Iraq vets ask Obama to end war and occupation

On Veterans Day, let's pause to consider the words of Iraq Veterans Against the War, in an open letter to President-Elect Barack Obama:

We appreciate your inspiring words spoken at Grant Park in Chicago on Tuesday night - words which should give all Americans hope for our future. But we also remember the hope your words gave to many Americans in an August 2007 speech - especially those serving in our military:

"Ending this war will be my first priority when I take office. There is no military solution in Iraq. Only Iraq's leaders can settle the grievances at the heart of Iraq's civil war."

Much has changed in our country since that speech, and the prevailing sentiment among Americans is that our faltering economy must now be your first priority. We understand and share their concern, but we believe that our faltering economy cannot be corrected if we continue the costly occupation of Iraq – an immense financial cost which is simply unsustainable. The American people are giving billions of dollars every week to continue an occupation that is draining our wallets, our respect, our security, and the lives of thousands of U.S. and Iraqi men, women, and children.

Of course it is all connected.

Yesterday, after the ACLU reminded Obama of his pledge on another topic, with a full page ad in the New York Times, the Obama team said he would keep his promise to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. Interestingly, a Google search of Obama and Guantanamo made it clear that is much bigger news abroad than in the US. British, Irish, Canadian and Australian newspapers and the BBC all carried more about it than US news outlets.

Yes, he made a lot of promises during that long campaign. And he'll have to prioritize; they can't all happen on Day One. The economy demands attention.

But it's up to us to remind him in no uncertain terms that a major reason he became the Democratic nominee was the belief that he was more committed than Hillary Clinton to ending the war in Iraq.

Obama assured us, when John McCain was suspending his campaign to focus on the ecoomy, that he was capable of doing more than one thing at a time. Let's make sure he does.

One way to send a message that we want the war and occupation to end quickly is to take part in Iraq Moratorium activities on the Third Friday of every month. It's a day to interrupt our daily routines and take some action to call for an and to the war and occupation. Join us. Do something. Keep the pressure on.

UPDATE U.S. Labor Against the War seconds IVAW's motion:

The Obama campaign was launched and gained momentum based on his pledge to end the war. That was what distinguished Senator Obama from all his major primary competitors. The election reaffirms the mandate given to the Congress in the election of 2006, but which the majority in Congress chose to ignore. It is a mandate to end the war and occupation in Iraq, to remove all foreign military forces and mercenaries, bring them all home, and truly care for them when they return.

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Antiwar movement could roar like a lion in March

Maybe we shouldn't complain about the news media's lack of coverage of the antiwar movement. They don't even cover the issue when it's debated for two days in the US Senate.

Senate Democrats, failing to pass anything last week, promise to try again in April, when an appropriations bill comes up. House Democrats are in a "wait til' next year" mode.

All the more reason to turn up the heat in March. And there are plenty of opportunities to take action -- in Washington or in your hometown -- as the 5th anniversary of the invasion approaches on March 19.

The vast majority of Americans who want this senseless bloodshed to end must continue to speak out and act out, at every opportunity.


Iraq Veterans Against the War will hold Winter Soldier hearings Mar. 13-16 in Washington, DC, modeled on the 1971 hearings held by Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Here's how IVAW describes the event:

The four-day event will bring together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, there will be panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists to give context to the testimony. These panels will cover everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.

You'll be able to follow live audio and video links on the web, and some groups are now making plans to screen the hearings in public places across the country, too.

The next week, March 19, is the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Will we ever forget the shock and awe when we learned we had been duped about the reasons to invade? United for Peace and Justice, the nation's largest antiwar coalition, is planning to mark the day:

March 19th will mark the beginning of the 6th year of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Enough is enough! We are organizing creative, nonviolent acts of civil disobedience in Washington DC to interrupt business as usual for those promoting and profiting from war and empire building. Focusing on the pillars of war, our actions will take place at multiple sites, demonstrating the real costs of war and offering visions for a more just and sustainable world, a world at peace.

Actions are bring planned in local communities as well to mark the anniversary.

