The sweet sound of wingnuts' heads exploding

That's probably what you're hearing as Wingnut Nation becomes aware that a U.S. general is reading the Qu'ran.

The top U.S. general in Afghanistan reached out to influential Afghan tribesmen in regions where U.S. troops will soon deploy, apologizing for past mistakes and saying he is now studying the Quran, the Muslim holy book.

Gen. David McKiernan met with villagers in Helmand and Kandahar - two of Afghanistan's most violent provinces - in an attempt to foster good will ahead of the U.S. troop surge that will send 21,000 more forces here this summer to stem an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency.

McKiernan said he wanted to show respect to tribal elders by traveling to Kandahar on Wednesday to explain some of the mistakes U.S. forces have made in the past - such as arresting people based on information taken from one side in a tribal fight, or killing civilians during operations.

[...]

McKiernan told the Afghans that President Barack Obama's new strategy is to combat instability in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region as a whole. He said that in the future, Afghan forces will enter villagers' homes if necessary, a pledge that brought another round of applause. He then said he was studying the Muslim holy book.

"I'm reading a very good book now about this part of the world. It's written in English, but it's all about you - it's the Quran," McKiernan said to applause. Moments later an Afghan man stood up and gave McKiernan a bright purple, red and green cloth in which to wrap the translated version of [the] holy book.

Diplomacy with those nasty brown people? Who would have thought America would try that?

Well, of course, we wouldn't have under the Bush crime syndicate; we'd just bomb them out of existence. But maybe -- just maybe -- we can make progress internationally by treating other nations like, well, other nations, not like enemies (unless, of course, they are enemies).

How about that, wingnuts? A general reading the Muslim holy book ... doesn't that just jumble your circuitry right up?

Oh, and please clean up all this exploding-head matter when you're done, um, exploding. Thanks in advance.

Wingnut logic

Beginning at 12:01 pm on January 20, 2009, responsibility for every death and injury to an American soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan will rest with President Obama.

Meanwhile, the 3,000+ deaths that occurred in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were the responsibility of ... the president who left office nearly eight months earlier.

The importance of being civilly disobedient

I am now a criminal.

Not in the felony sense, but not in the speeding ticket sense either. Today I made the conscious decision to participate in the War Tax Boycott.

Because, as many of you readers know, 2007 was an extraordinary year for me income-wise, (thanks to a certain game show) I just couldn't afford to forgo all of my tax liability this year, and so I did have to write a large check to the U.S. Treasury. But, after some calculating, soul-searching, and thinking about symbolic value, I deducted 15% from the amount I owed, and I wrote the following letter* to accompany my tax return:

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April 15, 2008


Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service Center
Atlanta, GA 39901-0102


Dear Sir or Madam:

After careful consideration of the consequences and balancing them with my strong feelings against contributing fully to the illegal, unethical, and unnecessary war presently being waged by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, I hereby declare myself a War Tax Objector and am withholding 15% of my total tax liability for the 2007 tax year. The 15% amount is intended to represent a compromise or median point between the percentage of U.S. income tax revenue currently spent on the military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan (7%) and the percentage of revenue targeted to military expenses in toto (31%). I simply cannot justify making a full contribution to the deaths of thousands of U.S. and coalition soldiers and exponentially more Iraqi and Afghan citizens, nor to the destruction of the rule of law in America by the regime presently in power.

I understand that this is an illegal act under current federal law, but based on my own values and morals, I believe that the war and occupation themselves are illegal and that my decision to conscientiously object to funding these military actions is a necessary act of civil disobedience in order to express my outrage at the federal government’s continued adherence to a dangerous and destructive military strategy. There was, as we now know with certainty, absolutely no defensible reason to invade and occupy Iraq, and while the military operation in Afghanistan arguably was justified by the search for Osama bin Laden, the apparent abandonment of that mission has made our efforts there futile and has created an increasingly unstable environment for their citizens and our soldiers alike.

