Action Alert: Bradley Manning Support Network

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Call To Action!

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Editorial  Comment: The following e-mail was forwarded to me from my VVAW brother Mutt, of the San Diego chapter of VVAW.  As a result I contacted Ms Reitman and asked her permission to post it up here on VetSpeak.org, inasmuch as Bradley is presently at the center of the national conversation on our involvement in Afghanistan.  

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This infamy results from his alleged actions in possibly having released Top Secret data to Wiki-leaks.  Actions that are seen either as an act of treason, or as an act of heroic patriotism, depending on one’s political perspective or political party allegiance.  Like so much else in America today, it is a seemingly outrageous act that is being used for political rallying purposes by both sides, rather than attempting to determine the truth of the matter through critical analysis of the facts, or hard evidence. 

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Our immediate concern is with Bradley’s  personal welfare while in custody, and the gravity of his current legal predicament.  Neither side is privy to all of the facts at this point in time.  It is not out of the realm of possibilities that Bradley is being played for a patsy in a cover up of a bigger conspiracy…I still remember the ol' two Lee Harvey Oswalds theory.  Tail waggin’ the dog?  Truth will out.  

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However, in the meantime, the fact remains; Bradley is a soldier, and even in a military Court Martial would have to be proven guilty based on consideration of all of the “truths” of the case, from both perspectives.  The best insurance that the light of truth will be kept on the proceedings is a widespread network of monitors.  As a soldier and as an American, Bradley is entitled to the best defense that he can muster to his case.  It is in that spirit that we are posting this call for support for Bradley.

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From: Loraine Reitman

Date: August 14, 2010 5:19:16 PM PDT

To: VVAW - San Diego

Subject: Bradley Manning Support Network - San Diego

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Hi there,

My name is Loraine and I'm serving on the steering committee for the Bradley Manning Support Network, www.bradleymanning.org.  We're working to raise awareness and support for Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst facing a court martial and up to 52 years in prison on charges of leaking classified materials that showed American soldiers killing Reuters journalists.  The video in question was published by WikiLeaks and can be viewed at www.collateralmurder.com

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A number of peace organizations have begun collaborating with our network, most notably Courage to Resist (couragetoresist.org) which has partnered with us to host a defense fund.  We've generated lots of interest on the Internet and in different parts of the country already.   Now, I am hoping that each of you reads this will actively join with us in the building of a nationwide grassroots support network for Bradley.  A network that speaks truth to power.  Together, in one strong voice.
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Peace,

Loraine Reitman

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Help change the world - Support Bradley Manning
www.bradleymanning.org

http://www.10news.com/video/24707932/index.html

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www.VetSpeak.org
                                        

Another Front In The Fight For Veterans Rights...

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Ed Note:  Jan Ruhman, VetSpeak Operations Coordinator, VVAW SoCal Organizing Coordinator, and 2010 President of Veterans For Peace, San Diego, is up to his ass in alligators on this important issue, out in California.  To date, he has taken the issue to the recent VFP National Conference, and has been to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress on behalf of these Veterans who are now being disowned by the country that they served in war. We are re-publishing this article in full (photos added from Google archives), in the hopes that Huffington Post is as anxious as we are to get the word out, as far and wide as we can, to any and all who will listen.  Folks who will perhaps lend some support, either financially, or by contacting Banished Veterans, and offering active, boots on the ground, support.  They need money, to finance travel and legal fees; warm bodies to rally, and to lobby, lending personal voices of support for the Victims of this outrage, and their families.  You can make personal contact at the enclosed links, and you may make a direct donation to the efforts by clicking on http://www.sdvfp.org/donation.htm. WH


Veterans: Banished and Betrayed

By Barton Kunstler
Author, “The HotHouse effect”
Originally posted at HuffingtonPost, 01/13/2010 
x“Banished veterans." The phrase shouldn't make sense. Someone joins the military, fights in a war, returns home, and then is banished? Thankfully, this can't happen here...

