A Petition for the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Link to sign petition here.
Blogs referencing Winter Soldier and IVAW:
This Aint Hell
Thus Spake Ortner
The Talon
Winter Soldier
In March 2008, the anti-war organization Iraq Veterans Against the War held an event entitled Winter Soldier-Iraq and Afghanistan at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, MD. The event was self-consciously patterned after the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation held in Detroit by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War(VVAW). During that event, over one hundred purported Vietnam veterans "testified" to widespread and horrific atrocities committed routinely by American forces in Vietnam.
....the general theme of the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation of widespread atrocities committed by American forces in Vietnam passed largely unchallenged into much of our culture. It has been a mainstay of the film industry for decades. It has harmed the image of America in general, and the honor of three million Vietnam Veterans in particular.
Various sources on the Internet and in print, including the IVAW, the VVAW and the Veterans for Peace as well as other organizations associated with them claimed that "testimony" given in March covered a variety of matters including widespread atrocities, indiscriminate and unwarranted killing of civilians and destruction of property and infrastructure, torture of detainees, mutilation of corpses and the illegal use of Afghan bodies for medical "practice", rampant sexual misconduct, racism and drug/alcohol use by American soldiers and on and on. IVAW is now reporting that they will provide the results of their investigation to your caucus on May 15, 2008. We the undersigned request that the Congressional Progressive Caucus take the following steps:
* Make request of the Iraq Veterans Against the War that member(s) of the Caucus be provided video of the entire Winter Soldier Investigation testimony proceedings and be provided access to all those who testified,
*That the Caucus require any testimony given by IVAW be presented in the following format:
D: Date(s) - When did the incident occur?
U: Unit(s) - What military units were involved?
P: Personnel - What are the names of the participants and witnesses?
E: Event(s) - What exactly happened exactly where?
S: Signature(s) - Was this reported at the time or later and were reports, affidavits or depositions signed, or will they now be signed?
* That in the event that staff determines that there has been testimony given that touches on areas where, in the words of Senator Warner, the members of the SASC "have a responsibility to establish where in the military chain of command rests the 'accountability,' depending of course, on the accuracy of the facts", the Caucus forward the information to the House Armed Services Committee (HASC),
* That the Caucus request and all documents and records, signed statements and recordings, audio, video or digital, that bear on the claims made and being investigated,
* That the Caucus demand that those making such claims or professing publicly to verify those claims be requested or subpoened to appear before the HASC under oath, to answer questions.
In 1971 the Senate of the United States was derelict in its duty of both oversight and follow-up and in the reasonable regard and respect it should have shown in consideration of the sacrifice and service of the American armed forces and veterans. We request that the members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus not allow what happened to a previous generation of veterans be allowed to happen to this generation of Warriors.
Link to sign petition here.
Blogs referencing Winter Soldier and IVAW:
This Aint Hell
Thus Spake Ortner
The Talon
Winter Soldier
In March 2008, the anti-war organization Iraq Veterans Against the War held an event entitled Winter Soldier-Iraq and Afghanistan at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, MD. The event was self-consciously patterned after the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation held in Detroit by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War(VVAW). During that event, over one hundred purported Vietnam veterans "testified" to widespread and horrific atrocities committed routinely by American forces in Vietnam.
....the general theme of the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation of widespread atrocities committed by American forces in Vietnam passed largely unchallenged into much of our culture. It has been a mainstay of the film industry for decades. It has harmed the image of America in general, and the honor of three million Vietnam Veterans in particular.
Various sources on the Internet and in print, including the IVAW, the VVAW and the Veterans for Peace as well as other organizations associated with them claimed that "testimony" given in March covered a variety of matters including widespread atrocities, indiscriminate and unwarranted killing of civilians and destruction of property and infrastructure, torture of detainees, mutilation of corpses and the illegal use of Afghan bodies for medical "practice", rampant sexual misconduct, racism and drug/alcohol use by American soldiers and on and on. IVAW is now reporting that they will provide the results of their investigation to your caucus on May 15, 2008. We the undersigned request that the Congressional Progressive Caucus take the following steps:
* Make request of the Iraq Veterans Against the War that member(s) of the Caucus be provided video of the entire Winter Soldier Investigation testimony proceedings and be provided access to all those who testified,
*That the Caucus require any testimony given by IVAW be presented in the following format:
D: Date(s) - When did the incident occur?
U: Unit(s) - What military units were involved?
P: Personnel - What are the names of the participants and witnesses?
E: Event(s) - What exactly happened exactly where?
S: Signature(s) - Was this reported at the time or later and were reports, affidavits or depositions signed, or will they now be signed?
* That in the event that staff determines that there has been testimony given that touches on areas where, in the words of Senator Warner, the members of the SASC "have a responsibility to establish where in the military chain of command rests the 'accountability,' depending of course, on the accuracy of the facts", the Caucus forward the information to the House Armed Services Committee (HASC),
* That the Caucus request and all documents and records, signed statements and recordings, audio, video or digital, that bear on the claims made and being investigated,
* That the Caucus demand that those making such claims or professing publicly to verify those claims be requested or subpoened to appear before the HASC under oath, to answer questions.
In 1971 the Senate of the United States was derelict in its duty of both oversight and follow-up and in the reasonable regard and respect it should have shown in consideration of the sacrifice and service of the American armed forces and veterans. We request that the members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus not allow what happened to a previous generation of veterans be allowed to happen to this generation of Warriors.
Link to sign petition here.
Labels: afghanistan, congress, eagles up, gathering of eagles, iraq, ivaw, scott swett, talon, The Sniper, This Ain't Hell, vfp, vvaw, winter soldier
posted by concretebob at 6:21 PM
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