This is a great short documentary about a friend and colleague of mine who is a military wife and anti-war activist. Even though I’ve known Lisa for more than a few years now, my respect for her has increased even more after viewing this…
Archive for the 'War' Category
Hopefully you had the opportunity to listen to the Winter Soldier Hearings last week. Their testimonies, sponsored by the Iraq Veterans Against War bring light to the unjust war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Much like the Winter Soldier of the Vietnam War, soldiers speak of racism and civilian killings. It is disgusting. Even if you are for the war–how do you justify the illegal and brutal actions described in these testimonies? The only way to justify it is through dehumanizing our “enemies.” Mike Prysner’s testimony, particularly part two, speaks to this racism and who it profits.
From the NY Times,
“We had fired automatic weapons into the middle of a wedding party, wounding and killing several guests, and we were told to drive away and forget about it.”
Hicks was one of scores of US soldiers who, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, delved into wounded memories and gave testimony at “Winter Soldier” about what they had seen and done in Iraq.
and
Private Steve Casey recalled how his commanding officer once said “there were ‘no friendlies’” in a residential area and announced: “Game on, all weapons free.”
“I saw personal weapons fired into windshields and radiators of cars,” he said, his gaze fixed on a spot on the floor.
The majority of victims of that operation were not the 700-800 enemy combatants claimed by officials but “civilians trying to flee the battleground,” he added.
and
“General Petraeus and company have done everything they can do to propagate to the American public that 30,000 American troops have brought a reduction in violence,” said Montalvan, who left the military last year after 17 years’ service.
“They claim a reduction of violence in Baghdad. Well, 70 percent of residents have fled, so no wonder,” he said.
He also accused the US of skewing the civilian death toll to give credence to the surge.
“Every time a bomb goes off, the Americans count a smaller number of dead and wounded than the Iraqis. This is to skew the statistics to suggest the surge is successful,” Montalvan said.
He added that US generals have no oversight over American contractors in Iraq, some of whom get billions of US taxpayer dollars to procure and distribute weapons for the Iraqi security forces, but refuse to work with US soldiers on the ground.
Montalvan, who is now tied to a cocktail of medications for ailments ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to chronic pain resulting from an attack, slammed the Bush administration for “perpetrating high crimes and misdemeanors, committing dereliction of duty, lies and mismanagement” in Iraq.
Mike Prysner’s testimony is posted here in two parts.
I just happened to stumble on this intriguing interactive map from the BBC. It maps the location of bombings and the Iraqi death toll over the past 4 years.
Well, this falls under the category of things we are not talking enough about. The US military covered up the truth of Tillman’s death, which was the result of enemy fire. Although the truth is coming out now, no one has been arrested or cited for the cover-up. Tillman’s family and former Army private Jessica Lynch spoke at a House committee on military misinformation. Five weeks after Pat Tillman’s family was told that he fought off enemy gunfire, they are now told there was a procedural mistake–he was killed by friendly fire. USA Today states:
Early versions of Lynch’s capture and rescue, quoting unnamed U.S. officials, said Iraqi soldiers shot and stabbed Lynch, who fought back until she shot off her last round of ammunition and was captured. That made her seem like “little girl Rambo,” Lynch said Tuesday.
In truth, she said, she was hurt too badly to fight. The narrative that described Tillman’s actions, for which he was awarded the Silver Star, “was utter fiction,” Kevin Tillman said.
To top it all off, during a press conference, Bush revealed the location of 24 Baghdad military bases. Below is a video from MSNBC about the Tillman coverup and Bush’s press conference. At about 5:20 in the video the discussion moves to Bush’s big blunder. I love the part when the founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran’s of America calls Bush’s mistake a “Geraldo moment”.
