Things Have to Change Around Here

I hate election season. It's filled with pointless debates from war & fear mongering politicians that continually spew verbal diarrhea to the American citizens. For a really long time I turned my back on getting involved in the political climate due to a strong apathy for our political system. I think most Americans are stuck in that category because lets all be honest, our nations problems can't be blamed on one individual party. Our issues stem from both sides of the isle; Democrats and Republicans. I wanted to sit down and just write freely about some of the societal issues that these jokesters we call our elected officials are doing, so here it goes.

When someone asks me about politics, I typically tell them it's probably not a good idea to ask me about such topics unless they're ready for an onslaught of negativity towards our political system. Most people probably think I've gone off the deep- end with some of my political views and how open I am on various social networks. Maybe I have gone off the deep- end, but I can back up everything that I talk about with hard facts, which I will do during the writing of this. The problem I'm seeing is that the legislation that I try to talk about most people do not know about or do not think are actually a part of our legislation.That is one of the most horrific things about the turn this country is taking at the hands of these politicians. These guys are signing legislation and not letting the good people of America know about them.  

However, writing from the side of me that tries to see things from a sociological standpoint, these politicians are doing whatever it takes to make society scared in order to pass BS legislations to give themselves more power. Looking through history, we've seen time and time again that creating fear is a great way to get individuals to comply with certain norms. Make no mistakes about it, September 11, 2001 was a terrible tragedy, but you have to be prepared to ask yourself: was 9-11 worth giving up your civil liberties and Constitutional Rights over?

The reason I say that is because our elected officials, while men & women are living, fighting, and dying in combat zones right now, are busy taking our liberties away under the banner of “National Security”. After 9-11 a bill named The Patriot Act was rushed through the House and signed without most people even reading it.  It provided a lot of the provisions that I'm talking about right now and it was signed because we have to provide enough security to prevent another 9-11 from happening even if it's at the expense of US citizens. It's frustrating to me because companies like airport security agency, TSA, was established on the basis of fear. While I think some security has to be put in place, there's a line between security and having an agency with no legal authority give you two decisions to travel within the country you live and pay taxes in: 

A) Go through the full body imaging machines in which strangers get to see your most intimate parts radiated from machines using highly debated levels of radiation Radiation doctor says TSA naked body scanners can cause cancer-2012 . If you're an attractive woman, you could be one of the 500+ women filing a complaint for being targeted for naked screenings

B) Should you want to stay away from the radiation, you get what I call, “The Works” in which you get a pat down from one of their lovely and honest, so honest they'll steal $5000 from you , security screeners.

Sure, security is necessary, but does anyone really think naked pictures and borderline molestation is the way to provide it? Well, now that we've got rid of the “Terrorists” flying within the borders our country, they must be driving now, right? Good thing TSA/ Dept. of Homeland Security are there to circumvent that by patroling our nations highways and bus terminals. That's just the tip of the iceberg for me though. Recently the FBI had to shut off thousands of GPS tracking devices because of a Supreme Court ruling that warrentless GPS tracking was unconstitutional; basically saying that the FBI has been tracking thousands of people's movements without a warrant to do so. I hope they never get their GPS devices back either. Here's a shocker: NYPD spying on muslim students and found nothing. Don't get me wrong, 9-11 was horrible, and we need work on preventing something like that from happening again, but our Rights and Freedoms should not be infringed upon because of one act of terrorism.  Every American citizen should have the Rights that the Constitution provides.  There's no such thing as cherry-picking which US citizens get protected by the U.S. Constitution based on religion or skin color; so this idea that politicians are out for the best interest of ALL citizens is out the window, and if you don't believe me, watch the next GOP debate and see if you don't see blatant racism.

Our problems go pretty deep, but we've also got a huge problem on our hands with the National Defense Authorization Act. Does allowing indefinite military detention of US citizens without due process really make us safer? Who are these people that we need to be scared of? The reason I posted so many previous links is not just for your information, but to illustrate that our officials are using fear tactics to control society. Since 9-11, the word “terrorist” has been broadened to the point that anyone that is publicly outspoken against ongoing policies and legislation is at risk of being deemed one (hello to the government trolls reading this because I used the T-word. Thanks for reading). Now, under the newly active NDAA, if you're one of those individuals that does not agree with the policy makers, you could see 101st Airborne show up at your door and rush you off to Gitmo.  Maybe that sounds a bit crazy, but is it unrealistic? It's written in our legislation that it can happen and Washington now has that power.

