Thursday, December 20, 2012

Tell President Obama: Keep Wolves Protected

The Obama administration is poised to lift Endangered Species Act protections for many wolves around the country, including those living in the Pacific Northwest, the southern Rocky Mountains and the Northeast. The decision could come any day, so we need your help now to keep those protections in place.

Although the recovery of wolves in the northern Rockies and the Great Lakes has been a success, the job of returning wolves to the American landscape is still far from complete. Wolves in the lower 48 occupy just 5 percent of their historic range and there are still hundreds of square miles of prime wolf habitat around the country that are unoccupied. These incredible predators won’t return and thrive in those areas if the government strips their Endangered Species Act protections. As we’ve seen in places like Wyoming and Idaho, hundreds of wolves have been hunted and trapped since they were pulled off the endangered species list.

Please tell President Obama and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service not to give up on America’s wolves.

Take action here: http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY...

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Michael wants you to take action on "Stop Logging in Endangered Forest Areas!"!

Michael Love has just read and signed the petition: Stop Logging in Endangered Forest Areas!

You can view this petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/546/715/757/

Message from Michael Love:
-----

Hi, I signed the petition "Stop Logging in Endangered Forest Areas!". I'm asking you to sign this petition to help us reach our goal of 5,000 signatures. I care deeply about this cause, and I hope you will support our efforts.

-----

ThePetitionSite.com provides tools and empowers individuals to make a difference and effect positive change through online activism. Get connected with the causes you care about, take action to make the world a better place, and start your own petition at http://www.ThePetitionSite.com!

ThePetitionSite.com is powered by Care2, the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world. www.care2.com

You decide. Social Security or Pentagon waste?

Social Security benefit cuts are part of the emerging fiscal showdown deal. But the deal includes only $100 billion in cuts to the bloated Pentagon budget!

We need to make our voices heard NOW.

Help us send a clear message to the White House and Congress: Don’t cut Social Security! Cut wasteful Pentagon spending!

The so-called Chained CPI adjustment, the terrible idea with the terrible name, would reduce benefits that America’s seniors rely on to survive. Social Security benefits average less than $15,000 a year and nearly 40% of seniors rely on Social Security for more than 90% of their income.

Social Security benefits should be off the table because Social Security doesn’t add a nickel to the deficit and there’s much more than $100 billion to cut from the Pentagon. Even though the United States spends more on its military than the next 19 countries combined, for far too long, it has been taboo to even suggest small and strategic cuts to the Pentagon budget. But we know that how we spend our resources is just as important as how much we spend.

Join USAction and RootsAction today: Don’t cut Social Security to pay for Pentagon waste!

Instead of wasting billions on outdated Cold War-era weapons systems that even the military says it does not want, we can reshape our armed forces for the 21st century and use the savings to invest in programs that strengthen our economy, generate new jobs and meet the needs of our returning veterans.

As budget negotiations heat up in Congress, we know we’re facing an uphill battle. In his parting address, President Eisenhower warned us against an entrenched military industrial complex — and boy was he right.

Even though the war in Iraq is over, and the drawdown in Afghanistan continues, Pentagon contractor CEOs making up to $26,000,000 a year are lobbying their friends in Washington to protect their exorbitant salaries and corporate profits, at the expense of middle class and military families.

Enough is enough. Click here to send a clear message to the White House and Congress that they were elected to represent America's working and middle class families, not corporate CEOs getting rich off of our bloated Pentagon budget.

http://action.usaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=473&track=taf

Saturday, December 8, 2012

US Military Detains More Than 200 Afghan Teens as 'Enemy Combatants'

via (title unknown) by lauren on 12/8/12

More than 200 Afghan teenagers have been captured and detained by the US military, the United States told the United Nations in a very troubling report distributed this week.

In recent years, the US has received criticism from a number of human rights organizations for failing to meet commitments to protect children in war zones.

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read more

US Military Detains More Than 200 Afghan Teens as 'Enemy Combatants'

Donate to keep Syrian refugees warm! #KEEPUSWARM2

The

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Liberation News - Headlines: Chemical weapons: the new rationale for attack on Syria

Politics News and Opinion on The Huffington Post: Raymond J. Learsy: Syria, Iran and the Specter of Sarin Gas

Denver Post: News: National: U.S. prepares for worst-case scenario on Syrian chemical weapons

Denver Post: News: National: Russia fumes at U.S. bill as "reset" plan takes hit

PRESS TV RSS News: Jordanian forces open fire toward Syria

World news and comment from the Guardian | : France funds new push to oust Assad

LIVE NOW! We are at $3225! LET'S KEEP IT GOING GUYS :) DONATION LINK:...

