Military Resistance: thomasfbarton@earthlink.net 5.1.11 Print it out: color best. Pass it on.

Military Resistance 9E1

Long time, no…

“That Day I Started To Hate
Everything”
“Insurgents. Afghanistan. Bush.
Obama”
“The Politicians Profiting From This”
“Everyone Back Home Who Would Never
Have To Remember What I Saw And
Heard That Day”
April 30, 2011 by davisrv, Moonlit Ramblings From Afghanistan

About the Author:

Divorced and have a beautiful daughter.
Infantryman in the United States Army.
Like to read, listen to music, play guitar, write… OK.

I started this blog as a way to remember my time in Afghanistan, but maybe it’ll
help you – Joe Ninetofiver – to better understand the lives of the soldiers
deployed here and, hopefully, make you reconsider before thinking of war as a
viable option to solve problems.

*******************************************************************************

Long time, no…

Posted in quick thoughts on April 29, 2011 by davisrv

So, it’s been quite awhile since I posted, and that’s in part due to the overload of work
that’s been coming at me from all directions and a little bit of laziness.

This blog originally started as an attempt to document my deployment with more than
just the typical pictures that most soldiers are content with taking.

My intent was to capture the emotions of everyday life over here–the highs and lows and
in-betweens as well the more specific psychological responses to some of the crazy shit
that happens here.

I’ve been unsuccessful thus far.

I missed a lot when I was gone, like seeing my first dead body back in September.

That was my first real encounter of death with a human face on, and I’m disappointed
that I failed to elaborate on it then because a lot of the feeling is lost to me now.

There were three of them – insurgents – laying on the ground at the district center with
sheets covering them and a crowd of maybe 75-100 villagers surrounding them as well
as a platoon of AUP with beaming faces and all the big wig Afghan officials in the district.

I approached the scene with a fellow private and my NCO at the time (thank gOD he
was fired; he may have been the biggest dirtbag I’ve ever had the misfortune to work for)
to biometrically enroll the bodies so that we could positively identify who the deceased
were.

When we removed the sheets, the bodies were revealed and I strangely felt nothing at
first – the Army does kind of prepare you for this moment and I’ve been spoon-fed
enough propaganda cereal during my time in the unit to know better than to empathize
with “the enemy.”

My fellow private got a bit squeamish and turned just a shade green as his eyes caught
glimpses of what kind of holes DsHK’s and PKM’s are capable of putting in a man. The
NCO snapped a couple photographs and then turned to the other private (who at the
time was more senior than I), telling him to conduct the HIIDE enrollments with me as an
assistant.
The HIIDE unit did a bit of a jig in his hands and his mouth did a stupid open-close-open-
close thing as if he were a fish on dry land. He took a few steps back and looked well on
his way to getting sick, so I took the HIIDE from him and moved to the bodies to knock it
out.

As I got close, I looked into the faces of the deceased TB and noticed that despite the
violence in which these men died, each seemed to gaze into infinity with a look of
serenity. I knelt down beside the first body and began to enroll the bodies so that we
could identify who they were. I glanced back to my NCO and asked him for a pair of
latex gloves. He didn’t bring them as he said he would before we walked over.

My fingers held their eyes open; my hands held theirs – skin to skin. Their beards and
hair were wild and unkempt, but they didn’t particularly smell. I scanned their irises and
fingerprints, moving from body to body.

As I began to enroll the fingerprints from the last body, I noticed the middle finger had
taken a DShK round and was attached only by skin. I skipped it.

I finished and looked at the broken bodies of the insurgents. These men were then
enemy, and now they were dead. This is War. This is Death.

But despite the fact that we may have been on opposing sides of this conflict,
these men were dedicated warriors, and they died doing what others are too
paralyzed in fear to even consider: fighting for one’s ideals.

Would Christian Americans fight a Muslim invader (and there’s no way you can
say CF aren’t invaders, regardless of whatever pretenses for doing so exist) and if
so, are they willing to die for their religion and homeland?

No, most would flinch at the thought.

And before you try to say otherwise, consider what waging an insurgency entails:
living in the mountains, begging/fighting for food and water, having limited shelter
from weather and the elements, engaging superior forces with 50 year old
weapons, watching your friends get mowed down by helicopters, and embracing
the fact that you too will meet a violent end.

No, I’m confident that few in America would even consider being an insurgent. Draw
your own conclusions.

My wife also left me. To this day, I’m still unsure of why. The warning signs were there;
she was spending a significant portion of our money at bars and going out to eat, and
the amount spent indicated that she wasn’t alone. Was she cheating on me again? I
don’t know, and I guess I don’t want to. It’s just funny how someone you spent three
years of marriage and raised a child together can forget all of that so fast.

To tell the truth, I can’t blame her.

