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Our wartime President-Elect on his ambitions:

Sounding presidential, Senator Barack Obama said Wednesday he would order a surge of U.S. troops – perhaps 15,000 or more – to Afghanistan as soon as he reached the White House.

“We’re confronting an urgent crisis in Afghanistan,” Mr. Obama, the Democratic contender and now clear front-runner to replace George W. Bush, said Wednesday.

“It’s time to heed the call … for more troops. That’s why I’d send at least two or three additional brigades to Afghanistan,” he said in his most hawkish promise to date.

A U.S. army brigade includes about 5,000 soldiers along with tanks, armoured personnel carriers and helicopter gunships. via Globe and Mail

This weekend, we visited art studios and galleries as part of the Portland Open Studio tours.  We came across Exit Wounds, featured at the New American Art Union in Southeast Portland.

What an intense, transformative experience it is to see hundreds of photos from an embedded journalist, documenting the travesty of war on soldiers, with an eye towards those who are now a part of the peace movement.

Hot off the press from Bill Perry:

This is what Democracy looks like?

A 12 Hour Odyssey

How Iraq Combat Veterans are treated when they Lobby for increased FUNDING for the V.A.

Ist Cavalry Division Engineer Nick Morgan (Left), and Engineer James Gilligan discuss their Iraq experiences with a reporter, while relaxing behind Bill Perry’s BATTLE WAGON, Wednesday afternoon, October 15th, Hempstead, Long Island

Here’s Nick Morgan, 11 Hours later, after being released from 1st, the Hospital, @ Midnight, then the Jail.at 2 a.m.

Here’s a 55 PHOTO SLIDE SHOW, with the story of our 10 Iraq Vets, and 4 Resistors, as a 5pm Rally, and 7pm March for Veterans’ Quality of Life Issues, becomes a Police RiotAfter you click “VIEW ALBUM”, then click “SLIDE SHOW”, Set the Photo Size for “Large”, and the time per pic @ 4 seconds

Iraq Veterans Against the War attempted to ask McCain why he always fails to vote for the V.A.’s efforts to fund attempts at restoring Veterans “Quality of Life”, and to ask Obama if immediate and full withdrawal of our Occupation Forces should begin upon his inauguration.30 Mounted Police, and 100 Riot Police were instructed to CRUSH the idea that Veterans actually oppose our War & Occupations.THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!

Click the “View Album” button, then click SLIDESHOW Tab
Please Credit BILL PERRY, if you reproduce any pics

Hofstra Police Riot  (55 photos by BILL PERRY)

Take a look at Nick Morgan’s compound fracture of his Eye Orbit’s Zygoma, below

(click on LARGE, to see compound breaks)

Iraq War Veterans Arrested While Attempting to Deliver Questions to Obama and McCain

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – One hour before the final presidential debate of the 2008 campaign, fourteen members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) marched in formation to Hofstra University to present questions to the candidates. IVAW had requested permission from debate moderator Bob Schieffer to ask their questions during the debate, but received no response.

The contingent of veterans in dress and combat uniforms attempted to enter the building where the debate was to be held in order to ask questions about poor veterans’ healthcare and supporting war resisters of the candidates, but were turned back by police. IVAW members at the front of the formation were immediately arrested, and others were pushed back into the crowd by police on horseback. Several members were injured, including former Army Sergeant Nick Morgan who suffered a broken cheekbone when he was trampled by police horses before being arrested.

“Neither of the candidates has shown real support for service members and veterans. We came here to try and have serious questions answered, questions that we as veterans of the Iraq war have a right to ask, but instead we were arrested. We will continue to ask these questions no matter who is elected. We believe that the time has come to end this war and bring our troops home, and we will be pushing for that no matter what happens in this election.” said Jason Lemieux, a former Sergeant in the US Marine Corps who served three tours in Iraq, and member of IVAW.

