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8.28.12

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Military Resistance 10H16

Honorable Anniversary: August 28, 2008

Iraq Veterans Against The War, Denver [www.ivaw.org/]

Soldiers In Uniform Began The Four-Mile March To The Pepsi Center In Downtown Denver To Protest The Iraq War
[From GI Special 6H20: 8.29.08]

The thing that stays with me is the sight of those troops looking worried but determined in the face of police force and possible public hostility, trying to make their statement for peace, and how, at the last moment, the whole, huge crowd of civilians had joined them, lifting up their little march and transforming it into an enormous, uplifting show of support. August 28, 2008 By Ruth Conniff, The Progressive & By Patti Thorn, Rocky Mountain News (Colorado) &Ivaw.org/ & By Paul A. Anthony, Rocky Mountain News [Excerpts] It started as a modest sized march. Two squads of 25 IVAW members each formed up outside the venue and began marching to the Pepsi center. From the Rage Against the Machine concert at the Denver Coliseum, about 150 soldiers in uniform began the four-mile march to the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver to protest the Iraq War. The squads were led by members in dress uniforms and combat uniforms, with thousands of supporters marching behind them in support. The group of mostly young people walked behind a banner that said: Support GI Resistance.

Support GI Resistance

Protesters march behind Iraq Veterans Against The War Wednesday from the Denver Coliseum to the Pepsi Center after a concert by Rage Against the Machine. Tim Hussin: The Rocky Mountain News

Though the event, co-sponsored by the anti-war group Tent State University and Iraq Veterans Against the War, was unpermitted, the parade proceeded peacefully. Behind the troops, who marched calling cadence and chanting antiwar slogans, came a larger group in civilian clothes, cheering and waving signs, and growing larger and larger as the marchers wended their way through the downtown. Wearing T-shirts and stickers with slogans such as Arrest Bush and Make Out Not War, they sang rolling chants, Marine- style. Tell Me What Were Marching For, sang one group. Stop the torture, stop the war, answered another. People lined the streets to watch, most approvingly. As the marchers wound their way through the neighborhoods west of the coliseum, they found solidarity with a group of Latinos holding up an anti-war sign and cheering them on. Si, se puede! shouted some young marchers. Yes, we can! Not everyone was as respectful. From the balcony of an apartment complex, a man yelled at the throngs of protesters to move on. Dont come back here, he said. But one protester had the last word: He suggested the man join the Army. As they drew near the heavily guarded convention center, cops in riot gear lined the street, and helicopters buzzed overhead. At an intersection, the group stopped facing squad cars with lights on and a phalanx of black-clad police. We can go on here or not, one of the marchs organizers told the troops through a megaphone. The march was unauthorized and it was unclear whether the police intended to have a confrontation. She seemed to be trying to calm everyone for a moment, pointing out that the Denver police so far have not been prone to violence. The march continued, and the civilians bringing up the rear cheered. It was quite a spectacle: the soldiers in dress uniform and fatigues, and the cops in riot gear watching them from the sidelines. The soldiers chanted: Everywhere we go People want to know Who we are Where we came from. We are the veterans Iraq War veterans Antiwar veterans

Pissed-off veterans At an intersection, the group stopped to read a letter to Barack Obama asking that he agree to three core principles: the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, full and adequate health care for all returning U.S. service members, and reparations to the Iraqi people. The letter also upbraided the Democratic Party for their initial and continued support for the war. The police presence intensified. I passed a cop videotaping the marchers and a marcher in a green copwatch vest videotaping him right back. Over the long course, from the outskirts of town into the denser downtown, the energy from the crowd seemed to build. The marchers chanting had a hypnotic effect. Its alright Its OK Remember MLK He tried to lead the way But he was shot one day early in the morning

Members of Iraq Veterans Against The War (IVAW) march in downtown Denver, leading several thousands activists towards The Pepsi Center. (Photo: Rocky Mountain News) Thus far, the march has been peaceful and well received, as residents along the route sprayed the marchers with hoses and provided water from their homes and businesses.

