to audiences of women political activists, she focuses almost exclusively on domestic policy, framing her presentations in terms of family, health and home, rarely, if ever, addressing foreign policy. Perhaps Hillary thinks women shouldn’t worry their pretty little heads about things like war; that women should just leave that up to the men folk. Or perhaps it’s because the Senator has no real grasp on precisely how the seemingly-interminable occupation of Iraq and the repeat, extended deployments are destroying the American home front.

As the (separated) wife of an Iraq war veteran, and a card-carrying member of Military Families Speak Out, I have no buffer. I live daily with the fall-out from this war, I hear regularly from the women who are suffering in silence, rambling e-mails dripping with the psychic blood that is being shed all over this nation, long phone calls from weeping wives, worried about their children, their husbands and their families, but rarely, if ever, themselves. We are America’s uncounted, unrecognized collateral damage, left to fend for ourselves in a system that denies our experience and dismisses our existence.

Our numbers include: the mother in Seattle who is caring for - and bearing witness to - the grief and despair and suicidal thoughts of her young son who left blood, brains and body parts in the sands of Iraq; The wife of an Iraq war veteran who held her at knifepoint in front of the children while speaking in Arabic in a PTSD-induced disassociative fugue; the wife and child who are living in the dining room of a friend’s house because her husband, a veteran, is in jail after bringing home weapons (not unusual) and the military has cut off his pay; the wife who has endured multiple violent assaults by her husband, whom the VA has discontinued treatment for because he’s been issued orders for another tour in Iraq; the sister who is taking care of her brother with severe traumatic stress on a waitresses salary because his parents kicked him out and the VA won’t help and he’s got nowhere else to go.

Among the "acceptable losses" is the wife who asked, "How do you grieve for someone who isn’t dead?" She is the primary caretaker of her Marine, suffering severe polytraumas, while also taking care of their three children and her elderly mother. Another casualty is the wife of Oregon Army Reserve Supply Sergeant Matthew Denni, whose PTSD contributed to him butchering his bride and stuffing her corpse in a footlocker.

We’re branded "unpatriotic" if we talk about this in public. When we dare to tell the truth, we are slammed and slandered for being anti-military and not supporting the troops. Our loved ones are the troops. Without them - and, make no mistake about it, us, the women who were drafted when our loved ones enlisted and are serving without pay, support or recognition on the home front - there would be no military. And now we’ve got a female Presidential candidate who is trying to secure the women’s vote by talking to women about "women’s issues," like family, and children and health care, but refuses to address the domestic disaster that is descending upon military families across this country as the direct result of America’s foreign policy. Senator Clinton, aren’t we women, too?

Stacy Bannerman, M.S., is the author of When the War Came Home: The Inside Story of Reservists and the Families They Leave Behind, (Continuum Publishing, 2006). She can be contacted at stacy@stacybannerman.com.

QuestionItNow Blogs

Paul Riekoff and the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America reminds us that we have an obligation to remind our elected officials that they have an obligation to ensure that America honors and cherishes her veterans!

Dear IAVA Supporter,

This past week, IAVA Supporters stepped up in a big way. We asked for your help in getting our new television ad on the air, and thanks to you, it started running on national networks this morning. To all of you who chipped in - thank you.

The ad, titled 'Demand Action,' calls on both Congress and the President to get the overdue budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs approved. 'Demand Action' directs people to IAVAAction.org, where they can add their name to a growing list of Americans who are demanding immediate action.

Click here to watch the ad and put your name on the statement.

Over the next several days, the ad will be running in major national markets, including Washington, DC, where lawmakers can see it for themselves. This will be a huge step towards shifting the debate and getting our veterans the care they need.

But there's more work to do. Let Washington know that you're standing with our veterans. Sign the statement, and tell five people to do the same.

Ten days have passed since Congress missed the deadline for passing the VA budget, and our veterans are still waiting. Now that the ad is running, Congress will be forced to focus once again on the issue of VA funding.

Your continued support is essential for bringing these issues to the forefront. Thanks to you, we're going to get this message across loud and clear.

