Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Mr President, I'll fly my flag at half staff on July 4

I was struck by the demeanor of the 700 soldiers in dress uniform attending the President's speech last night at Ft Bragg. They were polite. The singular time there was applause came at the prompting of a White House Advance team person.

The soldiers were the dignity and nobility in that room last night. Their Commander in Chief, our President seems to have a way with exploiting the dignity of our military and our loved ones deployed who are doing the grist of the 'hard work' . The litany of disrespect shown to our troops by this President and this administration is a wearisome and growing list.

There will be much said about the President's speech and I took my own notes. I will do as the President asked and fly my flag on July 4th. I will fly it at half staff in respect for the fallen soldiers, for the fallen ideals of what the United States of America has come to represent, and as an effort to represent with dignity the soldiers who fight under the auspices of our flag and do so in honor, integrity and good faith. They are doing their job and their Commander, the President, needs to do them justice by doing his job.

I will fly my flag for them, Mr President, in respect for them. I will fly it at half staff. Would that you would so order, in the deepest respect, that Americans fly their flags on the Fourth of July at half staff to honor the troops who are doing the job with their very lives.

I have checked the protocols regarding the flag and checked with my Governor's office and there is no penalty or wrongdoing if I choose to fly my flag at half staff and when I indicated my reasons for wanting to do so I was given a welcome to do so....
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Try this again; read previous 2 entries for context; then read again President Bush speech.

It's too heartbreaking to put the text of Bush speech in this blog, when we as military families of troops know such a different truth. Read the text at the link, but first see the two entries below for 'context'.



Text of President Bush's Speech - from TBO.com
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Up to 20 American Troops on US chopper down in Afghanistan-

Tue Jun 28, 4:04 PM ET



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A big U.S. military Chinook helicopter that crashed in

Afghanistan on Tuesday was carrying between 15 and 20 American troops, according to preliminary reports, a U.S. defense official said.



There was no immediate indication of the fate of the passengers or the cause of the crash, according to the U.S. military. But an Afghan official said that a rocket was fired at the helicopter.



"A rocket was fired at an American helicopter in the district," said the official in Kunar province, who requested anonymity.



In Washington, the U.S. defense official, who asked not to be identified, cautioned at the

Pentagon that early reports were sketchy from the rugged area near the border with Pakistan where the twin-rotor CH-47 went down.



"Reports indicate between 15 and 20 were aboard," said the official.



Another Pentagon official, who also asked not to be named, said: "I wouldn't rule out anything."



The crash occurred west of the city of Asadabad in Kunar province, which borders Pakistan, and the CH-47 was transporting troops into an area in support of U.S. forces, the U.S. military said in a statement.



Up to 20 on US chopper down in Afghanistan-official - Yahoo! News



A spokesman for the ousted Taliban regime claimed responsibility for the crash in the eastern province of Kunar, which has been a traditional stronghold of Taliban and other Islamic militants.



"We shot down a helicopter in Kunar," Taliban spokesman Mullah Abdul Latif Hakimi told AFP by satellite phone from an undisclosed location.



The US said the "cause of the crash and the state of the survivors," remained unclear, but added there was an ongoing operation in the province with US fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters currently providing close air support to the forces on the ground.

link

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103,000 Iraq Afghan Veterans will need VA care; War injured toll soars, hits veterans health costs

Think on it, 103,000 new veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will require care and services of VA. Think on that number and weigh it against the 13,190 wounded reported as of today. Think of that number and weigh it against President Bush speech tonight. That number would be the troops we already have in combat; and President makes a plea for more to enlist.



Reuters; June 28, 2005



As the numbers of U.S. war injured in

Iraq and Afghanistan soared, the Bush administration admitted to lawmakers on Tuesday it had underestimated funds to cover health care costs for veterans and Congress would have to plug a $2.6 billion hole.



"The bottom line is there is a surge in demand in VA (health) services across the board," said Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson.



The Veterans Administration assumed it would have to take care of 23,553 patients who are veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but that number had been revised upward to 103,000, Nicholson told a House of Representatives panel.



read more at War injured toll soars, hits veterans health costs - Yahoo! News
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Text of President Bush's Speech - June 28, 2005 at Ft Bragg, North Carolina



I watched, took my own notes; text of speech is carried here;

Text of President Bush's Speech - from TBO.com



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President Bush Speech today Ft Bragg; Military Families and Veterans Say;

MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAKING OUT

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW

June 28, 2005


Contact: Nancy Lessin 617-320-5301

Ryan Fletcher 202-641-0277



PRESIDENT BUSH DEFENDS WAR POLICIES AT FT. BRAGG;

MILITARY FAMILIES AND IRAQ WAR VETERANS SAY:

BRING THEM HOME NOW!



WASHINGTON DC – On the day that President Bush will give a nationally televised address at Ft. Bragg in an attempt to shore up flagging support for the war in Iraq, members of Military Families Speak Out and Iraq Veterans Against the War will speak out to challenge the President’s “stay the course” message.


To date, 1,743 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi children, women and men have died as a result of a war based on lies. Today – June 28th – is the one-year anniversary of the so-called “transfer of power” in Iraq, which left 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Since that “transfer”, 884 US troops have been killed in Iraq – over 50% of the troop deaths since the war began in March, 2003.


As parents, spouses and relatives of troops who are serving, have served or have fallen in Iraq, and as troops themselves, few can speak with more concern or knowledge about the reality, the toll and the disastrous course of this war.


All who are planning to tune in to hear the President’s speech today should have the opportunity to hear the powerful and authentic voices of military families and Iraq War Veterans who are breaking the code of silence and speaking out to end the war, bring the troops home NOW and take care of them when they get here.


AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW:

Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Gold Star Families for Peace members are available for interview – others are available as well.


Download the full Press Release including a list of those Available for Interview



June 27, 2005


Contact: Chuck Fager 910-323-3912
Lou Plummer 910-433-9053
Ryan Fletcher 202-641-0277



IRAQ WAR VETERANS, MILITARY FAMILIES, OTHERS PROTEST BUSH APPEARANCE AT FT. BRAGG and SAY:

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS – BRING THEM HOME NOW

AND TAKE CARE OF THEM WHEN THEY GET HERE!




FAYETTEVILLE, NC – On Tuesday, June 28th, President Bush will be appearing at Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to try to resuscitate the flagging support for the war in Iraq. Iraq War Veterans, military families, veterans of previous wars, and others who oppose the war in Iraq will be in Fayetteville to protest President Bush’s captive-audience photo opportunity and challenge the false picture of the war being portrayed by the White House. The Bush visit comes in the wake of a local (Fayetteville) newspaper poll showing that over forty percent of local residents are not in favor of the war, while national polls show that 52% of the US population want troops withdrawn and 60% believe the war in Iraq is not worth fighting....


The following events will take place in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Tuesday, June 28th:


1 PM – Press conference at Quaker House, 223 Hillside Avenue, Fayetteville

Veterans, including Iraq Veterans, and military family members will make statements and be available for interview. Press conference will be MC’d by Stan Goff, retired Special Forces veteran, and father of an active duty soldier on his second deployment to Iraq. Speakers list still under construction - speaker bios and text will be available at the
press conference.

2PM-4 PM – Poster and sign-making at Quaker House, media invited to observe. We will be updating a display bearing the names of all US service men and women killed in Iraq, plus memorials to the thousands of unnamed Iraqi victims.

5 PM -9 PM– Peace vigil with Veterans, including Iraq War Veterans, military families and others reading of the names of the US Iraq war dead at the Market House, Hay and Green Streets, downtown.



Download the full Press Release


MFSO Main Page
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Friday, June 24, 2005

Losing a Battalion size group US troops a month in Iraq

I watched the Senate Armed Forces Committee Report on C-Span, after I saw a diary at DailyKos. I took notes, noted what is relevant to me. Military family with 2 loved ones, Iraq Veterans, under orders and Stop Lossed for 2nd deployments to Iraq. My bias, so I listened with my own ear....

-- Sen. Jack Reed said "engaged in a very fierce fight that is taking roughly a battalion size group of Americans every month as casualties; killed, wounded, injured. "
(I wasn't exactly sure what the size of a battalion is; so asked via my daughter and her husband, active Army, Iraq veteran. That would be 4 companies; a company = approx 200. So 200 x 4 = 800 people)


Senate Armed Forces Committee Report; Thursday, June 23

Participants; Sen Warner presiding; Rumsfeld; Gen. Abizaid; Gen. Casey; Gen. Myers; Sen. Levin; Sen. McCain; Sen. Ted Kennedy; Sen. Reed; Sen Graham; Sen Clinton; Sen Bayh; Sen Collins; Sen Lieberman; Sen Ensign; Sen Byrd; Sen Talent; Sen Chambliss; Sen Dole

(Things I did Not know or knew and was reinforced)

-- new firefighting in Fallujah ... again.