Amazing. Please donate. : Syrian Student Association of Ottawa freezes to raise money for Syrian refugees

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ATTENTION!Activists in Ottawa are spending 2 hrs under the snow in shorts & tank-tops to raise money&awareness about 1/3

LIVE NOW! We are at $2250 and Oppa Gangam Style is going on! :D KEEP DONATING for more cool dares!...

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WATCH LIVE: Five guys in Ottawa are freezing to raise money for freezing 'n refugees.

|| عـاجـل || وقوع 20 اصابة في صفوف شباب حزب الحرية والعدالة بالخانكة بعد هجوم البلطجية علي المقر . مراسلنا : محمد عبدالجواد.

LIVE NOW! DONATE TO KEEP THE ACTIVISTS WARM FOR 3 MINS BUT SYRIAN REFUGEES FOR THE ENTIRE WINTER!

Today's the day! will being in a few minutes. Here's the link. Again, this event is, after the...

(1) KeepUsWarm2 to Keep a Refugee Warm | Live Event | أبقونا دافئئين 2 | بث مباشر

WATCH LIVE: Five guys in Ottawa are freezing to raise money for freezing 'n refugees.

divdivdivdiv

SSAO | #KeepUsWarm2 | Live Event http://bit.ly/SVuRJU

SSAO | #KeepUsWarm2 | Live Event http://bit.ly/SVuRJU

WATCH LIVE: Five guys in Ottawa are freezing to raise money for freezing #Syria'n refugees. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm6h9uB6xJ4 … #KeepUsWarm2

WATCH LIVE: Five guys in Ottawa are freezing to raise money for freezing 'n refugees.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Pentagon, #CIA Lines Blur as US Wars Step Further into Shadows #dia #spies

via (title unknown) by jacob on 12/2/12

The Pentagon has announced plans to implement a heavy increase in spies around the world as part of a new espionage network comparable to the CIA that is likely to increase covert US strikes overseas.

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read more

Pentagon, #CIA Lines Blur as US Wars Step Further into Shadows #dia #spies

via (title unknown) by jacob on 12/2/12

The Pentagon has announced plans to implement a heavy increase in spies around the world as part of a new espionage network comparable to the CIA that is likely to increase covert US strikes overseas.

[field_image_caption-raw]

read more

Friday, November 30, 2012

The Humiliation of Bradley Manning

via Antiwar.com Original by Ray McGovern on 11/28/12

It is a bitter irony that Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, whose conscience compelled him to leak evidence about the U.S. military brass ignoring evidence of torture in Iraq, was himself the victim of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment while other military officers privately took note but did nothing. That was one of the revelations at [...]

2012-11-29 Quantico psychiatrist: Bradley Manning treated worse than death r...

2012-11-29 Quantico psychiatrist: Bradley Manning treated worse than death r...

via WL Central by admin on 11/29/12

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

Ft. Meade, MD November 29, 2012 - Yesterday at Bradley Manning's Article 13 hearing, professional military psychiatrist Captain Kevin Moore testified that Bradley Manning's pretrial confinement conditions at Quantico military brig were worse than that of any other long-term pretrial prisoner he'd observed. He added that Bradley's restrictive conditions, including being held in a 6x8 foot cell, having access to only 20 minutes of sunshine and exercise per day, and being deprived of basic items such as clothing and toilet paper for periods of time, were most comparable to yet still more severe than conditions of prisoners he'd observed on death row.

read more

EXCLUSIVE: Julian Assange on WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning, Cypherpunks, Survei...

via Democracy Now! by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!) on 11/29/12