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America


QuestionItNow-Still In Iraq

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq

For Immediate Release - September 11, 2007
Contact: Moira Mack - (202) 261-2383

Petraeus "Doesn't Know" if Endless War in Iraq Makes America Safer

WASHINGTON – Today Army General David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, admitted that he doesn't know if President Bush's Iraq War makes America safer. Watch his testimony on YouTube

A recent "USA Today"/Gallup poll found a record-high 60 percent of Americans think the United States should set a timetable to withdraw forces and "stick to that timetable regardless of what is going on in Iraq" [USA Today, 9/10/07].

"The general's admission that he doesn't know if endless war in Iraq is making America safer makes clear that the public is right: it's time to end this war. Despite the rosy Iraq spin by the White House, the truth is shining through," said Americans Against Escalation in Iraq spokeswoman Moira Mack. "Keeping our troops bogged down policing Iraq's civil war makes America less secure – sectarian violence is up, U.S. troop deaths are up and the public is saying enough is enough. Americans are demanding a responsible end to the war in Iraq and President Bush will be addressing an irate and skeptical anti Iraq war public when he addresses the nation this week."

Senator Warner: Are you able to say at this time if we continue what you have laid before the congress here, this strategy. Do you feel that that is making America safer?

General Petraeus: Sir, I believe this is indeed the best course of action to achieve our objectives in Iraq.

Warner: Does that make America safer?

General Petraeus: Sir, I don't know actually. I have not sat down and sorted in my own mind what I have focused on and what I have been riveted on is how to accomplish the mission of the multinational force Iraq.

CDA, AAEI, and Iraq Summer is a coalition including a wide range of political and nonprofit organizations that are working against our current policy in Iraq. Coalition organizations that are tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC have not endorsed or sponsored this statement or the advertisement referred to therein, and no funds provided were used in producing or distributing this statement or the advertisement.

QuestionItNow Blogs

I received the following email today.

"Dear IAVA Supporter,

Vets Bill Update In June, I asked you for your support on a bill that would help soldiers return to school after their deployments, and you made your voices heard loud and clear. Many of you contacted your representatives in Congress, and we've made remarkable progress.

When I first contacted you, we had three lawmakers co-sponsoring the VETS Bill in Congress. Today, we have fifty-eight.

This bill has gotten some great press. Check out the article from the San Francisco Chronicle below.

This is a crucial piece of legislation. Most students don't have to begin paying their loans until six months after graduation. But when I deployed to Iraq with the Army National Guard I was out of school for over six months. That meant I had used up my grace period, and would have to start paying back the loans the day I graduated.

As you can imagine, this put me in a difficult position. And I was definitely not the only one. During the month that Congress was in recess, from early August until this past Tuesday, over 20,000 Reserve and National Guard soldiers returned home. And many of them will be attempting to return to school this very week. This bill will provide vital protections for these returning students, including guaranteed re-enrollment and extended grace periods for loan repayment.

Getting a bill through Congress is a long and arduous task. But with concerned supporters like you behind us, we're doing just that. The VETS Bill will help to reassure men and women in uniform that serving their country opens doors to higher education, instead of closing them.

Check out the article below, and keep an eye on your inbox. We're going to be making a major grassroots push now that Congress is back in session, and we'll need your help.

Thank you for your continued support."

Sincerely,

Patrick Campbell
Iraq Veteran
Legislative Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
QuestionItNow Blogs

I received the following message today. Why do we continue to allow our civilian leaders to speak hollow slogans such as "support our troops" while the needs of our battle scarred veterans go unmet?

"Wednesday, President Bush addressed the largest gathering of veterans in the country - the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Kansas City. Instead of taking the opportunity to discuss the urgent issues facing veterans today, the president offered a history lesson -- and actually compared Iraq to Vietnam. This was an ideal opportunity for the President to show real leadership on the crisis facing veterans' healthcare, but he failed to do so.

Plenty of people are making arguments about the historical accuracy of the President's Iraq-Vietnam comparison. We are more frustrated by what Bush did not say.

