A problem officer is on trial this week after he was seen on video breaking into an innocent Marine veteran"s home, taser, beating, and falsely arresting him in his bed.
The post Cop on Trial After Video Showed Him Break Into Innocent Man’s Home, Taser, Beat Him in Bed appeared first on The Free Thought Project.
Distraught over his eviction for his two small dogs, an 84-year-old Korean War veteran was gunned down as he stood in his doorway by four Miami-Dade police officers.
The post Cops Shoot and Kill 84yo Veteran Facing Eviction Over His Tiny Service Dogs appeared first on The Free Thought Project.
When police arrived to address a handicapped veteran who was accused of panhandling, they refused to let him retrieve his cane, and instead Tased him, pulled him from his car, and left him lying on the ground.
A man who accidentally hit the medical emergency button in his home was shot and killed after police arrived, tormented him and then raided his house.
Authored by David Sutherland via InsideSources.com,
While a nice sentiment, let’s change the conversation from “thank you for your service” to something more meaningful. The discussion may take less time than an elevator ride...
Serving in the military was one of the highlights of my life. When well-intentioned civilians thank me for my service, it falls on me to help them understand why.
I’ve begun responding to those who thank me by saying, “You’re welcome. Would you like to hear about it?”
I love speaking about those with whom I served. Our veterans are phenomenal - natural leaders who didn’t just learn military values but lived them.
I served for 29 years and commanded thousands of young leaders in and out of combat. I watched our troops carry out remarkable feats of bravery and perform selfless acts of courage. They demonstrate all the qualities one could want in the toughest of situations - smarts, guts and compassion.
Now these men and women have returned home and are contributing to their communities. So when people accept my offer to hear more, I tell them stories of valor, courage and commitment. Here are just a few:
...Jennifer Madden was a specialist in the Army who deployed to Afghanistan as a teenager. When she returned, this high-performer fought a long journey with unemployment and homelessness to achieve independence and self-reliance. Jenn bought her first home in 2014, earned her degree as a licensed practical nurse, and now shares her story of hope as a psychiatric nurse specializing in drug and alcohol rehabilitation at a Veterans Administration hospital in Pennsylvania.
...Sgt. Sean Rohe, U.S. Army (retired), was the oldest in his basic training camp, joining the Army at 34. He deployed to Afghanistan at age 36 and spent more than two years there mentoring the “kids” in his unit who often outranked him, called him “grandpa” and yet turned to him for advice and leadership. Now he serves as the face of the United States at the National Gallery of Art, where he shares his love of art with global visitors daily, a job that demands respect and integrity.
...I would not be here without my Personal Security Detachment, the unit that protects its commanders. Tommy Haire, a sergeant in my PSD in Iraq, experienced the vileness of war. When a key member of our team, Staff Sgt. Donnie D. Dixon, was killed in action, Haire helped us persevere through the blackness that followed. After leaving the Army, Haire decided to give back to other veterans and worked with those who were disabled and homeless. He now puts his master’s degree in service to his country as a contracts administrator at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The next time you thank a veteran for his or her service, consider this. Ask them to tell you about it - and then let them talk. Chances are, they will selflessly speak about those with whom they served. It will go a long way to bridge a civil-military divide. You’ll learn not just what our veterans are, but who they are.
* * *
Retired U.S. Army Colonel David Sutherland is Chairman of Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services. He commanded the U.S. combat Brigade in Diyala Province, Iraq (2006-2007) and served as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2009-2012).
“See, a few weeks ago, someone sent me a link to a poor service dog down in Florida that had been abandoned in a kill shelter. His name was Bandit. I could tell a lot by just the photo; he looked alone and sad, kind of like he had no one and just wished he had someone to rescue him and love him like they cared. I thought to myself, holy crap that dog is me! We have to find each other.” Derek Chambers, US Army veteran
But it was tough trying to find each other in the middle of a convoluted series of problems.
Bandit’s journey began when a 3rd party organization contacted Derek and told him about a service dog at a shelter.
