Veteran For Peace Phil Restino’s report on September 24th March on Washington and Congress Lobby Day

October 2005
Veteran For Peace member Phil Restino’s report on September 24th March on Washington and Congress Lobby Day:

I was in Washington, DC for the whole 3-day event from September 24th – 26th. The March on Washington to End the War on Iraq this past weekend is not getting fair and accurate coverage in the Media and the Press. There were between 500,000 and 1,000,000 demonstrators that marched on Saturday. I’ve been to a number of public gatherings/parades/demonstrations/4th of July’s over the years while living in Boston involving large crowds and this event Saturday in Washington, DC had at least that many. It took 5 1/2 hours to do the 20-block march around the White House. There was a suspicious and convenient “electrical problem” that shut down all Amtrak trains out of the Northeast Corridor for 4 hours Saturday morning preventing trainloads of thousands and thousands of demonstrators coming from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore and all stops in between from attending the Saturday Protest in Washington, DC. There were also suspicious and convenient “repair stoppages” Sat
urday morning on local train service in Washington from the Washington Airports to the downtown Protest. Kind of “Karl Rove-ish”, hey ? In time the truth will come out and hopefully there will be a factual documentary, which truthfully records this weekend in Washington, DC for this historical event that it undoubtedly will prove to be.
I met directly with my Republican Congressman John Mica one-on-one late Monday afternoon, September 26th after having joined other Floridians in meeting with staff members of both Republican Senator Mel Martinez and Democratic Senator Bill Nelson regarding calling for an end to the War on Iraq and a Return of our Troops. I pointed out to Congressman Mica the inequities of sacrifice in who was doing the actual fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan (40% National Guard and Reserve Units … many on their 2nd and 3rd combat tours, Regular Military being “stopped-lossed” once their enlistment contracts have been fulfilled and then being sent back to Iraq for another combat tour, etc.) and I pointed out the “targeted recruiting” of minorities and low-income students using now legal data-mining of students aged 16 and up in our public schools through the Bush “No Child Left Behind Act” provisions which allow for personal and family information such as economic, address, phone numbers, grades, educational records, etc. to be turned over to military recruiters, much of t
he time without the students or parents knowing it, etc.

I stressed the lack of Young Republicans and College Republicans (both of whom refused to post Military Recruiting Tables and Posters at their respective National Conventions this past Summer) and other military-service-age advocates for the War sharing the duty of military service during a time of War. I suggested that they could do more than put a yellow ribbon on the back of their cars/SUV’s here at home and in fact volunteer for Military service and take the place of some of those currently serving their 2nd and 3rd tours of Combat Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. I stressed that I knew from my own experience of having served in the Volunteer Army that to an overwhelmingly extent the Volunteer Military is made up of Americans of lesser means trying to get “up and out” and not of those who don’t “need” to be in the military to go to college and/or find a decent job with benefits. When I pointed these things out to him, my Congressman said that those in the Volunteer Military “chose to be there and that they know what they are signing up for”. I asked him how he felt about a Military Draft and he was strongly opposed to it. His position on Iraq was to “Stay the Course”, that we had enough troops there as it is and that the Military was not over-extended.

I asked Congressman Mica what he would suggest doing to speed up getting o
ur Troops home and he said that we here at home “needed to stop protesting the War and calling for the Withdrawal of the Troops” as it was “strengthening the enemy’s resolve”. He disagreed with me in describing the situation in Iraq as the same situation our country found itself in Vietnam, even when I mentioned to him that his own Republican Senator Chuck Hagel (one of only 3 current Senators who actually served in Combat in Vietnam) had been publicly stating over the past couple of months that our situation in Iraq now is the same situation that our country was in during Vietnam. When I asked Congressman Mica if he would change his position on Withdrawing the Troops from Iraq if a majority of his constituency at home called for it, he said that he would not and that he doesn’t make his policy decisions on what his constituency calls for but instead on what HE thinks is best for his constituency.

When I asked him if he would support the Bi-Partisan H.J. Res. 55 calling for President Bush to announce a plan for withdrawing the troops from Iraq, he said that even though he thought that his fellow Republican Congressman Walter Jones was a good guy, he felt that he was way off on introducing this bill as it would “undermine the United States’ effort” by introducing a “false timetable”.

When I asked Congressman Mica if he would support H.Con. Res. 197 which would prevent the United States
from entering into any military base agreements with Iraq leading to Permanent Bases in Iraq (we currently have under construction 14 “permanent” military bases in Iraq, compliments of the U.S. Taxpayers and Halliburton, Bechtel, Flour, etc.) he said “No” and then emphatically called the bill’s sponsor Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee a “Kook”.