Friday, March 21, is Iraq Moratorium #7, a day to take individual or collective action to call for an end to the war and the occupation. The Moratorium, a national grassroots movement, asks people to do something on the Third Friday of every month to disrupt their normal routine and call for an end to the war.

You'll find lots of ideas for actions on the Moratorium website , along with a list of events on March 21 and reports, videos and photos of previous actions. There have been more than 600 group actions under the Iraq Moratorium banner since September.

So, march in March. Or do something, anything, besides waiting for the election. Unless we keep the pressure on, a Democratic president and Congress may not make this a priority, either. If you doubt that, ask Nancy Pelosi what she's doing to end the war.

There's more: "Antiwar movement could roar like a lion in March" >>

Ongoing Problems at Walter Reed Hospital

Ongoing Problems at Walter Reed
By Matt Renner, t r u t h o u t | Interview, Tuesday 15 January 2008

"Nothing has changed [at Walter Reed]. Same facility. None of the recommendations that I made have been implemented and to my knowledge they really aren't working on it."

Former Army Lt. and military nurse Doug Connor sat down for an interview with Truthout reporter Geoffrey Millard to share his experience before and after the Walter Reed Medical Center scandal broke.

Encouraged by the firings of top military officials as a result of the problems at Walter Reed, Connor spoke out about the dilapidated conditions at Walter Reed. He sent a letter to Gen. Gregory A. Schumacher with recommendations for improving conditions in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where there were equipment shortages and outbreaks of infectious bacteria, including extremely dangerous drug-resistant forms of Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacterium that has been ravaging injured soldiers in Iraq and in domestic military hospitals.

The infection problems caused other units within the hospital to lose faith in the ICU's ability to care for surgical patients. Because of the infections, "the kidney transplant team will not recover their patients in the surgical ICU anymore," Connor said in the interview.

According to Connor, his recommendations were not acted upon. Instead, he claims that he was retaliated against. "I thought he would thank me for letting him know where there were areas that needed to be fixed ... I have been retaliated against because of the letters that I have sent out. It is pretty transparent ... Everyone that has seen what happened around me is just like 'yeah, they're going after you.'"

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Connor is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW).

Matt Renner is a reporter for Truthout.org.

There's more: "Ongoing Problems at Walter Reed Hospital" >>

The Shafting Of Our Patriots In Military Service - Part IV

(Time for me to put my money where my mouth is, dive in with me, the water is fine. Cross posted from BFD Blog!)

As I discussed in my last postilng I had reached a point of outrage over the fact that the Army Medical Corps is systematically mis-diagnosing PTSD war casualties as having a Personality Disorder, which then requires that these solders be given Chapter 5-13 discharges, which in turn disqualifies them from receiving any military medical or retirement benefits and which places them outside of the umbrella of Veterans Administration services.

Well it is time to put my money where my mouth is. It gives me no great pleasure in the fact that this has to be done, but it does give me some pleasure in the fact that I have figured out a way that I, and all of you can do something to help re mediate the dire situation faced by our disabled patriots. I have launched a new web site and an advocacy campaign for active duty military personnel and veterans who are PTSD casualties.

Please visit my new web site FIGHT-PTSD.ORG.

Please pass this link along to family, friends, fellow bloggers, colleagues and acquaintances. Please join me in my Army Campaign which has two immediate goals:

1. To lobby Congress to pass two bills which would temporarily freeze all Chapter 5-13 discharges.

2. Through a grass roots campaign, pressure the Surgeon General of the Army and the Army as an institution to cease the misdiagnosing and railroading of PTSD casualties.

There's more: "The Shafting Of Our Patriots In Military Service - Part IV" >>

Tide Of Resistance Could Sweep Military Again

Iraq Veterans Against The War member Geoffrey Millard reports for Truthout:

"A major factor in the end of the Vietnam war was the resistance within the armed forces that all but halted the ground war. While at the Veterans For Peace conference this year I spoke with the next generation of GI resisters, who are being compared with the soldiers successful at shutting down the military in Vietnam."

There's more: "Tide Of Resistance Could Sweep Military Again" >>