Question Authority

The following letter was sent to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sept. 16:

Dear Senator McCain:

I am a graduate of West Point currently serving as a Captain in the U.S. Army Infantry. I have served two combat tours with the 82nd Airborne Division, one each in Afghanistan and Iraq. While I served in the Global War on Terror, the actions and statements of my leadership led me to believe that United States policy did not require application of the Geneva Conventions in Afghanistan or Iraq. On 7 May 2004, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's testimony that the United States followed the Geneva Conventions in Iraq and the "spirit" of the Geneva Conventions in Afghanistan prompted me to begin an approach for clarification. For 17 months, I tried to determine what specific standards governed the treatment of detainees by consulting my chain of command through battalion commander, multiple JAG lawyers, multiple Democrat and Republican Congressmen and their aides, the Ft. Bragg Inspector General's office, multiple government reports, the Secretary of the Army and multiple general officers, a professional interrogator at Guantanamo Bay, the deputy head of the department at West Point responsible for teaching Just War Theory and Law of Land Warfare, and numerous peers who I regard as honorable and intelligent men.

Instead of resolving my concerns, the approach for clarification process leaves me deeply troubled. Despite my efforts, I have been unable to get clear, consistent answers from my leadership about what constitutes lawful and humane treatment of detainees. I am certain that this confusion contributed to a wide range of abuses including death threats, beatings, broken bones, murder, exposure to elements, extreme forced physical exertion, hostage-taking, stripping, sleep deprivation and degrading treatment. I and troops under my command witnessed some of these abuses in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

This is a tragedy. I can remember, as a cadet at West Point, resolving to ensure that my men would never commit a dishonorable act; that I would protect them from that type of burden. It absolutely breaks my heart that I have failed some of them in this regard.

That is in the past and there is nothing we can do about it now. But, we can learn from our mistakes and ensure that this does not happen again. Take a major step in that direction; eliminate the confusion. My approach for clarification provides clear evidence that confusion over standards was a major contributor to the prisoner abuse. We owe our soldiers better than this. Give them a clear standard that is in accordance with the bedrock principles of our nation.

Some do not see the need for this work. Some argue that since our actions are not as horrifying as Al Qaeda's, we should not be concerned. When did Al Qaeda become any type of standard by which we measure the morality of the United States? We are America, and our actions should be held to a higher standard, the ideals expressed in documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Others argue that clear standards will limit the President's ability to wage the War on Terror. Since clear standards only limit interrogation techniques, it is reasonable for me to assume that supporters of this argument desire to use coercion to acquire information from detainees. This is morally inconsistent with the Constitution and justice in war. It is unacceptable.

Both of these arguments stem from the larger question, the most important question that this generation will answer. Do we sacrifice our ideals in order to preserve security? Terrorism inspires fear and suppresses ideals like freedom and individual rights. Overcoming the fear posed by terrorist threats is a tremendous test of our courage. Will we confront danger and adversity in order to preserve our ideals, or will our courage and commitment to individual rights wither at the prospect of sacrifice? My response is simple. If we abandon our ideals in the face of adversity and aggression, then those ideals were never really in our possession. I would rather die fighting than give up even the smallest part of the idea that is "America."

Once again, I strongly urge you to do justice to your men and women in uniform. Give them clear standards of conduct that reflect the ideals they risk their lives for.

With the Utmost Respect,
Capt. Ian Fishback
1st Battalion,
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
82nd Airborne Division,
Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Posted at Wednesday, September 28, 2005
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Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Vini, Vidi, Viki

"We came, We saw, We conquered". I can’t help but use Caesar’s famous quote to describe my feelings about the march on Washington DC September 24th. Despite the military victory context in which Caesar used it, I use it now in describing the complete opposite, a victory for peace. I feel like we created a space of hope and shared in an extended moment of unity. Great diversity came together to represent one ideal this past Saturday. Differences of race, religion, age, gender, purpose, motivation, and message came to Washington DC to represent the commonly held belief that peace is possible and that violence is not the answer.