A “3rd party contacted him with our plea and then promised him Bandit when they couldn’t make that promise and then made it out to him that we went back on our promise. Not the case. We found out about Derek when they raised a fuss and let him know what happened so he was our number one choice when the family didn’t work.” Dena Van De Vanter
Derek was so excited he couldn’t sleep. His own Service Dog Maggie had unexpectedly passed away, and he wondered if he would ever be able to have a Service Dog again. Mila Leonard, founder of RWBDogTags (Red, White, and Blue Dog Tags) and Dena Van De Vanter at RWB, worked tirelessly in an effort to get Bandit to his forever home.
Dena contacted Derek and asked if he was still interested.
“Hell, Yeah!” was the response.
But his heart breaking response to Dena’s phone call was,
“If you get him to me, you’re not going to take him away from me are you?”
The route through the wrong home
Someone else had ended up with Bandit, but it didn’t work out and he once again was left without a forever home. He might have ended up at the Polk County Shelter, which generally euthanizes animals left there within a few hours. But Operation Bandit was about to kick into high gear.
Operation Bandit
The dog was in Florida, and Derek was in Tennessee…a little logistics issue. RWB reached out to every one they could think of for transport, most of whom could have cared less. “Meh” was the response from most, according to Dena.
They finally contacted Gail Fogel Pierce, who transports animals to better homes regularly. She was ready to go. It seemed as if they found the perfect method. A veterinarian examined Bandit and certified him healthy for travel. It was all set.
Until Gail was admitted to the hospital with a serious back injury and couldn’t take him to his new home.
An active duty Navy sailor also volunteered to take Bandit to Tennessee. But then Hurricane Irma hit. So that transport fell through as well, since it was unlikely that his CO would understand that he was rescuing a dog instead of reporting for duty.
The Military Mission Begins
RWB member Dade Newell, USMC veteran, had just moved to Florida, and started contacting his military friends, including Rick at Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children, who called Bill Simmons. Bill is a Marine Veteran, former military dog handler (5812), who is a member of the Oath Keepers.
He contacted Officer Nathan Naumann of the Pinellas Park Police, also a Marine veteran and dog handler, who went and picked up Bandit as his house guest until the path to his new dad could be ironed out. That action prevented Bandit from ending up in the kill shelter once again.
“Ma’am, the Marines have landed. You tell them, we’ve got this and will take care of our brother (Bandit) in need.” Bill Simmons
Bandit gives Officer Nathan goodbye kisses
Now they needed to get Bandit from Officer Nathan’s home to Derek in Tennessee. A homeless Army Veteran, Ian Carter, who himself has been going through hard times, volunteered to take Bandit to Derek. Because RWB didn’t want him to use his own limited resources, they planned to pay his gas and lodging for the trip, but he refused.
Ian and Bandit left early Thursday morning, 9-28-2017, on the last leg of the journey.
Operation Bandit Completed
The moment Derek and Bandit are finally united!
Ian Carter, Bandit, and Derek Chambers
As you can see from the photos, Ian made it to meet up with Derek. Bandit is with his new Dad in a forever home. But if you thought that story ended there, you’d be mistaken.
Epilogue
The ladies at RWB Dog Tags went to work, and Mila was able to score a place for Ian to live. There will now be one less homeless veteran in America, thanks to their efforts!
As for Derek, he suffered a TBI during deployment, and has PTSD, which is why he needed a dog who would be with him at all times. He found that being outdoors, hunting and fishing helped him with the symptoms. So he founded an organization called Rifles to Reels.
“Bandit means everything. He is my key to leading the same life that everyone else lives. It’s hard not being able to go anywhere public because you don’t feel secure. It’s bad not to be able to feel like a normal person while just trying to do something as simple as go out to eat. For everyone to look at you weird when you ask for a table in the back so you can see the door and everyone inside. He gives me that security.” Derek Chambers
.
Geronimo, OK — After serving three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kristoffer Lewandowski was medically and honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. After fighting the state’s wars for them, however, the state has taken it upon themselves to wage a personal war against him — for naturally treating an illness — he acquired fighting for them.