-- General Myers said that he knows of no Reservist who has gone back for 2nd or 3rd deployment unless they have done so voluntarily.

-- exchange with Sen. McCain and Gen. Casey of concern that Syria is implicit in permitting, if not aiding 'foreigners' to cross Syrian borders into Iraq to participate in insurgency.

-- Sen. Jack Reed said "engaged in a very fierce fight that is taking roughly a battalion size group of Americans every month as casualties; killed, wounded, injured. "
(I wasn't exactly sure what the size of a battalion is; so asked via my daughter and her husband, active Army, Iraq veteran. That would be 4 companies; a company = 200. So 200 x 4 = 800 people)

-- Rumsfeld gets defensive, says we (he and admin) do care deeply about troops, idea of broken military is ridiculous, stories of undermet needs of troops just not true.

-- Sen Lindsey Graham, North Carolina, to Rumsfeld points out public support falling. Rumsfeld says he believes people will come to right decision over time and one can get seasick trying to follow polls. Sen. Graham reinforces his concern that in his state the support is decidedly falling. Rumsfeld gets reactive in his response. Sen Graham doesn't engage and asks instead of Gen Abizaid if concern of TET type offensive is possible.

-- General Casey then speaks and points out it sounds like there is belief that insurgent attacks increasing when in fact they are not; cites the high months relative to last few months to show it has decreased, not increased.

-- Sen Evan Bayh suggests we have some benchmarks in place to measure and define 'success' in Iraq. What objective criteria can we look to as benchmarks to evaluate our performance in Iraq?
Rumsfeld responds that there are benchmarks and would be happy to brief the committe on what those benchmarks are...

-- Sen Collins, Maine, addresses concern of overuse of National Guard, cites example of young woman (Sgt., helicopter mechanic) who has been deployed overseas 4 x in 10 yrs. Also talks about the 24 consecutive months use of Natl Guard. Suggests that in seeing problems with recruiting, likely will see problems also in retention.
Gen Myers then responds about Reserve Component and the efforts underfoot to restructure deployment use and that takes time. He explains have policy of being called up only one time and no repeat deployments (Reserve/Natl Guard) unless person volunteers for repeat deployment.

-- Sen Lieberman cites bible verses; expresses concern public reaching tipping point in opinion and do we have enough troops in Iraq to do the job?
Rumsfeld responds thinks people being pushed to tipping point, cites previous war conditions and opinions proffered then says it's up to the Generals the number of troops and he's complied with their assessment. Turns it over to the Generals.
Gen Abizaid says more troops doesn't necessarily indicate better success; can have too much of a footprint with too many troops.
Gen Casey says have enough troops today and if assesses needs more will ask and at elections (Iraq) asked for more and got them.

-- Sen Ensign asks a question of endangerment of our troops
Gen Abizaid responds that troops believe in the war they are fighting and are begining to ask if they have the support of our country for the war. Gen Abizaid says that it worries him that troops are asking that question. If military has confidence in the war, it is worrisome if this committee and this country does not share that confidence.

-- Sen Byrd chides Rumsfeld for 'lecturing' the committee and that he (Byrd) can't refute a sneer. Reminds that Senators represent the people and while may not like the questions of the committe, has responsibility to the people and ask the questions that the people ask of us. We didn't ask enough questions when we went into the war. Reminds of three separate arms of government and constitution. American people haven't been told the truth and reminds that they are elected and Rumsfeld not elected and to get off his high horse when you come here. Tired of Rumsfeld lectures. Talks about the budget and cost of war and it is not one time cost.

-- Sen Talent asks about 12 divisions being sent rather than 10 and wouldn't that offset need to use Reserve Component?
Gen Casey responds that Iraqi training forces standing their ground and fighting; that they have the resolve.
Rumsfeld says has been using effective techniques that have the effect of increase in size using skill-sets. This will all be explained in QDR.

-- Sen Chambliss talks about young captain graduated from Academy; known him all his life; deployed in original march to Baghdad and now 2nd deployment in Iraq. An email that he got from this captain about a month ago. List of all that is going well in Iraq for the people; equipment fine; humvees fine vehicles, only problem really is the car bombs.

-- Sen Dole inquires about the increase in Iraqis willing to report tips to tip hotline on insurgents.
Gen Casey says Iraqis also reporting weapons caches.
She asks question about how the reconstruction is going.
Rumsfeld; reconstruction, economic, and political all have to go forward together.
She asks about communication and translaters.
Gen Casey says making progress with translaters.

................. end
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Some 1st Armored Division units could deploy to Iraq sooner than expected

By Jessica Inigo, Stars and Stripes

European edition, Wednesday, June 22, 2005



Major units within the 1st Armored Division could be headed to Iraq earlier than expected.



In January, soldiers received an official e-mail from 1st AD headquarters telling them to expect to deploy between Nov. 1, 2005 and January 2006.



But 1st AD spokesman Maj. Michael Indovina said Tuesday that the 2nd Brigade Combat Team from Baumholder, Germany, now expects to deploy “in the fall,” which he described as anytime between September and November. That could be up to two months earlier than previously reported.



However V Corps officials say the news should come as no surprise to the troops.



“I honestly don’t know what each and every company was told,” said Hilde Patton, V Corps spokeswoman. “I just know in the overall window — we expected to have units leave within April and January.”



A Pentagon release in February listed Europe-based units that would deploy to Iraq, Afghanistan or Africa between April and January 2006. However, no 1st AD units were on that list.



Another unit not on the list, the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion from Wiesbaden, left for Iraq last week.



The unit left “early,” Patton said, because they had been home for 10 months, not the full year most units get after a deployment.



“It’s not always just because they’re leaving within the window time frame. It’s a combination of other factors,” she said.



Outside of the previously announced units headed downrange in the coming months, a new unit has been added to the mix, Indovina said.



A handful of air traffic controllers with the 3rd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, Air Traffic Services out of Giebelstadt, Germany, who were not previously slotted for deployment will be leaving for Afghanistan soon, he said.



“Things change every day,” Indovina said about the addition to the deployment rotation.



The troops will remain downrange “until the mission ends.”



Right now, this does not look like a full year, but that could change, according to Indovina.



Indovina said the 2nd BCT is currently on block leave and will come home to predeployment exercises at the U.S. Army Combat Maneuver Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany, in late summer.



CMTC provides realistic training for soldiers and units on their way downrange.



The 2nd BCT was activated Thursday. The division is now fully operational and ready to deploy as of Tuesday, he said.



The 1st Brigade Combat Team, from Friedberg, will hold its activation ceremony June 30, Indovina said.



from European and Pacific Stars & Stripes

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes
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This is what a 7-ton US military truck looks like; blown up with uncertain reports of 5 US Marines killed and 10 US wounded. Three or more were Women Marines, but this is not certain either, reports as 'missing' or status unknown. Thinking about the magnitude of a truck this size being blown to bits leaves an unescapeable image of what happened to the people inside the truck. Please bring our troops home now. Please. Posted by Hello
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Five Women Marines Killed in Iraq; no wait it's Six; no wait it's Two; no wait it's Three

Eventually there will be a 'final' report. But this morning there are a number of reports with conflicting information about who was killed in the blowing up of the 7 ton US military vehicle. This is the nature of how we get the news of incidents of our troops killed in Iraq.
Below are some of the 'breaking' reports;

The first I heard was by my morning email before 8AM; Breaking News CNN
-- As many as six U.S. Marines killed by suicide bomber in Fallujah, U.S. military official tells CNN, with "some number of women" among the casualties.

Then as I searched around on internet, these are the other reports;

NBC News Service;

5 U.S. Marines slain in Iraq car bombing

Suicide attack on vehicle carrying female Marines injures 10
U.S. troops check the site of a suspected roadside bomb, in Baghdad on Friday.
NBC News and news services
Updated: 8:46 a.m. ET June 24, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide car bomber slammed into a 7-ton U.S. military vehicle in Fallujah, killing at least five female Marines and wounding 10 more, the military told NBC News on Friday.

No further information was immediately available.

The attack, underscoring the durability of the insurgency in Iraq, came as President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari were to meet at the White House. Their agenda includes discussions on work being done to train Iraqi security forces — a precursor to bringing U.S. troops home — as well as efforts to draft a constitution and rebuild a nation still wracked by a violent insurgency more than two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Overall, Thursday’s violence across Iraq left at least 20 civilians killed and 37 wounded.



MSNBC

Just heard on MSNBC...
Five Marine women were killed by a suicide bomber. The five women were part of a force to investigate women carrying explosives. Waiting to hear more.



CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/06/24/iraq.main /

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suicide car bomb targeting a U.S. Marine convoy exploded in Falluja, the volatile city west of Baghdad, causing an unknown number of casualties, the U.S. military said Friday.

The troops were assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), the military said.

Thursday night's attack came at the end of another particularly violent day in the Iraqi capital. Four car bombings killed at least 17 people and wounded as many as 60 others in the city Thursday, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8202434 /

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide car bomber slammed into a 7-ton U.S. military vehicle in Fallujah on Friday, and military sources told NBC News that five female Marines were killed and 10 others wounded.