Julian_assange

In his most extended interview in months, Julian Assange speaks to Democracy Now! from inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has been holed up for nearly six months. Assange vowed WikiLeaks would persevere despite attacks against it. On Tuesday, the European Commission announced that the credit card company Visa did not break the European Union’s antitrust rules by blocking donations to WikiLeaks. "Since the blockade was erected in December 2010, WikiLeaks has lost 95 percent of the donations that were attempted to be transferred to us over that period. ... Our rightful and natural growth, our ability to publish as much as we would like, our ability to defend ourselves and our sources, has been diminished by that blockade." Assange also speaks about his new book, "Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet." "The mass surveillance and mass interception that is occurring to all of us now who use the internet is also a mass transfer of power from individuals into extremely sophisticated state and private intelligence organizations and their cronies," he says. Assange also discusses the United States’ targeting of WikiLeaks. "The Pentagon is maintaining a line that WikiLeaks inherently, as an institution that tells military and government whistleblowers to step forward with information, is a crime. They allege we are criminal, moving forward," Assange says. "Now, the new interpretation of the Espionage Act that the Pentagon is trying to hammer in to the legal system, and which the Department of Justice is complicit in, would mean the end of national security journalism in the United States." [includes rush transcript]

EXCLUSIVE: Julian Assange on WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning, Cypherpunks, Survei...

via Democracy Now! by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!) on 11/29/12

Julian_assange

In his most extended interview in months, Julian Assange speaks to Democracy Now! from inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has been holed up for nearly six months. Assange vowed WikiLeaks would persevere despite attacks against it. On Tuesday, the European Commission announced that the credit card company Visa did not break the European Union’s antitrust rules by blocking donations to WikiLeaks. "Since the blockade was erected in December 2010, WikiLeaks has lost 95 percent of the donations that were attempted to be transferred to us over that period. ... Our rightful and natural growth, our ability to publish as much as we would like, our ability to defend ourselves and our sources, has been diminished by that blockade." Assange also speaks about his new book, "Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet." "The mass surveillance and mass interception that is occurring to all of us now who use the internet is also a mass transfer of power from individuals into extremely sophisticated state and private intelligence organizations and their cronies," he says. Assange also discusses the United States’ targeting of WikiLeaks. "The Pentagon is maintaining a line that WikiLeaks inherently, as an institution that tells military and government whistleblowers to step forward with information, is a crime. They allege we are criminal, moving forward," Assange says. "Now, the new interpretation of the Espionage Act that the Pentagon is trying to hammer in to the legal system, and which the Department of Justice is complicit in, would mean the end of national security journalism in the United States." [includes rush transcript]

Bradley Manning Testimony Reveals Brig Counselor Deception Regarding Abusive...

Bradley Manning Testimony Reveals Brig Counselor Deception Regarding Abusive...

via (title unknown) by jacob on 11/30/12

Yesterday at Ft. Meade, MD, WikiLeaks whistle-blower PFC Bradley Manning testified for the first time. After occupying the stand over 5 hours for defense questioning, it was announced that the government's cross-examination would begin today at 9:30am EST. Bradley Manning told a detailed story about his pretrial conditions from the time he was arrested and brought to Kuwait through his nine months of harsh Prevention-of-Injury (POI) watch in the military brig in Quantico, VA, and finally to his experience being transferred to Ft. Leavenworth, KS, in April of 2011.

read more

Quantico Psychiatrist: Military's Mistreatment of Pfc. Manning 'Unprecedented'

via (title unknown) by jon on 11/29/12

The government psychiatrist charged with evaluating Pfc. Bradley Manning during his early detention at the military brig at Quantico told the judge at a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday that his recommendations for the Manning's treatment were repeatedly ignored by the Marine guard unit responsible for him.

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read more

Quantico Psychiatrist: Military's Mistreatment of Pfc. Manning 'Unprecedented'

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Indefinite detention

Friends,

I just received this important action alert from Demand Progress:

The 2012 National Defense Authorization Act allows the United States military to detain civilians indefinitely and without charge or trial -- even American citizens. Help us reverse this travesty of justice by clicking here to email your senators:

http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/ndaa_2013/?referring_akid=1874.45919.7zi...

The Senate is taking up the 2013 NDAA TOMORROW (Thurs). Several senators are poised to put forth amendments to revoke or narrow the indefinite detention powers that we've been fighting so hard over the last year.

Demand Progress members have sent hundreds of thousands of emails to Congress and have helped fund the courageous lawsuit by Chris Hedges et al -- which recently spurred a federal judge to rule that indefinite detention is unconstitutional.

