madmex2000 Report This Comment Date: October 23, 2006 09:13PM
By Kevin Tillman
Editor’s note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and
they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on
April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful,
must-read document.
It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets
me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military.
He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we
were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we
could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier
would leave us without a voice… until we got out.
Much has happened since we handed over our voice:
Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the
American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the
September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had
mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to
establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created
that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and
condemns everything that it is.
Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by
setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly
holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly
torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few
“bad apples” in the military.
Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old
kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping
stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s
interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a
drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die
around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED
throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin
melts to the seat.
Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion
becomes.
Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and
illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and
honor of its soldiers on the ground.
Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to
send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.
Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.
Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.
Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is
tolerated.
Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.
Somehow torture is tolerated.
Somehow lying is tolerated.
Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.
Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.
Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and
condemns everything that it is.
Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has
become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries
in the world.
Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by
apathy through active ignorance.
Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious
criminals are still in charge of this country.
Somehow this is tolerated.
Somehow nobody is accountable for this.
In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So
don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors
to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to
know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference,
leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.
Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People
still can take action. It can start after Pat’s birthday.
Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman
as posted. madmex2000
fossil_digger Report This Comment Date: October 23, 2006 09:36PM
somehow by posting this a certain person or persons think the validity of the
rpublican party will be tarnished in such a way as to overturn power in the
government to the liberal way of thinking. keep 'em comin' the republicans are
inherently lazy assed voters who think that they already have elections won w/o
their votes.
the more crying libs. do the more republicans they will flush out to vote.
thanks guys!
F_d
brokntoad Report This Comment Date: October 23, 2006 10:02PM
Now that was an intelligent comeback...
Are you smoking dope (or worse) now fossil?
"do the more republicans they will flush out to vote."... I am sure
the republican party is ecstatic to have you represent them with your brilliant
posts.
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: October 23, 2006 10:12PM
I don't think we need to keep reminding the Republicans how their fearless
leader has really screwed the party up for next election. Democrats are not much
better. If it were up to me I would eliminate the so called Parties all together
and have everyone run as an Independent candidate. There is way to much one
sided politics for a real Democracy to work. Politicans care about one thing,
"Money"! Yes, corporate America can buy votes, Wow! what a system.
Tillman died by friendly fire, I believe. Looks like that is what we have here
with this Government!
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: October 23, 2006 10:32PM
all fucking stupid. this guys who lost his brother. obviously a liberal hippie.
he joined the army thinking he was gonna get a free education just handed to
him. he didn't realize that when he signed the paper he may actually have to go
earn it. also, if there was conflict going on at the time he signed up he surely
wouldn't. what a fucking coward. instead of honoring his brother and celebrating
his life as a defender of the USA, he is whining about it.
makes me sick.
fossil_digger Report This Comment Date: October 23, 2006 10:47PM
too bad the concept eludes you toad. but then again the whole liberal mindset
is to just point fingers and not offer any solutions.
i guess i should've known what you would think huh?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 23/10/2006 10:58PM by fossil_digger.
Madhatter Report This Comment Date: October 24, 2006 01:00AM
Fossil- Go to www.congressionalbadboys.com and check it out. You don't have
to argue with libs here- the truth is on that site. Hope you enjoy it as
much
as I did.
aDCBeast Report This Comment Date: October 24, 2006 02:01AM
Posted by: Anonymous - Anonymous (IP Logged)
Date: October 23, 2006 05:32PM
You are retarded.
CRAPPER
This liberal would convict W for treason. I wouldn't talk about it. It would be
done.
You sure suck the Conservative pundit cock reciting that "offer no
solutions" crap.
The fact is that the NEOCons have been so arrogant since 1994 that there is no
reason to offer solutions. These NEOCons fucks will steal the ideas they think
are good from democrats and claim them as their own. Then will vilify democrats
for any idea they don't think fits their agenda. So it is impossible to deal
with these NEOCon fucks.
This is why NEOCons hate Clinton. He flipped the script on them many times while
the democrats in congress were overwhelmed by the NEOCon assault on decency.