Life as an Army wife sucks, and being home means that you have the comforts of
friends and family.
It’s hard to leave that to go back to a shithole of a town and the struggle which is being
subject to the whims of the Army.

The Army claims to support families, but the truth of the matter is that the Army does
more to break families than anything else.

I’m glad Kat doesn’t have to deal with it anymore and that Kylie will have a more stable
childhood, even if it does hurt a bit.

It’s weird not being a part of a family anymore and I guess this is the first time in my life
that I really am all alone – and in a different state than everyone I grew up with. It’s a bit
scary when I stop to think about it, but I know it’ll work out.

A truck full of civilians struck a pressure plate IED at a chokepoint.

Men, women, and children were killed. I remember pulling the bodies out of the back of a
truck which brought them to our FOB.

I remember the sound of a man gargling his own blood as he tried to breathe and the
cries of a child who was going to die without truly experiencing life. 17 people died.

That day I started to hate everything.

Insurgents. Afghanistan. Bush. Obama.

The politicians profiting from this.

The civilians back stateside in their drunken oblivious, enjoying a life they never
fought for or earned. My wife who left me to deal with this shit on my own.

Everyone back home who would never have to remember what I saw and heard
that day.

Life is shit, and if I believed in God before I came here, I definitely wouldn’t now.

A lot of what I came here with has changed, and I’m definitely not the same
person.

This may or may not be for the best, but I guess we’ll see.

Troops Invited:
Comments, arguments, articles, and letters from service men
and women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Write to Box
126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657 or send email to
contact@militaryproject.org: Name, I.D., withheld unless you
request publication. Same address to unsubscribe.
 IRAQ WAR REPORTS

NOT ANOTHER DAY

NOT ANOTHER DOLLAR
NOT ANOTHER LIFE

The remains of Army Staff Sergeant Quadi S. Hudgins of New Orleans, April 29, 2011,
at Arlington National Cemetery. Hudgins died earlier this month after coming under
attack in Babil, Iraq. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
 POLITICIANS CAN’T BE COUNTED ON TO HALT
THE BLOODSHED

THE TROOPS HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THE

WARS

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

Hondo High Graduate Killed In

Afghanistan

Spc. Charles J. Wren, 25, died Saturday, April 16, 2011, after being hit by the blast of an
improvised explosive device in Nimroz province. Photo: Courtesy Photo / SA

April 21, 2011 By Sig Christenson And Zeke MacCormack, Express-News

A soldier once known as the “Cheer Man” at Hondo High School was among three GIs
who have been killed in Afghanistan.

Spc. Charles J. Wren, 25, died April 16 after being hit by an improvised explosive
device. Pfc. Joel A. Ramirez, 22, of Waxahachie; and Spc. Paul J. Atim, 27, of Green
Bay, Wis., also were killed.

Hondo School Superintendent Clay Rosenbaum said Wren was popular there in part
because of a pep rally persona pioneered by his brother Jeff.
“He was just a funny kid,” Rosenbaum of the student he knew only as “Chaz” before
hearing reports of Wren’s death.

“We called him ‘The Cheer Man’ because he would put a cape on at pep rallies and run
around and wave his arms to get everyone excited, then throw candy to them from a
Cheer laundry detergent box,” he added. “He kind of took it over from his older brother.
Nobody’s done it since he left.” He graduated in 2004.

Wren was one of 11 coalition troops to die in Afghanistan since April 16 and the
97th American of the year.

In 10 years of war, 1,543 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan, according to
the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, which tracks casualties in both countries.

Wren, Atim and Ramirez were killed in Nimroz province in the southwestern part
of the country. They are among 66 coalition troops killed by hidden bombs across
Afghanistan so far this year, a figure that represents nearly six in 10 deaths for
2011.

A Fort Drum spokeswoman, Kae Young, said Wren’s home of record was listed as
Beeville. Though born in Austin, he worked as a prison guard there before joining the
Army. Wren spent most of his life in Hondo.

A moment of silence and remembrance for Wren will be observed Thursday at the
school, said Brenda Prestage, its principal.

“A lot of the teachers remember him and are very saddened,” she said, describing Wren
as “a big strapping, strong kid who’d had some hard knocks in his life” – one of them the
deaths of his parents, Jeffrey and Sherrie Tondre Wren.

Wren’s mother, who worked for a San Antonio advertising company, died at 39. His
father made china products and parts for toilets before dying at 40 or 41, said Chaz
Wren’s first cousin, Tina Christiansen, 42, of Hondo.

A grandmother, Ginger Tondre, raised Wren and his brothers Will Wren of Hondo and
Jeff Wren of Bedford, by herself after her husband, Charles, died.

Wren was named for his grandfather.

“He kind of rose of above the ashes and did something great,” Christiansen said of her
cousin.