A review of casualty records indicates the attack is the single deadliest toll for female servicemembers in Iraq. Since the war started, 46 female soldiers have died in attacks or in accidents while in Iraq.

The vehicle, which had a total of 19 people on board, was ferrying members of a U.S. military civil affairs team headed to perform checkpoint searches of female Iraqi civilians, the officials said.

The team was assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, which is based at Camp LeJeune, N.C.


MSNBC

MSNBC now says that it was three not five women...2 men.


CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/06/24/iraq.main/ind...
Marines killed in Falluja attack
Some of casualties are women, U.S. official says

Friday, June 24, 2005; Posted: 10:15 a.m. EDT (14:15 GMT)


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suicide vehicle bomb killed two U.S. Marines and left four others unaccounted for when it exploded near their convoy in Falluja, the volatile city west of Baghdad, a U.S. military official said Friday.

Some of the casualties were women, the official said. The troops were assigned to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.

Thursday night's attack came at the end of another particularly violent day in the Iraqi capital. Four car bombings killed at least 17 people and wounded as many as 60 others in the city Thursday, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said.

A suicide attack near an old mall in the Karada area killed seven civilians and wounded 10 others, the defense ministry said, while the Iraqi police put the death toll at 12 civilians and three police officers, with 50 wounded.

Three police officers and seven civilians died in a second suicide blast targeting an Iraqi police patrol near a gas station, the ministry said. Ten civilians were wounded.



CNN just said it was six


FOX

Fox said a homicide bomber just slammed into Marines. 2 dead



NPR just upgraded to 6 Marines killed



NBC News

5 Marines killed in Iraq car bombing
Three were women, worst single-day toll for female servicemembers
U.S. troops check the site of a suspected roadside bomb, in Baghdad on Friday.
NBC News and news services
Updated: 9:29 a.m. ET June 24, 2005


AP

AP Link: 2 killed,4 missing and 13 wounded

AP says a total of 1, 730 total dead.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide car bomber slammed into a U.S. convoy in Fallujah, killing two Marines, a
Pentagon spokesman said Friday. Three Marines and a sailor were missing after the attack.
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click here

Another 13 Marines were wounded in the Thursday night attack, spokesman Bryan Whitman. Some women were among the casualties, he said.

At least 1,730 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The car bomber targeted troops assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, an earlier military statement said. Fallujah, the Anbar province town 40 miles west of Baghdad, was the scene of a large-scale campaign in November by U.S. troops to rout militants.


MSNBC

MSNBC now says Only three were female



NBC News and news services
Updated: 9:29 a.m. ET June 24, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide car bomber slammed into a 7-ton U.S. military vehicle in Fallujah on Friday, and Marine sources told NBC News that five Marines were killed and 10 others wounded.

Three of the dead were female Marines and two male, the sources said. Earlier reports said all five were women.

In any case, a review of casualty records indicates the attack is the single deadliest toll for female servicemembers in Iraq. Since the war started, 44 female soldiers have died in attacks or in accidents while in Iraq.

The vehicle, which had 19 people on board, was ferrying members of a U.S. military civil affairs team headed to perform checkpoint searches of female Iraqi civilians, the officials said.
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Thursday, June 23, 2005

Families of September 11.org Message to Karl Rove; Stop using 911

As families whose relatives were victims of the 9/11 terror attacks, we believe it is an outrage that any Democrat, any Republican, any conservative, or any liberal stakes a "high ground" position based upon the September 11th death and destruction. Doing so assumes that all those who died and their loved ones would agree. In truth, some would and some would not. By definition the conduct is divisive and, because it is intended to be self-serving and politicizes 9/11, it is offensive. We are calling on Karl Rove to resist his temptations and stop trying to reap political gain in the tragic misfortune of others. His comments are not welcome.



Read the Press Release



Read the New York Times Article




Newsworthy - Families of September 11
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Marine units found to lack equipment -

Over and Over again we keep hearing of equipment shortages for our troops. This equates to life and death for combat troops on the ground, yet their needs continue to go ignored and unfulfilled. Who really has abandoned the troops? Surely this Administration would not deliberately withhold vital, life-saving and needful equipment in it's effort to support our troops deployed by Adminsitrative policies to Iraq. There must be some reasonable explanation for the shortfall. It is unthinkable that there would be deliberateness in not supplying all our troops at a time when our country continues to support this war.....



Investigation concludes shortages of equipment for Marines. We already know about shortages for the Army. Article is slightly long, and you can read at
Marine units found to lack equipment - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - World - News
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Honoring war dead now a crime

By Paul Rolly
Salt Lake Tribune
June 20, 2005

Since Mike Norton, of Layton, began displaying the pictures of American soldiers killed in Iraq on an illuminated sign in his front yard, his home has been vandalized, cars have stopped in front of his home and honked horns in the early morning hours and he has received anonymous harassing phone calls.

Now the city of Layton has gotten into the act.

Norton, who was told by a city official last winter that the sign in his yard did not violate zoning ordinances, received a letter from the Layton City Attorney's Office recently informing him that, upon further review, the sign does violate the ordinance and he would have 10 days to take it down.

The sign currently contains 1,715 postage-stamp-sized pictures of each dead soldier that Norton downloads from CNN's Web site. The number is updated whenever there is a new casualty. Above the pictures is a large bold-faced headline denoting the latest number of Americans killed in Iraq. Next to the sign is an American flag.

Norton says that by day, many people, including veterans, stop by and thank him for keeping the sacrifices of the soldiers and their families in the public eye. But by night he is harassed by anonymous antagonists, including one who shined a spotlight into his 6-year-old daughter's window.

The letter, from Layton Assistant City Attorney Stephen Garside, said the city inspector who told Norton six months ago that his sign was OK used the wrong code section in reviewing the sign.

Norton responded by telling the city to cite him, because he could find nothing in the code to indicate a violation and, he noted, the city code specifically exempts memorials. His sign is a memorial to the soldiers.

Norton has obtained an attorney and is prepared to fight. "I will go to jail before I will pay a fine for displaying a sign that honors the war dead," he said. http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2812530 Posted by Hello
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Monday, June 20, 2005

'Am I Next?'

A compelling article in Washington Post; puts a human face on

platoon's experiences in Iraq. Recommend. Lengthy, not posted in entirety here.




The Question Haunts the Members Of a Casualty-Depleted Platoon



By Ann Scott Tyson

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, June 20, 2005; Page C01





Spec. John Wayne Miller was killed by sniper fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on April 12.



....snipped



Ramadi is a grim destination for U.S. troops. No battalion stationed inside the city has so far escaped a tour without serious casualties. More than 120 troops have been killed and hundreds more wounded since the summer of 2003 -- proportionally more than in Baghdad. And not all the deaths are from combat: One homesick 19-year-old recently shot himself in the head.



Miller's platoon of the 224th Combat Engineer Battalion headed to Ramadi in late February with 31 soldiers. Six weeks later it was down to 25.



.....snipped



Edgington, so traumatized by the losses that he has been unable to go on missions,is one of hundreds of soldiers in Iraq being treated for combat stress each month, even as they confront new dangers every day in the war zone. Only about 2 percent of troops with combat stress are evacuated, Army psychiatrists in Baghdad say, based on a belief they have a better chance of recovery if they stay with their units.



But as in Edgington's case, staying in Iraq also heightens the risk of repeated exposure to trauma, considered the greatest cause of post-traumatic stress disorder. About 17 percent of troops who serve in Iraq are expected to suffer from major depression, anxiety or PTSD, according to an Army study published last July.



...........snipped



Read entire article 'Am I Next?'
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Sunday, June 19, 2005

Mother whose son died in Iraq serves summons on Blair

June 17, 2005



By Michael Evans, Defence Editor

TONY BLAIR has been summonsed by a county court to appear as a witness in a case involving the mother of a soldier killed two days after the war in Iraq began in 2003.



The summons has been sent to Downing Street, after the mother of Sergeant Les Hehir, of 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, named the Prime Minister as a witness.



Pat Blackburn, the mother of the 34-year-old soldier who was killed in a helicopter crash south of the Kuwait border on March 21, 2003, is to appear at Weymouth County Court next week charged with non- payment of £15,000 income tax in a case brought by the Inland Revenue. Mrs Blackburn has withheld paying her tax bill in protest over the Iraq war.



She has refused to clear the debt until Mr Blair either discloses the details of Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction or resigns.



A spokeswoman for the court confirmed yesterday that a summons had been sent to Downing Street. She declined to reveal whether there had been any response.



She said that any named witness summonsed by a court had to “make an application to the judge not to attend”. Downing Street has refused to make any comment. Mrs Blackburn, from Dorchester, Dorset, said that she had offered Mr Blair £500 to cover his travel expenses and loss of earnings for the day if he turned up for the court hearing. She said: “If Tony Blair can visit Weymouth to campaign before the election he can return to appear in court. I fully expect to be standing in the dock with the Prime Minister in court.”