Several years ago I remember hearing the words,”we need to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here.” Well, fighting over there seems to be the road our elected officials took, but it still seems like our politicians are trying to fight them here too; except all these articles seem to clearly illustrate that they're using these tactics on our own citizens and eroding the Constitution all at the same time. I cannot believe we're living in an era where it's alright to use warrantless wiretaps, secret kill lists- Panetta: Decision to Kill Americans Suspected of Terrorism Is Obama's- Mother Jones 2012 –that's right, secret kill lists, internet censorship, and freaking Drones in the US “to protect us”. Do any of these things really protect us? Do you feel safer knowing that the FBI is tracking people's movement without a warrant? Do you feel safer knowing that by the end of 2012, the same drones the US military use to kill it's enemy overseas will be used to watch it's own citizens?

Enough about these problems, it's time we start doing something about them. I've been thinking a lot about how I can personally make a change. I have always tried to be the change I want to see and right now in this political climate, this is not the time to turn my back on politics. My country needs me right now, and our country needs you right now. A lot of people don't like something going on in politics and they want a change starting from the top down, and believe me, I do too. However, our local politicians, state representatives, and the people we send to Washington to represent US aren't doing their jobs. It's business as usual in Washington, and these guys are getting PAID by lobbyists and to be frank, I bet nobody reading this can afford one; so we need to talk louder and together. It's more important than ever to understand and know the details about the people we elect on a state and local level. They need to know we're alive and kicking down here and we won't stand for being crapped on any longer. VOTE THESE ASSHOLES OUT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL and let them know they will be held accountable to US. Remember, this is a country that was founded “For the People, By the People.”

So outside of all that, I challenge anyone that's read this far to KNOW and find out if their Senators, Congressmen, Representatives etc. voted and supported legislation such as NDAA, SOPA, PIPA and to take the time to email or write a letter (preferably enough letters to be a thorn in their sides) reminding them that they work for US, and if they support indefinite military detention, drones, warrentless wiretaps, tracking and nonsense like that, we WILL vote them out. Folks, these old guys running our country are so far removed from actually being able to relate to what it's like to be, in the words of former BP Oil CEO Tony Hayward, “the little people” that they're making fatal errors when it comes to our country without even taking the time to listen to...um...the voice of the people. I'm done messing around with these idiots. I'm not scared, and I don't need or want the government providing their version of security here in the United States. It's time to stop sleeping and take a few minutes of your time to let these idiots know we're here!

Wesley Reed

Here's a list of Representatives up for reelection that supported NDAA, SOPA, PIPA. Read it, write them, don't reelect them.

Couldn't sleep, so I wrote what was on my mind

Its currently 0313 and like most nights the last few months, I’m still awake.  My sleep time is starting to become much like it was while I was on Active Duty: an hour on and an hour off.  I’m counting down the days till the semester starts again so I can hopefully have something different to occupy my mind than the dreadful turn this country has taken.  I don’t want to say that all of my sleep issues are because of politics or thoughts on war, but with war drums beating again, it’s bringing back a lot of memories previously forgotten; or so I thought.



Tonight I was laying here in bed still steaming from the signing of NDAA, which I will protest endlessly, and then leading up to how angry I am that U.S. troops are being deployed all around the world in what is nothing more than politicians using other peoples lives to be cowboys without having to see what the dirty-work is all about.  Then I started thinking about what I was doing when I invaded Iraq; some self reflection if you will. I look at some of the photos from deployment and I see different person than what I now see.  Sitting on the border at Abdali Farms, stinking like goat shit and pissed off as ever living hell, and months of playing games during the military buildup made it so there was really only one way to sum up how I felt at that time: IT. WAS. ON.



