Whatever It Takes

Hofstra Update - Police State Out of Control, Out of Touch With Reality, and Out of Excuses

Iraq Veterans Against the War and supporters have come to water the tree of liberty. Our work is far from done. While I still firmly believe that our most effective weapons for change are nonviolent, if you think this revolution will be a bloodless one, you have already been proven wrong.

Thomas Brinson, a good friend of mine, fellow Veterans For Peace member, and Long Island resident sent out the following letter after meeting with a representative of the Nassau County Police Department Internal Affairs Unit. Apparently, the mounted officer who trampled a group of people on the sidewalk, leading to Nick Morgan getting his face stepped on by the horse in question and Nadine Lubka getting her nose broken on the pavement, is claiming that he was going into the crowd to save one of his fellow foot-soldiers in riot gear. The idea that one of the riot cops from the line that was beating back protesters was trapped in a peaceful crowd is ludicrous. This phantom robocop, was of course not wearing a name-tape because it, "could be ripped off and used as a weapon." If this doesn't make your blood boil, I don't know what would.

Of course, we are still working on Nick and Nadine's civil suits and I will keep you posted here on any progress made.

Folks,

I met yesterday with Sgt. Rich Harrison of the Nassau County Police Department Internal Affairs Unit concerning the statement I submitted following the fracas at the October 15th Presidential Debate at Hofstra. He is in charge of an ongoing NCPD investigation into what happened. I've attached my statement which is both an eyewitness account of what I saw as well as an analysis of why I believe the NCPD behaved as they did toward our peaceful, nonviolent protest.

Essentially, I reiterated and emphasized the following from my testimony:

* We were following police orders to back up across Hempstead Turnpike and up onto very limited sidewalk space at the southeast corner of California Street after the nonviolent civil disobedience action of IVAW that had previously been negotiated with NCPD.
* The BSO (Bureau of Special Operations in unidentifiable Robocop gear) initiated the violence by coming up on the sidewalk to forcibly arrest Geoff Millard who from what I could tell did nothing to merit arrest.
* In the scrum that followed Nick and others were injured by a mounted policeman who came up on the sidewalk densely crowded with peaceful, nonviolent IVAW members and their supporters.
* That it is my strong opinion that Geoff was targeted because of his high profile as a national leader and spokesperson for IVAW.


Sgt. Harrison revealed the following:

* that Bill Perry's You Tube videos were a prime source for his investigation, to include the extraction of numerous still photos from the videos in his file
* that the horses were spooked by the numbers of shouting people and the flashing lights from cameras; they were not and perhaps should have been outfitted with shields to partially blind them
* that a decision was made to keep Hempstead Turnpike open to traffic, which was the rationale to disburse the crowd that was much larger than had been anticipated
* that it was perhaps a tactical error to try to force the crowd up onto a restricted sidewalk area with little space for egress in that the corner of Hempstead and California is mostly blocked by walls and shrubs with only one three-foot sidewalk leading diagonally away from the corner
* that the mounted policeman whose horse injured Nick made an individual decision to go up on the sidewalk into the crowd because he thought he saw a BSO Robocop down on the ground in trouble — his motivation was to protect the cop and move the crowd away from him
* that in a democracy it is unfortunate and needs to be addressed the non-identification of the heavily armed BSO Robocops — that they don't use nametags for safety reasons (they could be ripped off and used as a weapon) and that the coveralls are not individually assigned to members of the BSO unit but are randomly worn by different members at different actions.
* that he is hopeful that his final report will result in better training of both mounted police and BSO units.
* that Nick's notice of claim in a civil suit against the NCPD is most reasonable and appropriate, compared to many artificially inflated claims made by many citizens injured by the police during arrest actions


When he asked me what I would recommend and like the report to address, I responded with the following:

