Westerly Photojournal Files: August 2008

Thursday, August 21, 2008

BLACKWATER Mercenaries, Above the Law?

Watch more clips on . . . . . . . . . . B l a c k w a t e r

WAR What Is It Good For ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

Monday, August 18, 2008

Watch War, Inc.

Military Blogger from Hawaii Muzzled

Filed under: HI Media — Doug @ 12:31 pm
A long time ago, when former-Representative Tamayo was blogging from Iraq, I wrote a post where I wondered what other milbloggers from Hawaii were out there blogging from Iraq or Afghanistan. Well, today the Star-Bulletin In the Military column mentions a blog by a Schofield-based soldier in Iraq that apparently the Army would rather we not read. They forced him to take it down, in fact.

Luckily, there is an archived version of the blog, to include the offending post that got the author, a Lieutenant (now Captain) Matthew Gallagher in hot water with the higher brass.

Hi blog, "Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal," chronicles his time with Gravediggers - his platoon. Matthew's fiancee now maintains it.

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Disabled Soldier Returning to War, Facing "Stop Loss"

Winter Soldiers Hearings

Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan featured testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.
This four-day event brought together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists gave context to the testimony. These panels covered everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.
Iraq Veterans Against the War
wintersoldiers.com
The War Comes Home
Democracy Now!

Pentagon Extends Tour of Marines in Afghanistan

Friday 04 July 2008
by: Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press

Washington - The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing combat operations in the volatile south, will stay an extra 30 days and come home in early November rather than October, Marine Col. David Lapan confirmed Thursday. . .
There are 32,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, including 14,000 serving with the NATO-led coalition and another 18,000 conducting training and counterinsurgency.

Afghanistan - Heard about the Pipeline? Surprise! Afghan is also about OIL

TBI is the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

The potential application to chronic human TBI is important because there is currently no treatment. Chronic TBI affects over 5 million Americans. Costs of treating TBI exceed $60 billion/year in the U.S. alone. The personal toll is far greater. Traumatic brain injury has also been described as the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As many as 400,000 U.S. servicemen have been exposed to blast injuries and could have varying degrees of TBI. Application of HBOT to these veterans could have a significant impact on their return to work, quality of life, and national security.

For information on the Brain Injury Rescue and Rehabilitation Project, please click here for info

Depleted Uranium, DU

When a DU shell hits a hard target such as a tank or building, it burns and produces a tiny ceramic dust that can be inhaled. These particles can remain in the environment for many years, travel for miles on air currents, re-suspend into the air when disturbed, and migrate into soil and groundwater. DU particles that are ingested or inhaled can lodge in the lungs, bones, kidneys, and reproductive organs and cause damage through radiation and toxic properties. Studies have linked DU exposure with damage to the kidneys; immune, nervous, respiratory, and reproductive systems; cancer; and genetic mutations.
Research over the past decade has produced increasing evidence that DU can harm humans.

Around $23 Billion Lost in Iraq Due to Contractor Fraud & Mismanagement

June 11, 2008 by Damozel
. . .
Let's look at the Constitutional definition of treason for a moment:

"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."

You tell me if robbing the US treasury and abusing the power of the federal government to cover up such crimes from the public is not an act of war against the United States of America? . . .
'massive abuse of power.'

Lieutenant Ehren Watada

Lieutenant Ehren Watada, the highest-ranking member of the military to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq. Because of his brave stance, more and more soldiers are following in his footsteps. Many soldiers feel Lt. Watada is taking the only honorable and patriotic action available in the face of what they feel is an unjust and illegal war. Some soldiers say, “I don’t have the financial freedom to protest the war, Lt. Watada is speaking for me.” Prentice Reid was in the Army Infantry for one tour in Iraq. He believes the war was a “sham from the beginning. There were no WMDs. No connection to bin Laden. He has insomnia and nightmares. “I feel guilt all the time about what I contributed.” He wrote to Lt. Watada saying he wished all soldiers would have the courage to stand up for truth when the time comes. “You risked not only your reputation, but also potentially your freedom, for truth, and for this we all salute you, sir.”

Truth-in-Recruiting/Counter Recruitment

Veteran's stories of conflict are a powerful tool that can be used to prevent others from entering into the military without a full understanding of their actions. Sharing our stories is not only eye opening for those who are listening, but healing for ourselves. If you are a veteran and would like to speak to youth about your experience in the military there are many organizations working to provide additional information to what military recruiters have to say about the realities of military service.
Many IVAW members have leant their time to Truth in Recruiting efforts. Here’s what we have to say…

“Bringing the harsh realities of war and military service into classrooms and into our communities is not an option; it’s an obligation we Iraq Veterans Against the War are charged with and must be committed to; it's what I'm committed to.”