More and more people joined the march, until, suddenly, looking back as the group crossed a bridge and then paused right outside the Pepsi Center, you could see several thousand people in a line stretching as far as the eye could see. As the group passed into the perimeter of the convention hall, the police presence grew more threatening. Hey, those ones have masks, someone pointed out. A group of police in gas masks were pulling on thick gloves and grabbing their batons. A white van with police in black flak jackets hanging off it rolled alongside the marchers. The feeling of the whole, thousands-strong group was moving. Its beautiful, one marcher said, looking back at the crowd in the late afternoon sun. Joey Minicucci, 18, of Littleton, noted that his brother was in the military and would soon be sent to Iraq. That was one of the reasons he was going to the march. Anne Hill, of Montrose, had other reasons. Im marching because it seems to be the last vestiges of our free speech and because people have demands and our governments not listening, she said. The march came to a standstill at the perimeter of the Pepsi Center around 6:30 p.m., at which time the veterans attempted to have their statement delivered to Obama. Tension with police seemed to escalate, until several veterans stepped forward and saluted police. We are your brothers and sisters in arms, said one. We dont want to hurt you. We dont want you to hurt us. With that, the standoff melted away and soon an appropriate aide was contacted. I figured as long as we kept things peaceful, they would hear us, and they did, said Army veteran Jeffrey Wood. Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, was answering tough questions from the founder of Digg on CNN about why the Democrats in Congress have failed to pull the troops out of Iraq. The thing that stays with me is the sight of those troops looking worried but determined in the face of police force and possible public hostility, trying to make their statement for peace, and how, at the last moment, the whole, huge crowd of civilians had joined them, lifting up their little march and transforming it into an enormous, uplifting show of support.

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

Two More US Troops Killed By Afghan Soldier

August 27 2012 AP & By Graham Bowley and Richard A. Oppel Jr., The New York Times [Excerpts] An Afghan soldier killed two U.S. troops in east Afghanistan on Monday, the latest in a series of insider killings that have strained trust between the allies ahead of a 2014 pullout by foreign combat troops. There were unconfirmed reports that a dispute erupted after the convoy was hit by a roadside bomb. A U.S. Defense Department official said the Afghan soldier fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Americans, Noor Rahman, a Laghman police official, said the killings occurred at about 9 a.m. in the Alingar district. The Afghan soldier was shot and killed in a return of fire. The deaths in Laghman province brought to 12 the number of foreign soldiers killed this month, prompting soldiers to carry loaded weapons at all times on base. There have been 33 insider attacks so far this year that have led to 42 coalition deaths. That is a sharp increase from 2011, when, during the whole year, 35 coalition troops were killed in such attacks, 24 of whom were American.

MORE:

10 Afghan Soldiers Killed In Attack:

Some Army Soldiers Helped The Rebels Attack The Post
August 27 2012 Independent Online & AP Taliban insurgents overran an Afghan army post in the troubled southern province of Helmand in a pre-dawn attack on Monday, killing 10 troopers, authorities said. Four soldiers were wounded and six others were missing following the attack in the province's Washir district, senior regional police officer Colonel Mohammad Ismaiel Hotak told AFP. There was an attack on one of our posts in Washir district. Ten soldiers are dead in that attack, said Hotak, the deputy head of the regional co-ordinating body for the Afghan army and the US-led NATO force. Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Helmand provincial administration, confirmed the incident and said the attack was an insider plot in which some army soldiers helped the rebels attack the post.

The Taliban attacked a post in Washir and killed 10 soldiers. Four other soldiers were wounded and five others have gone with the Taliban with their guns, he said. It was an insider plot. If it is confirmed that the attack was facilitated by soldiers it will be the latest in a string of insider attacks on Afghan foreign troops.

Springs Family Mourns Loss Of Sailor Killed In Afghanistan:

I Think That Nobody Should Have To Deploy That Many Times

Darrel Enos (credit: CBS) August 19, 2012 CBS4 A Colorado Springs family is mourning the life of a loved one killed in action in Afghanistan. Serviceman Darrel Enos died just before he was scheduled to return home. He was fatally shot by a man he was training. Enos was a husband, father, twin brother and son to his mother Patricia Loren. Darrel was very proud to be serving his country always, always, but its such a needless loss, Loren said. Enos was killed by an Afghan he was working to train. He was in the Navy, working on a Marine battalion training Afghan police recruits. The official report states that one of those recruits turned his gun on his trainers, killing Enos. It was his fifth tour. I think that nobody should have to deploy that many times, Loren said. I just hate that hes gone. I never thought it would happen to Darrel, brother Dale Enos said.

