I’m on the road for a few days, currently near Palm Springs (or, as I like to call it, the Hollywood Old Folks Home), so unable to blog as around-the-clock as normal. But a couple of points today have really got me upset.
One is the spin-meister Bill O’Reilly’s unpardonable apologies for the criminal George W. Bush administration. His remarkable rationalizations and attempts to excuse what noted constitutional attorney Jonathon Turley just called “an open and shut criminal case” against Bush (at the bottom of the first hour of O’Reilly’s radio show today), are simply appalling.
O’Reilly’s reasons why none of these broken rules of law or corruption of the U.S. Constitution rises to impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors? Because the American people don’t support the impeachment of Bush. (Never mind the new Zogby poll showing that 52% of Americans would support such action for illegal, warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens. And never mind that no more than 30% of Americans ever supported the impeachment of Clinton!). But more on that, hopefully, later or tomorrow as my stomach, and time-away allows it.
For the moment however, a very disturbing story…just another one of far too many similar ones, I’m afraid…pointing up why this son-of-a-bitch who sits in the White House needs to be held accountable for the horrific actions of which I don’t believe he actually has a clue. Or, at least, has insulated and lied to himself so much, that he can’t even conceive anymore of the pain he has caused the citizenry of this country which he once swore to protect and defend. That, on top of the cynical claims of looking after the armed forces which he (fallaciously) claims at every opportunity to support.
I received some very disturbing email messages this morning, which have, by now, become all too familiar…
When I spent time doing a special daily broadcast of my radio show out of Crawford, TX over the summer at “Camp Casey”, one of the most disturbing aspects was that while we were there, it was announced that the administration was planning to shut down the Waco, TX VA Facility where veterans of Central Texas were able to get treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Due to the shutdown, war veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea, etc. would be forced to drive hundreds of miles to receive treatment for their PTSD since the Waco facility was the only one available to have such a psychiatric unit in central Texas.
Ironically, while Wingnut/Bush/War Supporters were driving by honking, yelling and holding signs saying “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!”, many of the war veterans from within “Camp Casey,” who were there to support Cindy Sheehan, had driven to Waco to protest the closing of the only PTSD facility for miles around in George W. Bush’s own “home state”.
As well, I receive Email quite frequently from Iraq/Afghanistan Vets who are suffering themselves from PTSD and find themselves on the brink of clinging to life as they decide whether they’d prefer to live or die.
And then today, my new good friend and occasional BRAD BLOG Guest Blogger, Lydia Cornell, shared an email with me that she received from Doug Basham, who hosts a nationally syndicated daily radio show out of Las Vegas:
—————–
Mr. Basham:
I was a dear friend of Douglas; I say was, because Douglas committed suicide today on the front porch of his trailer around 2:30 pm Opelika, Alabama time. I was just listening to your interview with him so I could hear his voice again. Just thought you might like to know.
[Name Redacted for Privacy]
I touched base with Basham and, in fact, today he was able to confirm the suicide of Spc. Barber as having happened yesterday. Here’s the followup note he just sent me, which includes a link to his recent radio interview with Barber, may he finally rest in peace…
I just got confirmation from the Police Department that Douglas did indeed commit suicide yesterday. Apparently, it happened with police officers on the spot trying to talk him out of if.
The officer I just spoke to said Douglas took his gun, fired one shot, and killed himself. He said he was the officer in charge of the investigation. I asked him what kind of an investigation was done when someone took their own life. He said they’d like to find out the circumstances surrounding it and perhaps why it happened.
I told him that when Douglas did the interview on my show, he said that he’d been diagnosed with PTSD, and was having trouble getting help from the VA. That seemed to pique his interest and he then asked me if I had that interview on tape. I told him it was archived on my web site. He asked if I could send him a link to the interview, which I just did. Here’s the link…
Absolutely, you you have my permission to use this interview along with the email I received in any way it will help get the truth out. I really hate these people, Brad. I really do. Take care.
Doug
www.DougBasham.com
As exhausted as I am right now, and while hoping to sneak in a few hours of R&R on the road, it’s shit like this that reminds me — all too often — why it’s so important to continue doing what I’m doing here. As much as I’d rather be doing almost anything else.
