In from a friend...pass it on...

x
To Whom It Concerns:

I have to side with Willie and others as to the need for supporting the Winter Soldier movement when it comes forth. The American people want and deserve to hear the truth. The truth is not spoken any harsher than from those that served in the war in Iraq. This event will be an all out needed support from ALL VETERANS groups, pro and con against the war. Veterans have and need the support of one another, since the govt. seems to always deny what has happened to them in their effort to defend for America's Freedoms. As that old saying goes...."I don't agree with what you say...but I defend, to death, your right to say it..."

The last protest I attended was against the 1st Iraq invasion. As a combat veteran, I feel it is my duty to support and aid my fellow veterans in harms way. I also agree that some sort of new tactic be aligned to help in the anti-war movement. In today's arena, I don't think dissent among veterans is the way to proceed. I support total support for the Winter Soldier agenda.
Thanks for your ear. I usually don't say anything, anymore, but this is a time to stand together and aide our fellow veterans....

Lil'John
Vietnam 68-69
x
www.VetSpeak.org

How to Support Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan

*Less Than 20 days away!*

Winter Soldier will be the largest gathering of Iraq Veterans Against the War to date!

From March 13-16, 2008, IVAW will gather at the National Labor College near Washington , DC to disclose the realities of U.S. war policy in a public investigation called Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan .

Continuing a tradition of courage...

Veterans and civilian survivors of both occupations will give public testimony and share eyewitness stories that have been censored from the American public about the true human cost of these occupations.

Winter Soldier will rewrite history...

Currently, the history of the Iraq and Afghanistan occupations is being written by people who aren't fighting them. For our democracy to function, Americans must understand the reality of the wars their government is waging. By breaking the silence, veterans are performing a difficult but essential service to our country.

What you can do? Learn more:

• Check out the 1971 VVAW Winter Soldier video, now available online, www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier
• Join the movement...Sign the statement of support at www.ivaw.org/wintersoldierstatementofsupport
• Spread the Word....Post a banner on your or your organization's website. Here's some help; www.ivaw.org/wintersoldierspreadtheword
• Be an Advocate...Encourage and sponsor GIs and veterans in your area to tell their stories. Veterans and GIs interested in testifying should contact the NYC IVAW chapter, who are coordinating the testimonies for Winter Soldier, at nyc@ivaw.org .
• Donate Today...Help with fundraising by collecting donations or hosting public events. House parties have been happening across the country in support of Winter Soldier http://ivaw.org/node/2418. For more ideas; check out IVAW's fundraising guide, www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier/support/housepartyguide.
• Volunteer to help in DC. There is a limited amount of space for VVAW, VFP, and MSFSO members to attend. If you can come to DC and lend a hand at registration tables, peer counseling, child care, security, or other tasks, please register ASAP at www.ivaw.org
• Share the Stories...Distribute information to other organizations, websites and journalists.

All of the Winter Soldier hearings will be archived online in video and audio at the IVAW website. A pdf of the testimonies heard and a DVD will also be available shortly after Winter Soldier weekend. For more on the archives of Winter Soldier that will be available, please contact wintersoldierally@ivaw.org

• Write your Experience...Write letters to the editor of local newspapers, or you can e-mail your piece to willie.hager@vetspeak.org Subj: Submit, telling why Winter Soldier is important to you. For help preparing materials for the press, please contact media@ivaw.org.
• Call your Leaders ("When follower's lead, leaders will follow." Ed.)...Contact your Congressional offices, request that they watch the hearings. To find out who your U.S. representative is visit U.S. House of Representatives, on-line; https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml; For the U.S. Senate, http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
• For state and local representatives; call your town hall, visit your state website, or ask your local librarian for help.
• Organize your Neighbors...Organize community forums to share the live broadcasts of the Winter Soldier hearings, and let us know about them. All planned events can be posted at the IVAW website here: www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier/viewinglocations/submit

For more on the Winter Soldier schedule, and how to connect to the live broadcasts, please visit www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier

• Give Strength.Provide emotional support for vets and GI's. A national network of mental health professionals is being organizing to support testifiers, members of IVAW and their families. If you or a colleague and would like to participate in this important organizing effort, please contact wintersoldierally@ivaw.org
• Speak Out...Use the testimonies recorded at the hearings to talk to youth about the reality of military service. Check out IVAW's Truth-in-Recruiting campaign for more details. http://ivaw.org/truthinrecruiting> > _______________________________________________

