IN A SWARM OF BAD NEWS FOR REPUBLICANS, THE ELEPHAN HIT THE FAN AND THEN SOME.
FIRST UP, SENATOR CRAZY. THE ONE TIME FRONT RUNNER FOR THE 2008 GOP NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT JOHN MCCAIN SAW THE SHOWBOAT EXPRESS CHUG-CHUG-CHUG TO A STAND STILL IN CRAZY TOWN.
SENATOR CRAZY, THE ONE TIME FRONT RUNNER, FOUND OUT THE RESULTS ARE IN AFTER A STRAW POLL OVER THE WEEKEND FOUND HE CAME IN 10TH OF ALL THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES.
WHEN REACHED FOR COMMENT, SENATOR CRAZY TOLD THESE REPORTERS, "KILL! KILL! DIE! DIE!, THAT'S MY NEW SLOGAN! I THINK THE VOTERS WILL EAT IT UP!"
BELTWAY ANALYSTS REMAIN UNSURE WHETHER THE SLOGAN IS AN IMPROVEMENT OVER SENATOR CRAZY'S LAST SLOGAN: "Vote Insane! Vote John McCain!"
ONE THING THEY DO AGREE ON IS THAT KARL ROVE IS A DESERTER WHO HAS GONE A.W.O.L. AND SHOULD BE PROSECUTED FOR LEAVING A SINKING SHIP.
TODAY CAME THE NEWS THAT KARL ROVE WILL LEAVE THE ADMINISTRATION ON AUGUST 31ST. REACTION AT THE WHITE HOUSE (SEE PHOTO) WAS MUTED.
FROM THE SIDE OF SANITY, NEWS DISSECTOR DANNY SCHECHTER DECLARED, "WELL, WITH HIS BRAIN GONE, WHAT'S LEFT? I MEAN THIS IS RATS DESERTING A SHIP. YOU KNOW, THE SHIP IS SINKING, CLEARLY. HIS COMMENT -- PRESIDENT BUSH'S COMMENT THE OTHER DAY -- HE DOESN'T SPEAK ENGLISH -- IS INDICATIVE OF AN ADMINISTRATION THAT DOESN'T KNOW WHAT IT'S DOING OR WHERE IT'S GOING. BUSH'S TOP ADVISER LEAVING IS CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO MAKE IT ANY EASIER FOR HIM. WE'RE GOING TO SEE MORE AND MORE CRISIS."
FROM A PADDED CELL, D.C. INSIDER VICKY TOEJAM DECLARED, "HE'S A COWARD! A COWARD! HE SHOULD BE SHOT FOR TREASON! AFTER ALL THE LIES I TOLD TO GET HIS FAT ASS OUT OF PRISON!"
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Starting with war resistance, Agustin Aguayo is the focus of Mary Wiltenburg's "When a US soldier in Iraq won't soldier" (Christian Science Monitor) which traces Aguayo's involvement in the US military, working two and three jobs to support his family, Aguayo thought of joining the Army Reserves but was persuaded the Army was the better choice, went to basic training and was distrubed by the chants ("Left, right, kill!," "We are not men. We are beasts," etc.), realized on the eve of deployment to Iraq that he couldn't kill anyone. Helga Aguayo searched online and discovered conscientious objector, a term that applied to her husband and one they had never heard of. That's why it's shameful when publications such as The Nation (the 'leading magazine of the left') refuse to cover war resisters in print or reduce Camilio Mejia (as they did in their overly praised article last month) to a 'deserter' while never noting that his 8-year-contract was up, had been up, and that as a noncitizen the US military could not extend Mejia's contract. Mejia applied for CO status and was rejected. But by all means, let's applaud The Nation for it's repeated cowardice and it's repeated silence. The AP has done a better job covering the war resistance than the laughable Nation magazine. (Community members remember, check in on Labor Day.) In fairness, voices who didn't use the platform to note Ehren Watada but were happy to use their platforms to note a reporter should share the shame of The Nation.
Like Mejia, Agustin's CO application was rejected. Wiltenburg notes, "The decision was divided: Aguayo's company commander and investigating officer called him 'absolutely sincere' and said he had a 'legitimate concern with being a soldier.' The next four levels of command recommended rejection; one called Aguayo's application 'an attempt to remedy [the] anxiety all soldiers face during an extended deployment in a combat theater'." Perspective. "The investigating officer said that it was in the best interest of the military to discharge him and that he believed that Agustin was sincere. However, higher ups in the chain of command -- that never met with my husband -- decided that he wasn't sincere and just didn't really give a reason, just said that he didn't qualify as a conscientious objector," Helga Aguayo speaking to Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) Arpil 20, 2007. Mary Wiltenburg's "When a US soldier in Iraq won't soldier" (Christian Science Monitor) is the first of multi-part story on Aguayo The Christian Science Monitor is doing. So those wanting to be informed can look to that paper and ignored the useless Nation magazine..
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Zamesha Dominique, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. IVAW and others will be joining Veterans For Peace's conference in St. Louis, Missouri August 15th to 19th.
RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot"
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