VETERANS FOR PEACE
Veterans Working Together for Peace & Justice Through Non-violence.
Wage Peace!
By Bill Burkett
Online Journal Contributing Writer
March 19, 2003—I've sat in total grief for the past three years,
watching the institutions of America being spent as if they were
lottery winnings.
I don't want to say it, "But I told you so."
In January of 1998 and what seems like a full lifetime ago, I was
stricken by a deadly case of meningoencephalitis. I was returning from
a short duty trip to Panama as a team chief to inspect the hand over
of Ft. Clayton to the Panamanians. I had been 'loaned' from the senior
staff and state planning officer of the Texas National Guard to the
Department of the Army for a series of these special projects after
angering George W. Bush by refusing to falsify readiness information
and reports; confronting a fraudulent funding scheme which kept
'ghost' soldiers on the books for additional funding, and refusing to
alter official personnel records [of George W. Bush].
George W. Bush and his lieutenants were mad. They ordered that I not
be accessed to emergency medical care services, healthcare benefits I
earned by my official duty; and I was withheld from medical care for
154 days before I was withdrawn from Texas responsibility by the
Department of the Army, by order of the White House.
I was a pawn then caught in a struggle for right and wrong, but also
caught within a political struggle between a man who would do anything
to be 'king' of America and an institution of laws that we knew as
America.
For five years, I have fought my battles around two fronts; the
personal retaliation that was waged against me and the individual
organizational unlawful acts and practices waged against our
institutions.
But I first had to survive. Without a single bit of help, contact and
in spite of threats against my life and that of my family, I have had
to relearn to walk and to live. My daily pain is far worse than
anything I could have previously imagined. I suffer from extreme
constant headaches, body pain and even my hair hurts. I now have a
severe seizure disorder which we are starting to gain slight control
over.
My mother faced her final four years guiding and supporting me through
my struggle to live. My wife, Nicki, and our four wonderful children
totally reshaped their lives in support of this struggle as well. But,
only three dear friends from those military days dared to help me. CW3
George Conn gave up his career and was released from duty for his
support. He is now a civilian personnel specialist in Europe for the
US Army. CW4 Harvey Gough actively fought for medical care for me. He
received a court martial and was kicked out of the Army after an
illustrious 28-year career. He filed suit for some of the comments
made within their retaliation at him; including calling him a
"Goddamned Jew" and threatening him with actions by making comments
such as "we're going to treat you worse than the Jews in Auschwitz".
LTC Dennis Adams tried to operate within the system to get me medical
support. When he was deposed and served as a witness within the
district court case; Dennis was retired from service.
The only benefits that we have received have come at the end of a
court order; and they have been under constant challenge. Needless to
say, we know the White House counsel personally. We know Dan Bartlett,
Karen Hughes, Joe Allbaugh, Don Evans, and many others very
personally. ***** Cheney used to be a close friend. No longer.
So when asked by many "what should we do?" on this beautiful, but very
sad morning, I can't help but remind everyone that for over three
years, since the spring 2000 campaign, I have forecasted the actions
that have taken place in great detail. I know GW Bush and his inner
circle very well.
As I said, a UN vote would not stop GW Bush from attacking Iraq. Nor
will anything else. And weapons of mass destruction will be discovered
in great quantities; but the entire affair will stink to high heavens
because it will be as staged as the White House press conference you
just viewed.
The human death toll will publicly not be mentioned, yet in truth, it
will far exceed 120,000. Our vast size and force will quickly break
the back of any Iraqi resistance, yet we will not break their spirit.
This is a society which has learned to live in troubled politics. They
will go about their business while seething inside. There will be
small uprisings, but they will quickly be crushed. The emotion and
anger that we will have built will spill over into other countries and
meld like an alloy with other problem areas of the Middle East,
becoming a deeper seated problem. We will have insured that America's
dynasty is nearing an end.
While GW Bush will be cast as a conquering hero by his political team
and accepted by the population as such, history will treat him as
Napoleonic. Bush will reach a new lofty level of acceptance by first
fear and then staged triumph. Those who waited too long to gain their
voice will lose their voice again.
America will over pledge economically in order to establish this new
footprint; but the economic worth will not go to offset our fiscal
investment, or to the Iraqi people. Iraq will be stripped by the
vanquishers; the major corporations, who will then control not only
the assets, but the cash flow. Their names will be Mobil, Exxon,
Halliburton and the likes.
Our homeland warnings will again revert to 'fusia' a color only
associated with confusion, and cosmetic image.
And America will again be asked to bow at the feet of this small man
with big ideas.
