Man who set himself ablaze after son died in Iraq becomes citizen

December 12, 2006
By DAVID WEBER Associated Press Writer


LOWELL, Mass.— Two years ago, Carlos Arredondo tried to destroy a military van and set himself on fire in his grief over the news that his son, a Marine, had been killed in Iraq.

On Tuesday, Arredondo became a citizen of the country his son died fighting for, and used his new status in a protest, peaceful this time, of the war his son died in.

"Enough! Bring the troops home now!" read the sign Arredondo held aloft moments after he and 933 other immigrants were sworn as citizens in a ceremony at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

"Now I can use my First Amendment to say what I need to say," he said afterward.

"Now I can express myself without being afraid of being deported."

In August 2004, Arredondo was celebrating his 44th birthday and awaiting a phone call from Alexander, his oldest son, when a Marine Corps van pulled up in front of his house in Hollywood, Fla. The officers were there to deliver the news that 20-year-old son was dead.

At first, Arredondo would not believe it, convinced that his son, a practical joker, would dart out from behind the van and wrap him in a hug.

When Arredondo realized it was no joke, he lost it.He walked into his garage and grabbed a five gallon can of gasoline, a five-pound hammer and a propane torch, and headed for the van. Once inside he began destroying everything with the hammer, he recalled Tuesday."

I was screaming and yelling," he said. "I splashed gasoline all over the van and got some on myself. My mother was trying to pull me out of the van when I hit the button on the torch."

The explosion of the gas fumes threw Arredondo out of the van, and he was badly burned.

Arredondo, a native of Costa Rica, recovered from his injuries, and later met with the Marines to apologize. He also moved to Boston to be closer to his son, Brian, 19, and prepared to become a U.S. citizen.

"This is a way for me to honor my sons," Arredondo said about his passage into citizenship.
On Tuesday, December 12, 2006, Arredondo, 46, was among the immigrants representing 106 countries who became new United States citizens.

With his son Brian at his side, Arredondo held up a large photograph of his two sons as Rep. Marty Meehan thanked him for his son's sacrifice.

He held up his protest sign minutes later, as he left the building.U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark Wolf, who issued the citizenship oath, asked the applicants to stand as he called the names of each of their home countries. Once they all were standing, the oath of allegiance was administered. The applicants erupted in cheers and waved tiny American flags when Wolf declared them citizens.

"You're coming here has sent us each a message," Wolf said. "You remind us that despite its imperfections, the United States remains special to people throughout the world. We thank you for delivering this message."

Suuport Soldier Resisters- Dec 8 - 10

'Support the GI Movement & End the War, Again' ...by David Zeiger

General, man is very useful. He can fly and he can kill. But he has one defect: He can think.

This poem by Bertold Brecht was an anthem of the widespread GI Movement against the Vietnam War, and thirty years later it still resonates.
Today there is a growing GI movement against the War in Iraq.

It has the potential to tremendously impact the War in Iraq and end US foreign policies of empire. But it needs our help.
On December 8-10, there will be three days of action across the US to show widespread public support for the courageous troops that resist.
Educational events, rallies, marches and vigils will take place around the US. In the 1960's an anti-war movement emerged that altered the course of history.

This movement didn't take place on college campuses, but in barracks and on aircraft carriers. It flourished in Army stockades, Navy brigs and in the dingy towns that surround military bases. It penetrated elite military colleges like West Point. And it spread throughout the battlefields of Vietnam.