Lewandowski is now a 100% disabled veteran because of the severity of his PTSD. Since he has gotten out, the VA had him taking up to 18 pills a day to treat his PTSD. This pharmaceutical treatment was literally killing him.
At 180 Percocet per month, for ten consecutive months, along with a prescription for OxyContin, Lewandowski’s liver was failing. Luckily, for this Marine veteran, he found cannabis — and it worked.
Cannabis treats PTSD so effectively — as both clinical and anecdotal evidence has shown — the Drug Enforcement Agency recently approved the first-ever study of its whole-plant medicinal use for vets in April. By allowing the use of the whole cannabis plant, the DEA opened the door for even the smoked variety to be studied for the potential alleviation of PTSD symptoms.
“We are thrilled to see this study overcome the hurdles of approval so we can begin gathering data,” explained Amy Anderson, Executive Director and Director of Clinical Research for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Public Benefit Corporation. “The study is a critical step in moving our botanical drug development program forward at the federal level to gather information on the dosing, risks, and benefits of smoked marijuana for PTSD symptoms.”
2. Research on using marijuana to treat PTSD is limited. For many veterans the debate is over, @Ben_Finley reports: https://t.co/Nj91GYsyvd
— AP Eastern U.S. (@APEastRegion) March 22, 2016
Unfortunately indicative of the government’s misplaced, draconian priorities, the continued federal prohibition of cannabis has created tragic and heartbreaking consequences for vets using the plant to treat PTSD — and Lewandowski is a living example of the state’s tyranny.
After realizing that the meds were killing his liver, Lewandowski decided that it would be a good idea try marijuana as a treatment. He began growing 6 plants for his personal use.
READ MORE: Shock Report: If You are Mentally Ill, You Have a 1,600% Higher Chance of Being Killed by Police
In June of 2014, Lewandowski had a PTSD episode. His wife grabbed the kids and took them to the neighbor’s house where she called the police to get her husband some help.
However, as is the case in so many countless other incidents, police did anything but help.
After police showed up, they searched the Lewandowski’s home and found 6 tiny marijuana plants. Police then weighed all of the plant matter together and it did not total to a single ounce. However, because of Oklahoma’s draconian laws against growing a plant, Lewandowski was charged with felony marijuana cultivation.
Meko Haze, with the Daily Haze, recently spoke to Lewandowski, who described the grow as containing “six of the worst plants I have ever seen.” The plants were two days into the flowering cycle, but due to a few mishaps, Lewandowski was sure that they were going to die. Lewandowski said that “it would have been a miracle actually to obtain usable Cannabis from them.”
According to Whitney Lewandowski, Kristoffer’s wife, the police also pulled up their tomato plants and included them in the photo for the media.
“[Police] made it look like he had this huge grow [operation] going,” Whitney said in an interview with Truth in Media.
But that was not the worst of their problems. Police then cuffed Whitney and threw her in the back of a police cruiser and told her their children were being taken by Child Protective Services. They were charging her with a felony too.
In order to make it look like a legitimate arrest, police told Whitney that if she pressed assault charges against her husband, they would not charge her and she could keep their children. She obviously opted to stay out of prison and to not have her children kidnapped by the state.
READ MORE: Trump Threatens to "Destroy" Senator for Bill Making it Harder for Cops to Steal From You
According to Truth in Media:
Whitney Lewandowski said that the domestic violence charge does not reflect the reality of her husband’s behavior, “They’re trying to use me as a victim and to make it look worse on his case. My husband has absolutely never laid his hands on me ever. He is not an abusive man, ever… quite the opposite. He is extremely doting.”
The Lewandowski’s raised enough funds to pay the bondsman and the family then moved, with the approval of the Oklahoma DA, to California, so Kristoffer could get the medicinal marijuana he needed, “legally.”
However, while he was in the care of a Veterans Administration psychiatric hospital, Lewandowski inadvertently missed a court date. With guns drawn, and in front of all the children at his child’s daycare, undercover cops swarmed Lewandowski in a dramatic raid.