Because there are several amendments in play, our ask is broad and simple: Please urge your Senators to support any and all amendments to revoke or narrow indefinite detention powers.

Earlier this year we helped push an anti-indefinite detention amendment to the House's version of the NDAA to the brink of passage. The Senate is friendly turf for us: We have a real chance of winning this fight.

Please email your senators right away:

http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/ndaa_2013/?referring_akid=1874.45919.7zi...

Monday, November 26, 2012

Stop the Monsanto Riders

Hi,

So-called 'Monsanto riders,' quietly slipped into the multi-billion dollar FY 2013 Agricultural Appropriations bill, would require - not just allow, but require - the Secretary of Agriculture to grant a temporary permit for the planting or cultivation of a genetically engineered crop, even if a federal court has ordered the planting be halted until an Environmental Impact Statement is completed. All the farmer or the biotech producer has to do is ask.

That's why I signed a petition to The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama, which says:

"Stop the Monsanto riders. Unless a citizen's army of farmers and consumers can stop them, Congress is likely to ram these dangerous riders through any day now."

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/stop-the-monsanto-rider?source=s.em.cp&r_by=985589

Thanks!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Join farmers vs. Monsanto

On January 31, family farmers will take part in the first phase of a court case filed to protect farmers from genetic trespass by Monsanto’s GMO seed, which contaminates organic and non-GMO farmer’s crops and opens them up to abusive lawsuits. In the past two decades, Monsanto’s seed monopoly has grown so powerful that they control the genetics of nearly 90% of five major commodity crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and sugar beets.
In many cases farmers are forced to stop growing certain organic and conventional crops to avoid genetic contamination and potential lawsuits. Between 1997 and 2010, Monsanto admits to filing 144 lawsuits against America’s family farmers, while settling another 700 out of court for undisclosed amounts. Due to these aggressive lawsuits, Monsanto has created an atmosphere of fear in rural America and driven dozens of farmers into bankruptcy.

Farmers need your voice today. Please spread the word.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/farmersvs_monsanto/?referring_akid=.3...

Saturday, November 17, 2012

President Obama's decision time on Keystone XL

Dear Friend,

Now that President Obama has been re-elected, he's got a choice to make.

And in the wake of the devastation caused by climate-change-fueled
Superstorm Sandy, it shouldn't be much of a choice at all.

He must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

President Obama will likely decide early next year. As he looks to the
priorities in his second term, and to the legacy of his presidency, we
need to send an immediate, unambiguous message right now.

Tell President Obama: Reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline:

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/kxl_test/?r_by=50623-3052123-teD_FJx&rc=p...

Friday, November 16, 2012

#Anonymous: Operation Israel #OpIsrael #OpBlackout

via Uploads by TheAnonMessage by TheAnonMessage on 11/15/12

Welcome to Operation Israel. Operation Israel has been initiated to help the Gazans currently being annihilated by the sadistic forces of the IDF. It has also been initiated to destroy the Israeli network and preserve the Internet for the Palestinians facing persecution by the Israeli government. If you shut down the Internet, Anonymous will shut you down. That is not a threat. That is a promise. The Anonymous Gaza Care Package: bit.ly IRC: webchat.voxanon.org, Channel Name: #OpIsrael, #FreePalestine Pad: bit.ly PRESS RELEASES: Arabic - bit.ly | English - bit.ly | Hebrew - bit.ly Twitter Hashtag: #OpIsrael #AnonymousAgainstIsrael #AntiIDF الله معكي يا غزة القلب Follow @TheAnonMessage for immediate updates.
Views: 9772
450 ratings
Time: 03:05 More in Nonprofits & Activism

Michael wants you to take action on "Ask EU to join other Nobel Peace Price Laureates demanding freedom for Bradley Manning"!

Michael L. Love has just read and signed the petition: Ask EU to join other Nobel Peace Price Laureates demanding freedom for Bradley Manning

You can view this petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/602/563/223/ask-eu-to-join-other-nobel-peace-price-laureates-demanding-freedom-for-bradley-manning/

Message from Michael L. Love:
-----

Hi, I signed the petition "Ask EU to join other Nobel Peace Price Laureates demanding freedom for Bradley Manning". I'm asking you to sign this petition to help us reach our goal of 1,000 signatures. I care deeply about this cause, and I hope you will support our efforts.