* Re-examine the protocol to confront peaceful, non-violent protestors with a show of extraordinary force from the get go -- perhaps in a democracy it would be more prudent to hold the mounted police and BSO Robocops in reserve until the tactical situation dictated their deployment.
* Re-examine the decision to use force, ie the mounted police and BSO Robocops physically pushing into the crowd, with no prior warnings to clear Hempstead Turnpike
* By whom and what motivated the decision to initiate the forcible arrest of Geoff Millard, a prominent national spokesperson for IVAW, who with other IVAW members and supporters was peacefully following police orders


It is still my strong personal belief that just like the preventative detention arrests of activists, charging them with local anti-terrorist crimes, as well as the arrest of Amy Goodman and her associates at the RNC in Minneapolis, this action was strategically intended to send a strong message to veteran protestors — we the state and the forces of law and order have the power, and we will use it against you, so be good little, loyal citizens, and shut the F up!

Would appreciate it if you could pass on this information to Geoff and Nick — I don't have current emails for them.

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas Brinson, Founding Facilitator
Long Island Veterans For Peace, Chapter 138
SPC Raheen Tyson Heighter Memorial Chapter
VFP National Board of Directors
VVAW Long Island Contact
II Corps Vietnam, 67-68
Peacekeeper, Nonviolent Peaceforce,
Mutur, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, 2003-2005

To All Members of the Military, Law Enforcement, & Intelligence Services from Gary Franchi

Gary Franchi is calling on you to honor your oath to the Constitution over your illegal orders, and when necessary to bring our government back within the bounds of the Constitution. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Resting Up For Two Months On The Road: My Eduvacation in Costa Rica

I just landed in San Jose yesterday and I already have a sunburn! This place it beautiful. If you're a fan of the TV show “Lost,” (or you've seen an episode even if you didn't like it) you've probably noticed a distinct vividness to the cinematography. A certain vibrancy in the visuals. Well, Costa Rica is like that in real life. The show is primarily shot in Hawaii, which I've visited, but it doesn't match the kind of color in the air vitality of Costa Rica.

It also happens to be one of the most libertarian countries in the world with arguably the most successful libertarian party in the world: Partido Movimiento Libertario de Costa Rica (Libertarian Movement Party of Costa Rica or PML, link to google translated page). Costa Rica is naturally fertile soil for the philosophy of freedom with a naturally libertarian culture and a constitution that eliminated the military in 1949. This global first was made possible by a revolt in response to a military coup, but also by the strength of provincial militias and the relatively high rate of gun ownership. Thanks to the proportional representation system, the PML already controls 6 of 57 seats in the National Assembly.

Don Rasmussen of r3VOLution Consultants (formerly with the Ron Paul Presidential Campaign and Campaign For Liberty) invited me down here to learn about the PML and get some R&R before my next long stint on the road. Last night we hung out with his “Tico family” that hosted him years ago when he was here as an exchange student. I got to meet and converse extensively with Carlos Aguilar Leon, a young up-and-coming libertarian activist. His mother, Ricios Leon Dobles, who I also met, is a former vice-mayor of Heredia. With the exception of their current beach-head in the national legislature and lack of an oppressive two-party system, their movement is very similar to ours, with the same social hurdles, ideological obstacles, resistance from the benefactors of big government, and the same unwavering commitment among those at its core to the values of liberty.

The PML was founded in 1994 by Otto Guevara. In their 2006 election, he received 8.4% of the popular vote in his bid for the presidency against the popular former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias. That's a tough race for a libertarian, but 8.4% is far better than any of Bob Barr's most deluded supporters could have hoped for, and well above the 0.4% that Barr actually took. Guevara is a Harvard graduate, and has previously served in the Costa Rican National Assembly. Don and I are very excited to be meeting with him tomorrow as ambassadors of the American freedom movement. Read Don's article about Costa Rica and the PML at The Freedom Revolution.

Meanwhile, back in the homeland, there is a serious effort underway to get Peter Schiff to run against Chris Dodd for his US Senate seat. It looks like it would be tough race, but the line up of Schiff's puritan philosophy of a true free market against Dodd's corrupt version of corporatism would be juicy enough to make it a race worth supporting for our movement. For those of you wondering about his positions outside of the economy, take heart in this quote from the man himself: “I have no faith in government. There is no evidence that they're going to do the right thing.” I guess that makes him one of us! If you haven't yet, please pledge to contribute to the Schiff money-bomb scheduled for February 21st. You can use the widget at the top-right of this page or click here to go straight to their site.