A total of ten veterans were arrested during the action, including Matthis Chiroux (Army Sergeant), Kristofer Goldsmith (Army Sergeant), Adam Kokesh (Marine Sergeant), Mike Spinato, Geoff Millard (Army Sergeant), Marlisa Grogan (Marine Captain), Nathan Peld (Navy, 1998-2004), Nick Morgan (Army Sergeant), James Gilligan (Marine Corps, 6 years) and Jose Vasquez (Army & Army Reserves, 1992-2007).

###

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) was founded in July of 2004 to allow servicemen and women from all branches of the military a chance to come together and speak out against an illegal, unjust and unwinnable occupation. IVAW currently has over 1,300 members in 49 states, Canada and on military bases in the United States and overseas. To learn more about IVAW you can visit our website at

www.ivaw.org.

ALL photos:  Credit BILL PERRY

Whether embedded in Iraq, or traveling on a New York City subway, photographers are increasingly under pressure to put the camera away and shut up.  Our world has become less democratic, our Constitutional rights to free speech and a free press have dwindled.  I recall the outrage over Al-Jazeera’s airing of graphic images of deceased U.S. soldiers, and the persuant discussion about ethics.

How ethical is it to not allow the world to see the true devastation, the true impact of our invasion and occupation of Iraq?  If you saw the face of a small child screaming because her parents were just executed in front of her, would that have an impact on your complicity in this war?  What if you saw a fresh photo like this everyday?

I want to celebrate the journalists and publications who risk banishment for distributing and publishing photos that the world must see.  We cannot make informed decisions when the media does not tell the whole story.

Read more:

• Picturing Casulaties (NY Times Slideshow of War Wounded)
• 4,000 U.S. Deaths and a Handful of Images (NY Times)
• Zoriah Miller - disembedded freelance photojournalist

The city (and the nation) rises up upon news of a murdered police officer in Port Richmond.

The city (and the nation) its head after watching video of three men brutalized by Philadelphia Police.

The city (and the nation) conducts business as usual the other countless times a Philadelphian is murdered.

The city (and the nation) is happy to look the other way for the countless violent encounters provoked by Philadelphia or Camden Police, when not documented by a video camera.

The picture is grim. Our collective emotion– well managed most of the time–soars upon news of a murdered police. There is a nationwide manhunt. A 24-7 vigil takes place at the scene as local media cover the story indefinitely. This is the apropriate response to a murder. Any murder.

In a week, many of this will settle down and we’ll go back to 1-inch write ups for the other 400 residents murdered while living in this city. It’s not even hot out yet and we’re already trying to remember if there were 7 or 9 murders last weekend. It feels like blowback. A blow from the continuous cycle of state-sponsored violence that pervades our world. I think about how the Greeks thought a natural disaster was the wrath of the Gods. Events in the world show legitimate reason to believe a greater force is at work.

It is a struggle to face the truth: the value of a person’s life is regulated by the media. If they don’t report it, we don’t care. If we don’t care, they won’t report it. Mainstream journalism is now based on what’s cool, what’s emotional — and not necessarily the stories that are the most shameful. You will never see an in-depth report on what is at the root of our citywide murders, broken school system, and our bloating prison system, while considering the war in Iraq costs ### (thank you Iraq War Cost) and oil companies are making 12-figure profits annually (apparently Exxon Mobil’s recent profit of $10.9 billion this quarter alone was disappointing).

Our cities will die if we don’t use our collective resources to create jobs, working educational systems and affordable housing. We are cows heading to slaughter, placated by $600 checks and gas tax holidays. We are not in control of our country. How will we rise up to dramatically change directions?

Clearly our non-profit sector is keeping the machine humming, not overhauling it. I ponder NGO’s involvement in the overall plan to keep the rich richer and the poor poorer. If we managed to properly treat and rebuild away from our current system of poverty, what would happen to the job sector providing 25% of jobs in Philadelphia? The career-based approach to movement building is not a sustainable one.

I hope to explore this topic further in future posts throughout the summer.