Prestage, the Hondo High School principal, didn’t know what had become of her former
student until hearing news reports of his death. She called Wren “a really good kid who
had a good sense of humor.”

“When I heard he was in the service, it didn’t surprise me at all that he was serving his
country.”
Wren joined the Army in February 2008 and was posted along with his comrades to Fort
Drum, N.Y., where he served in the 10th Mountain Division. He came to Fort Drum after
training in Fort Benning, Ga. He also served in Afghanistan from December 2008 to
December 2009.

He is survived by a wife and his brothers.

Christiansen said that while the family was “very sad his life was cut short,” it also was
proud of Wren for “serving his country and allowing us to live the kind of life that we live
here.”

She added: “He always has been a very unique individual. His brothers described him
the other night as fearless, and that pretty much sums up Chaz – fearless.”

Soldier With Green Bay Ties, Spc. Paul J.

Atim, 27, Killed In Action
Apr. 20, 2011 by Paul Srubas, Green Bay Press-Gazette

A Green Bay man was killed Saturday in Afghanistan by a bomb, the Department of
Defense announced Tuesday.

Spc. Paul J. Atim, 27, was in his second deployment to Afghanistan when he and two
other men were killed in the Nimroz Province. The three solders were with the 1st
Batallion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

They all were deployed last month.

Atim leaves behind a child and is survived by his mother, according to the Department of
Defense.

A native of Uganda, Atim attended the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay for two
semesters, in the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006.

“Paul came to the United States from Uganda in pursuit of a better life, and shortly
afterward joined the military to serve the country he loved,” said Brent Blahnik, director
of international education at the school. “I think I speak for the entire university
community in extending condolences to his family and friends.”

Blahnik said he remembers Atim as being outgoing and having a good sense of humor.

In 2006, Atim married Sara Wall of Allouez, and they had one child; they divorced in
2007.

Atim joined the Army in November 2006. He completed training at Fort Jackson, S.C.,
and was assigned to Fort Benning, Ga., and Fort Bragg, N.C. He transferred to Fort
Drum, N.Y., in December 2010.
He had been deployed to Afghanistan from April 2009 to April 2010.

His awards and decorations include two Army Achievement medals, the Meritorious Unit
Commendation, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal,
the Army Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army
Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He also completed the army’s
Warrior Leadership and Combat Life Savers courses.

A Son, A Friend, A Soldier

April 20, 2011 Associated Press

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. - Family and friends on Tuesday remembered a St.
Paul soldier killed in Afghanistan as a fast-moving, high-energy kid with a love of life.

His parents said Army Spc. Joseph Kennedy, 25, always seemed to have wheels under
him — either inline skates, bicycles or motorcycles. They said he once pushed his
motorcycle to 180 mph, Minnesota Public Radio News reported. “This kid was high
energy,” said Kennedy’s grandmother, Jo Skoglund.

Skoglund said her grandson also loved to tease, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

“He would tell stories and something inside of me would say, ‘Well, that can’t be right,’”
Skoglund said. “You watched his eyes twinkle and he kind of gave me a message with
his eyes alone as if saying, ‘I got her. I got her.’”

Kennedy’s friends and family gathered at the Inver Grove Heights Armory to share
memories of Kennedy, who was killed Friday when enemy forces attacked his unit with
small arms. He was on his first combat tour.

“Everything he did throughout his life prepared him for what he chose to do,” Kennedy’s
mother, Valerie Kennedy, said. “Whether it was jumping and flying or blowing things up
in the backyard.”

She added: “He loved to do that kind of stuff and he was good at it. He lived life fast, full,
loud and made the most of it.”

Family members said Joseph Kennedy was skilled at working with his hands for both
artistic and mechanical ends. Valerie Kennedy said those skills, combined with her
son’s love of shooting things with a paintball gun, made him a good match for the Army.

Joseph Kennedy’s father, Jim, said his son was proud to be in the Army and believed he
was making a difference in Afghanistan. “He was doing what he believed was right,”
Valerie Kennedy said.

Joseph Kennedy graduated from Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights in 2004 and
decided to join the Army in 2009. He was part of the 1st Infantry Division out of Fort
Knox, Ky., and was deployed to Afghanistan in January.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Joseph Kennedy is to be buried at Fort Snelling
Cemetery.

“The War In Our Country Will Not Come

To An End Unless And Until The Foreign
Invading Forces Pull Out Of
Afghanistan”
01st MayJapantoday.com

KABUL —
The spring fighting season in Afghanistan geared up this weekend with a war of words.

The Taliban announced they will begin their spring offensive Sunday, pledging to attack
military bases, convoys and Afghan officials, including members of the peace council
working to reconcile with top insurgent leaders. Saturday’s declaration came a day after
a new Pentagon report claimed the militants were experiencing low morale after
suffering heavy losses on the battlefield.