Enos family in Colorado Springs had high hopes of seeing him return home soon. He was heading back in just one week. Instead he died doing what he loved. Darrel always loved to help people. Thats what he thought he was doing over there, Dale Enos said. Stories like Enos are happening more and more in recent days in Afghanistan. His family just wants him remembered as the hero he was, killed in action. Loren is headed to Delaware to meet his casket. Hell be honored at Marine Corps Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and then later in Colorado Springs.

Killed Des Moines Sailor Sean Carson was A Wonderful Son

Des Moines resident Sean P. Carson, killed in Afghanistan last week. August 20, 2012 LOL Dudez The mother of a sailor from Des Moines who was killed last week in Afghanistan told Portland television station KATU that her sons dream was to be in the Navy. He knew probably his entire life that he wanted to be in the military, Fran Carson told KATU. Petty Officer 1st Class Sean P. Carson enlisted in 1999 and was assigned to an explosive ordnance disposal unit.

Fran Carson said her son worried about her worrying when he was deployed, so he didnt tell her the details of what he did each day. Ive found out so many wonderful things about my son the last three days, she said. Its incredible for a mother to hear all those wonderful things. How brave he was. They said he was a warrior. Sean Carson was one of seven Americans killed when a U.S. military helicopter crashed Aug. 16 during a firefight with insurgents in a remote area of southern Afghanistan. Fran Carson said her son had a great sense of humor and always had a smile when he came home to visit while he was on leave. He was a wonderful son, Fran Carson said. He was a wonderful father to his daughter. His commanding officer said Carson left his unit with a lasting legacy. Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 1st Class Carson was humble, talented and a dedicated combat-proven sailor, said Commander Charles Andrews, commanding officer of the mobile unit. His commitment to his team and the mission was on full display every day. He has left a lasting legacy here at Mobile Unit 3. Carson loved his job and was at peace with himself when helping other people, said Andrews. He enjoyed being able to assist with the stabilization of Afghanistan while at the same time providing security for America. Carson was a true warrior and an American hero. We have lost a real shipmate, and our prayers go out to his family. Carson enlisted in the Navy in 1999 and graduated from boot camp at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. His other military assignments include Fleet Readiness Center Southwest Detachment in Point Mugu, Calif.; Patrol Squadron 4 in Kaneohe, Hawaii; Naval explosive disposal ordinance school at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; and Training and Evaluation Unit 1 in San Diego. He has been with his unit since March 2009. Carson is survived by his wife, one daughter, and his parents.

Relatives, Residents Salute Fallen El Dorado County Marine

Marine Staff Sgt. Sky R. Mote

Aug. 17, 2012 By Cathy Locke, The Sacramento Bee Russ Mote and his family, the grief comes in waves as they remember the son and brother who was killed a week ago while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan. The comfort comes as they remember Staff Sgt. Sky R. Mote's characteristic smile and his conviction that the work he and his team were doing in an Afghan village in Helmand province was making a difference. They were further comforted Thursday by the outpouring of support from El Dorado County residents and others who waved flags from Highway 50 overpasses and lined streets in El Dorado Hills as a motorcade bearing the young Marine's body passed en route from McClellan Air Park to Green Valley Mortuary. Sky Mote, 27, and two other members of the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion from Camp Pendleton Capt. Matthew P. Manoukian, 29, of Los Altos Hills and Gunnery Sgt. Ryan Jeschke, 31, of Herndon, Va. were killed Aug. 10. Initial reports were that the three were shot by an Afghan police officer after sharing a meal with the man. Russ Mote said he is waiting to hear the story from members of his son's unit. Sky always had a smile on his face. I've only seen three pictures where he wasn't smiling, Mote said, and those were official Corps photos in which the Marine was supposed to look somber. Sky Mote joined the Marines nine years ago, after graduating from Union Mine High School in his hometown of El Dorado. He had attended Silva Valley Elementary and Rolling Hills Middle schools in El Dorado Hills, where crowds waited in the late afternoon heat for the motorcade to pass. Russ Mote teaches at Rolling Hills Middle School and his wife, Marcia, at William Brooks Elementary in El Dorado Hills. Russ Mote said schools along the motorcade route postponed back-to-school events and local soccer teams canceled practices to accommodate the memorial procession. As he waited for the motorcade, fellow Marine Sean Smothers signed a professionally designed banner featuring a photo of Sky Mote and his medals against the backdrop of an American flag. Smothers said he did not know Mote but had worked across the street from where Mote worked at Camp Pendleton. When it's a Marine, it's a Marine, Smothers said. We've got to take care of our own. Luke Peterson and Liam Oliver, both 9 years old, held either end of a large American flag. Luke's mother, Alycia Peterson, said Marcia Mote had been her daughter's teacher. They're just lovely people, she said. His son would have been gratified by the outpouring of community support, Russ Mote said.