-----

ThePetitionSite.com provides tools and empowers individuals to make a difference and effect positive change through online activism. Get connected with the causes you care about, take action to make the world a better place, and start your own petition at http://www.ThePetitionSite.com!

ThePetitionSite.com is powered by Care2, the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world. www.care2.com

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Stop the

USDA is poised to approve 2,4-D-resistant corn, the first in the pipeline of "next generation" crops. This and other herbicide-resistant crops will cause a dramatic surge in use of drift-prone chemicals – placing the burden of both increased costs and health risks on farmers and rural communities.

Join me in urging USDA to reject 2,4-D corn and stop the pipeline of new GE seeds.

Take Action>> http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11896

Stand your ground, Mr. President.

Dear Friend,

Last week Democrats won big at the ballot box, with President Obama
crushing Mitt Romney and Democrats winning more seats in the Senate.

But Congress is still headed for a major showdown over federal
spending before the end of the year.

And as Paul Krugman noted this weekend, once again Republicans are
"threatening to tank the economy unless their demands are met."

We need President Obama to stand up and draw a line in the sand to
reject any deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid
benefits, or cuts taxes for the wealthiest Americans.

So I just signed a petition telling President Obama to stand his
ground and not give in to Republican hostage takers.

I hope you do, too. You can find out more and easily sign the petition
at the link below:

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/obama_standyourground/?r_by=50382-3052123...

Powers Designed for 'Terrorists' Entangle US Top Brass

via (title unknown) by jon on 11/13/12

As the New York Times reports Tuesday morning that the Petraeus sex scandal has now spread and the Pentagon has initiated an investigation into top NATO commander in Afghanistan, US General John Allen, what is becoming increasingly clear—beyond all the seemingly bizarre twists of this unfolding drama and leaving aside the question about whether or not the private sexual lives of top officials are, in fact, worthy of the endless media blitz they receive&mdas

[field_image_caption-raw]

read more

Monday, November 12, 2012

Election day should be a federal holiday

Hi,

Each November, millions of people can't vote because they have to
work. Others have to stand in line for hours. Everyone should get to
vote.

That's why I signed a petition to The United States House of
Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama,
which says:

"Each November, election day should be a federal holiday. This will
let more people vote and more people be poll watchers."

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/election-day-should-be?source=s.em.cp&r_by=985589

Thanks!

Election day should be a federal holiday

Hi,

Each November, millions of people can't vote because they have to
work. Others have to stand in line for hours. Everyone should get to
vote.

That's why I signed a petition to The United States House of
Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama,
which says:

"Each November, election day should be a federal holiday. This will
let more people vote and more people be poll watchers."

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/election-day-should-be?source=s.em.cp&r_by=985589

Thanks!

On Veterans Day, don't thank us--join us in demanding justice

Congrats on another great action!
March Forward logo

On Veterans Day:
Don't thank us--join us in demanding justice
A message from March Forward! organizers

On Oct. 6, the 11th anniversary of the Afghanistan war, March Forward! led a shut-down of
a military recruitment center in Los Angeles, highlighting the loss of life abroad.
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterForward this Email

BY MICHAEL PRYSNER & KEVIN BAKER

“The point of public relations slogans like ‘Support our troops’ is that they don't mean anything. That's the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody's going to be against, and everybody's going to be for. Nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean anything. Its crucial value is that it diverts your attention from a question that does mean something: Do you support our policy? That's the one you're not allowed to talk about.” –Noam Chomsky

Former infantry Staff Sergeant Kevin Baker,
co-author, spent 28 months in Iraq.

Throughout the day, we will be thanked for our service countless times from friends, family, acquaintances and strangers, all who feel a genuine debt of gratitude to those who volunteered to put life, limb and mind on the line in the name of service to country. There will be ceremonies, celebrations, parades, lots of free appetizer coupons, TV specials, sales, parties, and all sorts of honors to make us feel appreciated.

And the outpouring of thanks on this day shows that natural tendency of human beings to want to care about each other, sacrifice for each other, and bond together for the good of the whole society.

We understand and deeply feel the sentiment of those gracious enough to express their gratitude. But as a generation of new veterans that is struggling to be heard, as a growing group with our own litany of hardships and battles we are fighting, we want to add to the discourse how many of us feel on Veterans Day and the burning issues that affect veterans.