“The war in our country will not come to an end unless and until the foreign invading
forces pull out of Afghanistan,” the Taliban said in a two-page statement released by the
leadership council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is what the movement
calls itself.

In announcing their spring offensive, the Taliban said insurgents would target
“foreign invading forces, members of their spy networks and other spies, high-
ranking officials of the Kabul puppet administration ... and heads of foreign and
local companies working for the enemy and contractors.”

MORE:

“When Drops Of Rains Become

Flood, Mountains Are Not Able To
Prevent Them From Carving Their
Way Forward”
[Statement Of The Afghan Resistance
“Regarding The 19th Anniversary Of The
Victory ...”]
[Thanks to Felicity Arbuthnot, who sent this in. She writes: “A history lesson from
Afghanistan: ‘You have the watches, we have the time,’ one resistance leader remarked.
This shows what he meant.

But it would also apply to any country under occupation - how ever long it takes, from
longevity colonial invasions and occupations, to present day ones, the invader always
loses eventually.

************************************

28 April, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Shahamat-english.com

Statement of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Regarding the 19th Anniversary of the
Victory of Mujahideen in Afghanistan.

19 years ago, on 28 April (8 Saur, 1371 Hijri solar year), the Jihadic resistance of
the people of Afghanistan culminated into victory versus the Red Army and their
internal (Afghan) puppets.

This was not an easy success.

Almost 1.5 million Afghans had sacrificed their lives to reach this great day of realization
of hopes and aspirations, by forcing the dreadful Red Army of the former Soviet Union to
flee the country — an Army which even the Westerners had acknowledged as being
undefeatable.

Unfortunately, some well-known leaders of the Jihadic resistance could not safeguard
the fruit of the resistance which was, in fact, a historical pride for the Ummah as a whole.
They acquiesced in embracing the internal ideological enemies in their ranks against
whom they themselves had been fighting for more than a decade. Contrarily, they were
not ready to tolerate unity and fraternity with their brothers-in-arm. The obsession of
power grabbing frustrated the caravan of aspirations of the people which, though, by
then, had approached its destinations.

Ultimately, the splendid victory of the Mujahid people evolved into a tragedy.

Some opportunist armed men turned to violating the lives, property and honor of the
people, cashing in on the factional fighting. The path of establishment of Islamic regime
took up the form of a battle for power. Even the clandestine enemies of Islam were
predicting that, as a result of the factional fighting, the Afghan people will be
disappointed and oppressed to the point that, in future, they will welcome any non-
Islamic regime with open arms.
At this time, some sons of this proud soil gathered under the banner of the Taliban
Islamic Movement to bring the great aspiration of the establishment of Islamic regime to
its destination — an aspiration that both Mujahideen and the Afghan people had offered
1.5 million martyrs for its sake. In fact, at that critical phase, the Taliban Islamic
Movement played the role of (real) heirs of the spiritual legacy of Mujahideen. They
implemented the aspirations of Mujahideen in 95% land of the country. However, the
internal and external enemies of Islam and the country could not tolerate the regime.

Today, the true sons of this land offer their lives for the protection and success of the
same goal.

But the world of infidelity under the leadership of America wants to impede the
realization of the said goal by dent of force. It is not possible now.

The Afghan Mujahid people have thrown down the gauntlet by assembling under a sole
leadership. When drops of rains become flood, mountains are not able to prevent them
from carving their way forward.

We would like to say, no difference between a Talib and a Mujahid.

The Mujahid and the Talib of yesterday who were fighting against the Red Army of the
Soviet Union or fighting against America today, are, in fact, brothers-in-arm and share
common goal.

At this final phase of victory, all Afghans who follow the Truth and love God, any ethnicity
they may belong to, should join hands with each other for the sake of bringing about
Islamic regime. They should strictly avoid those blunders and flaws that take us away
from our prideful goal.

Protection of a revolution is as important as its precious winning.

The enemy has lost its morale and strength. Only need for a country-wide uprising.

The day is not far off when the (current) invaders, like their predecessor of the 27th April
(7th Saur), will be forced to leave our land with humiliation and debasement.

--(Forward towards) independence of the country and an early establishment of the

Islamic regime.

--Away with invaders and their puppet and shame on them.

--Pride and final victory to the sacrificing warriors of the way of Truth.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO COMPREHENSIBLE

REASON TO BE IN THIS EXTREMELY HIGH RISK
LOCATION AT THIS TIME, EXCEPT THAT THE
PACK OF TRAITORS THAT RUN THE
 GOVERNMENT IN D.C. WANT YOU THERE TO
DEFEND THEIR IMPERIAL DREAMS:
That is not a good enough reason.

