Review The band Junkyard Empire does not differentiate among music, message and life. Political Affairs magazine said, “A jazz version of Rage Against the Machine, Minnesota-based Junkyard Empire blends jazz instrumentals, hip hop, and socially conscious lyrics to create a fresh sound … this new Midwestern band has something to say.” The title track of
Veterans Group Calls on Soldiers to Refuse Deployment Orders
In response to President Barack Obama’s announcement on December 1 to deploy 30,000 additional troops to the occupation of Afghanistan, the organization March Forward!, comprising both veterans and active-duty members of the US military, has called on all soldiers to refuse their orders to deploy. “March Forward! calls on all service members to refuse orders
Soldiers Forced to Go AWOL for PTSD Care
With a military health care system over-stretched by two ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, more soldiers are deciding to go absent without leave (AWOL) in order to find treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eric Jasinski enlisted in the military in 2005, and deployed to Iraq in October 2006 as an intelligence analyst with
Whistleblower Psychiatrist Warns of Soldier on Soldier Violence
Kernan Manion, a psychiatrist who was hired last January to treat Marines returning from war who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other acute mental health problems borne from their deployments, fears more soldier-on-soldier violence without radical changes in the current soldier health care system. Working for a personnel-recruiting company which was contracted by
Book: Cultural Cleansing in Iraq
Cultural Cleansing in Iraq Why Museums Were Looted, Libraries Burned and Academics Murdered Edited by Prof. Raymond W. Baker, Shereem T. Ismael and Tareq Y. Ismael (With Chapter 6 “Killing the Intellectual Class” contributed by Dahr Jamail.) Why did the invasion of Iraq result in cultural destruction and killings of intellectuals? Convention sees accidents of
The Psychological Implosion of Our Soldiers
US Army Specialist Lateef Al-Saraji, a decorated combat veteran, came back from the occupation of Iraq with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Saraji joined the military because he wanted to serve his country. He served well as a linguist and translator working under secret clearance with military intelligence, according to a letter of recommendation written
Alternative Radio with David Barsamian
Dahr Jamail – GI Resistance (lecture) At Nuremberg the plea of, “I was just following orders” was not accepted by the tribunal. That raises the question: What are soldiers to do when faced with orders they know to be against international law and basic morality? Today, reports of U.S. troops refusing orders, of active duty
Iraq War Veteran on a Mental-Health Mission
Chuck Luther, who served 12 years in the military, is a veteran of two deployments to Iraq, where he was a reconnaissance scout in the 1st Cavalry Division. The former sergeant was based at Fort Hood, Texas, where he lives today. “I see the ugly,” Luther told Truthout. “I see soldiers beating their wives and
National Radio Project Interviews Dahr Jamail
From the National Radio Project: Will the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ever end? And when they do, how will we measure victory? For journalist and author Dahr Jamail, who’s reported from Iraq and the middle east extensively since 2003, both wars have already been lost. And it’s only getting worse. On this edition, we
Sarah Palin Makes Another Fraudulent Claim About Alaska
As former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin launches her national book tour, a former consultant questions more specifics from her record as governor. Palin, the former running mate to Sen. John McCain during the 2008 presidential elections, continues to claim that she effectively protected Alaska’s environment, but a national academies peer review panel has blasted her