MSM Frenzy As War Toll Hits 4000; Profiles Of Colorado's Lost Heroes

With each name I say a prayer--for the soldiers and their families--and praise their sense of honor and duty to country.

Here are a few of the many names, from the earliest part of the war to the end of December, 2006 (from the Rocky Mountain News)--the bios paint a small but touching picture of each soldier's life, and the link includes a list of those from Colorado killed in the line of duty, as well as those stationed at Fort Carson:

Thomas Slocum, 22, Thornton

Rank: Marine Lance Cpl.

Died after an ambush near Nasiriyah, March 23, 2003.

Bio: "He had no fear," said his mother, Terry Cooper. "He was ornery and always pushing the envelope." Slocum grew up in Thornton and graduated from Skyview High School in 1998. Asked to name his favorite subject in high school, Cooper said, Slocum answered without hesitation: "Girls. Definitely girls."

Randal K. Rosacker, 21, Alamosa

Rank: Marine Cpl.

Died after an ambush in Nasiriyah, March 23, 2003.

Bio: As a boy, Rosacker explored the outdoors, returning home with his pockets filled with new friends.

"He used to catch everything in the river near our house," said his father, Navy Command Master Chief Rod Rosacker, of San Diego.

When he turned 18, the stocky football star had a U.S. flag and bald eagle tattooed on his bicep.
. . .
David R. Staats, 30, Colorado Springs

Rank: Army Staff Sgt.

Died after an explosion in Taji, Dec. 16, 2006.

Bio: Staats' first tour in 2002 was spent in Kuwait. The next year he was sent to Iraq. He then left the military but decided to re-enlist.

"He didn't like civilian life," said his sister, Bethany Staats. "He liked the military; that was his life. It was in his blood." Staats leaves behind a wife and two children.

Seth M. Stanton, 19, Colorado Springs

Rank: Army Pfc.

Died after a bombing near Baghdad, Dec. 17, 2006.

Bio: Stanton had been in Iraq only eight weeks when he was killed. "He could have chosen to go to college. He could have chosen to get a better job, but he chose to stand in harm's way for the sake of others," said the Rev. Mel Waters, a Vietnam veteran who presided at Stanton's service.

The NY Times has an interactive listing of all those killed. A tour of Denver's Fort Logan National Cemetery elicits a quiet understanding and appreciation of the sacrifice of the soldiers who keep this country free:

A world away, dogs bark and traffic hums along city streets. Geese fly overhead, honking and wheeling over Memorial Lake. Beneath their wings all is still, as it always is. Nothing moves but the wind because stillness — motion and quiet — is the way of Fort Logan National Cemetery.

But in that stillness, 93,000 simple eulogies are whispered from the headstones. Especially the newer ones, the headstones that mark the final resting place of 17 men killed in the Iraq War — 17 who are part of the 4,000 men and women whose lives have been taken in combat. It is the latest milestone of staggering loss. Until another, sadder milestone replaces it. And it will. That is the way of war.
. . .
The ground between the graves is mottled with patches of dirty snow, precocious nubs of green grass, and pine cones. All sound — geese honking, cars moving, earth-moving equipment sculpting the land into new burial ground — is gently absorbed by a calm that isn't so much vacuum as vessel. Periodically, the vessel tips and the sound is poured out.

Particularly one sound. A sound that has free rein.

Most days there is an average of 15 funerals at Fort Logan. Old warriors and young warriors. During those funerals, the saddest song in the world is played. And no matter where you are among the sprawling 214 acres, you can hear each trembling note. Some days only minutes separate the end of one Taps and the start of another, as if the air is pausing to clear its throat before allowing a new ceremony of death with honor to commence.

The headstones fan out in all directions in strict military dress- right-dress formation. No matter which way you look, they are perfectly aligned. Marble carved from the earth. Shaped by hand. In rows of manmade precision.

Gateway Pundit brings the disgusting story of anti-war moonbats desecrating an Easter Mass by screaming and spraying fake blood on the churchgoers.

