Iraq War Grief Daily Witness (photo) Day 340

Posted by RubDMC | Jun 15, 2006 | 12 |

this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war and other disasters

we honor courage in all its forms

we love and support our troops, just as we love and support the Iraqi people – without exception, or precondition, or judgement.

cross-posted at DailyKos, Booman Tribune, European Tribune, My Left Wing, and TexasKos.

image and poem below the fold

Children work sorting through garbage at a dump just south of Najaf in Iraq Thursday, June 15, 2006. More than 120 families live next to the dump and work on it during the day trying to salvage anything of value to sell, with children sometimes being killed when vehicles offload rubbish, or die of disease.
(AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)

Ghost Notes (an excerpt)
by Ralph Burns
for Danny Fletcher

I. Call and Response

It’s beauty people fear, bright
rose riding on Aunt Billie’s forehead,
the way light makes green everything
after her pickled okra, stubble
in the hands of day labor, callouses
of a parade of things and
touching them without seeing
or hearing without knowledge,
dumbstruck by a brooding need to define
or look without a place
to grieve, beauty and not faith
in truth in the light of justice —
just reach and nothing’s there
but what’s there already.

– – –
join CIVIC’s “I Care” photo campaign

support Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

put a meaningful magnet on your car or metal filing cabinet

read Ilona’s important blog – PTSD Combat

view the pbs newshour silent honor roll (with thanks to jimstaro at booman.)

take a private moment to light one candle among many (with thanks to TXSharon)

support Veterans for Peace
support the Iraqi people
support the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC)
support CARE
support the victims of torture
remember the fallen
support Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors – TAPS
support Gold Star Families for Peace
support the fallen
support the troops
support Iraq Veterans Against the War
support Military families Speak Out
support the troops and the Iraqi people
read This is what John Kerry did today, the diary by lawnorder that prompted this series
read Riverbend’s Bagdhad Burning
read Dahr Jamail’s Iraq Dispatches
read Today in Iraq
witness every day

While speaking at the YearlyKos 2006 Convention in Los Vegas, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner said (and I paraphrase from memory): “George Bush, incompetent idiot, blah blah blah, went to war in Iraq when the real threat is in Iran.” (my emphasis)

There was a brief pause after his statement, and I regret that I wasn’t brave or quick-witted enough to yell “Bullshit!” into the silence. But the moment passed, Warner picked up his next thread in perfect cadence, and I bit into my box lunch apple.

So now what?

I’m gonna let him know that I think his statement is bullshit, and why. I’m starting here. If anyone knows of other ways, please put them in this thread.

Thanks.

About The Author

RubDMC

I'm a PROUD Massachusetts Liberal who lives just a short stroll from the site of the first armed resistance to another insane tyrant named George in 1775.

12 Comments

RubDMC on June 15, 2006 at 4:53 pm

The candle that DianeL first lit many months ago, and which has become such an important part of these diaries since, is still available here.

You can copy that image into your own comment (you can leave it on my server), craft your own image, and/or rate this one – not for mojo, but to leave a small mark after taking this moment – as a sign that you know, but do not approve, and are not resigned.

“It is like trying to ignite – to pass on the responsibilities as much as possible to everyone else.”
Ravi Shankar
shermanesqe on June 15, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Damnit Janet on June 15, 2006 at 4:59 pm

as Bush likes to say…

I think the children were better off with Saddam in control.
ask on June 15, 2006 at 5:13 pm

US military deaths in Iraq hit 2,500
dada on June 15, 2006 at 5:16 pm

What will you do?
olivia on June 15, 2006 at 5:49 pm

Before decay’s effacing fingers
Have swept the lines where beauty lingers.
~Lord Byron

The real threat is neither Iraq nor Iran …

peace
jimstaro on June 15, 2006 at 6:27 pm

Light A Candle For
Peace, Tolerance, Understanding
and For The Children – Innocence Lost!

FOCUS | William Rivers Pitt: House Republican War Crimes

As Congress prepares to “debate” the Iraq war, William Rivers Pitt responds to a memo from House Majority Leader John Boehner (Ohio). Boehner’s memo sent to all of the Republican members of the House signals that this debate will be yet another dog-and-pony show designed to do little more than frighten and divide the populace.

Opinion: Haditha, Vietnam and War Crimes

When George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq more than three years ago, much of what has happened since was predictable and even inevitable: armed resistance, house-to-house fighting, mistreatment of suspected enemy fighters and, yes, atrocities.

