Military Publications Monday Will Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation

Four publications of the Military Times Media Group plan to call on U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to resign - The Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times will issue the call in an editorial scheduled to run Monday.

The editorial, released to NBC News on Friday ahead of its Monday publication date, stated, "It is one thing for the majority of Americans to think Rumsfeld has failed. But when the nation's current military leaders start to break publicly with their defense secretary, then it is clear that he is losing control of the institution he ostensibly leads."

The editorial will appear just one day before the midterm election, in which GOP candidates have been losing ground, according to recent polls.

The newspapers are part of the Military Times Media Group, a subsidiary of the Gannett Co., Inc. The publications are sold to service members and their families.

Democrats and Republicans alike have called for Rumsfeld's resignation, arguing he has mishandled the war in Iraq, where more than 2,800 members of the U.S. military have died since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Cheney has faced sharp criticism for his hard-line views and is viewed favorably by only about a third of Americans in polls. Bush said that "both those men are doing fantastic jobs and I strongly support them."

The editorial was posted Saturday on the Web sites of the four publications: Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and the Marine Corps Times.


Read the editorial - Army Times

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Bush stands on bodies of the troops ridiculing Senator while relevance of more significant Iraq news demands Commander in Chief attention

see the chart and read more at New York Times

Military Charts Movement of Conflict in Iraq

By Michael R. Gordon
Published: November 1, 2006

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 — A classified briefing prepared two weeks ago by the United States Central Command portrays Iraq as edging toward chaos, in a chart that the military is using as a barometer of civil conflict.

(note; per the chart, guestimate how long before it reaches the red zone chaos indicator on the graph bar - days, weeks? How many U.S. troops killed in Iraq in October 2006 alone - over 100 and how many thousands more Iraqis killed in the same month?)

Also note the interesting observation by Andrew Sullivan

While the media is obsessed parsing the ad libs of someone on no ballot this fall, something truly ominous has just happened in Iraq. The commander-in-chief has abandoned an American soldier to the tender mercies of a Shiite militia. Yes, there are nuances here, and the NYT fleshes out the story today. But the essential fact is clear. In a showdown for control of Baghdad, the Iraqi prime minister took orders from Moqtada al-Sadr, and instructed the U.S. military to withdraw from Sadr City. The American forces were trying both to stabilize the city but also to find a missing American serviceman. He is still missing.

And see where Washington Post reports on how US Air Force has to beg for more money to bring home wounded troops.

Air Force said to seek $50 Billion emergency funds

By Andrea Shalal-Esa
Reuters
Tuesday, October 31, 2006; 2:50 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force is asking the Pentagon's leadership for a staggering $50 billion in emergency funding for fiscal 2007 -- an amount equal to nearly half its annual budget, defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute said on Tuesday.

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More promptings from stories of Military Brats Online

I seemto do a wandering among the links at Military Brats Registry and get myself tangled up as the links take me offsite to other links that take me offsite. Anyway, so that I can return promptly to Military Brats Online, where there is a list of Brat stories, I'm blogging a quick entry. I will revisit Military Brats Online and the Brats stories posted there will prompt me with my own memories.

Already I was prompted by something suggested - and yes, we were a family who traveled the old Route 66 highway - back in the day. Now those are some photos I really wish we had - many of those old places are gone, torn down, don't exist any more. Another thing that doesn't quite exist any more is the way in which we traveled when we returned stateside.....before Interstate highways - back when travel meant 2 lane highways, some sort of tourist interest stop in practically every town and whistle stop along the way.

I really must try to write about the month long travel trip we took when we returned stateside - arriving in San Francisco, going north to World's Fair in Seattle and seeing the Space Needle, driving across Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Dakotas and then south criss crossing until we arrived at our new base assignment - Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. It seemed we stopped at every natural vista and man made tourist attractions along the way. I might ask my two sisters and brother to 'remember when' to help me round out the details of this memorable trip.