Mrs Blackburn plans to appear in the Dorset court without legal representation so that she can question Mr Blair directly if he turns up. Sergeant Hehir was one of the first British Service personnel to be killed in Operation Telic, the codename for Britain’s military campaign in Iraq. A total of 88 have now died. He and seven other British troops, all members of 3 Commando Brigade, were killed when a US Marine Corps CH46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed in Kuwait. Four Americans also died.



Sergeant Hehir, who lived in Poole, Dorset, was married with two young sons, Oliver, now aged 7, and William, 5.



Mrs Blackburn, a businesswoman, withheld her income tax payments after writing numerous letters to Mr Blair. She said that in a hand-written reply, Mr Blair told her that he was willing to send her the details of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. But the information never materialised.



She said: “Tony Blair has not kept his word. In the meantime, thousands of people are being murdered and our Prime Minister cannot do the honourable thing and resign.” She added: “I don’t want to go to jail over this but I feel this is the only thing I can do to get justice.”



Mrs Blackburn said that she was not for or against wars, and acknowledged that Saddam Hussein was “an odious and despicable person but his personality wasn’t the reason for us going to war”.



Britain, UK news from The Times and The Sunday Times - Times Online
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Happy Father's Day; Dad picks up $600 tab to get Marine battle ready

Father's Day today. Read the article below for how a Father of a soldier is being gifted by this nation on Father's Day. Still 2 + years later military families are having to subsidize taxpayer's dollars to properly equip their young being sent into combat. Disposable troops, while others amass wealth at the expense of young lives.



Jun. 18, 2005 12:00 AM



John Tod of Mesa had been prepared to face Father's Day worrying about his son's pending date with the war in Iraq.



Then Uncle Sam stepped in with more disappointing developments.



Marine Pfc. Jeremy Tod called home with news that his superiors were urging him and fellow Marines to buy special military equipment, including flak jackets with armor plating, to enhance the prospects of their survival.



The message was that such purchases were to be made by Marines with their own money.



"He said they strongly suggested he get this equipment because when they get to Iraq they will wish they had," Tod said.



Total estimated cost: $600.



Tod said his son's call about two weeks ago from the Marine Corps Air Station-Yuma was a sobering reminder that the military is not prepared to equip Pfc. Tod and fellow Marines with the best equipment.



Besides the essential flak jacket with steel "trauma" plates, the shopping list for the young Marine included a Camelbak (water pouch) special ballistic goggles, knee and elbow pads, a "drop pouch" to hold ammunition magazines and a load-bearing vest.



Tod, 45, is picking up the tab for a son who blew most of his savings on a new pickup truck. And dad says he is tempted to forward the bill to the Pentagon. "Or maybe I can write it off in taxes," he said with a grin.



It's not the cost that concerns him, even though the self-employed home repairman will have to dig deep for the cash.



"We're supposed to have a professional army," he said, "the best in the world. And we're not providing them with the type of gear they need to protect themselves as they do their jobs."



Marine Maj. Nat Frahy, a spokesman in Washington, said the military issues equipment, but it's possible that young Tod's commanders told him that it was perfectly OK to buy equipment that would help him on the battlefield.



Told about the Marine request, U.S. Rep. J. D. Hayworth, the Republican whose 5th District includes Mesa, said he has never heard of a service person being told to buy his own equipment.



Hayworth said he will contact the military to "find out what on earth is going on and why isn't that stuff there for them already. If it involves bottlenecks and glitches to get equipment to them then there should be a voucher system where military personnel can be reimbursed."



Tod refers to himself as a regular, middle-class, blue-collar guy who is a fairly close fit to the economic demographic of most families with sons and daughters serving in the armed forces. His son, now 19, enlisted last year after graduating from Mesa's Westwood High School.



His dad says America was better served with the military draft because today's professional army is not representative of the country's economic and cultural spectrum.



Yet Tod is proud of his youngest son's decision to serve even though dad doesn't believe American troops should be in Iraq.



In a recent interview, Tod recalled the kid who made an unassisted triple play in Little League and the boy who became his father's best fishing buddy before he went to Marine boot camp in San Diego.



"When I close my eyes I can see him looking up at me and asking, 'Pants on swimming, dad, can I, huh?' when he wanted to go for a swim," Tod said.



On Father's Day, Tod will hang out at his home in north central Mesa and hope that Jeremy, the 5-foot-5 155-pound Marine, will get time to call as he trains with about 2,800 fellow Marines in Yuma.



"I'll probably get to see him before he leaves for Iraq," Tod said. "I just hope and pray nothing happens to him."





Reach Thomason at art.thomason@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-7971.

Dad picks up $600 tab to get Marine battle ready
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Thursday, June 16, 2005

Downing Street Minutes, Conyer's Hearing on C-Span Now,

June 16, 2005

Complete text of e-mail from CSPAN re: DSM Hearings


Thanks for your inquiry about C-SPAN's coverage of Thursday's meeting with John Conyers regarding the Downing Street Memo. We recognize that there is a great deal of interest in the meeting, which is why we are carrying it live on as many C-SPAN platforms as we can: C-SPAN3, C-SPAN.org, and C-SPAN radio, which you can hear on XM and Sirius satellite Radio. This program is scheduled to re-air tonight on C-SPAN2 at 8pm ET and on Friday, June 17th at 8pm ET on C-SPAN2. Please check our TV Schedules at c-span.org for programming information (please remember the schedule is subject to change).

C-SPAN and C-SPAN2 remain committed to live coverage of the U.S. House and Senate on a week when the Congress is dealing with several major pieces of legislation. But this is exactly the reason why C-SPAN3 was created. So, if you have an opportunity, please tell your satellite or cable provider that you want C-SPAN3.
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C-Span 2 Friday 8PM, Rebroadcast Conyer's Hearing, Downing Street Minutes

C-Span 2 will rebroadcast the Conyer's Hearings, Downing Street Minutes, Prime Time, Friday evening

This program is scheduled to re-air on Friday, June 17th at 8pm ET on C-SPAN2. Please check our TV Schedules at c-span.org for programming information please remember the schedule is subject to change.



and see text of speech given at Conyer's Hearing on Downing Street Minutes by military family; Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace. Amazing and Powerful.
link to text of her speech
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at WA Post; Online Discussion Downing Street Memo with Michael Smith, reporter for Sunday Times London

So as not to lose emphasis on Conyer's Hearing today (posting below), adding only the link to the Washington Post online discussion with reporter, Michael Smith who broke the Downing Street Memo in Sunday Times of London. Interesting reading to hear Michael Smith's firsthand perspective as the Reporter to the questions put to him.



read at The Downing Street Memo
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005

HEARINGS ON DOWNING STREET MINUTES MOVED TO U.S. CAPITOL

HEARINGS ON DOWNING STREET MINUTES MOVED TO U.S. CAPITOL
AND MOVED TO 2:30

Important Speakers Added to Line-Up at Rally

Citizens urged to lobby Congress Members and Senators, and to meet at DNC, which is serving as overflow room.


On Thursday June 16, 2005, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room HC-9 of the U.S. Capitol, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other Congress Members will hold a hearing on the Downing Street Minutes and related evidence of efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence.


The hearings had been planned for the Democratic National Committee offices because the Republicans controlling the House Judiciary Committee had refused to permit the ranking Democratic Member to use a large room on the Hill. http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/UndertheDome/index.html

However, the Democrats did have access to a small room in the Capitol, and Congressman Conyers has decided to move the hearings there. This does not indicate any change in position from the Republicans.

Members of the media will be welcome, but citizens in town for the 5 p.m. rally at the White House will have difficulty getting into the 2:30 hearings.

The DNC will serve as an overflow room, so people can still go there: the Wasserman Room at 430 S Capitol St. SE.

AfterDowningStreet.org encourages people, instead, to spend the afternoon lobbying their Congress Member and two Senators, and paying special visits to the offices of Congressmen John Conyers and Maurice Hinchey, Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, and Senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy to thank them for their leadership. Recommended talking points can be found in a one-page document at the top of www.afterdowningstreet.org.


Later on the same day at 5:00 p.m. ET in Lafayette Square Park, in front of the White House, a large rally will support Congressman Conyers who plans to deliver to the White House a letter addressed to President Bush and signed by over 500,000 Americans and at least 94 Congress Members. The letter asks the President to respond to questions raised by the Downing Street Minutes.


Among those speaking at the hearings will be:

Joe Wilson, Former Ambassador and WMD Expert; Ray McGovern, 27-year CIA analyst who prepared regular Presidential briefings during the Reagan administration; Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen American soldier; John Bonifaz, renowned constitutional lawyer and co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org.


