Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Homeland Security Terrorist Alert re Sec. Napolatino


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Deja Vu: Veterans As Terrorist Threats re FBI COINTEL program, Circa 1971-1973

Deja Vu = Nothing New
by
Willie Hager
The more I see of Change!, the more things look the same, to me. New Boss, same as the Old Boss? Well, I don't know about the Boss being the same, but his team sure hasn't changed much, especially about perceiving Veterans as terrorist threats, it doesn't appear.
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I have referenced deja vu in many articles and pieces that have been published here at VetSpeak.org, and in/on other venues. My use is always with reference to the fact that the government's thinking about, and treatment of Veterans hasn't been about the Veterans' care, but about their political containment, and pacification...often drug induced with psychotropic pharmaceuticals, sometimes locked down. But always, to guard the governments political turf, and the VA budget from pragmatic analysis of critical issues regarding Veterans' care and claims, and is suspiciously similar to the Nixon enemies list, which counted Vietnam Veterans as a grouping to be feared.
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Of course, another example would be the, already forgotten, recent Walter Reed Hospital scandals. I reported, on these pages in March of 2007, that the Walter Reed flap was a repeat of an expose' that was done in Life magazine, May of 1970. Yet when the recent scandal broke, the government acted as though it was all just one big, ooops; ain't 'bout nuthin' but a thing. They said it just required some minor adjustments to the current Walter Reed delivery paradigm, to bring it in line with the peculiarities of Iraq's special type of warfare. As you can see by clicking on the above links, we have revealed on these very pages, with copious documentation, that nothing was further than the truth.
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Where is our Advocate General, VA Dept. Secretary Shinseki, while his cabinet co-appointee, Janet Napolitano was disrespecting America's combat Veterans? Napolitano would have you believe that Veterans are the problem, rather than the trauma of having participated in morally and politically corrupt, and illegally initiated military operations, under the guise of patriotism; The assessment also said that "returning military veterans who have difficulties assimilating back into their home communities could be susceptible to extremist recruiters or might engage in lone acts of violence"...the report is signed by Janet Napolitano, Secretary, Dept. of Homeland Security.
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Yo, Shinseki! Does Napalotino outrank you in the political inner circle? You're a Veteran. Does Napalatino think you might be a terrorist threat? Are you afraid to speak up for the Veterans who have earned your after combat attention and care? The media told us you were one of the guys, after all. Where is the Obamanator on all of this? A few days ago, he was schmoozin' the troops in Iraq...now they are described as terrorist threats by one of his cabinet members, and he is silent. Was he just pandering to the troops in Iraq? Is there no-one in the Obama administration who will speak up for us? Will the Democratic leadership stupidly abandon that privilege to the right wing-nuts and "spokespersons" of conservatism?
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This is not a conservative or a liberal issue...this is a Veterans issue. This is a ramping up by the administration (or some lackeys, thereof) for the purpose of curtailing dissent regarding Iraq and Afghanistan. Dissent by those who now fight there, and who have fought there over the past six years. Just as they (the government) did with Vietnam Veterans Against The War, when the VVAW dared to oppose Nixon and his thugs (domestic enemies) re Vietnam (foreign enemies), FBI VVAW Files . This is political correctness, and political repression, at it's very worst.
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The right wing would have you believe that they are the Veterans' champions on this issue. Don't be fooled, again. They are simply exploiting a major political blunder by the politically correct Democrats, who are looking for a diversion from the fact that Obama has upped the ante in Afghanistan, what with the escalation of US forces there, much to their dismay. The Democrats are simply ignorant of, or uncaring of, objective truth. The left wing would like to have Veterans to blame for their political failures, just as would the right. New Bosses, same as the Old Bosses, in this regard. Every political party loves a whipping boy.
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This is also a screen for the fact that the government is operating on false premise mental health paradigms, regarding their after action mental health care; identifying the "...return of military veterans having trouble 'reintegrating into their communities'...'', as the causal factor for concern for Americans regarding terrorists, rather than as the result of the lack of proper treatment for the problem, to include proper diagnosis and treatment models. Fact is; they are treating what they call PTSD as a chronic clinical psychosis, rather than an adjustment anxiety disorder, Is Iraq like Vietnam? PTSD and the Readjustment Blues . A mistake they have been making since Post Vietnam Syndrome was re-named, and redesigned, in DSM-III, in 1980.
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It was Robert Jay Lifton and the Veterans of VVAW, themselves, who first identified this problem, naming it Post Vietnam Syndrome. It was a problem that was manifesting itself in self-destructive, and anti-social behavior among returning Vietnam Veterans, alienated by the political corruption and/or apparent ineptness of their leadership, morally conflicted, and then rejected by their countrymen, upon their return to "The World", from Vietnam. Does Shenseki know about all of this? If so, why haven't we heard from him, about it?
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These are not terrorists, Mr President, Madam Secretary, and still a General Shinseki; they are Winter Soldiers.
(Photo: Answer Coalition)
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I, for one, anxiously await y'all's response, or not, to this ignorant indignity that has been suffered on the honorable members of the US armed forces currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to all combat Veterans who have honorably served their country. Either way, we ain't forgettin' it. Fats in the fire, folks, time for some Truth. We'll act accordingly, and patriotically, and in the true spirit of the Winter Soldier...as patriots, not as terrorists...like always.
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Semper Fi...
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(poster courtesy www.vawatchdog.org)