Posted by http://www.vetspeak.org/ from vvawnet mailing list vvawnet@vvaw.org

Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc. (773) 276-4189 e-mail: vvaw@vvaw.org. Fighting for veterans, peace and justice since 1967

WINTER SOLDIER:

Iraq & Afghanistan

x

"Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself, in all cases, as the ages and generations which preceeded it...Man has no property in man; niether has any generation a property in the generations which are to follow." Thomas Paine, 1776

In January 1971, VVAW held the Winter Soldier Investigation, where Vietnam Veterans testified about war crimes and atrocities they committed or witnessed in Vietnam. This action helped expose how atrocities during Vietnam were essentially military policy, a policy that continues in the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This spring, the largest gathering of US veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Iraqi and Afghan eyewitnesses, will share their experiences in a public investigation called Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan. They will provide testimonies to war crimes the United States perpetuates with the ongoing wars and occupations, as well as the increasingly poor treatment of returning veterans by the US government agencies here at home.

From March 13-16th, 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation’s capitol to break the silence about the real stories of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and hold our leaders accountable for the devastation they have caused. We hope that you’ll join in supporting this, because this is a story that every American needs to hear!

Since IVAW's inception, VVAW has provided support and guidance. VVAW’s main priority this spring is to support IVAW's Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan. We are urging our membership to help with outreach to Veterans in your area, especially of the Iraq and Afghanistan era. Talk to them about possibly attending WSI or even testifying; put them in contact with local or national IVAW. We also need to raise more money; specific ideas for fundraising efforts (which can also be a great outreach tool) can be found at http://www.vvaw.org/press/?id=768. Ask local peace groups to help raise money to sponsor an IVAW member’sparticipation.

IVAW members face challenges similar to those VVAW faced 40 years ago. War crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah and Abu Ghraib have assisted in turning the public against the war. But, politicians and generals repeat history by blaming 'a few bad apples' for such atrocities, rather than examining the military policies that destroyed Vietnam then and are destroying Iraq and Afghanistan now.

Veterans have the most powerful voices for speaking out about war because they have experienced it. IVAW members participating and attending the upcoming Winter Soldier Investigation will undoubtedly receive backlash similar to VVAW members in 1971. It is crucial to maximize support for one another; through the process of testifying and hearing testimonies, as well as after returning home after WSI. We request your help in getting more IVAW members to WSI and encourage VVAW members to attend and offer suport before during and after the event.

Thomas Paine, writing during the Revolutionary War, said: "The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."

It is time for all of us to support these true Winter Soldiers. All contributions for IVAW's Winter Soldier Investigation will go towards this event. Please help continue the outreach and fund raising efforts which go to further support our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters in Iraq Veterans Against the War.

For more information call VVAW at (773) 276-4189, email vvaw@vvaw.org, or check out www.vvaw.org/events/ or www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier

* Donate on-line at http://www.vvaw.org/store/?mode=ivawdonation or

* Send tax deductible donations with IVAW/WSI in the memo to:
VVAWPO Box 2065, Station A
Champaign, IL 61825-2065

Sincerely,

The Winter Soldier Investigation VVAW Support Team.

www.VetSpeak.org

Return of the Swift Boaters

A Report

By
Christopher Hayes
Washington Editor, The Nation

With the upcoming IVAW Winter Soldier '08 panels in Washington D.C., and the '08 Presidential race, these low-lifes have begun to gear up again under yet another guise, for more of the same distortions of Truth and assassination of character that they have become known for. All of this directed at whomever their puppet/pay masters from the RNC oppose/fear at any particular moment. All of this done utilizing the outrageous permissiveness of the 527 tax status to protect their lack of accountability, thereby frustrating efforts to follow their activities, and demonstrate who they are truly beholden to. Not an easy proposition, as we point out in our Archives of postings for January and October of 2006 at www.VetSpeak.org.  