It was a movement no one expected, least of all those in it. Hundreds went to prison and thousands into exile. And by 1971 it had, in the words of one colonel, infested the entire armed services. I was part of that movement during the 60's, and have an intimate connection with it.
For two years I worked as a civilian at the Oleo Strut in Killeen, Texas -- one of dozens of coffeehouses that were opened near military bases to support the efforts of antiwar soldiers. I helped organize demonstrations of over 1,000 soldiers against the war and the military; I worked with guys from small towns and urban ghettos who had joined the military and gone to Vietnam out of a deep sense of duty and now risked their lives and futures to end the war; and I helped defend them when they were jailed for their antiwar activities. I made the film Sir! No Sir!, released earlier this year, to tell this suppressed story of the GI Movement. Today the new GI resistance movement is growing -- more soldiers are going public with their opposition, thousands are going AWOL, the first GI coffeehouse opened recently (with internet!), and the antiwar movement is realizing that supporting these soldiers is the next step. It's time for us to escalate public pressure and action in support of the growing movement of thousands of courageous men and women soldiers who have in many different ways followed their conscience -- upholding international law, taking a principled stand against unjust, illegal war and occupation and standing up for their rights. Widespread public support and pressure will help create true support for courageous troops facing isolation and repression, and help protect their civil liberties and human rights. Like the GI Coffeehouses of the 60's and 70's, showing widespread public support for soldiers who resist is one of the best ways those of us outside the military can encourage the growing momentum of GI resistance, a movement that has the direct power to end this war. Those of us outside the military must match their bravery by escalating our support for all GI resisters. They've got to know we're out here for them! Supporting GI resistance, together with counter-recruitment and draft resistance, is key to stopping illegal war and occupation ourselves. If the government can't recruit or draft enough new troops, and if troops refuse illegal immoral orders, it will help end the war and occupation and help prevent the next one. The December 8 - 10 Days of Action calls for: 1) Support for War Objectors 2) Protect the Right to Conscientious Objection 3) Protect the Liberties & Human Rights of GI's 4) Sanctuary for War Objectors. Support the actions or events in your area or organize an event, like showing Sir! No Sir! to a house party of friends or your local community. If not now, when? If not us, who? David Zeiger, director of the Film Sir! No Sir! was an organizer in the GI coffeehouse movement against the war in Vietnam. Visit http://www.CourageToResist.org for more information or to contribute to this campaign. To get a copy of Sir! No Sir! or see the trailer, go to www.SirNoSir.com. This letter is also this week's "Must Read" on Michael Moore's web site, http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=784

I am a republican. I am not anti-war, I am against the war in Iraq!

Click on link to watch video! Why Billy Why!