While the rest of the “media” — the likes of O’Reilly and his despicable ilk — are out spinning and apologizing for and making a political game out of this abomination of the American ideal…An ideal twisted and tortured and now embodied by the unAmerican Bush Adminstration and their facilitating accomplices of death, destruction and mayhem in Congress and the Rightwing Media Echo Chamber…I’m reminded why it’s important to keep at it, no matter how exhausting, and just how very grateful I am to those of you who — against all odds, and to no end of frustration — continue to support what we do here, and continue to do everything within your power to make sure the rest of the country takes notice of what is happening in this country during these years of shame.
Thank you all for that.
One day, we will restore the balance of sanity to this great nation. I also pray, however, that once we do, we may “Never Forget” what has gone on here and who it is that must, one day…somehow…be held accountable.
May God Bless America.
UPDATE: A letter from Spc. Douglas Barber… Pay attention.
Welcome Home, Spc. Barber. I wish like hell that we could have done something to help you. Unfortunately as long as these fiends are in power you will probably not be the last to take the steps you have taken.
This is the problem when the people making the call have no idea what their decisions do to those directly affected by their decision. They don’t care either. There needs to be a draft but only of those who are in power. A selective draft for potential presidential candidates, congress, judges, etc. Make them all go into the military and see what it’s like. Maybe they will think before the take us to war or remove veterans benefits, or clost VA hospitals.
John Gideon, CTO3, USN-Ret. Disabled Viet Nam Vet ’66-’70
Thank you for posting this story. Impeachment of Bush and Cheney and their group of corrupt lying murderers cannot get impeached fast enough.
Grizzly Bear Dancer
We will not forget, Brad, of that you can be certain.
Peace,
Bob
OT, but check this out:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2.../17/15554/4170
What’s the possibility that revelations that Ohio was miscounted in 2004, and Bush was fraudulently elected, might lead to a removal from office without impeachment?
The hypocrisy and symphony of the neocons knows no bounds. They shall pay for what they’ve done, and in no uncertain terms the justice will be swift and it will be forever everlasting….
To the end of voting lies
Thank you for all you do, all that are here.
Doug E.
What’s sad, is that the rightwing bloggers who frequent Brad Blog, have no idea how enormous this story is and, sadly, wont’ be covered in the MSM. That’s why I read Brad Blog, Raw Story, and subscribe to American Free Press. Thank you, Brad. And thank you Bev Harris, patriot who runs blackboxvoting.org. Thank you, thank you, thank you, all.
please forward this story to paul rieckoff’s site, op truth
http://www.iava.org//index.php
Regarding public polling before impeaching:
I don’t remember anybody polling me before the police arrested some dufus for robbing a 7/11, so why should Congress poll the public before doing their job?
For Mark H: They shouldn’t, but this is an election year. If any member of Congress moves to impeach Bush while 51% say it isn’t called for, that gives his opponent leverage in the election.
"This guy wants to impeach our president!" The words themselves sound like an indictment, don’t they? The rule of law always takes a back seat to politics these days, because it’s a sound-bite world and legal arguments can’t be easily converted into sound bites.
The good news is that Bush has already pled guilty. That should simplify the process. But don’t expect
Wolf Blitzer or Chris Matthews to understand that laws supersede men in our system.
Brad,
O’Reilly is a blowhard. FOX is his meal ticket and he knows what he is supposed to say to keep those big checks coming. If he had any integrity at all, he would leave FOX and take his show to a moderate network. We know that will not happen. I pay no attention to him (or FOX) at all.
Thank YOU, Brad. While I can imagine this blog probably started as a liesurely way to simply keep a flow of continuity doing ‘what you do’ (granted, without the deadlines and pesky managing editors, etc to deal with) during some off-time between paying gigs, it would seem that it came to publicly-noted fruition at just about the right time…
"Oh goody! a chance (or calling?) to make a living doing exactly what I’ve been doing for kicks!"
……………………………………..(!)
