Veterans Opposed To The War In Iraq March In Denver

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Kristofer Goldsmith is one of the growing number of veterans who have joined the group Iraq Veterans Against The War. He gave his "testimony" yesterday in Denver as part of the IVAW march on the Convention, the march designed to deliver a letter of demands concerning the war and veterans to Democratic presidential nominee Obama. The letter included a three-point plan to end the war that included an immediate withdrawal of troops, post-deployment care for vets and an end to redeployments. Roughly 4000 to 5000 people marched to the entrance of the Pepsi Center, surrounded by riot police.

I spent my 20th birthday in Baghdad and I come home to a Patriot Act. I come home to a police state. I come home to fences and barbed wire. The politicians don't trust us. Why would that be? Because they have hijacked our nation... Now we're offered a choice to vote: Choice A, stay in Iraq forever; or Choice B, stay in Iraq for a pretty fucking long time. I can't accept either one of those choices... We're not born monsters; monsters are created. The Bush administration pushed ... hundreds of thousands of young men and women into positions like mine. The nightmares never go away.

Comments

[nellie]

Thank you, Winter Soldiers.

[walk0nwalls]

You know, you keep worshipping that military, see where it gets you.

[Coinyer101]

it is shameful what the bush adm. has done to our military. will we ever see justice?

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

This is very important video and perhaps the only thing we can do is to post it everywhere and send it to family and friends. Voice your thoughts on the internet and they will get heard.

[paxr55]

Thanks for capturing the speech, skinnychef.

Our group was trying to find the end of the line at Invesco Field, over on the west side. But riot police were very successful at keeping protesters apart from the rest of us. It was too bad. I wanted to hear the protesters. And thanks to Off the Bus, I can! (We never did make it inside and watched the speech from home.)

Keep up the great work.

[Avembe]

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/14/barnes-osama/

[debrouillard]

Dude i sympathise with you,but I am sorry you did not fight in Iraq for me. I will never take responsibility for a bullet fired in Iraq. Dude next time time ask questions before u do anything if you arent sure.

Its better to remain locked up here for insubordinate than to carry the kind of guilt you now carry and which will last forever in you,hunt you to ur grave.

I am very sympathetic with u and happy you have at least realise it and have the courage to let a few people know whats going on

[seedyrum]

The WORLD is watching

They didnt show it because corporate didnt want the attention on the soldiers> MSM know there is money to be made somewhere somehow>

MSM isnt being patriotic by not allowing the soldiers their chance to show they dont support this illegal Bush War>

Many corporations will go bust as their gravy train screech to a halt with a new administration taking oath come January>

What Bush has done to this country and its citizens is heinous and reprehensible> What the Republicans allowed Bush to do as they followed him over the cliff is disgusting>

IF the country get out of this terrible fix (well it will take several generations obama will just able to lie a foundation) a RePULICAN led CONGRESS SHOULD NEVER TO BE AND CERTAINLY NOT A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT> Tom Davis said it best a bad can of dog food that should never be bought>

Patriotism is impeaching BUSH and his cronies

The world is watching

[oldmilitant]

Let me say this: I've had this conversation a hundred times and the truth is there for anyone to see. The U.S. is the Ol' Schoolyard Bully living off rep. That makes us, her citizens, neither Free or Brave. We allowed our Puritanical instincts to elect GWB originally, and then our FEAR re-elected him. Does this sound like a Free or Brave society to you?

[Jon Raymond - Huffpost Blogger]

It amazes me how through history we see the horrors of war and yet every generation buys into the hype: be a hero, fight for your freedom, earn honor and respect. Politicians and the military are experts at this deception. The real question is, how can we stop this cycle? How can we make new recruits realize exactly what they're getting into?

You'd have thought we learned from Vietnam.

[northcan]

I agree Jon, thankyou.

[11907281]

Hero worship feeds the mentality, look at JM, he says POW and everyone backs away. The ultra-patriotism doesn't help either.

[jinxed]

We didn't get Viet Nam veterans in the White House. We got a draft dodger and an AWOL incompetent chicken hawk drunk. They successfully managed to avoid actual service so learned NOTHING about war except how to make somebody else's children fight and die for their greed and stupid ideas! ALL wars are about 2 things: MONEY and/or religion!

[walk0nwalls]

The ultimate irony as a Vietnamese is now seeing how strongly the Vietnamese community supported and continues to support the Iraq war and Bush.

I've become very disenchanted by them.

[northcan]

Vets for Obama; thankyou from the bottom of my heart for having the courage to speak up and speak out against the War in Iraq.

As the 3rd of 6 children of two parents who spent young adulthood in the military, as a Canadian soldier and a British soldier, my mom conscripted at a very early age in England, I have seen what it did emotionally to my parent's and physically. My father on many fronts in France, stationed in England, the horrors, loss of life, catasrophic bombing by the Germans, in was humbling. I lost one uncle over the English Channel, he was a fighter pilot, but my dad had 5 brothers in total serve. My mother was a victim in the London Blitz. during WWII.

As a child the 'cold war' was already in effect (late 40's), but the chilling atmosphere was a givin, I remember my immigrant mother dropping to the floor many times, with us in her arms.....if a loud noise was 'unknown'. This is the reality of many boomers fearing a nuclear attack. Today, as McCain announces his POW claim relentlessly, I feel hostile. He is not a humble man, as my parents were, or the wonderful 'real' heroes serving in Iraq today. He is not a wise person, or a logical person. He is "addicted to war" and so badly wants a legacy.

Please Americans and American veterans, please do not put this radical, unstable, hostile man in power.

[Coinyer101]

we wont.

[demfriend]

I really wish MSM had covered this as it was in action. This is the realitly Bush and co don't want us to see or hear and it looks as if MSM played along with the administration. What rights we have left to gather and protest are getting less and less and this march which went about calm and cool wit no one getting arrested nor getting any trouble at all shows it can happen still and there is not any of the stuff we saw with the vietnam protesters where they were shot and killed. These people in uniforms and cammies with hundreds/thousands went about the protest and the delivery of the letter as it should have gone down with peace. Shame on MSM fo not running the cameras and showing the truth in protest by vets and actives!

[mommadona]

AND, NOT ONE BIT OF COVERAGE BY ALL THOSE 'TALKING HEADS' FROM THE CORPORATE MEDIA.....

There was no air conditioning...
They were hung over from the night before....
They were busy interviewing Republican pundits.....
They didn't get the 'text message'......

NOT ONE BIT OF COVERAGE.