I am a republican. I am not anti-war, I am against the war in Iraq.
I wrote why billy why last year when my son-in-law was deployed to Iraq. He, thankfully, came home safely, many others have not. This song is intended to be an honest look at a mother's loss. I wanted to put a face on this tragedy of war and make everyone feel for an instant, a fraction of the pain a mother feels when her son is killed in the war.
It is not unpatriotic to oppose war...it is unpatriotic to sit idly by and do nothing.
~Mark
Our soldier, Patrick Kelly, NJ, is another outstanding individual moving the marker. He just out doing his job, putting his heart on the line and making a huge contribution. He makes me proud to be an American and do the work I do getting this important message out.
Please read his letter before you vote this November.
SMC
A Truly Powerful Video
Patrick Kelly, NJ
8/26/2006
24
I was reviewing books online and somehow came across a link to this incredible video. I was at first angered by Bush's words, but that anger quickly turned to sadness.In 2004, I was stationed at Camp Wolverine in Kuwait. Among other things, my job was to remove body bags off C-130H aircraft and Blackhawk helicopters that were straight from battle scenes. We placed the bags (sometimes 200lbs, sometimes less than 2lbs) in the refrigerated mortuary trucks where they were taken to the mortuary tent for icing and paperwork processing. At the next aircraft heading back to the U.S., we’d perform the reverse. The bodies, still inside their original bag, were now inside aluminum transfer cases. We would help drape U.S. flags over them, load them aboard the aircraft (exactly like the ones you saw in Mark’s video), and all the while, perform a solemn honors ceremony at attention and with a very slow return salute downward. I can hardly recall a time that I didn’t walk away from an aircraft and cry. As the NCOIC, I was often the leader of the detail, but I didn’t want my troops to see me in this state of grief. I was often comforted by the darkness of night which served as a shield for my distorted face and tears so as not to be detected by my crew. I was 40 years old then and had the maturity to understand that the deaths of these men and women would soon, upon their not yet notified families, shatter their lives and the lives of everyone else who knew them. I don’t believe my troops, some as young as 18, could possibly fathom the depths of what they were undertaking.More difficult than that was aiding in the transfer of wounded troops on stretchers (called litters) from small aircraft/helicopters onto C-141B medical evacuation configured aircraft (Medi-vacs). Running down the center of these aircraft, from floor to ceiling were stanchions of litter racks. It was on these racks that we, along with medical staff, would secure our brave men and women by their stretcher sometimes four high and with four rows. I saw everything from mangled and splintered feet and hands, purple bloody faces (from blast burns), eyelids, cheeks, and mouths swollen beyond recognition (from the spraying of red-hot shrapnel), and freshly wrapped, blood soaked stumps where hands, arms, feet, legs, or all four use to be just hours before, functioning as strong, useful, and familiar appendages. But what haunts me most, is not so much their wounds or the fact that their lives were violently changed forever, destined to a life of confinement to mechanical wheelchairs, artificial limbs, and guide dogs. No. It was their eyes. Their eyes followed me as I would approach them from down the aircraft aisle-way. With brows raised in an arch and foreheads wrinkled, they strained to see me with painful, glaring, frightened eyes as I moved toward them and then away. It’s impossible to put these images into appropriate words. What was going on in their minds – those, that is, who were conscious? I always managed to give each hero a pat on the shoulder, the leg, or any place I could touch, and followed with words of encouragement, praise, or gratitude. I always smiled at them, as hard as it was, and then I always felt that terribly familiar surge of emotions as the doors to the aircraft closed for flight preparation. I am a Democrat and I am a proud American, more proud today then ever during my twenty plus years of service to my county. But I am not proud to have served my country in the War Against Iraq because I do not feel that we should have been in Iraq. In other words, there was no need to be in Iraq in order to necessitate one’s service to our country in the first place. Perhaps it is because of Cheney’s remarks as to why we are in Iraq that serves my anger and disgust so well. He said we are there “in order to protect our national interest in that region’s oil. Without it, our country would be in economic ruin.” Alas, the crux of the problem!I am, however, extremely proud to have served my fellow military members in the War Against Iraq because I feel that I made a difference. In some small way, I made someone feel comfort by doing little deeds for them such as giving a bunch of guys a lift to the PX in my truck, showing them my appreciation for their service with kind words of thanks and praise, and by talking to them one-on-one about home and family. The largest contribution I made was one that I performed often for my fellow brothers and sisters was to dash out to an aircraft with its engines screaming during its pre-flight check, and on behalf of late arriving troops with a pass for R&R, to plead with aircrew to take a few more troops with only 10 days to hitch a ride home and hurry back. Despite there being few available seats left without gear piled up on them, or the aircraft nearing its maximum take-off weight, I was, more often than not, able to persuade them to agree to 2, 3, 5, or more. Sometimes I would make up stories to reluctant crewmen saying that I have three brand-new fathers who desperately want to meet their babies for the first time…anything in order to find a connection with them. I rarely failed, and not because of my rank, but because I simply put those crewmembers back in touch with their human side. The hopeless faces of those “stuck” passenger anticipating my return would quickly turned to excitement, screams, and the snapping of their body posture as I would holler over the noise, “grab your gear and follow me, you’re going home!” The look on their faces and the gratitude they expressed to me, whether explicit or implicit, made my deployment worth while. And for me, that was my reward for being there. Those small deeds like that are what I take with me as having served my country during this war.My stance against this war does not make me unpatriotic. I am not anti-war, although I now see myself more a peacenik than I ever imagined possible. With the War Against Iraq constantly on my mind, with its tens of thousands of current and future U.S. troops who are and will serve in that region, let’s clean it up, make it right, keep it limited, and then withdraw all U. S. troops for good, and for the good of all.
Join us
moving the marker
Help share this important video at home and abroad by sending your contributions to:
Conant Associates
P.O. Box 703
Trinidad, CA 95570




Ralph Conant is author of more than fifteen books and monographs on a wide variety of topics, mostly in social policy, metropolitan governance, and regional planning. He holds PhD and MA degrees from the University of Chicago, where he studied public administration with Leonard D. White, urban politics with Edward C. Banfield, and political philosophy with Leo Strauss.