In keeping with an apparent mutual disdain for what has become commonly known as "swiftboating" as a tool of political spin, and those who invented it and still practice it; I contacted Christopher Hayes for permission to re-print his article on our pages, and he has responded in the affirmative to our request. It is presented here, un-edited and in it's original form. It is presented here as a shot across the bow of the lead attack ship in 527 dirty politics, letting them know that we haven't gone away either and look forward to continuing to counter their message at every opportunity. WH

x

Return of the Swift Boaters Christopher Hayes posted January 2, 2008 (web only)
<http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080107/hayes>

This report was produced with support of The Nation Institute Investigative Fund. Additional research was provided by Nicholas Jahr.

x

More than three years after John Kerry's bitter defeat, at the dawn of what looks like a far more promising campaign cycle for the Democrats, the party is still haunted by the specter of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Once upon a time, "Swift boat" denoted an obscure military vessel, but thanks to the activities of this group it has come to represent movement conservatism's penchant for ruthlessly (and effectively) smearing any and all political opponents, from a sitting senator and war hero to an 11-year-old boy with a cranial fracture.

x

Research by The Nation into Federal Election Commission records of the group's top twenty donors reveals that they've been remarkably active in this cycle, contributing and bundling nearly $200,000 to presidential candidates. This does not bode well. During the last presidential campaign, the wealthy backers of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth--now rebranded as Swift Vets and POWs for Truth--didn't do their real dirty work until the general election, where as a tax-exempt 527 group they operated outside the restraints of direct campaign contributions. We may wish we were done with the Swift Boaters, but they aren't done with us.

x

In 2004 the top twenty donors all gave (with one exception) at least $50,000 to the group. The top three--Houston home builder Bob Perry, Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens and billionaire drugstore impresario and investor Harold Simmons--gave a combined $9.5 million ($4.45 million, $3 million and $2 million, respectively). Calculating the influence of these and the slightly less wealthy Swift Boat donors during this cycle is a touch more complicated than simply adding up their contributions. Each one exerts far more influence as a bundler, given the federal restrictions on individual giving, which limit donors to a maximum of $4,600 per cycle. So The Nation looked not only at the contributions of the donors themselves but also at those of their family members and employees. It's an imperfect method, since some employees are clearly contributing of their own volition (such as one employee of a Simmons company who gave money to Hillary Clinton), but it gives a rough estimate of who's backing whom and to what extent.

x

The most notable recipient of Swift Boat largesse is John McCain, erstwhile front-runner and Stand Up Guy. When the Swift Boat ads were first unleashed, McCain was alone among his Republican colleagues to condemn them. A fellow Vietnam veteran, a good friend of Kerry's and a former target of smears about his own service, McCain called the ads "dishonest and dishonorable," a "cheap stunt," and he urged Bush to condemn them. But in pursuit of the GOP nomination, McCain ditched the mantle of maverick for that of hack, and his once-floundering, possibly rejuvenated campaign has been aided along the way by $61,650 from Swift Boat donors and their associates. "There is such a thing as dirty money," said Senator Kerry in a statement, after The Nation informed him of McCain's FEC records. "I'm surprised that the John McCain I knew who was smeared in 2000 and thought so-called Swift Boating was wrong in 2004 would feel comfortable taking their money after seeing the way it was used to hurt the veterans I know he loves." (McCain's office did not return calls for comment.)

x

McCain's Swift Boat bounty is exceeded only by that of Mitt Romney, who has raked in $70,550. Romney's success with Swift Boat donors is significant because he has surpassed even McCain in his demonstrated willingness to do or say anything in pursuit of the presidency and because he has emerged as the GOP establishment's favored candidate. Last year, when McCain held that position, the Arizona senator received significant backing from Swift Boat donors. But many have subsequently switched their allegiance. Pickens, who donated to McCain in June 2006, is now an enthusiastic Giuliani donor and fundraiser (Giuliani ranks third in Swift Boat funding, with $47,950). Perry, who also recorded several donations to McCain's PAC in 2005 and 2006, is now a major donor and fundraiser for Romney. If the list of top Swift Boat donors is expanded to fifty, Romney's fundraising edge is even more pronounced. (Neither Romney nor Giuliani's campaign returned calls for comment.)

x

Also noticeable among the recipients of Swift Boat largesse is one who received only a single donation:Mike Huckabee. Despite meager fundraising and little national name recognition, the former Arkansas governor has experienced a bubble-like expansion of support and media attention, taking the lead in Iowa and approaching a steady lead in national polls. But the lack of Swift Boat contributions lends credence to the claim that Huckabee is viewed warily by the money men who call the shots in the modern GOP. Despite proposing a radically regressive tax change and taking Grover Norquist's antitax pledge, he's been attacked savagely by the Club for Growth and eviscerated by columnist George Will for "comprehensive apostasy against core Republican beliefs," among them "free trade, low taxes, the essential legitimacy of America's corporate entities and the market system allocating wealth and opportunity."