We do plan to get a couple days of surfing in (embarrassing photos to come) before I fly back home, but then it's back to business. I'll be in California for a week, San Diego, LA, and San Francisco before visiting my Mom for her birthday on Valentine's Day in Pebble Beach. Then on to Colorado for a week. Ok, yes, I will take a day or two for Ron-ski and get some snowboarding in. Then Texas for the Freedom and Liberty Movement State convention. I went to their regional convention in Houston a couple weeks ago, and the way they are organizing there from the bottom up before there is even a name for the new organization let alone a structure is truly amazing. I will also be helping out with Winter Soldier Austin on February 28th. Then it's on to DC for a few days for a workshop, then up to Nashua for the New Hampshire Liberty Forum and on to an event at Kent State. Then I'll be in St. Louis supporting Matthis Chiroux resisting deployment at his US Army separation hearing. Then of course, back to DC to mark the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq, and finally, back to Santa Fe. Did I mention that I will be driving the whole way?

REP Freedom Force Lays Down the Law on Democracy!

Part of my political process of discovery thus far has been an appreciation of what it means to live in a constitutional republic as opposed to a democracy. Although I fully understand that the "republic" part is more important then the "mob rule of democracy" part, are we not founded on democratic ideals? A republic is different than a democracy because it asserts that a 51% vote cannot supercede the inalienable rights of the individual. But what if 51% decide not to stand up for those rights? I suppose that is what gets to the heart of how our republic is a distinct evolution from democracy: at our founding, it was decided by social compact, by a new set of values, by a democratic process, that we would honor the inalienable rights of all our citizens and send a clear message to the world from a city on a hill that not only does might NOT make right, but with a courageous commitment to nature's God and the divinity in every human being, it does not even have to make what is. Those are the values that make us American. It is only as the majority, not by ballot, or by force, or by mob rule, but by the daily assertions of those values, chooses to maintain the republic that our country will survive. It is by no means a certainty.

Democracy Is... by the REP Freedom Force

USPS in Trouble, Still Plans to Cheat Your Kids

It looks like even the venerable United States Postal Service is not immune to the plagues of quasi-governmental agencies. In fact, it's not immune to the plagues of business or government that are tormenting our country today. According to an article in today's Washington Post, both the troubled economy, and political irresponsibility are affecting this social staple. Oh, and then there's that nasty little “series of tubes” called the “internets” that has rendered it, as Robert Cohen, a former Postal Regulatory Commission official called it, “primarily a broadcast medium relaying advertising from businesses to households.” You know, junk mail. Previously referred to as “third-class advertising mail,” the once consistent revenue source has been officially renamed, “standard mail.”

Postmaster General John E. Potter testified before a Senate subcommittee yesterday, pleading for Congress to change a statutory requirement that mail must be delivered six days per week. He is looking to cut either Tuesday or Saturday delivery, the two slowest days of the week, in order to cut costs in the face of a $6 billion deficit projected for next year. Last year's deficit was $3 billion when deliveries dropped from 211 billion to 202 billion items. Meanwhile, the general success of private mail delivery services even while competing with this quasi-governmental agency is the best argument for the efficiency of the free market. While in today's state of quasi-socialist corporatism, none of the “upper-end delivery market” companies qualify as true free market entities, at least they can demonstrate the resulting economic prosperity from competition.

I have learned from my study of politics and experience in the military, that 90% of the time, when the government tells you something, the reality is far worse. I would bet that the estimated $6 billion deficit is a very conservative estimate, to put it nicely. So this time, it wants Congress to change a law. Guess who's going to be back for a piece of a bailout/economic stimulus package/taxpayer ripoff/debt burden for our children?

