Racism in the military: Winter soldier testimony

How the U.S. Military Turned Me into a Terrorist

By Aaron Glantz, Haymarket Books.

Posted October 10, 2008.

A powerful excerpt from 'Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan' lays bare the racism at the core of the Iraq occupation.

Corporal Michael Prysner, Aerial Intelligence Specialist, U.S. Army Reserve

In March of this year, a courageous group of veterans brought the war home, at a historic event held in Silver Spring, Md., inspired by Vietnam veterans a generation before. "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan" convened more than 200 soldiers who have served in the so-called "War on Terror;" like their fellow soldiers before them, who shared stories that laid bare the nightmare of Vietnam, these veterans bore witness to the crimes that have been committed in Americans' names during the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. The hearings lasted four days; in their testimony, soldiers described how the discarding of the military's rules of engagement and its systematic dehumanization of Iraqi and Afghan civilians has led to horrible acts of violence against innocent men, women and children. "These are not isolated incidents," was a common refrain, even as the episodes they described seemed exceptionally brutal. For many of the veterans, it was the first time they had told their stories.

Now, the searing testimony has been compiled in an important new book: Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupation, edited by Aaron Glantz and published by Haymarket Books. I strongly encourage you to buy the book, preferably though the Web site of Iraq Veterans Against the War, which organized the Winter Soldier hearings and continues to hold similar events in cities across the country. All proceeds of books purchased through IVAW will go to support its crucial work.

The following excerpt comes from Michael Prysner, a corporal in the Army Reserve who came home in February 2004.

-- Liliana Segura, Editor, War on Iraq Special Coverage

When I first joined the army, I was told that racism no longer existed in the military. A legacy of inequality and discrimination was suddenly washed away by something called the Equal Opportunity Program. We would sit through mandatory classes, and every unit had an EO representative to ensure that no elements of racism could resurface. The army seemed fir\rmly dedicated to smashing any hint of racism.

Then September 11 happened, and I began to hear new words like "towel-head," and "camel jockey," and the most disturbing, "sand nigger." These words did not initially come from my fellow lower-enlisted soldiers, but from my superiors: my platoon sergeant, my ï¬ rst sergeant, my battalion commander. All the way up the chain of command, these viciously racist terms were suddenly acceptable.

When I got to Iraq in 2003, I learned a new word, "haji." Haji was the enemy. Haji was every Iraqi. He was not a person, a father, a teacher, or a worker. It's important to understand where this word came from. To Muslims, the most important thing is to take a pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj. Someone who has taken this pilgrimage is a haji. It's something that, in traditional Islam, is the highest calling in the religion. We took the best thing from Islam and made it into the worst thing.

Since the creation of this country, racism has been used to justify expansion and oppression. Native Americans were called "savages," the Africans were called all sorts of things to excuse slavery, and Vietnam veterans know the multitude of words used to justify that imperialist war.

So haji was the word we used. It was the word we used on this particular mission I'm going to talk about. We've heard a lot about raids and kicking down the doors of people's houses and ransacking their houses, but this was a different kind of raid.

We never got any explanation for our orders. We were only told that a group of ï¬ ve or six houses was now property of the U.S. military, and we had to go in and make those families leave their houses.

We went to these houses and informed the families that their homes were no longer theirs. We provided them no alternative, nowhere to go, no compensation. They were very confused and very scared. They did not know what to do and would not leave, so we had to remove them.

One family in particular, a woman with two small girls, a very elderly man, and two middle-aged men; we dragged them from their house and threw them onto the street. We arrested the men because they refused to leave, and we sent them off to prison.

A few months later I found out, as we were short interrogators and I was given that assignment. I oversaw and participated in hundreds of interrogations. I remember one in particular that I'm going to share with you. It was the moment that really showed me the nature of this occupation.

This particular detainee was already stripped down to his underwear, hands behind his back and a sandbag on his head. I never saw this man's face. My job was to take a metal folding chair and smash it against the wall next to his head -- he was faced against the wall with his nose touching it -- while a fellow soldier screamed the same question over and over again. No matter what his answer, my job was to slam the chair against the wall. We did this until we got tired.

I was told to make sure he kept standing up, but something was wrong with his leg. He was injured, and he kept falling to the ground. The sergeant in charge would come and tell me to get him up on his feet, so I'd have to pick him up and put him against the wall. He kept going down. I kept pulling him up and putting him against the wall. My sergeant was upset with me for not making him continue to stand. He picked him up and slammed him against the wall several times. Then he left. When the man went down on the ground again, I noticed blood pouring down from under the sandbag. I let him sit, and when I noticed my sergeant coming again, I would tell him quickly to stand up. Instead of guarding my unit from this detainee, I realized I was guarding the detainee from my unit.

I tried hard to be proud of my service, but all I could feel was shame. Racism could no longer mask the reality of the occupation. These are human beings. I've since been plagued by guilt. I feel guilt any time I see an elderly man, like the one who couldn't walk who we rolled onto a stretcher and told the Iraqi police to take him away. I feel guilt any time I see a mother with her children, like the one who cried hysterically and screamed that we were worse than Saddam as we forced her from her home. I feel guilt any time I see a young girl, like the one I grabbed by the arm and dragged into the street.

We were told we were fighting terrorists; the real terrorist was me, and the real terrorism is this occupation. Racism within the military has long been an important tool to justify the destruction and occupation of another country. Without racism, soldiers would realize that they have more in common with the Iraqi people than they do with the billionaires who send us to war.

I threw families onto the street in Iraq, only to come home and and families thrown onto the street in this country, in this tragic and unnecessary foreclosure crisis. Our enemies are not five thousand miles away, they are right here at home, and if we organize and fight, we can stop this war, we can stop this government, and we can create a better world.

POLITICS-US: Bush Had No Plan to Catch Bin Laden after 9/11

By Gareth Porter*

WASHINGTON, Sep 29 (IPS) - New evidence from former U.S. officials reveals that the George W. Bush administration failed to adopt any plan to block the retreat of Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders from Afghanistan to Pakistan in the first weeks after 9/11.

That failure was directly related to the fact that top administration officials gave priority to planning for war with Iraq over military action against al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

As a result, the United States had far too few troops and strategic airlift capacity in the theatre to cover the large number of possible exit routes through the border area when bin Laden escaped in late 2001.

Because it had not been directed to plan for that contingency, the U.S. military had to turn down an offer by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in late November 2001 to send 60,000 troops to the border passes to intercept them, according to accounts provided by former U.S. officials involved in the issue.

