Great Diary on DKos. Sad comment from Sen. Kerry

[TayTay]

KarenDC has a diary up on DKos that needs some comments and recommends. The diary is about actions that Military Families and an some active duty troops have taken to try and bring about an end to this terrible mistake of a war. Here is some text from the diary: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/2/21/72315/3502

Garrett Reppenhagen is a member of Iraq Vets Against the War and Veterans for America (formerly Vietnam Veterans Against the War). He is working on several fronts, but one of the most important is the work he is doing to find a retreat and treatment center for homeless vets. He is seeking federal and state funds to build the center. Sitting around the table and talking with Lori, Tina Richards, Liam, and Richard and me, Garrett pointed out, "The soldier is only the bullet. It's the American people who pull the trigger."

Garrett met with Sen. John Kerry, who told him "Look, I've had 500 people here in my office this week. The other 499 were here for other reasons than the war." Why is this? Why are there not 500 people in each office, demanding an end to this nightmare?

Go see and recommend this diary. Contribute some letters for distribution to offices on Capitol Hill. We need to take action.

[blm]

1. Casey Morris is right. Kerry needs to do a powerpoint presentation on this the way Gore did

in Inconvenient Truth. A 10 minute powerpoint presentation that could go up on YouTube.

[ray of light]

2. If anyone would like to recommend Jesselyn Radack's diary too...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/2/21/55646/8246

[beachmom]

3. Thanks for the link. I'm back from vacation, but instead of

more refreshed, I feel markedly pessimistic. The reason why there isn't a big anti-war movement is because less than 1% of the country's population has to actually go to Iraq. So, as bad as it is, people aren't willing to drop their busy lives to go to Congress. And then there is the fact that Bush will NOT withdraw troops. He's not going to do it, even if Congress were to cut funding. He'd find a way around it -- sorry to get cynical here, but isn't there an exorbitant amount of heroin sitting in Afghanistan that could fund this war indefinitely? All the goons from the past are in this administration, so they know what to do to set up the syndicate. We've got somebody in the WH who doesn't give a shit about democracy and the will of the people, and he still owns the media. Even though he's criticized every day in the media, when do the talking yahoos on TV say -- WE MUST LEAVE IRAQ, and the rest is just commentary. No, they don't say it -- they just dissect the problems and mistakes, talk about how we're stuck there and that there's nothing we can do, and then mostly talk about the politics around it as a sport. Oh, Democrats up this week, Bush up next week.

What Kerry is doing and has done is laying the ground work for the next president. It'll be finished and all set to go. And that president sure as hell better be a Democrat!! And hopefully not Hillary -- although we do have her down as saying if Bush doesn't end the war, then come January 2009, she will. If she ends up being the nominee, she WILL be held to account for that promise.

[MarjorieG]

4. Caring and visiting DC are different, but what about the streets?

I'm heading over to DKos, but there isn't enough hitting our visuals and consciences enough, by media. The marches are even lackluster, and they care a lot.

Of those who care, maybe not used to protesting, maybe thinking this adminstration won't listen, so why bother, and don't know how to protest anyway. Think of the rest of the activists caring more about Hillary's vote to authorize than the actual war.

[beachmom]

5. Fantastic -- it's on the Rec List! n/t

[Firespirit]

6. Iran

Slightly OT, and I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I'm getting concerned that Iraq is being sidelined in favor of warmongering and bellicosity about Iran. It's obvious what the Bushies are up to -- although I would not really be surprised if there were a grain of truth to what's being said about Iran. By breaking Iraq, they opened the floodgates for this to happen. But the media, as usual, are playing lapdogs.

I don't trust this Congress to stand up to Bushie BS on Iran. There would be an attempt, of course, but after the fiasco with the non-binding resolution, I have my doubts that it would stand up. Ideally I'd like to see the Senate pass a binding resolution stating that Bush does not have the authority to make an unprovoked strike on Iran, and a joint effort by the House with a clear statement that he'd be impeached if he tried it... but I wouldn't put it past the S.O.B. to provoke an attack in that case.

I guess what concerns me is that this warmongering will inevitably lead to a larger and deadlier war than we are currently engaged in, and one with some possible justification to it (like if someone with ties to the Iranian government does something stupid and provokes a retaliatory attack, a possibility I cannot exclude. Both sides are headed up by people who are mentally unstable and hotheaded). Since JK sacrificed his presidential ambitions this year to try to end the war, it would be sad, frustrating, and sickening if that were all for naught.

[TayTay]

7. It wouldn't be for naught.

There are greater principles at work here as well, including the definition of powers and who gets to declare war and when oversight is used and so forth. Some fights take years. They are often the fights most worth fighting.

Iran is much on the mind of a lot of Senators who have issued blatant warnings that Iran is being hyped and that the casus belli on Iran is not there.

I think of that old and very sad Irish song Johnny We Hardly Knew Ya when the subject of yet another war in the Middle East comes up. (I think this influenced the book "Johnny Got His Gun"):

Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg,
Ye're an armless, boneless, chickenless egg
Ye'll have to put with a bowl out to beg
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye

They're rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They're rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They're rolling out the guns again,
But they never will take our sons again
No they never will take our sons again
Johnny I'm swearing to ye


http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irelandlist/lyrics.html#johnny

[wisteria]

8. Not enough people are worked up enough about the Iraq War to do

something, because they are not affected by it. Unfortunate, but true. This is not Vietnam where there was a draft and only those who couldn't afford to go to college or run were sent to die for that mistake. The American people are not being asked to sacrifice for this war and there is a detachment. Sadly, the 3,000 deaths so far of our brave soldiers isn't enough to move many into action. IMO, someone has to present the public with strong points that directly link their well being to this war,ie,real security issues, tax money being taken from other important programs and being used to fund this war, scarcity of oil and the cost- this seemed to jolt some people for a time until the oil companies found a way around it and prices went down.