It was on like donkey kong!  I hated being there, I hated everything to do with the middle east, I hated the culture, I hated pita bread, I hated the stupid tassels they lined their stupid trucks with, I missed home, Haji this, Haji that. All the things you could ever imagine a Marine saying about his enemy, I probably said it and without ever having stepped foot in their country yet.  War was what every Marine trained for and so very few ever do. It was history.  However, everything I just said in these last several sentences I fully regret and am deeply apologetic for having ever had those feelings (besides the history part).  I'm quite embarrassed and ashamed when I think about how easily I became wrapped up in dehumanizing a whole culture of people, especially when there were some really nice people there. The Iraqi’s, at least when I was there, had a culture that we didn't really have any business interrupting, especially based upon "intelligence" and "National Security".   To me, it was a culture that I will probably never be able to understand due to my own inability to really try or even care.  Sometimes I tell myself I was young or some other excuse that my therapist tells me, but I never seem to let myself off the hook that easily. None of us do. The one positive I know to come out of it all is my values are grounded. I lost my beliefs, who I was, and my values during that time in my life; the values that my parents worked hard to instill.  Sadly, it’s very easy to do given the circumstance.  The war mentality is a group mentality.  It's toxic and will infect everyone in contact with it. I know I will never, EVER allow for that to happen again.  



When the orders for us to put on our chemical suits came down, I personally felt a bit of a mental shift.  Nobody was sleeping anymore. The combat mindset was assumed to be in each of us and we all expected The FOG of War for the foreseeable future; to include large amounts of boredom.  To make matters worse, we were going to have to fight in those stupid ass, charcoal lined chemical suits that only gave us the illusion of a chance at survival.  Every singe one of us knew those MOPP (Mission Oriented Protective Posture) suits were a joke.  I can remember saying to one of the guys in my truck, “Fuck dude, I’m more scared of getting fuckin’ gassed than I am getting shot.”  I really meant that too.  All the atropine and tupam chloride they made us carry just seemed like another way for us to screw ourselves up and ensure our demise if there was a gas attack. I always thought about just going straight for the redi-ject Valium if things really went south like we were expecting and were told.




So there we were: MOPP suits on, the guns were loaded, we’re on the Iraqi birm, and the war had begun. The Iraqi’s, from what we had heard, had moved their tanks up to the boarder and built tank ditches (which they did do), so we just sat back and watched the Cobra helicopters light up the nightsky. I wish I could describe some of the visuals that I’m not only having right now remembering it, but the entirety of the shock from the first few days was overwhelming to me now looking back.  It was every bit of what I expected at the time. Once they established H-hour, the night sky flickered constantly. Its crazy that this long after being back I can still vividly remember driving into the country of Iraq and what it all looked like when we crossed, to include specific signs, our first security halt, the face of the first kid I saw while on our first security halt, how far he was away from me, the look of confusion on his face about why I seemed so angry, and the first 500 lb bomb our EOD techs detonated for being a dud. No more than several miles across the border from where we sat at Abdali was the first time I can remember getting shot at.  



Much of the Iraqi people, especially in parts of Southern Iraq, but not so much Basra, had SHOWN white flags; especially the first border town we were in named Safwan. But sitting on post one night with a couple guys, I was manning the Ma Deuce, I heard shots really close by. They were close enough that I really thought I might have shit my MOPP suit; we only got one so we had to treat it well.  I leaned over and woke up the driver of the truck and let him know what I had heard.  More shots. Now if they were shooting at us, which I could probably make the case that they weren’t just as easily as they were, they were a terrible shot anyway.  The point of saying all of this is to make the point of how scared shitless I was from the time I stepped in country until the day I left.  I’m pretty sure the guy I woke up that night could sense it in the sound of my voice too.



Before I try to tie up a few last points, I want to try to put a few words to how primitive our war machine was compared to what it became.  We didn’t have doors on much of our Humvees  and some of the doors we did have were vinyl. Guys were jerry-rigging makeshift turrets in the back of highback Humvees using huge wire spool looking things.  It was heinous and chaotic to say the least. 