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Promptings from Podcasts at Military Brats Registry -

I plan to listen to the series of podcasts placed at Military Brats Registry, and then write some thoughts about them.
Leaving an entry here more to quickly link to the page list of podcasts; Military Brats Registry Podcasts

It's here! The Military Brats Registry "Every Brat Has a Story" podcast is now available. The program can be downloaded to your computer or mp3 device such as the Apple iPod. And if you're using iTunes or iPodder you can subscribe to automatically download to your device. Click on "podcasts" in iTunes and enter "Military Brats" in the search box, then subscribe (free!). Each episode will be automatically downloaded into iTunes and to your iPod.

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Exploring my history being raised as a Military Brat - 1950s and 1960s

Back in earlier days of internet, a website called Military Brats Registry came into being. I found my way there somehow and I truly don't remember and registered. Remember this was the 'early days' of internet, so formatting websites, forms, signing up and security looked a little different then. Later I heard media reporting on Military Brats Registry and how it was gaining in popularity. It was good to hear, cause it meant many 'military brats' were interested and glad for this new found home on the internet.


Along the years, I learned of dvd production in the works and waited and waited and waited. Finally dvd 'Brats, Our Journey Home' was released and I promptly bought a copy. Or I should say my dear husband promptly bought a copy as gift for me. We watched it together as soon as it arrived in the mail. And it resonated with me so strongly in so many ways. I took notes (that's my nature when I'm really interested in both capturing and remembering) and spent some time today revisiting some of those older military brat sites I remember from late 1990s.

I wanted to chronicle the links, websites, books, resources and I really didn't want to start a whole new blog to do it. So I looked around at all my blogs, and decided this one was the most logical place to spend some time chronicling my military brat history and building link connections. I'll be adding some link banners to the sidebar, and blogging new entries in what will seem my own homecoming exploration.

This is a bittersweet project for me to undertake for a multitude of reasons, yet it will also be strengthening to make the connections, all the 'aha' moments that tell me more about who I am to me. My parents divorced when I was about 14 which abruptly ended our connection to military life. Unfortunately, it was an ugly divorce that my father worked to obstruct. He could get quite mean in his effort to control or manipulate the circumstances. He kept and/or destroyed all the mementos, photographs, slides, keepsakes, etc that were our history over those years. As a consequence, my mother doesn't have much she can share visually, and neither do I except what I can recover from my spotty memory. It helps that other military brats are sharing their memories as it serves as 'triggers' for me in remembering and in what I hope to chronicle here at this blog.

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Appeal for Redress by U.S. Troops to Congress - The Call of US Troops for Iraq Withdrawal

Our troops are speaking, and this time directly to Congress. In campaign 'Appeal for Redress' the numbers of active duty troops signing the appeal is increasing daily, if not hourly. How many U.S. Troops killed in Iraq this month - 91 - and the month is not yet over.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) More than 200 active duty U.S. armed service members, fed up with the war in Iraq, have joined an unusual protest calling for withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, organisers said on Wednesday.

The campaign, called the Appeal for Redress from the War in Iraq, is the first of its kind in the Iraq war and takes advantage of U.S. Defence Department rules allowing active duty troops to express personal opinions to members of Congress without fear of retaliation, organisers said.

"As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq," states the appeal posted on the campaign's Web site at www.appealforredress.org.


Convergence - something people in the Pacific Northwest know about when it comes to weather. I sense convergence in the growing discontent with Iraq invasion/occupation coming together from different factions.


U.S. Troops speaking strongly on their own behalf - 200 today and will be more tomorrow, and more the next day and more the next day:
Appeal for Redress

An Appeal for Redress from the War in Iraq

Many active duty, reserve, and guard service members are concerned about the war in Iraq and support the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to their Congressional Representative and US Senators to urge an end to the U.S. military occupation. The Appeal messages will be delivered to members of Congress at the time of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January 2007.

The wording of the Appeal for Redress is short and simple. It is patriotic and respectful in tone.

As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq . Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.

If you agree with this message, click here.

The Appeal for Redress is sponsored by active duty service members based in the Norfolk area and by a sponsoring committee of veterans and military family members. The Sponsoring committee consists of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans For Peace, and Military Families Speak Out.

