The Lay of the Land: Libya, Korea, Afghanistan, Israel, Japan

LIBYA

MILITARY:

PERSONNEL - 120,000ACTIVE///200,000RESERVE, OTHER

AIR - SCUD MRBM, MIG25, SUKHOI, MIRAGE, S200, IGLA, STRELA, OTHER

LAND - T72, MLRS, SA9, SA13, OTHER

SEA - SUMARINES (FOXTROT CLASS), MISSILE FRIGATES (SS-N-2C)

========================

LIBYA

US FORCES:

B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS

KEARSARGE EXPEDITIONARY STRIKE GROUP///26TH MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT

US SPECIAL OPERATIONS

(EN-ROUTE) BATAAN EXPEDITIONARY STRIKE GROUP

(EN-ROUTE) ENTERPRISE CARRIER STRIKE GROUP

[[[STIKE GROUPS COMPOSED OF MULTIPLE WARSHIPS, ATTACK SUBMARINES & FIGHTER AIRCRAFT]]]

JAPAN

REAGAN CARRIER STRIKE GROUP

WASHINGTON CARRIER STRIKE GROUP

ESSEX EXPEDITIONARY STRIKE GROUP///31ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT

FUKUSHIMA REACTORS:

ONE: EXPLOSION/LOW RADIATION

TWO: EXPLOSION/LOW RADIATION

THREE: EXPLOSION/LOW RADIATION (SECOND EXPLOSION IMMINENT)

FOUR: DOUBLE EXPLOSION/LOW RADIATION

FIVE: STABLE

SIX: STABLE

TOKYO: LOW RADIATION ARRIVAL

KOREA/AFGHANISTAN

LINCOLN CARRIER STRIKE GROUP (KOREA)

VINSON CARRIER STRIKE GROUP (AFGHANISTAN)

BOXER EXPEDITIONARY STRIKE GROUP (AFGHANISTAN)

ISRAEL

(SATURDAY) 50 X MORTARS/ROCKETS FIRED FROM GAZA (HAMAS) INTO ISRAEL IN LESS THAN 15 MINUES

(THURSDAY) EGYPT MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD MEETING WITH HAMAS

The Lay of the Land: The human face of the Afghani front

20100313 (Time Now)

Kandahar (second largest city after kabul): multiple EXP's & SAF (Taliban attack in progress)

PHASE I MARJAH (spring 2010)(operation moshtarak)

PHASE II KANDAHAR (summer 2010)

PHASE III HIMALAYAS (near Pakistan/China borders with Afghanistan)

MARCH 01-13 (((12 x U.S. KIA)))

3-11-2010	Gamble, Garrett W.	Lance Corporal	20	2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force	U.S. Marine	Texas	Sugarland	Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack	Helmand	Afghanistan
3-09-2010	Kropat, Jason M.	Private 1st Class	25	1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)	U.S. Army	New York	White Lake	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG	Khowst	Afghanistan
3-09-2010	Richardson, Jonathan J.	Sergeant	24	1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)	U.S. Army	Arkansas	Bald Knob	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG	Khowst	Afghanistan
3-07-2010	Cook, Nicholas S.	Private	19	2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team	U.S. Army	Montana	Hungry Horse	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire	Kunar	Afghanistan
3-05-2010	Dikcis, Alan N.	Specialist	21	630th Engineer Company (Clearance), 7th Engineer Battalion (Combat Effects), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat) (Airborne)	U.S. Army	New York	Niagara Falls	Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack	Kandahar	Afghanistan
3-04-2010	Paci, Anthony A.	Specialist	30	1st Battalion, 17th Infantry, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division	U.S. Army	Maryland	Rockville	Non-hostile - vehicle accident (rollover)	Gereshk	Afghanistan
3-04-2010	Olsen, Nigel K.	Lance Corporal	21	4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve	U.S. Marine	Nevada	Orem	Hostile - hostile fire	Helmand	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Owens, Vincent L.C.	Sergent	21	3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)	U.S. Army	Arkansas	Fort Smith	Hostile - hostile fire	Yosuf Khel (died at FOB Sharana)	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Aragon, Carlos A.	Lance Corporal	19	4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve	U.S. Marine Reserve	Utah	Orem	Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack	Helmand	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Gelig, Ian T.D.	Specialist	25	782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division	U.S. Army	California	Stevenson Ranch	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire	Kandahar	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Huston, Matthew D.	Specialist	24	1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division	U.S. Army	Georgia	Athens	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG	Bala Murghab	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Crumpler, Josiah D.	Specialist	27	1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division	U.S. Army	North Carolina	Hillsborough	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG	Bala Murghab	Afghanistan