Many of us feel deep guilt and remorse. On a day full of praise and thanks, we are reminded of what we are being thanked for. We are reminded of the people who would never thank us for our service.

Many of us have become friends and developed close personal bonds and relationships with people from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Many of us have family members, spouses and children from those countries. Many of us have become close colleagues with people from those countries, become brothers and sisters in common struggle, and have taken part in historic political actions side-by-side against the same enemy.

Our service in the U.S. military consisted of carrying out the greatest loss of life, destruction, and humanitarian crisis of our generation against those people who we hold so close to our hearts. That is why receiving "thanks" for what we did can be very difficult.

For many of us, our entire lives since have been defined by the solidarity we feel with the people hurt by the war, the people we encountered who changed the way we thought about everything, and the deep regret we feel for the role we played. On a day filled with fanfare and recognition, we feel especially remorseful towards our colleagues, friends and loved ones hurt by the military we served in.

For all those millions (yes, millions) of innocent people who watched family members killed, had their homes and livelihoods destroyed, their limbs blown off, given birth to deformed or stillborn babies, suffered psychological trauma, endured being tortured—we can only imagine what it must sound like to them for us to be thanked and honored.

Former Corporal Mike Prysner, co-author,
spent 12 months in Iraq.

Of course we know these are not the things our friends and family are thanking us for on Veterans Day, but it is a very real and painful trigger for the thousands of veterans who realized their commonality with the people we’re sent to fight.

The problem with Veterans Day is that the United States is an imperialist country. Our generation’s wars have been for the banks and the Military Industrial Complex. Despite many of our best hopes, we do not serve “our country” in the U.S. military. We end up serving a tiny sector in the United States—a very small, very rich sector that profits from defense contracts, access to untapped resources and regional economic control—at the expense of innocent people who are just like us.

No matter how good-intentioned we were, or how honorably we served despite the situation the politicians put us in, we will not let Veterans Day eclipse the fact that there were people on the other side of the wars, who are just like our friends and family, whose lives were destroyed.

We get the opposite of “thanks” from our politicians and officers.  Military service is looked at as the highest form of sacrifice to this country without ever questioning in which way the military is used, or how the military and political leadership views its service members. The reality facing veterans today is a crisis that this government would rather keep wrapped in an American flag and tied with a yellow ribbon hidden from the American people. The truth is the suicide rate amongst veterans is 18 a day—one a day among active-duty service members. The truth being that the VA and military hospitals on base are flooded with broken service members who are not only receiving inadequate treatment, but are being actively denied legitimate PTSD diagnoses, compensation and treatment. A recent Pentagon study found that the vast majority of soldiers who attempt suicide do not want to die and have tried unsuccessfully and painstakingly to get help, but “do not see any other way out of the situation they are in.”

And as much as our esteemed officers will stand at the head of Veterans Day “thank you” ceremonies, they are responsible for the historic neglect of wounded troops. This is how they see us: “I have now come to the conclusion that suicide is an absolutely selfish act,” wrote Major General Dana Pittard, who commands Fort Bliss, one of the nation's largest military bases, in an official blog post. “I am personally fed up with soldiers who are choosing to take their own lives so that others can clean up their mess … be an adult, act like an adult, and deal with your real-life problems like the rest of us.” This is the sentiment across the officer ranks—take Col. Dallas Homas, medical commander at Fort Lewis who ordered his psychologists to deny legitimate PTSD diagnoses to “save money.” These stories of intentional denial of care, and contempt and punishment for wounded troops, are the status quo in today’s military.

Veterans experience extremely disproportionate rates of homelessness, unemployment and mental health issues. There could easily be immediate relief for all of these veterans. But our elected leaders in Washington and our un-elected leaders in the Pentagon seem to only have funds to pour into the for-profit defense industry.

And, of course, the biggest issue facing U.S. service members is the constant, repeated deployment to the 11-year-long, wildly unpopular, failed neo-colonial project in Afghanistan. Our government cares so little about the bloodbath we’re being sent to, that President Obama and Mitt Romney collectively spent less than two minutes discussing it in the foreign policy “debate.”

