Army of Dude sets it straight again!

Alex at Armyofdude has his first post, following the LA Times story, and sets the blogosphere straight on a couple of issues!

I’m glad to have a bigger forum than a week ago, regardless of the critical fallout. The intention of this blog from day one was to chronicle my experiences in a way for people to understand and interpret what was going on beyond what was being filtered, distilled and spat out of the mainstream media. When the deputy prime minister came to Baqubah for the first time a few weeks ago, an envoy of officers followed. Captains, lieutenant colonels and generals all took part in the tour of the local shops and visits with the residents. We were ordered to stay out of any pictures taken. Why? To falsely show that the Iraqi Army was in charge and we were on the sidelines.

In the last month of the deployment, on one of our few days off, we risked our lives so the Army, at some level, could throw a rose colored lens onto a news camera for the benefit of...I don’t know who.

And

President Eisenhower warned of the growing military industrial complex in his farewell address. Since Dick Cheney can now afford solid gold oil derricks, it’s safe to say we failed Ike miserably. After losing two friends and over a dozen comrades, I have this to say:

Do not wage war unless it is absolutely, positively the last ditch effort for survival.

I was a struggling senior in high school when the invasion took place, and I supported it. I was mesmerized by the way we raced across the desert and took Baghdad in less than a month. War was a sleek, glossy commercial on TV, and we always won at the end. It’s easy to be for a war when you have absolutely no connection with it. Patriotism lead me to believe what we were doing was right and noble. What a difference a deployment can make.

The public can do something about this. It doesn’t have to be a hopeless cause forever. Write your Congressmen, go to a rally, read as much as you can about Iraq to see it for what it is: a place men go to lose their minds and their lives. And most importantly, love your children. Teach them that war is not honorable, it’s no plaything cast with an indifferent hand. It’s the most terrible thing man ever brought to the world. My generation didn’t learn from Vietnam, but the next one can learn from us. The memories and spirit of Chevy and Jesse compel you, America. Do not forget your fallen sons.

Congresswoman Bachmann needs to listen to soldiers like Alex Horton and Brandon Day.

A Veteran and Teacher Challenge Bachmann

Take a Stand: Bachmann ad

Check it out!

Bob Olson at the Farmers Union booth

CD 6 DFL candidate Bob Olson was hard at work at the Minnesota Farmers Union booth at the Minnesota State Fair.

Drawing on his experience as a tax lawyer and the majority owner of St. Stephen State Bank, Olson explained how tax incentives and loan guarantee funds can help American farmers lead the way to breaking our country's addiction to foreign oil.

"There is nothing more important to agriculture in Minnesota than to develop our sustainable energy resources, including wind energy, biodiesel, and corn and cellulosic ethanol," he said. "The tax law must change so the economic benefits go to Minnesota farmers, rather than large corporate and out-of-state interests."

Doug Peterson, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union, said he was pleased with Olson's commitment to the state's agricultural economy.

"Bob Olson understands the issues that are important to family farmers, ranchers and rural communities," Peterson said. "We appreciate his coming by our booth at the State Fair and spending time talking with us."

By investing in American-made renewable energy, Olson said, we can strengthen our national security, protect our environment and jump-start our economy.

"It makes as much sense for Minnesota and America to ignore wind and other sustainable energy as it would to stop farming the land and start buying our crops from the Middle East," he said.

Olson's strength in renewable and sustainable energy issues will suit the 6th CD well. In rural Minnesota, the majority of farmers tend to vote Republican. Having an expert on one of the most important issues to our farmers, sustainable energy, will not only strengthen "the F" in DFL, but will strengthen labor ties as well.

It creates a win-win situation for the DFL and the 6th CD. CD 6 DFL candidate Bob Olson was hard at work at the Minnesota Farmers Union booth at the Minnesota State Fair.

Take a Stand thoughts, observations, etc

Unfortunately, I was unable to make the event in St Cloud last night. I did catch a post over at MN Blue about an Iraq War Vets struggle to get Congressman Ramstad to listen. Check out the post in it's entirety.

I learned how to cope with the torment of suicidal thoughts, and that I’m not alone in that. A handful of guys from my unit confessed to me that they are plagued with the same thoughts. If that’s not bad enough, a few developed a nasty little habit known as cutting. If you’re unfamiliar with the term I’ll outline it for you. When someone experiences severe emotional trauma or is put in a position where they must numb themselves from life they may seek to feel something else. Sitting alone in a room with a knife, they cut themselves, and they feel something else.

These are some of the lessons that the men and women who fight on your behalf are learning every single day. These are the burdens that we carry for the rest of our lives. I won’t speak to the legitimacy of this war tonight, but I ask that as you contemplate it you remember that there are nearly four thousand dead American soldiers, seven times as many wounded and no one comes home undamaged. For those of you who want to do something but are hesitant for whatever reason, I implore you to get active on behalf of the men and women who risk everything for us. Your voice does matter, and NOW is the time to a stand.

Congressman Ramstad, I ask you to justify your continued support of President Bush’s policies in Iraq. When a person decides that they will risk their life for their country, they cross a bridge that few do, and they gain a wisdom that few have. I have crossed that sacred bridge, and Congressman Ramstad I tell you that this war is not worth the blood that it costs to fuel it. The next time you are faced with a vote concerning the war, side with America, and side with the troops that live and die defending her. Bring the troops home, and give us the care that we need and deserve.

Congresswoman Bachmann is an even stronger supporter of President Bush's failed Iraq policy. In fact, the organizers of the event in St Cloud went to great lengths to secure Congresswoman Bachmann's presence at the event.

Bachmann's staffers had two requests.

1. All attendees must have a valid Minnesota drivers license showing that they are a constituent in the 6th CD. While I get it, what about all of those college students moving in up at St Cloud who don't have a license saying they live in the 6th? I guess the Congresswoman does not want to hear from them.

2. All questions must be written on paper and screened by a Bachmann staffer.

From what I have heard, the organizers of the event were more than willing to accommodate both requests and told the Congresswoman's staff this.

Why was the Congresswoman AWOL last night?

Why doesn't the Congresswoman want to hear from her constituents?

Bachmann dumps her constituents

Dump Bachmann has the coverage of Congresswoman Bachmann's refusal to discuss Iraq with her constituents.

Chase Golding from the Iraq Summer Group comments at the Dump Bachmann blog.