On Nov. 12, 2001, as Northern Alliance troops were marching on Kabul with little resistance, the CIA had intelligence that bin Laden was headed for a cave complex in the Tora Bora Mountains close to the Pakistani border.

The war had ended much more quickly than expected only days earlier. CENTCOM commander Tommy Franks, who was responsible for the war in Afghanistan, had no forces in position to block bin Laden's exit.

Franks asked Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek, commander of Army Central Command (ARCENT), whether his command could provide a blocking force between al Qaeda and the Pakistani border, according to David W. Lamm, who was then commander of ARCENT Kuwait.

Lamm, a retired Army colonel, recalled in an interview that there was no way to fulfill the CENTCOM commander's request, because ARCENT had neither the troops nor the strategic lift in Kuwait required to put such a force in place. "You looked at that request, and you just shook your head," recalled Lamm, now chief of staff of the Near East South Asia Centre for Strategic Studies at the National Defence University.

Franks apparently already realised that he would need Pakistani help in blocking the al Qaeda exit from Tora Bora. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld told a National Security Council meeting that Franks "wants the [Pakistanis] to close the transit points between Afghanistan and Pakistan to seal what's going in and out", according to the National Security Council meeting transcript in Bob Woodward's book "Bush at War".

Bush responded that they would need to "press Musharraf to do that".

A few days later, Franks made an unannounced trip to Islamabad to ask Musharraf to deploy troops along the Pakistan-Afghan border near Tora Bora.

A deputy to Franks, Lt. Gen. Mike DeLong, later claimed that Musharraf had refused Franks's request for regular Pakistani troops to be repositioned from the north to the border near the Tora Bora area. DeLong wrote in his 2004 book "Inside Centcom" that Musharraf had said he "couldn't do that", because it would spark a "civil war" with a hostile tribal population.

But U.S. Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, who accompanied Franks to the meeting with Musharraf, provided an account of the meeting to this writer that contradicts DeLong's claim.

Chamberlin, now president of the Middle East Institute in Washington, recalled that the Pakistani president told Franks that CENTCOM had vastly underestimated what was required to block bin Laden exit from Afghanistan. Musharraf said, "Look you are missing the point: there are 150 valleys through which al Qaeda are going to stream into Pakistan," according to Chamberlin.

Although Musharraf admitted that the Pakistani government had never exercised control over the border area, the former diplomat recalled, he said this was "a good time to begin". The Pakistani president offered to redeploy 60,000 troops to the area from the border with India but said his army would need airlift assistance from the United States to carry out the redeployment.

But the Pakistani redeployment never happened, according to Lamm, because it wasn't logistically feasible. Lamm recalled that it would have required an entire aviation brigade, including hundreds of helicopters, and hundreds of support troops to deliver that many combat troops to the border region -- far more than was available.

Lamm said the ARCENT had so few strategic lift resources that it had to use commercial aircraft at one point to move U.S. supplies in and out of Afghanistan.

Even if the helicopters had been available, however, they could not have operated with high effectiveness in the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border region near the Tora Bora caves, according to Lamm, because of the combination of high altitude and extreme weather.

Franks did manage to insert 1,200 Marines to Kandahar on Nov. 26 to establish control of the airbase there. They were carried to the base by helicopters from an aircraft carrier that had steamed into the Gulf from the Pacific, according to Lamm.

The marines patrolled roads in the Kandahar area hoping to intercept al Qaeda officials heading toward Pakistan. But DeLong, now retired from the Army, said in an interview that the Marines would not have been able to undertake the blocking mission at the border. "It wouldn't have worked -- even if we could have gotten them up there," he said. "There weren't enough to police 1,500 kilometres of border."

U.S. troops probably would also have faced armed resistance from the local tribal population in the border region, according to DeLong. The tribesmen in local villages near the border "liked bin Laden," he said "because he had given them millions of dollars."

Had the Bush administration's priority been to capture or kill the al Qaeda leadership, it would have deployed the necessary ground troops and airlift resources in the theatre over a period of months before the offensive in Afghanistan began.

"You could have moved American troops along the Pakistani border before you went into Afghanistan," said Lamm. But that would have meant waiting until spring 2002 to take the offensive against the Taliban, according to Lamm.

The views of Bush's key advisers, however, ruled out any such plan from the start. During the summer of 2001, Rumsfeld had refused to develop contingency plans for military action against al Qaeda in Afghanistan despite a National Security Presidential Directive adopted at the Deputies' Committee level in July and by the Principles on Sep. 4 that called for such planning, according to the 9/11 Commission report.

Rumsfeld and Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz resisted such planning for Afghanistan because they were hoping that the White House would move quickly on military intervention in Iraq. According to the 9/11 Commission, at four deputies' meetings on Iraq between May 31 and Jul. 26, 2001, Wolfowitz pushed his idea to have U.S. troops seize all the oil fields in southern Iraq.

Even after Sep. 11, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Vice President Dick Cheney continued to resist any military engagement in Afghanistan, because they were hoping for war against Iraq instead.

Bush's top secret order of Sep. 17 for war with Afghanistan also directed the Pentagon to begin planning for an invasion of Iraq, according to journalist James Bamford's book "Pretext for War".

Cheney and Rumsfeld pushed for a quick victory in Afghanistan in NSC meetings in October, as recounted by both Woodward and Undersecretary of Defence Douglas Feith. Lost in the eagerness to wrap up the Taliban and get on with the Iraq War was any possibility of preventing bin Laden's escape to Pakistan.

*Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specialising in U.S. national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, "Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam", was published in 2006.

Late-inning reprieve for U.S. deserter

Court pauses deportation order so ex-paratrooper with wife, two kids in Toronto can pursue appeal

Sep 23, 2008 04:30 AM

Dale Anne Freed

Staff Reporter

War resister Jeremy Hinzman has won a temporary reprieve to stay in Canada.

Hinzman, the first U.S. Army deserter to file for refugee status in Canada, will not be returned for the time being, which means for the moment at least he avoids prosecution for desertion, his lawyer Alyssa Manning said last night.

"We're elated," said Hinzman, 29. ``But we're by no means out of the woods yet.''

The next challenge Hinzman faces is winning leave to appeal his case to the Federal Court. "But we won't find that out for a couple of months," said the South Dakota native who lives in Parkdale with his wife and two children.