When I asked him if he would support H.R. 551 which would amend the “No Child Left Behind Act” to forbid schools from sharing student contact information with military recruiters unless parents “Opt In” or request that information about their children be shared instead of the”Opt Out” clause that is currently in practice, he indicated that he wasn’t familiar with this bill being sponsored by Democratic Congressman Michael Honda and that he would have his staff research it. Based on Congressman Mica’s views concerning the lack of a “shared sacrifice” in who is actually fighting the War on Iraq, I doubt very seriously that he will support Congressman Honda’s “Opt In” bill.

When I told Congressman Mica (someone who chose not to serve in the military during Vietnam and who’s 3 military-service age children have no intention of serving now) that those serving in the military have no choice as to when he and others in his Congress sends them into and withdraws them from War, my Congressman immediately launched into talking a
bout President Clinton and his supposed Foreign Policy weaknesses in the 1990’s. When I stopped the Congressman from changing the subject and said that I wanted to keep the discussion on right now, September 2005, and his own continued support for this War on Iraq, he then felt it was time for him to end the meeting with me.

I told Democratic Senator Nelson’s staff person that many of us were tired of our Democratic leaders in Congress not standing up for us and instead selling us out and that Senator Nelson better not assume that he will get our votes simply because he is a Democrat. I told her that if the Senator didn’t take a stand against the War on Iraq that I would rather “vote for the Milkman” before voting for Senator Nelson. I told her that there were many more of us back home and around the United States who felt the same and should not be counted on to automatically vote Democrat in the upcoming elections. We want it to be clearly understood that we are against the War on Iraq and we want our government to immediately begin the withdrawal of our Troops and bring them back home.

Overall, my meetings in Congress on Monday afternoon were disappointing as Congressman Mica’s positions are the same positions of the Bush Administration and of those calling the shots in Congress. The Democrats in the Minority Party continue to go along with the Republican Majority and they still do not call fo
r a withdrawal of our Troops even though current National Polls state that a good 60% of the United States say that the War in Iraq is a mistake. It’s up to us citizens to bring about the change, just as it was 30-40 years ago. Hopefully it won’t take as long to get our Troops out of Iraq as it did to get them out of Vietnam, and I certainly wouldn’t expect much help from our representatives in Congress. We are going to have to elect Representatives who will do our bidding and replace those in Congress who are not doing our bidding.

Respectfully Yours,

Phil Restino
Daytona Beach, FL
Founding Member – Central Florida Chapter of Veterans For Peace

Soldiers Die As Public Ignores War Lies Memo

Soldiers Die As Public Ignores War Lies Memo
(Originally printed in The Daytona Beach News-Journal on April 8, 2006)
By Philip C. Restino
On Monday, March 27, The New York Times ran a story on the “White House Memo” which detailed the two-hour meeting between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair held in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2003, where they discussed ways to mislead the public and government officials of their respective countries into supporting President Bush’s pre-determined plan to invade Iraq.

Both Bush and Blair acknowledged that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq, so Bush went so far as to propose painting a U.S. spy plane in United Nations colors and flying it at low altitude over Iraq to provoke the Iraqis into firing on the plane and thus give justification for his “war of choice.”

All the while, the American and British people were being told that war with Iraq was a “last resort,” as war of any kind should be.

Also during this time, Congress and the American people were being told on a daily basis by Vice Pres
ident Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice and the Bush White House that our country and its allies were under “imminent threat” of attack by WMDs from Iraq. The Times story also mentioned the “Downing Street Memo,” released to the public in May 2005, detailing a July 23, 2002, meeting which took place at Blair’s office in London. In that meeting, high level members of the Blair administration were reporting back to Blair on their meetings with their Bush administration counterparts and stating that Bush had already decided to invade Iraq and that the “intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.”

In its March 28 editorial, The News-Journal reminded us of the more than 30,000 Iraqis and 2,531 coalition soldiers killed and asked an important question: “If deception on such a consequential scale isn’t an impeachable offense, what is?”

As a veteran, a military family member, and foremost as an American, I am amazed each day by the quiet acceptance and lack of concern, let alone outrage at the administration, from my fellow countrymen and especially my fellow veterans. Many of our troops, 40 percent of them National Guard and Reservists, are now on their third and fourth tours of combat duty in Iraq with 50,000 soldiers so far stop-lossed to serve beyond their completed enlistment contracts.