Sky Mote was born in Bishop and loved the outdoors. He returned to the area every year to camp, hike and ride horses. His Facebook page includes photos of him hiking and rock climbing. As a youth, he was involved in high school sports and was active in the 4-H Club. Russ Mote said his son was enthusiastic about the Marines and always enjoyed working as part of small teams. Sky Mote trained to be a flight navigator, but became a bulk fuel specialist when the Marines phased out airplanes requiring navigators, his father said, and later an explosive ordnance disposal technician. He joined the Marine Corps Special Operations Command in 2009 and had been in Afghanistan since May. He previously served in Iraq, and at one time he and his older brother, Tim, currently a sergeant in the Army, were deployed at the same time. Tim accompanied his brother's body on the flight from Dover Air Force Base to McClellan. Sky Mote was devoted to his family, particularly his four brothers. His brothers were his priority, Russ Mote said.

Evans City Soldier Killed By IED In Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Eric Holman was killed in Afghanistan. He was 39. August 18, 2012 By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Eric Holman was motivated, meticulous and strong-willed.

Those qualities had served him well during his nine-year Army career, according to his stepmother, Jan Holman. Staff Sgt. Holman, a 1990 Avonworth graduate, was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan's Ghazni province by an improvised explosive device, according to the Department of Defense. He was 39. A large contingent of family members, including his mother, Carol, of Franklin Park, and his father David and stepmother, of Forward Township, Butler County, were at Dover Air Force Base, in Delaware, when his body was brought back to the United States this morning. He had planned to make the Army a career, Jan Holman said. He liked everything about it. After graduating from Penn State in 1995 with a degree in criminal justice, Sgt. Holman held a variety of jobs. He drove cross-country for his father's trucking company, operated a limousine service and did construction work. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he joined the Army as an enlisted man at age 29. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division and became a member of the Army's Golden Knights parachute team. They were like a family for him, his stepmother said. About three years ago he began training as an explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD, specialist. Assigned to the 192nd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, 20th Support Command, he had been stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. He had looked forward to his deployment in Afghanistan, which began in January, Jan Holman said. He was scheduled to come home in September. He had been on patrol with a U.S. Special Forces team in the Afghan mountains when he was killed. Sgt. Holman had kept in weekly email and phone contact with his father. He was my husband's buddy, his stepmother said. They were very close. In addition to his parents, Sgt. Holman is survived by a seven-year-old son, Misha; a brother, Kevin, of Edinboro; and a sister, Lisa Long, of Evans City. He and his wife Terri had been separated. Funeral arrangements are to be announced next week.

Family, City Mourns Loss Of Soldier

August 18, 2012 By Jennifer Huberdeau, North Adams Transcriptthetranscript.com NORTH ADAMS -- When U.S. Army Pfc. Michael DeMarsico was deployed to Afghanistan in February, his mother, Lisa, placed his blue star service banner and a light