Congresswoman Bachmann's staff continues to ignore all invitations to the "Take a Stand Day" town hall Tuesday night, so the Representative will not be in attendance. Doesn't matter. Her constituents have been dealing with an absent and out of touch Representative for months on end, and this issue is too important for Minnesotans not to speak out simply because Michele has her fingers in her ears. This event will be great! If you are able to come to the Atwood Center at St. Cloud State tomorrow at 6:30, please join us -- the more voices we have, the harder it will be for our members of Congress across the country to continue ignoring our plea for an end to the war in Iraq. This event, along with the Ramstad and Coleman Take a Stand town halls, will be excellent! Please come and pack your car with friends if you can at all, and get someone else to come in your place if you can't. Thank you for your continued support, and let's keep this pressure on Bachmann, Ramstad, Coleman and others across the country until they end this war!

John Kline and the 4 man circus running for the GOP nomination in the 1st should be in this group as well, before Ramstad in my humble opinion!

Welcome Armyofdude readers!

For those of us in Minnesota, our favorite blogger in Iraq made it in LA Times this weekend for his blogging on the quagmire in Iraq.

"This occupation, this money pit, this smorgasbord of superfluous aggression is getting more hopeless and dismal by the second," a soldier in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, wrote in an Aug. 7 post on his blog, www.armyofdude.blogspot.com." The only person I know who believed Iraq was improving was killed by a sniper in May," the blogger, identified only as Alex from Frisco, Texas, said in a separate e-mail.

Congrats to Alex at Armyofdude!

New visitors, feel free to browse about what's going on in Minnesota Politics.

Heres a few links worthy of your time.

Bluestem Prairie
Minnesota Campaign Report

Enjoy!

Hellier strikes again!

So while Governor Pawlenty stalls, letting everything cool off a bit before he appoints Luke Hellier as a MnSCU Board of Trustee member, it seems that Mr. Hellier is being vocal about where Governor Pawlenty now stands on the gas tax.

Hellier compares Al Franken's support of a gas tax increase with that of Governor Pawlenty's new found support of a gas tax increase, an increase he has vetoed multiple times.

Anyone in on the pool to guess when the Hellier post will disappear? I'll give it til Monday at noon...

State Fair Fun!

Bluewoman and I went to the State Fair yesterday. Several hours of walking around, eating, walking, eating, and hitting political booths!

I did get to vote in the Minnesota Republican straw poll yesterday. Unfortunately, I think we are about in 2004 with Mary Kiffmeyer as the Secretary of State as my vote for Dennis Kucinich was not counted.

I also got all of the lit pieces for the four GOP candidates in the 1st that will raise a little bit of money, only to suffer a humiliating defeat to the Walz machine in the Fighting 1st.

I'll try to post the lit pieces later.

It's a day of golf today!

CD 6 candidates on Iraq

Bob Olson's Iraq piece originated at Minnesota Campaign Report and has now made the SC Times.

It's time to hold elected Iraqi leaders accountable for their actions (or lack thereof). As we learned in Vietnam, when a weak government can count on foreigners to do the heavy lifting it always will. The Baghdad government has no incentive to take responsibility for its people and produce results that generate public confidence if Americans are the ones doing all the hard work, the fighting and the dying.

Our troops are the best in the world, and we should be very proud of them. They have performed brilliantly and long ago won the military component of this war. It's time to admit their job is done and that our policy should be one of phased redeployment, not escalation.

Indeed, Democrats strongly support our troops, despite what the chickenhawks on the right say. Iraqi leaders must be held accountable. We cannot continue to hold their hand and sacrifice our loved ones while the Iraqi government fails to accept any accountability on the quagmire in Iraq.

Although, it's tough for us to call chide the Iraqi government for a lack of accountability when elected leaders like Michele Bachmann continue to pass the accountability buck as well.

Bob Hill also has a powerful statement on Iraq.

"We were misled into this war" Hill asserted. "Things are going so badly that our troops don't know what our mission over there is anymore. We need to get them out of there. We need a strategic withdrawal to the borders and monitor the situation from there. We need a multi-lateral peace initiative to find a solution. I believe that eventually Iraq will be divided into three states -- Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni -- hopefully as a confederation, but possibly separate. It's just incredibly arrogant for us to go in there and install our brand of democracy. We are not the world's policeman and we shouldn't play that role."

Having spoken on Veterans and other issues around the war, I concur. Simply put, we cannot deploy democracy.

SC Times supports Dump Mark Olson!

Check out today's opinion in the SC Times.

Mark Olson, State Representative in 16B, is unfit for office, and I could not agree more.

He continues to claim he committed no crime despite a jury's conviction and a judge's sentence. He's repeatedly said "no" to a not-so-subtle request from leaders of his (former) political party to resign. Not to mention he wouldn't even talk issues with this editorial board in his last election bid.

Clearly, District 16B House Rep. Mark Olson is a denial machine. So we make this request in the wake of his criminal conviction and recent sentencing for causing his wife fear of bodily harm: Resign your legislative seat immediately.

This is the strongest statement from a mainstream media source since Olson was arrested for abusing his wife.

Really, though, Olson should resign because of his obsession with denial.

The news coverage of the entire domestic abuse case involving he and his wife, Heidi, consistently shows a man who never even offers the slightest hint he did something wrong. He doesn't seem to understand that physical reactions in emotional situations are the textbook definition of abuse and assault. Not to mention such responses are criminal.

Indeed, aside from his unsubstantiated claims of him being the victim, he seems most upset by how the whole situation put his family in the spotlight.

Funny. If he was so concerned about the impact on his family, why did he adopt legal strategies that included multiple delays for trial dates? Or why is he talking about keeping the court case alive through appeals?

Simply put, Mark Olson is unfit for office and support the SC Times assessment that Olson needs to resign is seat immediately.

Pro-war, Pro-Bush, Pro-escalation ads

Having seen these things now for the past week, they are quite disturbing. We continue to get bombarded by the rhetoric of fighting in Iraq to protect us from those that attacked us on 9-11.

Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary, was on MSNBC Hardball, and could not name the wounded Iraq Vet he used in his TV ads.

Thanks for Think Progress for pointing this out!

Recall the post at Armyofdude a few days ago.

