If you already know about this historic, testimony/protest action by veterans of the Iraq war, great! If NOT….please CHECK it out.  It will deepen your sympathy for all those who have had to go and fight there…..and, it will forever persuade you why everything our US government is doing "in our name" (in the name of US citizens) is IMMORAL and a crime against humanity.  YOU WILL NEVER DOUBT AGAIN!!!

This was a an action that was taken to mark the 5th Anniversary of the US Invasion. I may be naïve, and I may be hopefully optimistic, BUT I’ve got to believe if these testimonies were broadcast in their entirety by either Katie Couric, Oprah Winfrey, Brian Williams, Larry King….or aired every night in snippets on CNN or NBC, then it would all be OVER!!  BAM just like that! And it’s so utterly, completely disheartening that that didn’t happen.

For some reason, I believe that if more people knew what was being done in "their name" in Iraq -- to regular, innocent human beings -- they would literally freak OUT and lose it!

Please check out these Winter Soldier testimonies (there’s lots of video and on YouTube too) and share this with everyone you know:

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)

http://www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier

(Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan will feature testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.

The four-day event brought together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists gave context to the testimony. These panels covered everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans’ health benefits and support.)

The last couple of weeks have seen a noticeable increase in the discussion on the public airwaves and coffee counters around the country about the fiasco in Iraq. This has been due in large part to General Petraeus' testimony, the Senate's failure to pass legislation to curb the pathologies of the Bush Crime Family and its associates, and the ensuing flap around MoveOn.org's efforts to challenge the status quo. 

As I heard the crackling over the satellite towers, I was struck (not for the first time) by the oddness of the constant reference to the "War in Iraq." I thought... "what war?" In order to make a statement about the US being involved in a 'war,' there has to be an actual aggressive enemy that the US is trying to thwart, or at least a visible menacing force building up on the borders of the lower 48, waiting to launch their attack on our territory. Of course, nothing could be further from reality.

What's calculatedly and blatantly mis-represented as a "War" is actually the illegal, unjustified OCCUPATION of Iraq – a sovereign nation that did nothing to warrant an imperialistic, internationally un-sanctioned, Invasion of it's territory. And yes, there are a lot of war-like conditions in Iraq – such as death and destruction experienced by ordinary helpless humans – but it's not because the US is fighting a "war."  Those war-like conditions are there because the US unleashed them, knowingly, willingly, and immorally. And I don't want to have any part in supporting it, and I'm certainly not going to participate in the myth that our country (of which there's so much to be proud) is fighting a "war."

So Friends... I'm just expressing my existential angst and despair (mostly because I don't know what else to do). And sounding my trumpet to say that, while this sadness appears to be unstoppable.... it's NOT going on in my NAME.