The lay of the land: Afghanistan operationsday/night 8...

8 DAY/NIGHT OPERATION MOSHTARAK///Marjeh, Afghanistan(DAY 1 - DAY 8) Casulties: US/NATO: 8 x U.S. KIA///3 x U.K. KIA///Civilian: 15 x KIATaliban: +/- 120 x KIA///including foreign fighters, non-afghani [[[Taliban fighters placing women & children on building roofs and firing from behind them]]][[[2 x USMC Force Recon Teams air assault insertion]]]

The lay of the land: Afghanistan operations and more...

DAY/NIGHT 4
Operation Moshtarak///Marjeh, Afghanistan

SAT (DAY 1): 1 x US KIA & 1 x UK KIA
TUE (DAY 4): 1 x US KIA
TUE (DAY 4): 1 x US/NATO KIA (nationality unconfirmed)
SAT - TUE (DAY 1 - 4): 35 x US/NATO WIA

CIVILIAN: 15 x KIA

TALIBAN: +/- 100 KIA///including foreign fighters, non-afghani

DAY/NIGHT - SAF/RPG/IED: Taliban use sniper fire & RPG's, while initiating IED's
[[[Taliban using homes, tunnels & water canals to maneuver in/out of battle area]]]

15,000 US/NATO -VS- 900 Taliban & 100 Foreign Fighters (50% retreated outside battle area)

(==correction==)
US/NATO MISSILE DEFENSE
(LAND) PACIII/THAAD SITES:
ROMANIA
BULGARIA
(SEA) AEGIS RIM161SM3
BLACK SEA (instead of poland)
BALTIC SEA (instead of czech republic)

The lay of the land: Snow in 49 states and new U.S. bases

WWW--Again, I cannot make claim to the veracity of this, but it all looks about right and comes from a source in the Middle East whose identity will remain anonymous. Cut-and-pasted as received, misspellings included.

*ALL 49 STATES HAVE SNOW* HAWAII ALONE

SOMALIA/YEMEN

US Naval & Air Bases:

1. Island of Socotra (off Horn of Africa)[NEW]

2. Hudaydah (Yemen)[NEW]

3. Djibouti [US/FRENCH BASE]

4. Island of Diego Garcia [US/UK BASE]

[[[Limited use of bases in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Seychilles Islands]]]

OPERATION MOSHTARAK (largest op of aghan war)

0330 Hours Local (started)

+15,000 US, NATO & Afghan Forces

Sieze & Control Marja (+80,000 residents)

("Opium Capital of Afghanistan" +1,000 taliban)

opertion moshtarak (update)

air strike requests (fighter jets)

marjeh:

80% sunni pashtun's - pro taliban and/or pro pakistan

10% shia hazara persians - pro iran

10% other (pro india)

attack order (not order of battle)

special force kill/capture initiated inside perimeter

ground troops begin perimeter breaching

hellfire & tow rocket strikes

air assault (helo insertion of ground troops inside perimeter)

air strike requests (fighter jets)

AFGHANISTAN

OPERATION MOSHTARAK

0330 HOURS begin op

[[[no pre-aerial bombing due to new civilian population heavy warfare concept]]]

US & NATO Special Forces shaping operations (kill & capture of leadership)

Conventional Forces initiating breach of Taliban tunnels, bunkers, heavy weapons emplacements, set IED's and landmines around Marjah.