in one of the family's Bracewell Avenue windows, vowing to keep it there until he returned home from his deployment. It's a pledge family members say the grieving mother intends to keep even after learning of her son's death early Friday morning. Michael was tragically killed doing what he loved, Laurie Douglas said Friday while clutching a picture of her nephew during an interview at City Hall. He was a hero that was deployed to Afghanistan and who has now been deployed to heaven. He's just standing at a different gate. DeMarsico, 20, was due to complete his first tour of duty in December, the same month when he would celebrate his 21st birthday, According to Mayor Richard J. Alcombright, a city police officer accompanied military personnel to the home of his parents, Lisa and Michael DeMarsico, at 1 a.m. on Friday. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, DeMarsico was killed on Aug. 16 in Panjwa'l, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he encountered an enemy improvised device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. It's a tragic day in the city. We've certainly had our share of untimely deaths in the last few weeks, but this hits the community very, very hard, Alcombright said Friday afternoon. We're all heartbroken for the DeMarsico family. Michael truly died a hero while serving his country in Afghanistan. In this community, where we are so close, with about 13,000 people or so, everybody knows everybody. He will be missed. It's a devastating day and the next couple weeks will be hard as well. The mayor ordered flags on city property to be flown at half-staff Friday and said they will remain there until ceremonies are completed. Douglas said that in his last correspondence with his father, DeMarsico said he had recently accepted a position at the front of his unit to protect them from any bombs. Michael always put other people before himself. He'd do anything for anyone. That's why he was there, she said. A 2010 graduate of Drury High School, DeMarsico, was serving with the 11th Bravo Infantry Division of the U.S. Army at the time of his death. He enlisted in the Army after graduation, fulfilling a life-long dream, according to family and friends. Ever since Michael was a little boy, he wanted to be in the Army, Douglas said. He was always playing with little toy soldiers and trucks. He wanted to be in the infantry. Kristina Babcock, another aunt, and his uncle, Glen DeMarsico, also spoke of his dream of serving in the military. He has several family members -- uncles -- who are in the Army or the military, Babcock said.

Drury High School Principal Amy Meehan described DeMarsico as a very talented young man who excelled in the areas of technology and engineering and was passionate about joining the Army. I remember, as far back as his sophomore and junior years, that Michael had a vision and steadfast goal of serving his country, she said. I remember being in meetings with his parents, who were always very supportive of his goal. Our thoughts are with his family. His youngest sister, Leigha, a student at Brayton Elementary School, marched with Alcombright in the city's Memorial Day parade. Leigha was so passionate about her brother being overseas that she really took an interest in local veterans, the mayor said. She was planting flags on veterans graves on Memorial Day. After learning about this, my immediate thought was of Leigha. Babcock said the youngest of the DeMarsico's five children was doing as well as could be expected. She has her two older sisters and her older brother who are there for her, she said. Douglas added, She's a strong little girl. She's trying to be tough for her family. DeMarsico is the first city native to be killed in combat since the death of Peter W. Foote, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War. He is the second Berkshire Country resident to die in Afghanistan. Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel J. Petithory Jr., 32, was killed by friendly fire on Dec. 5, 2001, while serving in Afghanistan.

POLITICIANS REFUSE TO HALT THE BLOODSHED THE TROOPS HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THE WAR

Three Italian Soldiers Wounded In Afghanistan

27 August ANSA Rome, August 27 - One Italian soldier has been wounded and two other suffered minor injuries after an attack Monday morning on their base camp in the area of Bala Boluk in Afghanistan.

Authorities say the injuries were caused by flying rocks and soil when a rocket fell inside the base, but didn't explode.

Afghan Insurgents Attack Pakistani Government Troops

August 27, 2012 By Anwarullah Khan, Associated Press [Excerpts] KHAR, Pakistan Dozens of militants from Afghanistan attacked an anti-Taliban militia post in northwest Pakistan for the third day Sunday, sparking fighting that killed one soldier and 20 militants, a Pakistani official said. In addition to the dead, four soldiers and four militiamen were wounded in the attack in the Bajur tribal area, said Jahangir Azam Wazir, a local government administrator. Four soldiers, six militiamen, and 38 militants died during the cross-border attacks in the Salarzai area of Bajur on Friday and Saturday, Wazir said.

More Resistance Action

August 27 2012 Associated Press On Monday, a truck bomb in Kandahar, the souths largest city, killed two civilians and wounded the provincial police chief. Kandahar provincial spokesman Jawed Faisal said the police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, was slightly injured but did not provide further details. He said the bomb appeared to have targeted Raziq, one of the most powerful men in Kandahar.

IF YOU DONT LIKE THE RESISTANCE END THE OCCUPATION

SOMALIA WAR REPORTS

Insurgents Attack U.S.-Backed Local Government Troops

August 26, 2012 Sh.M.Network Unknown Armed groups have attacked on Somali police forces in Mogadishu, killing one police and injuring many others, Witnesses said. The police have responded that attack and managed to hit back the attackers from their position in Km4 area in central Mogadishu, the latest in series of attacks on Somali and AU forces [U.S. government-backed local and foreign occupation troops] in the capital, according to officials. At least five men armed with AK-47 assault rifles have attacked the police as they were on patrol on Sunday morning at Km4, killing a soldier and taken of the gun from the dead soldier, said a witness. The assailants escaped from the area before security forces have moved in and began investigations on the incident. No one was arrested so far.