What has been bothering me this whole deployment is the brevity and formality in which the media handles the death of soldiers. It always goes, “PFC John Smith, Norman, Oklahoma, killed by enemy small arms fire in Baghdad. Assigned to 1/43 Engineers, Third Infantry Division.” What a crock to read that in a paper. It would be wholly appropriate to dedicate a full color photo and a real biography in every paper in America. The anonymity of dead soldiers would evaporate and the public would be forced to look at the faces of the fallen. Would it set in progress change? Perhaps. It certainly would go to show that we’re out here every day, dying for an ideal long forgotten. As for me, I started to sign these entries with my initials long ago to avoid detection by superiors. I could and still can get in trouble for what I’ve written. Lately this blog has been passed around to dudes of every rank, and those who would be punishing me have become readers. So it’s no longer necessary to be sneaky and secretive, another anonymous soldier. My name is Alex Horton, and I’m a 22 year old from Frisco, Texas. I can recite Pulp Fiction line by line and my favorite color is blue. I want to be a journalist when I grow up, and I want to see every part of the world. For the first time in my life I’m an avid reader. Fifteen months here has been fifteen months away from Lauren, the girl I’m crazy about. This wouldn’t be much of a blog without her, as she’s the inspiration for anything creative coming out of me, my beautiful muse.

I should not be surprised by the Republicans complete disregard for Veterans, while using them as campaign fodder.

Disgusting...

The mainstream media's manipulation of the Presidential race

Ron Paul places third in the Minnesota House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) straw poll and receives little to no coverage.

Dennis Kucinich dominated the televised ABC debate on Sunday, only to be rebuked by the mainstream media.

The Kucinich campaign is still awaiting an official response from ABC News about the unexplained – some have charged "inexplicable" - way in which the network has handled its post-debate online coverage of Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich over the past few days.

Among the "outrages" that have energized tens of thousands of Kucinich supporters - and even non-supporters - thousands of whom have flooded the ABC News website and other online news sites with comments of protest:

* Congressman Kucinich was apparently deliberately cropped out of a "Politics Page" photo of the candidates.

* Sometime Monday afternoon, after Congressman Kucinich took a commanding lead in ABC's own on-line "Who won the Democratic debate" survey, the survey was dropped from prominence on the website.

* ABC News has not officially reported the results of its online survey.

* After the results of that survey showed Congressman Kucinich winning handily, ABC News, sometime Monday afternoon, replaced the original survey with a second survey asking "Who is winning the Democratic debate?"

* During the early voting Monday afternoon and evening, U.S. Senator Barack Obama was in the lead. By sometime late Monday or early Tuesday morning, Congressman Kucinich regained the lead by a wide margin in this second survey.

* Sometime Tuesday morning, ABC News apparently dropped the second survey from prominence or killed it entirely.

* AND, as every viewer of the nationally televised Sunday Presidential forum is aware, Congressman Kucinich was not given an opportunity to answer a question from moderator George Stephanopoulos until 28 minutes into the program.

The campaign submitted objections and inquiries to ABC News representatives on Monday and Tuesday. ABC News representatives have failed to respond - or even acknowledge - those objections and inquiries.

At ABC News, "Who won the Dem's Debate" Dennis Kucinich trounced the competition!

Kucinich 15,036 votes
Obama 9,258
Clinton 5,851
Biden 3,487
Edwards 3,279
Gravel 1,246
Richardson 1,182
Dodd 208

Yeah, Kucinich received nearly the same amount of votes as Obama and Clinton combined, and gets no coverage from ABC and the other mainstream media outlets.

Democracy at its finest...

mnpACT! on Kline's "townhall" phone calls

It's an excellent story! While the story cites Congressman Kline's usage of this tool to "reach out" to constituents, Congresswoman Bachmann uses it as well.

Whereas, Congressman Walz uses office hours to meet with constituents, regardless of their political affiliation.

One can dream of a time where we can actually meet with our elected officials on the issues that matter to us the most...

Army of Dude's Deployment Awards!

I sure hope Alex continues to write after he comes back from Iraq! His postings are some of the most powerful writing I have seen about the quagmire in Iraq.

Check this out, it's damn good!

Alex shares his insight on "the Surge".

The Surge – The beefing up of ground forces in Iraq at the beginning of the year, started by the 82nd Airborne. Unit deployments were moved up several months to maintain a higher level of boots on the ground to quell the Baghdad situation. What most don’t realize is the amount of actual fighting troops in a brigade, something in the area of 2,000 soldiers in a brigade of 5,000 depending on what unit it is. So for every 2,000 fighters, there are 3,000 pencil pushers sucking up resources in every brigade that was surged. A logistical nightmare that, surprise, failed miserably. The increase of troops in Baghdad pushed the insurgents to rural areas (like Diyala), hence our move here in March. The surge was nothing more than a thorn in the side of nomadic fighters having to move thirty five miles while the generals watched Baghdad with stubborn eyes.

Alex also talks about a lack of planning which led to countless deaths of American Soldiers.

Two Companies Clearing Baqubah – Which brings us to the next nominee. Since Baghdad was the showcase of the war and Baqubah was brimming with super IEDs taking our Bradleys and Abrams tanks, it was decided that a unit needed to be sent there to assist the cavalry unit who averaged a death per week. But how many to send? Someone, somehow, somewhere decided that two companies of Strykers would be adequate to take down what Al Qaeda had deemed their headquarters in Iraq. What came about this oversight? Two hours into the first mission, my friend was killed in a massive IED blast that busted the hell out of the squad leader’s face, resulting in traumatic brain injury and facial reconstruction surgery. The vehicle commander tore his ACL from the concussion. Shrapnel being thrown around the inside of the truck caught one dude in the knee as a dude in the back hatch got rattled around, bruising his back as the other in the hatch was thrown completely out the vehicle. He’s been quiet since then, and was sent home soon after. Returning fire from us and the Bradleys killed an untold number of kids unlucky enough to be in the school next to our position. A wrecker sent out to pick up the destroyed Stryker was the next victim of an IED explosion, killing two men inside. Two more wreckers were sent out, one for the Stryker, one for the now totaled wrecker. As we pulled out that evening, local Iraqis, men, women and children, danced in celebration by the massive crater where the Stryker had been. At once we realized reinforcements were needed but we didn’t get any for two more months. Many more men were killed because we were stretched to our operational breaking point. But there was always more to do. Whoever made the decision to send less than an infantry battalion should be in jail right now.

The insanity continues...

Seven Men Killed At The Same Time – Finally, one of the lowest, saddest points of the deployment came in May. One night, a helicopter spotted several men gathered in the road with a large object. Permission was asked to fire a Hellfire missile at them, as they were obvious IED emplacers. Permission was emphatically denied, but someone decided that a Stryker platoon should head out there anyway to check it out. In tow was a Russian reporter. On a road called Trash Alley, they hit a massive deep buried IED. Everyone in the truck except the driver, six Americans and one Russian, dead. And they didn’t need to be there at all. A helicopter could have killed the insurgents with breathtaking ease. Instead, those guys and the one with the detonator got away in the night. Justice was never done.

The Baqubah mess won the dubious honor...