90% of population remain in Marjah

IRAN

DOS (DEPT. OF STATE - SUNDAY DEPARTURE)

SEC STATE Clinton: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel & Jordan

UNDER SEC STATE Burns: Lebanon & Syria

"COLD-WAR LEVEL DIPLOMACY"

LEBANON

USNS GRAPPLE

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8 (EOD MU8)

Ethiopia Airlines 737

The 7 CIA KIAs in Afghanistan: When revenge really means reprisal

Occupied Afghanistan--Remember all those WWII movies where the Nazis are being attacked by partisans and members of the resistance? This is what's happening in Afghanistan.
This doesn't mean the Afghans are "good guys," they're just reacting naturally, and they have their own issues. We're worse in our behavior at this historical moment.

The CIA are calling for "revenge" in an illegal war and remembering that this is an illegal occupation is the key (wars of aggression are illegal under international law): they're already kidnapping, torturing, and even slaughtering Afghan nationals, and now, someone they thought was going to be their "snitch" (informant) got into a military facility knowing seven of them were going to be there and blew himself and them up with a bomb strapped to his torso. That's desperation under a bloody occupation, not some arbitrary act for the hell of it, and it's not even necessarily extreme. It's what happens under bloody occupations.

What the CIA should have used was the term "reprisal," the one that the Nazis and their victims frequently used when they retaliated for deaths within their own ranks. The problem in their logic at Langley--and our own if we accept such arguments--is obvious. We're the wrong side, and we're the aggressors, not the Afghans. This kind of wrong-headed thinking is only going to keep us digging our own hole, and eventually, we're probably going to get our own Stalingrad in some form or another. This "revenge" is really reprisal, don't kid yourself. We're the bad guys. We're the wrong side. The Afghan that did this killed people who might have been there to torture in his mind, and certainly came as bringers of death.

When is the GOP finally going to die, and where do we bury it?

"Climbing the eastern wall as it had come, the colossus went to and fro for many hours, no longer wreaking a hellish wrath and rancour, but searching, as people thought, for the various tombs and graves from which the hundreds of bodies that composed it had been so foully reft. From charnel to charnel, from cemetery to cemetery it went, through all the land; but there was no grave anywhere in which the dead colossus could lie down." --Clark Ashton Smith, The Colossus of Ylourgne," 1934.


Come on GOP, you know you want to take that gun and...you love that gun, oh yes you do, and you love to use it. So use it. The problem with you being gone is that then the Democrats will have a free hand to become even more corrupt than they already are, and boy are they, just like you. But they hide it better. In a short time, they would look exactly like you do, possibly worse. Granted, that's a short walk off a short pier, and God knows they want to stay in Afghanistan too and give us an Orwellian war without end, but they're a smidgen more realistic than you, GOP. Just not very much, and they like falling on their swords when it means a pro-business agenda will be secure.

And those dumbbells that come at you with assault rifles at presidential speeches--they're you're rednecks! I didn't make 'em, their stupid parents and a bad educational system did. The worst part of you--GOP--is the smell: it's there, all the signs of decay, of putrefaction, are present. You stink. Small wonder that the national elections are held in the first week of November, so close to All Saints Day, today, which is then followed by All Souls Day, for the departed. Everything about the Republican Party is death. What does the GOP have left but dead ideologies? The stiff's still walking around, going through the various stages of mourning; give it time to realize that it's dead, just let it die. Martyrs? There have been no martyrs in the Republican Party since Abraham Lincoln, so they might have to create a few, and they're willing to. What does the GOP have besides a bunch of free market extremists and racist psychopaths yelling their heads off until nobody listens?