"…with no guaranteed paycheck for finished assignments (or even assignments at all, beyond the constant task master/mistress of following and exposing the evil currents as they toss this country around like a ragdoll), no guaranteed anything at all, save the constant need to be editor in chief, copy editor, etc., etc., ad infinitum with field reporter in the middle of it all, and on a constantly-shifting/simultaneous plural field, no less…" (and the list in the column labeled "Maybe I’d Rather Not" goes on and on from there…)
If you build it, they will come. And here we are. Miscreants, malcontents, skeptics, intellectuals, etc. Simple practitioners and adherants of what used to pass for common sense, though "common" is hardly the appropriate modifier presently. A smattering of The Remnant here and there throughout (present, in some cases, simply to serve as a buttress, a bit of a towel/water boy which serves its function in this instance simply be "being"). I can’t imagine it’s ever enough help, though. I don’t envy the arduous, discouraging dearth that is your calling. But you are a man of principle, and since He respects (or, at least makes ironic use/folly of…hey, it’s a start) that in a roommate, you find yourself having coffee, bleary eyed, every moring across the table from ol’ Fate. Ever cryptic and unpredictable, sometimes smug, but eternally right and just, He can be a perfect sonofabitch of a roommate. But He holds sway even over the concept of a perpetually-interacting father/deity figure. And it is for this reason that god cannot, no matter how much he may want to, bless America. Sorry to say it. Would that it were that easy. But it is up to us, the nation itself, to see to the collective blessings of the nation as a whole, especially given that those who are supposed to be keeping an eye on such things, having even sworn to do so, shirk their responsibilities and deny benefits and rewards to all but the holder of the cookie jar and the fat cat in their back pocket. If someone were to actually get through to the mass public and inform that they are in fact the holders and keepers of that cookie jar, my-oh-my what an uproar would ensue! So keep it up, Brad. Those roaches will just have time to turn a guilty, sheepish hue of red before scattering when the kitchen light comes on someday. But they don’t know that run and hide as they may, Fate lives here. They’ll figure it out though. And it will all be thanks to our voice (which is, needless to say, 110% useless without the super mega ultra neat-o magical Bradblog megaphone/teleprompter).
—–>(So THANKS again)
"Don’t let the bastards grind you down."
-and(!)-
"Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke."
Honor the Warrior; Not the War
Namaste
Dear Brad and all you wonderful bloggers:
I am so sad about the suicide of the young soldier. I, along with all of you, am outraged and so sick and tired of the bullcrap we have had to endure these last five years.
What is so astonding is the damage that a group of evil people can bestow upon us.
I, like you all, have paid attention to all the details ie lies and propaganda and could not believe how the MSM and unchristian right can just fling their shit and nothing is done or said.
I cried the night of ‘shock and awe’ and still do everytime I see that damn roller on CNN stating how many military deaths since this crap started. They should also reflect how many die from PTSD, how many limbs are lost and how many livihoods/marriages are lost.
We must make the elected Democrats do their jobs and they are gone…
I know full well the pain of this situation. My son came back from Gulf 1 and though it took him a year and a half after five tries he managed to kill himself. I didn’t even mess with the VA as I knew time and good help was essential. Thousands of dollars couldn’t stop what was happening to him. I shudder to think of all the families that think if they get the soldiers home in one piece that everything will be alright. Gulf 2 is so much worse than Gulf 1 that the lives lost will be staggering for the ones left behind. And the pain will continue for a lifetime. I am heartsick at the direction this country has gone in the last five years – these bastards don’t have a clue…not a clue!
damn
When will it end? How much shit must we take as a nation from these criminals.It feels like one step forward five backward. I am so sick of being angry,I have my own business and have been printing articles from the web for over a year and most of the time I can’t even get people to look at them let alone read them.They want their same old same old,nothing to change, yet unwilling to see past their own noses.We are such a selfish and bloated country.Will it ever change? I don’t know,I just don’t know. It tears at my heart when I read about our young people that feel they have no other recourse except to end their own lives,Oh Dear Lord welcome this young mans soul into your loving arms and heal him. I can only pray that these criminals will pay and MAY THEY BURN IN HELL for the sins they have committed to these patriots who fight for a lie! Thank You Brad for carrying the torch for us.I thank God the day I found your blog.It has made me laugh,cry and rip my hair out in anger.It has also given me the courage to keep plugging along hoping and praying that some day people will come to their sense and take their futures back. Thanks all!
