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MY LAI VET SAYS: HERE IT
COMES AGAIN IN IRAQ
Tony Swindell
recalls "Butcher's Brigade" in '69; says "gooks"
have now become "ragheads", every adult male is an
"insurgent" ... atrocities against Iraqi civilians
are soon going to explode in America's face; US Government's courtroom jihads against terror
stumble. Alexander Cockburn on Lodi case where Feds paid $250,000
to man who "saw" world's three top terrorists at mosque.
As neocons
and Israel lobby howl for US to bomb Teheran, an Iranian outlines
simple path to peace. CounterPunch
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Now!
Unbelievable! Last evening, on a day
when the US death count in Iraq passed the 2400 mark, George
Bush spoke at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and said,
"I'm feeling chipper tonight. I survived the White House
shakeup." April has been the bloodiest month of 2006 with
70 troops killed, but the president, whose lies have caused endless
pain, was feeling chipper. Has the man no shame?
Earlier on Saturday during his radio address, Bush said there
will be "more days of sacrifice and struggle."
That was around the time I headed over for the NYC Peace March.
It was huge with organizers estimating 300,000 people, not to
mention those on the sidewalks giving us a thumbs-up. I saw no
signs in support of George Bush.
Cindy Sheehan, who galvanized the antiwar movement when she traveled
to Crawford to ask George the question heard round the world
(for what noble cause did my son Casey die?) took the front line
all the way down Broadway. With her were Susan Sarandon, Jesse
Jackson, Al Sharpton, Faiza Al-Araji, a member of the Iraqi Women's
Delegation, and several Iraq Veterans
Against the War </a>. Prior to the long walk, each
spoke against the Bush presidency and demanded immediate troop
withdrawal.
The Raging Grannies were there, definitely a force with which
to be reckoned as they celebrated their recent acquittal from
charges of "disorderly conduct." They were arrested
in October after attempting to enlist in the armed services to
take the place of our young. And they were ready to rumble at
the march, giving Bush a piece of their wisdom in song and tongue-lashings.
An event like this evokes many emotions. There's exhilaration
from gathering with thousands who share a demand for peace and
justice.
But there's also great pain. And it's nowhere more evident than
in the eyes and hearts of those who are mourning the death of
a loved one.
I met a family whose nephew died in the 9/11 attack. They belong
to Military Families Speak Out.
With two nephews in Iraq now, they want an end to war. They've
suffered enough.
I recognized Carlos Arredondo, having just read an article about
him in which he was pictured. He held high a poster with a large
photograph of his son Alexander in dress blue uniform, lying
in an open coffin. A small American flag was secured to the top
of the poster. Carlos also carried his son's boots.
Carlos' eyes hold the same pain I see in my brother's. Both
men have lost a son. My nephew, Marine Lance Cpl. Chase Comley,
died in Iraq on August 6, 2005. Alexander, also a marine, died
the same month a year before.
Less than two months after the invasion of Iraq, Carlos saw George
Bush land on the USS Abraham Lincoln and announce and "end
to major combat" underneath a "Mission Accomplished"
banner. He was elated, thinking the war was over and Alexander
would be safe. When a military van stopped in front of his house
more than a year later, Carlos rushed outside, certain that Alexander
would step out of the vehicle. Instead, the messengers of death
told him that his son was dead. Distraught, Carlos ran to the
back of his house, picked up a can of gasoline, ran back to the
van and torched it. He was badly burned and had to be hospitalized.
This injury was nothing compared to the pain of losing his child.
Carlos is now a member of Gold Star
Families for Peace, an organization which my brother, sister,
parents, and I have joined.
I met others who have found support in GSFP. We embraced and
exchanged information. And we marched. We marched to end this
war so that no more people will hear, "We regret to inform
you ... "
At one point when security stopped our movement for a couple
of minutes, we turned and looked back.
The crowd behind us was massive.
All the way up Broadway, we could see people, shoulder to shoulder,
a throng of antiwar protesters, united in a clarion call to the
Bush Regime: Peace now.
Missy Beattie lives in New York City. She's written
for National Public Radio and Nashville Life Magazine.
An outspoken critic of the Bush Administration and the war in
Iraq, she's a member of Gold Star Families for Peace. She completed
a novel last year, but since the death of her nephew, Marine
Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley, in Iraq on August 6,'05, she has
been writing political articles. She can be reached at: Missybeat@aol.com
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