Hinzman was due to be deported today. His reprieve came after his lawyer argued to the Federal Court yesterday that an immigration officer had incorrectly assessed the hardships he and his family would face if forced to return to the U.S.

Manning told the court that expert evidence suggests U.S. soldiers who have spoken out against the 2003 U.S.-led Iraq invasion have been facing more punishment than other deserters.

Crown attorney Stephen Gold called this "speculation and surmise" but Justice Richard Mosley ruled that a stay in Hinzman's deportation order was appropriate.

Hinzman, who has worked in the past as a bike courier in Toronto, says he and his wife, Nga Nguyen, and children, Liam, 6, and 2-month-old Meghan, have been living off their savings in recent months. "When our compassionate and humanitarian application was turned down, my work permit was revoked (in August) ... We have a little bit (of money) so we've been okay," he said.

At the Toronto hearing yesterday "the judge said if our family was to be separated, that would be irreparable harm," said Hinzman, as he held his baby at Friends House, a Quaker centre on Lowther Ave. in Toronto.

He said he volunteered to go to war: "I wanted to make a better life for myself and my family."

The Rapid City, S.D., native joined the 82nd Airborne in January 2001. Three years later, he went AWOL and fled to Toronto just before his unit was scheduled to leave for Iraq.

After 2 1/2 years in the military, "I knew I wasn't a killer," he said. He was assigned to a non-combat role during a tour in Afghanistan.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Town Hall Crowd Calls for Bush Impeachment

Published on Monday, September 24, 2007 by The Oregonian by Harry Esteve

At a lively town hall meeting Sunday, billed as a discussion about “peace and accountability,” emotions directed at U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer ranged from calm to screaming mad. Nearly all of it was about one subject:

Impeachment of President Bush.

Angered by what they view as an immoral war and a corrupt administration, the crowd hammered on the theme of a congressional trial of Bush and wondered whether the controlling Democrats have the spine for it.

“People spilled blood to create this country and get this Constitution,” said Lenore Norrgard, of Northeast Portland. “Impeachment should be at the top of the agenda.”

She, like just about everyone else who used the word, got a thunderous applause from about 250 people who attended the meeting, held at the Hollywood Theater. At least half in the audience wore red T-shirts emblazoned in white with the single word “IMPEACH.”

A handful of speakers were hostile, calling Blumenauer a “coward” for not outright calling for Bush’s impeachment. Some said Bush should be tried for treason. And one, to some applause, said the president should be executed. Most were civil, if blunt.

“Courage is what we expect of our elected officials,” said John Bradach Sr., of Northeast Portland, whose nephew was killed in Iraq. “It’s clear the Democrats in Congress do not have the courage” to cut off federal money that pays for the war in Iraq.

Although impeachment is only a distant possibility — Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said it’s off the table — it’s clear that the debate over Iraq has shifted toward a discussion of how to hold Bush and, to a lesser degree, Vice President Dick Cheney, to account. In a written preamble to his town hall meetings, Blumenauer said “impeachment should be among the options.”

Before the meeting started, Blumenauer signed an oversized document called the “Oregon Declaration of Peace,” in which he pledged: “I will vote ‘no’ on any appropriations bill that will continue U.S. military operations in Iraq.”

Blumenauer cut off comments after about an hour and a half because he had to attend a memorial service of a friend. People in the audience began calling at him to respond to their questions about impeachment.

Bonnie Tinker, of Northeast Portland, one of the last to speak, urged everyone in the audience who favored impeachment to stand. Only a few remained seated. Then people began chanting, “Stand up, Earl!” He remained seated.

“I appreciate the focus, the passion, the determination and the courtesy shown today,” he said. “I’m going to spend some time chewing on what you had to say.”

He said he would post his response later this week on his Web site, an answer that clearly disappointed many in the audience.