Their disconnect from reality is both genuine and terrifying: just this week Rush Limbaugh claimed that former VP candidate Sarah Palin was somehow prepared to be president, that she's capable and educated enough in geopolitics, economics, world history, and so on, to serve adequately in the Oval Office. Never mind merit, I think she can win, so who cares? He sounds like Franz von Papen when he urged President Paul von Hindenburg "hire" Hitler and make him Chancellor (Hitler lost the election, look it up, Vonnegut was wrong), and at this point she doesn't have a chance unless the economy crashes even further without further government intervention and someone burns down the Reichstag again in a terrorist attack.

My guess is the Saudis are waiting for someone to rebuild the World Trade Center so they can blow it up again. They have a long wait. Oh yeah, and Dick Armey (unfortunate name) is William Jennings Bryan (in a sick way he really is) as William Jennings Bryan at the Scopes Monkey trial, not the one that defended Eugene Debs and other unionists. We just keep coming back to the 1920s-30s! What business elites (and Libertarians) want is to drag us back into the 19th century when there was no regulation of much of anything, the good old days that never were. It's not so hard to believe when you take into account that the rich in America never accepted the New Deal.

When are we going to cope with modernity? When are we going to finally accept that we cannot go back to some arboreal Eden, that there never was a golden age, and that we're stuck with technology? There's no sticking the Djin back in its bottle once it's gotten free. History doesn't work that way; it means moving forward, and we should do so cautiously. We must change. If we go forward as we have, favoring corporations, subsidizing fossil fuels and concentrated wealth, and continue to move away from democratic traditions, all is lost. The real threat is coming from misguided Populism, as it always has, because it can be used against the rest of us. That's right, lack in others is a threat to everyone. Pointing these dummies at hot button issues and progressive targets and letting them run amok works. When people already hold irrational beliefs and attitudes, it's not such a long walk off that short pier. Now, where are we going to bury the GOP? We might want two graves for both major parties. Anyone? A shovel?

On the "torture flap" and all the waffling in DC: Bust Bush, Cheney, Gonzales, Rumsfeld, Rice, Miers, and the OLC attorneys

WWW--This is getting good. To say that I'm enjoying the shit storm created over the release of these torture memos, the narratives coming from former participants, and the formation of a coherent time line, would be an understatement. This could have a good effect on reining-in our intelligence community, and more. Reactionaries of every stripe are going to complain that this is "going to hamper the CIA, et. al.," which misses the point: actions defined as internationally illegal and barbaric behavior by them isn't necessarily going to make us any safer, quite the opposite.

But the the public has to be engaged in this, and so far, they are in a major way that's not showing any signs of cresting.

We could be seeing the radical reformulation of our foreign policy dialog inside and outside of the State Department and the executive branch. Why? Because the Bush II administration was so incompetent, so blustery in their criminality, that they didn't think that they had to cover their tracks much--not that they cared to most of the time, they thought the fix was on permanently. Who and what made them think that? Who gave them that blank check? Few buy the justifications these days. However, there still seems to be an increasingly isolated segment of the public that thinks George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, and the rest of the Bush II administration were somehow protecting us through methods that were proven useless in obtaining information centuries ago.

Torture doesn't work.

My advice to concerned members of the public who find the use of torture by our government unacceptable: sign any petition (once!), call your elected representatives, and make one hell of a lot of noise about your concern over this until we see some real action, some real justice. Until then, all bets are off, so keep hammering!

Why is the Obama administration waffling back-and-forth on this? Some of the torture memos came out because they knew a whistle-blower was going to leak them to the press and watchdog groups. Nonetheless, it was a brave move to release them in unredacted form, and I applaud it. But the Obama administration doesn't yet know what to do about it, and the reasons are simple and complicated: yes, they have qualms about how the Bush II administration implemented torture against individuals captured in the field (oftentimes just taken off of the streets of another nation), but I think they want to keep this gun in their pockets for a rainy day.

Does it matter? It might not. This whole scandal is broader than just one incident: it's an internationally sprawling and seemingly endless string of incidents that constituted official policy under Bush II, a secret one. Interestingly, the former president isn't taking any potshots at President Obama on torture...only the factions of Karl Rove and Richard Cheney are. This speaks volumes as to who was the genesis of the policy, it could be isolated primarily to the last vice president.