Is anyone paying attention here? The troops are doing their
part, but we as citizens are not doing our parts in holding our civilian leadership accountable.

I say to my community, to my fellow Americans and my fellow veterans that if you truly want to support the troops in a “patriotic” manner, then forget the yellow ribbon magnets and get on the phone to your representatives in Congress and tell them to bring our troops home and to investigate and hold accountable President Bush and his administration for their deliberate misleading of our country into the war on Iraq.
Restino is co-chair and a founding member of the Central Florida Veterans for Peace and a member of Military Families Speak Out — Florida. He lives in Daytona Beach.

ONE TIME RIGHTS

August 29th, 2006
The Return
It seems the old religious axiom “You can petition the Lord with prayer”, actually had validity. Deep within the confines of what we call heaven someone was listening. The spirit we Christians knew as Jesus, that others knew as Budda or Krishna, was attentive to the millions of vibrations that funneled His way. Through the veil of memory, passing the various levels of attainment and soul consciousness, these earnest pleas for help reached Him.
This planet had always seen upheaval, whether by natural or man made means. Wars and injustices were but a part of the blueprint of reality. Not that the heavens wished this upon us; no, on the contrary, our cosmic elders had high hopes for mankind. Yet, they instilled in us the power of free will; thus the battle within each and every one of us between the ego and the spirit. Ego was winning, once again.
He appeared, suddenly, as if through magic (wasn’t He called the “Great Magician” by many?), standing in front of the most important building on the planet. In His hand he held the same cord that He had used
in the great Temple over 2000 linear years before. Before the guards could even recognize Him, He was already standing in the lobby of the Great House. At that moment a group was exiting a meeting room. The Second in Command ( or perhaps the true leader ) caught sight of Him. On his flanks were the Secretary of Attack, the Secretary of Mistakes, and a few of the mouthpieces for this coup de’ tat. They all stopped dead in their tracks as He approached, cord swinging at His side. Trickles of blood began to flow from His brow, dripping like some leaky faucet of battle. His chest , like some surreal movie screen, now revealed the pain and suffering of the many, those with missing limbs or torn apart faces- all the victims of the lies and the machinations of this group. Tears began to flow from His eyes, as He took upon all that needless suffering and extreme trauma into His being. The Second in Command stood there for a moment, in shock and in awe of this scene. The Secretary of Attack attempted to rationalize for the group – the slashing cord stopped him in mid sentence. The Secretary of Mistakes was about to tell another lie when she too was cut off. They all turned and ran, like thieves in the night! He chased them down the steps of the Great House, slashing and shouting at them! The guards, those still loyal to these false leaders, attempted to shoot Him down, to no avail. The bullets went through His cloak like raindrops thro
ugh a screen.
He turned towards the entrance, mumbled a few words, and now was standing outside the funny shaped office. Using His powers of a great magician, He was able to walk right in unnoticed. There He stood, facing the desk of the (seemingly) most important man of this world. He allowed Himself to be visible once again, and shouted for the Commander in Chief to get up from his hiding place behind the giant swivel chair. Slowly the fellow did just that. They faced on another, for the first time. “Why do you tell the world that you speak to me? We never spoke until this moment!” The Commander in Chief looked down as he answered, not having summoned up the courage to eyeball his inquisitor. He could not answer- the words would not find a way out of his mouth. There was no Rove now to prompt him…. he was truly lost. Once again the visions appeared on His chest, near to His heart. This time there were countless visions, not only of the victims of war, but of hurricanes, and of poverty, and of the suffering of those who get up each morning and work for the handout wages that frequent society. Visions of unnecessary illness and early death due to pollution and unregulated poisoned foods. The Commander in Chief stood there, for seemingly an eternity, forced to watch the grotesque images he helped to create or at least to sustain. Finally, before the cord could be raised, the Commander in Chief turned from his de
sk and began to exit the room. His face was sullen and shame red. As he reached the doorway, he turned one last time. “But….. you were my role model!”