This man’s life has been turned upside down. He was taken from his family, unable to see his children, and was facing the idea of spending the rest of his life behind bars — yet, he harmed no one.
Because felony marijuana cultivation in Oklahoma carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, Lewandowski’s options were limited. However, Lewandowski’s legal council arranged for him to take a plea deal and he avoided jail — for the time being.
This plea deal, however, came with a catch. It meant that Lewandowski was going to be a felon — instead of a veteran. His felon status impeded his health and education benefits, and greatly stifled his chances of getting a good job. So, he did something about it.
As Mass Roots reports, after regretting this decision, this stand-up veteran took a big risk to clear his name.
“It is absolute insanity – this situation. Putting a three tour combat Marine veteran who served his country faithfully, in jail for using a medicine, the only medicine that was effective in treating his severe PTSD. This shows the deep and disturbing problems our country faces, ” said Matthew J. Pappas, a California-based attorney who is assisting Lewandowski along with his Oklahoma attorney, Tom Hurley and Florida-based attorney, Michael Minardi.
With new counsel, clearer understanding of the repercussions for the plea and a patriot’s belief in justice, he respectfully stood before Judge Tayloe and prosecutor Jordan Cabelka, and asked to reverse his plea in the crowded courtroom.
Kris won that battle on October 19, with the Judge allowing a plea reversal. So, for the moment, he is a veteran and not a felon. But the state took it personally and added the assault with a deadly weapons charge and a firearms charge thrown in because he had an heirloom, replica firearm in the house at the time of the disturbance. The state gave Lewandowski three options or trial. Two included jail time, the other had no jail but wouldn’t allow for him to consume his medicine, even in a legal state.
On May 30, Lewandowski will face a jury of his peers for the frivolous charges the state is using to punish him. If he is found guilty, he could face life in prison, again.
READ MORE: Watch: Cop Gets Told He Needs a Warrant -- Erupts in Psychotic Fit of Rage in 3.....2.....1
“I am absolutely heartbroken that a medicine that helps me has me fighting for my legal freedom,” Lewandowski said, as reported by the Daily Haze.
However, all the jury has to do is say, ‘Not Guilty,’ and it is all over. This morally innocent man can go back to his family and the state’s tyrannical war on drugs gets exposed for exactly what it is — a war on people.
If you’d like to help the Lewandowski family you can do so in two ways. First, share this article, as it was media coverage that helped him escape the state’s grasp the first time. Secondly, you can go to the You Caring Page set up for his family and donate by clicking here.
Springfield, IL — “I’m sorry ma’am. But you know what it is? I’m tired of getting talked to like that,” said Springfield, Illinois police officer Samuel Rosario, just after he gave a 19-year-old citizen a beat down and potentially threw away his law enforcement career. The encounter, recorded in its entirety from two different body cameras (Rosario’s and his fellow officer’s), shows officers responding to a domestic disturbance at the 2100 Block of East Stuart St.
Upon arrival, Rosario meets with the mother who says her 16-year-old daughter was upset and broke her glass table before storming off, out of the house, and down the road. While the officer was speaking, an unidentified man kept interrupting the conversation between the officer and the mother (name withheld as daughter is a juvenile).
When Rosario mentioned they would charge the daughter with a destruction of property charge, the man became angry and stated she should also be charged with domestic violence. It seems from the dialog in the video, the family wanted the daughter locked away for some extended period of time, possibly due to the ongoing conflict in the home.
That’s when it all escalated. Rosario fired back with a seemingly condescending conversation about the man’s knowledge of the law, and the man responded with wanting to know Rosario’s badge number. “If she ain’t getting at least two charges, I want both ya’ll badge numbers,” the man said which apparently infuriated the officer who seemed to maintain decorum and civility until the threat to file a police report was made.
READ MORE: Shameful: Green Card-Holding Iraq War Vet Now Fighting Deportation
Rosario then engaged the young man with talk about going to the police academy, being a lawyer and knowing the law, all of which, one could say, escalated the encounter needlessly. “Go back to Mexico, n*****,” someone said to which Rosario responded, “I ain’t from Mexico, you stupid motherf***er.”
