In our continuing series of the prospective members of the IVAW Board of Directors, I’d like you to meet Michael “Trey” Kindlinger. For military service, Kindlinger says he spent nine years in the Navy. Then, suddenly, in 2003 (after said nine years) he discovered he’s a conscientious objector – he claims it’s because of his faith. I can accept that. <\/p>\n
Kindinger gets out of the Navy – but his wife is still on active duty. So, he can’t serve because of his faith, but he doesn’t mind living off the money that comes from his wife’s service. I don’t know, to me that seems a bit hypocritical.<\/p>\n
In the bio, he lists other organizations to which he belongs;<\/p>\n
\n9. Other organizations in which you have membership: VFP, MFSO, ISO, <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Geezers for Sitting on our Hands, that Military Families Speak Out organization which was founded by Charley Richardson and Nancy Lessen, both former members of the Revolutionary Communist Party, and the International Socialist Organization. According to Discover the Network<\/a>, this is the ISO, which we’ve mentioned often in regards to IVAW;<\/p>\n
\nEvoking the Communist tradition of Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin, the Chicago-based International Socialist Organization (ISO) aspires to “organize activists in workplaces and communities and on campuses in order to mobilize opposition to all forms of oppression and exploitation.” The chief source of this oppression and exploitation, in ISO’s view, is capitalism — whose inevitable by-products are poverty, environmental degradation, war, famine, and most other ills that plague humanity. ISO places the blame for international strife largely on the United States, and more specifically the Republican Party….<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Oh, not coincidently, the VFP and MFSO are also planning assemblies in College Park, MD the same weekend as the IVAW Convention. <\/p>\n
But back to Kindlinger, here’s his vision of the organization;<\/p>\n
\nWe are an effective organization in organizing the antiwar community; I feel that we\u2019ve been afraid to seize that mantle and should now take that burden and help reinvigorate the antiwar movement.<\/p>\n
We MUST help end the illegal and immoral occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. If necessary, we then must take up the issues of Iran, Palestine, and Pakistan. These, I believe, are all inter-connected and must be dealt with if we have any hope of effecting change we can ALL believe in.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
I went through his entire application, and that pretty much sums up the whole thing. Nothing about outreach to help veterans of the wars, nothing about helping members – it’s all about organizing and fund raising. Another member of the IVAW, candidate for the board who never saw Iraq or Afghanistan who is a member of the ISO and is more worried about the “Against the War” part more than the “Iraq Veterans” part.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"