Joshua Dawson,
Iraq Veteran,
Honolulu, Hawaii

When I do counter recruitment I make sure to inform people that the military is not a job training program. It's not a tuition assistance program. It's job is to fight and win wars. And if someone doesn't want to be in a war, they should reconsider joining the military.

Fernando Braga
Bronx, NY

For a complete list of Truth-in-Recruiting/Counter Recruitment organizations and resources, click here

US Embassy in Iraq

Published on Saturday, April 15, 2006 by the Associated Press
Massive New Embassy in Iraq Flaunts US Power, Critics Say
by Charles J. Hanley

The fortress-like compound rising beside the Tigris River here will be the largest of its kind in the world, the size of Vatican City, with the population of a small town, its own defense force, self-contained power and water, and a precarious perch at the heart of Iraq's turbulent future.

. . . .The embassy complex — 21 buildings on 104 acres, according to a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report . . .

"The presence of a massive U.S. embassy — by far the largest in the world — co-located in the Green Zone with the Iraqi government is seen by Iraqis as an indication of who actually exercises power in their country," the International Crisis Group, a European-based research group, said in one of its periodic reports on Iraq.

U.S. Asking Iraq for Wide Rights on War

Status of Forces Agreement will Decide Whether Iraq is Independent or "a Client State of the US"
By Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now!
June 16, 2008

Veteran reporter Patrick Cockburn broke the story of Bush's secret Iraq plan. He explains its terrible implications for Iraqi sovereignty.

Juan Gonzales: Following outcry by Iraqi lawmakers, the Bush administration is now offering limited concessions in its demands for a long-term "status of forces" agreement between Iraq and the United States.

The deal sought by the Bush administration, details of which were leaked to the press, were seen as a way of extending the U.S. occupation of Iraq indefinitely. The demands included maintaining 58 permanent military bases in Iraq, immunity for American troops and contractors, a free hand to conduct military operations without Iraqi approval, and control of Iraqi airspace. According to the London Independent, the U.S. is now lowering the number of bases it wants from 58 to "the low dozens" and says it is willing to compromise on legal immunity for foreign contractors.

The negotiations are being held before the UN mandate authorizing the U.S. occupation expires at the end of the year. The Independent of London (recently) reported the U.S. is leveraging tens of billions of dollars in seized Iraqi assets to push through its demands.
the rest

SOUNDTRACK TO WAR (2005) - Using 'music' to psyche up Troops

SOUNDTRACK TO WAR (2005)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Soundtrack to War is a 90 minute documentary by Australian war artist George Gittoes. Filmed throughout 2003-2004, Gittoes bypassed the U.S. military's media lockdown on the war in Iraq to capture an authentic account of the human experience of the war. Gittoes interviewed American soldiers deployed in Iraq to create an account of the role of music in the contemporary battlefield. The film is the first in a trilogy.
Songs featured in the movie include Slayer's "Angel of Death" and Drowning Pool's "Bodies", as well as freestyle rap and gospel choirs. Seventeen of the early-filmed scenes from the documentary were used in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

Interview with George Gittoes

Thursday, August 21, 2008

BLACKWATER Mercenaries, Above the Law?

WAR What Is It Good For ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

Monday, August 18, 2008

Watch War, Inc.

Military Blogger from Hawaii Muzzled

Blog Archive

Echoes of Vietnam: VA Stalls, Dissembles While Vets Suffer and Die

Disabled Soldier Returning to War, Facing "Stop Loss"

My Other Blogs

The Enlistment Agreement

Winter Soldiers Hearings

Female US Casualties More Common in Iraq War

Pentagon Extends Tour of Marines in Afghanistan

Afghanistan - Heard about the Pipeline? Surprise! Afghan is also about OIL

From the HBO film “Alive Day Memories"

Official signal of distress

Judge rules court won't step in to aid vets

CBS's Chief Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan Slams US Iraq War Coverage

How Specialist Town Lost His Benefits

Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia applied for Conscientious Objector status

Soldiers and Veterans Issues, 2008

Final Salute

Military prodded on brain injuries

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for TBI

TBI is the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Depleted Uranium, DU

Embedded Reporter, Former Marine

Around $23 Billion Lost in Iraq Due to Contractor Fraud & Mismanagement

Iraq war costs may reach $2.7 trillion

Weapons of Mass Destruction

"Ferocious Honesty," Experiences of Soldiers

Lieutenant Ehren Watada

Truth-in-Recruiting/Counter Recruitment

US Embassy in Iraq

Iraq Today

U.S. Asking Iraq for Wide Rights on War

Resources

Just How Much Is the Iraq War Costing Us Each Minute?

John Cusack: Outsourced Warfare Represents a "Radical, Dangerous, Disgusting Ideology"

SOUNDTRACK TO WAR (2005) - Using 'music' to psyche up Troops