I read comments by Josh Stieber and his friend and I commend them for defending the soldiers (although it’s half-hearted) however that’s not what folks are thinking. Some anti-war types are using it as an excuse to condemn the troops. For example, someone sent me some screen shots of Dede Miller’s Facebook Wall. For those of you who may not know, Dede Miller is Cindy Sheehan’s sister.
It was almost funny to watch through several conversations she was having, Dede tried to garnish sympathy for herself using Casey Sheehan’s death, all the while she was tearing the troops still serving to shreds;
I have mountains of screen shots in which Miller, that paragon of moral authority hiding behind Casey Sheehan’s body, refers to the troops as “heartless killing machines”.
So this is not a dialogue about the war and it’s conduct like the peawits at Wikileak claim, it’s providing cover for the anti-war doofuses to tear our military apart. Anti-war doofuses who don’t live the real world – they live in a world insulated from reality by the very people they attack.
Oh, and, Dede, in the event that you come here and read this, because most of you meglomaniacs do come here to This Ain’t Hell eventually, it was one of your friends who sent me these screen shots. They agree with you to your face, or say nothing, and then send me proof that you’re nothing but a brainless bimbo for the anti-war crowd. Better check your six.
Josh Stieber was in B 2/16 Infantry on the day the the “Collateral Murder” video was shot, according to him in this interview
The IVAW article about the video admits that Steiber wasn’t on the scene that particular day because he was being punished for disobeying an order earlier – so that’s his starting point in the story. No where. He wasn’t there, and he was a consciencious objector. Stieber goes to say that the soldiers in video weren’t bad apples, but he hints that they’re mindless drones who are only acying and talking like they were programmed to act and talk. I guess folks in the military aren’t smart enough to think for themselves. Well, except Stieber…who was being punished for disobeying a lawful order.
Of course, it’s difficult to insult the “system” without insulting the people who are the system. Yes, the helicopter pilots were in a rush to kill some terrorists standing on a corner in proximity to US troops and their on-going operation. It’s not some immature video game jabber – it was the excitement over avoiding a US catastrophe and casualties. I guess Stieber never understood the camaraderie of the military because he was too busy avoiding his duty.
At the IVAW website, Stieber shows just how ignorant and immature he’s become;
“If these videos shock and revolt you, they show the reality of what war is like,” says Stieber. “If you don’t like what you see in them, it means we should be working harder towards alternatives to war.”
Yes, alternatives to war – like Twinkie-eating contests or unicorn races.
Background on Stieber and his “expert” opinion. It seems to me that if this was a big deal and Stieber had anything to contribute, he’d have done so before the video became public. Stieber’s IVAW profile (you can’t get there from here) Stieber and Elaine Brower. Contagious Love
The last we heard about Stop Loss rapper Marc Hall, he was headed to Iraq for his court martial. He faced charges that he that threatened to shoot his chain-of-command in his little recording of a rap ditty. So if he’s going to Iraq, obviously, his civilian lawyers won’t be there. Can anyone tell me why his National Lawyer Guild counselors would need to raise money for his defense?
Now someone tell me how the anti-war Left isn’t doing what they do for profit.
There needs to be a reality check across the board, and that can’t happen if we’re all adamantly holding to our individual beliefs and thinking we know what’s best for everyone else.
Yeah, all of you better get step because we can’t have you “adamantly holding to [y]our individual beliefs”. You should only hold on to the beliefs that are approved by the board (in their spineless way of trying to make the communists and the straights both happy – and their constantly changing votes). Do you think the national Socialists would have risen to power if all of the members had “adamantly holding to [their] individual beliefs”? Of course not.
So all of you clowns in the back row better straighten out otherwise the IVAW won’t become a socialist organization and realize it’s internationalist goals. Think that’s not what he meant?
Che, King, and everyone else that is idolized or looked up to were nothing without those who unified around them. Instead of trying to be them right out of the gate, we should focus on being those that gather around.
We don’t need you guys spoutin’ off, just be good sheep and get in the herd with the rest of us. Of course, Yoczik absconded to Canada when he received the call so is this another attempt by one of non-combat veterans of IVAW to preach to the combat veterans and chide them for their service?
By the way, this is Matthis latest avatar on Facebook. I suppose it’s to give the impression that he’s the one being burned, not the flag. More of that martyrdom complex he has;
One Iraq Veterans Against the War member of whom I’ve never heard until today is Joyce Wagner. She’s one of those actual Iraq veterans whose number is dwindling at IVAW these days. She pens an opinion on the IVAW website today – probably the first hing I’ve seen written there with which I agree;
So when Matthis took an action, whether right or wrong, without considering this community it became incredibly offensive. As Matthis continues to boast his righteousness, even having the audacity to compare himself to Martin Luther King, it becomes more offensive.
Members from the Pittsburgh chapter composed a letter to the board of directors, which several other individual members signed onto in agreement. This letter was not asking for reprimand or punishment. It was simply asking for dialog, something that has thus been refused. We also suggested that if Matthis wants to perform renegade actions without care for the others in his community (including those who were present in DC on that same day who were performing their own action TOGETHER) he should voluntarily remove himself from the board in order to accomplish his own agenda, whatever that maybe.
At least some members of IVAW see the act for what it was – a selfish plea for attention.