© 2007 Oregon Live LLC

It takes all small towns and larger cities to get this done. By taking a page out of Samuel Alito’s playbook, by not going for impeachment all at once, we have a better chance to put it back on the table, starting one community/City at a time o Anyone who thinks the Bush enabling paid off by the corporations (errr “contributions) Dims will impeach Bush is dreaming. o “I appreciate the focus, the passion, the determination and the courtesy shown today,” he said. “I’m going to spend some time chewing on what you had to say.” Sounds like his mind is already made up. Note* Before voting to put Christians, Muslims or Jews, find out what their views on Israel/Palestine are. o “I appreciate the focus, the passion, the determination and the courtesy shown today,” he said. “I’m going to spend some time chewing on what you had to say.” ha! I get letters like that all the time from my representatives (Ric “the Cheeseburger Bill” Keller, R, and Mel “RNC Chairman” Martinez, R). “Thank you so much for your interest, blah, blah, blah…please go away now, lady…” Frosty bunny o All the local Reps in San Jose districts are the same. None are responding to an OpEd in the Mercury News last week blasting all three over lack of impeachment support. He documented that the responses all seem to be canned and coordinated from all. Anti - impeachment is really organized. o well blumenauer at least knows exactly what his job is, if he takes being a representative of the people in country that is governed by the people seriously - and if he doesnt there is impeachment by other means, as lincoln prudently noted. o As described, this meeting is a microcosm of America’s anger at Bush and Congress about where America is headed. Every single member of the House and Senate needs to attend meetings where citizens express their outrage about the war in Iraq and all other American concerns. When Congress is in Washington, it’s too easy for them to believe and act as if they’re insulated from those who sent them there — so they need to be bludgeoned time and time again while they’re home. Citizens should make it clear that if their representatives don’t protect America, they won’t be back. I like the skywriting graphic for this report on the Common Dreams home page. Maybe the skies over all of America need to have “IMPEACH BUSH” written for everyone to see, over and over again. o I’m told that Nancy Pelosi, herself, called Janice Hahn from the Los Angeles City Council and demanded that she NOT co-author an impeachment resolution that Bill Rosendahl had committed to be submitting. Also, Eric Garcetti, who at the CDC convention told several of us directly that he would co-author impeachment, suddenly evaporated the next day after (we hear) a call from CA Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez. This from people who actually consider themselves potential mayoral candidates. What a joke! Those who REFUSE to take a stand now should ALWAYS have to ANSWER for this–if the democracy they treat so lightly even survives…which is looking less and less likely. ### o Impeach them, then haul them into the dock at the Hague and try them for war crimes. o LOL Frosty Bunny I get them as well, the latest from Bill Nelson D FL, blah blah thank you for your concerns BUT blah blah…we aren’t going to do a damn thing to stop Bush or his war..blah…blah please feel free to contact me again with any concerns you have… It’s a joke and our entire system has become a joke.. o Anyone who doubts Bush, Cheney, and all their gang of criminals should be staring at the walls of a cell for the rest of their days should check out the videos at this site: http://tv-links.co.uk/listings/9/4752 (link to come soon - August 2008) o Speaking of this. An article on CNN appears saying “Democratic Canidates now courting evangelicals” And it just goes to show that they have no backbone. Not only are they not courting their base, the progressive democrats, they’re trying to court the other end of the political spectrum. I’m certainly not voting democrat in 2008, and you shouldn’t either. This country is going right in the shitter, and we need it to be on record that Conservative neo-con policies caused the downfall. o Kristina, ah another Floridian! Yeah, I’m sure I’ll get that from Nelson when I send my letter complaining about his moveon vote. (Like he has anything to worry about, he’s not up for re-election until 2012!) o For the past few days, peace activists in my home town have created opportunities for the “man on the street, (or woman)” to be heard. They have held signs that include IMPEACH BUSH/CHENEY and honk of you agree. Let me tell you that the din that goes on there! This country, yes, a community at a time, is getting the news first-hand from activists that they are not getting from the corporate media that impeachment is called for. This movement is spreading by those who have tired of talking to each other and have the courage and faith in the people to go to busy intersections of their towns at peak traffic times. A couple of hours will do it! o Oh, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the local, state, and federal official are handed out and printed on some signs. o FrostyBunny, I didn’t even bother about the moveon vote with Nelson. Writing to him is a waste of three minutes out of my day. What part of Florida are you in? Panama City here, home of the Bush loving, freedom hating crowd LOL… o after all this genocidle madman has done, and has still not been impeached, you might as well take impeachment off the table permanently, and strike it from your constitution. what a pharse, and embarrasment to the american political system. no accountability, no democracy= DICTATORSHIP! o Like I was saying: “. . . This movement is spreading by those who have tired of talking to each other …” o This is only one small example of the overwhelming sentiment all over this country (except the halls of congress — our representatives) Many people (even those in the know) aren’t even aware that there have been three separate articles of impeachment against Cheney since late April of this year, when Rep Dennis Kucinich (D- Ohio) introduced them. And to date, only 22 of his colleagues have signed on. The importance of this particular meeting (from the above article) is that they got their Representative to come and listen. In SanFrancisco, home of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, we offered a fourth helicopter seat from where the photos of last weeks Beach Impeach Project #3 were taken. She declined and did not allow anyone from her office to go in her place. *note to Mrs. Pelosi: that is NOT representation!* For more info about the Beach Impeach Projects, and some great photos from each, please visit http://www.blogger.com/www.beachimpeach.org Impeachment is NOT a waste of time, as so many like to say! Without it… as a quote from Gore Vidal “how eager are you to become slaves?” o IMPEACH! o Hopefully there will be many other Town Hall meetings with similar results that assault both Democratic and Republican Congresspersons - - to the degree that they will override Speaker Pelosi’s “Off the Table” attitude regarding impeachment. My only suggestion would be that they start off with the impeachment of Dick Cheney first, then within 48 hours start proceedings on the “Shrub.” Enough of Traitors and of Treason! George C. Brown No further editing necessary. o F THEY’RE IN VOTE THEM OUT. RETURE CONGRESS TO THE PEOPLE. AND DO THAT EVERY ELECTION UNTIL YOU GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT. IT’S TIME THE AMERICAN VOTERS THREW A TANTRUM. HOW ABOUT: FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS, NOBODY GETS MORE THAN ONE TERM. ALTERNATE TERMS FOR THE GOOD GUYS. AND LET’S GET ON WITH THE WORLD-WIDE BOYCOTT OF EXXON. WHY EXXON? WE DON’T REMEMBER DAVID AND HIS SLING SHOT BECAUSE HE KNOCKED DOWN THE second-BIGGEST PHILISTINE, DO WE? ALSO, TIRED OF THE KILLING?—-STOP SHOPPING. TAKE A NIGHT CLASS INSTEAD. GROW FOOD. MAKE SOMETHING FROM ALL THAT SHHT YOU ALREADY HAVE…HAVE FUN. o The PRINTED headline in the Oregonian did not read as above “Town Hall Crowd Calls for Bush Impeachment but rather, in much more dismissive terms “Impeachment fans goad lawmaker” http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1190600759119260.xml&coll=7n/index.ssf?