Which gets us back to the plagues of government. As George Washington would remind us, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” Putting our country in debt as our government has is not merely fiscally irresponsible, it is immoral, because it means that every child in America is born into debt, and debt is slavery. I love this country and believe that it is a self-righting ship, but I worry how much worse things will have to get before they get better. Fortunately, my generation and those following, are starting to wake up, and a growing number are divorcing themselves from this insanity and declaring, “IT'S NOT MY DEBT!”

We Made It!

After five intense days on the road, Ali and I pulled into the Santa Fe Horse Park and up to my new house today. Despite still needing lots of furniture, it still has that cozy feel that a ranch house is supposed to have. We had dinner at my Dad's house courtesy of my step-mom, Marla, and hung out with my little brothers Alex and Alden, and my sister Audrey. Alex's school had a basketball game tonight and we showed up to support them, even though he wasn't playing due to a sprained ankle. With their star shooter on crutches instead of on the court, Desert Academy still beat Walatowa handily.

I know there is a lot that I will miss about DC, especially when Ali has to go back in a couple of days, but the thing I will miss the most is a place I will never be able to revisit: the original IVAW house. Our lease was up at the end of December and when it was time to move the operation to a new facility, I gave up my claim to a room to another Marine who I'm sure will make great use of it. The original house with all the charm that the hundreds of vets who passed through it imbued it with will never quite be replicated. The good times had and righteous work done there are what made it special.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the first IVAW house in DC a success. Your faith in we humble, broke, and often crazy veterans made it all possible. Thank you to everyone I visited along the way home. I can only hope to be able to return the favors and provide the same kind of hospitality here in Santa Fe. For you, my door is always open.

Fauxbama / Life on the Road

Of the estimated two million people at the coronation, er, inauguration of our 44th President, I think I was the only one protesting. I had a sign that was very similar to the one that I held up for McCain at the RNC, but this time, I was actually more nervous. Would the hoards of raving Obama fans tear me to pieces? Surprisingly, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. I had one or two negative comments, including, "C'mon, give the brother a chance!" But there were seemingly hundreds of knowing nods and dozens of passers by who came up to me to shake my hand or give me the old "terrorist fist jab."

Since then, I have been on the road to Santa Fe with my wonderful girlfriend, Alison. As I type this, she is actually driving as we are pulling up to Pensacola to visit some friends and IVAW & VFP members who are also big Ron Paul supporters. Alison has been incredibly helpful in making this difficult relocation. While I was out in the freezing cold making a blunt point with a crude sign, she was at home putting her thoughts together in a much more coherent and eloquent way in the following essay, titled Fauxbama.

by Alison Wilber

I'm extremely bothered by what most of this nation celebrated today.

The day's news began with a church service for the faces of the country's old and new administrations. Why church? Why does religion have such a symbolic presence in this, a nation built on the affirmation of the necessity of the separation of church and state? A prayer was delivered, including the pervasive sentiment of "God Bless America." Whatever God was being prayed to, why was it asked to bless this nation, a nation which refuses to recognize that it should cower in shame for its role in the world as it is today: robbing small countries through impossible debt burdens, thereby ensuring continued global poverty; occupying countries for corporate gain and giving money to grieving families when the endless number of innocents are inevitably killed in the deliberately indefinite conflict; eight years of an administration thriving on our people's ambivalence for holding policy-makers to an ethical standard; holding foreign nations to a different foreign policy standard, as though America knows what is better for the world more than any other country, thereby making it only right that it impose its “enlightened ideas;” and explicitly and unabashedly providing resources for continued conflict in foreign lands. Don't "God Bless America." America, stand up tall and take ownership of the external and internal opinions you have elicited and deserve. Make the bed you want to lie in, and strive to earn any blessings you receive.

