Honoring the Fallen

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Monday May 30, 2011 · 10:29 AM PDT

2011/05/30 · 10:29

Memorial Day is supposed to be a somber remembrance of all those brave men and women who have given their lives in the service of their country. As a Veteran, this holds some special significance for me as I can count several friends amongst that sad and all too large number. On this special day though, I would like to pause and take a moment to recognize another group who have given that same sacrifice...a group that saddens and pains me to think about. I am speaking of the civilian casualties of our misguided imperialist adventures in Mesopotamia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, and all of the other "not quite wars" we are currently waging against predominantly poor and brown people all over the World.

green917

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Tuesday January 12, 2010 · 7:17 PM PST

2010/01/12 · 19:17

As a member of Veterans For Peace, I gave a speech last week to the Minnesota Society of Friends (Quakers) about my experience while I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 and my take on our plans to send another 30,000 of my former brothers in arms into the ravages of that country.

Follow me below the fold for the text of my speech, including my thoughts (which, essentially amount to a rant) of the way forward in Afghanistan and what we've accomplished (and what we haven't accomplished) there.

green917

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Wednesday October 28, 2009 · 9:38 PM PDT

2009/10/28 · 21:38

With all of the hubbub about Joe Lieberman providing cover (and a stock boost) for his patricians in the health care industry, I began to wonder about something that I haven't heard from ANYONE discussing health care on any major channel (or even on the net really). I've seen some really wonderful Democratic Congressmen and women and Senators discussing the issue of health care reform eloquently and forcefully of late. Representatives Anthony Weiner and Alan Grayson have been particularly fantastic and Senator Sherrod Brown has been equally wonderful. I haven't heard any of them discuss an issue that I feel should be discussed at length though (although it's rather ancillary to health care reform but, still important).

Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican.

Follow me below the fold to take a trip back to 2005 and discover just wtf I'm talking about.

green917

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Thursday July 27, 2006 · 4:23 PM PDT

2006/07/27 · 16:23

Our intrepid Secretary of State took a break out of her busy schedule today to play a piano recital at a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It aint shoe shopping but Ferrragamo must not have a Malaysian location. She briefly fielded questions afterwards and when asked about Rome and, in particular, the United States being the lone holdout in asking for a complete ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, she said the following:

"Every time there is a broken ceasefire, people die and there is destruction and misery."

follow me below the fold for my take on this ridiculous statement... Read More

A Vet's lament/rant on Memorial Day

green917

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Monday May 29, 2006 · 3:56 PM PDT

2006/05/29 · 15:56

I felt it necessary to share with this wonderful community, my thoughts on Memorial Day and the current state of our military and its alleged leaders. I apologize if this gets a little long-winded but I have a lot to say.

When I was a kid, Memorial Day was always just another day off of school before the impending summer break. I never fully understood its import until later in my life when I reconnected with some relatives that I had not seen in some years. First, I suppose, a little background is in order. My mother's side of my family is steeped in American military tradition going back to the French and Indian War (in which I had relatives on both sides). As a child, when I heard of Memorial Day, if I even gave it a second thought, it was this:

Follow me below the flip for more... Read More

NOT Supporting the troops - Military Pay: SNAFU

green917

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Friday April 14, 2006 · 12:45 PM PDT

2006/04/14 · 12:45

About a week and a half ago, I posted a comment to a diary by lebkuchen regarding the pay problems that I encountered while on stop-loss shortly after the 9/11 attacks. I was asked by AllisoninSeattle to write a diary about my trials and tribulations with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Although it has taken me some time to actually find time to research and write the diary you are reading, I have been looking forward to sharing this information with the DKos community ever since Allison suggested I write it (Thanks Allison!). The Republicans have consistently charged our side of the aisle with being weak on defense and, more egregiously, of not supporting the troops. I hope that this diary will clarify just how little they actually support the troops regarding one aspect of military life: pay. Read More

An open letter to Senate Democrats

green917

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Wednesday March 15, 2006 · 12:08 PM PST