Philip A Farruggio
Port Orange, Florida
Philip A Farruggio is a free lance columnist, small business owner and activist leader. The son of a Brooklyn, N. Y longshoreman, he is blue collar through and through. Since 2000, he has had 60 columns and op-ed posted online in various sites, most notably Op-ed News, After downingstreet .org and counterpunch.com. He can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net
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Let Them Eat Cake – Phil Farruggio

August 13th, 2006 11:24AM Pacific Time
Let Them Eat Cake…..
And couch potatoes and soccer balls, and wash it all down with Nascar Fuel. Americans! Boy, how far have we sunk as a culture! They should replace our national anthem with Three Blind Mice!
The electoral primary talk of the media spinsters recently was all about Sen. Lieberman’s defeat to the blue blooded, trust baby millionaire turned politician Ned Lamont. Of course, we who actively dissent against this Iraq disgrace are thrilled that the Senator, a joke of a statesman, has been defeated. Ned Lamont based his whole campaign strategy on Iraq. He joined with the majority of mainstream Democrats in simply wanting to set a definite timetable for withdrawal of US troops. I can live with that. Its not what I really want – only an appetizer to the meal I wish to conjure up – duh, like impeachment, indictment and conviction? On other major issues, Lamont, the millionaire, is really not progressive at all. If elected, he will join with the other 40 odd Democrats in the Senate who refuse to hold this administration accountable for lying us into Iraq, illegally spying on Americans, torturing detainees, and failing to reduce our obscene War Economy budget. Thus, as jobs go south, east and west, Lamont, just as Lieberman has done, will turn a blind eye to the sea of foreclosures and personal bankruptcies that shall soon engulf America.
The saddest domestic news story recently was Georgia Rep. Mckinney’s defeat in her Democratic primary . Ms. Mckinney was done in by her own party! She even outspent Hank Johnson in the campaign, and still lost. I watched her debate with Johnson on C-span, and it was like a freshman student debating a polished professor. Johnson stood there, not seemingly grasping half of what was going on. Ms. Mckinney had well defined policy ideas on major issues, while Johnson repeated the national Democratic mantra. She destroyed him so badly that the poor man was sneezing repeatedly before the cameras. Come election night, Hank Johnson destroyed Cynthia Mckinney. Why? Well, first off, Ms. Mckinney, since 9/11, has been the Congress’s most ardent critic and doubter of the official government line. She has conducted hearings on 9/11, featuring well researched and documented theories, brought to light by highly competent and prudent researchers. Yet, most Americans have been shielded from this information by our complacent mainstream media. I sat and watched a litany of researchers come forward, under the umbrella of McKinney’s sponsorship, and g
ive testimony to refute the lies, half truths and purposeful disinformation conjured up by the Bush – Cheney cabal .( Michael Ruppert has appeared at her hearings. Go out, no… run out and buy his book “Crossing the Rubicon” and educate yourself on 9/11, Big Oil, the Bush – Saudi connection and the neo con plans for a new US empire). It seems her own party did not like this pot being stirred too much. They have to worry about those swing voters after all.
Yet, while the world is literally burning, and our nation is stumbling into a depression, my neighbors continue to drive their big SUVs to and fro the soccer fields and Nascar races. They pit stop at the multitude of fast food chains bleeding our town, stuffing that junk into the bellies of their kids and themselves. They rarely question things going on outside of town, accepting verbatim whatever the mainstream news and cable shows toss their way. They are hypnotized by fear. Fear of the terrorists, the A – rabs, the illegals ready to invade, and any poor person who will abuse the welfare system. The sad irony is that the majority of these folks are good, decent and hardworking people. They are always there when disaster or tragedy strikes, ready to help others. Yet, to them, Cynthia Mckinney is an eyesore, a big mouthed (black) woman who got put in her place. You see, the ramifications of this Iraq invasion/occupation have not quite touched their Soccer Mom or
Nascar Dad lives yet. Oh, its starting to sink in. They are seeing their property taxes skyrocket along with gas prices. No one has explained to them that, when our federal government amasses such tremendous deficits due to a war economy, the states no longer receive block grant money. This federal block grant money has been used to build or refurbish schools and roads, or help with the costs of Medicaid. Once that spigot is sealed, local communities have to raise property taxes and increase fees. You wanta war, well then you’ll pay for a war! One wonders what will happen when America’s all volunteer army cannot supply enough bods to patrol the world protecting Big Oil’s interests. Did someone say military draft? How will Soccer Mom and Nascar Dad like it when little Johnny (or Jane perhaps) comes of age?
Just as Nero fiddled while Rome burned, Georgie boy had the audacity to tell Americans “Go shopping” right after 9/11. When will my friends and neighbors begin to realize that we cannot wait for leaders to tell us what to do. Its time to tell them what needs to be done. Until then, you can always follow Marie Antoinette’s advice. A piece of pound cake anyone?
Philip A Farruggio
Port Orange, Florida

Philip A. Farruggio is a small businessman, free lance columnist, part time radio talk show host and activist. He can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net Man
y of his columns can be read online at OpedNews .com, afterdowningstreet.org, and counterpunch.com