Alex ends by lifting the veil of anonymity. He has posted under initials during his whole time in Iraq, under the threat of reprisal from his chain of command. His take on how the mainstream media talks about the fallen is spot on correct!

What has been bothering me this whole deployment is the brevity and formality in which the media handles the death of soldiers. It always goes, “PFC John Smith, Norman, Oklahoma, killed by enemy small arms fire in Baghdad. Assigned to 1/43 Engineers, Third Infantry Division.” What a crock to read that in a paper. It would be wholly appropriate to dedicate a full color photo and a real biography in every paper in America. The anonymity of dead soldiers would evaporate and the public would be forced to look at the faces of the fallen. Would it set in progress change? Perhaps. It certainly would go to show that we’re out here every day, dying for an ideal long forgotten. As for me, I started to sign these entries with my initials long ago to avoid detection by superiors. I could and still can get in trouble for what I’ve written. Lately this blog has been passed around to dudes of every rank, and those who would be punishing me have become readers. So it’s no longer necessary to be sneaky and secretive, another anonymous soldier. My name is Alex Horton, and I’m a 22 year old from Frisco, Texas. I can recite Pulp Fiction line by line and my favorite color is blue. I want to be a journalist when I grow up, and I want to see every part of the world. For the first time in my life I’m an avid reader. Fifteen months here has been fifteen months away from Lauren, the girl I’m crazy about. This wouldn’t be much of a blog without her, as she’s the inspiration for anything creative coming out of me, my beautiful muse.

Alex ends with a powerful request.

In the future, I want my children to grow up with the belief that what I did here was wrong, in a society that doesn’t deem that idea unpatriotic.

You'll make a great journalist Alex! Thank you for your posts and for helping those of us on the left regain control over the mantra, "Support Our Troops"!

A local LTE on transportation

From the Startribune. I wonder if Dean Urdahl is paying attention? Will his flip flop on transportation cost him anything in 2008?

PRIORITIZING ISN'T ENOUGH

Inflation took a toll

Since the bridge collapse, writers to these pages have been critical of calls to increase the state's gas tax -- which, it bears continuous repeating, has not been increased in almost two decades. Some claim that all we need do is "prioritize" our spending options and all will be well. This suggested course of action, deceptive in its simplicity, is what has us in our current predicament.
We have spent the last 15 years prioritizing our transportation projects precisely because our revenue has not kept up with our ability to pay. While some may disagree, having the courage to ask Minnesota motorists to chip in a little more per gallon must be a part of the overall solution.

MIKE WORCESTER, COKATO, MINN

Who's fighting this war?

Is this why this quagmire in Iraq is costing us billions of dollars every week?

On top of the nearly 150,000 US troops in Iraq, we have 127,000 contractors employed by our military industrial complex? Less than 20% of them are American?

Anyone see any irony in the extreme right wingers taking an extremist stance on immigration and border issues but allow US Contractors being payed via our tax dollars to recruit the same individuals who they don't want here to fight a war "over there"?

A solidiers perspective

The New York Times posted an op ed yesterday which provides a soldiers view of "the Surge". It's a view that contradicts what Congresswoman Bachmann, Congressman Kline, and Senator Coleman continue to state about Iraq and "the Surge".

Counterinsurgency is, by definition, a competition between insurgents and counterinsurgents for the control and support of a population. To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day. (Obviously, these are our personal views and should not be seen as official within our chain of command.)

They actually wrote this op ed from Iraq!

Given the situation, it is important not to assess security from an American-centered perspective. The ability of, say, American observers to safely walk down the streets of formerly violent towns is not a resounding indicator of security. What matters is the experience of the local citizenry and the future of our counterinsurgency. When we take this view, we see that a vast majority of Iraqis feel increasingly insecure and view us as an occupation force that has failed to produce normalcy after four years and is increasingly unlikely to do so as we continue to arm each warring side.

Read that paragraph again John McCain, Michele Bachmann and her chickenhawk friends. Walking into a Baghdad market with a Kevlar helmet and bullet proof vest are not valid indicators of a safe and secure environment.

At the same time, the most important front in the counterinsurgency, improving basic social and economic conditions, is the one on which we have failed most miserably. Two million Iraqis are in refugee camps in bordering countries. Close to two million more are internally displaced and now fill many urban slums. Cities lack regular electricity, telephone services and sanitation. “Lucky” Iraqis live in gated communities barricaded with concrete blast walls that provide them with a sense of communal claustrophobia rather than any sense of security we would consider normal.

In a lawless environment where men with guns rule the streets, engaging in the banalities of life has become a death-defying act. Four years into our occupation, we have failed on every promise, while we have substituted Baath Party tyranny with a tyranny of Islamist, militia and criminal violence. When the primary preoccupation of average Iraqis is when and how they are likely to be killed, we can hardly feel smug as we hand out care packages. As an Iraqi man told us a few days ago with deep resignation, “We need security, not free food.”

In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also robbed them of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are — an army of occupation — and force our withdrawal.

This is a powerful op ed by some brave infantrymen from the 82nd Airborne! I encourage all of you to read this op ed in its entirety.

Celebrating 40 years of Student Advocacy

40 years and growing!

The Minnesota State University Student Association, a student organization I was a part of for about 3 years, is celebrating it's 40th Anniversary on September 18th 2007!

MSUSA is holding a 4oth Anniversary event at their new office, at 23 Empire Drive in St Paul.

I think we ought to hold it at 106 and 108 Como Ave for old times sake...but I don't get to make those decisions anymore!

What is MSUSA? MSUSA is a student governed, professionally staffed, non-profit organization that organizes students across Minnesota, advocating for students at the MnSCU system and State and Federal Legislative levels.

Over 40 years, MSUSA has evolved into one of the strongest statewide student organizations in the United States!

So, on September 18th, alumni, friends and supporters of MSUSA will gather for to celebrate the past and prepare for the future!

To RSVP for this great event, call the MSUSA office at 651-224-1518 or email Kari at development@msusa.net.

I sure hope Abe shows up!

Avidor on Rep Olson

Great stuff over at Dump Mark Olson!

So, Rep Olson of Big Lake, convicted of misdemeanor assault in July, must pay nearly $400 in fines and court costs, attend a 12-week behavior-oriented workshop and have no contact with his wife, Heidi Olson.

$400 fine for beating his wife?

Seriously? WTF is that all about?

Avidor has the scoop!

Even though marriage started out on a happy note for the couple, it did not take long for things to sour. For Olson, a first-time marriage at 48 years old included being a parent for the first time to five children, one of them with autism.