I am officially addicted to the amazing videos at Hometown Baghdad. These videos show the daily real life of a small group of Iraqis. I am drawn to the scenes that we don’t witness on U.S. television…young people eating, dating, going to college, and the voices of Iraqis describing how explosions impede the romance of a date and security of their homes. I thank the Women of Color Blog for highlighting a video and drawing me to this site. Here are a couple of my favorites so far:
The Supreme Court has done it; they have set women back 35 years and placed our lives in danger. By upholding the ban on so-called “partial birth” abortions, women’s lives are in danger because they may not be able to seek abortion if their life depends upon it, and their doctors face criminal charges if s/he tries to save her life. This is the extreme scenario, but it is reality and it will happen…it could even happen to me or someone I know. This scares me. It scares me that this law could mean the chipping away at other laws that protect a women’s right to choose.
At the same time, Bush claims to be the bearer of human rights in other countries, including Iraq, as we devastate their country. Sunsara Taylor explains the big picture,
In the post-Sadam central power vacuum, Sharia law is flourishing, forcing women under the hijab, fostering “honor killings” and filling the morgues with growing numbers of women’s bodies bearing signs of rape, sexual mutilation and torture. A dark curtain is being curtain being pulled over the schools that once served girls and dreams of equality are being snuffed out.
Here at home, George Bush’s claim to support the liberation of women is more shameless hypocrisy. Speaking sanctimoniously about the “value” of fetal tissue, Bush has overseen the most aggressive and cruel assault on women’s fundamental rights and the fostering of an openly patriarchal culture.
Because of this, I am told by friends to rally around the Democratic presidential campaign in hope that they will set things straight. But how can I believe this when they fail to stop funding the war in Iraq? Are we even outraged at what is happening? I was honestly surprised to hear about the Supreme Court’s decision on the news, considering the devotion of air time given to the massacre at Virginia Tech. If I criticize the time spent on this story am I heartless? Why can’t I inquire into the latest news in Iraq (where they just experienced the worst bombing since the war began—200 dead)? Why do I have to search through cnn.com to find articles on Iraq and the abortion decision?
On the ripples of the news that 21,000 more troops will be sent to Iraq, I find it compelling to reflect on the words of Martin Luther King Jr, in his “Beyond Vietnam” speech. Not only does his words criticize the war, he explains how the civil rights movement must be connected to a movement for peace. They go together for a better America. And this is necessary today. Many of our activist groups in the U.S. focus on one issue and fail to see the connections to others. It is one of our greatest weaknesses.
Here are some excerpts from his speech (notice any similarities between the stories of Iraq and Vietnam?):
As I have walked among the desperate, rejected and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through non-violent action. But, they asked, what about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today, my own government.
For those who ask the question, “Aren’t you a Civil Rights leader?” and thereby mean to exclude me from the movement for peace, I have this further answer. In 1957 when a group of us formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, we chose as our motto: “To save the soul of America.” We were convinced that we could not limit our vision to certain rights for black people, but instead affirmed the conviction that America would never be free or saved from itself unless the descendants of its slaves were loosed from the shackles they still wear.
Now, it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. If America’s soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read “Vietnam.” It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over….
And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam, my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. I speak now not of the soldiers of each side, not of the junta in Saigon, but simply of the people who have been living under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades. I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution there until some attempt is made to know them and their broken cries….
After the French were defeated it looked as if independence and land reform would come again through the Geneva agreements. But instead there came the United States, determined that Ho should not unify the temporarily divided nation, and the peasants watched again as we supported one of the most vicious modern dictators, our chosen man, Premier Diem. The peasants watched and cringed as Diem ruthlessly routed out all opposition, supported their extortionist landlords and refused even to discuss reunification with the North. The peasants watched as all this was presided over by U.S. influence and then by increasing numbers of U.S. troops who came to help quell the insurgency that Diem’s methods had aroused. When Diem was overthrown they may have been happy, but the long line of military dictatorships seemed to offer no real change, especially in terms of their need for land and peace.
The only change came from America as we increased our troop commitments in support of governments which were singularly corrupt, inept and without popular support. All the while, the people read our leaflets and received regular promises of peace and democracy, and land reform. Now they languish under our bombs and consider us, not their fellow Vietnamese, the real enemy. They move sadly and apathetically as we herd them off the land of their fathers into concentration camps where minimal social needs are rarely met. They know they must move or be destroyed by our bombs. So they go….
We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.
Read more here.
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