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

Category: Antiwar crowd

  • Christians for Peace march in Killeen

    kdh-code-pink

    An article in the Killeen Daily Herald reports that a bunch of hippies from Austin and Waco descended upon Fort Hood and Killeen Texas this weekend. Of course, they began their silent march at the IVAW “Under the Hood” cafe. I don’t believe that a more naive bunch of people exist. It sounds to me like they think we’re the only people fighting this war;

    “Our goal is to establish peace and end this war,” [Ray Johnson, retired chaplain] said. “The Creator has better things in store for this nation.”

    The article doesn’t mention what this Ray Johnson was chaplain of, but they sure make it sound like he was in the military don’t they?

    “Our silent march and vigil is not about ‘We,’ the good people, against ‘Them,’ the bad people. On the contrary, those of us here today must have a deep awareness that the soldiers at Fort Hood are people caught in the same trap of war making that we are. They want to earn money to care for their families. They work for their own dignity and self-respect. They work because they love their fellow human beings, their country, their God. The unspeakable tragedy is that their hard work is used to kill the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan.”

    Throwing in the class warfare card is almost un-Christian, ain’t it?

    Of course, it was a star studded event;

    Victor Agosto, currently facing charges for refusal to go to Afghanistan, joined the group to march for peace. Agosto’s summary court-martial is scheduled for next week. After serving his sentence, he said he would probably be chaptered out of service. He has been in the Army for four years.

    So we’ll be looking for accounts of Victor’s court martial this week.

    But these “Christians for Peace” are new to me, so I had to look them up on the internet. There’s not much about them, really. No information on who supports them (although in the KDH article it mentioned some of them were also members of Code Pink) and their “About” page is pretty sparse. But here’s one little naive nugget to take with you;

    Despite our exorbitant defense budget, we still feel insecure and threatened by a poor and improvised al-Qaida, so we build more systems, even a missile defense system which repeatedly fails.

    I’m pretty sure the missile defense system isn’t intended to defend against al Qaeda, but there are a few countries that we do need to defend against. And calling al Qaeda “poor and impoverished” doesn’t make them any less dangerous or any more endearing.

    Jesus teaches us to love our enemies (Matt 5:43-44), to forgive those who sin against us (Matt 18:21-22), and to deny ourselves, carry our cross, and follow him.

    We believe that war is immoral. The idea that we can kill, we can choose who will live and who will die, to protect our way of life is not in accordance with Jesus’ teachings and life example. The powers of this world use war today, but as Christians our battle is not against flesh and blood, (not against other people) but against these powers (Eph 6:12). As Christians, we do not wage war as the world does (2 Cor 10:3-4).

    I’m pretty sure than Jesus didn’t want us to march like lambs to the slaughter, though. But, like I said, some of these folks are in with Code Pink, and we know their agenda is just to make more money and be obnoxious. These Christians for Peace are cut from the same cloth. Clearly, their message if you look at their website, is based in the class warfare message – we’re all victims of greed and materialism. The US spends money on defense when it could be spent on unicorn farms, rainbow development and Skittles gardens.

    If I were a church-going Christian, I’d be angry, for the same reason I’m angry at Veterans for Peace. Their group’s name insinuates that unless you belong to the group you are “for War”. We all want peace – it’s just that some of us have our feet on the ground. I wonder how much worshiping of Christ and spreading his teachings will get done if the Islamists get their way with us.

  • Sheehan to America “You suck,too”

    With George Bush gone, Cindy Sheehan has turned her sights on the rest of us with her new book “Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution!”. I haven’t read the book because it’s not in Kindle.

    Apparently Sheehan self-published the book because it’s only available at her website and I don’t think I want to put money in her pocket. I’d rather she starve to death, actually. I don’t mean to be cruel, but apparently, from what I heard a few years ago, starving to death is the most humane way to be euthanized. And I’d like Sheehan to be out of her misery.

    But you really don’t need to read the whole book when she makes the 10 myths available without context;
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  • Bacon resigns as IVAW ED

    We got word today that Alex Bacon, the Executive Director of the IVAW, resigned his position today due to health reasons.

    Dear members of IVAW,

    We regret to inform you that our Executive Director, Alex Bacon, resigned early yesterday due to personal health issues. We wish him a full recovery and look forward to him once again becoming active with IVAW.

    The Board of Directors had a call last night where we discussed this issue (among other issues facing the organization) and the following decisions were made:

    1- Aaron Hughes (the Organizing Team Leader) will act as the point of contact between the Board and the staff while there is no ED in the office.

