This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Antiwar crowd

  • Matthis: I may be a rapist, but so are you

    Paul sent us a link to some hipie chick’s website in which she gives dating advice. She copied from Matthis’ Facebook page a typical “Matthis-as-victim” missive about him being better than the rest of us;

    Feels like the anti-war libel machine’s firing up again. It hurts being called a rapist for being the only one in IVAW to describe military sex culture in honest and self-incriminating terms. Read ‘confessions of a war resister’ for clarity on my story.
    It makes me very uncomfortable too, and very ashamed. The shitty thing is, I know just about every male who’s ever been in the military has at least one similar experience, but boys are too afraid to be men and tell the truth about their penises.

    It was rape, no matter what the law says.

    People gotta deal with this. Acts like what I did are normalized rape and cannot be excused. I’m ashamed of myself. Other’s should be ashamed for me.

    But part of why this is so hard for people is because it’s very widespread, both in and out of the military. Prostitution and pornography have become normalized in our society. If I’m a rapist than 40% of the male population in the U.S. have or will be rapists. Within the military, I believe this percentage would be staggaringly higher, and certainly there is a total awareness of its existence. So if this is rape, which it is, what does that mean on a broader scale?
    What sucks is people’s lack of awareness of how critical this is and their willingness to use someone’s story against them, ignoring the issues and projecting their fears instead.

    I’m not a rapist, but that was rape, and rape is happening on a broad scale, and we have a responsibility to stop it.

    Now, did you follow that line of logic – “I raped, but I’m not a rapist, you should feel ashamed for me. 40 Percent of American men rape (don’t ask me for statistics, just accept my hyperbole as fact) a staggeringly high rate of military men rape (because i say so). I’m not a rapist, but I rape women and it’s more than likely your fault. I’m just a victim in all of this because, because, because…well, just because I’m cool enough to come out and admit it.”

    First of all, no one on this side of pro-troops movement is calling Matthis a rapist. He’d better check to see who is saying that stuff – I’m just addressing the issue now because Matthis has brought the issue to the surface. Since he’s in his late twenties, i think it’s about time he stopped blaming everyone else for him being a failure and a sociopath and start accepting some responsibility. By trying to make us all rapists for his childish behavior, Matthis is making himself look foolish.

    It’s like Red Foreman used to say “Your life is hard because you’re a dumbass”.

  • CNN charges US troops used chemicals in Fallujah

    Undaunted by the fact that they had been burned in their last attempt to charge the US with using chemical weapons in a war, namely the “Operation Tailwind” story, CNN is charging that US troops used chemical weapons in their Fallujah operations in 2004;

    Of course, there is no proof, just Fallujah residents complaining of the number of birth defects. Huffington Post claims the lack of evidence is proof that it happened;

    Lawyers representing the families have sued the British government for complicity in the alleged war crimes. But Iraq’s deputy minister of health tells CNN there isn’t enough evidence to prove causality, and in any case, the U.S. boycott of the International Criminal Court makes direct prosecution of the case unlikely, as do the nation’s federal immunity laws.

    Of course, no disgruntled soldiers or Marines have come forward to mention their involvement – the chemical weapons aren’t fired by generals or DoD civilians. KBR doesn’t have a chemical weapon capability last time I checked. Of course, any rational thoughts might disturb the gentle balance of the whole story.

  • Matthis and collateral ignorance (UPDATED)

    So, if you were a teacher and you invite a guest lecturer to speak to your students, wouldn’t you want them to be subject matter experts? Why would a teacher have IVAW Matthis explain the “Collateral Murder” video to his/her students then?

    matthislecture

    That’s what’s happening across the country today. Three people are touring the country and speaking at high schools in a program called “We Are Not Your Soldiers” – Matthis Chiroux, Robin Long and Emma Kaplan. Matthis and Robin Long refused to deploy to Iraq, Emma is a tool of Maoist World Can’t Wait. None of them has ever been to the wars, yet some teachers feel that they have the expertise to talk about the war to their students.

    The result:

    One young woman started crying, saying her dad was in the military and she wanted to join but now she didn’t want to. Matthis had asked a question and this young woman raised her hand and said, “My dad was probably in a helicopter like that killing children.

    You should introduce your Dad to Matthis.

    img_4269

    Matthis asked students if the Wikileaks footage looked like a combat zone – they answered “no” of course. He talked about being trained to shot people dressed as civilians, revealing this whole view towards the people of the Middle East. One of the students said “here, if you murder someone you get 25-life but these soldiers are getting away with it over there.”

    With Matthis providing the context, instead of showing the entire video, what kind of response do you expect?

