Servicemen Petition Congress To End Iraq Occupation

[blueturk]

I expect nothing but silence from the sheep on this one....

Service members press Congress to end occupation in Iraq
By Ed Shearer, Associated Press Writer | October 25, 2006

ATLANTA --Active duty service members, including one from Vermont, are using the military whistle-blower protection act to urge Congress to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and bring American soldiers home.

Jonathan Hutto of Atlanta, a Navy seaman based in Norfolk, Va., said the idea to appeal for redress originated in January when he was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom when one of his friends suggested he read the book "Soldiers in Revolt." It chronicled opposition to the Vietnam War by active duty military and how they appealed to their congressmen to end the conflict and bring the troops home.

"Many of us have to follow orders because we took an oath to defend the U.S.," Hutto said during a conference call with an attorney and two other active members of the military.

"Many of us have reservations about their orders and some feel compelled to let our feelings be known," Hutto said. "This occupation should come to an end right now."

Hutto said 65 service members from multiple branches of the military initially decided to file their appeal, a number that had grown to 219 at the start of the conference call.

Hutto urged any member of the military who wished to join the movement to go to the Web site http://www.appealforredress.org.

The Web site's wording for the appeal says, "As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home."

Hutto said the service members are not pacifists nor conscientious objectors and they don't advocate doing anything illegal.

"Under the military whistle-blower protection act, you have a right to send (an appeal) to any Congress person without reprisal," Hutto said.

Sgt. Liam Madden, a Marine from Rockingham, Vt., said he doesn't know why the nation is in Iraq when no weapons of mass destruction were found.

"The occupation is perpetuating more violence," he said. "If people want to support troops, they should support us coming home."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2006/10/25/service_members_press_congress_to_end_occupation_i n_iraq/

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by blueturk
I expect nothing but silence from the sheep on this one....



ATLANTA --Active duty service members, including one from Vermont,

Allow me to speak for the BuSHEEP here.....

Vermont is full of Liberal gay loving, America Hating scumbags......Howard Dean is behind this


:rolleyes:

[blueturk]

I thought it would probably be Clinton's fault!

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --George W. Bush, interview with CBS News' Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006

[Nickdfresh]

They'll be silent on this one.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/Nickdfresh/chickenhawk.jpg

[Va Beach VH Fan]

That article was on the front page of our paper here, quite surprisingly IMO, considering this area's bread is buttered by the military....

[Nickdfresh]

4 U.S. Marines, 1 Sailor Killed in Iraq
Thursday, October 26, 2006 6:21 AM EDT
The Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The U.S. military on Thursday announced the deaths of five U.S. troops in fighting in Iraq, raising to 96 the number of American forces killed this month.

The four Marines and one Navy sailor all died in fighting in Anbar province, a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency against U.S. troops and their Iraqi government allies.

The 96 deaths is the highest monthly total since October 2005, when the same number of American forces were killed.

Before that the deadliest months were January 2005, at 107; November 2004 at 137 and April 2004, at 135.

The sailor was assigned to the 3rd Naval Construction Regiment, the military said. Two of the Marines were attached to Regimental Combat Team 5, and two others to Regimental Combat Team 7. All died Wednesday from wounds suffered in attacks that day, it said.

The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of their families.

Meanwhile, an angry Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki disavowed a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid in the capital's Sadr City slum Wednesday, and criticized the top U.S. military and diplomatic representatives in Iraq for saying his government needs to set a timetable to curb violence in the country.

The U.S. military on Thursday announced the deaths of five U.S. troops in fighting in Iraq, raising to 96 the number of American forces killed this month.

The four Marines and one Navy sailor all died in fighting in Anbar province, a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency against U.S. troops and their Iraqi government allies.

The latest deaths raised to 96 the number of U.S. forces killed in October, the highest toll for any month this year and on course to surpass the October 2005 total of 96.

Before that the deadliest months were January 2005, at 107; November 2004 at 137 and April 2004, at 135.

The sailor was assigned to the 3rd Naval Construction Regiment, the military said. Two of the Marines were attached to Regimental Combat Team 5, and two others to Regimental Combat Team 7. All died Wednesday from wounds suffered in attacks that day, it said.

The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of their families.

Meanwhile, Al-Maliki spoke at a news conference a day after U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Iraqi leaders had agreed to set deadlines by year's end for achieving specific political and security goals laid out by the United States, including reining in militia groups.

"I affirm that this government represents the will of the people and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it," the prime minister said.

The prime minister dismissed U.S. talk of timelines as driven by the coming midterm elections in the United States. "I am positive that this is not the official policy of the American government but rather a result of the ongoing election campaign. And that does not concern us much," he said.