Coupled with these dynamics, Heidi says Olson’s biblical interpretation of Scripture became a major source of contention in their home and marriage.Heidi maintains Olson’s biblical interpretation of the man being the head of the home meant that Olson has total control of everything in the home, and that her role was to merely support whatever decisions he made.

The biggest conflict, she says, was about parenting issues, discipline in particular. She adds that Olson did not feel she responded quickly enough or hard enough in disciplining her kids.

“My opinions regarding raising children, or how I felt something should be done, were not going to be listened to,” Heidi says. “He had an idea of how it should be done, and he really wanted it to be done that way.”

At first Heidi went along with the way Olson wanted things, but when she saw how harsh things became, she says she wanted to regroup and tell him his ideas of running a family and a marriage were not working for her. He would not concede, though.

“He saw any input I wanted to have on disciplining my own children—my biological children—as being disrespectful to him,” Heidi says.

Olson conducted family life much like politics, Heidi contends. She says the politician, husband and father saw issues as black or white, right or wrong. But politics did not work in a blended family situation, she says in which diplomacy and compromise was needed.

Olson’s harsh disposition was particularly egregious concerning Heidi’s autistic son. When the boy would make a mistake about something, Heidi says Olson would not overlook the error even though it might be petty.

Such was the case when Olson was playing Monopoly with the 13-year-old.“My son with autism had paid the wrong price for a hotel,” Heidi recalls, “and because Mark deals with everything as either right or wrong, he had to correct him on the price of the hotel. It became an issue and I received a call from my son saying ‘Mark just won’t let it go. I don’t know what to do.’”

Heidi instructed her son to stop playing the game and go to his room and read a book, or he could apologize for paying the wrong price and continue playing the game. The boy apologized and continued playing, but apparently Olson would not let it go.

“My son started hitting himself because he became so frustrated with Mark, and he thought Mark was harassing him,” Heidi says. “So he started hitting himself in the head, and hitting at Mark.”Several days passed since the incident, and whenever Heidi tried talking to Olson about how her son needed to be handled, he refused to talk about it.

“These kinds of kids have a quicker breaking point than most other kids,” Heidi explains. “You just don’t harass them about stuff that isn’t a big deal. You learn how to talk to them.”

And Olson remains as a State Representative...

Army Suicide rates skyrocket!

From the "I freakin told you so" pile...

Army Suicide rates are the highest in 26 years!

But what are our elected leaders going to do about this?

Congresswoman Bachmann? Nothing!

Congressman Kline? Nothing!

Senator Coleman? Nothing!

"In addition, there was a significant relationship between suicide attempts and number of days deployed" in Iraq, Afghanistan or nearby countries where troops are participating in the war effort, it said. The same pattern seemed to hold true for those who not only attempted, but succeeded in killing themselves.

There also "was limited evidence to support the view that multiple ... deployments are a risk factor for suicide behaviors," it said.

So not only is "the surge" not working, some evidence shows that it causes a higher suicide rate amongst Veterans.

It also has had an adverse impact on women serving in forward areas.

About twice as many women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide as did women not sent to war, the report said.

So as Veterans are committing suicide in record numbers, what will the chickenhawk Republican elected officials do now? Will they continue to support Bush's failed policy in Iraq? Will they continue to put politics before the people?

Congresswoman Bachmann continues to be a staunch supporter of a failed plan.

"I'm glad to see evidence of recent improvements in Iraq, but there needs to be
more," she said. "Gen. (David) Petraeus, our commander on the ground, will
report to Congress in September about the progress of the new surge strategy and
the challenges that remain. Like many Americans, I look forward to his candid
assessment."

I read this report, and while fully realized the enormity of the situation, am still fighting to grasp the reality of seeing it in print.

It's more than a candid assessment!

Congresswoman Bachmann has been invited to a forum to discuss Iraq.

Bachmann has been invited to a town-hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at St.
Cloud State University's Atwood Center to discuss Iraq, he said

100:1 Bachmann is a no show!

Remember, at least 15 Minnesota Veterans have committed suicide...and Congresswoman Bachmann remains silent, unwilling to speak to the constituents of the 6th CD about Iraq.

I wonder if Mr Brodkorb will chide the Congresswoman for ditching a townhall meeting? I am sure it would be a fairer discussion than the Taxpayers League shenanigans in 28B!

The latest Kucinich video!

A movement to impeach Dick Cheney!

Check out our newest video, from the 35 percenters!

54% of American adults are in favor of impeaching Vice President Dick Cheney. Amongst Democrats specifically, 76% favor impeachment, yet for some reason Dennis Kucinich is the only Democratic presidential candidate willing to represent this overwhelming majority. The great disparity between public support and political support is also evident with regards to universal not-for-profit healthcare, of which Dennis is again the only candidate to stand for the vast majority of Americans who favor such a system. Support for HR Res 333, Dennis Kucinich’s resolution to impeach Vice President Cheney on three charges.

Media Advisory: St Cloud Educators and others to visit Congresswoman Bachmann's office

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq
http://www.iraqcampaign.org
For Immediate Release Contact: Kevin Fahey, (612) 465-8803
August 13th, 2007

*** MEDIA ADVISORY for August 14th at 12PM***

St. Cloud Educators, School Employees to Call on Bachmann to Vote for Responsible End to War in Iraq

Effort Comes on Heels of Bush War Czar’s Announcement Last Week That Administration Is Considering Reinstating a U.S. Military Draft / Iraq Summer to ask Rep. Bachmann: Since you support Bush’s policy of endless war in Iraq, do you also support the draft needed to sustain it?

[ Waite Park, MN] – With the war in Iraq now expected to cost in upwards of $1 trillion, a group of Minnesota teachers and classified school employees will gather in front of Rep. Michele Bachmann’s constituent office Tuesday to urge she change course and stop voting to enable President Bush’s costly, irresponsible and failed policy of endless war in Iraq . Even in the summer, they are working on behalf of Minnesota ’s youth, who will shoulder the financial burden of this war for decades to come. The group will call on Bachmann to support a safe and responsible end to the war and will include a local grandmother whose grandson is currently hospitalized at the VA in St. Cloud, as well as others in the educator community who are rising to defend the youth and future generations unfairly saddled with the immense burden of paying for this war.

Educators and classified school employees are speaking out on behalf of Minnesota ’s youth on the heels of the startling pronouncement on Friday from Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the President’s new war adviser - commonly referred to as the war czar - that he is considering reinstating a military draft. Lute’s draft talk followed General Petraeus’ recent statements that we should stay in Iraq for another 9 or 10 years. In response, the Iraq Summer Campaign will ask the Congresswoman if she agrees with General Petraeus’s assessment that the US will need to keep fighting in Iraq for the next 10 years and if she is willing to support a draft to maintain troop levels to support Petraeus’s plan.