Coordinators of the event estimate upwards of 300,000 people marching the streets in front of the White House and Justice Building sending the message that they will not stand by and watch this Administration lie, distort, and destroy. The peace movement no longer consists of isolated groups, the Administration is now forced to discuss the option of peace on a weekly basis and the events on Saturday came together to deliver this powerful message of peace.

Posted at Tuesday, September 27, 2005
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Saturday, September 24, 2005
Now That's F***ed Up

It appears that the troops in Iraq are able to barter for free access to porn by sending pictures of carnage and death to nowthatsf***edup.com. Yes, it's disgusting, but in my opinion it has some merit, which I've already commented on at my personal blog. Just a word of warning, I've censored this blog entry out of courtesy to our readers who are offended by vulgarity, but if you go to my blog, you'll notice I shoot from the hip and tell it like it is.

Posted at Saturday, September 24, 2005
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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Goodbye Organics?

It would be a tragic thing to loose Organic labelling. What labelling would there be to differentiate between real organic labelling and fake organic labelling. Real Organic Farmers would go out of business since cheap non-organic foods would flood their markets. People would be unable to choose Organic farming, thus subverting the "free market" that capitolism and consumer society claims to support.

"The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) needs your immediate help to stop Congress and the Bush administration from seriously degrading organic standards. After 35 years of hard work, the U.S. organic community has built up a multi-billion dollar alternative to industrial agriculture, based upon strict organic standards and organic community control over modification to these standards.

Now, large corporations such as Kraft, Wal-Mart, & Dean Foods--aided and abetted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are moving to lower organic standards by allowing a Bush appointee to create a list of synthetic ingredients that would be allowed organic production. Even worse these proposed regulatory changes will reduce future public discussion and input and take away the National Organic Standards Board's (NOSB) traditional lead jurisdiction in setting standards. What this means, in blunt terms. is that USDA bureaucrats and industry lobbyists, not consumers, will now have more control over what can go into organic foods and products.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 20, acting in haste and near-total secrecy, the U.S. Senate will vote on a "rider" to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that will reduce control over organic standards from the National Standards Board and put this control in the hands of federal bureaucrats in the USDA (remember the USDA proposal in 1997-98 that said that genetic engineering, toxic sludge, and food irradiation would be OK on organic farms, or USDA suggestions in 2004 that heretofore banned pesticides, hormones, tainted feeds, and animal drugs would be OK?).

For the past week in Washington, OCA has been urging members of the Senate not to reopen and subvert the federal statute that governs U.S. Organic standards (the Organic Food Production Act - OFPA), but rather to let the organic community and the National Organic Standards resolve our differences over issues like synthetics and animal feed internally, and then proceed to a open public comment period. Unfortunately most Senators seem to be listening to industry lobbyists more closely than to us. We need to raise our voices.

In the past, grassroots mobilization and mass pressure by organic consumers have been able to stop the USDA and Congress from degrading organic standards. This time Washington insiders tell us that the "fix is is already in." So we must take decisive action now. We need you to call your U.S. Senators today. We need you to sign the following petition and send it to everyone you know. We also desperately need funds to head off this attack in the weeks and months to come. Thank you for your support. Together we will take back citizen control over organic standards and preserve organic integrity."

Take action now at http://www.democracyinaction.org/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1242

Posted at Tuesday, September 20, 2005
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Friday, September 09, 2005
Katrina and Iraq

With the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in full swing it has been pointed out by many that many lives would have been saved and many traumatic experiences of the chaotic aftermath would have been avoided had the full resources of the Louisiana National Guard and other US military outfits been available. It is hard to deny the fact that the citizens of Louisiana would have been much better off had the helicopters in Iraq been available for the rescue effort and had the National Guard been available to maintain peace and order in the city. Many have also pointed to the lack of Federal response, with even a growing number of Republicans denouncing the Bush Administration for not reacting quickly and failing to anticipate the disaster.