However, none of this matters. George W. Bush was our standing president, regardless of whether he abdicated his responsibilities to Vice President Cheney. For this reason, there must be accountability because we are a nation of laws and precedents. If the Bush II precedents stand on torture and numerous other matters, we're no longer a democracy. Motivation enough for you now?

One thing's certain: There's a war for the minds of Americans on this issue being fought by Rovian operatives within the mainstream media, and they and the Obama administration are losing control of the debate to the public. This can only be a good thing. The groundswell is here, now.

SADDAM HUSSEIN'S LAWYER URGES INTERNATIONAL BLOCKING OF HANDOVER TO IRAQI AUTHORITIES

"According to the international conventions, it is forbidden to hand a prisoner of war to his adversary." --Khalil al-Dulaimi, attorney for Saddam Hussein, 12.27.2006.


"What's clear is that the Iraqi government won't be able to protect the Sunnis from Iranian-backed militias if American troops leave. Its army and police cannot be relied on to do so, as tens of thousands of Shiite militiamen have infiltrated their ranks. ...There is reason to believe that the Bush administration, despite domestic pressure [Ed.-The American midterm-elections have only increased this pressure.], will heed Saudi Arabia's advice [demands]. "
--Nawaf Obaid, security advisor to the House of Saud, 09.27.2006, writing in the Washington Post.

Baghdad--It appears the Bush administration's desperation for any kind of break in Iraq has put them on a course towards the execution of their former client, Saddam Hussein. ' "I urge all the international and legal organizations, the United Nations' Secretary General, the Arab League and all the leaders of the world to rapidly prevent the American administration from handing the president to the Iraqi authorities," he [Khalil al-Dulaimi, Hussein's attorney] told The Associated Press.' Well, that's fine, but did they prevent the still illegal invasion of Iraq? Yes, things have definitely changed, but Hussein's execution (and the inevitable upsurge in social chaos and violence) seems assured.
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061228.wsaddam1228/BNStory/Front/home)

Nonetheless, the UN, the Hague and a constellation of Human Rights groups have chimed in, though it's unclear what would actually induce the Bush administration from altering their course regarding Hussein, let alone a phased withdrawal of American troops. It should be remarked, however, that UN and global opposition made the run up to war very-difficult for the Bush administration at a time when their powers were at their zenith. It's still mind-boggling to think that the Bush administration had approval ratings in the 90s, but this was only possible due to the attacks of September 11th, 2001. Strident opposition to Bush administration aims could still work, particularly in light of the November 7th midterms that were essentially a plebiscite on the war (and the GOP scandals in general). In an October 30th LA Times article, Al-Dulaimi warned that a full-blown civil war would erupt in reaction to Hussein's execution, so his point on this factor has been ongoing for months. It's likely Hussein will be executed anyway. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-saddam30oct30,1,7585188.story?coll=la-headlines-world)

How many days will the execution buy the Bush administration? Probably just the ones leading-up to the execution, though the insurgency already seems emboldened by the news. When you're a hydra-headed national liberation front, and you're capable of kidnapping over 100 people in broad daylight, one can assume order has collapsed. Remaining elements of the Baathist Party have vowed a full-fledged uprising upon the execution, but maybe they know something the Bush administration doesn't (not a stretch here): Iraq ends as a nation state with the death of Saddam Hussein, and the grab for power will accelerate. Again, something even a casual observer could notice. But, why wouldn't the Bush administration notice? Bald ignorance, and frequently the wilful variety.

Most of the gaffes spring from this because Iraq was never a real country, and was created after WWI by the British as a conglomeration of various religious and ethnic groups (capped with an unsuccessful occupation during the late 1930s). Like Afghanistan, there was little concern by British planners for the subtleties of these geopolitical creations. In this sense, Iraq and Afghanistan are very similar to the former Yugoslavia. Marshall Tito knew full well that only a dictatorship could maintain order within such a conglomeration, proving as much by his decades-long rule (as did Hussein). Is Baghdad the next Sarajevo? Possibly. It seems fragmentation is becoming a fact, the "reality on the ground." Didn't British intelligence and members of their diplomatic circles warn the Bush administration of these "subtleties"? In fact, they did on several occasions and were rebuffed. This is well-known.