But it is happening here. Thousands of men and women who have risked their lives in the country's wars have been deported or are living under the threat of deportation because they committed non-violent crimes that often wouldn't warrant serving jail time. Many of these vets suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition often overlooked by our nation's health care system.

These vets can be deported because they are not U.S. citizens. Gabriel Delgadillo, a Vietnam veteran, committed a burglary in 1988. Eight years later, burglary was declared a deportable offense. Only then, in a retroactive application of the new law, was he deported, leaving behind a wife and seven children. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) officially deplored Delgadillo's deportation in May, 1999, stating:
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"These harsh new measures have now snared immigrants who spilled their blood for our country. As the INS prepares to deport these American veterans, we have not even been kind enough to thank them for their service with a hearing to listen to their story and consider whether, just possibly, their military service or other life circumstances outweigh the government's interest in deporting them".

Robyn Sword, an activist on behalf of banished vets whose fiance, Rohan Coombs, is facing deportation for drug offenses, pointed out in an interview that many people simply can't get past the image of a "convicted felon." Who wants them here, right? That might be understandable in cases of violent crime but such an attitude is inexcusable when applied to most banished veterans.

Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, sums up the dilemma that faces so many veterans:

"We sent these kids to war - and war has affected their mental and psychological condition. Providing support for returning veterans is an obligation we owe to those who have sacrificed so much for our country".
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But the courageous Leahy and Filner aside, you won't find many politicians willing to risk being called "soft on criminal aliens" - even if they were willing to send those men and women into combat. But the knee-jerk sound-bite reaction doesn't capture the truth of the situation.
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No one is claiming PTSD as an "excuse" for someone who commits a non-violent crime, but it is a cause. Nor are any of the banished vets claiming PTSD as a reason for not facing their punishment under the law. They were busted, went to court, served their time. In California, grand theft means stealing $400 or more and is a deportable offense; DUI is also a deportable felony in many states. Felons deserve punishment according to the law. But banishment goes far beyond the bounds of a reasonable sentence. It is absolute in scope, and psychologically cruel. Yet we still insist on betraying people who instead deserve our thanks and the support of whatever social services it takes to support them as citizens, as equals in American society.
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Craig Shagin, a Harrisburg, PA immigration lawyer and author of the book, Deporting Private Ryan, describes a client who at 17 years old got into a fist fight in school in Georgia and was given a one year suspended sentence. Eleven years later, after military service, he was arrested for an even lesser offense, but because of the fighting conviction, he became subject to deportation. Had the fist-fight occurred in many other states, he would have gotten probation and would not have been deported.
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PTSD is devastating and plays a role in many of these veterans' legal problems. Veterans Administration hospitals are overwhelmed with PTSD cases. The great majority of arrested vets with PTSD have families and friends, jobs, aspirations, and struggles just like everyone else. Half of all Vietnam vets suffering from PTSD have been arrested. Labels might cast them as pariahs, but by now we should be smart and compassionate enough to know that many different paths lead to arrest and that an arrest doesn't define one's humanity.

Vets have been deported for registering their neighbors' cars under their own names, adultery, smoking marijuana (now legal in many states), stealing two chickens, and shoplifting. As Shagin states, "The courts are reading the regulations of the statute...in a hyper-minimalist way and without any consideration for the historical antecedents for what a national is." A "national" is a non-citizen who owes allegiance to the U.S. and in return receives legal protections, including immunity from deportation. Every member of the armed forces has taken such an oath of allegiance and one can argue that legally every veteran is a "national" and hence not subject to deportation; inexplicably, the courts have not seen it that way.

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At least not since 1996. That year, the Republican Congress passed - and then President Bill Clinton signed - the Immigration and Naturalization Act which drastically expanded the list of crimes for which one could be deported. Shagin points out that before 1996, there were virtually no cases of veterans being deported. Before 1996, the courts routinely considered one's veteran's status as a reason to bar deportation even for the most serious crimes and virtually none were deported. No longer. Since 1996, estimates of the numbers of deported vets are in the 30,000 to 40,000 range, although no one knows for sure: the exact figures have never been released.