Members of the military have a legal right to communicate with their member of Congress. To learn more about the rights and restrictions that apply to service members click here.

Attorneys and counselors experienced in military law are available to help service members who need assistance in countering any attempts to suppress this communication with members of Congress.

Several members of Congress have expressed interest in receiving the Appeal for Redress.

Click here to send the Appeal to your elected representatives.

Growing number of US Soldiers speaking out in Resistance Actions taken by troops directly - Seven since Lt. Ehren Watada, Fort Lewis, WA, refused in June 2006 to deploy to Iraq citing his belief of illegal orders to an illegal war in his press conference in Tacoma in June 2006. Read more of his account, the charges against him and the progression for Lt. Watada since his first press conference at website; Thank You Lt.Ehren Watada

Spc Suzanne Swift (2)June 2006; Spc Suzanne Swift arrested at her mother's home in Oregon June 2006 for being AWOL and missing movement.Suzanne cites repeated sexual harrasment by her superior officers. Now confined at Fort Lewis, WA waiting court martial. Read more at website

Sgt Ricky Clousing (3) Aug 11, 2006; Sergeant Ricky Clousing, who grew up in Sumner, Wash., south of Seattle, served in Iraq as an Interrogator, returned, deserted, turned himself in at Fort Lewis, WA after giving press conference at Veterans for Peace conference at University of Washington in Seattle, WA on August 11, 2006. Read more of his account at Seattle Draft and Military Counseling Center website. Sgt Ricky Clousing

Spc Mark Wilkerson (4) Aug 31, 2006; Army Specialist Mark Wilkerson,held press conference to announce his plans to turn himself in to Fort Hood in Texas, after being AWOL (Absent Without Leave) for more than 18 months. Wilkerson, served in the 720th Military Police Battalion in Iraq from March 2003 to March 2004, went AWOL when his request for ‘Conscientious Objector’ status was denied by the Army in November 2004. Read more at his blog, Red, White & Blurry

Spc. Augustin Aguayo (5)Sept 26, 2006; After a two and a half year struggle with US Army to be recognized as a conscientious objector, Agustin Aguayo went AWOL (absent without leave) on Sept. 2, 2006 in order to avoid a forced (second) deployment to Iraq. On September 26th, Agustin, after holding press conference turned himself in to Ft. Irwin Army base. Later that day Aguayo was taken from the Frankfurt airport to the U.S. Army Confinement Facility-Europe in Mannheim, Germany, where he will be in pretrial confinement while Army officials review the evidence to determine the status of his case, according to 1st Armored Division spokesman Maj.Wayne Marotto." Read his blog account at blog

Darrell Anderson (6) Oct 3, 2006; Darrell Anderson, who deserted to Canada last year after being wounded in Iraq, wants to come home. Darrell Anderson,who sought refugee status in Toronto has decided to return home and face a possible court-martial. Oct 3, 2006 he turns himself in to military custody; on Oct 5, he was released from Ft. Knox with an "other than honorable" discharge without facing court martial.

article published by Kevin Tillman 'After Pat's Birthday' (7)Oct 19; 2006; Kevin Tillman, US Army veteran, brother of Pat Tillman who was killed in Aghanistan publishes article 'After Pat's Birthday' which gets reviewed by Randal C Archibold in
New York Times
excerpts from Mr. Archibold's Oct 23, 2006 review;
“Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes,” Mr. Tillman wrote in the 660-word essay

“Somehow,” Mr. Tillman added, “American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.”

In what are apparently his most expansive public remarks since the death of his brother at age 27, he also does not spare the American public, which he suggests too often relies on superficial gestures to support the troops instead of holding politicians accountable.

“Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a 5-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas or slapping stickers on cars or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet,” he wrote.

Mr. Tillman ended with a suggestion that the elections on Nov. 7 are an opportunity for people opposed to the war to send a message.

(Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat Tillman in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document - link )



Also see information provided at Iraq Veterans Against the War (www.ivaw.org)
IVAW supports war resisters and conscientious objectors. Learn more about service men and women who are presently refusing to participate in the occupation of Iraq.