Because of the aforementioned subtleties, Saudi Arabia is vowing they will support Iraqi Sunnis if there is a "phased withdrawal of [American] troops". The fear is more Iranian influence in Iraq, and in the region. All of this would be by "proxy forces", yet we know that Saudi-nationals are already streaming into Iraq for similar aims, so the statement's thrust is a little peculiar (if not Janus-faced, which is how Middle Eastern politics work). Many of them are simply supporting the general insurgency, and one has to wonder how many of them are there on deep cover missions for the House of Saud, or other elements of the ruling clans. Saudi Arabia rarely ever states issues of security openly, so we don't know the details. It's likely Mossad has a better picture than the public. One can imagine other Muslim states like Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey (over the Kurds), various Gulf states, and even Pakistan following suit. Russia could also exhibit valid security concerns, making for a toxic mix at best, with economic ties to Iran being very deep.

Kuwait might also turn on her American allies in the State Department on this one for similar reasons, mostly concerning the security and stability of the current regime (along with sectarian loyalties). Security will be the prime-motivator of any Arab nation intervening into Iraq, with the factor of sectarianism and tribalism thrown in. Add Israel with potential aerial attacks on Iran, and we have a major war developing into a region-wide conflagration where everyone is reacting based on security and religious concerns. This is shockingly similar to the context that brought the Great War, and evokes images of timetables and trains. Voicing these kinds of security concerns in an interesting echo of the US immigration debacle, the Saudis announced in late September they were building a fence along the 560-mile border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq to keep out insurgents and immigrants (Shiite refugees? They're the minority in Saudi Arabia at 15%). 

Like its counterpart in the Americas, the fence will also take "5-6 years" to construct. One has to wonder whether the same contractors will be used. Ironically, one proposal by the Saudis is to increase oil production to hurt Iran with rock bottom prices.

The impact of this would be a global one to other producers, who would likely decrease their production to continue reaping the profits of the last few years. Venezuela's Bolivarist regime would certainly consider this option, as would numerous other producers and refiners. The irony of all this? Prolix, I know: ..."the current malaise in Iraq is simply vindication of King Abdullah’s warning that invading to topple Saddam would cause more problems than it would solve." This has come to pass, after repeated warnings before the March, 2003 invasion, from all quarters. Executing Saddam Hussein will only accelerate the disintegration of the existing order in the region. For even the most casual observer, this is incredibly dangerous, possibly making the unthinkable thinkable. It is just another wrong path. 

Much of this quagmire is based on the ignorance of tribal clan networks in the Middle East, and Hussein is tied to them. These networks know no border and extend throughout the Middle East--the execution will amount to a rallying cry for many of them. When he is executed, those clans will respond, and violently. It seems the White House feels it must take orders from Mecca, rather than from the American public. This is treason. Still want to be President? This is the cost of "winning", and ample proof that the aims for Iraq were incoherent from the beginning.


King Abdullah, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL (you haven't built yet):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092701214.html

The Recent Threat of Saudi Intervention into Iraq (by proxy):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112801277.html

A Great Overview by Tony Karon:
http://tonykaron.com/2006/12/01/rehabilitating-osama-and-other-iraq-remedies/

Why did Patrick Tillman die?

"While there was no one specific finding of fault, the investigation results indicate that Corporal Tillman probably died as a result of friendly fire while his unit was engaged in combat with enemy forces." --LT. GEN. PHILIP R. KENSINGER JR, May 2004

"The war in Iraq is so fucking illegal!"

--Pat Tillman, 2003

The United States of America--Pat Tillman was an extraordinary individual. As an accomplished athlete--and a student--he was the best and the brightest America had to offer. To his fans, he was an all-American, and friends and family have all stated that he really loved his country and its people.