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It gets worse. Jan Ruhman, a San Diego ex-Marine with two tours of duty in Vietnam who is now a leading advocate for banished vets, notes that the 1996 law was written with entrapment in mind. Offenders are often faced with a choice of two plea-bargains with differing jail sentences, for instance, a three-year or a one-year sentence. Naturally, he or she takes the one-year sentence. Because of technicalities written into the 1996 law, it is often the lesser charge that results in deportation. Many criminal lawyers are unaware of the implications for immigrants of these lesser pleas, and both Ruhman and Shagin are convinced that the law was written to entrap as many immigrants as possible into making the wrong choice. This is quite likely, as the law also states that judges have no discretion in deportation cases. They cannot consider a person's veteran, family, work, or health status. Such considerations are a mainstay of our legal system and it was malicious of Congress to apply such a standard to a specific group across a wide range of minor offenses.
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This wouldn't be the case were the vets granted citizenship. And it turns out that's exactly what they were promised by their recruiters. They were already legal permanent non-citizen residents with green cards, as required for joining the armed forces. As Sword points out, army recruiters target low-income immigrant neighborhoods, and most of these recruits were promised by recruiters that they would receive citizenship because they signed up for military duty. The armed forces, in effect, lied to them and the military sure hasn't had these veterans' backs when the empty promises led to deportation from the country for which they risked their lives. In fact, if they had died in battle, they would have been qualified to receive a full-scale military burial, coffin draped in an American flag, and a 21-gun salute. But alive they are castaways.
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There's another deadly wrinkle to all this. Deported vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan include immigrants from the Middle East. When they are sent back there, they run a seriousrisk of becoming targets of revenge In some countries, having served in the U.S. armed forces could lead to a loss of citizenship, and any country that subscribes to the International Criminal Court could prosecute those vets for war crimes.

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In the end, the banished vets are "just" a bunch of forgotten ex-soldiers, but fate has seen to it that they're not only to be forgotten, but removed entirely from the nation they served. Director of Homeland Security Napolitano should order an immediate stay of deportation for all vets currently living in the shadow of this cruel and unusual punishment. President Obama constantly pays lip-service to his respect for the men and women of our armed forces. He speaks eloquently of their sacrifice. He plans to send another 30,000 more into Afghanistan. But does his concern extend to this forgotten class of soldiers? Will he show his supporters that he has the courage of his rhetoric? Please, take it upon yourself to call upon President Obama and Congress to grant citizenship and restore the right to live in the United States to these banished and betrayed veterans of our country's wars.
xMore information on this topic can be found at http://banishedveterans.intuitwebsites.com/.

Contact Jan Ruhman to become actively involved:
jan@vetspeak.org
Cell # 858-361-6273

Contact Legal Team:
Heather M. Boxeth, Attorney-At-Law
hmboxeth@gmail.com

Freedom isn't Free, please Donate to assist our campaign against this outrageous behavior towards Veterans who have honorably served their country, the United States of America.

http://www.vetspeak.org/

Homeland Security Terrorist Alert re Sec. Napolatino

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090415/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/homeland_security_extremists
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090415/ap_on_go_co/homeland_security_extremist
xNapolitano's

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-homeland-security-extremists,0,7513128.story
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http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/04/homeland_security_rightwing_ex.html xx

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

Deja Vu = Nothing New

by

Willie Hager

www.VetSpeak.org
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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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www.VetSpeak.org

(poster courtesy www.vawatchdog.org)

Robin Long: Prisoner of Conscience...

Ed Note: Jan A. Ruhman, VetSpeak.org’s Operations Coordinator, VVAW SoCal Regional Contact, and VFP San Diego Vice President elect, has for the past year been working together with others there in SoCal to form a coalition of groups with Veterans’ issues at the fore of their activity agendas. One of those issues is G.I Rights. Specifically; the right to resist participation in an illegal and immoral war. This SoCal coalition, with the support and assistance of the G.I resistance organization, Courage to Resist, has chosen to speak truth to power through their unified support for, and adaptation of, one such war resister, now turned political prisoner; Robin Long.