Rosario seemed to enjoy jousting with the man and even began threatening to fight with the very person who was, at one point in the video, attempting to help the officer locate the wayward juvenile. “What do you want me to do for you to put some hands on me?” Rosario asked. Going further he questioned the man, “You want these hands? You can have ’em … you a b****.”
That’s when the officer further provoked the man into fighting. Rosario is seen walking toward the teen and appears to push him, saying, “Did I not just touch you?” That’s when the fight started, which apparently was all one-sided, meaning the officer took down the man and beat him quite viciously one might conclude. The mom can be heard saying, “He started it first, police did…the rookie started first…that’s assault and battery.”
From his partner’s body cam footage, the backup officer appears to attempt to make an arrest but Rosario called him off and implied not to arrest the young man. That’s when the gloating began. “Dude, I felt bad for you, that’s why I stopped hitting you,” Rosario said.
The altercation took place on February 27th. Springfield police reportedly stated another officer who was not involved in the incident, did what The Free Thought Project has been encouraging other good cops to do, and turned on the so-called bad apple officer, informing the police department of the incident. Following up on the tip, Springfield police investigated and the bully cop was arrested and charged with two counts of battery and one count of official misconduct on February 28th.
READ MORE: Heartbreaking Video Shows Active Duty Soldier Slowly Die as Riot Police Needlessly Assault Him
The Illinois State Police were called in and recently concluded their criminal investigation into the matter. The Springfield Police Department issued a statement which reads in part, “This incident does not depict the actions of the hard-working men and women of the Springfield Police Department.”
From our analysis of the complete bodycam video uploaded to YouTube, Officer Rosario hit the man 12 times in the head. It should be obvious to anyone viewing the video, the officer had lost control. He made reference to a bracelet he wore which to him implied his true patriotism, so it may be the officer is a veteran of one of the many wars in which our country is engaged. Hopefully, he can get the help he needs to be able to control his anger and find a new career path, but one which is not in law enforcement.
According to NBC News, “Officer Rosario has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Official misconduct is a Class 3 felony which is punishable by 2 to 5 years in prison.”
The Free Thought Project spoke with officer Dominick Izzo who is a police officer in Illinois as well. Here’s what he had to say about officer Rosario, and we agree.
“Can’t find a single thing to justify the actions of this ‘officer’. This is not a cop,” said Izzo. “This is a savage who snuck past all psychological testing to further help the hate against us.”
Chicago, IL — Miguel Perez Jr., of Chicago, Illinois, is a battle-scarred U.S. Army War veteran who proudly displays his patriotism in the tattoos he wears; a Statue of Liberty, a battle cross representing a fallen soldier, as well as the U.S. Army Special Forces insignia that reads “To liberate the oppressed.” However, because this country is hell bent on “sendin’ them brown folk back where they came from,” Perez will be thrown out like yesterday’s trash.
A Chicago judge has ruled that Perez must be deported to Mexico in spite of him putting his life on the line for this country — not Mexico.
On Sunday morning, family and supporters gathered at Pilsen church in Chicago to voice their outrage over this insanity.
“My son fought for this country, not for Mexico,” said Perez’ mother Esperanza Medina.
Three decades ago, Perez and his parents came to the United States legally. Having fallen in love with the United States, Perez became a legal permanent resident and even enlisted in the US Army to fight for — what he thought — was his county.
Now, however, after the US military got what they wanted from him, Perez will be deported “back to where he came from!”
Perez, like millions of other kind and caring people, got involved in drugs. He never hurt anyone. However, police caught him with a substance deemed illegal by the government (cocaine), so he was arrested and thrown in prison. Even though he served his ostensible ‘debt to society’ in jail, it is this charge the judge is using as grounds for deportation.
READ MORE: Government Can Only Wage War Elsewhere for So Long, Before it Inevitably Comes Home
According to the Chicago Tribune Perez’ attorney, Chris Burgin “argued in court that his client’s life would be in danger if he were sent back to Mexico, where he hasn’t lived since he was 8. According to human rights activists and advocates for deported veterans, drug cartels target former U.S. residents, especially veterans with combat experience, to work on their behalf, and those who don’t comply are at risk.”