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Iraq - 'After Pat’s Birthday' by Kevin Tillman

Reprinting published article by Kevin Tillman on his brother Pat Tillman's death in Iraq.

After Pat's Birthday
By Kevin Tillman

It is Pat's birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our
volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice... until we get out.

Much has happened since we handed over our voice: Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can't be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them.

Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few "bad apples" in the military.

Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It's interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.

Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.

Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.

Somehow this is tolerated.

Somehow nobody is accountable for this.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don't be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that "somehow" was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged
parasites.

Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat's birthday.


Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,

Kevin Tillman

Truthdig - Reports - After Pat’s Birthday

Truthdig Editor's Note; Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.

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More bread, more jerky, and online stuff

Completed preliminary work on two new blogs to replace two current blogs eventually. Idea is creation of new blogs more amenable to commercial intent with blogads, amazon books an downloaded E-books and or PDF files created by me and sold via PayPal.

In afternoon I escaped to the kitchen, made some more bread and put more jerky in the drier.

Lietta still in paint mode but had phone conference that ultimately interferred with painting yesterday afternoon.

Nice weekend.

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Saturdays always fun. Sleep in and get creative.

Dallied with online blogs in prep to creating one or two commercial blogs with an attempt at ad revenue, marketing things and books thru Amzaon and prepping to put together E-books and/or pdf files of my writings. These would be available as downloaded PDF or E-Book files for a price.
I already have the E-book compiler on both Lietta's and my computers.

By late afternoon Lietta was ready to paint so we went downstairs to her new "painting studio" where she continues to amaze me with what I would term her confidant painting in which she completes her works more rapidly and seems to be creating more from memory than the picture model she still picks out and uses.

The ideas flow freely and her eyes and hands fill in the blanks. Yesterday's was an impressive autumn color painting that I in fact was dazzled just after she finished preparing the trees and the misty woods without adding any leaves to the branches. The effect was powerful.

I got caught up in working on muse stuff and poetry prompters so the next time I turned around she'd created a cabin, a dock and reflections on the water in front of the cabin and autumn trees.

Back upstairs for ad-lib supper. Ad-lib supper is where we each grab whatever wwe want. Lietta opted for homemade jerky, licorice and a large bowl of raisin bran. Earlier I'd made potatoes, onions, eggs, cheese and bacon - a breakfast I make quite often.

So neither of us were famished. I made a box of cheap (Western Family) macaroni and cheese and stirred in a can of green beans to give it more volume with the M&C was ready.

Watched some TV and went upstairs. Bored, I put on my Age of Kings game and got so caught up that when I looked at the clock is was after 1:00 AM. Went down stairs where I could hear the TV, thinking I'd find Lietta deep asleep on the couch.

Nope ... "Hi Honey, I could hear you up there.!"

She was watching National Geographic about insect swarms. Put the TV on in the BR and I know I fell asleep first.

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End of frenetic work week

My office is tiny. At one point years ago there was talk of "foot-printing" the office which meant reducing staff to a size where one or two workers would accept applications and forward to a parent office in Aberdeen.

Never happened thanks to reality checks and timely political intervention. However, staff continually reduced and our actual size is less than "foot-print." More like "toe-print" as Lietta likes to say.

Last week, my first week back from vacation has been a buzzing nightmare. Complicated by receptionist on vacation and leadworker's need to replace receptionist which moves me up the list to leadworker's backup receptionist. I work reception during leadworker's breaks and lunch hour.

Twas the wrong week. I never fully brought the vacation backlog up to currency, was constantly flooded with scheduled and unscheduled but unavoidable client interviews.

I'll be playing catch-up for another week or so. Makes me feel very reluctant to take any vacation at all - rather, spread time out to 3 or 4-day weekends as an alternative.

Seriously ...

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Jerky, Pizza & Pills

For the past 6-8 months, I have been going without one of my prescription medications, Indomethacin, for help with gout. This is a potent anti-inflammatory drug that is used to combat a gout attack as well as help regulate inflammation in the joints and keep it down.