U.S.-Backed Local Government Troops Kill Hungry Civilian Women And Steal Their Food
August 27, 2012 Sh.M.Network Mogadishu At least three women were killed when Somali government troops opened fire sunday afternoon on hungry civilians at a distribution site in the capital of the famine-stricken country, witnesses said. It was carnage. They ruthlessly soldiers opened fire on the people as they were lining for the food distribution site in Hodon district in mogadishu, and three women, including elderly, were killed on the spot. Then soldiers took the food and people fled from the camp, a witness said. After the violence a mob of people have rushed to the scene to find out what happened and reported that they could see blood strained nearby walls and dead bodies lying on the ground following the incident. Even dead bodies of two relative women were left on the ground and other wounded bled to death later in the hospital, a mother cried. Somali goverment has yet to release any comment on the deadly horrific incident.

FORWARD OBSERVATIONS

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh had I the ability, and could reach the nations ear, I would, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose. Frederick Douglass, 1852

Nothing has more revolutionary effect, and nothing undermines more the foundations of all state power, than the continuation of that wretched and brainless rgime, which has the strength merely to cling to its positions but no longer the slightest power to rule or to steer the state ship on a definite course. -- Karl Kautsky; The Consequences of the Japanese Victory and Social Democracy

Fakery:
Guarding Obamas Left Flank:
We At Black Agenda Report Call Obama The More Effective Evil
The Bill Of Rights-Destroying, Wall Street-Protecting, Africa-Bombing, Regime-Changing Corporate Democrat
The great fallacy, here, is that Democratic presidents in general, and Obama in particular, somehow create space for progressive activism. Movements create space for themselves, by acting. Only charlatans preach that progressive movements must install preferred personalities from the menus of the ruling circles before they can find space to move. 08/22/2012 By Glen Ford, Executive Editor, Black Agenda Report Bill Fletcher and Carl Davidson are two Left opportunists with a problem. Unlike four years ago, when Fletcher co-founded Progressives for Obama, their guy now has a record and it is indefensible. Solution: nullify the issues right up front in the title to their reworked rationale for backing the Bill of Rights-destroying, Wall Street-protecting, Africa-bombing, regime-changing corporate Democrat. Their August 9 article, The 2012 Elections Have Little To Do With Obama's Record Which Is Why We Are Voting For Him frames the campaign as a contest between revenge-seeking white supremacists and wellthose of us who are not revengeseeking white supremacists. The facts of the Obama presidency his actual behavior on war, austerity, and civil liberties are deemed irrelevant, and the president himself becomes a mere stage prop in the battle against Caligula, the Republicans. Fletcher and Davidson want Blacks and progressives to respond with hysteria to GOP irrationalism, to keep the traditional Democratic base in the Obama camp through raw fear. They claim the current campaign will be unlike anything that any of us can remember.

In truth, the abject Black failure to make a single demand of Obama, and the vapid excuses and rationalizations for the Lefts political collapse in his presence, then and now, makes 2012 very much resemble 2008. Back then, Fletcher & Co. wrote: Barack Obama's very biography reflects the positive potential of the globalization process that also contains such grave threats to our democracy when shaped only by the narrow interests of private corporations in an unregulated global marketplace. We should instead be globalizing the values of equality, a living wage and environmental sustainability in the new world order, not hoping our deepest concerns will be protected by trickle-down economics or charitable billionaires. By its very existence, the Obama campaign will stimulate a vision of globalization from below. Four years later, we are admonished to forget the facts as they actually transpired and as we at BAR predicted and pretend the current campaign is a crusade against the Tea Party, with Obama as the incidental beneficiary. Right-wing populism is the bogey man, in opposition to which we must re-embrace Obama. The GOP isnt just racist, it is irrational, crying for a return to the past. They write: Obama represents an irrational symbol for the political right, and a potent symbol that goes way beyond what Obama actually stands for and practices. The right, while taking aim at Obama, also seeks, quite methodically and rationally, to use him to turn back the clock. Of course, the meaning of the term reactionary is to turn back the clock, a promise Republicans have been making for 50 years. And racism is fundamentally irrational, causing white supremacists to see that which is not there, be blinded to facts that are right in front of their noses, and to invent whole narratives of history. But, this time is different, Fletcher and Davison insist, because the Right is so intensely focused on the symbolism of Obama, the Black man and so irrational about it that they make up ridiculous things about him, like his non-citizenhood. Therefore, our response, as progressives, must be to forge a common front based on resisting white revanchism on political misogynism, on anti-freeloader themes aimed at youth, people of color and immigrants, and a partial defense of the so-called 1%. The fact that Obama is demonstrably not a part of that common front must not dissuade us from joining his campaign. If the Right has made Obama its symbolic focus, we must, in response, make him the focus of our common front. If the Right hates Obama with an irrational passion, we must hug him to our breasts.