However, the judge isn’t buying it and denied the torture claim last week.
According to ABC 7, Perez’s attorney appealed the judge’s ruling and reached out to U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Illinois Democrats, asking to give Perez retroactive citizenship starting on the day he first served his country in the Army.
In spite of the appeal, however, Perez is still being held captive in an ICE facility and the deportation remains underway.
In the land of the free, you can put your life on the line for a government that will repay you by kidnapping you and sending you to another country.
Country, I was a soldier to you.
I did what you asked me to.
It was wrong, and you knew.Country, now I’m just a stranger to you.
A number, a name; it’s true.
Throw me away when you’re through.Home of the brave and the free; the red, white, and blue.
I wish it was true.
Miguel Perez Jr., of Chicago, Illinois, is a battle-scarred U.S. Army War veteran who proudly displays his patriotism in the tattoos he wears; a Statue of Liberty, a battle cross representing a fallen soldier, as well as the U.S. Army Special Forces insignia that reads “To liberate the oppressed.”
Even though Perez, who was born in Mexico, served two tours of duty during the Gulf War, the same government he fought for is now trying to deport Perez back to the country of his birth. The 38-year-old is fighting deportation because he was caught with cocaine back in 2012. While in prison, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) identified Perez as a candidate for deportation, even though he grew up in the U.S. since he was 8. Perez, who’s married, also has American-born children, “anchor-babies” as some wish to characterize them. That fact alone should be enough to keep Perez from being deported, but the government is weighing all its options, nonetheless.
Perez’ mother said when he returned home from the war, he got caught up in the wrong crowd. Chicago immigration judge Robin Rosche will decide the Army veteran’s fate. His lawyer, Chris Bergin is using a United Nations resolution against torture as defense against the deportation.
According to the Chicago Tribune Burgin “argued in court Monday that his client’s life would be in danger if he were sent back to Mexico, where he hasn’t lived since he was 8. According to human rights activists and advocates for deported veterans, drug cartels target former U.S. residents, especially veterans with combat experience, to work on their behalf, and those who don’t comply are at risk.”
READ MORE: Not Just Your Breath -- Police Now Conducting Saliva Swabs to Check Drivers for Cannabis
The fear is when and if Perez gets deported, he’ll be used to push the drug cartels’ agendas, possibly being militarized for violent actions on behalf of the organization. Bergin said, “There’s a pattern of impunity of the government either participating or looking the other way clearly in human rights abuses,” placing the burden on the U.S. government to ensure his safety if deported.
Anastasie Senat, ICE lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security said, “I understand it’s a sympathetic case because he has served our country…But it is Congress’ law that I’m called to enforce and that we are called to enforce and to respect, and in this situation there is no discretion.”
In a recent hearing before the judge, Perez addressed the seriousness of the decision whether or not he gets deported. “This is the same as somebody fighting a life sentence,” Perez told Judge Rosche. “The outcome of this determines the rest of my life spent away from my society, my way of life, my loved ones and not to mention, my country. … This is my country regardless of what happens here.”
The final hearing took place in February. Judge Rosche has yet to make a ruling with is expected any day now. Perez’ immigration case began mid-way through President Obama’s second term in office. But with a renewed push to deport undocumented immigrants by the Trump administration, more cases like Perez’ will likely arise.
The Army veteran’s participation in the illegal drug trade also serves to illustrate just how failed the American war on drugs really is. We’ve devolved so far as a society that a green-card-holding Army veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from blast-related injuries, can potentially be deported for getting caught up in the failed drug war’s dragnet.
READ MORE: Pope Francis Calls Out War on Drugs and How Its "Corruption" Reaches "Politics, Military, and Religion"
Whether or not the Trump administration chooses to show compassion towards Perez’ case, and intervene, is yet to be seen. All the family can do now is wait, and hope that their father, husband, and son doesn’t get kicked out of the country he once loved enough to fight for.
