Pat Tillman's Legacy

by Kevin Tillman truthdig posted October 20, 2006 (web only)

(Kevin Tillman is a former Major League Baseball player who left the Anaheim Angels after September 11, 2001 to enlist in the United States Army. With his brother, former National Football League star Pat Tillman, he completed training for the elite Army Ranger school in late 2002, and were assigned to the second battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Lewis, Washington. Both Pat and Kevin Tillman were deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In 2004, Pat Tillman was killed in combat while in Afghanistan by friendly fire.

As the elections approach, a former soldier, grieving the friendly-fire death of his brother in combat, asks how the most respected country in the world has become so irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted? November 6, 2006 (web))

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It is Pat Tillman's birthday 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 Ame rican 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 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 interest ing 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 who 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 ap athy 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.

Stephen Colbert Interviews a Congressman Who Wants the Ten Commandments Posted in Public Buildings

Frist calls for withdrawal from Afghanistan and inclusion of Taliban in government. HUH????

Why aren't the major papers playing the following AP wire story up big time:

Frist: Taliban Should Be in Afghan Gov't
By JIM KRANEAssociated Press Writer/ Oct 2, 7:56 PM EDT

QALAT, Afghanistan (AP) --
(AP) U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Monday that the Afghan war against Taliban guerrillas can never be won militarily and urged support for efforts to bring "people who call themselves Taliban" and their allies into the government.

The Tennessee Republican said he learned from briefings that Taliban fighters were too numerous and had too much popular support to be defeated on the battlefield.

"You need to bring them into a more transparent type of government," Frist said during a brief visit to a U.S. and Romanian military base in the southern Taliban stronghold of Qalat. "And if that's accomplished, we'll be successful."

Frist said he had hoped the U.S. would be able to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan soon.

--- From Greetings - THIS IS NUTS! This is the same group that says, "Stay the course in Iraq", a country that didn't house Al Qaeda and didn't attack us. The Democrats, thankfully, call for us to step up our hunt for Bin Laden in the area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. At the same time, Bush has OK'd Pakistan's agreement with the chiefs in the areas where Bin Laden has been hiding!!

So - the Republican/Bush/Frist strategy? Let Al Qaeda stay in Pakistan. Leave them alone. Cut and Run in Afghanistan where there IS a Democratic government fighting Al Qaeda. And stay in a war that was unwarranted to begin with and increases ill will towards the U.S. and growth of terrorists worldwide. Yet, skip the real war in Afghanistan and allow Bin Laden to remain unchallenged in Pakistan??

Please - where are Larry, Moe, and Curly when we need them? Oh, never mind. I know. They're in the White House.

IssuesPA/Pew Poll and Election '06: Regional Differences and Political Values -- Focus on Southwestern PA

(October 2006) The IssuesPA/Pew poll provides detailed information about differences in political attitudes across the regions of the state.

Southwestern PA region includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties.

Overview: The Democrats have a big edge in party ID in Southwestern PA, but the the local populace leans to the right ideologically, creating opportunities for GOP candidates to do well here. Gun control has less support in the region, and there is more support for a muscular foreign policy. The older, more culturally conservative population finds the concept of “English only” more attractive. With President Bush’s ratings down, however, it will be more difficult this year for GOP candidates to get the crossover votes they need from Democrats to carry the region.

Distinguishing Political Values: More likely to think protecting gun owners’ rights should take priority over gun control. More likely see military strength, not diplomacy, as the best path to peace. The use of second languages in public schools and official communications tends to be rejected, in favor of making English the official language.

Key Beliefs - Percent of Southwestern PA/Percent Statewide

Gun owners’ rights are more important than gun control - 57/47

Military strength is the best way to ensure peace - 40/33

English should be the official language of the U.S. - 67/59

Religion and Church Attendance: Religious affiliation in the Southwestern PA is similar to statewide figures – 37% non-Evangelical Protestant, 34% Catholic, and 20% Evangelical Protestant. Church attendance rates are above average (38% weekly or more often).

Party ID/Ideology: The Democrats have a sizable advantage in party ID in the region (45% Democrat/25% Republican) but there are fewer liberal Democrats here (7%) than in any other region. In contrast, Southwestern PA Republicans tend to more ideological. The region includes 17% conservative Republicans but only 8% moderate to liberal Republicans.

Opinion of George W. Bush: 39% approve, 52% disapprove

Candidate Preferences: Despite being from the region, Rick Santorum and Lynn Swann both trail their Democratic opponents. Casey’s more conservative views on social issues like abortion might explain his big lead in the Senate race here (58%-27%). Ed Rendell has not been a popular figure recently in Southwestern PA but he still has a marginal lead (52%-45%) over former Steeler great Lynn Swann.

G.O.P. Aides Knew in Late '05 of Illicit E-Mail from Republican Congressman to Teen Page

By CARL HULSE and RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

Top House Republicans knew for months about e-mail between Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret.The exchanges began with what Republicans now describe as an “overfriendly” e-mail message from Mr. Foley to the unidentified teenager.

But news reports about the exchanges led to the disclosure of e-mail correspondence with other former pages in which the discussions became more and more sexually explicit. Shortly after he was confronted by ABC News on Friday about the subject, Mr. Foley, who represented a south Florida district, resigned from the House.

Among those who became aware earlier this year of the fall 2005 communications between Mr. Foley and the 16-year-old page, who worked for Representative Rodney Alexander, Republican of Louisiana, were Representative John A. Boehner, the majority leader, and Representative Thomas M. Reynolds of New York, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Mr. Reynolds said in a statement Saturday that he had also personally raised the issue with Speaker J. Dennis Hastert.

For full article http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/washington/01foley.html?th&emc=th

From Greetings
- Amazingly, if members of congress tried to hide what - for any other ordinary citizen (or Democratic congressperson) - would likely be a crime with immediate charges and/or imprisonment, then who will call for a full investigation? Who will ask for charges for anyone who knowingly was involved in this issue? And who will stop playing politics?