* Sexually Harassed Soldier is Arrested After Refusing to Redeploy to Iraq

Police in Eugene, Oregon have arrested 21-year-old Army Specialist Suzanne
Swift for refusing to return to fight in Iraq. Swift served in Iraq for a
year but decided she could not return and went AWOL. Not only did she feel
the war lacked purpose, Swift said her superiors repeatedly sexually
harassed her while serving in Iraq. We speak with her mother, Sara Rich.
Listen/Watch/Read

Mission Rejected: U.S. Soldiers Who Say No To Iraq

We speak with Peter Laufer, a Vietnam war resister and author of the new
book, “Mission Rejected: U.S. Soldiers Who Say No to Iraq.” The book
profiles a number of soldiers who refuse to participate in what they believe
to be an illegal and immoral war.
Listen/Watch/Read

In Iraq, Three Groups Struggle For Control Over Oil-Rich Kirkuk *

Kurds, Turkmen and Arabs are competing for control over Kirkuk, Iraq’s third
largest city. Turkey recently sent thousands of troops to its border with
Iraqi Kurdistan, amassing what is the largest buildup of Turkish soldiers
along the Iraq border since 1999. We speak with John Tirman, Executive
Director of MIT’s Center for International Studies.
Listen/Watch/Read

GI SPECIAL 4F13: ‘Troops Support Combat Refuser’.pdf
- jimstaro on June 15, 2006 at 6:37 pm
  
  Garett, Iraq Vet, Writes It Like It Is!
  
  Tuesday, 13 June 2006
  The Duty of Veterans
  Posted By Garett Reppenhagen
  
  What do Veterans owe the Country once they have separated from the service? I have a deep sense of duty still to my nation. Especially since the Global War on Terror continues to wage on. There is an unfinished commitment that may never pass as long as I live, perhaps even longer as I plant the seeds of social change within the next generation.
  
  I have been asked “Repp, why the hell do you still wear your dog tags?” Well to me, my war is not over. I continue to fight to survive along side the other veterans of this war. I will likely resume the fight with the veterans of future wars just as the veterans of previous wars mentor and stand beside me.
  
  It is because there is a horrible injustice to the veterans, those who are the few .4% of Americans who choose to sacrifice for this nation’s majority and who are being neglected and abused by the institution that causes me such unrest. We receive inadequate healthcare and are avoided in most other areas of benefits. We are expected to continue our sacrifice long after our discharge.
  
  For that reason I stand along side my brothers and sisters who wore the uniform in a struggle to gain the fair treatment that might set us on par with our peers who decided not to serve their country.
  
  As a veteran I also am obligated to educate civilians on the realities of modern warfare in the Middle-East. Where popular media has failed to report honestly on the Iraq War, I feel we veterans are a missing link so society may understand the experience of a soldier and what it is to be at war. I feel bound to report what I have witnessed and give expression of my perceptions of the conflict.
  
  I also felt first hand what it is like to be an instrument of the military industrial complex. I have a passion to attempt to change the system so it has less ability to control the Armed Forces and put soldiers in harms way in a war of choice. Hopefully altering the role citizens play in this democracy, forcing more accountability to our leaders.
  
  I also feel a responsibility towards the war torn region that I left over a year ago. The guilt I have over my part in the destruction of Iraq is haunting. I will be fettered by a duty to the Iraqi people for the rest of my life. As a veteran of the Iraq War I feel that in a large part I must have a position that will heal the growing divide between our cultures and reconcile our differences.
  
  My place as an American war veteran is an honorable but underrated role in our civilization. The wisdom that soldiers gain through war is not always self-realized. However, I hope that our country has the openness to listen when we voice our opinions. For those views have been tempered and forged in the hottest of fires.
Man Eegee on June 15, 2006 at 6:48 pm

…and the courage to convert my anger to action.
- supersoling on June 15, 2006 at 8:36 pm
  
  Ahhhh….my friend,
  you are full of courage. Ease your mind.
supersoling on June 15, 2006 at 8:33 pm
vieravisionary on June 16, 2006 at 9:31 am

The Weaver
By Anonymous Works

My life is but a weaving, between my God and me,
I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily.
Ofttimes he weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas, and explain the reasons why
The dark threads are as needful in the skillful weaver’s hand
As threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those
Who leave the choice with Him.

Iraq War Grief Daily Witness (photo) Day 340

About The Author

RubDMC

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