We have often admonished the President for not addressing veterans' issues. This speech today represents a new low. After taking credit for increasing the veterans' budget, even after years of underfunding the VA, the President was strangely silent on the real issues facing new veterans, including naming a replacement for Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson who steps down in October, and implementing the recommendations of the Dole-Shalala Commission to fix the nation's military and veterans' hospitals.

Take a minute now to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper using our online tool. Demand that Congress and the President take real action now to implement the Dole-Shalala recommendations.

It only takes a few minutes, and at the link above we've included some talking points you can use in your letter.

What happened to all the outrage and promises after Walter Reed? The words "Dole-Shalala" were not even mentioned in the President's speech. The Dole-Shalala Commission's Report set out six clear recommendations to be implemented (most by the President), and now they are gathering dust on a shelf somewhere while the President and Congress are on vacation for the summer.

So if we're going to talk about the legacy of Vietnam, we need to remember what happens when a nation fails to take care of its veterans. We cannot abandon another generation of combat vets to untreated mental health problems, substance abuse, unemployment, homelessness, and suicide. As President Bush said today, "History does remind us that there are lessons applicable to our time. And we can learn something from history." Let us learn that the men and women who have fought in Iraq, Afghanistan, (and all wars) deserve to be provided for. Not just used as a backdrop for another political photo op.

Make your voice heard today .

Thank you for your continued support."

Sincerely,

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

QuestionItNow Blogs

If we are to get an honest assessment of how the so called 'surge' is working, we need to listen to those who are there The War as We Saw It. Sorry, for our policy makers, listening to the boots on the ground is not an option.

They say, 'let us not listen to those who have been there.' Instead we should listen to those who go over in private jets to take escorted tours around the markets of Baghdad with 100 armed soldiers and 4 Blackhawk helicopters, fact finding missions indeed?

Boots on the ground and blood in the sand means nothing after all. Isn't it always the same... people breathing rarified air make decisions for people who are knee deep in the issue... and they have the nerve to call themselves leaders... of some sort....

Hmmmm, what is wrong with this picture?

Still In Iraq

Dear Senators,

Yesterday, Helena, Montana was unfortunate enough to lose another of our precious soldiers, Army Specialist, Donald M. Young, 19, of the 1st Cav out of Ft. Hood, TX, Correction, we did not lose him, we know exactly where he is. He was killed in an IED attack in Baghdad, Iraq. So, he is not lost at all, he is DEAD, gone forever. My heart goes out to his family, all who knew him, and our nation, forever lessened by his loss.

The 4th ID of Texas is gearing up to go to Iraq again, in December, potentially taking the love of my life with them, again. Today, in Michigan, where I am away from my husband and my home, directing the Iraq Summer Campaign, trying desperately to end the war, the flags are flying at half mast by order of Governor Jennifer Granholm, for Army Pfc. Charles T. Heinlein, 23, who also died in an IED explosion, in Baghdad. My heart goes out to his family, his friends and our nation … again, lessened by his loss.

When will you say that this endless, missionless fiasco has killed enough of our troops, enough of the Iraqi people and destroyed enough homes, hospitals, schools and roads? When can I lay down the burden of working everyday to end this war, secure in the knowledge that my elected officials are doing the right thing?

When will you realize that cutting off funding for the war is the way to end it? No more funds except those that it takes to bring our troops safely home. The end is entirely in your ability through the power of the purse. I want no more arguments from you that there are not enough votes to carry such a measure. Look to the leadership of Montana’s own Jeannette Rankin for the courage it takes to stand alone if you must; but stand! Please, for the sake of our nation and the future of the world, make it stop.

Tammara Rosenleaf

Helena Peace Seekers
Military Families Speak Out

http://www.thehomefrontwardiaries.com/entryH

Still In Iraq

Dear Mr Feingold,

You ask me to support you in censuring Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney and the current administration.

It is hard for us military families. We want our loved ones home and safe. We want for Mr. Bush to be half as brave as our loved ones are.

All you politicians talk and talk and talk, while our loved ones die and die and die, are wounded physically and mentally and our families are destroyed.

We are tired of posturing, talking, political stunts and trying to position the democratic party for a big win in 2008. That win is being bought with the blood of our families in the sands of Iraq.