Related to the Administrations short comings on the disaster relief are new stones being thrown at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Bush Administration’s widely known favoritism towards its friends and contributors is biting them again. The Washington Post reports: “Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters and now lead an agency whose ranks of seasoned crisis managers have thinned dramatically since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. “ (full article here).

The media is intensely focused on the disaster relief effort, and with as large a task as this country and the residents of hurricane afflicted areas have ahead of them the attention is largely positive. However, in amongst the relief coverage there is still a war being fought in Iraq. We need to keep this in mind while all the headlines read Katrina. I mention this because today the BBC published a discrete report about a US bombing raid carried out last night in Iraq. The small Iraqi town of Talafar, said to be an insurgent strong hold, is currently under siege. (full article here) With so much coverage focused on Hurricane Katrina, information about the raid is extremely limited. Today my thoughts are not only with the Katrina survivors and their families but also with the civilians of Talafar fleeing their homes and in all probability dying in the crossfire.

Posted at Friday, September 09, 2005
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Sunday, September 04, 2005
A Sad Anniversary

Today marks the end of a five day armed standoff that happened four years ago between marijuana legalization activists Tom Crosslin and Rolland Rohm and a small army of local, state and federal agents. Crosslin and Rohm had been driven to the breaking point by a witch hunt pursued by then Cass County Prosecutor Scott Teter.

Tom and Rolland ran a licensed campground called Rainbow Farm, about five miles east of the town of Vandalia, Michigan. The campground was a venue for concerts, festivals and activism. They were also two homosexual men raising Rohm's 12 year old son together. They were persecuted by Teter, an anti-abortion Republican who campaigned on child welfare and antidrug issues.

In 1998 Teter sent an undercover narc into the festivals but couldn't find enough evidence to prosecute its organizers. He sent a letter, as he now says, "putting Crosslin on notice" that he knew about "hard drugs" there. When fliers went up announcing HempAid '99 Teter sent another letter, dated March 24, 1999. This time he threatened to seize Crosslin's property if hard drugs were found.

The letter sent a cold shock through Cass County. Overnight, what had been a political chess match turned into a blood feud. Crosslin responded with a letter, saying, "I have discussed this with my family, and we are all prepared to die on this land before we allow it to be stolen from us. How should be we be prepared to die? Are you planning to burn us out like they did in Waco, or will you have snipers shoot us through our windows like the Weavers at Ruby Ridge?"

Based on the word of an informant who alleged that employees had been paid under the table, Rainbow Farm was raided on May 9, 2001 by a heavily armed squad enforcing a tax warrant. Crosslin, Rohm and a few others were subsequently arrested on charges of manufacturing marijuana and maintaining a drug house. A week later, Rohm's son, Robert, didn't come home from school. At Teter's behest, sheriffs deputies under the direction of the Family Independence Agency had taken the boy out of class and placed him in the custody of a former police chief from Edwardsburg.

On August 31, 2001, Crosslin made good on his word to Teter. Armed with Ruger Mini-14 rifles and dressed in camouflage, Crosslin and Rohm began to burn down the buildings at Rainbow Farm, leaving the farmhouse intact. By dawn on Labor Day, 120 county, state and federal law enforcement officers were on the scene. By September 4, 2001, both Crosslin and Rohm were dead, Crosslin shot in the head by an FBI sniper on Labor Day morning, and Rohm multiple times in the chest by State Police in the evening on the following day.

As I was driving to Elkhart, Indiana on the day of Rolland Rohm's funeral, I heard about the attack on the World Trade Center on my car's radio. While I was at the funeral parlor, the Pentagon was hit. As I sat there, remembering my friends and fellow activists, I couldn't help but reflect on the irony of our nation's misplaced law enforcement priorities. It took more than 100 cops to gun down two men armed with squirrel guns who never hurt anyone, while a mere week later, 19 men armed with box cutters killed over 3,000 innocent people.

Posted at Sunday, September 04, 2005
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