/base/news/ 1190600759119260.xml&coll=7 In other words, they are merely fans, and they are doing it to annoy. I don’t know if that was exactly the same article or a different report of the same event, but it was a typical cheap shot from the Oregonian. o MPEACH or else, mr representative… or then call for special elections to recall your congressmen. Petition the government for redress of grievances (1st Ammendment) o Wow, Words Like Treason Are Now Being Used…… “Pax Americana”Paper, The World Takeover By The United States, was written in 1997 after the Taliban,”Students”, had decided that they would use Bridas Oil Company of Argentina to build the “Oil Pipeline” through Afghanistan. If there is any question that 9/11 involved more than 19 hijakers, those questions should be directed to the visual evidence and eyewitness testimony that was never allowed into testimony at hearings of the 9/11 Commission (An Act of Obstruction of Justice): WTC #7 was obviously a demolition job, the hole in the Pentagon was not made by a Boeing 757, the eight miles of debris from flight #93 does not coincide with the hole in the ground theory, the FBI stating that only 2 cell phone calls originated from flight #93 adds further questions…….. How can you get an independent investigation when Neo-Conservatives and allied Conservatives are in control of the FBI and have collaborated in the total cover up…. Are American Citizens Guilty of Treason ? Have the U.S.Congresses failed to “Preserve and Protect the U.S. Constitution”? Alan Greenspan said, “We are in Iraq because of the oil!” and he was castrated by the same corporate media that had supported his economic views for decades. Over 1 million people are dead or injured in Afghanistan and Iraq and neither country was ever a threat to U.S. Security. Iran is not a threat to our security. This has all been a propoganda game played out by thieves and murderers in grey suits who use Christianity as a shield to cover up their “Evil Actions”. Impeachment is a kind word for Cheney/Bush. o The Democrates are going to keep the Bush train wreck alive because they think its good for 08! They could care less about the death and distruction. I would love to understand why no one has stood-up to Bush, Rep or Dem or even other leaders. America is gone, we are rotting from within. The battle field in Iraq is not were are enemies are. We elected our enemies. o One solution would be for all concerned USAers to wear a black armband to work on Thor’s Day (Thor God of War) until the troops come home and maybe the people in Power (Those who declared the war ) are brought to justice. The monks are risking their lives every day in Rangoon. What are USaters risking ? Why are they asking their reps to be more courageous than them?? (The principle of RESPONSIBITY of the higher ups in war crimes was affirmed at Nuremberg by mostly American (US and Canada) lawyers and both our Govs agreeed.But now the USA is not part of a World Court it helped create. What is that called?? .The world watches to see when the USAstaers will march in the streets or wear a black armband to work.) Words are cheap ,commitment like grace is costly. (D. Bornhoffer writing in a Nazi prison 1943> o Rep. Blumenauer swore an oath of office- “to uphold and defend The Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.” The oath was not to defend the President, or to defend America, it was to defend The Constitution. Failing to do so is treason. At this point, there is no doubt that the Constitution has been dismantled by Bushco and the bribed/blackmailed/useful-idiots in Congress. Every town needs to call a town hall meeting like this one, then each Congresscritter must be confronted with his oath (on video, uploaded to youtube :) If s/he fails to act, this can be used against them in court. Likewise, the complicit media needs to feel the heat. Let them know (not just the big networks, but your local ‘public’ radio station as well) that if they do not allow these voices to be heard, then they are complicit in the crimes of this corrupt government. The board members and ranking officers should be faced with losing all of their personal assets. Lying to the people, enabling a fascist takeover is no small crime, and they must pay for their complicity. ps- aren’t there any patriotic cops that understand The Constitution? We need these heroic individuals to attend the town hall meetings to arrest the treasonous critters failing to uphold their oaths. o Get Cheney first - then the dumb guy. o Bush, Cheney, Rice and all of their Administrations should be (1) Impeached, effective, immediately and removed from their positions without any benefits or entitlements from the offices. (2) Charged with purgery for lieing to the US citizens and Congress. (3) Charged with attempted murder for all of the US Military Personnel, US Civilians, our Allies, and innocent Iraqi and Afghanistani people injured during the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. (4) Charged with First Degree Murder for all of the US Military Personnel, US Civilian, our Allies and innocent Afghanistan and Iraqi people killed. (5) Charged with the deliberate destruction and forced removal of the Afghanistani and Iraqi peoples homelands. (6) Enlisting known felonies and various other convicted personnel to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq along with our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, and receive all of the same military benefits. (7) Remove each Supreme Court Justice who voted that the first election of Bush and Cheney was legal. That is not their job. We should have had another national election. (8) Charge Rumsfeld with Attempted Murder, First Degree Murder, Purgery, Depraved Indifference to the suffering of people who had loved ones injured or killed or missing or tortured. (9) Charge Bush, Cheney, Rice and the Supreme Court Justices with Depraved Indifference to the suffering of people who had loved ones injured or killed or missing or tortured. (10) All of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and the Supreme Court Justices assets frozen, passport removed, considered a Flight Risk until an organized, detailed investigation is done. This investigation should be made-up of three people from each state and our protectorates and they cannot be or have served in politics locally (town or city), county, state or nationally. It must be a cross-representation of all economic, educational and jobs/careers/professions, including housewives, widows, widowers, retirees. One of the three must be a veteran. One of the three must be a parent or child of 12 years or above (Children 12 years of age or above are smarter than we usually give them credit for. Their minds are not as cluttered with a lot of things. They feel loss and pain too.); a spouse or sibling of a person who has served or is serving now in Afghanistan and/or Iraq. 3/4 of the members must have relatives serving in Iraq. Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld should be held in a federal prison before and during the investigation and not a “resort” or their homes or Camp David. If found guilty, they will go to a federal prison for the minimum term that any military personnel would have to serve according to the charges and law or be executed according to the charges and law. Then this should be made into a law so the future people serving in political offices will know that they will be held accountable for their words, actions, and deeds. It is time to make all politicians to take notice that we are not allwoing them to live in luxury off of our hard-earned paychecks and/or retirement and Social Security checks anymore, then lie to us and do as they please. This is a Country “of the people, by the people, for the people. Not of, for or by the lieing, wealthy and powerful politicains. You will be only as powerful as we allow you to be. It is time to start removing all politicians from office who do not have the self-respect, dignity and preserverence to stand-up and fight for what is right for all of the people and/or respect and love our Country. Also, it is time to change the lobbying laws so we will have the appropriate people put in positions who have the necessary knowledge, experience, decision making abilities and skills. Then there will not be anymore “Katrina Type” lack of action people in-charge. No more gift giving, including meals, private jets, sex and drug parties, etc. No more perks. It is time that we take our Country back. Do you want our Country back or not? o Also, confiscate all their funds to apply to the payment of the cost of the war(s) before any citizens’ tax money is used to pay for it… o Well from Portland to shining Portland…. Maine - Oregon! Identical response! Allen to Blumenauer! Black Tuesday! Today there is a similar march to the 2nd district Rep in Maine’s, Mike Michaud. I am NOT going to “waste MY beautiiful mind” ( to quote Barbara Bush) and a gift of a 90o day in late Sept. Maine, scrounging for $ to put diesel fuel in tank, up .25c per gal. from 2 weeks ago to drive to the city to hear the same thing from him. “There is more important business for Congress than Impeaching the President. After choking up my last $130 for 50 gal of oil ( who knew it would be 90o a week later..unheard of in coastal Maine,) even though I have already applied for HEAP, I have to limp through without money for food, until Oct 3rd when I get my next meager SS income, $45. 