Of course, I know that the withholding of a mere $[amount deleted] will have little if any direct effect on U.S. policy in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, I am heartened by the hope that a similarly concerted effort by many American taxpayers, coordinated by the organizers of the 2008 War Tax Boycott (http://wartaxboycott.org), might deliver the message that the country is tired of the warmongering elitists who presently control our government and, indeed, dominate our discourse through the mainstream media. Just as importantly, though, it will allow me to live my life having reduced the stain of blood on my own hands that results from funding a war and occupation that never should have happened and that ought to end immediately.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,
[Sinfonian]

---

Maybe this is a futile gesture, and I'm just setting myself up for an audit, or worse. Or maybe this is just another step in standing up as a citizen and saying that I'm sick and tired of watching the Bush crime syndicate run roughshod over the Constitution. Either way, I'm okay with it. In fact, I feel good about it.

Taking action is empowering. Everyone ought to try it sometime.

(cross-posted in substantially the same form at Pax Americana)

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* Looking back at the letter now, I should have added a sentence about how I planned to use the withheld money in ways that will help change the current state of things, such as donations to progressive candidates and causes. But, frankly, I forgot, and I've already mailed it with my return. Oh well.

Following up: Botta reports for duty

Last weekend, I wrote about Erik Botta of Port St. Lucie, who was suing to avoid his fifth tour of duty overseas, after three stretches in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I noted at the time that he would have to report to Fort Jackson, S.C., on Sunday to avoid possible prosecution for desertion.

Well, Botta did report. And he may be deployed back to Iraq within as little as ten days.

"If there's any good news, it's that there was not a set deployment date set," [Botta's attorney] Mark Waple said.

In January, the Army granted the Port St. Lucie 26-year-old, who has been sent once to Afghanistan and three times to Iraq, an academic exemption from a fifth deployment after he began studying to become an electrical engineer. But the Army sent him new orders to report to Fort Jackson last week.

Waple called the Army's decision "arbitrary and capricious," noting that the Army has granted academic exemption in the past. "The Army's decision not to exempt him from this deployment and not to discharge him from the Army reserves is so arbitrary it has become unlawful," Waple said.

From the Bush crime syndicate's perspective, it's really very simple. Botta is still useful (read: ambulatory) and therefore remains an exploitable resource. It's only if he comes back in a box, or is unable to serve further, that the military will stop caring about him.

The disposable Americans

You know, Drunky McStagger and his minions can say all they want about how they "support the troops," but when push comes to shove, it's really nothing more than lip service.

There was more evidence of that yesterday in Miami, where the Department of Veterans Affairs held a forum to hear the comments and grievances of war veterans, many of whom suffered life-changing injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We were healthy enough going in, but when we come back broken, they don't want to hear about it," said Jason Ramsey, 28, a Plantation school bus driver who was wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. "I spent 7 1/2 years in the service, and now I feel I have to exaggerate my injury to get what I deserve."

[...]

From his wheelchair, Miami resident Felix Perez, 25, told of the paperwork nightmare he encountered after he was left a quadriplegic in a car crash just two weeks after he returned from Iraq.

"I've been waiting two years to get some vocational training," he said as his father sat at his side.

Farah Brizard, 27, of Fort Lauderdale, told of injuries she received while serving with the Marine Corps in Kuwait in 2003, and how she struggles to keep up with scheduling appointments.

There were some positive expressions. Iraq war veteran Jackie Duran of Miami said she had received multiple surgeries after her injuries, and "I got good care."

But she, too, questioned the system's confounding bureaucracy.

"We were hurt," she said. "We didn't want to be hurt. And now you're going to question me? You doubt me?"

Other veterans in the audience did not speak publicly, but also said they had a litany of problems getting the health care they needed.

Brian Smith, 25, of Miramar, said he suffered from PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, from his time in Iraq and was unhappy with the care he was getting from the VA.

"I've been having a lot of problems," he said.