AAEI's "Iraq Summer" Campaign is a nationwide, 10-week long campaign with nearly 100 organizers in 15 states and 40 congressional districts to turn up the heat on members of Congress, including Sen. Norm Coleman and Rep. Jim Ramstad, who have opposed setting a timeline to bring a safe and responsible end to the war in Iraq. The effort will culminate with a national "Take a Stand" day on August 28th, when Members of Congress will have the opportunity to explain their stance on the war to their constituents in a town hall setting.

WHO: Iraq Summer Campaign / Minnesota Educators, Classified School Employees
WHAT: Speak out against the war on behalf of young Americans saddled with rising costs, both human and financial
WHEN: Tuesday August 14th at Noon
WHERE: St. Cloud/Waite Park Office
110 2nd Street S, Suite 232Waite Park, MN 56387

Tired soldiers and bonuses

Spending a bit of time searching the world wide web this morning, I came across a disturbing article about the fatigue that is setting in within our military.

Soldiers are really feeling the impact of "the surge".

Where once the war in Iraq was defined in conversations with these men by untenable ideas - bringing democracy or defeating al-Qaeda - these days the war in Iraq is defined by different ways of expressing the idea of being weary. It is a theme that is endlessly reiterated as you travel around Iraq. 'The army is worn out. We are just keeping people in theatre who are exhausted,' says a soldier working for the US army public affairs office who is supposed to be telling me how well things have been going since the 'surge' in Baghdad began.

They drink Red Bull and other high energy drinks just to stay awake on patrols.

It is a weariness that has created its own culture of superstition. There are vehicle commanders who will not let the infantrymen in the back fall asleep on long operations - not because they want the men alert, but because, they say, bad things happen when people fall asleep. So the soldiers drink multiple cans of Rip It and Red Bull to stay alert and wired.

I am certain we will find that the military is feeding our soldiers drugs to keep them awake as well.

Divorce rates and instances of domestic violence are on the rise as well.

'I counted it the other day,' says a major whose partner is also a soldier. 'We have been married for five years. We added up the days. Because of Iraq and Afghanistan we have been together for just seven months. Seven months ... We are in a bad place. I don't know whether this marriage can survive it.'

I know a few former colleagues who have and are experiencing this.

The equipment is worn out too.

And it is not only the soldiers that are worn out. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to the destruction, or wearing out, of 40 per cent of the US army's equipment, totalling at a recent count $212 billion.

But it is in the soldiers themselves - and in the ordinary stories they tell - that the exhaustion of the US military is most obvious, coming amid warnings that soldiers serving multiple Iraq deployments, now amounting to several years, are 50% more likely than those with one tour to suffer from acute combat stress.

Think about that. 40% of our military's equipment will need to be replaced.

It will continue to be an economic boom for the military industrial complex, and the former Generals who sit as executives on their governing boards.

This leads to severe problems around recruitment and retention of soldiers, sailors, and Marines!

The Army has raised enlistment bonuses for those who "fast track" their way to Iraq. They have also raised their bonuses to unheard of levels.

A new law will allow the Army to give larger financial bonuses for enlistments and re-enlistments - doubling the maximum payment to new active duty recruits from $20,000 to $40,000, and from $10,000 to $20,000 for reservists. It also will let older recruits sign on by raising the top age from 35 to 42. And the top re-enlistment bonus for active duty soldiers would increase from $60,000 to $90,000.

They have also doubled the amount of soldiers they will accept at the lowest level of aptitude to pad their recruiting figures.

When Congresswoman Bachmann was living it up in the Green Zone, she ignored the soldiers out on the Outposts who are more apt to suffer from an episode of PTSD, those who actually see "the surge" for what it really is...

An absolute failure.

SC Times LTE: Bachmann AWOL in the 6th!

Check it out!

After her appearance on national television hugging President Bush and commenting on our Iraq foreign policy, she has disappeared from view. The other freshman representative from Minnesota, Tim Walz, has had frequent town meetings and open forums.

While there is also another freshman legislator as well, Keith Ellison, both Ellison and Walz have served in an open and consistent manner, seeking the opinon of their constituents.

Congresswoman Bachmann continues to be AWOL.

Army of Dude on "the Surge"!

Been too long between posts from Alex at AoD!

He shares some observations of his 15 months in Iraq.

This occupation, this money pit, this smorgasbord of superfluous aggression is getting more hopeless and dismal by the second. It’s maddening to think that more than a year’s worth of blood, sweat and tears will lead to little more than a pat on the back and a hideously redundant speech from someone who did none of the bleeding, sweating or crying.

Despite being in a meaningless situation, my life has never had this much meaning. I watch the backs of my friends and they do the same for me. I’ve killed to protect them, and they’ve killed to protect me. For friends and family, being deployed is like being pregnant or surviving a car wreck; everyone is nice to you all of a sudden. People I don’t even know send me kind words and packages from all over. They came out of the woodwork knowing my plight and shared with me heartfelt hope and luck. The fact that you’re reading this now, dear reader, is a testament to that. Would you have cared about what I thought, felt or did two years ago? This position I’m in, shared by less than one percent of the U.S. population, has given me the distinct privilege of sharing my experiences and ruminations of this war, observations undiluted by perpetually delirious officials like General Petreaus and mainstream media sirens. I have felt every extreme of the human condition, physically, morally and emotionally. I’ve never laughed so hard, cried so long or felt more ashamed of myself in all of my life. In a matter of weeks it’ll be over, and I’ll have just the memories of enduring 130 degree heat, and poker games lasting well into the night. I’ll look back on the hysterical laughter during fifteen hour Baghdad clears, the terror of being pinned down by machine gun fire, the sight of a Stryker on it side and the unfolding of a body bag under the flames of a nearby school, unzipped tenderly to fit the body of Chevy as RPGs screamed overhead. Soon this place will all be in the past.

Next month we’ll be the first unit home that completed a three month extension. We were one of few to see Iraq before and after the surge. If the media got anything right, it was that the surge failed. The idea, as birthed in a bloody, mucous-y blob of counter production by General Petreaus, is quite simple on paper, impossible to execute in a meddling reality. The concept is that combat troops would move from their huge bases that housed obscene luxuries like beds, flushing toilets and running water, and into outposts within the most dangerous parts of the city. The key to it all would be 24/7 interaction with Iraqi Army and a constant presence among the Iraqi citizens, giving them confidence in the mission of coalition forces. The building we picked used to be a flour factory, and we’ve been busy putting up concrete barriers and wire around it. A house was too close to where the wall was supposed to be, so engineers blew it to smithereens and sent the family packing. The father owned the plot for forty years and comes by every so often to collect the useful bricks left scattered a hundred yards in every direction. Before he entered once, I patted his seventy year old frame down like a common criminal.