Lost within a short time will be the name Saddam; for like Osama, he
was never the purpose of this campaign. Never in the history of the
world has a great society survived whenever its focus was allowed to
magnetize to its most powerful. And here we will clearly have in view
that there is little value accorded to the innocent 3-year-old Iraqi
girl who will today be playing in the streets, or the 19-year-old
soldier who will launch the missile that will kill her.
What do you do? Watching the sunrise on a beautiful morning, I used
to feel hope. Before my illness, I felt exhilaration at the prospects
of the day. After my illness, I felt hope that I might work hard to
live. Now I feel sickness that today another massive group of people,
held worthless by this anointed king, will be trampled upon like
grapes. But their blood will not be rendered into wine. It will be
spilled into the sands of this desert or another, or on the streets of
Washington, or in the halls of the US Congress, or in the courts.
But there is a difference from any phenomenon previously faced by a
spoiled American populace. With Teddy Roosevelt, we badgered and
dented him into listening; with Franklin Roosevelt, we tenaciously
talked until he listened; with William Jefferson Clinton, we crippled
him through deceit and his own frailties. But none were anointed as
king.
We must now revert to the history of Europe to discern what to do. We
must study the nemesis of France and how Napoleon was felled before
understanding the damage a tyrant does to a nation and society. We
must examine the ruthless and dictatorial rise of yet another of the
three small men—one whose name is not spoken out of fear of reprisal,
but his name was Adolf. We must examine history, in order to not
repeat it, and to understand the mesmerism of a public to a murderous
scheme. Three small men who wanted to conquer . . . and vanquish. Each
created a need for a balancing throng; history then recorded the
damage from a far better perspective.
More than one French or German household now sits watching the US
expending her virtue through the tools of greed, anger and vengeance.
And they caution us. They caution that out of this strong arm tactic
will bring about the rise of a United Europe or Asia to counterbalance
an arrogant superpower.
I do not believe that this world can, or will, stand idly by. While
many will rally to the side of this conqueror, there must be a
steadfast collective group who hold their ground, their principles and
the Constitution of this land. For there is never found the word
"King" within that great architecture of Democracy, or as the
Republicans like to say this "Republic". There is only the structure
of an equally shared and responsible government "of, by and for the
people" anchored within the principles of defense rather than attack.
Yes, we are on the edge. But there is no one who says that we have to
help push this nation over the cliff. Instead, we must redouble our
efforts. Being ever mindful of law and the tactics being employed, we
must focus ourselves to what has been successful and keep it
successful, while moving aggressively forward. We must withdraw the
anger and be able to 'turn the other cheek,' for there will be many
opportunities to do so. Our battles must be waged with resolve, not
emotion.
We must be vigilant. We must be credible. We must be respectful of
those [such as soldiers ordered to take the field of battle] who are
entrapped within this immoral act. And we must be the best educators
that have ever stepped forward on this earth. We must be teachers in
the image of Peter, John and Mark; the disciples of Christ, or their
equivalents within Judaism, or the Muslim Faith, or the great
philosophers. We must grow a new generation of those who believe that
war is the last resort, not the first. And we must call them patriots,
for their battle is not protected by flack vests, armor plating, or
armor piercing rounds.
The only thing that can be said this morning is that though we feel
that our world is ended and that there will be many who will die
within the coming days—die without reason or cause—we must dedicate
ourselves to stop this action at a future point, so the carnage will
not become even greater. As I have taught many young soldiers, at the
end of the first battle you will be either elated and filled with
yourself, or sickened to the point of vomiting. But in either case,
you will have only completed a single battle. The war is yet to be
won.
Lt. Col. Bill Burkett completed 28 years of decorated service and was
medically retired from the US Army National Guard in 1998 after
suffering meningoencephalitis on return from an assignment in Panama.
From 1995 until his illness, Burkett served as State Plans Officer for
the Texas Army National Guard and Governor George W. Bush. After
refusing to follow direct orders involving falsifying readiness
reports, Burkett sought "whistleblower" status for reports involving
anti-Semitic activity; personnel fraud; readiness fraud and the
alteration of the personal military file of Governor George W. Bush.
Lt. Col. Burkett is currently the plaintiff in his appeal to the US
Supreme Court in the case of Burkett v. Goodwin, Taliaferro, Meador,
et al, in regard to the retaliation against him following breaking the
Bush records issue. Lt. Col Burkett served as a War Plans Officer
during Operation Desert Storm and functioned as a senior trainer in
conducting simulations exercises for deploying troops.
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/what_do_you_say_032203.htm
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"John Kerry gave the enemy for free what I and many of my comrades in
North Viet Nam prison camps took torture to avoid saying." -- Paul
Galanti POW Jan. 1966 - Feb. 1973
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
res0mp8t@NOSPAMverizon.net
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