More than 4,000 U.S. servicemen and women have been killed in the two wars and more than 30,000 wounded, according to the Department of Defense.

Kimberly Hazelgrove, 33, the only member of the panel who has had a family member killed in combat — her husband, Brian, was died in a helicopter crash in Iraq in 2004 — said, "The Defense Department and the VA both fall short of accomplishing the mission for returning vets and families.

"Value is a key thing," said Hazelgrove, a nine-year Army veteran. "From my own experience I know; we kind of feel forgotten and left out."

That's the bottom line for the Bush crime syndicate: it's all well and good to wave flags and dress up with codpieces and send American soldiers to be maimed and killed, but once they come home, too frequently on crutches or in a box, they are, as Ms. Hazelgrove said, "forgotten and left out."

Indeed, among the many reasons that this illegal "war" in Iraq should end, the Bushies' neglect of the returning veterans is perhaps the least acknowledged publicly. Yet, short of deaths, it has arguably the greatest long-term impact and almost certainly is the most fertile ground for hypocrisy on the part of those who support the ongoing occupation of Iraq.

Drunky refuses to attend even one soldier's funeral. He and his sycophantic, blood-thirsty posse speechify endlessly about patriotism and defending freedom and keeping the world safe from terrorism. In the end, though, once the brave men and women serving in our military come home, they all too often learn that they have outlived their usefulness ... indeed, to the Bush crime syndicate, they have become nothing more than disposable Americans.

(Cross-posted at Pax Americana)

State Senator Dave Aronberg: Bush has declared war on the subjects we studied in school

Paraphrasing:

Bush declared war on geography: we were attacked by someone in Afghanistan, so he looked at his map and attacked Iraq.

Bush declared war on math: he wants to privatize Social Security and balance the budget through tax cuts.

Bush declared war on science: he blocks our efforts to help the environment and alleviate global warming.

And, of course, Bush has declared war on the English language. Need I say more?

A challenge to Ron Klein ... from Afghanistan?

Yep, apparently the latest potential GOP candidate in Florida's 22nd Congressional District is retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Allen West. Thing is, Col. West is shipping out in a week or so for Afghanistan:

West says he'll announce his plans next week, then take off for a final five-month stint in Afghanistan, where he has been working for two years as a contractor advising the Afghan military.

If West runs, he says he's prepared to conduct crucial early fund-raising, organizing and communications from roughly 8,000 miles away in Kandahar. He's been talking with Palm Beach Gardens-based consultant Donna Brosemer about setting up a campaign Web site and e-mail account that will allow him to post blog entries, respond to e-mails and hit up contributors.

Don't laugh! It turns out Col. West is the ideal Republic candidate:

West, 46, drew national attention in 2003 after he fired a pistol near the head of an Iraqi detainee to try to scare him into divulging time-sensitive information about a planned ambush of U.S. forces. The Army relieved West of his command and fined him $5,000. He retired after 20 years of service and received an honorable discharge.

West said he received thousands of e-mails from around the U.S. after the incident, nearly all of them supportive.

As a candidate, he hopes the 2003 controversy translates into a national fund-raising base. West, who is black, also hopes his rare status as a GOP candidate of color generates national interest - and money - for his campaign.

An African-American Republican with no regard for human rights who got fired from the Army?

What could be more perfect for the Criminal Party?

A military man's view of Virginia Tech

Again, not to minimize the tragedy of what occurred last week at Virginia Tech, but lest we forget, there's such incidents happening every day, often many times over, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And Sgt. Jim Wilt, stationed near Kabul, gets it.

"I find it ironic that the flags were flown at half-staff for the young men and women who were killed at VT, yet it is never lowered for the death of a U.S. service member," Wilt wrote.

He noted that Bagram obeyed President Bush's order last week that all U.S. flags at federal locations be flown at half-staff through April 22 to honor 32 people killed at Virginia Tech by a 23-year-old student gunman who then killed himself.