6 comments:

mutt said...

i actually got a hard copy of this no doubt expensive stating of the obvious. I didnt see the smear of vets that you (or Hannity!) see- rather, a stating of the obvious: SOME returning combat vets, faced w/ a looted economy, stigmatized and waiting-listed mental decompression, WOULD be targets for wingnut recruitment.
You remember how dumb we were at 20? Hell, I found myself in the Weathermen for a while.....
No, I dont see this "report" as a slam on vets, I see it as a (expensive stating of the obvious) minor exposure of the National Security State, one long desired by the same wingnuts who now snivel & whine about being put under the microscope they own selves.....
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/04/14/surveillance/
Nothin new, bro: remember back to when BPP guys who were Viet vets were singled out by COINTELPRO- google Geronimo Pratt-and the propaganda around the Gainesville 8 trial.....
Nah, really, I didnt get the same reaction off this silly assed report as you did.
Hows that Wachtendonk tune go?
"Look behind your back, Im poised to attack;
The Army taught me well, & I hope you go to hell,
and maybe I can hurry things along."
Training us for war has always ben a two edged sword, those who profit from war have much to fear from those who fight in them. Rightly so. They aint scared enough, in my book. And there ARE vets who WILL join fascist/nazi/racist groups.
But not many.

Anonymous said...

Well said brother Will, I have always wished to have your voice. Mickey

Anonymous said...

Hey Willie,

Thanks again for keeping us informed. Disgust, embarrassment, on, and on and on. I am so sick of this kind of nonsense its just beyond description.

When I came back home in 1971, I was suffering, like so many of us, from PTSD. Like you point out, it was later re-classified, but in the early 70's the Navy shrinks just shrugged their shoulders and welcomed us back home and said we "might be going through what our parents went through during WWII - shell shock". Here a scrip for some Valium, go home, and don't call me in the morning. "Welcome home son, you look fine to me".

That was bad enough, but now we are potential terrorists? What next? I really hate to admit this, but it had to be a Republican to take our side. Rhetoric or not, "To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as potential terrorists is offensive and unacceptable," said Boehner, R-Ohio." is absolutely right on.

The citing of the example "To continue to use McVeigh as an example of the stereotypical 'disgruntled military veteran' is as unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam," Rehbein said in the April 13 letter. Continues to be correct. Of course the Republicans are now all jumping on this bandwagon to attack the new administration. But politics aside, its at least making us all aware of the gaps in the new administration that need to be resolved and quickly - especially our new VA Head - as you know, a vet himself - how can he possibly side with the Homeland Security Head? Silence from him, in my mind at least, is agreement with her. He MUST speak up and quickly, to our defense. For gosh sakes, Lee Harvey Oswald was a vet (damn, I hate to admit this, but also a Marine) - so does that mean you and me Willie, are potential presidential assassins? Jeez.

Semper Fi and as always, Semper Peace!

Take good care brother, and don't let the blood pressure boil too much!

Chuck

Windbender said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

F***ing Wow brother!!!!

D

mutt said...

to back up my previous comment....
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/obtained-dhs-memo-warning-of-left-wing-extremists/
I copied this comment to post here, it dosnt refer to what Will wrote above....

"It’s disingenuous to claim that the report casts aspersions on veterans by quoting summary text. You must have read where the report specifically states that the danger is from extremist groups recruiting veterans; every paragraph discussing veterans references this except the one you quote, which is merely an introduction followed by two more specific bullet points.
You must have known this, but you present it as “the report casting aspersions on veterans” when that is undeniably false. The report does no such thing. The American Legion’s opinion is equally disingenuous; McVeigh killed what, 190 people in the worst homegrown terrorist incident in our nation’s history, and the report specifically states that it is a “small percentage” of military personnel that may join extremist groups.
I think veterans would be sad to see so much politically correct whining on their behalf. There are bad seeds in every population; the bad seeds with military training are just more dangerous than the bad seed accountants. Let’s not pretend that’s irrelevant."

Altho I disagree with the commentors take on "bad seed accountants"- look at the havoc wrought by Enron, AIG, et al.....
Anyhow, Im just not seeing this as a slam on vets, I think the above sentences sums it up, which was my take on it when i read the hard copy a few days ago.
mutt, vvaw-sd