March 2008 Denver Anti-War Rally; Poet Calls To "Burn Down Lockheed Martin," Crowd Cheers

Scroll for pics . . .

Poet "SUZI motherf#@*in' Q" calls for Lockheed Martin to be burned down--"I'm not saying I'd like to kill the president"--crowd cheers (around 3:40 in):



Final estimate--300 anti-war moonbats, plenty of anger and rage, and a very "musical" rally overall.

The Drunkablog has an extensive collection of photos from the rally--and an interesting encounter with Ward Churchill acolyte Glenn Spagnuolo, one of the heads of Recreate '68.

Correspondent "randomridge" was also there, and has a warning: ¡Peligro: Moonbattismo! The captions are priceless.


The calm before the storm--a foot of snow expected by Monday evening


While the rally gets set up, I took the time to remember those who have served


What would a rally be without bongos drums?


AFSC had a few of these banners around


The only torture in Denver was the overwhelming sense of smugness


Peace flags a-flyin', while a mournful cello played


Raging Grannies serenaded the early arrivers


A little tai chi to warm up for today's activism


Alternate party supporters were out in force--all three of them!


The rally started a little late, waiting for everyone to show up


An inflatable George W. Bush doll says "Impeach Me"


Keffiyehs and Palestinian flags were in abundance


Ah, good ol' Che!


Israoil--how clever

RMN Columnist Surprised Coloradans Still Joining The Military

First, a RMN reporter was "shocked" that citizens of Colorado were choosing to protect themselves and avail themselves of their rights--perhaps under threat by Democrats in the halls of political power--by requesting concealed carry permits.

Now a RMN columnist Tina Griego is surprised that young Coloradans are continuing to choose--that's right--choose to take up the nation's call. That they are given a job in a shaky economy and the added benefit of a paid education is the least we can offer them:

Now, five years after the war began, with the conflict more unpopular than ever, I am again surprised by the numbers. Last month, 435 recruits were sworn in at MEPS, and Maj. Hunt says since Thanksgiving, "We've been slammed. It might have something to do with the economy. I don't know."

He says the reasons for enlistment have not changed much. Number one is usually that it pays for college.

"Five to 10 percent do it for patriotism," Hunt says, "or because the family has a military background. But those families are like a dying breed."

Gee, now why might that be? Anti-war, anti-military moonbattery doesn't help.

More from Griego:

So, I return to MEPS and I call schools looking for a particular group of recruits: high school seniors. The war has been a backdrop of their adolescence. Twelve and 13 years old when it began, theirs has been a youth accompanied by the press conferences of generals and pickets of protesters and the sad and steady tributes to fallen soldiers.

I wonder how all this weighed upon their decision to enlist. In choosing to join in a time of war, these young people have decided to risk being sent to fight its battles. An abstraction becoming concrete.

I find them as pragmatic and intent on the immediate as Hunt predicted. Perhaps, too, it is youth's invincibility speaking, but they say the war they have grown up with, the war they may join, was simply not a factor in their decision.

It'll pay for college, they say. It'll help make me become a stronger person. It's a ticket out.

And the war? If we go, we go, they say; it's the job.

More maturity than your pampered, trust-funded anarchist activist, like the ones planning to invade Denver this August for the Democratic National Convention.

Not all are so pragmatic. There are still those who feel the call to duty:

I do find exceptions. Eric Gallagher is a Cherry Creek High senior. He leaves June 30 for West Point, a choice, he says, that satisfies both his dreams and his parents'.

"The practical part is it's a great education. It's free, that's practical. But that's not all there is. Look at who's fighting and there's no one from my zip code dying. It's not a broad range of people fighting. And they're dying for people who are living it up here."

That few bear the burden is wrong, he says.

I learn they grew up in military towns or that they wanted to join since middle school or that among their treasures is the medal of a great-uncle wounded in World War II.

Kerr tells me his father was a Marine and his grandpa fought in World War II.

"I feel obligated to serve," Kerr says. "The war does not impact my decision at all."

No, but peer pressure sure can--these recruits are still in high school.