    2- Wes Davey (the Board Treasurer) will be going to Philadelphia, on Monday 20 July 09, to act as the interim ED until a new ED is hired.

    3- The Board will hire a full time ED to replace Alex. At this point we are inclined to hire the “runner up” for the job as we had an exhaustive process a mere 3 months ago. That being said, we will be negotiating with this person over the next week or so and will update you accordingly.

    4- This new ED will work with Wes (on site) and Alex (via phone and email) to transition into the position full time.

    The Board, staff, and members are working very hard on the convention and we are still planing on a successful convention that once again brings together members of IVAW to collectively move forward as an organization and a movement.

    We will update you as soon as we are ready to take our next step. Please feel free to send questions to Board@ivaw.org.

    In Solidarity

    Board of Directors
    Iraq Veterans Against the war

    Here at TAH, we hope that Alex has a speedy and complete recovery.

    For those of you who don’t know Alex Bacon, he went AWOL from the Coast Guard while he was stationed in Honolulu, HI. In his own words from his IVAW profile;

    I grew up in the Unitarian Church and had some illusion that I was going to make the military more humane by joining. What I didn’t realize was that you don’t change the military, the military changes you. I was disappointed in our mission, which was really focused on protecting American fisheries and seemed to have very little to do with lifesaving. I was also surprised by the dehumanization of other people, including fellow shipmates that I saw. I realized fairly quickly that I had made a mistake, and as impulsively as I joined the Coast Guard I went AWOL.

    No, really, that’s what it says. I don’t think I could make the story any funnier.

    So who is going to be the next person to take over IVAW? Well, I’m waiting on the answer to that one from one of my countless moles, but one person told me that the only two others who applied for the position were Matthis Chiroux and Adrienne Kinne. Kinne’s profile says she “served stateside in direct support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as a voice interceptor.”

    Kinne is touted as a “whistleblower” because she told the press (Amy Goodman from Democracy Now) that the Palestine Hotel, which housed journalists, was on the target list for the initial bombing of Baghdad in 2003. We didn’t strike the Palestine Hotel, it was merely on a target list but somehow it’s important. it’s another of those stories that go no where.

    According to my source in IVAW, Kinne is a hardcore member of the International Socialist Organization. My source also tells me that Chiroux and Kinne both withdrew their applications to be ED so we’ll have to wait to find out whether the Board decides to perpetuate it’s image as an anti-war organization or a veterans’ organization.

    Oh yeah, Carl Webb wrote yesterday that he’s to blame for the slim pickin’s for a new ED who might actually be a veteran of the Iraq War;
    webb-cheeks

  • The drama over Peskoff’s resignation

    Jeff Peskoff, the member of our little community here at TAH who resigned from IVAW this morning “friended” me at Facebook so I could witness the drama over there as another valued IVAW member left the fold. It’s instructive to read what influence the old VFP/VVAW members hold over the younger members. After the letter that I posted this morning, Jeff wrote;

    Tomorrow I will burn my f***in T-shirts. Hopefully someday this war will end or we (the intellectually effective) anti-Iraq War vets will come together to bring it to an end.

    To the point that Jeff made in regards to Carl Webb, Ward Reilly, our own phony Ranger, replied;

    reilly-vs-ivaw

    “The Right Wingers”. That’s us, I’m so proud. But now two months after I wrote the post about Webb, they begin to ask each other if he belongs with them. Little late? This is the third or fourth member to leave (that I know of) because of Webb, not to mention Chiroux.

    Reilly admits that he’d rather keep Peskoff than Webb, though, but not before he claims that everyone who went to the war in Iraq is a criminal – including himself because he didn’t stop Peskoff from going. Notice Army Sergeant in there swinging for the honorable service of those who answered their nation’s call;

    coppa-vs-reilly-pt-2

    Reilly goes on to justify Webb’s contention that Iraqis are right to kill Americans. Set aside the fact that mostly we’re killing Al Qaeda at this point.

    peskoff-vs-reilly

    That comment from Peskoff about the oath of enlistment came from TSO’s post yesterday. I’m so proud.

    I’m just sitting here waiting for the day I can post Army Sergeant’s resignation letter, but I’ll probably have to wait until after the IVAW convention next month.

    Here’s a question for John Grant; why are you over here defending the “honor” of your organization when it looks like IVAW is falling apart at the seams. You and Reilly should be calling the IVAW board and convince them to kick Carl Webb and Matthis Chiroux to the curb before some more members bolt.