Football players are part of the central iconography of this country--regardless of our feelings about "the game"--and the sport is often used as a metaphor for America's past-role in the world.

But, football is also used to stir-up a mindless super patriotism and an unthinking obedience to business, the State, and a competitiveness that is uniquely-American. It can contribute to a mindset of life being only 'winners-and-losers', but Pat Tillman wasn't a believer in all of this. He was a true believer in decency and what is right, and by all indications, he was a wonderful guy who genuinely wanted to protect his nation in the wake of the attacks of September 11th, 2001.

In 2002, he and his brother enlisted for a three year tour with the Army Rangers. There are more than 2,000-pages of testimony in the account of his 2004 killing in Afghanistan by fratricide ('friendly fire'). There are many contradictions in the testimony, and it was a full five weeks before his family was even notified of his death by the US Army. This fact alone is deeply-troubling, and doesn't serve the football iconography well for Statists. Neither did the real Pat Tillman--he was practically a closet-Leftist, and a critic of the War in Iraq.

Tillman's family was only told of his "friendly fire" death a few days before his burial (they were previously lied-to and told he was killed by enemy fire). It's unfortunate that his family thought John McCain would get any results for them, because he hasn't and won't. Entire sections of the reports on Tillman's death are still classified, and McCain hasn't delivered any major goods, just some belated consolation that earns him political points in Arizona.

A 2005 San Francisco Chronicle piece highlights Tillman's persona a bit:

Interviews also show a side of Pat Tillman not widely known — a fiercely independent thinker who enlisted, fought and died in service to his country yet was critical of President Bush and opposed the war in Iraq, where he served a tour of duty. He was an avid reader whose interests ranged from history books on World War II and Winston Churchill to works of leftist Noam Chomsky, a favorite author. (SFC, 9/25/2005)

It doesn't sound like your typical football-player, does it? My hunch is that Tillman saw something that night he wasn't supposed to, and had been pretty opinionated about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan around his fellow-solidiers.

I believe he went to Afghanistan to bear-witness as nobody in civilian life could. He was well-equipped to be a fighter for truth when he got back, and he was a very intelligent man who had graduated from college Summa Cum Laude. How many football players study to get a degree in history while playing professional football?

What's so disheartening is that immediately following his death, the Bush administration and their allies in the media seized-upon the icons, using a dead man who disagreed with them. This wasn't new to them as they used the bodies of 2,700 9/11 victims for political capital, until recently.

More disgusting epitaphs were the social Darwinist prose vomited by people like Ann Coulter [who] described Tillman as "an American original -- virtuous, pure and masculine like only an American male can be."' Right, there are no people anywhere else like this. Pat Tillman would have disagreed strenuously and he respected the underdog. Imagine if he had survived, and gotten to meet Dr. Chomsky as he had planned. Coulter and her ilk would have dragged him through-the-mud, or ignored him entirely.

It is possible that one-or-more of his comrades in A Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment wanted him dead? We'll probably never know, since their stories keep-changing. It could easily be gross-negligence, but why wait five weeks? Why classify so much? Why was all of SPC Tillman's uniform and flak-jacket burned under orders? One investigating officer suggested some of the troops present at Tillman's death should be charged with "criminal intent." Why?

The questions are all troubling ones. Tillman also had a habit of keeping a journal all the time. What happened to his journal from Afghanistan? The Army began a criminal investigation in March of this-year. The prospects for human-survival are dimming, made-possible by your inaction.

Lightly Revised, 09.19.2008

Tillman Timeline:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?id=2517567

Related:
http://www.edgeofsports.com/2006-03-07-179/index.html
http://www.iraqwarheroes.com/tillman.htm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/25/MNGD7ETMNM1.DTL

A good blogpiece on the Diary:
http://the-wrecking-machine.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_the-wrecking-machine_archive.html

Dr. Chomsky:
http://www.chomsky.info/