But they don't flinch when their moonbat classmates chide them:

This is not a popular decision. West High Senior Chris Hinojosa (Marines) says his friends tell him he's stupid. North High School senior Bridget Romero (Air Force) says people warn her she's going to Iraq.

"I've just stopped talking about it at school," she says. "People keeping asking me, 'Why?' I don't feel like I have to explain it to them."

Of course, their parents worry. Kerr's and Gallagher's families planned for their sons to go to college. It's taken some time, their parents say, to accept this path. But I hear, too, something like awe in these parents' voices. Their sons are passing a threshold into adulthood and, Laura Kerr and Mike Gallagher say, they are doing so with focus and diligence.

"Raise your right hands," Maj. Hunt told Stewart and Kerr Thursday. Nervous, excited, they vowed to defend the Constitution of the United States. Stewart leaves for boot camp on Sept. 21; Kerr on Aug. 18.

Not all of America's youth are coddled, self-absorbed, moonbats.

A salute and hearty Godspeed to them all.

And shame on the RMN columnist for continuing to be "surprised" that there are those still willing to fight for our freedom, despite the cost.

Personal note: my brother-in law, a legal immigrant from England, has just completed his military physical. He will be shipping off later this spring for boot camp, joining the Coast Guard. Proud American--and he isn't even a citizen yet!

Disrupt The Democratic National Convention! Anti-DNC Anarchists "Unconventional Action" Releases Tentative Schedule

Targeting Democrat delegates, hotels, banks, military recruitment centers, and governmental and police offices
. . . Slapstick exclusive--developing--scroll for updates . . .

"Unconventional Action will target a variety of the 1,500 proposed fundraisers, countless delegate hotels, and designated institutions perpetuating global injustice. Using space reclamation, street theatre, direct confrontation, positive action, and a broad array of other tactics, we will force the national media to question the Democratic Party’s failures, hold Democratic candidates accountable for their abuses of power, and engage in direct actions that reflect our ultimate goals of joy and liberation through creativity and confrontation"



The Anarchists have listed their targets beyond the Pepsi Center, including hotels, banks, military recruitment centers, and governmental and police offices (click to enlarge):





The plan--developed in association with local groups like Recreate '68:

Anarchists and Anti-Authoritarians: join us in Denver, Colorado, August 24th-28th as we engage in coordinated Direct Actions against the Democratic National Convention, its corporate sponsors, and the military/police occupation of public space. Respecting diverse tactics and the autonomy of affinity groups and individuals, Unconventional Action has created the following framework to maximize our impact as we disrupt the DNC.

Unconventional Action’s strategy at the Democratic National Convention will hold the Democratic Party accountable for promoting unjust policies: environmental degradation, the enforcement of arbitrary borders, attacks on the poor, complacency in war, and racist policing. We will expose to the nation that the Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin, both parties funded by the same corporations and upholding the same unjust political system which fails to meet the needs of the vast majority of people. Anarchists and Anti-Authoritarians are urged to engage in a broad variety of tactics to disrupt fundraising events and prevent Democratic delegates from voting for no-choice candidates. Unconventional Action will honor and support autonomous actions while coordinating a highly publicized assault on the pageantry, violence, and abuses of the Democrats and the two-party capitalist system.

Unconventional Action will target a variety of the 1,500 proposed fundraisers, countless delegate hotels, and designated institutions perpetuating global injustice. Using space reclamation, street theatre, direct confrontation, positive action, and a broad array of other tactics, we will force the national media to question the Democratic Party’s failures, hold Democratic candidates accountable for their abuses of power, and engage in direct actions that reflect our ultimate goals of joy and liberation through creativity and confrontation.

The tentative schedule:

**SUNDAY AUG 24: Anti-War Occupation Day

AM: All are encouraged to participate in an Anti-War/Anti-Occupation March and related actions.

PM: Directly following the march, Unconventional Action Denver will plan for a low to medium risk reclamation of space somewhere in the city, as yet to be determined. This action will be widely publicized, although the location may be revealed only in the lead up week or two, and will be designed to show our strength and ability to create our own systems of organization. After our reclamation, we will PARTY ALL NIGHT LONG!!! From this party, affinity groups will be encouraged to depart and engage in autonomous actions targeting those who profit from wars and our oversized military.

