TWO JOURNEYS, TWO GENERATIONS, BRINGING EACH OTHER HOME

"Leave No Soldier"

A feature length documentary directed, produced and co-written by Donna Bassin,
an official selection of the 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival.

"LEAVE NO SOLDIER," Tells the story of two impassioned journeys by two communities of American War Veterans who have carried a Military Oath from the Battlefield
to the home front. The two groups are divided by their politics, but united in their devotion to dead comrades and their compassionate commitment
to "Leave No Fallen Soldier Behind".

This morning approximately 110 people lined up outside Rayburn 2141 hoping to get into the hearing. We were initially told that there were 40 seats available to the public, but ultimately only SIXTEEN people were allowed inside. There were two overflow rooms, both of which were rendered standing room only as staffers and interns also attended in force. There has been one hallway arrest so far. Here are Laurie Arbeiter from World Can't Wait and Jenny Heinz of CodePink, who both came down from NYC to attend the hearing.

CodePink in DC hosted tonight's pre-impeachment hearing meeting to coordinate substance, logistics and planned official responses. In attendance were David Swanson of AfterDowningStreet.org, Susan Serpa and Ralph Lopez of Republicans for Impeachment and the Northeastern Impeachment Coalition, and Cynthia Papermaster, CodePink's Bay Area coordinator who also represents the National Impeachment Network.

Gael Murphy and Desiree Fairooz, CodePink hostesses extraordinaire, welcome everyone to the house in DC!

'Cos I move like THEY do...

Eight days ago, I saw the video of the second meeting Veterans for Peace held with Congressman John Conyers and ran completely out of patience.

The wrongdoing of this administration is clear. We have been presented with lie after lie and excuse after excuse by this complicit Congress for a lack of movement on the impeachment issue. The Bush administration has been cited with NINE subpoenas by Congress that they have completely ignored.

Yesterday the excuse was that "they aren't getting enough calls". Are we not supposed to know due to the media blackout on the subject that Veterans for Peace presented 23,000 signature petition for impeachment on June 11th? Are we supposed to be unable to see the 1011478 signatures here or the 249184 signatures here?

Hopefully this won't get missed in all the FISA/Obama fallout.

Today, members of Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, Pax Christi, Veterans for Peace and of course... CodePink descended en masse upon Rep. Ackerman's office in Bayside, Queens. Pictured are myself, Judi Gardner, our wonderful "peace crone" Charlotte Koons, and Sue Donnelly.

While Judi met with Rep. Ackerman's Long Island staffers, Medea Benjamin and the DC group confronted Ackerman himself in Washington DC - ironically enough, IN HIS OWN HOUSEBOAT!

More below the fold...

Dahr Jamail's latest report "Enough Is Enough, It's Time to Get Out" recounts the daily horror stories shared by Iraq War veterans in Seattle in what was "a continuation of the "Winter Soldier" hearings held in Silver Spring, Maryland in March."

If this isn't enough incentive to pull out of that occupation, what is?

"We were told we'd be deploying to Iraq and that we needed to get ready to have little kids and women shoot at us," Sergio Kochergin, a former Marine who served two deployments in Iraq, told the audience. "It was an attempt to portray Iraqis as animals. We were supposed to do humanitarian work, but all we did was harass people, drive like crazy on the streets, pretending it was our city and we could do whatever we wanted to do."

Veterans for Peace members have been trying to meet with Representative John Conyers to deliver an Impeachment petition.

Dahr Jamail's latest report "Enough Is Enough, It's Time to Get Out" recounts the daily horror stories shared by Iraq War veterans in Seattle in what was "a continuation of the "Winter Soldier" hearings held in Silver Spring, Maryland in March."

If this isn't enough incentive to pull out of that occupation, what is?

"We were told we'd be deploying to Iraq and that we needed to get ready to have little kids and women shoot at us," Sergio Kochergin, a former Marine who served two deployments in Iraq, told the audience. "It was an attempt to portray Iraqis as animals. We were supposed to do humanitarian work, but all we did was harass people, drive like crazy on the streets, pretending it was our city and we could do whatever we wanted to do."

Dahr Jamail's latest report "Enough Is Enough, It's Time to Get Out" recounts the daily horror stories shared by Iraq War veterans in Seattle in what was "a continuation of the "Winter Soldier" hearings held in Silver Spring, Maryland in March."

If this isn't enough incentive to pull out of that occupation, what is?

"We were told we'd be deploying to Iraq and that we needed to get ready to have little kids and women shoot at us," Sergio Kochergin, a former Marine who served two deployments in Iraq, told the audience. "It was an attempt to portray Iraqis as animals. We were supposed to do humanitarian work, but all we did was harass people, drive like crazy on the streets, pretending it was our city and we could do whatever we wanted to do."