xx

This all supports the notion that the people behind the Swift Boat operation are chiefly concerned with the continued upward redistribution of wealth that is, more or less, the contemporary GOP's raison d'être. In 2006 Perry ponied up $5 million to start the Economic Freedom Fund, a 527 group devoted to attacking Democratic incumbents, and landed a large donation from prominent Swift Boat donor Carl Lindner. All of which is to say that the Swift Boaters aren't some kind of side show, a coterie of vicious mudslingers operating at the edges of respectability. They are the show. They are modern conservatism's core funders and beneficiaries. With conservatives staring straight into the abyss, their activities in this election cycle could very well make the Swift Boat smears look tame by comparison.

x

www.VetSpeak.org

A Letter to Today's War Vets from a Vet of an Older War

xx

A Letter to Today’s War Vets from a Vet of an Older War

You did your part.

Now you face a different struggle: Re entry into an indifferent society with a declining economy. And, possibly, some of these things:
x
PTSD
Homelessness
Discharges for Pre existing Conditions
The Walter Reed Hospital Scandal
Inadequately prepared VA
Repeated Deployments
No draft or taxes to staff and pay for the war efforts
Skeletonized GI Bill (educational benefits)
Depleted Uranium / Gulf War Syndrome
Relationship / Intimacy problems
“Frozen Feelings”
Restlessness / Boredom
High Risk activities
Substance Abuse / Self Medication
Sense of Direction (lost)
Survivor’s Guilt
Strained Relationships

Watch out for those things. Some folk might have to deal with some of that for a while. Most won’t. Hardly any one will face all.

The U.S. supposedly supports the troops. Don’t expect that as a veteran. The nation’s full of Chicken Hawks, Chicken Hearts and people with weird political ideas and agendas they expect some one else to do the heavy lifting for. Yellow ribbons ain’t gonna get it. If you’re lucky you will find a few people who really care for you and back that with acts.

It’s normal to feel abnormal. You may not still be in the military but you’ll never be like the average civilian who only knows war or combat from a video game, movie or book.

You had the smarts, heart, skill, strength and luck to survive there. With a different kind of effort, you’ll survive here. You’ve been changed but hopefully not maimed in heart, mind or spirit.

It will take a while to “detox” and get into the “groove” again. Don’t be ashamed to seek and ask for a help or a hand up if you need it.

You can get good feelings from talking to other vets, joining a veterans group or working with your “higher power” (how ever you define that). Visit a web site like this one. Do the things you really used to enjoy. Find new people and things that turn you on. What ever’s mostly safe and mostly sane. What ever doesn’t hurt you, yours or others.

It is good to be alive. Enjoy life. Claim happiness.
People have different reasons for joining the military. The bottom line is that you did.

You served and sacrificed. Most Americans—most so called “patriots”—never do that.

You may have been strained but you’re not damaged goods. You’ve already exceeded what most way REMF politicians and civilians will ever do.

Use the same heart and mind that got you through the mess and back to the U.S. to thrive here. Don’t rush it but don’t delay it too long either.

You have a new way to measure and deal with “hard times” and daily stress.

Some professional athletes call themselves “warriors.” You know what the real thing is.

Today’s wars are worse than Nam. There is no draft and a much smaller percentage of the population bears the weight for all. And the same neglect of veterans goes on.

But, you don’t have to embrace the suck any more! All there is here are the winds, wildfires, and mudslides of daily life. You’ve dealt with worse.

People have learned a lot since the Nam time. Well, not too much really. But people and institutions have learned some things and changed others. You’ll probably never run into some one like the dumb high school kids who’d ask me “Did you kill any one?”

The very question shows they a) had no cool or clue and b) no concept of what war is about or like. And, hopefully, you’ll never run into some one like this:

A coed walked up to me one day on a college campus while I was in a conversation with some one else. She blurted out “Why are all you Vietnam vets so crazy!?”

I didn’t cuss her out, smack her or call her out of her name. I just said, in an even quiet voice like some one talking to a *very* dumb child, “Because of people like you asking questions like that.”

Some people, places and things you may never forget. Some you may never want to see or think of again. Time may not heal all wounds but it does help you get used to them and learn workarounds.

Welcome home. Keep on keepin’ on. You’ve taken the test. Now take the best and later for the rest. Most of you are going be all right.

--Horace Coleman

Woe unto the statesman who makes war without a reason that will still be valid when the war is over! After the war, you will all look differently at these questions. Otto Von Bismarck (1815–1898), Prussian statesman.

www.VetSpeak.org