I say that to say this.: my tour was nowhere near as terrible as what other guys experienced and we were a very fortunate group of Marines; but we all brought something home with us.  War is evil. What we all have in common is that we all went there and now share a common experience from it. The guys I was lucky enough to serve next to are, without a doubt, some of the strangest but finest men I have ever known.  We fought tooth and nail for each other and I don’t think any of us would have it any other way. I could have never got through some of the things I did without those guys going through the very same things beside me.  A Band of Brothers if you will. We were the invaders. What I don’t think I fully realized until years later and countless hours thinking about Iraq is how indebted to every single one of those guys that I really am. They put their lives on the line ever day to make sure I lived; I guess we all did that, but you never think of yourself in the same equation. Everything those guys did over there for me was selfless and they never, not once, had a single string attached to any of it.  Those guys gave food and water when our supply lines got cut and we were running out and rationing water, sometimes somebody would give you a few extra minutes of sleep before you go man the gun on nightwatch,  or jumping out of the turret to fight off the wild dogs trying to attack the guys sleeping by the truck. All that stuff comes back to meaning something I could never possess the vocabulary to describe. So if we served together and you’re reading this right now, thank you!



It’s now 0513 and I’ve mentally exhausted myself writing this. With all this being said, I would never wish my war experience on anyone.  It sucked terribly bad, not just for me, my family, but also for the Iraqi’s.  Sadly, I fear we’re seeing it again and it’s got me thinking a lot about Iraq and what I can do to help stop the looming war with Iran and the troops going to Libya.  Until one of these politicians decides he wants to be Norman Shwarzkopf and come up and spend some time in the shoes of any combat troop, they need to shut the fuck up with the war rhetoric and stop deciding we need to go kill more people on more global military adventures.  The way Washington is using our military might makes me sick. It's nothing more than war for profit. Playing cowboys and Indians where politicians are the cowboys and the rest of the world are the Indians is foolish and not just a poor use of resources, but it’s a poor use of human life. They have no idea the impact they have by telling young people to go kill young people. They had no clue or experience fighting in Iraq and they have no clue or experience fighting in Afghanistan.  They’re completely clueless to the fact that we cannot win these wars and they have no idea what they’re getting themselves into in Iran.  They’ve never had to stare face-to-face with their own mortality and say to themselves, “I have no fucking idea if I’m going to survive this or not” and at certain times, think the latter.  Even worse, many guys didn’t survive it. They’ve probably never even had the thought or been in a position to have to carry an extra bullet hidden on your person in case of a last minute “two for them, one for me” kind of emergency.  The list could go on and on about things they'll never understand and why we don't need to be militarily engaged globally (and under NDAA in the U.S too), but the politicians making these decisions could never understand those sentiments either, making the growing list pretty pointless. 




What I'd like to tell them is they need to stop beating those war drums so hard and figure out how to help people right here at home.  Everything people are saying is wrong with the government right now is correct and the only thing politicians can all agree upon is the need to be militarily engaged globally, to have the ability to censoring the internet, and to be able to militarily detain U.S. citizens without trial right here in the United States. That's it.  Politicians can't agree on jobs, the economy, income inequality, foreign policy, or even balancing the budget. I don't understand how it's become acceptable to run for any political position based upon a platform of war. We're seeing it right now. I'm sure there's plenty of other guys out there having the same problems sleeping, or night terrors, or drug addiction, seemingly uncontrollable fits of rage from PTSD, an unaffordable healthcare system, no jobs, serious debt from school or a mortgage, the looming thought of losing your home and family.... I know, I know, its wishful thinking to be able to agree on how help these people or problems, right?!.  A guy can wish can’t he?



Goodnight

Letter to the President

Mr. President

I write this letter to you today with tears in my eyes and pain in my heart. You see, I’m an Iraq War veteran and I’d like to take a brief minute of your time to explain how war has affected my life. I sincerely hope this letter will affect you with a small fraction of how combat affected me.

In March 2003, I was sitting on the border of a foreign country, away from my home and without the ability to communicate my well-being to my family.  During my time behind an M240G machine gun, I witnessed and took part of a violent and destructive force that ruined the lives of many families, mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, and most importantly, children. These results occur on both sides of conflict. 

George Santayana is quoted as saying,” Only the dead have seen the end of war.” Sadly, this is a true and real statement. What those having never been a part of an armed and violent conflict will never understand is the pure evil involved in combat. Sadly, this includes politicians such as yourself, the House of Representatives, Senators, Governors, and the majority of those making decisions on behalf of the American people. I would never wish my experience on anyone else, but please understand that you will probably never have to see or hear your children cry at the death or hurt of a fellow comrade; and neither will most of the politicians that make the decisions to send us there. Unfortunately, my parents have endured this with their only 2 children; but we still consider ourselves fortunate. Many other families have been ruined by the failed politics and policies of the United States Government.  

