The Marine Corps treated Kokesh unfairly for expressing his viewpoints, a freedom he put his life on the line for in Fallujah. That is what Bush says we are fighting for there, doesn't he?
Adam Kokesh, to us, you served honorably and bravely. You truly merit this week's BuzzFlash Wings of Justice Award.
Adam Kokesh has been selected for the Wings of Justice Award, a weekly honor given out by BuzzFlash. Along with today having significance (due to the recognition from Buzz), it should also be noted that Monday has significance as well. June 18th Adam Kokesh would have been gone from the IRR (Individual Ready Reserves). Not "discharged from" because no discharge was necessary. Kokesh was discharged from the Marines in November of last year. So the push to hold a mock, kangaroo 'hearing' was (a) an attempt to silence free speech, (b) an attempt to scare others and (c) a waste, as Kokesh pointed out all along, of tax payer monies and the military resources.
In this morning's New York Times, War Pornographer Michael Gordon offers heavy breathing but they bill it is a "Military Analysis" and title it "Blocking the Exits" which, no doubt, makes Gordo dizzy in the head and grabbing from the crotch. There's nothing here but his usual nonsense of rah-rah-rah. There is no analysis. The alleged al-Anbar model (a failure in reality) is not 'analyzed' and Gordo's so busy with the Cheese Whiz (nod to Beck) that he can't even credit Senator Crazy with "whack-a-mole." This site is no fan of John McCain but August 3rd, he introduced the term in Congress, he explained it (Gordo offers a weaker explanation). Maybe his meds were working that day, maybe it was his last moment of sanity before the long dark end, but Gordo's inability to credit McCain when he's writing about isn't analysis, isn't reporting and isn't right. Nor can he offer anything as forthright as Damien McElroy (Telegraph of London): "The offensive has seen the revival of a tactic rarely used since the Vietnam war: air assaults by troops dropped into fighting zones by helicopter."
Meanwhile Ryan Crocker, US Ambassador to Iraq, sent a memo to Condi that's getting some attention. We'll note this from point four:
In essence, the issue is whether we are a Department and a Service at war. If we are, we need to organize and prioritize in a way that reflects this, something we have not done thus far.
Richard Beeston (Times of London) terms the memo "blunt".
Marci notes that Susan J. Douglas already covered the issue of Hillary and women voters "long before Chaudry's mixed metaphors and illogical nonsense had left Chaudry's head." Ava and I addressed the nonsense yesterday and thanks to Marci for passing on Douglas' "Why Women Hate Hillary" (In These Times) this morning:
All of this frames many women's reactions to Hillary. If she’s a feminist, how could she continue to support this war for so long? If she's such a passionate advocate for children, women and families, how could she countenance the ongoing killing of innocent Iraqi families, and of American soldiers who are also someone’s children? If it would be so revolutionary to have a female as president, why does she feel like the same old poll-driven opportunistic politician who seems to craft her positions accordingly?
Maybe women like me are being extra hard on Hillary because she’s a woman. After all, baby boomer women couldn't be "as good" as men in school or the workplace; we had to be better, to prove that women deserved equal opportunities. And this is part of the problem too. We don't want the first female president to be Joe Lieberman in drag, pushing Bush-lite politics. We expect something better.
Clearly, Hillary and her advisors have calculated that for a woman to be elected in this country, she's got to come across as just as tough as the guys. And maybe they're right. But so far, Hillary is not getting men with this strategy, and women feel written off. After the dark ages of this pugnacious administration, many of us want to let the light in. We want a break with the past, optimism, and a recommitment to the government caring about and serving the needs of everyday people. We want what feminism began to fight for 40 years ago--humanizing deeply patriarchal institutions. And, ironically, we see candidates like John Edwards or Barack Obama--men--offering just that. If Hillary Clinton wants to be the first female president, then maybe, just maybe, she should actually run as a woman.
Marci also notes Beccah Golubock Watson's "Democrats Shy Away From Emergency Contraception" which is about Congressional Democrats continued weakening/waffling on the issue of reproductive rights and, in this instance, Golubock Watson is zooming in on a the issue of emergency contraception at military bases which had support and then lost it because of "a Democratic leadership unwilling to go to bat for pro-choice issues."
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
michael gordonthe new york times
adam kokesh
buzzflash
susan j. douglas
beccah golubock watson