00 of it prespent on a post dated check to bleed & start the furnace. NOW Sens. SNowe & Collins are urging Bush to turn over Fed funds to LIHEAP by the end of Sept. TOO LATE FOR ME! Wonder if they woukd persoinally send me a check for groceries?? The bottom line….. Bushco is cooking the books on cost of living increase, excluding food, fuel and one other item (?) from the calculation of the cost of living index. SInce food, fuel, utilities,are the ONLY items I can afford to buy from month to month, this makes fora really dreary lifestyle! Worse than that they are taking (Stealing) 78 BILLION dollars, from the yearly collected social security, to spend on the military industrial complex, private contacters etc. and replacing them with IOU’s! ( source senior editor of Fortune MAgazine.) Kids! You; the steel brained 30 somethings who earn your living defending the Bosses RULES; THAT”S YOUR retirement! You will have to go on defending the RULES until you drop! At least I get something! YOU will get nothing, nada! And don’t let the man fool you into a private account, 30-40% will be taken by the bank handling the account! Bush is now going to trot around wasting fuel all over the place to pitch his privitization of SS scam, in a futile effort to protect his “legacy?” I guess one reason I am not going to the rally today is that I don’t trust myself not to start screaming and throwing things, and get tasered or thrown in jail; it is a full moon today! o Impeachment Town Hall April 24 From: Cynthia Papermaster Sent on: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 3:58 PM David, We've got the big Grand Lake Theater in Oakland for the 24th. The guy who owns the theatre, Allan Michaud, is a big impeachment fan and his marquee always has a radical message-- like "Impeach Pelosi." He's charging $300 instead of the regular price of $1000! Next I'll work on your flight, invite the other guests, including Lee, Pete Stark, and Lynn Woolsey, & Zoe Lofgren, get groups to endorse,and bring my team together to set the event up and do the promotion. I'll also send you a very brief report on the b lee meeting. Sorry we don't have pictures or video. It would be fantastic-- for you as well as us-- if you could stay for the BEACH IMPEACH, hopefully happening on the 26th, with the Cindy Sheehan appearance and all. It's an experience of a lifetime to participate in these actions. Maybe you could leave right afterwards for your VA event? Also, might you want to bring your wife & baby? I have frequent flyer miles. CP O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O CALIFORNIA IRAQ TOWN HALLS In a nation opposed to the occupation of Iraq, the opposition party is preparing to shell out another $102 billion of our grandchildren's money to continue it. Our nation has come so far in seven years that the president and vice president openly admit to authorizing torture in blatant violation of the Eighth Amendment, longstanding US laws and treaties, and new legislation signed into law by the same president. Yet our representatives in Congress refuse to hold impeachment hearings. The wealthiest nation on earth cannot provide health care to its citizens. Where are our priorities? All over the country, citizens are holding public town hall meetings to discuss this question. You can find one near you or get involved in planning one at: http://iraqtownhalls.com/ Here are three coming up in California: *** VENTURA / OJAI ON APRIL 22 The Ojai Peace Coalition has partnered with Citizens for Impeachment, Integrity Now, VC Stop the War, and others to present "Are Peace and Impeachment Possible? Strategies for Saving our Constitution, Economy, and Environment." WHEN: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 5:30pm WHERE: Ojai Retreat, 160 Besant Road, Ojai, Calif. WHO: David Swanson, co-founder of afterdowningstreet.org and a leading Constitutional Advocate from Washington, D.C.; and Phil Cohen, local member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors and Ventura and Ojai City Council Members will be invited to attend. WHAT: Reception begins at 5:30pm with food and drinks, followed by lecture promptly at 7:00pm, and a town-hall open mike beginning at 8:00pm. A $10. contribution is suggested for the entire event , but no one will be turned away. SPONSORS: The event is being organized by Ventura County Citizens for Impeachment and the Ojai Peace Coalition. Endorsements have been received from Veterans for Peace; Ventura County Stop the War; The Peace Coalition of Greater Ventura; Integrity Now, Ojai; the Center for Conscious Change and others. CONTACT: Roslyn Sherman 805-218-1199, or John Azevedo 805-640-3650 Johnazevedo2@gmail.com *** SAN LUIS OBISPO ON APRIL 23 A town hall meeting on "Funding the Iraq War, Impeachment, Healthcare?" WHEN: Wednesday, April 23, 7:00 p.m. WHERE: Ludwick Center, 864 Santa Rosa, SLO, Calif., (corner of Santa Rosa & Mill) WHO: Guest speaker nationally recognized journalist and peace & justice activist, David Swanson WHAT: Let your voice be heard, leave with a plan and a group to work with. suggested donation $10 /$5 students & seniors SPONSORS: Sponsored by Information Press, Earth Day Alliance, CodePink SLO,Progressive Democrats of San Luis Obispo County and Democrats.com. CONTACT: For information call (805) 544-5135. *** OAKLAND ON APRIL 24 CodePink and Democrats.com present a Town Hall With David Swanson in Oakland on "Are Peace and Impeachment Possible?" WHEN: Thursday, April 24, 7-9 p.m. WHERE: Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Avenue, Oakland, Calif. WHO: Special Guest: Prominent Peace & Impeachment Activist David Swanson, afterdowningstreet.org & democrats.com. Speakers: Daniel Ellsberg, famed whistle-blower who helped end the Vietnam War; Elizabeth De La Vega, former Assistant U.S. Attorney, author "United States v. George W. Bush"; Norman Solomon, filmmaker,"War Made Easy"; Medea Benjamin, co-founder CodePink; Debra Sweet, World Can't Wait; Cindy Sheehan, Peace heroine; Phil Burk, Impeachment Procedure Expert; Shirley Golub, Candidate for Pelosi’s seat, June Primary; Max Anderson, Berkeley City Council. WHAT: Speakers will present promising strategies for ending the war, preventing a new one, & saving our constitution and economy. We ask Bay Area Congress members to refuse Bush's demand for another $102 billion for war & to file their own resolutions for immediate impeachment hearings. Heroes of Peace & Impeachment honored, film, music, CodePink skit, door prizes! Shahid Buttar, poet & hip-hop MC will perform. Reserve tickets: Grand Lake 510-452-3556. $10 at door; $8 advance (Black Oak Books, Pendragon Books) Sliding scale:unemployed, students, retirees. Wheelchair accessible. SPONSORS: Endorsers: Progressive Democrats of America, CodePink, Veterans for Peace, Gold Star Families for Peace, democrats.com, Hip Hop Caucus, The Nation, TrueMajority, Global Exchange, Silicon Valley Impeachment Coalition, East Bay Impeach Bush-Cheney, District 9 Impeachment Coalition, California Impeachment Coalition, Brad Newsham Beach Impeach, Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance, World Can't Wait. CONTACT: cynthia_papermaster@yahoo.com O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O SANTA ROSA CITY COUNSEL PROCLAMATION o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o web1.ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/City_Hall/City_Council/2007/071204pdf/Item14.1.pdf o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Cotati CA May Call for Bush-Cheney Impeachment Submitted by Chip on Wed, 2008-07-09 05:54. * Activism * Impeachment o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Cotati may call for Bush's impeachment Cotati May Call for Bush-Cheney Impeachment By PAUL PAYNE THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Cotati’s politically liberal City Council on Wednesday is expected to pass a resolution calling for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Cotati would be the third Sonoma County city to approve such a measure, following Sebastopol two years ago and Santa Rosa in December. Petaluma and Rohnert Park have rejected similar initiatives. The impeachment resolution, which is largely symbolic, would be entered into the Congressional Record and sent to the House Judiciary Committee, according to a Web site run by the Progressive Democrats of Sonoma County. Ninety cities have passed impeachment resolutions, according to the site. Cotati council members agreed 4-1 in June to place the item on the agenda for consideration. Councilwoman Patty Minnis was the dissenting voice, saying Congressional leaders have already ruled out the possibility of impeachment before Bush leaves office in five months. o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Here are some of the highlights from the Detroit Impeachment Town Hall Discussion from May 29, 2007. The event took place at the Central United Methodist Church. The panel included JoAnn Watson, Bill Goodman, Jack Lessenbery, Maureen Taylor, Ann Wright, and Ray McGovern. For more info please visit http://www.miimpeach.org%20or%20http://www.myspace.com/miimpeach