Al-Maliki complained that he was not consulted beforehand about the Sadr City offensive. The raid was conducted by Iraqi special forces backed by U.S. advisers and was aimed at capturing a top militia commander wanted for running a Shiite death squad.

"We will ask for clarification to what has happened," al-Maliki said. "We will review this issue with the Multinational Forces so that it will not be repeated."

Mouwafak al-Rubaie, his national security adviser, later told The Associated Press that al-Maliki's anger grew out of a misunderstanding that had since been cleared up with Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

While the U.S. military said the raid had been cleared in advance with al-Maliki's government, President Bush acknowledged that al-Maliki himself may not have been consulted.

"We need coordinate with him. That makes sense to me. And there's a lot of operations taking place which means sometimes communications are not as good as they should be. And we'll continue to work very closely with the government to make sure communications are solid," Bush said at his own news conference.

Military action in Sadr City is especially sensitive for the prime minister.

Until Wednesday, U.S. and Iraqi forces had largely avoided the densely populated slum, a grid of rutted streets and tumble-down housing that is home to 2.5 million Shiites and under the control of anti-American cleric Muqtada's al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

Reining in the Mahdi Army and the other major militia, the Badr Brigades, remains one of the thorniest problems facing al-Maliki. His fragile Shiite-dominated government derives much of its power from the al-Sadr's faction and from the Supreme Council for the Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, which operates the Badr Brigades.

The U.S. military said Mahdi Army militiamen fought back in the Sadr City raid and that the Americans called in an air strike and cordoned the sprawling east Baghdad region.

Late Wednesday the military said it had killed 10 suspected militia fighters and wounded two in the battle. It did not identify the wanted militia leader or say whether he was still at large. Earlier, police and hospital officials said four people were killed and at least 18 wounded.

The military also said it had raided a mosque in Sadr City looking for a missing U.S. soldier and his kidnappers. The soldier was not found but three suspects were detained.

Residents living near Sadr City said gunfire and air strikes began about 11 p.m. Tuesday and continued for hours. The neighborhood was sealed to outsiders before dawn.

Groups of young men in black fatigues favored by the Mahdi Army were seen driving toward the area to join the fight. Explosions and automatic weapons fire were heard above the noise of U.S. helicopters circling overhead firing flares.

Crowds of Shiite men, some carrying pistols and others hoisting giant posters of al-Sadr, swarmed onto the district's streets Wednesday morning, chanting, "America has insulted us."

Throughout the day and into the night, U.S. F-16 jet fighters growled across the Baghdad sky, and at one point the report of tank cannon fire echoed across the city five times in quick succession.

Streets were empty and shops closed, although the district still had electricity from the national power grid.

Well after nightfall, residents said all roads into the slum remained blocked by U.S. and Iraqi forces. U.S. soldiers were searching all cars.

A frustrated motorist waiting at one checkpoint jumped out of his car and called for al-Maliki to resign.

"Where is al-Maliki? It would be more honorable for him to resign. Why is he letting the Americans do this to us," the driver could be heard to scream.

Falah Hassan Shanshal, a lawmaker from al-Sadr's political bloc, said women and children had been killed, although videotape pictures of the bodies from the neighborhood taken at the local morgue showed only male victims.

"If there was an arrest operation, it should have been carried out by the Iraqi authorities, and not like this where air cover is used as if we were in a war zone," Shanshal said in an interview with the government's al-Iraqiya television station.

96 dead this month. Why?! :mad: :(

[Sarge's Little Helper]

4 U.S. Marines, 1 Sailor Killed in Iraq
Thursday, October 26, 2006 6:21 AM EDT
The Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The U.S. military on Thursday announced the deaths of five U.S. troops in fighting in Iraq, raising to 96 the number of American forces killed this month.

The four Marines and one Navy sailor all died in fighting in Anbar province, a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency against U.S. troops and their Iraqi government allies.

The 96 deaths is the highest monthly total since October 2005, when the same number of American forces were killed.

Before that the deadliest months were January 2005, at 107; November 2004 at 137 and April 2004, at 135.

The sailor was assigned to the 3rd Naval Construction Regiment, the military said. Two of the Marines were attached to Regimental Combat Team 5, and two others to Regimental Combat Team 7. All died Wednesday from wounds suffered in attacks that day, it said.

The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of their families.

Meanwhile, an angry Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki disavowed a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid in the capital's Sadr City slum Wednesday, and criticized the top U.S. military and diplomatic representatives in Iraq for saying his government needs to set a timetable to curb violence in the country.

The U.S. military on Thursday announced the deaths of five U.S. troops in fighting in Iraq, raising to 96 the number of American forces killed this month.