US soldiers arrive near the scene police compound attacked by insurgents in Kandahar,
south of Kabul, Afghanistan, April. 7,2011. Insurgents stormed the Afghan police
compound Thursday, setting off explosions and firing assault rifles in a coordinated
attack that killed six members of the Afghan security forces. (AP Photo)

MILITARY NEWS

“Aid In Building A Network Of Allies

Within The Anti- War Community On The
West Coast”

April 21, 2011 Coffeestrong.org/

Lakewood, April 21, 2011 – Coffee Strong is proud to announce the first annual Spares
and Strikes Bowl-a-Thon fundraiser.

Coffee Strong is a veteran-owned, veteran-operated GI coffeehouse. Veterans

provide a safe place for soldiers to share the effects of disastrous wars, within 300
meters of the gates at Ft Lewis.

The Bowl-a-Thon will gather teams of six anti-war activists and allies for good times and
a worthy cause. The informational meeting for interested teams and individuals is
happening at a kick-off party taking place April 30th at Coffee Strong, located at 15109
Union Ave. SW in Lakewood.

Organizer Jamila Hammami stresses the importance of participation in the Bowl-a-Thon

stating,” it will provide Coffee Strong with funds to continue providing services to benefits
Soldiers, Veterans, and Military Families.

Not only will the event directly benefit Soldiers, Veterans, and Military Families, but it will
also aid in building a network of allies within the Anti- War Community on the West
Coast.”

The fundraising for this event officially starts May 1st, 2011, and teams of 6 are asked to
raise a minimum of $600 each.

Fundraising for the event can be a party in and of itself. There are many ways to fund
raise- whether it be through open mics, benefit shows, happy hours, house parties,
backyard bashes, yard sales, or sponsorship donations.

Be creative. In the end, participants get together and celebrate by bowling together (free
to all participants)!

We’ll bowl, have some brews, pass out awards, and have a good time!

For more information, contact Jamila Hammami at jamila.coffeestrong@gmail.com

or check out the event on Facebook.

Contact Us:
Phone: 253-581-1565
Address: Coffee Strong,
P.O. Box 99404, Lakewood, WA 98496

DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE IN THE

MILITARY?
Forward Military Resistance along, or send us the address if you wish and
we’ll send it regularly. Whether in Afghanistan, Iraq or stuck on a base in
the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off
from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the wars, inside
the armed services and at home. Send email requests to address up top or
write to: The Military Resistance, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y.
10025-5657. Phone: 888.711.2550

ANNIVERSARIES

May 1, 1886:
Noble Anniversary:
American Workers Create May Day

Carl Bunin Peace History April 30-May 6

May Day was called Emancipation Day in 1886 when 340,000 went on strike (though it
was Saturday it was a regular workday) in Chicago for the 8-hour day.

May 1, 1890: May Day labor demonstrations spread to thirteen other countries; 30,000
marched in Chicago as the newly prominent American Federation of Labor threw its
weight behind the 8-hour day campaign.

International Workers’ Day (a name used interchangeably with May Day) is a celebration
of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement.

May Day commonly sees organized street demonstrations and street marches by
millions of working people and their labour unions throughout most of the countries of
the world

May Day has become an international celebration of the social and economic
achievements of the labour movement.
 DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

[Thanks to Phil G, who sent this in.]

Military Resistance Available In PDF Format

If you prefer PDF to Word format, email contact@militaryproject.org

Who’s Who At The Royal

Wedding...
 “Tastelessness Takes The Ultimate
Plunge, With ‘Crown Jewels, Condoms
Of Distinction’”

April 28, 2011 by Felicity Arbuthnot, Global Research [Excerpts]

“Out beyond ideas of right thinking and wrong thinking, there is a field, I’ll meet you
there.” Rumi (1207-1273.)

The wedding of the heir to the British throne, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales,
to his lady friend of eight years Catherine Elizabeth Middleton (“Kate”) promises to be a
modest affair, in these austere times, with nineteen hundred guests, a near
unprecedented police presence, possibly a thousand members of the armed forces
lining the route the couple will take to the ceremony, in the nine hundred years old,
Westminster Abbey, on 29th April.

Beneath streets decked with the Union flag (more frequently burned across the world for
a couple of decades, than joyously hung) police are carrying out fingertip searches for
explosive devices, lifting drain covers, then lying flat with their heads in the drains, to
check. A thankless task.

Buttons are removed from pedestrian crossings to check nothing is hidden in the wiring
box, street furniture taken apart, monuments and statues scrutinized - and an estimated
twenty million £s of taxpayers’ money being burned up. Seventy to eighty “close
protection teams” will be on hand for heads of state (50) and VIPs at Friday’s festivities,
cost, so far, unknown.

It’s a far cry from the remote isle of Anglesey in Wales (also known as “RAF Valley”)
where Prince William has been based as a search and rescue pilot.