o

Faces Against Torture

Watch retired U.S. military officers speak out against torture:

"Bleeding Afghanistan"

Interview with Sonali Kolhatkar

By Mike Whitney

31/07/08 "ICH" -- - 1--Mike Whitney: On a recent stopover in France, Barack Obama said, "We must win in Afghanistan. There is no other option." Recent polls, however, show that public support for the war in Afghanistan has fallen off sharply. In fact, many American's don't even know why we are still there. Is there a big difference between what "winning" means to the Bush administration and what it means to the people of Afghanistan? Also, have you seen any indication that the Bush administration intends to keep its promises and establish security, rebuild the country's infrastructure, spread democracy, remove the warlords, liberate women, and "modernize" Afghanistan or was that all just a public relations smokescreen to promote the invasion?

Sonali Kolhatkar: I’m really not sure what Bush, Obama, and McCain mean when they say they want to win in Afghanistan. And, I'm not sure they know either. It's probably just a public-relations gimmick to sound “tough on terror.” But, judging from what we've seen, they seem to think that “winning” means killing every last “terrorist” in Afghanistan. That sort of thinking is based on false assumptions and it's an unattainable goal. As far as the Afghans are concerned; I think they would like to see an end to the fighting and a safe Afghanistan where human rights are respected. They also want justice for past crimes. For the US to achieve this, they will have to denounce their proxy soldiers, the Northern Alliance, and support a "justice and accountability" process led by the Afghan people.

The US will also have to address the widespread poverty and provide long-term economic solutions that give Afghans hope for the future. The US will also have to create viable alternatives to the production of heroin, so that poor farmers don't have to depend on the sale of illicit narcotics to survive. That means Bush will have to support multi-lateral peacekeepers to protect the Afghan people from the Northern Alliance and Taliban. Most importantly, the US will have to end the occupation and withdraw its troops. But of course, that probably won’t happen any time soon. After all, the real goal of the invasion was vengeance for 9/11. All the promises of liberation and democracy were a just “PR-ploy” to make Americans feel better about seeking revenge.

2--MW: Critics of the invasion say that it had nothing to do with Al Qaida or "liberating" the Afghan people from the Taliban, but with establishing military outposts in a geopolitically strategic part of Central Asia in order to surround China, intimidate Russia, and open up pipeline corridors to the resource-rich Caspian Basin. So, what is Obama up to? Why is he calling for more troops and greater commitment from the other NATO members? Is he serious about spreading democracy and fighting Islamic extremism or is the war on terror just a smokescreen so he can carry out an imperial agenda?

Sonali Kolhatkar: I think the primary goal of the war was always vengeance, but the neocons also wanted to pave the way for an attack on Iraq. Bush wanted to go to Iraq even before 9/11. Unfortunately for him, Al Qaeda was holed up in Afghanistan so he had to invade there first and build support for attacking Iraq. It's true that the long term goals could be military bases (John McCain said last year that he wanted permanent military bases in Afghanistan), and pipeline corridors (Clinton was most closely linked to supporting pipeline contracts between US corporations like UNOCAL and the Taliban before 2000). But I’m not sure how much Bush cared about those long-term objectives even though future presidents will surely capitalize on them.

As far as Obama’s motives, I think he just wants to get elected. But he knows that he cannot be against all wars, only an unpopular one. He knows that a candidate that is against all wars will not win in November.

He's talked about withdrawing from Iraq, but that's because it's a popular position with the public. But he's also planning to increase troop levels in Afghanistan because he is not being pressured by the American people. Americans may be unclear about why our troops are there, but they are not organized or speaking out against the Afghanistan war. Obama needs a war like Afghanistan, because it was a haven for Al Qaida and that makes him look “tough on terror.” That will help him win more votes from anti-Iraq war conservatives and independents.


3--MW: The United States has occupied Afghanistan for seven years now. Has life gotten better for the people or worse? Is there any security beyond the capital of Kabul or are the US and NATO troops stretched too thin? Do the people generally support the ongoing occupation or are they getting frustrated by the lack of progress and want to see the US go?


Sonali Kolhatkar: Initially, life got better for many Afghans, particularly in Kabul. That's because the Taliban had been routed and the people felt somewhat safe as well as relieved. But as the warlords took over positions of power, attitudes changed. It has gotten much worse, now that the Taliban have returned and the occupation forces are killing more civilians than the Taliban.

Kabul is a bit more secure than the rest of the country. But Kabul is also the warlords’ seat of power. Most of them are even members of Parliament, so people are frequently abused and live in fear.

Beyond Kabul, things vary dramatically depending on where you go. In the parts of the country with the heaviest concentrations of US/NATO troops; Afghans are frequently rounded-up, detained, tortured, bombed, or shot by foreign troops just as in Iraq.

In other parts of the country, where the Taliban are strong; girls schools are blown up, civilians are killed in suicide bombings, and journalists, teachers, and elected officials are harassed or murdered.

Those areas controlled by warlords are ruled with an iron hand, where extreme interpretations of sharia law rule the day, and women suffer rape and degradation.

No matter where you go in Afghanistan, there is utter, grinding poverty. The US occupation has not changed that at all. People are very frustrated, particularly with the US puppet Hamid Karzai. They blame Karzai for the high number of civilian casualties. They also dislike the way he has pardoned some of the warlords and Taliban leaders.