The four Marines and one Navy sailor all died in fighting in Anbar province, a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency against U.S. troops and their Iraqi government allies.

The latest deaths raised to 96 the number of U.S. forces killed in October, the highest toll for any month this year and on course to surpass the October 2005 total of 96.

Before that the deadliest months were January 2005, at 107; November 2004 at 137 and April 2004, at 135.

The sailor was assigned to the 3rd Naval Construction Regiment, the military said. Two of the Marines were attached to Regimental Combat Team 5, and two others to Regimental Combat Team 7. All died Wednesday from wounds suffered in attacks that day, it said.

The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of their families.

Meanwhile, Al-Maliki spoke at a news conference a day after U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Iraqi leaders had agreed to set deadlines by year's end for achieving specific political and security goals laid out by the United States, including reining in militia groups.

"I affirm that this government represents the will of the people and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it," the prime minister said.

The prime minister dismissed U.S. talk of timelines as driven by the coming midterm elections in the United States. "I am positive that this is not the official policy of the American government but rather a result of the ongoing election campaign. And that does not concern us much," he said.

Al-Maliki complained that he was not consulted beforehand about the Sadr City offensive. The raid was conducted by Iraqi special forces backed by U.S. advisers and was aimed at capturing a top militia commander wanted for running a Shiite death squad.

"We will ask for clarification to what has happened," al-Maliki said. "We will review this issue with the Multinational Forces so that it will not be repeated."

Mouwafak al-Rubaie, his national security adviser, later told The Associated Press that al-Maliki's anger grew out of a misunderstanding that had since been cleared up with Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

While the U.S. military said the raid had been cleared in advance with al-Maliki's government, President Bush acknowledged that al-Maliki himself may not have been consulted.

"We need coordinate with him. That makes sense to me. And there's a lot of operations taking place which means sometimes communications are not as good as they should be. And we'll continue to work very closely with the government to make sure communications are solid," Bush said at his own news conference.

Military action in Sadr City is especially sensitive for the prime minister.

Until Wednesday, U.S. and Iraqi forces had largely avoided the densely populated slum, a grid of rutted streets and tumble-down housing that is home to 2.5 million Shiites and under the control of anti-American cleric Muqtada's al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

Reining in the Mahdi Army and the other major militia, the Badr Brigades, remains one of the thorniest problems facing al-Maliki. His fragile Shiite-dominated government derives much of its power from the al-Sadr's faction and from the Supreme Council for the Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, which operates the Badr Brigades.

The U.S. military said Mahdi Army militiamen fought back in the Sadr City raid and that the Americans called in an air strike and cordoned the sprawling east Baghdad region.

Late Wednesday the military said it had killed 10 suspected militia fighters and wounded two in the battle. It did not identify the wanted militia leader or say whether he was still at large. Earlier, police and hospital officials said four people were killed and at least 18 wounded.

The military also said it had raided a mosque in Sadr City looking for a missing U.S. soldier and his kidnappers. The soldier was not found but three suspects were detained.

Residents living near Sadr City said gunfire and air strikes began about 11 p.m. Tuesday and continued for hours. The neighborhood was sealed to outsiders before dawn.

Groups of young men in black fatigues favored by the Mahdi Army were seen driving toward the area to join the fight. Explosions and automatic weapons fire were heard above the noise of U.S. helicopters circling overhead firing flares.

Crowds of Shiite men, some carrying pistols and others hoisting giant posters of al-Sadr, swarmed onto the district's streets Wednesday morning, chanting, "America has insulted us."

Throughout the day and into the night, U.S. F-16 jet fighters growled across the Baghdad sky, and at one point the report of tank cannon fire echoed across the city five times in quick succession.

Streets were empty and shops closed, although the district still had electricity from the national power grid.

Well after nightfall, residents said all roads into the slum remained blocked by U.S. and Iraqi forces. U.S. soldiers were searching all cars.

A frustrated motorist waiting at one checkpoint jumped out of his car and called for al-Maliki to resign.

"Where is al-Maliki? It would be more honorable for him to resign. Why is he letting the Americans do this to us," the driver could be heard to scream.

Falah Hassan Shanshal, a lawmaker from al-Sadr's political bloc, said women and children had been killed, although videotape pictures of the bodies from the neighborhood taken at the local morgue showed only male victims.

"If there was an arrest operation, it should have been carried out by the Iraqi authorities, and not like this where air cover is used as if we were in a war zone," Shanshal said in an interview with the government's al-Iraqiya television station.

96 dead this month. Why?! :mad: :(

Oops. I wasn't paying attention. Tell me again what is going on.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Sarge's Little Helper
Oops. I wasn't paying attention. Tell me again what is going on.

You're not the only one!