**MONDAY AUG 25: Free Political Prisoners/Human Rights Day

AM: Participate in a Free Peltier/All Political Prisoners march ending at the
capitol across from civic center park. Because Peltier has a vital hearing
later in the week that could free him from his long illegal imprisonment,
Unconventional Denver encourages all to attend this march.

PM: SHUTDOWN THE FUNDRAISERS!!! The DNC/Democrats are hosting a giant party to raise as much money as they can. On this night, we will interrupt this flow of capital and disrupt the fundraisers. Our theme: no business as usual. The Democrats and their corporate backers will be unable to continue their celebrations of environmental, economic, and social destruction, political corruption, and failed policy. UD will provide more information about events/locations.

**TUESDAY AUG 26: Environmental Issues/ No Global Warming Day

AM: STOP THE VOTE!!! WE VOTE NO!! Tuesday is the day when all the delegates put in their vote for who will represent the Democrats in the election, BUT THEY ONLY HAVE UNTIL 6PM TO VOTE and it is a long, arduous process. We encourage people to focus on ways to stop the delegates from getting to the Pepsi center to vote. Our targets: hotels, intersections, and transportation systems. Special attention will be given to keeping the so called “super-delegates” (what funny comic book characters they would be…) from being able to attend the vote. ALL TACTICS WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED!!! Come prepared with a plan and
ready to make a stand with your affinity group and friends.

PM: Tonight, we’ll target fundraisers of corporations profiting from and
furthering global warming. We will also shut down actual sources of
environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions. Get creative and use a diversity of tactics.

**WEDNESDAY AUG 27: No Borders Day

AM: A NO BORDERS march will be planned by other groups. Unconventional Action hopes to see no actions during the time of this march that compromise the safety of march participants. Our goal is to ensure that the march is safe for all people, regardless of documentation status.

AFTERNOON/PM: At the People’s Feast we will share food around Denver with as many people as we can, especially those negatively affected by the DNC’s presence in town. Focus on food liberation. Do the delegates really need that much food?

PM: Concrete decentralized actions. Guerrilla gardening, free school/workshops, gentrification reclamation, informational bike rides, helping negatively impacted communities, impromptu dance parties, and anything else you creative people out there can think of. Thematically, we call for people to engage in actions targeting corporations and individuals profiting from the criminalization of immigration and contractors in Denver working on the border-fence.

**THURSDAY AUG 28: End Racism/Imperialism Day

AM-PM: Today we will engage in visually stunning, media attracting actions targeting the Democrats’ complicity in racism in Denver and nationally through gentrification, police brutality, criminal injustice, the prison industrial complex, etc. We will target institutions and corporations that bring US imperialism and racism to the rest of the world and inflict it upon us.

Late PM-Friday AM: Tonight we will party, sleep, and support our comrades before heading to Minneapolis to disrupt the RNC…

There are also plans for St. Paul, though still in the early planning stage:

On the penultimate day of the pReNC, a national planning consulta a year in advance of the Republican National Convention, over a hundred anti-authoritarians from around the country gathered to distill a formal strategy for disrupting the convention. Smaller working groups focused on nationwide communications, food/medical/legal infrastructure, media, coalition building, and action planning. Pouring over maps, timetables, and photographs of the city, the action working group hammered out this plan.

On the first day of the convention, participants will employ a three-tiered direct action strategy to disrupt the RNC. The tiers are organized in order of priority according to the number of participants; if a small number of participants show up, only the first tier will be carried out, but if the numbers are on hand, all three tiers will be in effect.

Tier One: Establish 15-20 blockades, utilizing a diversity of tactics, creating an inner and outer ring around St. Paul’s Excel Center, where the RNC is to take place.

Tier Two: Immobilize the delegates’ transportation infrastructure, including the busses that are to convey them.

Tier Three: Block the five western bridges connecting the Twin Cities.