As far as the occupation goes, people were somewhat supportive of it originally, but as conditions have deteriorated, they have begun to see the presence of foreign troops as a big part of the problem. I would say that a majority of Afghans now want the US and NATO to leave as soon as possible.


4--MW: Is the US military mainly fighting the Taliban or is the the armed-resistance more complex than that? I read recently that the so-called Taliban is actually a confederation of about a dozen disparate groups and tribes that have bonded together with the common goal of ending foreign occupation and that the main reason their ranks are swelling is because of the US military's indiscriminate killing of civilians? Could you clarify this point?

Sonali Kolhatkar: It's hard to understand the nature of the anti-US resistance, but it's a very important issue. Unfortunately,the media coverage only makes it more confusing. The fighters that are called the “Taliban” are actually a mix of "former" Taliban and newly enlisted Pashtun fighters trained in Pakistan. Many of them are just disgruntled Afghan civilians whose families and loved ones have been killed and/or tortured by US/NATO forces. Recruiting is always easy when you can show that foreign soldiers are killing more civilians that the "so-called" enemy. But we should be careful to not glorify the resistance. It is strictly fundamentalist and would not be a good option for Afghans in terms of future leadership. The vast majority of Afghans are moderate Muslims who strongly disagree with the Taliban's extremist ideology, but they have joined the struggle to bring an end to the occupation. But, of course, their troubles won't disappear just because the American forces leave. They'll still be stuck with the Taliban and the warlords. When the Soviet occupation ended in the late 1980s, the US-backed warlords began their reign of terror on the people between 1992 to 1996. That could happen again. These same warlords (or Taliban) could once again spread misery and death across Afghanistan. War is an entropic force that cannot be undone by simply hitting a rewind button.

5--MW: What will happen if the US military leaves Afghanistan? Is withdrawal the best solution or do you see another, perhaps, less bloody, alternative?

Sonali Kolhatkar: There are always less bloody alternatives, but withdrawal is the first step in a long and complex process. As I’ve said before, Afghanistan’s solutions do not fit neatly on a placard. Perhaps that's why anti-war activists don’t take a clear stand against this war. The withdrawal of US/NATO forces must be accompanied by other developments, like disempowering the warlords in parliament who have a long history of US-supported impunity. This disempowering must include an "Afghan-led" disarmament of their private militias; removing them from political power, and holding them accountable for their past crimes through criminal prosecution of some sort.

There must also be a "transitional" UN peacekeeping force that maintains security and protects ordinary people the fundamentalists (Taliban and Northern Alliance) But they must make sure that they don't target civilians.

There must also be economic justice in the form of reparations (matching the money that has been spent on weapons since 1979, dollar-for-dollar) and a plan to build up local industries, create jobs, and provide alternatives to poppy farming.

There must be political justice so that dissidents can come out of the shadows and run for office or participate in the rebuilding their national institutions. When the Afghan people decide that it's time for the peacekeepers to leave; they should go.

Can such a solution work?

Perhaps. But for this, or any other idea to work, the US occupation must end. That's the first big step to recovery.

6--MW: There is a very brave and outspoken woman in the Afghan parliament, named Malalai Joya. She has repeatedly put her own life at risk by denouncing the warlords and calling for an end to the US occupation. She has consistently called out for human rights and real democracy. Has the Bush administration done anything at all to promote or protect courageous women who embody "liberal values" like Malalai Joya?


Sonali Kolhatkar: Women like Malalai Joya are "inconvenient" for the Bush administration. That's because Joya echoes the will of her people in calling for an end to warlords, AND an end to the US occupation. Bush and his cohorts like to promote the type of women who quietly accept the US narrative and show gratitude for being “saved by the Americans.” In fact, there are very few such women like that in Afghanistan. Joya speaks for millions of Afghan women when she denounces the warlords. And she has repeatedly put herself in danger. She has nearly been killed at least four times! What this means is that women’s rights are available only to women who do not exercise their rights. And it not just Malalai Joya who is putting herself at risk due to her political activism. I have personally worked very closely with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), and they have been saying the same things for years. Still, RAWA cannot operate openly without putting themselves in danger of physical harm; so they must carry out their work underground.

RAWA has NEVER received any offer of help from the US government (although they would refuse it if it anyway to remain politically independent) Like Joya, the women of RAWA are inconvenient – they do not need to be "saved" by America. But they do need a safe Afghanistan and they deserve international solidarity for their brave human rights work.

7--MW: The invasion of Afghanistan was promoted as a humanitarian intervention to save the Afghans from the brutal Taliban regime. How would you advise people who now think we should take similar action in Darfur to stop the killing there? Is military invasion an acceptable way to address injustice or spread democracy?

Sonali Kolhatkar: I’m not sure I have a definitive answer to that question, but I do think it is one that progressives need to grapple with. Too often, we in the West are very selective when it comes to the causes we support. Only when the US is directly involved do activists choose to oppose a regime. Before the US war in Afghanistan, when the country was being destroyed by the warlords and then the Taliban, it was not seen as a cause worth taking on by American activists. But if the people are being oppressed by someone else, we ignore it. The sad truth is that until progressives come up strategies for dealing with repressive regimes, we'll always just be reacting to unjust interventions by our government.

Military options are always the worst. Even so, diplomacy can be nearly as corrupt if it means compromising with criminals and warlords and giving them whatever they want in exchange for peace. Peace without justice is meaningless. We could have peace now in Afghanistan if we were willing to give the warlords and Taliban ultimate power. In fact, there was a kind of “peace” under the Taliban. But is that what we want?

If we want real justice we need to figure out a reasonable way to deal with injustice. We need to create alternatives that involve people-to-people solidarity and democracy that can transform society. For example, one way we could have dealt with the Taliban without invading would have been for individual Americans (not our government) to financially and morally support the subversive (and non-violent) work of groups like RAWA. That way, Afghans would have been able to change their country by themselves without foreign intervention and massive destruction. Indeed, RAWA supports change from within and have called on their people to rise up. But their effectiveness has limited by a lack of resources to help them get the word out while organizing underground. Solidarity with groups like RAWA (and there may be similar ones in Darfur) is one long-term, progressive alternative to foreign intervention.

BIO: Sonali Kolhatkar is the host and producer of Uprising, a popular radio program through Pacifica Network, that airs on stations around the country. She is also the Co-Director of Afghan Women's Mission, a US-based non-profit organization that works in solidarity with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). She is the co-author, with James Ingalls, of Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence (Seven Stories 2006). More information at www.afghanwomensmission.org , www.rawa.org .