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: October 24, 2006 03:49AM
Damn,Beast, Didn't you get breast fed as a baby? Sheesh!
fossil_digger Report This Comment Date: October 24, 2006 04:37AM
"reciting that "offer no solutions" crap."?......yes
it's a lame comeback...yes
suckin' the cock part?.......never.....ever
triton Report This Comment Date: October 24, 2006 06:23AM
at the next election Republicans will vote Republican
and Democrats will vote Democrat. With any luck maybe some will change their
vote.
With a lot of luck they will vote Independant
jgoins Report This Comment Date: October 24, 2006 12:06PM
Wouldn't it be nice to see after this election that all dems running loose
their seats to republicans. I would be curious to see what would happen if
there were no democrats in congress at all.
aDCBeast Report This Comment Date: October 24, 2006 02:20PM
jgoins ... chickenlittle
You are essentially seeing that right now.
Big government.
Big spending.
Republicans
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: October 24, 2006 08:26PM
'Damn,Beast, Didn't you get breast fed as a baby? Sheesh!'
No, actually his daddy raised him on salty protein-shakes
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: October 25, 2006 07:03AM
One thing that really shows the Republican way is people that have never been
in a war sit around and go off on the guys that have, but now go off on the war,
any of the pussies that have never been in a war have nothing to say about war,
they are just a load of steaming crap. I know the type, they grew up around a
strong family, the father for instance was a tough guy one way or the other,
then he had a son and the son just couldn't take it, so he grew up as a big puss
his father looked down on, but as he got older the father helped dig him out of
the pussy hole and got them an inside kind of job or something, you know, the
kind they could have never,never get on there own, then they work there awhile
knowing they lucked out, now that he's given that position, he have to show how
strong he is and out comes the cocky attitude, thats all he knows, cocky fake
tough attitudes, all that time he spent just sucking up and going along and
thats all he knew his whole life.................... Know he walks around with
this attitude daily, just corner him one time without his buddies you'll see, he
try to put on a front, but you'll know better......
jgoins Report This Comment Date: October 25, 2006 10:05AM
Beast you left out something. The economy is doing very well.
madmex2000 Report This Comment Date: October 25, 2006 09:38PM
The economy is doing well huh.
How about FORD shutting down 5000 jobs
how about GMC closing a plant and posting losses as well as
Ford.
How about 16 million kids with no Health insurance in the USA
How about no mininum wage increase since the democrates left power
How about food out the fukn roof
How about the fact that gas WILL GO UP after election
hometowns across the usa shutting down business because they can longer afford
to stay open.
Health care is out of controll
Insurence is up and almost unaffordable
How about just looking in your wallet .
Electric went up 60% percent in Virginia because of the gas shortage .What fukn
gas shortage.
allota good people ARE SUFFERING because these incidents.
Yeah the economy is doing good if your a rich investor....
i own a business and if people dont have money then i am out of business
jgoins Report This Comment Date: October 26, 2006 11:02AM
"How about no mininum wage increase since the democrates left power",
beast said.
Wrong again. Minimum wage increased to $6.25 an hour 2 weeks ago.
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: October 27, 2006 03:34AM
jgoins, a special video for you, just a movie trailer, if you haven't seen it
yet then you don't really know that, yes, you are a ripped off puppet, again if
you don't see the truth and agree with this, then it's known you are a paid
puppet, denial will only bring you down even further.
[
video.google.com]
jgoins Report This Comment Date: October 27, 2006 12:33PM
The income tax issue has been going on my entire life and beyond. It has
nothing to do with Bush being a good president or a bad one any more than it did
Clinton. It is a seperate issue which will probably never be settled. The
issue of a minmum wage increase which beast said we haven't had is what I was
dealing with. We have indeed had an increase in the minimum wage 2 weeks ago
which shoots down beast's statement. Even though my income is such that I don't
pay income tax, I would be a happy puppy if income tax were done away with,
although it would most likely destroy our economy doing so.