Among those speaking at the rally will be:

Congressman John Conyers (schedule permitting); Congresswoman Barbara Lee (schedule permitting); Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (schedule permitting); Congressman Maurice Hinchey (schedule permitting); Cindy Sheehan, Co-Founder of Gold Star Families for Peace; John Bonifaz, Co-Founder of AfterDowningStreet.org; Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder of Global Exchange; Stephen Cleghorn, Member of Military Families Speak Out; Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Board Member of Progressive Democrats of America; Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst; Reg Keys, Member of Military Families Against the War, challenger to Tony Blair in last election (flying in from UK); William Rivers Pitt, Reporter for Progressive Democrats of America; Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator of United for Peace and Justice; Kevin Zeese, Director of Democracy Rising


More information, and flyers promoting the rally, are available at www.afterdowningstreet.org


Flyers to print, copy, and distribute widely:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/rally.pdf


LOCAL RALLIES PLANNED AROUND COUNTRY

Supporters of this campaign are independently organizing rallies on Thursday at locations around the country.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=211


AfterDowningStreet.org is a rapidly growing coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups, which launched on May 26, 2005, a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to begin a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war.


David Swanson david@davidswanson.org 202-329-7847

Jonathan Schwarz jonathan_schwarz@sbcglobal.net 773-296-0838
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Mother of dead soldier vilifies Bush over war

Jun. 14, 2005



Mother of dead soldier vilifies Bush over war


PRESIDENT RIDICULED AT INTERFAITH RALLY

By Frank E. Lockwood

HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER



The president of Gold Star Families for Peace, a mother who lost a son in Iraq, criticized the United States' "illegal and unjust war" yesterday during an interfaith rally in Lexington.



Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., accused President Bush of lying to the nation about a war which has consumed tens of billions of dollars and claimed more than 1,700 American lives -- including the life of Army Specialist Casey Austin Sheehan.



Sheehan was one of more than a dozen activists who were scheduled to speak at yesterday's anti-war rally at the Red Mile, which was organized by the Clergy and Laity Network and co-sponsored by dozens of liberal religious organizations.



Sheehan ridiculed Bush for saying that it's "hard work" comforting the widow of a soldier who's been killed in Iraq.



"Hard work is seeing your son's murder on CNN one Sunday evening while you're enjoying the last supper you'll ever truly enjoy again. Hard work is having three military officers come to your house a few hours later to confirm the aforementioned murder of your son, your first-born, your kind and gentle sweet baby. Hard work is burying your child 46 days before his 25th birthday. Hard work is holding your other three children as they lower the body of their big (brother) into the ground. Hard work is not jumping in the grave with him and having the earth cover you both," she said.



Since her son's death, Sheehan has made opposition to the Bush administration a full-time job.



"We're watching you very carefully and we're going to do everything in our power to have you impeached for misleading the American people," she said, quoting a letter she sent to the White House. "Beating a political stake in your black heart will be the fulfillment of my life ... ," she said, as the audience of 200 people cheered.




The "Freedom and Faith Bus Tour" -- which brought Sheehan to Lexington, has already visited New York, Chicago and Indianapolis. The next stops include Columbus, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.



Other speakers included state Rep. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, Clergy and Laity Network executive director Rev. Albert Pennybacker of Lexington, Kentucky Council of Churches executive director Nancy Jo Kemper and Baptist Seminary of Kentucky Professor Glenn Hinson.



Quoting scripture and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hinson suggested the nation is greedy and morally bankrupt and warned that America's fear of terrorism is excessive and unhealthy. Denouncing "fear that immobilizes, fear that causes you to lash out mindlessly, fear that prompts a nation to launch a preemptive strike against an imagined enemy, fear in excess," Hinson said, "Only God's love can bring that kind of fear under control."



Reach Frank Lockwood at (859) 231-3211 or 800-950-6397 x3211 or flockwood@herald-leader.com

Lexington Herald-Leader | 06/14/2005 | Mother of dead soldier vilifies Bush over war
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Tuesday, June 14, 2005

HEARINGS ON DOWNING STREET MINUTES SET FOR 1:30 PM THURSDAY, June 16



Hearings to be held at DNC because Republicans Denying Democrats Use of Rooms on Hill




On Thursday June 16, 2005, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Wasserman Room at 430 S Capitol St. SE, Washington, D.C., Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other Congress Members will hold a hearing on the Downing Street Minutes and related evidence of efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence.





The hearings are being held at the Democratic National Committee because the Republicans controlling the House Judiciary Committee refused to permit the ranking Democratic Member to use a room on the Hill. http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/UndertheDome/index.html Nonetheless, Republicans are welcome to attend.



Later on the same day at 5:00 p.m. ET in Lafayette Square Park, in front of the White House, a large rally will support Congressman Conyers who plans to deliver to the White House a letter addressed to President Bush and signed by over 500,000 Americans and at least 94 Congress Members. The letter asks the President to respond to questions raised by the Downing Street Minutes.



Among those speaking at the hearings will be: Joe Wilson, Former Ambassador and WMD Expert; Ray McGovern, 27-year CIA analyst who prepared regular Presidential briefings during the Reagan administration; Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen American soldier; John Bonifaz, renowned constitutional lawyer and co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org.



Among those speaking at the rally will be: Congressman Conyers and various other Congress Members, Cindy Sheehan of Gold Star Families for Peace, John Bonifaz of AfterDowningStreet.org, Ray McGovern former CIA analyst, Medea Benjamin of Global Exchange, Rev. Lennox Yearwood of Progressive Democrats of America, Stephen Cleghorn of Military Families Speak Out, Kevin Zeese, Director of Democracy Rising.



More information, and flyers promoting the rally, are available at www.afterdowningstreet.org



Flyers to print, copy, and distribute widely:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/rally.pdf



LOCAL RALLIES PLANNED AROUND COUNTRY

Supporters of this campaign are independently organizing rallies on Thursday at locations around the country.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=211



AfterDowningStreet.org is a rapidly growing coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups, which launched on May 26, 2005, a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to begin a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war.



David Swanson david@davidswanson.org 202-329-7847

Jon Schwartz jonrschwartz@yahoo.com 301 928 7579



HEARINGS ON DOWNING STREET MINUTES SET FOR 1:30 PM THURSDAY :: After Downing Street Dot Org :: In Support of a Resolution of Inquiry
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Gold Star and Military Families Call for Truth Regarding Downing St. Memo,

June 14, 2005



To: National and Assignment desks, Daybook Editor



Contact: Cindy Sheehan, 707-365-7750;



or Celeste Zappala, 215-570-5484;



or Wade Fletcher, 703-795-4242,



All for Gold Star Families for Peace

and Military Families Speak Out;



Web: http://www.gsfp.org;

or http://www.mfso.org



News Advisory:

Gold Star and Military Families Call for Truth Regarding Downing St. Memo, Members to Visit Congress



At three events on June 15 and June 16, members of Gold Star Families for Peace (GSFP) and Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) will travel to Washington, DC to press for answers regarding the so-called Downing Street Memo and for the truth about the decision to invade Iraq.





Wednesday, June 15:



Members of Gold Star Families for Peace, a national organization of families whose loved ones died as a result of the war in Iraq, will meet with Members of Congress on June 15, 2005 to call on them to support a "Resolution of Inquiry" into the so- called Downing Street Memo. Members of Gold Star Families for Peace believe that the Downing Street Memo is a "smoking gun" and validation that the invasion of Iraq was based on prefabricated intelligence. GSFP members who have lost their dearest family members believe that their loved ones died needlessly, senselessly, and avoidably in the aggression against Iraq.





WHO:

Gold Star Families for Peace members who will be available to speak with the press prior to, as well as following, their Congressional visits, include:



Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, CA whose son Army SPC Casey Sheehan was killed in Sadr City, Baghdad, on 04/04/04. Ms. Sheehan's sister Dede Miller of Bellflower, CA, aunt of Casey Sheehan, will also be present.





Bill Mitchell
of Atascadero, CA whose son Sgt. Michael Mitchell was also killed in Sadr City on 04/04/04.



Celeste Zappala of Philadelphia, PA whose son Sgt. Sherwood Baker, the first Pennsylvania National Guard soldier to die in combat since 1945, was killed on April 26, 2004 in an explosion in Baghdad while guarding the Iraq Survey Group who were looking for weapons of mass destruction.



Dianne Davis Santorello, of Verona, PA mother of Lt.Neil Anthony Santoriello, KIA 8-13-04



Roxane Kaylor, of Virgnia, mother of Sgt. Jeff Kaylor, KIA 4- 7-03



Tia Steele, of Baltimore, MD stepmother of David M Branning KIA 11-12-04 in Fallujah



Liz Sweet, lives in DC area, mother of Thomas J Sweet, died on 11-27-03





WHAT:

Members of Gold Star Families available for interview and comment before and after visits with Congress



WHO:

Families whose loved ones were killed in Iraq



WHEN:

June 15, at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.