And that’s how we’ve been leading our lives for the past year and two months. Going from place to place and hoping we don’t die on the way there or the way back. With our GPS tracking satellites and laser guided warheads and scientifically developed helmets for ultra comfort, we’re getting beat to the punch every day by a dude crouching behind a wall with a battery and a spool of wire. We’ve been killing the innocent with the guilty because we don’t have the luxury to tell the difference when that bomb goes off and you don’t know which of your friends are dead or alive. In essence, we’ve come here to help each other survive. It worked in most cases and sadly, not in others. We’ve still got a few weeks left until we cross the border of Kuwait, until someone else comes and tells us our job here is done.

It's because of brave warriors like Alex, American's are able to see a clear picture of what is really going on in Iraq. Thanks again Alex for all your work, I look forward to your final blog posts from Iraq!

The Startribune's attempt to create a race

H/T to Ollie at Bluestem Prairie for this gem!

The Strib ran a story on Congressman Walz and his reelection efforts, including the fallible foursome of Mark Meyer, Senator Dick Day, Rep Randy Demmer, and Brian Davis.

This fourpack of GOPers, running against each other for the opportunity to get thumped by the most personable politician this state has seen since Paul Wellstone, have raised the paltry amount of about $176,000 between the 4 of them.

Yet the Strib decides that this is a race? Did Sid Hartman write this piece? He's been delusional about the Twins, Vikings, Wolves, and Gophers for decades now. Perhaps someone was drinking from Sid's sippy cup...

The Startribune is creating a Congressional race in the Fighting 1st where one doesn't really exist yet. On the heels of the fluff piece in the Strib a few Sunday's ago about Congresswoman Bachmann, it would appear as though the Strib would endorse the ineffective and embarrassing soccer mom over the highly effective and personable teacher and Veteran.

I'm confused as how the largest daily publication in Minnesota can't recall that they actually ran a story about how Bob Olson switched from the Senate race to the House race. Even more baffling is the fact that Bob Hill has been in the 6th CD race since he has been in the race since at least March of this past year.

Despite the deep cuts to the staff at the Strib, someone ought to have the ability to do a Google search before running the statement that Congresswoman Bachmann only had one opponent.

In addition, Hill has more resources on hand, over $200,000, than the 4 Walz opponents combined. Furthermore, both Hill and Olson have had a strong presence at the County Fair circuit. I have heard both men speak publicly about the importance of building the foundation of a movement in Greater Minnesota. They have both spoken on how our "representative" in Washington does not represent the values of Minnesotans and the 6th CD.

While Bachmann will be the toughest GOP incumbent to beat in Minnesota going into 08, "The Bob's", Hill and Olson, stand a great chance in doing so.

By printing the Bachmann fluff piece two weeks ago, failing to do a fact check on the who's who of the CD 6 race, and failing to report on her politicization of the 35W bridge, shows a complete lack of intellectual honesty on the part of the Startribune and their editorial staff.

I'd rather be a Democrat running against Bachmann and her tumultuous first year in Congress, than being the Republican running against the Congressman who has kept true to his word before departing for Washington and has been very active amongst constituents throughout their district.

Instead of creating a race in the Fighting First, perhaps the Strib ought to cover the one brewing here in the 6th!

*Update* Dump Bachmann is covering the story as well!

Annandale Advocate gives Urdahl a free pass

On my way home from work tonight, I stopped by my parents place in Annandale to chat for a bit. Seeing the story on the left column of the Annandale Advocate got me fired up a tad bit.

"After collapse, roads become a priority," is the title of the piece that gave our State Representative, Dean Urdahl, a free pass.

These quotes burned as I read them.

"I thought history would show that Dean and I were right (about transportation funding). But I didn't want or think something like this would happen to prove our point," Dille said.

In May, both Dille in the Senate and Urdahl in the House voted in favor of a large transportation bill that was vetoed by Pawlenty.

The article fails to point out the Urdahl flip flop on the Transportation Bill.

To be clear, the size of the recent Transportation Bill really had no impact on the 35W bridge collapse.

However, Urdahl did embrace the "No New Taxes" pledges that underfunded our cities and counties local government aid, E-12 education, higher education, health and human services, and transportation.

District 18B Rep. Dean Urdahl and State Sen. Steve Dille, both republicans who pushed hard for transportation funding last spring as part of a large bill that included raising the state's gas tax, said action may come quickly, and late last week the governor's office said a special session could be called.

Really? Did Urdahl push hard for transportation funding? Of the 211 bills authored in the House Transportation Finance Committee, Urdahl failed to author even a single piece of legislation on transportation concerns in Greater Minnesota.

Recall the postings made after Rep Urdahl flip flopped on the Transportation Bill in May. Urdahl had serious concerns about the Governor's transportation budget proposal, as it did not include needed monies in Meeker and Wright Counties.

Urdahl waited 155 days to express this disappointment to the Governor, and once called onto the carpet by the Governor, folded like a $3 chair.

If Urdahl were so concerned about the state of Transportation issues in Greater Minnesota, he would have supported the legislation that would have provided:

$270 million more for our states trunk highway system

$162 million more for County State Aid for roads like County Road 6 from Howard Lake to Annandale

$35 million more for Municipal State Aid, for roads like Wright County 125 near Cokato

So while the Annandale Advocate wants to give Rep Urdahl a free pass on the transportation funding, progressives throughout Wright and Meeker Counties will continue to work to expose the politics of Dean Urdahl, "politics before people".

Dean Urdahl needs to go!

Election Day in 28B

Joe at Minnesota Campaign Report has a post up now about the race. While the seat has been held by a Republican for nearly 3 decades, Joe points out some recent special election trends mixed with the current political scene in Minnesota.

The district is relatively conservative if one looks solely at election numbers, but the DFL has made significant inroads in rural areas of Minnesota, especially in the southern part of the state, in recent elections. The rapid election schedule has also been impacted by the I-35 bridge collapse, turning a spotlight on transit funding issues in both urban and rural parts of the state.

Like St Cloud in 05, where Republicans held firm control over most of the legislative seats in the area, Southern Minnesota and 28B are poised for change!