A theatrical rendition of reality is not encouraged or welcomed here.
OH,.. and BRAD,.. THANK YOU for being a beacon
of light that guides us as we wonder through the endless darkness. Your efforts/energies/time are not in vain.
Thanks for that Laura (#16)… you said it all. Amen.
Thank you Brad. Your site is so important in relating stories like Douglas’s to the rest of us. It’s utterly heartbreaking to think that his is probably not the only ‘war hero’ story to end like this.
I agree with your friend, I absolutely HATE (and, as a mother, that’s a very strong word for me to use) this bunch who have hijacked your country. Keep giving us the truth, Brad, God only knows how hard it is to find these days. Ann, UK.
Thanks Brad and staff and all readers & posters here
4 your many words, & works of love
I can only say…
We Must…
Keep On Keeping ON…
http://www.RogerART.com
#14
RubberSoul,
I am so, so sorry. Thank you for sharing the pain of your loss with us.
Thank you so much, Brad. You inspire me every day to keep doing my little part against this evil madness.
Brad , thank you so much for what you do here. It helps keep me from going insane to know there are still some good people left here in America. Keep up the Good fight and never give up. Because it’s people like you who made this Country.
After reading this sad article, it proves to me how some people are hoping upon hope for the worst to happen to my great country in oprder to broadcast their disdain at losing the power that comes with their political party not being in power. One hero committing suicide is a cause for impeachment? Dream on losers, and dont let the door hit you in the rear. Have your mommies told you when you were young, war sucks. Blame Bush? Where does Saddam fit into this sukblog? Oh, I bet that highly intelligent leader in Iran is a nice guy only wanting to help clean the environment with nuclear energy. If a Dem ultimately goes to war with this fruit, this blog will turn into ProWar:Save the Iranian children! As for Oreilly, he has millions of audience, this blog has a drunk on weeknight with nothing better to do than read just how you losers are eating your hearts out, which is what i yearned for as a pup during those 8 Herpe-laden years. thanks for the free speech.
Thanks for reporting this very sad tale, Brad.
Sounds like you may need to take some time off to revitalize yourself. Be sure to take care of yourself to avoid burnout. Every now & then you have to remove the evil taste from your mouth so you can see things more freshly & clearly.
I really appreciate all your hard work, and though it may seem like you’re throwing a snowball at hell at times, remember all the people you’ve been able to touch (like myself), and how you’ve helped them to understand what’s really happening in our country.
My hat’s off to you because you care and feel so deeply for our democracy, and have helped so many others to see more clearly. We need you to stay healthy and on the trail of these bastards.
I send links to your website to people all the time who ask where I hear some of the things I talk about. Thanks to you, the archives here at BradBlog are remarkably full of articles that document the shameful crimes of this administration.
Keep on caring Brad, but don’t forget to care about yourself as well, and stay healthy and happy so you can continue to do this important work…
Thank you for all you do.
Jeff J.
way to support the troops! man, this is awful…
Thank you for writing and for persevering. I sometimes take a break from READING the discouraging truth. But what is encouraging is that so many people care enough to write.
Again, Thank you.
…Notconvinced
makes me sick..
Hey Sav! Notconvicted yet is trying to enjoy what’s left of its freedom, that’s all…
sad so so sad. i hope our dead brother is at rest and happy again. why do i feel like the enemy of my leaders. its not right. i wish underdog would save the day. SOS SOS SOS
i truely hate what THEY are doing to all of us.
the only good thing is this; WHEN I LEARNED THE TRUTH YEARS AGO, I THOUGHT I WAS ALONE in my sadness….but now everyone knows my worry.
TRUTH ….it does a body good…..eventually……..
Here we have the stories of two soldiers who fought in the name of our country for this illegal war only to return home damaged with no one to help them. Now they have taken their own lives. What a sad loss!
Then we get people like Notconvinced who haven’t a clue and aren’t interested in learning.
Notconvinced – take a look at these War Crime Indictments.
Another of these hearings is scheduled for this Friday through Sunday.