WHERE:

Near the Congressional Office Buildings at the Bartholdi Park Fountain; Independence and First Street at Washington Ave S.W., Washington, D.C.





--

Thursday, June 16:



On June 16 at 2 p.m. (location to be determined) GSFP co- founder Cindy Sheehan will join others in testifying at a Democratic hearing before Rep. John Conyers, Jr., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other Members of Congress.



After the hearings a rally will be held at the White House at 5pm in Lafayette Park. Members of Gold Star Families for Peace and Military Families Speak Out, an organization of over 2,200 military families who are opposed to the war in Iraq, will accompany Congressman Conyers and others in delivering a petition demanding that President Bush answer questions and tell the truth about the justifications for and the lead-up to the war in Iraq.



Representatives of GSFP and MFSO who will be available for interview include:



Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, CA whose son Army SPC Casey Sheehan was killed in Sadr City, Baghdad, on 04/04/04. Ms. Sheehan's sister Dede Miller of Bellflower, CA, aunt of Casey Sheehan, will also be present.



Bill Mitchell of Atascadero, CA whose son Sgt. Michael Mitchell was also killed in Sadr City on 04/04/04.



Al and Dante Zappala of Philadelphia, PA whose son and brother Sgt. Sherwood Baker, the first Pennsylvania National Guard soldier to die in combat since 1945, was killed on April 26, 2004 in an explosion in Baghdad while guarding the Iraq Survey Group who were looking for weapons of mass destruction.



Stephen Cleghorn, member of Military Families Speak Out from Washington, D.C. whose stepson in the U.S. Army served in Iraq and received the Bronze Star. Mr. Cleghorn was one of fifteen parents who brought a lawsuit against President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in February, 2003 seeking to prevent an invasion of Iraq absent a Congressional Declaration of War.



Details on time and place of these two events will be posted on http://www.mfso.org and http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ when they are available.



Downing Street Memo/Minutes
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Monday, June 13, 2005

Military draft back on US agenda

Military draft back on US agenda
By Maxim Kniazkov in Washington
13-06-2005
From: Agence France-Presse


THE United States would "have to face" a painful dilemma on restoring the military draft as rising casualties saw the number of volunteers dry up, a senator warned today.

Joseph Biden, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made the prediction after new data released by the Pentagon showed the US Army failing to meet its recruitment targets for four straight months.


"We're going to have to face that question," he said on NBC's Meet the Press TV show when asked if it was realistic to expect restoration of the draft.


"The truth of the matter is, it is going to become a subject, if, in fact, there's a 40 per cent shortfall in recruitment. It's just a reality," he said.

The comment came after the Department of Defence announced the army had missed its recruiting goal for May by 1661 recruits, or 25 per cent. Similar losses have been reported by army officials every month since February.

Experts said the latest figure was misleading because the army had quietly lowered its May recruitment target from 8050 to 6700 people. It has been suggested the real shortfall is closer to 40 per cent.

Since October, the shortfall in recruits has been put at more than 8000 people, which amounts to the loss of about a modern brigade.

The army, navy and marine corps reserves also fell short of their monthly goals by 18 per cent, six per cent and 12 per cent respectively, according to the latest figures.

Recruitment at the Army National Guard was down 29 per cent, while the Air National Guard fell short 22 per cent.

The United States abandoned the military draft in 1973, following mass protests during the Vietnam War, and switched to an all-volunteer force.

Mandatory registration for the draft was suspended in 1975, but resumed in 1980 after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. About 13.5 million men are now registered with the US Government as potential draftees.

During the 2004 election campaign, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry repeatedly accused President George W. Bush of planning to re-instate "a back-door draft", charges the president vehemently denied.

But while admitting that restoring the draft would be politically "very difficult," Senator Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said something would have to be done because the situation with recruitment was not likely to improve.

"If you think you have trouble getting recruits today, you're going to have far more trouble six months from now," he predicted on CBS's Face the Nation.

"It is not going to get better. That's going to get worse."

Republican Representative Curt Weldon called the recruitment shortfalls "troublesome" and "unacceptable".

But he urged the military "to find ways to fix the current system" and to attract more recruits with the help of new incentives.

Nearly 1900 US troops have been killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere since the beginning of the war on terror in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Military draft back on US agenda | World Breaking News | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (13-06-2005)
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1,600 to 1,700 in a month! US Soldiers Killed in Iraq

Since this blog is themed and focused on our American troops, I've had the dubious and distasteful tasking of keeping track of the growing numbers of troops killed, troops wounded, Iraqis killed.

On Mother's Day, May 7, the number of American troops killed was hovering at 1,600 and the day after Mother's Day it was 1,600. A gift to our nation's mothers.

Think a bit more globally and we have gifted to other nation's mothers our imported destruction.

June 13, the weekend before Father's Day and the number of American troops killed is at 1,700. A gift to our nation's fathers. An imported gift to other nation's fathers.

May 8 to June 13, a month passes, and I have to change the blog from 1,600 to 1,700 American troops killed in Iraq.

Marking the Memoriam with entry into this blog.
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Saturday, June 11, 2005

since regime change was illegal it was “necessary to create the conditions” which would make it legal.

June 12, 2005



Ministers were told of need for Gulf war ‘excuse’

Michael Smith



MINISTERS were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal.



The warning, in a leaked Cabinet Office briefing paper, said Tony Blair had already agreed to back military action to get rid of Saddam Hussein at a summit at the Texas ranch of President George W Bush three months earlier.



The briefing paper, for participants at a meeting of Blair’s inner circle on July 23, 2002, said that since regime change was illegal it was “necessary to create the conditions” which would make it legal.



This was required because, even if ministers decided Britain should not take part in an invasion, the American military would be using British bases. This would automatically make Britain complicit in any illegal US action.



“US plans assume, as a minimum, the use of British bases in Cyprus and Diego Garcia,” the briefing paper warned. This meant that issues of legality “would arise virtually whatever option ministers choose with regard to UK participation”.



The paper was circulated to those present at the meeting, among whom were Blair, Geoff Hoon, then defence secretary, Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, and Sir Richard Dearlove, then chief of MI6. The full minutes of the meeting were published last month in The Sunday Times.



The document said the only way the allies could justify military action was to place Saddam Hussein in a position where he ignored or rejected a United Nations ultimatum ordering him to co-operate with the weapons inspectors. But it warned this would be difficult.



“It is just possible that an ultimatum could be cast in terms which Saddam would reject,” the document says. But if he accepted it and did not attack the allies, they would be “most unlikely” to obtain the legal justification they needed.



The suggestions that the allies use the UN to justify war contradicts claims by Blair and Bush, repeated during their Washington summit last week, that they turned to the UN in order to avoid having to go to war. The attack on Iraq finally began in March 2003.



The briefing paper is certain to add to the pressure, particularly on the American president, because of the damaging revelation that Bush and Blair agreed on regime change in April 2002 and then looked for a way to justify it.



There has been a growing storm of protest in America, created by last month’s publication of the minutes in The Sunday Times. A host of citizens, including many internet bloggers, have demanded to know why the Downing Street memo (often shortened to “the DSM” on websites) has been largely ignored by the US mainstream media.



The White House has declined to respond to a letter from 89 Democratic congressmen asking if it was true — as Dearlove told the July meeting — that “the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy” in Washington.



The Downing Street memo burst into the mainstream American media only last week after it was raised at a joint Bush-Blair press conference, forcing the prime minister to insist that “the facts were not fixed in any shape or form at all”.



John Conyers, the Democratic congressman who drafted the letter to Bush, has now written to Dearlove asking him to say whether or not it was accurate that he believed the intelligence was being “fixed” around the policy. He also asked the former MI6 chief precisely when Bush and Blair had agreed to invade Iraq and whether it is true they agreed to “manufacture” the UN ultimatum in order to justify the war.



He and other Democratic congressmen plan to hold their own inquiry this Thursday with witnesses including Joe Wilson, the American former ambassador who went to Niger to investigate claims that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium ore for its nuclear weapons programme.



Frustrated at the refusal by the White House to respond to their letter, the congressmen have set up a website — www.downingstreetmemo.com — to collect signatures on a petition demanding the same answers.



Conyers promised to deliver it to Bush once it reached 250,000 signatures. By Friday morning it already had more than 500,000 with as many as 1m expected to have been obtained when he delivers it to the White House on Thursday.



AfterDowningStreet.org, another website set up as a result of the memo, is calling for a congressional committee to consider whether Bush’s actions as depicted in the memo constitute grounds for impeachment.



It has been flooded with visits from people angry at what they see as media self-censorship in ignoring the memo. It claims to have attracted more than 1m hits a day.



Democrats.com, another website, even offered $1,000 (about £550) to any journalist who quizzed Bush about the memo’s contents, although the Reuters reporter who asked the question last Tuesday was not aware of the reward and has no intention of claiming it.



The complaints of media self-censorship have been backed up by the ombudsmen of The Washington Post, The New York Times and National Public Radio, who have questioned the lack of attention the minutes have received from their organisations.