How much more would Congress and Mr. Bush like us to pay for the misguided mess that you have all had a hand in creating?

Tell me how censuring these men will save my husband, or any of the rest of our troops? Tell me why this isn't more political jabber?

Please, just bring our troops home now. All of them.

Sincerely,

Tammara Rosenleaf
wife of Iraq War Army Combat Veteran


QuestionItNow Blogs

Maria Made Me Cry

by: Joel S. Hirschhorn

I unexpectedly found myself crying over the Iraq war as I read the obituary of Capt. Maria Ines Ortiz, a highly praised Army nurse. What I read broke my heart. The story of this remarkable woman and her tragic, pointless killing in Iraq had so much more power than the endless statistics that have numbed our emotions and fed our anger about Bush’s Iraq War.

Maria was just 40 years old. She volunteered for duty in Iraq, eager to do her part. She wanted to take care of soldiers. She was the first Army nurse killed in combat since the Vietnam War.

Everyone who ever worked with Maria adored and respected her. She was one of those truly exceptional people who transcended her professional status with loving care for those she nursed and worked with.

Maria was killed on July 10 in the Green Zone in Baghdad. She was caught outside by a barrage of mortar shells and killed by shrapnel.

Before going to Iraq last fall she was the chief nurse at the Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic in Aberdeen, Maryland. Many people there broke down in tears when the clinic commander called everyone together to tell them Maria was another casualty of the Iraq War. Renee Smith who had worked with Maria described her as the “jewel of the clinic." "Her work wasn’t finished until everybody was cared for,” said Smith.

Maria had also served at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Medical Command officials are considering naming a building or clinic in her name to honor her memory.

Wendy Schuler, another co-worker at Aberdeen, had sent Maria an email, asking if she needed anything. All Maria wanted was Christmas decorations so she could brighten up the halls at the hospital where she worked. Her colleagues there held a memorial service for her. They talked about how Maria had touched their lives.

Maria started her Army career as an enlisted solder with the Reserve in Puerto Rico in 1991. She became active duty in 1993 and was commissioned an officer in 1999, the year she received her nursing masters degree from the University of Puerto Rico. Dead in 2007.

Upon returning from Iraq, Maria was to marry Juan Casiano, an Army veteran who had guided her career. He said, "She touched everyone's lives and everything about her was positive. She always carried a smile. I saw in her what everyone else sees, a beautiful person who brings joy to everyone she touches. There wasn’t anything negative about that woman."

Maria is also survived by her parents and four sisters. Her father had also served in the Army and said, "She always said to me ‘daddy, I am going to serve 30 years in the army.’" Maria only made it halfway.
Maria will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Maria was just 40 years old with so much more living, loving and service ahead of her. Bush is guilty of her criminally negligent homicide.

I don’t know what Maria thought of the Iraq War. But her death has done more than anything else to make me despise what our disgraceful, delusional and dumb President George W. Bush has done. It will take a long, long time for our nation to heal from the wounds that Bush has viciously and arrogantly inflicted on us.

Maria should not have died from shrapnel in Iraq. And neither should have thousands and thousands of other Americans died and become terribly wounded in Iraq. For what? To keep all the lies of Bush alive until, eventually and inevitably, we leave Iraq, defeated and with even more dead and wounded soldiers?

By then Bush will be back in Texas, disgraced, delusional and dumb as ever. And many, many people will still shed tears when they remember Maria and ask themselves: Why?

And why, I ask, is there any hesitation by any sane member of Congress about impeaching Bush?

[Joel S. Hirschhorn is a founder of Friends of the Article V Convention at www.foavc.org and author of Delusional Democracy, www.delusionaldemocracy.com.]

