I am no Paul Hackett, but I am running for Congress. I am not an Iraqi Veteran, but I am glad he was, because it gave me someone readily identifiable to point to when questioned about Democrats being soft on defense and not supporting the troops. In this area, all I had to say was “Paul Hackett”, and case closed.
I am on this computer a lot, and diary often, because it is part of the campaign strategy to raise name awareness, and that is because of the netroot impact on Paul Hackett.
After what happened, as under the radar as our congressional campaign is here, I have been getting fair treatment from the local press, and people were asking me today when I called for donations, if they should give to our campaign or if I was going to get “run out.”
Something like what happened yesterday and how it played out, ripples across the party.
It is over though. We need to let it heal. Paul Hackett will be back, but we are here now!
I am running against Mike Pence in Indiana’s 6th District. I now have a primary opponent. A guy that has ran in three other districts in the past, and doesn’t live in my district, is running. We have been active on the ground for a while and this opponent should not be a problem, but it does kick our campaign into a higher gear at an advanced schedule, because of the primary.
For those that follow the 50 State Site, It will be updated Friday after the noon filing deadline, and Ohio will be updated sometime after the Thursday 4PM deadline.
So, I have a campaign going, thanks to many talented people, that might sneak in under the radar. I have discovered that I don’t want national attention. I don’t want money with strings. I don’t want to represent corporations. I just want to represent the people with some common sense, plan talking, positive, progressive action. Is that asking too much? To some, it is.
I am no Paul Hackett. I am a pastor of a small rural church, who thinks a woman’s choice is private and should remain legal, who thinks that tax cuts for the rich while others starve is obscene, who opposes the Iraq invasion, and who thinks medical coverage should be a right for all, and not an entitlement for the wealthy. I also own guns, inherited from my dad, and don’t want them taken away and don’t think anyone wants to, and I have a close relative who is an avid hunter, and the most ecologically responsible person I know, but if the excuse for assault weapons is hunting, and it takes 38 bullets to kill something, maybe you need a new hobby instead of an assault rifle!
I am no Paul Hackett, instead they call me The Liberal Evangelical inside the campaign thanks to an early blog comment.
“What do you hit a Neo Conservative Republican that wears his religion on his sleeve with? A Liberal Evangelical, that doesn’t wear his faith on his sleeve.”
The experts aren’t going to give us a chance. The consultants tell us we should be embarrassed. Of course we are running the campaign with no paid consultants and won’t have any. The possible exception may be a fundraiser.
I am a credible candidate and we have an effective campaign going, but I am no Paul Hackett, and after what happened, let’s keep it that way!
Barry Welsh IN 6th District Congressional Candidate
of this race hardly means he is gone. I so seriously doubt it because Hackett is a Marine and Marines are like ticks when it comes to what they believe in! I don’t believe Hackett is gone….he has only been delayed and perhaps I can trust that a higher power needed him for something far more important right this minute that will bring relief to many more and have far greater long term reach in creating peace and well being for all of us the globe over.
but… The one thing that made me go, “HUH!?!?!” was his complete refusal to discuss Fallujah. He was there, came back and returned there… and he would not speak of it.
He did not tell us of the white phospherous, he did not tell us of the not allowing people to flee, get medical help, retrieve and bury their dead.
Come on Paul!!! The best way to stop the attrocities is to be bold and speak out against them. Bring it to the light.
I’m glad to see ONE Liberal come out and say they will protect our right to medical decisions. Thank you for that Mr. Welsh.
total shit went down? I haven’t read that he was part of either one of the two Fallujah crackdowns. I gotta tell you though Janet that if he was there I feel a lot more happy about that than unhappy. If he was there and won’t say anything right now it is because he is not in a position to use his knowledge to bring what little justice we can to what happened. We both know that if Paul was there and started talking Fallujah they would start busting grunts. It would be Abu Ghraib all over again and America would be given sacrificial lambs to balm the wound. I saw those lambs on T.V. and they were 18 or 19 years old punks. Their frontal lobes hadn’t even come in yet and they were defending their nation and righting the wrongs of BBQing contractors. They were such a bunch of god damned kids, I flinched every single time I saw one of them on T.V. being interviewed. They were babies and they are who would pay right now. If Hackett was there he knows who needs to pay……and that is the Command…..those kids have already paid and they will never be okay ever again as they mature into adulthood and attempt to bounce their babies on their knees. They will pay and pay and pay and relive the nightmare of what was done every single night just like my Uncle did. Many of their lives may already be over and they just don’t know it yet…….the people who we want in shackles and who need to be in shackles we can’t get to right now Janet. We don’t have the power but when we do have the power, if Hackett was there and can testify to what happened……if he doesn’t I’ll spend every breath I have making sure that the world knows he is a sham. I don’t believe that he is a sham this moment in time, I do believe he is protecting the innocent that are still alive and may be able to have some kind of life yet after that blood bath if he was there and can testify to what happened. To let “them” know any of the knowledge that he has if he has it at a time when we have no power will only help them cover their tracks better and make it harder to have the honest small paltry justice where Fallujah is concerned that we may have. Even if he wasn’t there during the worst of it, he is still a Marine and he will know where to dig if and when we can to get what we need…….we have to have real proof though and real testimony at a time when we have the power to hold the hearings. I don’t want to toss my pearls before swine where Fallujah is concerned………I want justice where Fallujah is concerned and I can’t bring back the dead. If patience will hang the fuckers that are responsible for doing it I have a lifetime of patience!