Commentary written by Specialist Douglas Barber
go to-
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0601/S00079.htm
this story will just continue to multiply as our Vets come home and the services for them are not expanded or are being cut.
My husband works for the VA. no new services have been added and they are down 1 worker. More vets are being added to the caseload.
Our older vets are requiring more care and there are thousands of seriously wounded vets who will need treatment for the rest of their lives.
And what do we get?
Tax cuts for the wealthy.
Bush needs to be IMPEACHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"NotConvinced" or "NotConvicted" is, a total neanderthal who doesn’t understand anything it looks like.
He thinks people are calling for impeachment because a guy committed suicide.
No, that was never it.
As much as everyone hates the way the troops have been treated and the suicides, etc the ACTUAL reason everyone is pushing for impeachment is Bush wiretapped millions of americans without warrants, this on top of the other crimes.
And Al Gore put it best and put it clearly: If we dont force our leaders to do their jobs and impeach the President, we forego our constitution. And that will never be acceptable, period.
Mark: As for taking care of this, while its not as easy as it looks the job will get done. Congress won’t do anything on its own, it will have to be shoved against the wall, hence why impeachment polling is important and so on.
Especially for me, I have one of the worst represenatives. Congressman Chris Cannon. To use as leverage, I am going to demand that he simply runs towards impeachment immediately and do his job.
If he does not do it, I will use all the evidence against them that there is and join with others to have him convicted of bribery (He was close to Jack Abramoff) and thus thrown out. He wouldn’t want to step down in disgrace, no member of congress would, and so in a way you have to do a bit of blackmail or forceful action with some of them…..that is the ONLY way they will move, because they are already corrupt and don’t want the FBI to look at their crimes. So sadly, the only way they will impeach him, those members have to be promised that since they were part of the scam authories will go "lenient" on them…
After all read what happened to Cunningham. It ain’t pretty. No Congress should have to go through this, but when foreign government agents and interest groups pay people off, bribe, and blackmail they go through it….and Hastert as well, WILL HAVE TO PROVE HE STANDS FOR THE CONSTITUTION or we’ll have to remove him.
Doug E.
NotConvinced et al:
Do you not believe at all in the rule of law?
Do you not believe at all in the principle of the United States being a "nation of laws, not of men"?
Do you not remember Republicans piously claiming in 1998 that "even the president is not above the law"?
Or does that only apply to Democratic presidents?
Your posts only illustrate how ill-informed you are!
You wrote:
"One hero committing suicide is a cause for impeachment?"
How completely idiotic!
Did it ever occur to you that if you have to misrepresent an idea so thoroughly in order to make it look bad, then it’s obviously not bad.
Thanks for illustrating that so well for us.
The simple truth, as Doug just explained, is that the president broke the law.
The appropriate legal avenue to address this is impeachment, as even Arlen Specter, albeit rather tortuously, recently admitted. After that, he helpfully reminded us, might come criminal prosecutions.
I think Georgie & Dick will look smashing in those black & white stripes.
William Rivers Pitt has written another wrenching & eloquent piece:
William Rivers Pitt: The New Fascism
Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 2:29 pm
Opinion: William Rivers Pitt
The New Fascism
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t Perspective
From: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011706I.shtmll
Tuesday 17 January 2006
The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.
– Abraham Lincoln
"…This new fascism is not fed only by lies, though to be sure the lies are there in preposterous abundance. This new fascism is fed by myths, our myths, the myths by which we rock ourselves to sleep. This new fascism is in truth an elemental fascism, reborn today by a confluence of events; the diligent work of the few, in combination with the passivity of the many, have brought forth this new order…"
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0601/S00131.htm
Joan
We’ve been presenting this information to the trolls ever since the story broke and they rallied around the old "Clinton Did It" mantra.
They just don’t get it.
This story is heart-breaking.
Douglas was there when his government called. Where was his government when Douglas called?
This is truly a sad story. I hate the thought that there are another hundred thousand or so troops who will be coming back eventually with so many horrible memories and that given the way things are being run, they will have nowhere to turn for support. If Bush wants to improve moral why doesn’t he strap himself into the Army issue body armor and step foot in Iraq instead of perusing around like he’s actually accomplished something.