Seemingly the couple have been sharing a rural home there and, according to a
bar employee of the White Eagle at Rhoscolyn, quoted in the Daily Mail: “They’re
just like any other young couple in love — until you realize they’ve got armed
bodyguards on the next table.”
Quite.

White Eagle at Rhoscolyn

Perhaps his choice of a search and rescue career, was as an antidote to his younger
brother Harry’s public relations disasters, from going to a party in a Nazi uniform; calling
in air strikes from a bunker in Afghanistan, to blow villagers to bits, wearing an emblem
for the media there reading: “We do bad things to bad people” - and seemingly
appropriating the motorcycle of a local, probably his cherished, only lifeline, in the
remote region.

There was also a bit of a storm when he referred, on video to an army colleague as “Our
little Paki friend” and another as looking like “a raghead”, according to the News of the
World, who obtained the footage.

Prince William. by the way: “usually drinks bitter, perhaps a pint or two, and Kate sticks
to white wine and sparkling water. He seems to enjoy our homemade burgers and chips.
Kate prefers fish and salads,” the worker said.

Public relations seem to be somewhat strained by the wedding too.

Apart from eye watering expense, declaring a three day holiday, licenses for street
parties and celebrations as the country is involved in chastising others on human rights,
and its armed forces, in which the two Princes are enlisted, are dropping missiles on
Libya’s small six million population, while the Defense Minister, Liam Fox, as The
Guardian (27th April) elegantly puts it: “ ... in recent days has been edging towards
declaring Gaddafi a legitimate target.”

Assassinating Colonel Quaddaffi, is for most, unacceptable, and shocking.

As Rick Rozoff poignantly wrote: “NATO aircraft had flown a total of 3,725 sorties and
1,550 strike sorties since the Western military bloc took command of the war against
Libya ... “ he added: “On Easter Sunday, when almost a third of humanity celebrated the
resurrection of the Prince of Peace, NATO acknowledged bombing government targets
in and near the cities of Misrata, Sirte, Mizdah and Zintan. Hours later NATO warplanes
bombed the residence of Muammar Gaddafi, wounding 45 people, 15 seriously.”

Also causing some problems is the guest list, which the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office has helped to co-ordinate.
 Media “facsimile” of the invitation card

On 17th., February in Manama, capitol of Bahrain, three people were killed and
hundreds injured, as security forces dispersed anti-government protesters.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague urged “peaceful action” and advised
against travel there.

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa was never-the-less invited to the
wedding, in invitations that went out the following day.

Bahrain, of course, is the base of the US., Fifth Fleet. Whilst the Crown Prince has now
declined the invitation, reported as saying, with some grace, he did not wish to “tarnish”
the occasion there are others who arguably might.

Crown Prince of Bahrain

Also mentioned less than glowingly in the same Report are Saudi Arabia which
amputates hands and feet as punishment, flogs and beheads, and Qatar, about
which Amnesty, USA., comments: “Despite the progress made by the government
of Qatar, allegations of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment or punishment continue to be reported, albeit sporadically, and there
are not adequate systems in place, in practice, to ensure prompt, independent
investigation of allegations of torture or ill-treatment and adequate remedy or
redress for victims.”

Saudi is represented by Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz and Princess
Fadwa bint Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman, Qatar by the Emir of the State of
Qatar and Sheika Mozah bint Basser Al Missned.

HRH Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia

King Mswati III of Swaziland

King Mswati III of Swaziland arrived at London’s Dorchester Hotel (suites to £3,000 a
night) on Wednesday with a retinue of fifty. Africa’s last absolute monarch has fourteen
wives.
He’s cut down on marital bliss, his father had seventy wives, 210 children and at his
death in 1982, one thousand grandchildren.

“The extent of poverty (in Swaziland) especially in the rural areas, cannot be
overemphasised. This has seriously affected people’s ability to access basic
necessities such as health care and education ... About 800,000 Swazis out of 1.2
million - or 69 percent of the population, survive on about US $21 a month, less
than 70 US cents a day, enough only to buy a loaf of bread ..”

Just one of the King’s fleet of cars reportedly cost $500,000.

This “Son of Africa” made it to the guest list, another described as one, by Colonel
Quaddaffi, President Obama, did not.

Other notable omissions on a list in which “the majority” were drawn from the couple’s
family and friends, were former British Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Two Distinguished Omitted Guests (Nota Bene: They were not excluded for being
alleged war criminals)

It is all together a strange mix, self obsessed footballer, David Beckham, who appeared
in a centre spread covered in oil and his grimly unsmiling wife have made it.
 David Beckham

Sarah Ferguson, hearty former wife of Prince William’s uncle, Andrew has not. Her
daughters have - and seem to have been on a lettuce leaf diet for the occasion, their
generous proportions having become near wraith. There are widows of soldiers from the
Afghanistan and Iraq invasions, veterans themselves “celebrities”, more sports stars and
the Prince’s fitness instructor.