He said he was in Fallujah. Left and then returned. Not sure when… but when was Fallujah “NOT” the city of the dead?
I think Hackett could have been a beacon for the rest of the Veterans who are coming forward and speaking out. The fact he didn’t/hasn’t… speaks volumes to those who saw him as a leader.
So now it’s the little guys who are having to come out alone and suffer alone. Janis Karpinski regarding the rapes. David Airhart…. when they come out they are cast as crazy, traitors, anti-Americans. A war hero running for office could have set the bar very high.
I think the “Power” is in the people.
I, too, hope for justice for the attrocities that are happening in the name of the Red Regime.
I think he could have had so much support.
Damn, he could have shaken the very foundation of the system.
Patience doesn’t stop the bleeding and the torture and the children from being scared.
and certain aspects of their implementation would no longer be considered by the mainstream to be a “hero,” bu as you say, a traitor, an anti-american, etc etc.
Certainly anyone who is interested in a career in politics would be very foolish to do such a thing.
Remember Joseph Darby, the guy who told of the unauthorized photography going on at the Ghraib?
He and his family have had to go into hiding, they have received so many death threats.
Lynndie England, on the other hand, has fan sites.
I know. It’s sick.
Maybe it’s even sicker to have hope?
Because hope is such a necessary and important thing, it is healthier and more productive to apply it wisely.
For example, a hope that the people who see the Abu Ghraib photos and nod approvingly at what they see as progress in the war on terror are suddenly going to have some kind of ephiphany and change their world view, their attitudes, opinions and beliefs, instantly ejecting a lifetime of conditioning from their psychological makeup, is not the most efficient use of hope.
However, a hope that positive changes in for example, Venezuela, will inspire people in Ecuador is both realistic, and well, hopeful.
I guess what I mean is that hope should not be confused with dreams, which are also important and necessary, and without both of them, nothing would ever change, and ideas would never leave their headbeds. 🙂
Hoping that the warlords in Washington will change their minds about everything and beat their swords into plowshares is not a good use of hope, and while it is most certainly a pleasant dream, the dream to work for, the thing to hope for, is that somehow, some way, they will be prevented from doing further harm, and treated humanely.
So long as elections are stolen then power is not with the people. Janis Karpinski isn’t suffering as much as she was before her book….now she has some money to salve the wounds just a bit and not everybody thinks she is crazy Janet. Paul wouldn’t have shaken the foundations of the system….he has nothing anymore earth shattering to say than the 1,000 other people who have come out and told the truth about this administration and our government in the past 6 years and girlfriend – some heavy duty mofos came out and spoke out and they didn’t shake shit! Paul can come out and be cast out as a crazy too because we have no hearings and we have no power to start real hearings. He would just be wasting his precious knowledge and his breath. We have no power and if the power lies with the people and the people are going to have to overthrow the government to get it back…….the people are no where near committed to doing that. It isn’t like the people are showing up for any of the marches or protests yet! It is just us die hards right now and God help us we are doing every little bit we can to bring about fair elections and paper trails. Right this minute though Janet baby, Paul wouldn’t have shaken shit….he would have been just another voice screaming into the abyss.
Fraudulent elections aside, that we agree on – the apathy of Americans – agreed. That the shit is rolling downhill instead of nailing the CiC -agreed. But I have hope that the truth will be the real liberator.
But I think many eyes are on the Vets who do speak up. And many more on the ones who don’t.
I think that those who witness a crime and remain silent … are just as much a part the continuing of the problem.
You and I both have now set in motion the fact that we will be arrested for protesting. You and I are not veterans, we aren’t writing books, we aren’t politicians. We can disappear.
Paul Hackett was above being silenced. He had the podium. He had the opportunity. To not onlyl spotlight it but also protect the Marines and Soldiers. To bring about some sanity and justice.
HOney more photos and videos are going to be published from the prison. The truth will come out. The shit’s gonna hit the fan and there will be so much anti-American, anti-troop sentiment that I predict nothing less than more bloodshed.
The Nazis thought they were invincible. They thought they had everyone silenced and towing the line.
People will be remembered in the history books – not for what they DID. But for what they didn’t do.
as a hero, she left her own soldiers flapping in the breeze over Abu Ghraib. Whatever she documented I guess she saved for her book, but she didn’t use it to help her soldiers that she allowed M.I. to use….they went to prison. She went home.
Are we thinking of the same woman? I’m referring to the rape of female troops cover up.
