In My Head

Democracy Now! | Former Marine Returns to Iraq as Embedded Photographer Only to be Ordered Home

This transcript covers Amy Goodman’s interview with an ex-soldier, now journalist/photographer, who was kicked out of Iraq while covering a story there during General Petraeus’ recent visit in Washington.

The article is linked above, and some important excerpts are below:

AMY GOODMAN: What was the reason they gave?

JAMES LEE: Originally I was told that an order came directly from the office of General Petraeus, that they didn’t want any Western media covering the events and—

AMY GOODMAN: Why?

JAMES LEE: Because Petraeus was in Washington at the time, and they were concerned about images coming out from Basra that didn’t support their mission at the time.

So basically, Petraeus, and/or the US Military didn’t want real reports of what is happening in Iraq, because they want us to believe them when they tell us the surge is successful.

AMY GOODMAN: Why didn’t they want you to see what—or what was the reality on the ground?

JAMES LEE: The reality on the ground was, more than a thousand Iraqi soldiers refused to fight the Mahdi Army, whether they were afraid that they didn’t have the ability to do it or they didn’t believe that they should be fighting the Mahdi Army. For whatever reason, many of them put down their weapons and refused to go into Basra and fight the Mahdi Army. And I think those images would have been very powerful, and I think it would have created a lot of doubt on the part of the American public about the Iraqis army’s commitment to coalition missions in Iraq.

This country was founded on the idea of public participation in politics… that’s what democracy is all about after all.  Now that political participation is rising (thank you Barack!), and governmental corruption is at an all time high in America, no wonder they want to keep us ignorant of the truth!

Democracy Now! | A Soldier’s Peace: Iraq War Vet Walks 500 Miles Across Native Utah to Call for Troop Withdrawal
This is the transcripts of one of Amy Goodman’s interviews. She met with Sergeant Marshall Thompson, who worked in Iraq for one year as a military journalist. Thompson led a 500-mile walk across Utah (where ratings for Bush were the highest at the start of the war, and where they’ve been called the “reddest state in the nation”). Here’s an excerpt of what he had to say:

SGT. MARSHALL THOMPSON: There is a change in tide in America, and you’re part of it today. We’re sending a mandate from the people to the government of the United States and to the representatives of Utah, especially, that Utah does not support war, we support peace. And we support a plan for Iraq. Thank you.

We have this wonderful display from Eyes Wide Open. There’s one pair of boots for every National Guard member who died in Iraq. This includes the Utah soldiers who have died. There’s also fifty children’s shoes, representing the fifty civilians who died for every one US soldier. This war needs to become real to the American people. The military is at war, America is not. And that needs to change.

Did you get that… 50 CIVILIANS HAVE DIED FOR EVERY ONE US SOLDIER DEAD! And we have the nerve to get upset at the number of military deaths and rarely even mention the murders that are taking place of people WHO DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS SHIT!

I have a really fabulous book called “Addicted to War,” it is an illustrated book about the history of America’s militarism, and it’s very informative. I’d LOVE to lend it to you… after all, a good book should NEVER sit on a shelf!

Think we might hear more veterans protesting the war if they weren’t killing themselves at a rate of 18 PER DAY?!?!