    When Emma asked the students what they thought caused the war, a number of students said imperialism. This is definitely because at least one of their teachers has made a positive impact on them. He uses “A People’s History of the United States” in his classes and also talks about the present day wars. Another example of the power and importance of courageous truth-telling teachers.

    Courageous teacher. Because he adheres to the party line. Sounds like Stalin’s USSR or Mao’s China or Fidel’s Cuba to me.
    matthisgroup-1

    UPDATED: I noticed a list of speakers at the We Are NotYour Soldiers website, and noticed carl Dix was listed. I wrote about Dix last September. He’s the former president of the Revolutionary Communist Party (he’s still an active spokeman of the organization) and he talks about the war to kids in high school alongside Matthis and the other clowns. You’ll notice in the post I connected RCP to World Can’t Wait and IVAW.

  • Ditch Bitch alive and well, still as asinine as ever

    So a buddy of mine that I play golf with once a year sent me a picture of the newspaper from Cortland, New York the other day, that ostensibly he was sending me because he runs the “Corn Ducky Derby” in Cortland, and his son was on the cover of the newspaper laying in the ducks. Essentially, it is a fund raiser for the Cortland Community Service Club. Cortland is my adopted hometown, although I never lived there, and I have sort of become an honorary citizen because I am friends with a whole slew of guys there. Anyway, Cortland has been hit pretty hard by the economic slump, and the Corn Ducky Derby is a really good event, and seems a good excuse to have a few adult beverages and watch rubber ducks float down a river. With the exception of the Lalla Open Golf Classic (I am a 4 seed Lalla), the Corn Ducky Derby is the best thing in Cortland. Maybe the Jets practicing there, but the Jets suck.
    corn-duck-derby

    Anyway, what caught my eye was the article to the right of the page, about Cindy Sheehan appearing at SUNY Cortland. I found an advertisement for it:

    Cindy Sheehan, who is most known for her anti-war encampment at former-President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, will be the keynote speaker at Kent State Remembrance Day at SUNY Cortland Tuesday, May 4.

    Cortland Students for Peace will mark the 40th anniversary of what has become known as the Kent State Massacre with events throughout the day. Most events, unless otherwise noted, will be held on the steps of Corey Union. In the case of rain, the events will be held inside Corey Union. Kent State Remembrance Day events are free and open to the public.

    Kent State Remembrance Day events begin at 11 a.m. with art and presentations. A non-violent rally will be held at 11 a.m. Sheehan will speak at 3:30 p.m. and a non-violent march and vigil will follow at 4 p.m.

    Anyhoo- Jonn has already covered the ridiculousness of the Kent State hagiography, so I won’t go into that, but I wanted to see how her speech went. So, I went to get it from the horses ass mouth:

    For example, this past May 4th was the 40th anniversary of the Kent State Massacre in Ohio. I spoke at SUNY Cortland at the event that the students put together there to commemorate that awful day.

    I was pointing out to the crowd that four students being slaughtered by the US military was horrible 40 years ago, but millions of Vietnamese died at the hands of the same military, and since then millions of more people have been killed, displaced, or economically disadvantaged because of this wicked Empire.

    Then, I guess I went too far in some of the young people’s eyes, because I pointed out that on September 11, 2001—almost four thousands Americans tragically died—but on that same day, (and every day since and every day after) tens of thousands of people died of starvation around the world. Then to make matters even worse, I compared the lives of the people who died of starvation favorably with the people who died on 9-11. I think I may have even said that they had the same exact existential right as those Americans! I heard from professors and the students that this caused a pretty big controversy on the campus.

    Not content to just leave it at that little bit of insanity, she decided to up the ante and see where it would get her:

    The one problem I have with 9-11 conspiracy theories is that sometimes the theories and the people who propose them discount one very important fact. Even though I never condone or support violence, Arab-Muslims had legitimate reasons to plan and carry out an attack—if they actually did is another question, though.

    So, even though violence=bad, when they do it (if they even do it) it is perfectly understandable.

    Looks like she lost that loving feeling thoug….

    Will the American people finally rise up against our government and demand an end to the U.S. war of military and economic terror against the world, or will we keep electing Jokers thinking, yes even hoping, that anything will change?

    ….

    ….

    Can no one shut this dumb bitch up? I mean really. Her son was a hero, no bones about it. I can’t help but think he is looking down and just begging his mother to stop speaking. Her 15 minutes ended a long time ago. She should just slink away and hug it out with Geoff Stolen Valor Millard and stop embarassing herself.