Whole story here:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013006J.shtml
I was not aware she was a witness regarding Abu Ghraib as well.
Regardless, “just following orders” doesn’t cut it with me nowadays. Torture is torture and even young soldiers should have known that dogleashing and beating and sodomizing prisoners… is not legit.
The rumors are that there are CHILDREN in those prison photos that aren’t released. How many more photos will we need till we say enough is enough.
The treatment we have given the detainees is putting a bigger target on our children’s future and safety. All involved should be brought to justice. Starting with Bush and going on down.
I was frustrated with her bail out on her people but I remember also wondering if an accident of some kind wasn’t going to find her right after Abu Ghraib. I bet she was wondering the same thing herself.
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040510fa_fact
Karpinski had superiors, too. The prison and all involved should be held accountable. All of them.
I will restructure my presentation about the violence against female troops and spouse without mentioning her. March 7th I believe is my deadline – I might need to call you and get some ideas … because the eggshell on this is that we must protest the treatment of women/spouses and get them help without appearing to be “spitting on the troops” – and you know CodePink aren’t anti-troops.
Because, I know this is frowned upon with the yellow magnet brigade… but I do not support torture, rape, abuse and anything to do with it or those involved.
All I have to do is shut my eyes and recall those few photos that have come out of it and that is why I protest.
were directly under Karpinski’s command. They left this soil with her, they were her soldiers! She allowed M.I. to use her people. If they were requiring anything militarily illegal from her there was a course she was required to take that she did not take. She had so many avenues available to her to keep her troops safe and she took none of them. In the military the Commanders are responsible for their people and Janis’ Commanders are responsible for her. She allowed her own troops to be used, abused, imprisoned……and she went home. That is the worst bullshit that any military commander can do to their troops and I know you know this. It is the worst nightmare that can happen to a soldier and she did it to hers and she did nothing to help them! But she did write a book!
As I said “ALL” should be held responsible. Thank you for the information.
But I think the worst that can happen to a soldier or marine is the reason we had the safety net of the Geneva Code. But now… that is no longer applicable to our men and women since our Govt shat on that, too.
I also know of “FUMO” Fuck up, make out. You screw up in the militay you can in many ways be rewardrd… however it’s not just about getting out of duty but …
“Sanchez’s cover-up of the dehydration deaths of women that occurred in Iraq. Sanchez is no stranger to outrageous military orders. He was heavily involved in the torture scandal that surfaced at Abu Ghraib. Sanchez approved the use of unmuzzled dogs and the insertion of prisoners head-first into sleeping bags after which they are tied with an electrical cord and their are mouths covered. At least one person died as the result of the sleeping bag technique. Karpinski charges that Sanchez attempted to hide the torture after the hideous photographs became public.
Sanchez reportedly plans to retire soon, according to an article in the International Herald Tribune earlier this month. But Rumsfeld recently considered elevating the 3-star general to a 4-star. The Tribune also reported that Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the Army’s chief spokesman, said in an email message, “The Army leaders do have confidence in LTG Sanchez.” – truthout.org
ONE of the reasonS I protest.
What I’m doing such a poor job of saying is that as far as being a soldier in Iraq is concerned nothing is black and white right now. The book with the rules in was thrown out and soldiers have signed away their rights to disagree with those in charge. As far as Karpinski goes if she wasn’t going to play their game they were going to boot her and then they probably would have found some good ole boy who would have done more than turn a blind eye, he probably would have joined in and destroyed all evidence. All we have these days that is worth a pile of spit is the day when we have the power to begin the hearings and then the trials when we will be able to pour out all of our good solid evidence and concrete facts and until then we are just whistling into the wind. More people with more opinions about Iraq are not going to stop Iraq right now, whether those people are/were in uniform over there or not. I doubt that I could have done a better job than Karpinski…..I probably would have only been able to do my best to find a way to survive it and I’m sure that she did better than I could and still someday when finally the truth has a forum she could end up being my biggest personal hero.
Janet,
Call me Barry. It is just common sense to me. Leave medical decisions to medical people. Let teachers teach students not teach toward tests. And at the same time regulate what needs regulating, such as big oil, big drug companies, and bridges to no where!
Keep up the fight!
Barry
Thank you. I was shaking mad with the other candidate that came in here pretending to be a Democrat. We have to be more vigilant nowadays. Thank you for you patience.
Thank you Barry. I am glad you are running,. This is the way it ought to be..no big business involved. Someone to represent the ppl that is one of the ppl; and also you are a libral who is a real Christian not one of those hacks that say they are and do not live it. Just want you to know, I respect you and if you were running in my district, I would vote for you. Thank you and to the Mrs too.
Thanks Brenda! n/t
I hope you will allow me to ask a question of you. What do you think of Booman Tribune when you hear all we have to say about things? There are so many issues discussed here. Do you just sit and read any of them?
Thank you Barry for running and for letting us know on this wonderful website. I will send a little contribution your way. I would love to see more people like you represent our country.
Thank you. Any contribution will be put to good use and accepted thankfully.
Barry