Robin is the first active duty American G.I. Iraq war resister to desert the United States military and seek asylum in Canada. He was subsequently extradited and turned over to the US Government for prosecution. What follows is an open letter from Jan regarding support for and a recent visit with Robin, at the Miramar MCAS brig, where he is serving his sentence. WH

Jan’s Letter…

It's 4:00 pm Sunday, December 7th and myself and Ms. Dawn O'Brien, Chapter President of Military Families Speak Out in San Diego just left Robin at the Naval Consolidated Brig at MCAS MIRAMAR here in San Diego.
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It is the second time in three weeks that we have had the pleasure of visiting with Robin. Robin is allowed visitors on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays from 1-3 pm. Each visit begins and ends with a hug and in-between, we spend time talking, reflecting, and laughing. Yes…laughing!
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The trails and tribulations that Robin has endured since having been arrested, and ultimately ripped from his adopted community of friends in Canada; separated from his son, Ocean; deported into U. S. Military custody in the United States; tried in a military court at Fort Carson, Colorado, where he was sentenced and sent to the Brig at Miramar to serve his sentence; all have not broken his spirit, nor his dreams for the future. His smile and the twinkle in his eyes are as strong as ever.
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He speaks fondly of his memories of Nelson and of the beautiful people of Canada whom he has met, and the many more whom he has yet to meet, who have taken him into their hearts and who have stood up for him and for the greater cause of peace and justice. All Americans of conscience owe you, our brothers and sisters to the North, a heartfelt thank you.
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The San Diego Chapter of Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against The War, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and Military Families Speak Out, all have adopted Robin while he's here in San Diego. Seven veteran members, two women and five men, have volunteered to be part of an ongoing rotation of visitors each weekend and holiday until Robin is Freed on July 8, 2009.
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We are also exploring ways to help publicize his case here locally in the media and to raise awareness among the progressive activist community of the cause of war resisters and prisoners of conscience in the struggle to win Robin a pardon. In this effort, we are in the initial planning stages of organizing candle light vigils outside the front gate at Miramar MCAS during the Christmas Holiday Season of "Peace on Earth".
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That Robin has taken such a courageous stand on moral principles, and as a result would have to serve one day, let alone 15 months, in a cell, for the act of refusing to serve and kill in an illegal and morally bankrupt war, is beyond belief. He is quite simply, our "Prisoner of Conscience".
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For me as a veteran of Vietnam, another illegal and immoral war, his statement to the judge who asked him prior to sentencing to explain himself was eloquent and to the point; "I believe my President lied to me," spoke volumes. A lesson that I had to learn the hard way over forty long years ago in Vietnam, he had learned before having gone to war. Whenever I speak with Robin, I realize that he's wise beyond his years.
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If anyone wants me to personally deliver a very short message to him when next we meet please feel free to send me an email at jan.ruhman@vetspeak.org. Include your name and a brief memory or statement. We would happily read them to him, when next we visit.
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Link To Robin Web Site developed by his attorneys:
http://freerobin.wordpress.com/
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Links for The Law Firm of James Matthew Branum:
http://www.girightslawyer.com/ - Firm websitehttp://www.joymennonite.org/ - Our church websitehttp://www.jmbzine.com/ - BlogOffice phone: 866-933-ARMY (2769)Cell phone: 405-476-5620Mailing address: 1306 NW Sheridan Rd., #296, Lawton, OK 73505, USA
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Hoa Binh (Peace in Vietnamese)
Jan A. Ruhman
jan.ruhman@vetspeak.org

www.VetSpeak.org

Long Beach Veterans Day Redux

The Battle of Long Beach:  

Traditional Veterans Day Parade(rs) vs. Pro Peace Vets

By

Horace Coleman

 Ed Note: Horace's piece is the story of the culmination of a campaign that VetSpeak.org embarked on in of November of 2007.   It was a successful grassroots cyber-campaign, one that carried the day for anti-war Veterans' groups who had been denied participation for over thirty years, as so eloquently demonstrated in Horace's reflections on the day.  Two of the original SoCal VVAW Veterans who had been denied access back in 1972; VetSpeak.org's  Jan Ruhman and George Johnson, both active in VVAW and VFP, as well as VetSpeak family, were on hand to savor the People's victory over partisan governance. It gives meaning and new life to the old movement battle cry; Power to the People!  It gives also gives substance to, and belief in, the new People's rallying cry; Yes We Can! WH

In 2007 Long Beach, CA made national news.