My college dorm-mate in 1968 had been a radio operator on the USS Liberty at the time it was attacked by the Israelis. He was in radio contact with the attacking pilots at the time they attacked. He had repeatedly informed them that it was an American ship.
The radio room had one door and a radio counsole in the middle. There were 4 operators in the room. His back faced the doorway, the others had walls behind them. When a torpedo exploded directly below the radio room my friend was thrown into the corridor and survived while the other three were killed instantly.
I can still remember him waking in the middle of the night soaking with sweat and screaming at the top of his lungs.
The trauma he had suffered was horrendous – during the tow trip to dock bodies would float out of the hold and they would have to stop and recover them.
The biggest trauma of all was the fact that this was all covered up and written off as a mistake. He was sworn to not tell about it, but he had to in order to get some form of recovery. (More recently many of the crew members are calling for the truth to be known – see link above)
This was the most advanced communiction platform of the era spying under NSA. They bounced microwaves off antennaes on the moon and were able to give a live feed of the events in the area to the pentagon.
Didn’t know that the astronauts were doing more than pure science did you!
#40 My God! That is extremely disturbing given it’s colossal impact on the Arab world. I can see why this has been covered up until now. If this breaks into the mainstream there could be much more than a war in Iraq. The symantics are mindboggingly scary! The fact that they covered up the soldiers death’s too is simply not described in words. Shame, Shame!
Thank You Brad for your dedication and work! Sifting through the MUCK, Revealing the Deceit of the MOST Criminal Gang of Modern history!!!
The story about Douglas Barber has touched me and I’m very sad…SAD for you, his family and the rest…Angry though for MANY reasons(…YOU KNOW)…I feel NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL "TRUE AMERICANS" TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER…REUNITE AS ONE…FORM A COILITION OF TRUTH AND JUSICE…AND PUT THESE CRIMINALS WHERE THEY BELONG!!! TILT! GAME OVER BUSH!!!
….Addendum….TO NOTCONVINCED…!!!
What the HELL are you doing on AMERICAN soil???
Your PUNK ASS should be in IRAQ!!! NOW!!!… What are you waiting for ……..I BET YOU HAVE A "BROKEN BACK"!!! BEEEATCH!!!!
SCUM like you really need A SEVERE WAKE-UP call…
:angry:
RE: COMMENT #38
"…..We’ve been presenting this information to the trolls ever since the story broke and they rallied around the old "Clinton Did It" mantra…….They just don’t get it."
"""""""""""""""""""
"They" don’t "get it" because "they" don’t WANT to. "They" don’t even care that "their" arguments make them appear mentally deficient.
When the truth doesn’t fit into "their" personal agenda, "they" will just ignore it.
This is the "worst" that can happen to "my great country" (to borrow a quote from #25).
Just wanted to post a "hey" to everyone. I heard about this story as it’s circling the web now and found it more than worthy to make it part of my blog entry today (well, yesterday).. I couldn’t get that link above to work .. to the radio show of the guy in vegas.. funny thing i live in vegas and never heard of him.. but i tune in for music and assume all talk shows are right wing (except air america of course)..
I hope someone makes sure imus (msnbc and radio) gets a hold of the story.. i know they will discuss it if he finds out… imus hates everybody pretty much lol ,but really hates this administration and he’s been trying to build funds to help (not sure where) but i think a va hospital or rehab to be built in texas… not sure of the details but i half listened to his show yesterday and he was talking about how angy he is that ppl and repubs aren’t coming forward to help the vets and donate …
so i really think if someone contacts him he’ll bring this up.. i think it’s so imp that the word gets out about this poor kids anger, distress and ultimate death…
i hate bush and cheney so much and every day something new just makes my blood boil.. today it was this and finding out about the google story fighting bush trying to make them give up info where ppl search (msn, aol, and yahoo already gave in to the gov, but google is fighting)..
this is the most insane and worst administration ever and a danger to our civil liberties and beyond..
When George Bush is impeached there will be dancing in the streets. Please let us never again reelect Republicans of this ilk again. And never elect Democrats that were their enablers. You know the ones Biden, Nelson, Lieberman, Feinstein and the DLCers.