Ministers were told of need for Gulf war ‘excuse’ - Sunday Times - Times Online
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Friday, June 10, 2005

Hearing to be held Downing Street Memo/Minutes

For Immediate Release: June 10, 2005

Memogate Hearings Scheduled for June 16


On Thursday June 16, 2005, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of House Judiciary Committee, and other Democratic Members will hold a Democratic hearing to hear testimony concerning the Downing Street Minutes and the efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence.

On May 1, 2005 a Sunday London Times article disclosed the details of a classified memo, also known as the Downing Street Minutes, recounting the minutes of a July 2002 meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair that describes an American President already committed to going to war in the summer of 2002, despite contrary assertions to the public and the Congress. The minutes also describe apparent efforts by the Administration to manipulate intelligence data to justify the war. The June 16th hearing will attempt to answer the serious constitutional questions raised by these revelations and will further investigate the Administration's actions in the lead up to war with new documents that further corroborate the Downing Street memo.

Directly following the hearing, Rep. Conyers, Members of Congress, and concerned citizens plan to hand deliver to the White House the petition and signatures of over a half million Americans that have joined Rep. Conyers in demanding that President Bush answer questions about his secret plan for the Iraq war.

WHAT: Democratic hearing on Downing Street Minutes and Pre-war intelligence

WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2005, TIME TBD

WHERE: LOCATION TBD

WITNESSES: Joe Wilson, Former Ambassador and WMD Expert; Ray McGovern, 27-year CIA analyst who prepared regular Presidential briefings during the Reagan administration; Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen American soldier; John Bonifaz, renowned constitutional lawyer and co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org.

For details on time and place and for downloadable flyers promoting the rally, please watch the top of this website: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org

AfterDowningStreet.org is a rapidly growing coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups, which launched on May 26, 2005, a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to begin a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war.

Contact: David Swanson david@davidswanson.org 202-329-7847
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Thursday, June 9, 2005

When Marine recruiters go way beyond the call

A recruitment story that exemplifies the relentless 'wearing down' tactics used by military recruiters. More the 'emotional manipulation' used on the young adults of 17 yrs, 18 yrs who have not yet the maturity of many adult years to recognize the ploys. Exploiting vulnerabilities is not, imo, the proud act and in keeping with the proud honor the marines like to be remembered and known for and shows desperation, not dignity or honor





Wednesday, June 8, 2005

By SUSAN PAYNTER

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST



For mom Marcia Cobb and her teenage son Axel, the white letters USMC on their caller ID soon spelled, "Don't answer the phone!"



Marine recruiters began a relentless barrage of calls to Axel as soon as the mellow, compliant Sedro-Woolley High School grad had cut his 17th birthday cake. And soon it was nearly impossible to get the seekers of a few good men off the line.



With early and late calls ringing in their ears, Marcia tried using call blocking. And that's when she learned her first hard lesson. You can't block calls from the government, her server said. So, after pleas to "Please stop calling" went unanswered, the family's "do not answer" order ensued.



But warnings and liquid crystal lettering can fade. So, two weeks ago when Marcia was cooking dinner Axel goofed and answered the call. And, faster than you can say "semper fi," an odyssey kicked into action that illustrates just how desperate some of the recruiters we've read about really are to fill severely sagging quotas.



Let what we learned serve as a warning to other moms, dads and teens, the Cobbs now say. Even if your kids actually may want to join the military, if they hope to do it on their own terms, after a deep breath and due consideration, repeat these words after them: "No," "Not now" and "Back off!"



"I've been trained to be pretty friendly. I guess you might even say I'm kind of passive," Axel told me last week, just after his mother and older sister had tracked him to a Seattle testing center and sprung him on a ruse.



The next step of Axel's misadventure came when he heard about a cool "chin-ups" contest in Bellingham, where the prize was a free Xbox. The now 18-year-old Skagit Valley Community College student dragged his tail feathers home uncharacteristically late that night. And, in the morning, Marcia learned the Marines had hosted the event and "then had him out all night, drilling him to join."



A single mom with a meager income, Marcia raised her kids on the farm where, until recently, she grew salad greens for restaurants.



Axel's father, a Marine Corps vet who served in Vietnam, died when Axel was 4.



Clearly the recruiters knew all that and more.



"You don't want to be a burden to your mom," they told him. "Be a man." "Make your father proud." Never mind that, because of his own experience in the service, Marcia says enlistment for his son is the last thing Axel's dad would have wanted.



The next weekend, when Marcia went to Seattle for the Folklife Festival and Axel was home alone, two recruiters showed up at the door.



Axel repeated the family mantra, but he was feeling frazzled and worn down by then. The sergeant was friendly but, at the same time, aggressively insistent. This time, when Axel said, "Not interested," the sarge turned surly, snapping, "You're making a big (bleeping) mistake!"



Next thing Axel knew, the same sergeant and another recruiter showed up at the LaConner Brewing Co., the restaurant where Axel works. And before Axel, an older cousin and other co-workers knew or understood what was happening, Axel was whisked away in a car.



"They said we were going somewhere but I didn't know we were going all the way to Seattle," Axel said.



Just a few tests. And so many free opportunities, the recruiters told him.



He could pursue his love of chemistry. He could serve anywhere he chose and leave any time he wanted on an "apathy discharge" if he didn't like it. And he wouldn't have to go to Iraq if he didn't want to.



At about 3:30 in the morning, Alex was awakened in the motel and fed a little something. Twelve hours later, without further sleep or food, he had taken a battery of tests and signed a lot of papers he hadn't gotten a chance to read. "Just formalities," he was told. "Sign here. And here. Nothing to worry about."



By then Marcia had "freaked out."



She went to the Burlington recruiting center where the door was open but no one was home. So she grabbed all the cards and numbers she could find, including the address of the Seattle-area testing center.



Then, with her grown daughter in tow, she high-tailed it south, frantically phoning Axel whose cell phone had been confiscated "so he wouldn't be distracted during tests."



Axel's grandfather was in the hospital dying, she told the people at the desk. He needed to come home right away. She would have said just about anything.



But, even after being told her son would be brought right out, her daughter spied him being taken down a separate hall and into another room. So she dashed down the hall and grabbed him by the arm.



"They were telling me I needed to 'be a man' and stand up to my family," Axel said.



What he needed, it turned out, was a lawyer.



Five minutes and $250 after an attorney called the recruiters, Axel's signed papers and his cell phone were in the mail.



My request to speak with the sergeant who recruited Axel and with the Burlington office about recruitment procedures went unanswered.



And so should your phone, Marcia Cobb advised. Take your own sweet time. Keep your own counsel. And, if you see USMC on caller ID, remember what answering the call could mean.



When Marine recruiters go way beyond the call
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Wednesday, June 8, 2005

The Line of Denial,

June 8, 2005

By Solly Mack



A question was recently posed asking at what point do American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan cross the line and go "from duty to brutality."



It's an excellent question and one that needs to be asked. More importantly, it needs to be answered. Yet Americans can't look to the office of the president for the answer, because the president is too busy denying that there is a problem. The president believes that reports of torture and abuse are "absurd" and that a "few bad apples" are to blame.



What he ignores are the horrors of war for both the civilian and the soldier. What he ignores are the crimes being perpetuated in every American's name. What he ignores is the damage caused by his personal quest for glory and a place in history.



George Bush's illegal war has brought not just death, but with his lies and denials, George Bush has given America yet another dark stain on her short history as a nation - the consequences of which have yet to be fully realized. George Bush will tell you he is keeping America safe. I will tell you that he is bringing death and destruction to all involved that will be felt for years to come.



While Bush is busy ignoring and denying war crimes - and not because such things speak ill of America, but because of his own involvement in those crimes - American troops have been learning, first-hand, what causes a soldier to cross the line between doing their duty and becoming a war criminal.



But I can't live in George Bush's denial. I can't embrace his lies. You see, my husband is a soldier. He spent a year in Iraq.



The question of soldiers crossing the line and becoming war criminals comes up a lot in our home. We talk about this all the time. My husband was lucky - not just because he survived, though I'm not discounting that in the least, but because when he saw other soldiers crossing that line, he told his command. He kept his humanity.



My husband has never killed anyone. Odd statement that. It's not a brag, it's a sigh of relief. I'm not sure how to help others feel the emotion those words can bring. "He never killed anyone." It's like missing the collision but still being on the highway driving at top speed with no brakes. Every close call is punctuated by "this time."



So we talk.



"Why do some soldiers cross the line?"



Because some soldiers are already crazy, and some soldiers go crazy during war. Because some soldiers just don't care and they buy the lies and the hate, and because some soldiers just go along with the crowd. Some soldiers are just so scared, they don't think.



"But when it comes to war, you aren't trained to think, you're trained to react."



That's not true. The catch is, if you react without thinking you'll endanger everyone (civilian and soldier alike). Those are the worse soldiers - the ones who do not think. They might survive the war but they'll lose the battle - they have become damaged humans.