Well, when the druggist announced that Indomethacin was not available a few months ago, I just went without because I have two other gout medications and have not had an actuall attack now into the third year.

However, I have noticed a deterioration that has led to constant pain in back, knees, wrists and hips. Sufficient to slow me down, creat havoc for the hours immediately following physical exertion such as mowing the lawn and hip pain that stopped me from sleeping thru the night.

Anyway, when the pharmacy announced that they now have Indomethacin, I took my first tablets two nights ago and slept thru the night with much less pain, did not have to go to the lazyboy in the middle of the night, and woke up quite a bit more spritely. Same thing the next night.

Which tells me that the Indomethacin with its ability to suppress these discomforts - something I'm glad to have back - was also suppressing knowledge of my body's actual pain and discomfort.

A mixed blessing ....

Baked DiGiorno's Pizza by adding canned olive slices, mushroom slices, chopped onions and grated cheese before baking.

And I finished marinating the slices of roast. Put them in the food dryer for overnight drying. Watched discovery channel on origin of the Universe while chewing pizza.

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Wednesday and we started reading

Earlier in the week Lietta and I watched a bio-video of historian Howard Zinn on link TV.

If you want to learn something rather than sit in front of the boob tube like a zombie in an opium den, go find LINK TV on your cable channel. Scary, but you might actually learn stuff.

Howard Zinn wrote, "The People's History of the United States," a few years back. Colleagues - historians who have traditionally defined history as all stars in all-star events like war, scientific breakthrough and capitalist success stories, pooh-poohed the book because it was unorthodox.

NY Times book review praised the hell out of it because it was readable, informative and truthful - with viewpoints rarely observed from the ivory towers of professional educators and their sponsors.

So last Sunday while in Portland, I went into Powell's and bought the two-volume edition. Last night, we curled up in bed, set a lamp behind the bed post and I commence reading to Lietta. Now this usually lasts about five minutes and she's out.

Not this time. She lasted for most of the chapter and when she finally gave up the ghost, I was ready to stop and go to sleep as well. It's fun reading a college text this way and for the first time in my life, when I come to chapter's end, the discussion questions will be useful cause she and I will want to talk before moving on.

Recommended: A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn.

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Tuesday and backlog at work

The reason why I take only a week's vacation at a time is because even after a week, when I return I'm swamped with backlog. Office severely understaffed and unable to cover each other's caseloads completely.

I'll be playing catch up and treading water on current events for two weeks until it stablizes.

Come home ready to be home.

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Monday: Back to work

Moody morning but off to work on time. Within 15 minutes of arrival and I feel like I lost 9 days of rest to 5 minutes of a familiar grind.

Busy all day and facing the worst fall-behind in the past 2-3 years of vacations where staff kept my stuff quite current.

Interviews were all rough in the sense of hard to use humor around the seriouness of illness, job loss and psycho-drama. In all this I need to figure out a way to work through another 6 years before eligibility to retire - or figure a way to replace the income with a job less emotionally draining.

Working on it.

Home to wife and companion ... a blessed return from work.

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Portland

Sunday visit to Portland, originally planned as day trip to see autumn colors. But the agenda was rain rain rain.
Went anyway to visit stepson Chris Coy in his new apartment in Beaverton/Tigard area near Portland, Or.

All day visit including awesome buffet at Sweet Tomatoes which is in reality an all-you-can-eat salad bar with strong vegetarian emphasis since only meat was in salads.

Then drove to Portland State University campus where Chris is enrolled p/t while working for Standard Insurance.

Finally back to his apartment. For some reason his computer has no word processor and - per Chris - spell check (says he needs it most). So Lietta sat down at his computer and ...
(1) Got him a Yahoo email address.
(2) then sent him an invite to Gmail (which we both have)
(3) That allowed him to get gmail address AND open a google program for himself called Britely (an online word processor).

So now he has one.
We drove home in the rain and dark(125 miles), arriving at 10:00.

Oh, and vacation ended Friday. Back to work tomorrow.

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