  • Army withdraws Birther’s orders (Updated)

    (Update below the jump)

    Apparently, the Army withdrew the movement orders for Major Stefan Cook, the fella we wrote about yesterday who refused to deploy to Afghanistan based on his belief that President Barack Obama isn’t a US citizen. According to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer;

    Lt. Col. Maria Quon, U.S. Army Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Army Human Resources Command-St. Louis, said Tuesday evening Cook was no longer expected to report Wednesday to MacDill Air Force Base in Florida for mobilization to active duty.

    Cook is an Individual Mobilization Augmentee, meaning he is a reserve soldier assigned to an active component unit for duty. He is assigned to the U.S. Army Element of U.S. Southern Command. Last week Cook filed a request in federal court through his California-based attorney, Orly Taitz, seeking a temporary restraining order and status as a conscientious objector.

    So, Major Numbnuts avoided some jail time, and the Obama Administration renews the paranoia from the birthers. I can hardly blame the Army wanting to be free of the antics of Orly Taintz, Cook’s dentist-turned-real estate agent-turned-lawyer-turned crackpot nirther, but they must realize how this makes the whole thing look.

    Me? I’m more concerned about the impending health care atrocity and the deficit. And Cook is still a criminal and the Left is still hypocritical for not supporting him.

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  • Another IVAW member resigns

    Regular readers know “Another Disgruntled IVAW member”, one of our regular commenters here. Well, his real name is Jeff Peskoff. Last night, he resigned from the IVAW (not surprisingly, judging by his screen name) and sent us a copy of his resignation letter;

    14 July 2009

    To: Iraq Veterans Against the War Members/Board of Directors/Executive Director

    In light of recent events (e.g., IVAW’s tacit support of the ideology of Carl Webb and the actions of Matthis Chiroux), it is with a heavy heart that I have to admit to losing faith in IVAW’s leadership therefore effective immediately I am resigning my membership from IVAW. I find it more than a little ironic that I am seeing the same failure in leadership here that I have seen in the very military that IVAW is attacking wholesale now.
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  • The numbskull defense (Video added)

    The other day we were visited by James M. Branum, Esq, attorney to the cowards and IVAW. He was here to tell us why Robin Long, the first deserter to Canada to be jailed since the Vietnam Era, only did 12 months of his 15-month sentence. Oh, and he chastised me severely for calling Kimberly Rivera Queen Fat Ass the Baby Factory. So, I’ll never do that again.

    I chased Branum back to his own website and remembered how I’d bumped into him before. I remembered because at the time, he was living in his grandparents’ basement on their farm. Lucky guy finally found a place to rent, last week apparently. Good for him.

    This week I read that he’s also Victor Agosto’s attorney from TSO’s favorite journalist Dahr Jamail – journalist to the anti-war crowd. No lie is so fantastic that it’ll keep him from reporting it as news.

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  • Lie down with dogs

    I can already see the ALL CAPS!!!!!! comments I’m going to get for this one. But here goes.

    Greyhawk has a bit up about U.S. Army Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook who has refused to deploy to Afghanistan because he thinks that Barack Obama isn’t a US citizen and therefore, can’t order him to war (or the rest of the military). According to this major; “[The entire army] becomes merely a corps of chattel slaves under the illegitimate control of a private citizen.”

    In my opinion, who is Stefan Frederick Cook? As foolish as I think it was, the American people elected Barrack Obama to be our President. It may turn out to be that he deceived us, but who is one soldier (who is actually obeying the American people, by the way, by pledging his allegiance to the Constitution) to refuse to do his duty with no real proof that his President isn’t eligible to be President? I assume that the Major joined during the Bush Administration – did he ever see President Bush’s birth certificate? Is every President now required to show his birth certificate to every major in the Army? Act your age, Cook.

    Does the Left get a pass? Nope. I went over to “Courage to Resist” – they’re the folks who are protecting and defending the likes of Kimberly Rivera, Dustin Che Stevens, Travis Bishop and Victor Agosto who are all refusing to deploy to various assignments. The motto of CTR is “Support the troops who refuse to fight”. So where’s their support for Major (soon to be Inmate) Cook? Cook is claiming Conscientious Objector status, just like the aforementioned doofuses (or is it doofi?).

    Yeah, I know, they’re all taking a principled stand. I’m sure Cook will enjoy his cellmates constantly pointing that out. Kind of like Ron Paul wondering why all of the KKKers and Nazis were at his rallies.

    But in the meantime, I don’t see CTR, IVAW or Vets For Peace carrying around “Free Cook” signs either.