"I think it is sad that we do not raise the bases' flag to half-staff when a member of our own task force dies," Wilt said.

My point exactly. It's perfectly appropriate to mourn the deaths of the victims at Virginia Tech. But the deaths of American military men and women, most of whom are college-aged just like most of the victims in Blacksburg, are just as compelling ... just as sad ... and just as unnecessary.

Sgt. 1st Class Dean Welch, who works with Wilt at the U.S.-led coalition public affairs office, said the essay is a "soldier's commentary, not the view of the coalition and not the view of the U.S. forces."

Welch added that such outspoken opinion pieces are rare.

Shorter Welch (and shorter official military line): "Nothing to see here. Please move on." And that's just compounding the tragedy.

Sick, sick bastard: Fred Phelps plans to picket funerals of Virginia Tech shooting victims

This guy is so rancid, he doesn't deserve to walk freely in society. (And, no, I won't link to his site.)

Fred Phelps, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., has announced that he and his minions will picket the funerals of those killed at Virginia Tech yesterday, evidently to claim that these people were struck down as God's retribution for society's tolerance of gay culture. Remember, these are the cretins who picket funerals of soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, for the same reasons. You know, God Hates Fags and all that shit.

I'm sorry. I would never advocate violence or hatred against anyone, but this truly goes beyond the pale (as if the protests at veterans' funerals weren't bad enough). Someone needs to intervene and make sure this guy never has another chance to spew such vile, vulgar vitriol again.

Casualties of war treated with dignity -- finally

This morning I read that it's costing the federal government $11 million this year to ensure that the bodies of those killed in the so-called war in Iraq and Afghanistan are brought back to the U.S. in a dignified manner, with charter jets and honor guards upon arrival.

That's terrific, and I'm glad to see the government doing this.

What's shocking is that it took four years to get to this point!!!

What the fuck was the government thinking, spending a relatively paltry $1.2 million a year to fly the bodies back on commercial jets and having them unloaded like regular baggage upon arrival? The idea that this was happening at all is disgraceful. It's just another example of the Bush crime syndicate trying to save a buck or two, when they're spending trillions of dollars and thousands of lives on an unnecessary war. Yep, they'd rather save $10 million than give the troops they killed (by their actions, if not with their bullets and explosives) a shred of dignity.

Sure, they get credit for coming to their senses. But don't give me any more of that shit about the "administration" supporting the troops. Until January of this year, the troops were just expendable baggage as far as the "administration" was concerned.

And in many ways, they still are.

The urge to surge is verging on a scourge

If you didn't like the original surge, maybe you'll enjoy Surge II: Electric Boogaloo.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday he would consider more troops for Afghanistan where U.S. commanders say the Taliban insurgency, controlled from Pakistan, is expected to intensify.

Gates, in Afghanistan to ensure commanders have the resources to counter an expected Taliban offensive in the spring, said it was very important the United States and its allies did not let the success achieved there slip away.

[...]

Asked how many more troops might be sent, he said: "It depends on different scenarios and those are the kinds of decisions that we're going to have to look at."

There are more than 40,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, the highest level since 2001, about 22,000 of them American.

Remember Afghanistan? The place where the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks purportedly was? I know it's hard to remember, what with the four-year-long personal vendetta of Drunky McStagger still in high gear, but think back ...

At some point, you have to question: do we actually have enough troops to handle all these surges?

Hell, we might not be done yet. There's Iran, of course, and even ...

NATO spokesman Brigadier Richard Nugee also cited a Pakistani attack on a militant camp in its South Waziristan tribal region on Tuesday as an example of efforts to coordinate with Pakistan.

Gates, who left Afghanistan later on Wednesday, said Pakistan was "an extraordinarily strong ally" in the war on terrorism but militancy on the Pakistani side of the border would have to be dealt with.

Don't you hate when you plan a surge, but you don't plan for a surge? Bummer, dude.