That's the question asked by The Real News Network

Back on Thursday, May 15, 2008 I asked a question as well: PEACE Is A Political Statement?.

Crossposted at Blue Hampshire and Docudharma.

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. All weekend, I saw veterans honored on television, the newspapers, parades, etc. I saw more than my share of yellow ribbons, American flags, 21-gun salutes and more. But something was missing, something I wish would be covered every Memorial Day, voices of dissent, especially from those who served our country.  

More below the fold.

As the United States prepares to remember its war dead on Memorial Day, some veterans who want to remember their fallen comrades with a wish for peace are being barred from participating in official events.  

Two chapters of Veterans for Peace, one in Washington state and one in Washingtgon, D.C., have been banned from parades.

In both cases,VFP was told it could not participate because the organization is "too political."  That is the same reason that others have given for barring Veterans for Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against the War from Veterans Day parades and activities.

What is particularly sad is that those who exclude them are often veterans themselves, with some misguided sense of pariotism.

I celerbrated Liberation Day for Vietnam by posting the finished version of Vietnam: American Holocaust to the Internet. Scott, you will be receiving a DVD in the mail before postage rates go up again. I end the preview of part 2 Vietnam: People's Victory with a clip that I absolutely love. It describes the formal surrender:

NARRATOR: Inside the palace, Duong Van Minh, president for 44 hours, was waiting. Colonel Bui Tin took the surrender.

COL. BUI TIN: When I saw fear on the faces of Minh and the others present, I said: "The war has ended today, and all Vietnamese are victors. Only the American imperialists are the vanquished. If you still have any feelings for the nation and the people, consider today a happy day."

In the Sixties we had a saying "The Power of the People will defeat the Man's Technology". The victory of the Vietnamese people in their 30 year struggle for liberation and independence is such a strong affirmation of those words that April 30th should be celerabated by people all over the world.

We were at Smith Haven Mall just three weeks ago when the American casualty count reached 4000 wearing T-shirts with the message:  4000 Americans 1 million Iraqis DEAD. ENOUGH!  

The Mall said we disrupted the pleasant environment they strive to maintain for their shoppers.  They say the Mall is private property and their corporate ownership has the right to limit individual freedom of speech.

We say We will not be silent!  The American casualty count continues to climb.  Hundreds of Iraqis are killed each week.  The cost of this war that was based on lies is hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars and continues to grow.

More beneath the fold...

Newsday is one of the mainstream media outlets that has picked up the story about Margaret McMahon and Kevlyn Reid, two married Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, who may have gone AWOL together in order to avoid being deployed to Al Anbar this summer. Originally it was thought that Reid had abducted his wife, but the condition of their apartment indicates that their disappearance was a premeditated (if poorly prepared for) decision. McMahon's ATM card was used to withdraw $400 in Missouri.

Coming hard on the heels of the release of the anti-war movie "Stop Loss", this situation highlights the dissent within the US military over the Iraq War more than anything that has come before it. However, it's important that military personnel know that they have resources and help available to them should they choose to go AWOL.

I'm putting this diary together to coordinate information and add a little informed backstory - not to take away from davefromqueens excellent diary on the subject, but to add some information I don't want to see lost in the sheer volume of comments on his diary.

It's ironic that my diary Friday announcing the Smithhaven Mall protest barely got a nod from the community, but I realize that's the way it goes sometimes (and I personally can't wait for the end of the candidate circus, le sigh). We would like to see a lot more of you at the next Long Island mall protest - and there WILL be a next one.

By now most of you know who this guy is: Don Zirkel, arrested for wearing an anti-war T-shirt in the Smithhaven shopping mall on Saturday.

Some of you have asked how to get his T shirt. I have that information and more, below the fold.

A volatile situation will escalate as a united front of New York and Long Island peace groups mark the 4000th American military death in Iraq with a rally at Smith Haven mall, tomorrow at 2pm.

"This is a sad and important milestone. We're saying enough: Bring the troops home," said Janet Egan of the Suffolk Peace Network, a coalition of Suffolk groups that is sponsoring the 2 p.m. rally along with the South Country Peace Group and other organizations.

The Suffolk groups will be joined by Nassau-based groups including the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives. Other organizations expected to take part include North Country Peace Group, Code Pink Long Island Women for Peace, Long Island Veterans for Peace, MoveOn and Pax Christi Long Island, the Catholic peace movement.

Additionally, CodePink will be handing out a certain number of FREE TICKETS to see the movie STOP LOSS the StonyBrook AMC/Loews!

More beneath the fold...