It wasn’t for something typically Californian. Not an earthquake, forest fire, movie première, Rose Bowl game or a surfing contest.

It wasn’t about something new to inject into your lips or face, the latest fashion craze or the “in” recreational drug. It was about veterans and veterans support groups being kept out of a parade. Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), Military Families Speak Out (MFSO and Veterans for Peace (VFP) were banned from marching in a city backed and aided public Veterans Day parade.

Impassioned speeches were made. Tears were shed by conservative vets. Parade permits were filed and then rescinded—just before the 2007 parade started.

An old, disturbing, American trend has reemerged. Free speech is alright—as long as there’s mass approval of your opinion and presence. “Free speech zones” have become popular. You know, those places far away from an event, those attending it and the media covering it, where folk whose existence “bothers” others are corralled.

Members of the Long Beach city council were involved in parade planning. City resources were used. Active duty military personnel, conservative and traditional veterans groups, high school bands, floats, DAR members, Gold Star Mothers and bikers were welcome.

The city got a highly publicized black eye last year for banning “dissident” elements. Negotiations with the city included not carrying protest signs or distributing literature. No problem. Jabbar McGruder (then president of the Los Angeles chapter of IVAW) was told he could even ride in the same convertible as a parade marshal—as long as he didn’t wear a T-shirt or any thing else that identified what group he belonged to. No dice!

This year IVAW, MFSO and VFP contingents marched, wearing T-shirts with the names of their group, behind banners with the names of their groups. Yes, they carried American flags. The name of each group and what they were about was announced just as it was for every other group in the parade. Watchers clapped and yelled in approval.

When the pro peace / anti war groups passed, people cheered. One woman said “Thank you for what you’re doing!” Some people shouted “Obama!” as they went past.

The next day’s local rag, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, had a gallery of parade photos. In it was a picture of an MFSO member’s hand flashing the “V” sign and wearing a “Bring Them Home Now” bracelet. There was one of Ryan Endicott, a Marine and Vice President of Los Angeles’ IVAW chapter. He was wearing a blue head band with white stars and a black T-shirt with white letters (“IVAW;” “Iraq Veterans Against the War). Ryan carried an American flag folded into a triangle. He held it the same way a troop does when presenting the flag to the next of kin of a dead service person.

People from neighboring cities and counties—veterans, military family members and sympathizers—marched proudly. To paraphrase the late singer Sam Cooke, “change has come!” But it didn’t just happen.

People like George Johnson and Jan Ruhman, members of both VVAW and VFP, spoke before the Long Beach city council. They don’t live in that county but vets were being disrespected and they, as they often do, saw a need and helped fill it. They marched.

So did Pat Alviso—a founder of the local MFSO chapter and the very dynamic mother of a son recently deployed for his third tour in the War on Terror—who was also instrumental in getting the city council to reverse its decision. Many others helped. It took a lot of axe blows to fell towering high handedness. Maybe the powers that be realized they didn’t have a legal leg to stand on. Or, that a person can be a genuine, patriotic vet and honestly think every war this country fights isn’t waged well or justified.

Perhaps the city didn’t want any more bad publicity. Or, some one realized that many more people “support” the troops than become troops (less than 1% of the public does military service) and all that do serve deserve respect.

Perhaps the Gold Star Mothers, who on this Veterans Day called IVAW members “traitors,” wanted other mothers to really feel their pain.

Some French guy named Voltaire said “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” That’s un-American—so some think. They seem to prefer chauvinism. That word is derived from the name of a French over-the-top super patriot. Two off its meanings are “militant and boastful devotion to and glorification of one’s country” and “fanatical patriotism.” That’s the not the “American way;” or is it?