Ollie Ox at Bluestem Prairie talks about Drazkowski's unwillingness to fully express exactly where he is on the gas tax issue.

Ollie ends her report by asking the question voters across 28B ought to be asking themselves before they go to the polls today.

Other than wanting to get elected, does The Draz know where he stands?

Voters in 28B know where Linda Pfeilsticker stands on the issues...

Great work at Beyond Sound Bites...

Great work!

And last but not least former Secretary of State, Big Lakes own Mary Kiffmeyer was discovered to have misspent a lot of money and took reimbursements to which she was not entitled. She gave raises to her staff and bypassed the State HR department. So she cost us about $160,000 which will be difficult to recover.
Kiffmeyer did not blame her spouse so one wonders if she is a true Sherburne
County Republican.By the way Kiffmeyer once said that the 5 most dangerous words in the English language are “separation of church and state.”In Sherburne County the most dangerous phrase an elected republican can utter may be “Marry me”

Keep up the good work!

A few observations as the Special Election looms...

H/T to Bluestem Prairie for finding this.

While Korb from the "King and the Korb Weekly Lovefest" goes after Linda Pfeilsticker for being vague in answering questions, the same holds true for her Republican opponent Steve Drazkowski.

Look Drazkowski's "answers" to some questions put forth by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

In order to strengthen Minnesota's economy, strategic investment in transportation infrastructure is necessary. How do you propose to fund Minnesota's transportation infrastructure to assure the safest, most cost effective transportation system that will meet the economic and quality-of-life needs of our state?

Draz states:

There is enough money for transportation projects in Minnesota, we just need be more efficient and prioritize our spending on transportation projects.

Really? Is he serious? While I do not claim to be an expert on the road infrastructure in 28B, I do travel Greater Minnesota on a pretty regular basis, and know that the roads are in need of significant repair.

Seems like Draz is following the mantra of Seifert, Urdahl, Emmer, and Shimanski.

Cut, cut, cut
Borrow, borrow, borrow
Blame, blame, blame

Phoenix Woman posts about Pawlenty playing good cop to Molnau and Seifert's bad cop regarding transportation funding.

Bluestem Prairie covers transportation issues as well! Note that Draz wants to bond for roads! Build now, pay later!

While the transportation question has caught the eye of many, Drazkowski's lack of a response on the education question is what concerns me most.

Minnesota has adopted grade-level standards that describe what all students in Minnesota should know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school. Minnesota administers statewide tests to measure student progress against those standards and to enable the public to easily compare student achievement in different schools. Which of the following statements is closest to your opinion about testing in Minnesota?

Testing background: Many employers report that high school graduates are unprepared for the demands of the workplace. And about 30 percent of first year students in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU) take at least one remedial course. To improve student achievement and increase accountability in our public education system, Minnesota, after more than a decade of debate and experimentation, adopted a set of statewide standards and a corresponding set of tests to measure students against those standards. Minnesota's efforts predated the federal No Child Left Behind Act, but the overall goal is consistent.

Steve Drazkowski: Has not yet responded.

He simply avoided the question. Students coming to MnSCU institutions unprepared for core level courses is rising. It has been rising for years and is a strain on limited resources on our college campuses.

Pfeilsticker is dead on in her response.

State testing can be appropriate for the measurement of student achievement if used to help schools address areas of concern. There can be such a thing as too much testing. Too many school days are consumed doing standardized tests which are very costly to administer. We need to minimize the number of testing days and use the test results as guides for overall curriculum development.

Why did Drazkowski dodge this question? What does he have to hide?

It's the status quo with Republican candidates, avoid the tough questions and provide bland answers with no vision for the future.

No answer on the education question and no vision on the transportation question.

Is this really what the voters in 28B want? An elected official with no vision for our future? We do not need more Dean Urdahl's, Tom Emmer's, Marty Seifert's, Ron Shimanski's, or Steve Drazkowski's. We need leaders who will lead in difficult situations, make the tough decision and not ride the party line to mediocrity.

Vote Vets on Pat Tillman

Here is the letter and the link to sign on!

Mr. President:

On behalf of the veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and those troops still in theater, I implore you to reconsider your decision to invoke claims of executive privilege in refusing to share vital documents regarding the death of Corporal Pat Tillman with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

As you know, this week the Associated Press obtained the medical examiner's finding at the time of his death that Corporal Tillman's fatal wounds seemed to indicate shots fired from ten yards away, or less. The doctors who examined Corporal Tillman urged a criminal investigation into his death be opened at that time, and were refused. Since that time, the Department of Defense has put forth two explanations for the death of Corporal Tillman, the first of which was proven false, and a second which now seems to have been proven to be a lie, as well. In both cases, the White House has actively pushed these false findings to the public.

Your administration has faithfully shared a number of documents with the committee, but has withheld a number of requested documents under the specious argument that sharing the documents would violate confidentiality among you and your staff. For instance, the Committee has requested a number of communications between senior administration officials and the Pentagon, which may offer important details into the death of Corporal Tillman, and if there was an attempt to cover them up, by some in the Executive Branch.

Respectfully, Sir, when it comes to outright lies conveyed to the public about the death of a soldier - especially one like Corporal Tillman whose service was used as a recruiting poster for the military - there is nothing which cannot be shared with the Legislative Branch or the people.
Confidence in the institution of the military from those within is at stake, the longer you withhold information. The longer questions remain about the death of Corporal Tillman and possible White House involvement in an ensuing cover-up, the more our troops will question whether this government will properly honor their sacrifice and let their families know the truth, if they are killed in action. It is simply impossible for the military to function, if those in its ranks do not have full faith in our leadership up the chain of command, all the way to Washington.

Additionally, by letting questions fester regarding the death of Corporal Tillman, you are placing an undue burden on our recruiters, at a time when our Army and Marine Corps can ill-afford more of a drop off in recruiting. Our military depends on being able to visit homes and gaining the trust of mothers and fathers to allow their 18-year old son or daughter to wear the uniform. What mother would allow her son or daughter to serve a nation she feels will not honor her child's service?

Finally, as Commander in Chief, you owe the complete and total truth to Corporal Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman. It is the duty of any officer to write to the families of those under us who were killed, and tell them the entire truth regarding their love one's death. To lie about any details or withhold any information would not just cause unjust pain to the survivors, but is to dishonor the fallen. As our nation's top commander, it is your duty to Pat Tillman and his family to release all materials related to his death.

For the good of our military, our troops, the Tillmans, and our nation, I respectfully call on you to comply with all past and future requests of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on the matter of the death of Corporal Tillman.

Respectfully,