2006/03/15 · 12:08

Every poll taken over the last six months states an unarguable truth: the majority of the American people are not happy with the direction in which our country is moving. The President's approval rating continues to hover dismally between 30 and 40 percent and it appears to drop ever further with each successive poll. The Bush Administration has violated the public trust on multiple occasions, subverted the Constitution of the United States, advocated policies that go against the law of the land (as well as International law), and violated their Oaths of Office. The Republican controlled Congress has enacted legislation limiting education opportunities for Americans, gutted our health care system with the assistance of the pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and generally lowered the standing of living in this country by supporting economic and other policies which are detrimental to the everyday lives of millions of Americans. As Eldridge Cleaver so eloquently said, "You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem." Read More

Debunking the Commander in Chief rhetoric re: the illegal domestic spying program

green917

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Tuesday February 28, 2006 · 11:21 AM PST

2006/02/28 · 11:21

After reading Armando's diary The Rule of Law, it became apparent to me (and obviously to Armando) that most of the American people have missed the boat as to what this scandal is really all about. The wire-tapping in and of itself is almost secondary to the real matter at hand (Although it is a disgrace). This scandal is about the President claiming the right to break the law of the land at his whim. Furthermore, I realized that I have not yet seen a clear, concise refutation of the Administration's claims that Article 2 of the Constitution grants this right to the President as the Commander in Chief during a time of war. There are several reasons why this argument is specious at best and patently outrageous at worst. I shall, for the sake of clarity and brevity, concentrate on two of them.

Follow me beyond the flip... Read More

It's official: Al Qaeda in Iraq declares war on shia.

green917

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Wednesday September 14, 2005 · 10:27 PM PDT

2005/09/14 · 22:27

I apologize for the short diary but this is really important. I'm watching the NewsHour on PBS and Ray Saurez is interviewing Robert Worth of the New York Times to discuss the awful bloodshed today in Iraq. Mr. Worth just reported that in conjunction with today's attacks (all of which were against either shia civilians or American troops) Abu Musab al Zarqawi released a tape. In the tape he says that today's brutal attacks were in retribution for the American/Iraqi forces leveling Tal Afar over the last week. He also said the following: "Al Qaeda in Iraq declares war on all shia in Iraq."

I've been saying that Iraq was going to have a civil war whether or not our troops are there for over a year now. Sometimes I really hate being right.

"Oblivious, in denial, dangerous."

green917

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Thursday September 08, 2005 · 4:02 PM PDT

2005/09/08 · 16:02

The above is a quote from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Miority Leader, describing the President of the United States earlier this week. Madame Leader, I couldn't agree more. This simple, three-word description of the President and his entire administration has been patently obvious to we kossacks (at least most of us) for, well, for almost five years now. It is now time for all of us, especially the media, to awaken the rest of the citizenry to this stark and horribly frightening fact. The President of the United States is oblivious, in denial, and dangerous.

More on Rep. Pelosi's exchange with the President and more below the fold... Read More

Of Pain and Loss

green917

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Thursday September 01, 2005 · 8:12 AM PDT

2005/09/01 · 08:12

Yesterday began like any other day for me. I struggled through the morning ritual and griped and grumbled about the petty, quite insignificant trials and tribulations that tend to make up my average day. It rapidly became something very different. I witnessed one of the most heart-wrenching and painful things that I have had to be a party to in a very long time. I watched one of my father's very dear friends bury his son. Read More

Freepers freepers everywhere

green917

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Thursday August 18, 2005 · 6:48 PM PDT

2005/08/18 · 18:48

I have noticed a huge influx of trolls both here at dkos and on other liberal sites of late. I normally just shrug it off and go about my business but, I have, on a couple of occassions now, felt it necessary to respond to their inanity. The following is a post I encountered on the Huffington Post Blog. This poor deluded fool not only contradicts himself but, his version of the facts is so far spun (he's obviously a right-wing media junkie because ALL the talking points are there) that it's hard to tell if he really believes any of what he typed.

My response to him after the fold... Read More

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Honoring the Fallen

The Afghanistan speech I gave for Vets for Peace

The Elephant in the Room

The Cart before the horse: NO diplomacy for you!

A Vet's lament/rant on Memorial Day

NOT Supporting the troops - Military Pay: SNAFU

An open letter to Senate Democrats

Debunking the Commander in Chief rhetoric re: the illegal domestic spying program

It's official: Al Qaeda in Iraq declares war on shia.

"Oblivious, in denial, dangerous."

Of Pain and Loss

Freepers freepers everywhere