All “wars” don’t involve physical violence. A war isn’t “good” because the U.S. is in it. Maybe when (if) we learn that we’ll have better—and fewer—wars.

A double amputee war vet was in the front rank of the VFP contingent. Is that patriotic enough for you? The charge for walking in the Freedom March, open to individual citizens who marched at the end of the parade, was $10. As veterans know, patriotism has a price.

www.VetSpeak.org

WALKING THE PERIMETER @ RNC by Di Wood

Friday, September 5, 2008, High Noon

ST. PAUL, MN -- This is a flower and a plastic band I picked up on my final walk around the Xcel Center perimeter a few minutes ago. The forklifts are busy loading the folded, black mesh fences onto flatbeds; the media is packing up all the lights, cameras and action into rented trucks. And it is actually a deceptively quiet, beautiful afternoon in downtown Saint Paul. With the fences down, it's easier to breathe a little better. But the sight of them is still unsettling; I know they did their job all too well.

I am so proud to know so many brave, honest people who showed up in Saint Paul to voice their opinions to their leaders -- to speak truth to power -- no matter what danger it posed to their own lives and personal safety. Thank you for your service and keep on marching. Please remember what happened to Carlos' son -- and the continuing plight of all our sons and daughters, in all occupied nations, who are lost or still facing horrific, life-altering situations because of the power and greed of a few. Bring them home now! (ivaw.org)

"Holli Drinkwine, spokeswoman for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, denied Thursday that police used excessive force. “The police showed great restraint in what they were doing," she said. "They were dealing with 300 criminals on the street while trying to protect the 10,000 peaceful protesters that were in St. Paul."

"Minnesota State Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion said the arrests were made at an interstate overpass that separated the marchers from the Xcel Center, where Sen. John McCain was preparing to address the GOP faithful. He said the objective was to contain the protesters and keep them from reaching the convention hall."

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Here are some closing observations, feelings and questions as I look back over the last few days:

The RNC security force was loaded for bear, heavily stocked and armed, and ran a very tight ship on the streets of Saint Paul. There was tolerance for protest within certain, very restrictive limits. Delegates needed to be protected, yes, but voices need to be heard in a place where so many of our elected officials gather. What is the cost to freedom of speech?

The show of firepower did not maintain the peace, it destroyed it – strengthening a “them and us” attitude and causing some people to feel obligated to fight back. The City of Saint Paul did a great job protecting the Xcel Center, but at what cost? Thousands came to show peaceful support mostly for the ending of the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet many were turned back or arrested by heavily armed police, National Guard and others -- front line foot soldiers set up to take the fall for leaders hiding behind miles of barricades, scary rhetoric and misued American flags. Sound familiar?
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The streets of Saint Paul felt progressively like an occupation. Instead of the “enjoy the RNC events,” publicity those of us who work in Saint Paul received from our companies, encouraging us to come to work and join in the spirit of the convention, the streets of Saint Paul felt progressively like an occupation. It was an occupation, mirroring the foreign policies of our government turned on its own people – for what?

Who is the bad guy? It is a very strange thing to be marginalized for voicing opinions to our own elected officials. To be portrayed (and protected against) as the bad guy by such powerful forces is crazy. Once again, the most sane people I know – the ones who attempt to live inclusive lives and continue to speak truth to power – are marginalized, bullied and assaulted. But why?
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The turnbacks on the other side of the city impacted the Peace Picnic on Harriet Island. With the protestors trapped on the other side of the city, the heartfelt, inclusive, gathering designed to bring everyone together at the end was much quieter than anticipated. This was an event where people of all ages could converse with people like Carlos Arrendondo (whose son died in Iraq) and Hart Vigas (the first IVAW veteran testifier at Winter Soldier 2), Michael & Cynthia Orange who blogged for VetSpeak (and who continue to speak truth to power in their own writings and out in the world); Vets for Peace, and other peace organizations. The music played, the lemonade flowed, the children played, but the silence was deafening.

Love, Di Wood, 9/5/08, 11:43 AM, Saint Paul, MN