We are in Salem this week to speak about the Western Oregon Wind project and there was a great peace march to ‘Keep the Guard Home’. Attending are some Veterans for Peace from Bandon and Myrtle Point.

“War is a racket.” So spoke Marine Brigadier General Smedley D Butler, America’s most decorated general. “It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”
A twice recipient of the Medal of Honor, Smedley, also a devout Quaker, spoke those words in 1935. The general was perhaps more famous for organizing his men the “Bonus Marchers” to stay in camp in defiance of the administration until they received their just compensation. This spirit of defiance in pursuit of justice was evident throughout the Veterans for Peace National Convention I attended in Minneapolis last month.
Amongst the speakers was Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector and Marine intelligence officer. In advance of the Iraq invasion Ritter tried repeatedly to notify Congress that Iraq posed no threat to the US. Despite his unique position of knowledge and authority, Ritter was thwarted from testifying in Congress by vice presidential candidate, Joseph Biden, amongst others.
Ritter, his assertions vindicated when no WMDs were found, spoke passionately about the risks of US violations of airspace against Iran. He noted the seriousness of sending our military, risking both blood and treasure, when once again Iran poses no threat to the US.
David Gonzales, a Vietnam veteran and president of Local 10 of the ILWU spoke about the misuse of the military. Gonzales spearheaded the ILWU shut down of all West Coast ports last May in protest of the continued occupation of Iraq.
James Yee, former US Army Muslim chaplain related his experiences at Guantanamo Bay and being charged with espionage. All charges were dropped against Yee and he received a meritorious award for exemplary service upon his honorable discharge from the Army.
Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. Scahill was deeply concerned about threats to civil liberties that every veteran in the room had hoped and believed they were fighting for. He noted both McCain and Obama have not voted to defend the constitution 100% of the time and decried violations of the 1st Amendment including freedom of the press.
The next day, fellow journalist Amy Goodman, also present at the event, was arrested while trying to protect her producers at the Republican National Convention. Video of that arrest is available on my website at mgx.com as is an interview of Scott Ritter by Amy Goodman.
Ritter noted that war is a failure of diplomatic and political processes. The veterans attending this event, many having seen and participated first hand in the horrors of war, seek to honor the sacrifice and courage of the men and women in uniform by not allowing diplomatic failures to take us to war.
Nevertheless, universally the convention goers believe corporate greed is at the root of sending our young men and women into battle. Smedley Butler would agree as he wrote in 1937, “Why don’t those damned oil companies fly their own flags on their personal property – maybe a flag with a gas pump on it.”

VFP is holding its national convention in Minneapolis this year and I seriously considering attending. Two years ago I went to the Seattle convention and made some great contacts and learned a great deal. This year two of the speakers are former Marine and UN weapons inspector, Scott Ritter and Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater. Both are worth the trip.

Well, VFP has been holding a weekly vigil every Wednesday at 4:30PM for a few weeks now. Last week, one of the stalwarts from the Bandon vigil, a counter protester showed up and stood catty corner from us on Adams and Hwy 42. Ed Pool, one of the founders of the local VFP chapter went over to say hi and let him know that we will be standing every week.

This week, many other counter protesters showed up to hold flags and give the opposing view. While I definitely do not agree with a pro war stance I am so glad those old codgers take the time to stand (well sit in lawn chairs actually) and bring attention to the war and our troops. So few people are even aware that we have lost over 4,500 men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan or that over 30,000 are seriously wounded.

Today we were joined by several local teens who are actually paying attention to local politics and the war. This was very heartening for me because it is for these kids as much as the soldiers in Iraq that I spend this time each week.

The ‘veterans for victory only’ (their words not mine) have a different definition than we do of how to support the troops but at least they are doing something.

For me, I know that my son believed or hoped, at least, that he was fighting for something noble, something greater than himself. He was willing to take a bullet for his country and very nearly did on multiple occasions as you can see from this photo. Regrettably, those on our side feel that our troops are not fighting for their country they are fighting for their government and this is an important distinction. We believe that the government erred in sending our military into Iraq and are misusing the heart and soul and courage of our warriors.

It is their willingness to fight for us that demands that we fight for them, fight to bring them home. So I travel to DC and lobby Congress. I write letters and editorials and attend meetings and conferences and work on renewable energy development to reduce our dependence upon foreign oil. I also stand on street corners to remind people that our troops are dying in Iraq every day and we need to bring them home and take care of them when they get here.

Today, in Coquille… stand for peace 4:30 to 5:30 at the intersection of Hwy 42 and Adams Street.

From the Washington Post

Former Marine Jon Turner began his presentation by ripping his service medals off his shirt and tossing them into the first row. He then narrated a series of graphic photographs showing bloody victims and destruction, bringing gasps from the audience. In a matter-of-fact voice, he described episodes in which he and fellow Marines shot people out of fear or retribution.

“I’m sorry for the hate and destruction I’ve inflicted upon innocent people,” Turner said. “Until people hear about what is happening in this war, it will continue.”

These are courageous young men and women and I know how it rips their hearts to tell these stories. As I have written before, it was ultimately the warriors themselves, refusing orders, individually and en mass that brought about the end to the Vietnam War.

UPDATE: More video coverage

There were about twenty local veterans from the Vietnam and Korea era attending this evening as Elliott Adams, president of Veterans for Peace visited with Chapter 141 for the first time. Many issues were discussed from furthering the peace movement, veterans health care. impeachment and the Winter Soldier event this month in DC.

One issue that is especially important to me relates to PTSD and educating the public about what it is, how to recognize it and what to do when you witness it in a veteran. In New York they are working with local police officers on these very points and I have discussed doing the same thing in this area with Dr Staggenborg at the VA clinic. We have many returning veterans now and the last thing I would ever want to see is one of these vets facing a police force that does not fully understand what they are dealing with. These kids have suffered enough without further complications along those lines.