[Peace-discuss] [Peace] Veterans to stage protest at Tim Johnson's office this Thursday on the Eve of Veterans' Day

Mon Nov 7 15:04:57 CST 2011

C.G.-

 I'd be happy to do an interview. I would prefer to do so next week, after
the protest, so let me know if that's possible.

I would like to take this opportunity to address your concerns about
Democrats co-opting IVAW in any way, since it sounds like this is the
assumption you are working under.

 Not one of our members is in contact with local Dems or David Gill. Kudos
to Johnson for his stance on our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, IVAW has three points of unity in our mission statement:

1. Immediate Withdrawal  of Occupying Troops from Iraq and Afghanistan
2. Reparations for human and structural damage in Iraq and Afghanistan
*3. Full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other
supports for returning servicemen and women.*
*
*
It is to this last point that Johnson is an appropriate subject of protest
and public censure. IVAW is not singular in its pursuits, despite our
title. We explicitly advocate and act to effect policies that will allow
our veteran's to lead normal, healthy lives once they return from
deployment. All too often, politicians try to claim a "pro-veteran"
bonafide in their rhetoric, but their votes are anything but.

Tim Johnson, for instance, on his website claims that he has "paid special
attention to the needs of Veterans"
http://timjohnson.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&sectiontree=

yet, he voted NO on giving education benefits to children of fallen troops,

-HR. 2346 Vote 348

 NO to a mental health screening for troops returning home from deployment,

-HR 2647 Vote 770

and NO to Mortgage Relief for Deployed Troops, Veterans, and the Families
of those who were killed in action.

-HR 836 Vote 174
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r112:15:./temp/~r112qwcFMU:e175483:

among others. Any one of these votes would signal a contradiction to what
IVAW's mission statement declares, and would thus make the legislator the
target of a protest.

I don't think that you are seriously accusing IVAW of working in concert
with the Democratic party. I think IVAW has earned it's non-partisan
bona-fides. Further, I think it is readily apparent that Johnson, while
perhaps acting in the best interests of active-duty troops vis a vis
occupation of foreign nations, has not earned any support from ANY
veteran's group as to his voting record on issues dealing with veteran's
homelessness, mental illness, or economic well-being.

I would be happy to talk with you about this at anytime.

-David Amerson
 d.m.amerson at gmail.com
 (217)622-7929
*
*

On Mon, Nov 7, 2011 at 2:43 PM, C. G. ESTABROOK <cge at shout.net> wrote:

> Dear Sarah Lazare & D.M. Amerson:
>
> As the host (for lack of a better term) of AWARE's regular weekly cable TV
> program, "AWARE On The Air," I would like to invite you to participate in
> the show to discuss IVAW's protest at Tim Johnson's office on the Eve of
> Veterans' Day.
>
> We record this week's program tomorrow (11/8) at 1pm at the Urbana City
> Council chambers for cablecast at 10pm on channels 6 & 99 in C-U (and then
> on the web).
>
> AWARE of course is in general support of IVAW, but I think that in this
> case you may have been misled, presumably by the local Democrats and
> particularly perennial Congressional candidate David Gill.
>
> Congressman Johnson voted for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the
> invasion of Iraq in 2003 (although I told him not to, when I ran against
> him as a Green in 2002). But - and this is important - Johnson subsequently
> said that he was wrong to do so; pledged to vote for no more money for war
> in the Mideast; and has in fact voted consistently against war in the
> Mideast and North Africa. (He was one of ten members of Congress -
> including Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul - who sued President Obama for
> violating the War Powers Act in attacking Libya.)
>
> But David Gill has refused to echo Johnson's pledge and to say that he
> would vote against money for war, were he to be elected to Congress. Since
> he's also unwilling to condemn Johnson's anti-war position outright, he
> contends that he is condemning what he calls Tim's refusal to vote for
> veterans' benefits (often of course included in money for war).
>
> Gill's mendacious position seems to have confused some people who would
> presumably otherwise support Johnson's anti-war position (but not of course
> his pro-austerity views).
>
> It should be noted for example that "Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
> America" *<http://iava.org/> *- the purported source of the "veterans
> report card" - is quite different from IVAW. In fact, IAVA is a well-funded
> *pro-war* group. Its board of directors includes several Wall Street
> investment bankers and the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign
> Relations, Les Gelb, a long-time Pentagon and State Department apparatchik
> who, during the 2011 Egyptian protests against President Hosni Mubarak, was
> called by Salon.com "the Egyptian dictator's freelance spokesman in
> America."
>
> My guess is that the local IVAW got the information about the "report
> card" from local Democrats associated with the Gill campaign and are
> inadvertently using it to attack an opponent of the war, as IAVA wishes.
> Certainly, veterans' benefits should be supported. But they should not be
> used as a cover for more killing in Africa and Asia.
>
> Best regards,
>
> C. G. Estabrook
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> Iraq Veterans Against the War to stage protest at Tim Johnson's office on
> the Eve of Veterans' Day (Thursday, November 10)
>
>
> Contact:
>
> ~David Amerson - Iraq Veterans Against the War member, Marine veteran,
>
> 217-622-7929, d.m.amerson at gmail.com
>
> ~Sarah Lazare - The Civilian-Soldier Alliance, media liaison,
>
> 217-816-2918, sarah.lazare at gmail.com
>
>
> CHAMPAIGN, IL - Representative Tim Johnson's website claims that he has
> "paid special attention to the needs of Veterans," but he received an "F"
> on his voting for veterans report card from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
> of America*. Over the last few legislative sessions, Johnson has
>
> ~Voted NO on giving education benefit's to children of fallen troops: HR
> 2346 / Vote 348
>
> ~Voted NO to Mortgage Rellef for Deployed Troops, Veterans, and the
> Families of those who were killed in action: HR 836 / Vote 174
>
> ~Voted NO to a mental health screening for troops returning home from
> deployment: HR 2647 / Vote 770
>
>
> As we approach Veterans' Day November 11th, Representative Johnson
> continues to vote for policies that put veterans out on the streets.
>
>
> WHAT: The night before Veterans Day, members of Iraq Veterans Against the
> War, with the endorsement of Occupy Champaign-Urbana, will go to Tim
> Johnson's office to stage an occupation-style protest, in solidarity with
> the countless veterans who have been put out on the streets by the
> representative's policies.
>
>
> WHO: Iraq Veterans Against the War (Afghanistan & Iraq vets), the
> Civilian-Soldier Alliance, Occupy Champaign-Urbana
>
>
> WHEN: Thursday, November 10th (the day before Veterans' Day) at 5:30pm
>
>
> WHERE: Tim Johnson's office, 2004 Fox Drive in Champaign
>
>
> WHY: Veterans demand dignity and well-being for service members returning
> from war. The 1% elite who controls wealth and politics in this country
> continues to pour money into the defense budget while denying basic
> services and benefits to the service members being placed in harm's way.
> Veterans demand the right to heal, which includes full benefits for
> returning soldiers and safety from eviction and foreclosure.
>
>
> VISUALS: Veterans in uniform, banners, signs, Occupy rally, tents.
>
>
> ###
>
>
>
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