This quote from SSG Matthew Sitton while serving in Afghanistan sums up just how much this government cares about the lives of service members:

“I know the threat of casualties in war and am totally on board with sacrifice for my country, but what I do not agree with is the chain of command making us walk through—for lack of a better term—basically a minefield on a daily basis.

As a brigade, we are averaging at a minimum an amputee a day from our soldiers because we are walking around aimlessly.

There is no end state or purpose for the patrols given to us from our higher chain of command, only that we will be out for a certain period of time.”

He was killed by an IED in Afghanistan on Aug. 2, 2012, just weeks after writing this message, leaving behind a wife and newborn child. How can we take serious the “thanks” from our politicians and generals while they continue to send us on completely meaningless missions?

So many of us lost friends, both in combat and to suicide. As we remember them, we must remember that the politicians and general officers standing at the front of ceremonies today are responsible for their senseless death through their lies and abuse.

If Veterans Day really meant anything to our political and military leaders, they would end the war immediately, bring everyone home, and provide us adequate care and services. Their attempts to use this day to highlight their own empty “support the troops” image means nothing to us—especially while they are sending our brothers and sisters in uniform to a completely pointless bloodbath.

Not all of us wanted this life. We are praised because we made a decision to sign a contract giving ourselves completely to a job that involves the worst kind of risk and danger for the so-called “greater good.” But many of us made this decision because we felt there was no other option to make ends meet.

Today, thousands of young people are flooding into the military because their prospects for being able to get an education have grown unaffordable and out-of-reach. Thousands of youth—in particular youth of color—are faced with upwards of 50 percent unemployment in their communities, with the only available jobs being low-wage and temp work. Thousands of parents go into the military because there is no other way to provide their family with adequate health care and housing. Thousands of undocumented immigrants—especially now with the new militarized DREAM Act—join because they have no other option for citizenship.

The reason that there is such hardship for poor and working people is because this system must maintain a massive military budget, occupying and bombing countries that U.S. banks and corporations want to dominate. Then we are sent to fight the very same wars that led to such crisis in our communities to begin with.

So many have lost their lives, their bodies and their minds out of the dedication and commitment to provide a decent life for their children. But nobody should have to choose between war and poverty. Veterans Day should remind us of the devastating economic conditions that our communities suffer to feed the Pentagon war machine.

Let Veterans Day inspire you to join us in struggle. We raise these issues not to criticize people who want to express sincere thanks for those who sacrificed in their name, but to help everyone realize the key lessons we can learn from our generation of veterans and inspire you to join us in the new war we are fighting.

Today, our generation of veterans is in crisis. We are sent on constant deployments to endless wars we have no reason to fight. We come home to criminally inadequate treatment and services.  Just like in the past, we have no choice but to organize amongst ourselves and fight this government’s complete disregard for our lives and the lives of innocent people abroad.

Veterans and service members have never been given rights. We have always had to organize together and fight against the U.S. government to get them.

From the WWI veterans in the Bonus Army, who occupied Washington, D.C. and were beaten, shot and killed by the police, who won us the GI Bill and the Adjusted Compensation Payment Act; to Black service members who organized against segregation in the military; to the widespread GI uprisings that stopped our lives from being thrown away in the Vietnam War and eliminated the draft; to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered service members who protested and got arrested in uniform to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; to female service members fighting for equality and against the scourge of sexual assault and the refusal of our leaders to address it; to service members today fighting for their right to conscientious objection—we have always had to organize and fight to win any respect for our lives.

This Veterans Day, let the gratitude for our willingness to die “serving our country” become more than slogans, thanks and celebrations. Let it evoke the real, lived reality for veterans and service members; let it recognize the pain of those suffering from U.S. policy around the world; let it become a catalyst for resistance to this system’s unwavering commitment to imperialist war and militarism at the expense of millions at home and abroad.

This Veterans Day, and in the days ahead, join us in demanding an immediate withdrawal of US/NATO forces from Afghanistan, the punishment of the war criminal generals, politicians and Wall Street CEOs who created this suffering, reparations for the populations decimated, and real care for veterans.   

 Click here to learn about our latest initiative to fight against the Afghanistan war.

 Click here to make an urgently needed donation to help us carry out this important work.

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March Forward! is an organization of veterans and active-duty service members affiliated with the ANSWER Coalition.

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