“Excluded Former Royalty”: The Omitted Duchess of York

According to the Daily Mail, Socialite, Tara Palmer Tomkinson (39) is worried about her
nose. She partied so long and hard on an allegedly £400 a day cocaine habit, that in
2006 her nose collapsed, reportedly rebuilt. Now it has succumbed again and she has
been desperate to get it re-fixed in time for the great day.

Tara Palmer Tomkinson

Irish rugby Captain Brian O’Driscoll declined an invitation, he had something better to
do. His team (Leinster) were preparing for a game against Toulouse.

The souvenir makers and vendors are having a field day. The faces of the two are on 3.5
million mugs, plus plates, key rings, bottle openers, tea towels, cricket caps, t-shirts,
refrigerators - and “Kiss me Kate” beer cans.
For pet lovers there are coats to wear on the Great Day and a “royal” cat food. Many are
made in China. Lynda Leith makes sick bags decorated with a drawing of the royal
couple: “For people who like and dislike the wedding ...”
Tastelessness takes the ultimate plunge, with “Crown Jewels, Condoms of Distinction”,
who market their products thus:

“Combining the strength of a Prince with the yielding sensitivity of a Princess-to-be,

Crown Jewels promises a royal union of pleasure. Truly a King among condoms.”

They are: “Presented in a timeless heirloom collectors box.” The sick bags seem
suddenly less of a bad idea.

Safe and Secure: Regal Prophylactics (approved by HM Home Secretary)

Taste aside, perhaps one of the saddest aspects is the website of Muslims
Against Crusades who have been denied permission by the police, to demonstrate
at any area of the wedding venue.

To view their website, is to see how Britain is perhaps viewed, despairingly, by

those who seek peace - of all faiths, or none.

Ironically, in the early eighties, the three year old Kate Middleton, went to her first school
in Amman, Jordan, where her father was Station Manager for British Airways. She was
taught in, and learned Arabic, in what seems to have been a happy time for the family.
There is speculation that part of their honeymoon might be spent there. Should it be,
there might be the beginning of a hand across an increasingly wide divide between West
and East. A “Search and Rescue” of a different kind?
Hoping, but no breath holding.

CLASS WAR REPORTS

“There Is A Shift In Consciousness

Underway In Syria Towards
Revolutionary Conclusions”
“In City After City, In Town After Town,
The Protesters Are Calling For The
Downfall Of The Regime”

4.29.11: Syrian anti-government protesters gather in Banias on Friday during the “Day of
Rage” demonstrations called by activists against President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)

April 25, 2011 By Yusef Khalil, Socialist Worker [Excerpts]

BRAVING A heavy security presence and roadblocks leading into cities and towns, tens
of thousands of Syrians took to the streets across the country following prayers in both
mosques and churches on “Great Friday”--as Good Friday is known in Arabic--in the
latest popular challenge to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his regime.
The city of Homs saw some of the angriest demonstrations in response to a regime
assault with live ammunition last Tuesday against a peaceful sit-in at what is now called
Freedom Square.

Adding insult to injury, the Syrian government and official news agency justified the
murders by characterizing the demonstrators as Salafists--members of a fundamentalist
current in Islam known for their intolerance towards more moderate Muslims, as well as
non-Muslims.

According to some sources, citizens formed committees to defend their neighborhoods

from attacks by regime forces, but that didn’t prevent the killing of at least eight people.

In an alarming development, eyewitnesses have reported seeing security forces posing

as Salafists, sent out to tarnish the image of the protesters by carrying out looting and
provoking state security forces.

North of Homs, the women and children of ar-Rastan came out in solidarity with the
nearby city of Talbiseh which has been under siege, without electricity, water, or
communications for several days.

But not all protests were met with repression.

In some areas, like the coastal cities of Tartous and Baniyas, people were able to march
and demonstrate without interference from the regime.

In Qamishli, around 6,000 marched together under the banner “Arabs, Assyrians and
Kurds Against Corruption”--an important statement that captures the spirit of unity and
solidarity that has characterized the struggle in Syria.

However, in a cycle that has now become familiar to many, security forces opened fire
the next day killing at least a dozen people who were mourning Friday’s victims.

The intensity of the crackdown last weekend--with 120 killed in two days--led to the first
resignations from the Assad regime when two members of parliament from Daraa
stepped down.

“If I cannot protect the chests of my people from these treacherous strikes, then there is
no meaning for me to stay in the People’s Assembly,” one of the members of parliament,
Nasser Hariri, told Al Jazeera.