Just in case the logic of such reasoning escapes you, Fletcher and Davidson remind us that the Republicans are not merely irrational they are crazy like Caligula. November 2012 becomes not a statement about the Obama presidency, but a defensive move by progressive forces to hold back the Caligulas on the political right. It is about creating space and using mass campaigning to build new grassroots organization of our own. It is not about endorsing the Obama presidency or defending the official Democratic platform. But it is about resisting white revanchism and political misogynism by defeating Republicans and pressing Democrats with a grassroots insurgency, while advancing a platform of our own, one based on the Peoples Budget and antiwar measures of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. In short, we need to do a little triangulating of our own. So, its not about endorsing the Obama presidency but about voting for Obama while claiming that the facts of what he did as president dont matter. It is about the nonsense of creating space so that the Left can do what it ought to do anyway, but which it didnt do in the two years leading up to the 2008 election, or in the first two and a half years of the Obama presidency, until the Occupy Wall Street activists came out of left field in disgust with both parties subservience to finance capital. The anti-war movement seems largely to oppose only Republican wars. The great fallacy, here, is that Democratic presidents in general, and Obama in particular, somehow create space for progressive activism. Movements create space for themselves, by acting. Only charlatans preach that progressive movements must install preferred personalities from the menus of the ruling circles before they can find space to move. The great tragedy of the Obama era, is that his presence has had the effect of shutting down progressive and, most dramatically, Black opposition to the prevailing order. This does not happen by the magic of charisma. Political operatives identified with the Left work diligently to maintain such silence people like Fletcher and Davidson, who are once again guarding the left flank for Obama, whose great legacy has been to create vast political space for Wall Street and the Pentagon, with a minimum of resistance from white progressives, Blacks and the rest of the Democratic base. Thats why we at BAR call Obama the more effective evil.

DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE IN THE MILITARY?

Forward Military Resistance along, or send us the email address if you wish and well send it regularly with your best wishes. Whether in Afghanistan or at a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the war, inside the armed services and at home. Send email requests to address up top or write to: Military Resistance, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657.

Hearts & Minds:

Actual Strategy In Afghanistan War Replaced With Great PR

July 24, 2012 by ArmyJ Kandahar, Afghanistan - As the exit strategy for Americas ten-plus year war in Afghanistan begins to gain traction, commanders on the ground are surging ahead and ensuring Afghan security forces take the lead on all aspects of operations. Lieutenant Colonel Mike Wolfton, a battalion commander in southern Kandahar, believes that his groundbreaking methods are the secret to success in the wartorn nation. Its really simple, says LTC Wolfton. For example, when we issue out two truckloads of supplies to the ten Afghan soldiers we have here at the base, we just have the Afghans grab the boxes first and hand them to the Americans, who load their truck for them. Then we send up a storyboard with a picture and a caption that reads: Afghans issue supplies to US troops. Many of the photos of Afghan forces leading the way end up making their way onto Facebook and other social media sites. Its actually quite easy. We do that for everything around here. Ammunition, fuel, clothing. Whatever they need. We even had a US soldier get hit by a mortar, and after our Medics had bandaged him up, a couple Afghan contractors came over and squatted next to him for pictures. We put that one up on the ISAF page with Afghan partners evacuate wounded Americans! for a caption. Wolfton says that the Afghans really love his aggressive public relations strategy. It really makes them feel like theyre taking ownership of the fight, says Wolfton with a smile. Every two days their squad comes back for a few more weeks of supplies, and we get great pictures to send to higher. Its really a win-win. The commander grins as he thumbs through an impressive pile of over 200 storyboards on his desk. Regional Command South has really focused on our area as well. The status bubble on our units PowerPoint slide has been green every night for the last 4 months during the Generals update brief, and people have really taken notice. The General likes seeing green on his slides. Just this morning I was talking to an old Academy friend of mine whos a commander in RC East. He was tired of getting his ass chewed for not having a green bubble, and was real excited to learn how we do business down here. Wolfton also has other examples of successful strategies hes implemented. The guidance we had when we first got in theater was that we wouldnt patrol without ANSF partners, but even that didnt seem to get the job done. Villagers were still complaining that they didnt like to see Americans with the Afghan troops. Now we just follow them in our Strykers, weapons unloaded of course.

