Dear Cindy Sheehan
CounterPunch
Ralph Nader

From your grief over the loss of your son, Casey, in Iraq has come the courage to spotlight nationally the cowardly character trait of a President who refuses to meet with anyone or any group critical of his illegal, fabricated, deceptive war and occupation of that ravaged country. As a messianic militarist, Mr. Bush turned aside his own father's major advisers who warned him of the terroristic, political, and diplomatic perils to the United States from an invasion of Iraq. He refused to listen. .... May you and your associates succeed in galvanizing the public debate in this country over why a growing majority of Americans now think it was a costly mistake to invade Iraq and want our soldiers back, with the U.S. out of that country. He knows that his support for how he is handling this war-occupation is falling close to one third of respondents in recent polls-the lowest yet. Even with the mass-media at his disposal everyday, he now represents a minority of public opinion, which should give him pause before closing his oil marinated doors on majority views in this nation.May you prevail where others have failed to secure an audience with Mr. Bush." (08/11/05)

http://www.counterpunch.org/nader08112005.html

-----

More death in Iraq: A reluctant soldier's story
Editor & Publisher
by Will Bunch

" 'I just want to get it done, come home, and continue my life." Those were just about the last words that Gennaro Pellegrini, Jr. -- a 31-year-old Philly cop and up-and-coming boxer -- said to me last November. In less than 48 hours, Pellegrini was to step onto an airplane bound for Iraq, along with the rest of his Pennsylvania National Guard unit from Northeast Philadelphia. For anyone who's worried about the return of a military draft, Pellegrini was living proof that we already have one. He desperately did not want to serve in the Persian Gulf. He was just two weeks away from finishing up his six-year stint in the Guard when he was told that his tour of duty was being extended and that he would serve in Iraq for at least a year, maybe longer .... n the end, Pellegrini's stay in Iraq lasted little more than eight months. His parents have just been notified that he was killed on Tuesday by a roadside bomb." (08/10/05)


http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/shoptalk_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001012879

-----

Veterans for Peace: Celebrating 20 years of resistance and reconciliation
Common Dreams
by Susan Van Haitsma


"Returning home from the national Veterans for Peace (VFP) convention held August 4 -7 in Dallas, Texas, I opened my daily paper to an opinion editorial entitled, "'Thank God for the Atom Bomb;' it saved thousands of lives." I thought of a contrasting statement made during the convention by GI resister and conscientious objector, Camilo Mejia. "Conscience is a place where one meets God. Conscience is what makes us human, more than intelligence."
The meeting place of conscience is what really saves us. In fact, during the convention, I heard more than one veteran say it: Thank God for Veterans for Peace. You saved my life." (08/11/05)

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0811-21.htm

-----

Parental rights vs public schools
IFeminists
by Wendy McElroy


"David Parker of Lexington, Mass., is scheduled to go on trial on Sept. 21 for asking his son's public school to provide parental notification before discussing homosexuality with the 6-year old. The actual charge is criminal trespassing. But the real issue is whether parents or schools will control the teaching of values to children. .... David Parker cares so deeply that he is willing to go to jail and endure a lengthy court process for the right to be a parent. In a world where a myriad of social problems can be traced back to parental abuse or indifference, it is incredible that Parker is being treated as a criminal and not as the hero he is." (08/10/05)

http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2005/0810.html

-----