Wagner writes that IVAW provides an opportunity for some members to express a unique shared viewpoint, But is that really the case these days, Joyce? The support that she claimed she got from IVAW membership has been co-opted by a far Left minority who only wants people in :Iraq veteran” T-shirts to prop up in front of their rallies. Matthis’ actions on March 20th prove this. He had no illusions that he was pissing on the more conservative, more “pro-America” membership of IVAW, but because he’s been able to twist the real message of IVAW, and bend the Board to his will with his idit antics, he knew that spinless Jose Vasquez and the other non-Iraq War veterans on the board would capitulate to him.
Now your choice is whether you want to remain with the sinking ship of the IVAW or whether you want to seek the camaraderie of REAL Iraq veterans, or whether you want to wallow in theatrics of the porcine Left. The Board has left you no choice, except confronting Matthis yourself, with their decision to let Matthis continue unabated and to embrace the profane message of Elaine Brower “This is what we think of this country”. As well as, Matthis’ “This is not my country”.
From this point forward, every IVAW T-shirt will be conflated with those messages of Matthis Chiroux and Elaine Brower.
This picture is of Dahr Jamail (center of the picture in black glasses and dark hair), eminent journalist for Truthout.org. He seems to be leading some IVAW protesters in their march on the National Archives in March, 2008, doesn’t he? Well, this photo probably represents that truth better than any Jamail himself could pen.
Jamail has made it his life’s work to besmirch the reputation of the American soldier. We’ve compiled a fairly large number of posts about Jamail, a search on his name will demonstrate how he’s attached himself to James Branum, the IVAW and Under the Hood Cafe. Apparently, he took volumes of notes during the Winter Soldier hearing in March 2008, because he drags them out at every opportunity and repeats quotes from them like a trained bird. (more…)
Jason Hurd was at Winter Soldier II in Silver Spring, MD and testified that he ALMOST shot an Iraqi who wouldn’t stop when she approached his checkpoint. He ALMOST shot her, but then he didn’t – that was reason enough for him to sling snot all over the assembled hippies as he wept. TSO and I were barely able to contain our laughter.
Nice. I guess I deserve the disease because I spoke my mind and my words struck a nerve. I wonder how Jason comes down on the flag burning issue? I wish Jason a long and fruitful life and I hope ALMOST shooting an 80-year-old woman is the worst thing that ever happens to him…after he grows up.
According to my mole in IVAW, this is how the voting went among the board on the issue; Since Millard brought the complaint to the board and the complaint was against Matthis, they didn’t have a vote. Cameron White voted to censure Matthis and Wes Davies hasn’t voted yet. Bryan Reinholdt, the public school teacher, claims he may change his vote later…I guess depending on which way the wind blows…but right now, he supports flag burning. Seth Manzell, who counts Noam Chomsky as one of his influences, Adrianne Kinne and Victor Agosto are solid supporters of Matthis.
IVAW's Matthis Chiroux, Robyn Murray and MFSO's Elaine Brower burn the US flag "This is not my country!"
In the above depicted incident, IVAW board member Matthis Chiroux, while garbed in his IVAW T-shirt took it upon himself to speak for the entire organization and burn a flag at a rally organized and paid for by the Maoist ANSWER organization. The IVAW organization has had several opportunities to separate themselves from the incident.
Jose Vasquez, the Executive Director of IVAW could have asserted some authority and come out firmly against Matthis Chiroux’ actions. Instead he prattled on about his Puerto Rican ancestry as if that had something to do with issue.
So the Board had a meeting over the incident. On Facebook I found this response from the Board to one of their members who inquired about their final decision;
Thank you for your input on this subject. After much debate the board agreed, with one exception, not to censure Matthis for his actions. However, this does not mean that the board supports his actions. Rather, it is an expression of the belief that, while Board Members do represent the membership in some capacities, participation on the board should not stifle individual expression.
The matter is left to Matthis to engage with the people he has angered by his actions.
Have you ever read such a pussy response in your life? “We won’t censure Matthis, but that doesn’t mean we support his actions”. That rates right up there with “near hit” and “almost pregnant”.
So what does it mean to my readers who are still IVAW members? You burned the flag, too. He was wearing the shirt, he’s a board member, you burned the flag, too, because your board decided that, unless you confront Matthis yourself, you’re giving your tacit approval to his theater.
Many of you have defended to me your membership in the IVAW after the Jesse MacBeth fiasco by declaring that Jesse MacBeth happened before you joined. Did Matthis Chiroux happen before you joined? Did Matthis Chiroux write about how much he’s like Martin Luther King, Jr. before you joined? Was he walking around declaring that he’s an Afghanistan veteran before you joined? Did he declare that there’s no honor in your service and sacrifice to the country before you joined? Did he apologize to an Afghan parliamentarian for his occupation of her country before you joined? Did he claim to have PTSD from listening to barracks talk before you joined?
Was he elected to the Board after you joined? Did he and his ISO insurgents hijack the organization before you joined?
What exactly are you doing these days belonging to an organization led by mostly non-combat veterans (wearing the same “Iraq Veterans” emblazoned on their chests as you have) who don’t even understand you and do their level best to marginalize your concerns and silence you?
And, oh, the word is that anyone who wants to confront Matthis, he’ll be at the East Gate of Fort Hood burning another flag on Saturday afternoon after a march from Under the Hood Cafe – that innocuous little coffee shop.