Rick Warren spoke about justice for all, which by definition, includes the current administration, who have seemingly been absolved of all wrong-doing in Obama's spirit of looking forward and not dwelling in the past. In fairness, if we are to accept this sentiment, then it would only be fitting that the same type of justice be given to those waiting for trial in Guantanamo Bay and prisons the nation over, who have done far less damage than this administration. In a nation so focused on “justice,” why is it so easy to forget that those who see themselves as above the law should be unquestioningly allowed to do so? If that type of forgiveness is not the intent, then more caution should surely be taken in the inaugural prayer. Finally, Warren spoke about a more peaceful planet, yet the man about to take office supports a continued, troop presence in Iraq (a soldier by any other name would smell as sweet), a surge of troops in Afghanistan, and continued unwavering support of Israel in their unending conflict. Are these steps toward a goal of peace, the platform he ran on and was trusted to honor?

Aretha Franklin sang “My Country 'Tis of Thee,” and it was sung, "Let Freedom Ring." And let freedom ring! Let freedom ring in nations America robs of their freedoms! Let freedom ring for those in America who are oppressed by selective laws, corporate greed, and ingrained institutionalized poverty!

Then Obama delivered his inaugural address. He began by thanking Bush for his service. He could have been explicit about what exactly Bush is to be thanked for after his eight years of service, over which, he was overwhelmingly not supported by those he is in office to serve. Although his administration has been accused of corruption, war crimes, and other illegal abuses of power, and this country has established procedures to follow in such circumstances, what talk of impeachment was there? And while Obama has run a campaign promising change from the Bush administration, one which he has explicitly disagreed with, in his first words in his inaugural speech, he thanked the president who he worked his entire campaign to clearly distinguish himself from. This public expression of appreciation leaves an acrid taste in my mouth, and it feels disrespectful to me, as someone who voted for Obama, and who believed that he would prioritize holding the Bush administration accountable for the decisions made while holding the offices he and his own team would one day inherit and honor. Next, Obama spoke to the importance of equality and freedom for all, and it would have only been fitting that he talk about how these goals are represented in his policies, specifically as they relate to gay marriage and continued support for global militarism, to name a few. He also embedded some discussion of the problem of countries that induce terror, slaughter innocents, and seek conflict, although somehow, he actually wasn't referring to America's current foreign policy. While he cautions these nations that their people will judge them on what they build and not what they destroy, America has begun no formal platform for judging the Bush administration on what they have built or destroyed. It will be interesting to learn how he believes he can to avoid this with continued military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he believes in defeating this type of administrative presence, and that those who “cling to power through corruption, deceit, and the silencing of dissent,” are on the wrong side of history, yet he had just thanked the man responsible for the American practice of those exact same things. And finally, he paid respect to those remembered in Arlington Cemetery, referring to them as guardians of our liberty. However, it would be difficult to claim that as the reason for the deaths of the people who now rest in peace there since the wars began in 2001, when these young people were not treated as guardians of liberty, but rather as pawns of the government agenda, specifically in a war Bush publicly referred to as beginning from a "disappointment" in not finding WMDs, the touted reason for its inception, and somehow, people are still dying in this war, when nothing was ever found to legitimately begin it.

President Obama, your platform of love, inclusion, tolerance, remaking America, restoring trust in government, and dissolving lines of tribe is virtuous and praiseworthy. Forgive my predisposition to question authority in my supreme disappointment with the last eight years of administration, when I hold you to a standard to actually come through on making decisions that reflect your stated principles. Let us move forward in love and peace, as your poet, Elizabeth Alexander, called for, but not love for America, but for humanity and our planet, both of which we are all a part of. And let us not be known as a land of the brave, but as the land of the loving and loved, of the respectful and respected, of the considerate and considered. Let us repair our global relationships not as the paternal figure of the world, but as a teammate and participant in the spirit of what is truly needed for authentic peace.

IVAW Ad to Air Nationally Today!

I will be at the inauguration, in the nosebleeds.

I'm saving the other shoe for . . .

A speech I delivered at the Shoe Bush action. Check out liamh2's youtube channel for more videos from today. The rally in Dupont Circle was followed by an unpermitted march down Connecticut Avenue, through Lafayette Park and up to the White House fence where we enjoyed a raucous throwing of shoes.