Captain Derek Freedman, a company commander in the battalion, says LTC Wolfton knows how to get the job done. We had a negligent discharge about a month ago, and even though it didnt hit anyone, a little girl playing nearby was scared, and the Colonel said we definitely couldnt have that. Since he instituted the unloaded weapons status outside the wire weve heard nothing but good things from the locals. To avoid any confusion the platoons now have to call up to the TOC and get permission before they load their weapons. LTC Wolfton says his new weapons procedures are working out great along with his further guidance to troops in the field. Weve also gotten rid of the controversial compound searches. Before, wed have to let the ANSF search buildings, but we would always send in US troops to watch them. This obviously sent the wrong message, so now they go it alone. I really think weve come a long way. Last week my PSD [Personal Security Detail] took fire from a grape hut about 100 meters east of the road. I told my men to get down in their vehicles and try to avoid looking threatening, since their seemed to be lots of villagers on the hilltops with radios and binoculars. The ANA bravely went right up to the building and cleared it. Their commander came back and personally assured me that there was no one in the grape hut. And he would know! The commander actually lives in that village. Wolfton says his trust in his Afghan partners is unbreakable. Next week were planning a big battalion operation. Were even going to have an ANA led rehearsal. The S-3 shop has already written their scripts for them, and were translating the operational CONOP into Dari and Pashtu, along with our timelines. Two days before the operation were going to airdrop them over our entire AO, to ensure that civilians have the maximum amount of time to get ready for our mission. We dont want them to feel surprised or threatened in any way. Unfortunately, the interview ended abruptly when the Afghan Kandak commander came into the office to take a picture sitting at the Colonels desk signing American award forms.

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ANNIVERSARIES

August 29, 1970: In Memoriam:

The Los Angeles Police Murder Ruben Salazar As Thousands Of Chicanos Demonstrate Against The War On Vietnam

Carl Bunin Peace History Aug 27-Sept 2 Between 15 and 30 thousand predominantly Chicanos (Americans of Mexican descent) gathered in East LAs Laguna Park as the culmination of the Chicano National Moratorium. It was organized to protest the disproportionate number of deaths of Chicano soldiers in Vietnam (more than double their numbers in the population). There had been more than 20 other such demonstrations across the southwest. Three died when the anti-war march turned violent. The Los Angeles Police Department attacked and one gunshot, fired into Silver Dollar Bar, killed Ruben Salazar, a Los Angeles Times columnist and a commentator on KMEX-TV (he had been accused by the LAPD of inciting the Chicano community).

DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

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CLASS WAR REPORTS

Italian Miners Barricade Themselves Underground With Explosives:

We Are Worried That The Mine May Close. We Are Afraid For Our Jobs
Aug 27, 2012 Reuters ROME Aug 27 (Reuters) - Up to 100 Sardinian miners armed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives have barricaded themselves nearly 400 metres underground in Italy's only coal mine to put pressure on the Rome government to protect its survival. The miners from a 460-strong workforce seized 350 kilos of company explosives and locked themselves inside the Carbosulcis mine west of Cagliari overnight on Monday, one of them said, ahead of a government meeting this week to discuss the pit's future. We are worried that the mine may close. We are afraid for our jobs, said Sandro Mereu, 54, a miner who has worked there for 28 years. We are prepared to stay here until we hear a response from the government that secures the future of the mine. We will stay here indefinitely, Mereu told Reuters by telephone. The miners want the mine to be diversified into a combined mining and carbon capture site to protect its future. Carbon capture is the storing of polluting emissions underground to mitigate global warming. Carbosulcis was estimated to have 600 million metric tonnes of coal reserves in 2006 but has struggled to stay productive. It was previously occupied in 1984, 1993 and 1995, when protesting workers stayed in a tunnel for 100 days.

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