"What makes the difference?"



The character you carry within you. That moment of choice - and you choose the right path. You never know really. Different things for different people keep them from crossing the line. Some would never think to cross it and some have to fight that struggle each and every moment. Some are just lucky.



"And you?"



I don't know. Some things just never cross your mind. I didn't think of why I didn't do something, I just didn't do it.



"And what is your lasting memory of Iraq?"



The little girl.



The little girl had leprosy. He met her early on. Her disease was so advanced she was dying from non-treatment. In her entire short life, she got next to no treatment. My husband carried her dying body, along with her mother and father, through three cities seeking help for her. He couldn't find it. Iraqi doctors too scared or wanting money (to survive with) and American medics not concerned.



He finally reached into his wallet, took out all his cash, then gave it to an Iraqi doctor. The doctor helped the child die comfortably because that's all they could do for her by then.



That's what my husband brought home. That's what he remembers most about Iraq.



He still twitches in his sleep. He still cringes when we drive near a bridge. Narrow roads make him jumpy - but all that's gotten better over time. It used to be way worse. It's the little 7-year-old girl that will haunt him forever.



What makes a soldier cross that line?



I don't know but some do, and they have gone to a place inside themselves I can't begin to understand. But it's the ones that don't cross that line that live with heartaches that I'll never be able to imagine, and they are the ones you and I will never hear about. Their pain doesn't make the news.



Those soldiers come home from George Bush's illegal war, to the lies and the cover-ups and the denials, and will be forgotten and overlooked because our president doesn't just ignore the "bad apples" and deny the torture, he ignores and denies all of the troops.

The Line of Denial, by Solly Mack - Democratic Underground
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Gold Star Families for Peace Acting on Downing Street Memo

Gold Star Families for Peace (GSFP) In Washington, DC 15 June, 2005

Demand Resolution of Inquiry into Downing Street Memo

Members of Gold Star Families for Peace will be meeting with members of Congress on 15 June, 2005 to demand that each individual member act in accordance with his/her conscience, integrity, courage and duty as employees of America sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America and abide by its contents.

GSFP believes that the so-called Downing Street Memo is the "smoking gun" proof that is a validation of the fact that the invasion/occupation of Iraq is based on deceit and prefabricated intelligence. We believe that lying to Congress and the American people is traitorous and constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors" and are impeachable offenses. We will be calling on members of the House of Representatives to begin a Resolution of Inquiry into the memo as first step to introducing Articles of Impeachment against George Bush, Dick Cheney and everyone in the Cabinet who also lied. It is not only the House's obligation and duty as sworn elected officials to do so, it is also their responsibilities as members of humanity. GSFP members have had valuable, loved and indispensable loved ones murdered for the deceits of this Executive Branch of our government.

GSFP believes that our loved ones have died needlessly, senselessly, and avoidably in the aggression against Iraq. We would like to see someone held accountable for the irresponsible deaths of American forces as well as tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens.

GSFP will be holding a press-conference before we visit Congress in the morning on June 15th. Time and place TBA. Pleace call contact for more info.
Contact: Cindy Sheehan
707-365-7750
Scindy121@aol.com
www.afterdowningstreet.org
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Sunday, June 5, 2005

Britain MFAW acting on the Downing Street Memo


To: MFSO, Pacific Northwest and Partners

Re: Significant Event; Downing Street Memo Action Plan; Request from our own Judy Linehan, MFSO in Washington, she is in England now working with Military Families Against the War in Britain, a counterpart organization in Europe modelled after MFSO in USA.


Group and Partners; This event is a strong action in Britain to call Tony Blair to account with the now released Downing Street Memo showing war in Iraq planned as early as July 2002 and that selling of the war would be 'fixed' around policy. If you are not aware and up to speed on the Downing Street Memo, it is a significant smoking gun for both Bush and Blair. Google it and here is link http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1593607,00.html . I've also blogged the Downing Street Memo in my blog.

In the USA, there is no mainstream media news reporting on the Downing Street Memo save one lone newspaper; The Star Tribune. At this time in the USA, both Conyers and Kerry are beginning to take steps to call attention (and hopefully to account) the Downing Street Memo and the culpability of this Administration. See Judy's request from the other side of the pond below; and it would behoove us to have both sides of the pond working on this simultaneously, it has the potential we all yearn for in our efforts to Bring The Troops Home Now.

Thank you, Lietta

Lietta Ruger, a MFSO Pacific Northwest family
PO Box 335
Bay Center, WA, 98527
cell: 360-942-9169
website Military Families Speak Out, Pacific Northwest

my blog; Dying to Preserve the Lies

Feature Writer Topic, Military Families; Impact with Loved Ones Deployed to Iraq

To Give Dignity to Man is Above All Things; Native American proverb



Judy sends the below request: (Questions? Judy's email is judylinehan445@msn.com)

Hi Lietta,

Working feverishly to get the word out about the MFAW (our MFSO British counterpart) campaign. I've attached info for distribution. The Downing Street Minutes have been a lightening rod on both sides of the Atlantic. I'm sure you're in tune with www.downingstreet.org Bringing both these men to account will be such a force to impact out international justice system. And a public outcry & pressure is a most crucial factor.

Thanks so much!! It's a small group here. We need all your help!

In Peace & Solidarity,

Judy



A plea from Military Families Against the War in Britain to friends in America

Families of fallen British soldiers presented a demand for a “public inquiry into the decision to go to war in Iraq” to Tony Blair on 3 May 2005. He has now responded to them with an insulting letter containing such preposterous statements as, “The decision to take military action in Iraq was in no sense the immediate and direct operative cause of the deaths of the claimants’ relatives.” The Prime Minister’s stance of not answering the question continues without shame, & indeed a full reading of the text (to be viewed at http://www.mfaw.org.uk/) implies there is actually no question at all. The chronicles of the families’ endeavors are also available on the site.

Seventeen families stand firm in their resolve to pursue a full and open investigation into the execution of the Iraq war, to seek truth against all resistance; Military Families Against the War in America (MFSO) solidly supports them and asks for an international response on their behalf. We urgently and immediately need your help to proceed to the next stage. The families are taking their Prime Minister to the High Court in London. Legal action is always expensive and this case will be no exception. MFAW is determined that the families will be spared the court costs and have therefore undertaken to raise $75,000 over the next six months. Please help us help the families. Contributions can be made via mastercard/visa and paypal.

Your help will make all the difference. By bringing Blair to account, ½ of the unholy alliance of Bush and Blair, justice and accountability will also surely come around to knock at the door of the White House.

Public support is crucial to move the case forward; please sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/mfaw/petition.html. We thank you most heartily for the serious deliberation you give to this cause, and for your contribution to it. Please forward the message far and wide to all Peace & Justice lovers among your acquaintances.

In Peace and Solidarity,

Judy Linehan, MFSO member

Open Letter to the People of Britain

Our loved ones gave their lives in the service of this country. They all died in the Iraq war. When they went to that war they believed they were being sent to defend our country. They were told it was their duty to disarm the Saddam regime of its weapons of mass destruction (WMD). When enlisting, servicemen and women sign an oath of allegiance to Her Majesty's government. All they ask in return is that their government acts in an honourable, truthful and responsible manner, and only deploys troops into the theatre of war to risk their lives when absolutely necessary. We now believe that our Prime Minister, Tony Blair, misled the people of this country as to the true reasons for the war in Iraq. We believe that there was no serious evidence for WMD. We also believe that the assurances given by the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, as to the legality of the war are highly questionable. This is why we are calling for a full, independent and effective public inquiry into the decision to go to war in Iraq. We ask you to support our call. We must restore accountability to public life. Our loved ones deserve justice, and the people of this country deserve the truth.


Reg and Sally Keys
Parents of Lance Corporal Thomas Keys

Rose and George Gentle Parents of Fusilier Gordon Gentle

John and Marilyn Miller Parents of Corporal Simon Miller

Tony Hamilton-Jewell Brother of Sergeant Simon Hamilton-Jewell

Peter Brierley Father of Lance Corporal Shaun Brierley

Anna Aston Wife of Corporal Russell Aston

George and Ann Lawrence Parents of Lieutenant Marc Lawrence

Tracey Pritchard Wife of Corporal Dewi Pritchard

Patricia Long Mother of Corporal Paul Long

Sharon Hehir Wife of Sergeant Les Hehir

Lianne Seymour Wife of Operator Mechanic 2nd Class Ian Seymour

Debbie Allbutt Wife of Corporal Stephen Allbutt

Theresa Evans Mother of Lance Bombardier Llywelyn Karl Evans

Roy and Eileen Shearer Parents of Lance Corporal Karl Shearer

Richard and Karen Green Parents of Lieutenant Philip Green

Beverley Clarke Mother of Trooper David Clarke

James and Rae Craw Parents of Corporal Andrew Craw
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