Now our country is financially broke from unethical Wall Street fat-cats, a generation of veterans with the highest suicide rate we have ever seen from combat veterans, and still yet actively engaged in combat a decade later.  Americans are having the wool pulled over their eyes yet again with Protect-IP Act, Stop Online Piracy Act, and National Defense Authorization Act which all infringe on a different Constitutional Right that my Brothers in Arms fought and died to protect.  Even worse, the U.S. Government is continuing to make the same mistakes again but expecting different results with Iran, and unfortunately, this will yet again ruin more lives and the families of beautiful people.  

Mr. President, not only will you not be securing my vote, but these policies are driving our great country into the ground. I sincerely hope that a peaceful resolution can be found; as power is not displayed through killing, but through peace.  With the funding we have placed into destroying other countries, we could have given every child in The United States the ability of higher education, HOPE (remember that?) of securing a better future for their kids, HOPE (remember that?) for the homeless, HOPE (remember that) of an overhaul of an inept-at-best health care system, and HOPE (remember that?) for a peacetime in the United States. Additionally, The United States citizens should never, under any circumstances, have their Constitutional Rights taken from them as your administration is currently doing. This, Mr. President, is a direct insult to those having paid the ultimate price for these freedoms. I hope you take these words to heart and make the appropriate actions to these issues. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Wesley Reed

USMC

McGraw-Hill SOPA Letter

 If you're a student using McGraw-Hill textbooks and against SOPA, please feel free to print or copy this letter and send/ email this to McGraw-Hill.  At the bottom of this letter are the email addresses I've already sent this to.  Please do the same.  




To Whom It May Concern:

Recently it has come to my attention that McGraw-Hill publishing company has publically supported H.R. 3261, also known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Though it is understandable that McGraw-Hill would want the protection of it’s material and authors from piracy, this bill goes much further than protecting the material McGraw- Hill publishes. Supporting SOPA is supporting Internet censorship, and for a publisher of media, Internet freedom should be a priority. Please take a minute to let me briefly explain how SOPA is a bill made of blind logic not worthy your support. 

As a student currently using your textbooks in the classroom, I am deeply concerned that McGraw-Hill is in opposition of Internet freedom.  What makes our country different from China, Iran, and other countries is our ability to form opinions and independently educate ourselves without the limits of our government. The importance of this is taught to us everyday in our classrooms and in textbooks you publish.  However, SOPA will take that freedom away. Not only will SOPA effectively remove Youtube videos of kids singing their favorite Christina Aguilara song, but it will also allow the Federal Government to completely remove information (and shut down the site entirely) from websites with educational benefits. While the protection of your material should be, and is, important, nothing should be placed above the ability for independent education; not even the few dollars you would make from removing .pdf versions of your overpriced textbooks.

However, in more broad terms, SOPA will allow the Federal Government to infringe on our 1^st Amendment Rights while also inhibiting education and innovation.  Keep in mind; this happens without due legal process. This extreme piece of legislation will change our Internet experience forever and will illegally censor the Internet even for unproven accusations of copyrighted material. Gabe Newell, the CEO of Valve Gaming, has explained that piracy has affected his sales. However, he has also come on record to say, “Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem”, implying that defeating piracy is done by offering services better than what the pirates can provide (iTunes, Pandora Radio, Spotify, Google Music). 

I hope McGraw-Hill will reconsider its position on H.R. 3261 and evaluate if Online Piracy (or Internet Censorship) is worth losing our 1^st Amendment Rights and the educational value of an uncensored Internet. This invasive and extreme legislation, if passed, will not only be a detriment to future generations, but this will also set a precedent to both developed and developing countries that freedom of information and education is second to the monetary value gained through censorship.   

Wesley R. Reed

Student

USMC


Email addresses I've sent this to:
 jason_feuchtwanger@mcgraw-hill.com
 Mary_Skafidas@mcgraw-hill.com
 tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com
 helen_hosein@mcgraw-hill.com
 lydia_rinaldi@mcgraw-hill.com