Those plugging into this strategy will be free to shape their actions as they see fit, using the tactics they consider appropriate. As the specific blockade sites are established, there may be a system of delegating some sites as “red zones” (prepared for self-defense), “yellow zones” (peaceful but assertive), and “green zones” (aiming to avoid any risk of arrest) so as to accommodate a wide variety of creative tactics and involve individuals with differing needs and talents.

Over the coming months, locals will identify the most strategic blockade sites and will be available to answer questions about the terrain. If you want to participate, get your comrades together, discuss your capabilities, look over maps, and start thinking about which sites you might cover. It will soon be time for groups to adopt specific intersections, streets, on-ramps, and bridges as their own.

The nationwide communications working group is calling for local and regional groups to organize their own planning consultas over the next months, so as to be ready to reconvene in Minneapolis in summer 2008. They are also calling for a series of local actions against oppression and electoral politics leading up to and building momentum and experience for the RNC and DNC.

CRASH THE CONVENTIONS!
strategy endorsed by

ACTIVATE (Grand Rapids, MI Students for a Democratic Society - SDS) ♦ Anarchist Black Cross Para-Legal Services (twitchon@hotmail.com) ♦ Animas SDS (Colorado) ♦ Anti-Authoritarians Anonymous (Milwaukee) ♦ Asheville Rising Tide ♦ Athens, OH SDS ♦ Attentat Collective ♦ Bash Back! ♦ Brainerd Anarchists (georgewchrist@hushmail.com) ♦ Chicago Anarchist Black Cross (PO Box 1544, Chicago, IL 60690) ♦ CrimethInc. Far East ♦ Delaware SDS ♦ End to Apathy ♦ Frederick Progressive Action Coalition ♦ HammerHard MediaWorks ♦ Industrial Workers of the World - NYC GMB Branch ♦ International Solidarity Movement - Chicago Chapter ♦ Iowa Organizing Against the RNC ♦ MKE to RNC ♦ Milwaukee Anarchist Black Cross ♦ Milwaukee Anti-Racist Action ♦ NC State SDS ♦ Northeast Anarchist Network ♦ Northwest Indiana Anarchist Black Cross (PO Box 1511, Portage, IN 46368) ♦ People's Networking Convention Organizing Committee ♦ Potomac Earth First! ♦ Queer Action Network ♦ Rising Tide North America ♦ RNC Welcoming Committee ♦ Rolling Thunder magazine ♦ Sabot Infosquat ♦ Shepherdstown Progressive Action Committee ♦ Tacoma SDS - UPS Chapte ♦ Talking Tree Infoshop ♦ Tuscarora High SDS ♦ UA Central NC ♦ UA in the Bay ♦ UCLA SDS ♦ Unconventional Denver

The Westword spent some time with the anarchists in January as they cased Denver for their planned activities:

But this tour group consists of anarchists from around the country, and this guided trip of the Mile High City is designed to help them plan how to disrupt the DNC come August.
. . .
This excursion is just part of a weekend-long planning conference put together by local members of Unconventional Action, a nationwide outfit of self-proclaimed anarchists and anti-authoritarians who've made it their mission to disturb the pomp and circumstance surrounding the political conventions this year. Unlike protest groups that gear their actions toward influencing the Democratic and Republican platforms, anarchists say they'd like to take down the entire two-party political system that "piloted us into unwinnable wars, ecological catastrophes and grievous imbalances of wealth and power," according to an Unconventional Action strategies newsletter.

Though you might assume that being an anarchist is all about confronting fascists and smashing capitalism, it's also about meetings. Very long meetings. So far, regional "consultas" have been held in North Carolina, Minneapolis, New York and Maryland. The Denver gathering began on January 19, the morning of the tour, with a general anti-DNC meeting organized by the protest-organizing group Recreate 68 ("Taking It to the Streets," October 25, 2007). Some seventy proud leftists crammed into the basement of a Lincoln Park church, enduring more than two hours of speeches and privately speculating as to who among them might be undercover cops or federal agents (a tip-off: Their mustaches were un-ironic).

The also have a magazine (click to enlarge):