Still In Iraq

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq

For Immediate Release - July 10, 2007 - Contact: Josh Levin

North Suburban Residents Rally Outside Chamber of Commerce Event Highlighting Costs of Iraq War


Northbrook, Illinois – Citizens of Congressman Mark Kirk's district (IL – 10)today were rallying outside a luncheon where the Congressman was the slated keynote speaker when Iraq veteran Josh Lansdale was denied entry by event organizers despite having previously purchased a ticket online. When Lansdale, the Iraq Summer campaign's Illinois Veterans Organizer, identified himself as a member of AAEI, he was told his name was not on the list even after producing his order confirmation for the ticket. He was told the event was sold out and he could not purchase a second ticket, but organizers continued selling tickets to other people at the door.

Lansdale approached Congressman Kirk as he arrived, identified himself as an Iraq war veteran and asked Congressman Kirk to explain his position on the Iraq war. Congressman Kirk replied, "Have fun in Washington."

Lansdale tried to approach Congressman Kirk as he left the event to try once again to get an answer to his question, but he was blocked by Congressman Kirk's aides.

"Congressman Kirk should be focused on bringing the troops home from Iraq, not disrespecting Iraq veterans and ducking war opponents," said Lansdale. "He should not underestimate the opposition to his continued support for the President's failed Iraq policy. Congressman Kirk needs to be a leader and have the courage to stand up to the President, not blindly follow his failed policy of endless war. If Congressman Kirk is going to try and hide from everyone who's calling for an end to the war in Iraq, he's going to be a pretty lonely guy."

Congressman Kirk was scheduled to speak about needed funds for local infrastructure improvements. Outside the event local activists, including Northbrook Chamber of Commerce member David Borris, made sure the facts were known about how the cost of the Iraq War is holding up domestic spending initiatives that could help American businesses. The non-partisan Congressional Research Service released a report this week revealing that President Bush's escalation is costing U.S. taxpayers $12 billion per month.

"It is outrageous that our Congressman continues to support this reckless war while urgent priorities are left unattended to here at home," said the local business owner Borris. "He is either unaware of the lives, dollars and American prestige that this tragic mistake has cost, or he simply does not care. Either way, he has a responsibility to represent the over 65% of the voters who want a real plan to bring our troops home."

Matt Lowry, a Lake Forest teacher, added, "How effective can Congressman Kirk be at bringing funds to the district when $441 billion is spent on this reckless war in Iraq?"

Today's rally was coordinated by the "Iraq Summer Campaign" a nationwide campaign organized by Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, which has dispatched nearly 100 organizers to the home states and districts of Republican Senators and Representatives who have opposed setting a timeline to end the war in Iraq. The program is modeled on the "Freedom Summer" civil rights project. Organizers are in fifteen states from Nevada to Maine, a total of 40 congressional districts.

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq is a major, multi-million dollar national campaign to oppose the President's escalation of the Iraq war and work for the safe, responsible redeployment of American troops out of Iraq. AAEI's broad coalition is made up of SEIU, MoveOn.org Political Action, Center for American Progress Action Fund, USAction, Win Without War, Vote Vets, Campaign for America's Future, USSA, Working Assets, Americans United for Change, Campus Progress Action, and American citizens across the country.

--
Tammara Rosenleaf
Michigan Field Director
Iraq Summer Campaign
michiganfd@iraqsummer.org
202 425 0608


QuestionItNow Blogs

The United States Conference of Mayors declared their independence on Iraq in their 75th Anniversary Adopted Resolutions (page 198 - 199).

IRAQ WAR

WHEREAS, the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces continue to serve in Iraq with bravery and distinction; and

WHEREAS, the current sectarian violence in Iraq continues to claim the lives of U.S. Military
Personnel and Iraqi Civilians; and

WHEREAS, peace and stability can only be achieved in Iraq through the resolution of political differences within that country; and

WHEREAS, the restoration of domestic peace and order requires the active intervention and leadership of the Iraqi Government, respecting the rights of all Iraqis; and

WHEREAS, continued U.S. Military presence in Iraq is resulting in the tragic loss of American lives and wounding of American soldiers; and

WHEREAS, the continued U.S. Military presence in Iraq is reducing Federal Funds available for needed domestic investments in education, healthcare, public safety, homeland security, and more; and

WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors completely and 110 percent supports those men and women that are defending, have defended and will defend our country,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for the Administration to begin planning immediately for the swift and prudent redeployment of the US Armed Forces; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for the accelerated training of Iraq's Armed Forces to be able to maintain stability and civil order; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for future U.S. Military Aid; reconstruction funding, and other support to be tied to the achievement of verifiable goals by the Iraqi government, including ridding Iraqi security forces of militia or sectarian influence; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for the Administration, as part of a comprehensive plan for stability in the region, to convene an international conference to identify strategies and methods for reducing regional interference in Iraq and increasing regional support of achieving peace and stability in Iraq; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S Conference of Mayors calls for full funding of services to the brave men and women returning after service in the United States Armed Forces, including medical, psychological, housing and other support services, and support to local governments funding such services.

Still In Iraq

Memorial Day is a time to remember, yet people forget or do not know that too many of our military men and women are dying because they are not being provided with up to date body armor.

Once again the US military proves that it can care less about the safety of our men and women in uniform. Dragon Body Armor has been tested by the FBI, CIA, many police forces and everyone in the world agrees that it is the best, except of course the US military.

In a test for the History Channel’s military show, "Mail Call", the vest repelled nine rounds of pointed steel ammunition from an AK-47 and 35 rounds of 9 mm, all fired into a 10-by-12-inch configuration on the vest. In "Test Lab", also on the History Channel, the vest withstood a total of 120 rounds, fired from both an AK-47 (7.62 × 39 mm) and MP5 (9 x 19 mm). In another demonstration on the Discovery Channel series "Future Weapons", a Dragon Skin vest withstood numerous rounds from an AK-47, an MP5, and an M4 carbine (5.56 x 45 mm), and a point-blank detonation of an M67 grenade. While the vest was heavily damaged (mainly by the grenade), there was no penetration of the actual armor.

On December 7, 2006 a demonstrational shoot for the following departments took place on a 10″ x 12″ SOV-2000 Level III panel: Saint Charles Parish Sheriff’s SWAT, Saint John’s Parish Sheriff’s SWAT, Gretna PD, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s SWAT, LaCruz Parish Sheriff’s SWAT, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s SWAT, Coast Guard Investigative Services, US Navy.

A total of 17 rounds was fired into the panel without penetration.

* 3 @ 7.62×51mm Federal Match
* 3 @ 7.62×39mm Military Ball
* 3 @ 5.56×45mm M193 Ball
* 3 @ 5.56×45mm M193 Ball at 45 degrees
* 2 @ 5.56×45mm M855 Green Tip
* 2 @ 5.56×45mm Bonded M193
* 1 @ 7.62×51mm Federal Bonded

So why does the military refuse military men and women to wear this, even though they purchase it themselves?

QuestionItNow

For the last 4 years i haven’t had a life of my own. i have no home, my husband has been gone, or going for 3.5 years. i’ve spent my birthdays, sean’s birthdays, our anniversary, christmas, thanksgiving, and every other holiday alone. i’ve put down two of my dogs alone. i’ve fised cars, balanced the budget, packed the houses, stored our things, and driven or flown 100’s of thousands of miles.

NO one around me unless i am with the military peace movement has a clue about how i feel. NO one around me acts as if there is any part of this that affects them in any way. parties go on, shopping goes on, people think that don ho dying is a big deal. people think anna nicole smith dying is a big deal. people think foot ball, basketball and other stupid sports are a big deal. people think i should take anti depressants and anti anxiety pills. people think i should shut up and shop.

i am tired of worrying about my husband’s survival. i am tired of worrying about the fate of this nation in the hands of a madman. i am tired of being alone. i am tired of people who say they are against this war and do NOTHING about it. i am tired of fat ass politicians making pansy ass bills with nonbinding resolutions. i am tired of assholes without courage challenging mine, and supporting the war from the comfort of their armchairs and keyboards.

i want my husband back home, i want him and every other person with the courage to defend this nation home safe NOW, and the asshole liars responsible for the unnecessry death of our troops and the iraqi people HUNG for war crimes and treason and then buried with Saddam Hussein.

and then i want to sleep. next to my husband where i belong. and not wake up with fear in my heart and tears in my eyes.

Still In Iraq