Assad and his regime are attempting to survive the tide of revolt by carrying out terrible
violence, while also promising to make changes.

The most anticipated reform came April 21, with the lifting of the Emergency Law,
which grants the government temporary powers during a “state of emergency.”
This “temporary” law has been in effect for the last five decades.

It gives the state far-reaching powers to detain citizens, ban demonstrations, control the
media, eavesdrop on private communications and interrogate people.
But the regime’s move is highly conditional. First of all, though the State of
Emergency has been lifted, the Emergency Law is still on the books and can
always be activated again.

And in its place, a new permanent law went into effect that severely restricts
demonstrations. Although formally recognizing the right to protest, the new law
requires demonstrators to apply for permission from the Interior Ministry at least
five days in advance.

The ministry then has the power to deny the request, or change the date, time,
location, duration and course of the demonstration.

Further articles in the new law seem to imply that any demonstration or gathering-
-even if it is peaceful--that is not pre-approved by the authorities may be
considered a “riot.”

In an ominous sign, the first applicant for a license to demonstrate was detained for
several hours.

The regime’s arrogance has led to an escalation in the demands of the protesters, which
started with appeals for small-scale reforms and more freedoms.

There is a shift in consciousness underway in Syria towards revolutionary conclusions.

It has yet to reach the tipping point achieved by Tunisians and Egyptians, but the
trajectory is unmistakable.

In city after city, in town after town, the protesters are calling for the downfall of the
regime.

We have taken to the streets in a revolution that is demanding a comprehensive

change.”

Yemen:
“Saleh Do Not Speak About
Women, We Will Cut Out Your
Tongue”
 “We Have Taken To The Streets In A
Revolution That Is Demanding A
Comprehensive Change”
“The Demonstrations Have Swelled Into
The Millions In The Cities And Reached
Into The Countryside”
When Saleh declared on April 15 that “mixed-sex protests are illegal under Islam,”
millions of men and women around the country turned out together the next day
to protest his remarks.

Protesters raised placards with phrases such as, “Saleh do not speak about
women, we will cut out your tongue.”

April 25, 2011 By David Whitehouse, Socialist Worker [Excerpts]

The oil monarchies of the Persian Gulf have stepped in to broker a deal for Yemen’s
President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh would leave finally leave office after 32 years--but he would avoid prosecution for
corruption and violent repression of protest.

The terms of the deal seem calculated to drive a wedge between leaders of existing
opposition parties--who immediately accepted the main points of the plan--and Yemen’s
burgeoning youth-led popular revolt.

Aside from offering Saleh and his family immunity from prosecution, the agreement calls
for an end to protests during a 60-day period leading to new elections.

Leaders of the grassroots movement in Yemen’s major cities rejected the agreement
and called for further struggle to win Saleh’s immediate ouster without conditions.

In the capital of Sanaa, where the movement started, demonstrators chanted, “No
negotiation, no dialogue--Resign or flee,” according to Reuters.

In recent weeks, the demonstrations have swelled into the millions in the cities and
reached into the countryside, where 70 percent of Yemenis live.

The poor of town and country, who comprise 42 percent of Yemen’s 23 million people,
now widely support the movement that sprang up in early February at Sanaa University.

The mass participation of women also attests to the hopes of equality that the
movement has raised for Yemenis.
When Saleh declared on April 15 that “mixed-sex protests are illegal under Islam,”
millions of men and women around the country turned out together the next day
to protest his remarks.

The response reached even into the supposedly backward “tribal” areas outside
the cities.

In al-Baida, 200 miles south of Sanaa, 20,000 marched to protest Saleh’s condemnation
of women’s participation, according to the Yemen Times.

Protesters raised placards with phrases such as, “Saleh do not speak about
women, we will cut out your tongue.”

The official opposition parties that endorsed the deal, grouped together in a coalition
called the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), are headed by millionaires--and at least one
billionaire--many of them prominent tribal sheikhs who have profited from Saleh’s corrupt
way of doing business.

The movement has even begun to challenge the tribal hierarchy itself. Tribal sheikhs
take oil-funded payoffs from the central state, while the state looks the other way as the
sheikhs steal land from poorer tribesmen and monopolize the country’s scarce
groundwater.

The royal family of Saudi Arabia, Yemen’s powerful neighbor to the north, is complicit in
this regime of rural oppression, providing even bigger payoffs to Yemeni sheikhs than
Saleh’s government does--in return for a guarantee of “stability,” according to a recent
New Yorker article by Dexter Filkins.

In Sanaa, Abdulmalik al-Yusufi, a leading activist said to Ahram Online, “The Gulf
initiative addresses the problem as if it was a political crisis between two parties...We
have taken to the streets in a revolution that is demanding a comprehensive change.”
 NEED SOME TRUTH?
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