  • Matthis skates again

    Apparently the last Board member voted yesterday and Matthis gets to burn as many flags as he wants in the name of the IVAW.
    matthis-skates

    If Matthis can be believed the deciding vote was cast by octogenarian Wes Davey pictured below delivering an ultimatum to John McCain at the Republican National Convention in 2008;

    wes-davey

    Of course, that was a few years ago, so we have an artist’s rendering of what we imagine Davey looks like today;

    2cwwl54

    So now you guys know who to thank for ya all being Matthis today. It’s the same as when you all supported Carl Webb’s toxic lunacy – now whether or not you like it, you support flag burning by being members of the IVAW. How’s it feel?

    You’re all flag-burning Socialists by staying in the organization – I’m not trying to shame you into leaving – if you’re still there after everything you’ve seen the last few years, being a flag-burning socialist ain’t bringing you out.

    So wear your T-shirt with pride and do Matthis’ bidding right along with that guy on your left and right who didn’t go to Iraq, either.

  • Matthis screwed to the wall

    IVAW's Matthis Chiroux, Robyn Murray and MFSO's Elaine Brower burn the US flag "This is not my country!"
    IVAW's Matthis Chiroux, Robyn Murray and MFSO's Elaine Brower burn the US flag "This is not my country!"

    Apparently the IVAW Board has reversed itself, changed last month’s vote on whether or not to punish Matthis for his flag-burning escapades.

    matthis-status-re-vote-2a

    Typical sociopath; “Give me something else to burn” He doesn’t learn from his mistakes – he tries to go bigger and flashier to stick it to the man – the man in this case is the IVAW Board, apparently. And of his little enablers chirping up a storm of support. And he basks in the glow of their adulation.

    The IVAW board, who caved under the weight of disgust of Matthis’ actions last month are finally doing what they should have done in the first place. But they don’t get cheers from me because it only proves that they’ll only do what is the most politically expedient, balancing the organization between the extemists of the Far Left International Socialist Organization and the veterans who merely oppose the war.

    Well, those of you who merely oppose the war know now what Board member Matthis thinks of you. You “only police the radicals” these days.

    So why are you still there again? Matthis ain’t leavin’ – him and Ward Reilly will be there to turn out the lights.

  • FBI: Shots fired at NG in Kent State 1970 incident

    5414
    The Washington Times reports that newly released documents in the May 1970 Kent State shooting of several students by National Guard troops state the the troops may have been provoked by a sniper;

    “We did it,” one man exulted, according to the inquiry. “We got the riot started.”

    The second man expressed disappointment at being excluded from the riot’s planning. “Wait until tomorrow night,” the leader replied excitedly. “We just got the word. We’re going to burn the ROTC building.”

    This was 20 hours before the ROTC headquarters on the Kent State campus, an old wooden frame building, was, in fact, burned to the ground.

    Despite the classic media account that the National Guard fired for no real reason, the FBI had evidence to the contrary;

    Yet the declassified FBI files show the FBI already had developed credible evidence suggesting that there was indeed a sniper and that one or more shots may have been fired at the guardsmen first.

    Rumors of a sniper had circulated for at least a day before the fatal confrontation, the documents show. And a memorandum sent to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover on May 19, 1970, referred to bullet holes found in a tree and a statue — evidence, the report stated, that “indicated that at least two shots had been fired at the National Guard.”

    It’s too bad that the FBI didn’t pursue the investigation and nab the shooters or at least narrow it down to a particular group (I have my suspicions).

    At a minimum, the FBI documents strongly challenge the received narrative that the rioting in downtown Kent was spontaneous and unplanned, that the burning of the ROTC headquarters was similarly impulsive and that the guardsmen’s fatal shootings were explicable only as unprovoked acts.

    Of course, the shootings had the opposite result that any conspirators had imagined since Kent State was the beginning of the end of the anti-war protests. it seems that gunfire had a quenching effect on the gutless hippies who were really only protesting for their own own comfort rather than any grandiose ideal.

  • Gordon Duff the military expert

    gordon-duff-photo

    We’ve spent a little bit of time highlighting the writings of Gordon Duff, the senior editor of Veterans Today, the special place on the internet for crackpots and crazies to exchange their irrational conspiracy theories. For example, a month ago, I wrote about Duff’s theory that all of the Vietnam POWs were given amnesty for the time they were imprisoned just to protect John McCain.

    Before that, TSO wrote about Duff‘s interpretation of the James O’Keefe’s “black bag operation”. Last September, I wrote about Duff’s definition of military service. Last month, I wrote about his blaming Mossad for the attack on the Moscow subway system.

    His bio says;

    Gordon Duff is a Marine Vietnam veteran, grunt and 100% disabled vet. He has been a featured commentator on TV and radio including Al Jazeera and his articles have been carried by news services around the world. He has been a UN Diplomat, defense contractor and is a widely published expert on military and defense issues.

    Yes, he was a Marine Vietnam veteran. His service record;
    (more…)