So I got the whiff of another IVAW member leaving (actually, I’ve heard from a couple of folks who are leaving or getting run off) because of the antics of Matthis Chiroux. Someone mailed me this letter of resignation;<\/p>\n
I sit down at this desk and begin to write the hardest letter I have every written. A month ago, I came across a video of the \u201cWe Are Not Your Soldiers\u201d stop at a California High School. What I saw was so shocking and devastating that it called into question my very membership in IVAW. <\/p>\n
After the Board of Directors voted not to take any action against Matthis Chiroux for burning the American Flag on March 20, 2010, I became sick of IVAW national politics that did nothing but undermine the work of local chapters. I stepped away from any involvement in the national politics, and stepped into local work, hoping that I might accomplish some real good. Alas, while the local results were encouraging, the idiotic ramblings of Mr. Chiroux found me. <\/p>\n
On the evening of May 24th, I was sent the link to a video of the \u201cWe Are Not Your Soldiers\u201d Tour stop on May7th, 2010. In the video, there was one speaker, a woman, whom I did not recognize, and Mr. Chiroux. From the context, it appeared that they were speaking to high school classes about the video Collateral Murder. While some of what Matthis said regarding the fear that war instills was right, there was a slew of half-truths and exaggerations that offset any grain of truth he was trying to communicate. First there was the terrible editing job: interspersed video of US, German and UK soldiers with extremely graphic photos of dead and wounded people from Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan and violent street riots in the US and England. Then there was a stream of generalizations, over simplifications and half-truths about war that were laughable coming from a veteran who spent a week in Afghanistan. Even as a non-deployed veteran, I can tell when someone has never actually seen war. <\/p>\n
The final portion of Mr. Chiroux\u2019s talk was the most shocking. After a short tirade about slavery to the American flag, Mr. Chiroux states that must not support the troops. I have to admit that this was quite a shock to hear, even from Matthis. Not support the troops? How does that work with being the leader of an organization that is of the troops and for the troops? He made it very clear that any soldier who deploys is committing genocide and should NOT be supported. He told the civilians in this class that they need to let soldiers know that they do not support them and that they should not honor the warrior or the war. <\/p>\n
At this point in the video, I was sick. I had been told of people like this: activists who attack all soldiers without regard for their humanity. Nevertheless, to actually see someone talk about soldiers like Mr. Chiroux did, was socking. I could not believe I was hearing. As a Conscientious Objector, I am keenly aware that not every soldier is opposed to the war. I understand that the decision to get out of the military is a very personal and very serious decision that no one can force a soldier to make. It is an absolute necessity that we support the troops while opposing the wars. While Mr. Chiroux makes no distinction between these two ideas, one can support a soldier without approving of the war he is taking part in. I have sent care packages, helped family members of deployed soldiers \u2013 I have even helped soldiers who have chosen to stay in the military! We can support and help soldiers even if we disagree with their decision to remain in the military and deploy. <\/p>\n
I am quickly running out of options with regards to IVAW. Over the last few years, members have left the national scene to focus on local work. Others have gotten more and more involved in the internal politics of IVAW. Neither option has proven very successful at either ending the wars or changing the problems within IVAW. For me, more involvement with the national scene has led to heartburn and stress, while just focusing on local work has been hindered by the national ravings of Matthis and his ilk. Thankfully, I have been given some very unique opportunities to focus more on reaching out and building relationships with soldiers, regardless of their position about war. I feel that IVAW will only hinder these efforts. <\/p>\n
I do not leave in protest. I do not expect IVAW to change to keep me as a member, nor am I demanding that. I am not leaving activism \u2013 I leave to free myself for more direct and personal involvement in reaching out to soldiers without the hindrance of IVAW.
\nSigned, <\/p>\nDaniel<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
At some point, IVAW has to start taking into account that this is not the 1960s, that the membership of this organization is more mature, more rational and more intelligent than the smelly, illiterate twits of VVAW and VFP. Time and again, members of IVAW have made it clear that they have nothing against this country or their comrades who remain in the service, but the International Socialist Organization-affiliated members of IVAW are the ones who drive the organization away from it’s members.<\/p>\n
I have nothing against opposing the war, but I do oppose the far Left moonbats who want to manipulate that opposition into a Marxist revolution, and apparently some of the members feel the same way. Some of them are honest enough to admit that they don’t want to belong to an organization that is being used by radical extremists in the RCP and World Can’t Wait.<\/p>\n
The ISO members and their useful idiots as well as the dinosaurs of the VVAW\/VFP are scrambling to mitigate the latest damage to their propaganda machine and I’ll have more on that tomorrow.t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"