“I spent 33 years and 4 months In active service as a member of our country’s most agile military force — the Marine Corps…And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism. ” – Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (1935) [1]
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Recognized as Remembrance Day in Canada and the British Commonwealth, and Veterans’ Day in the US, the 11th day of the 11th month is an annual occasion to pay tribute to those who have served their countries on the battlefield.
It is taken as axiomatic that soldiers are heroes for participating in violence at the behest of the State. Even where there is a recognition that the war being fought is unjust, such as the Iraq War or the Vietnam War, community members are called on to ‘support the troops.’
There has been a decisive shift away from the notion of remembering the horrors and brutality of war to the veneration and valourization of the soldier. There is a ritualistic aspect to society’s relationship with the soldier. Even the language of ‘paying the ultimate sacrifice’ evokes a religious flavour to the dynamics of militarism.
US military veteran Stan Goff has come to view nationalism as a modern day civil religion, with the Nation as our God and holidays like Veterans Day performing a liturgical function.
Stan Goff is a Retired Special Forces Master Sergeant who served in eight conflict areas between 1970 and 1996. He has authored several books including Hideous Dream: A Soldier’s Memoir of the U.S. Invasion of Haiti (2000), Full-Spectrum Disorder: The Military in the New American Century (2004), Sex & War (2006), and his most recent: Borderline – Reflections on War, Sex, and Church (2015).
In this week’s special instalment of the Global Research News Hour, hosted by contributor Jonathan Wilson, Goff speaks at length about how Veterans/Remembrance Day has transformed from a celebration of peace to a cultural tool reinforcing the drive toward more war, imperialism, and masculine domination.
Following the interview, we hear an excerpt of a March 2015 talk by Joshua Key. Speaking from his personal experiences within America’s military system, especially in Iraq, this veteran shatters whatever myths the public may have about the goodness and righteousness of America’s military engagements in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Joshua Key originally from Guthrie, Oklahoma, fled the war in Iraq for reasons of conscience and sought sanctuary in Canada. He is the author, with Lawrence Hill, of the 2007 book, The Deserter’s Tale:The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War in Iraq.
(video from a 2011 talk. Courtesy of videographer Paul S. Graham)
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Length (59:07)
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The Global Research News Hour airs every Friday at 1pm CT on CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg. The programme is also podcast at globalresearch.ca . The show can be heard on the Progressive Radio Network at prn.fm. Listen in every Monday at 3pm ET.
Community Radio Stations carrying the Global Research News Hour:
CHLY 101.7fm in Nanaimo, B.C – Thursdays at 1pm PT
Boston College Radio WZBC 90.3FM NEWTONS during the Truth and Justice Radio Programming slot -Sundays at 7am ET.
Port Perry Radio in Port Perry, Ontario –1 Thursdays at 1pm ET
Burnaby Radio Station CJSF out of Simon Fraser University. 90.1FM to most of Greater Vancouver, from Langley to Point Grey and from the North Shore to the US Border.
It is also available on 93.9 FM cable in the communities of SFU, Burnaby, New Westminister, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Surrey and Delta, in British Columbia Canada. – Tune in every Saturday at 6am.
Radio station CFUV 101.9FM based at the University of Victoria airs the Global Research News Hour every Sunday from 7 to 8am PT.
CORTES COMMUNITY RADIO CKTZ 89.5 out of Manson’s Landing, B.C airs the show Tuesday mornings at 10am Pacific time.
Cowichan Valley Community Radio CICV 98.7 FM serving the Cowichan Lake area of Vancouver Island, BC airs the program Thursdays at 6am pacific time.
Campus and community radio CFMH 107.3fm in Saint John airs the Global Research News Hour Fridays at 10am.
Caper Radio CJBU 107.3FM in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia airs the Global Research News Hour starting Wednesday Morning from 8:00 to 9:00am. Find more details at www.caperradio.ca
Notes:
1) Butler, Smedley D. (November 1935). “America’s Armed Forces. 2. “In Time of Peace”: The Army“. Common Sense ; https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/Vietnam/butler.pdf