His most recent publications are: Toward a More Perfect Union: The Governance of Metropolitan America, with Daniel J. Myers, 1st edition, 2002; 2nd edition, 2006 and forthcoming City of Destiny: Denver in the Making, with Maxine Kurtz, to be published by Chandler & Sharp in 2007.

His other books include: The Public Library and the City, MIT, 1965; The Politics of Community Health, Public Affairs Press, 1968; Problems in Research in Community Violence, with Molly Apple Levin, Praeger,1969; The Prospects for Revolution, Harper & Row, 1971; The Metropolitan Library, MIT, 1972; The Conant Report: A Study of the Education of Librarians, MIT, 1980; Private Means Public Ends: Private Business in Social Service Delivery, with Barry J. Carroll and Thomas Easton, Praeger, 1987; Public School Finance: Toward a More Level Playing Field for Our Youth, Phelps-Stokes Fund, 1993.

He served as faculty, Michigan State University (1956-1957). Staff, National Municipal (Civic) League (1957-1959). Executive Director, Citizens for Michigan (1959-1960). Faculty, University of Denver (1960-1961). Assistant Director, Joint Center for Urban Studies, MIT-Harvard (1961-1967). Associate Director, Lemberg Center for the Study of Violence, Brandeis University (1967-1969). President, Southwest Center for Urban Research, Houston (1969-1975). President, Shimer College (1975-1978). President, Unity College in Maine (1978-1980). He lives in Trinidad, California and has a farm in Maine dating to the family settlement in 1771.

Shades of tyranny in our use of fear

MY VIEW
By GAIL BANGERT

The way we think and talk about war leaves us unable to evolve beyond it. Like a hypnotic suggestion, the language of war subdues the conscious mind and makes us embrace unthinkable ideas.

With reverent words to acknowledge suffering, stirring words to honor courage, and persuasive words to rally the troops, attitudes and the phrases that express them have become hard-wired into our cultural consciousness. We utter them without needing to think. Reason gives way to habit and emotion. We don't seem to notice that over time the resignation connected with grief has morphed into acceptance of the unacceptable. We seem blind to the exploitation of our gratitude by the powerful, who send people to war, then silence opponents by equating opposition to policy with disloyalty to those who serve.

After centuries of fighting, not only do we accept war, we applaud and honor it. When it comes to war, we seem willing to shut down our brains and surrender to the emotional tide of popular sentiment.
''There are some things worth fighting for,'' we say, though the phrase offers no evidence for its assertion that violence is an effective strategy for protecting things we hold dear. We say ''freedom isn't free'' to express gratitude to veterans, but confuse promoting freedom with protecting our safety. Any use of force denies the freedom of another. A military victory may provide a measure of safety to the victors, but usually only a lull in a balance of terror, while the defeated bide their time.

Fear and the desire for revenge lurk at the heart of the most powerful attitudes about war. These emotions know no cultural boundaries, and I am not surprised that they exist, but I am amazed that we don't object to their continuing to govern our behavior in the 21st century. Respected nations still speak of ''bringing their opponents to their knees,'' and fearful populations rally in support of leaders who act tough. Seeking revenge should not be confused with problem solving. An enemy subdued is often an enemy lying in wait.

The Bush administration used fear to win initial support for the war in Iraq, and won re-election with the same appeal. To be sure, there is plenty to fear, but using fear to elicit support is more appropriate to tyranny than to democracy. At the core of our democratic ideals is the belief that government derives its power from the consent of the governed. That consent should be given after careful reflection, not taken by emotional manipulation.

Emotional thinking creates a gap between reality and what we choose to believe. The planners of the war failed to take into account the possible consequences of their actions. In a moment of hubris, they convinced themselves that they could wish a democratic ally into existence. They didn't trust democracy enough, however, to listen to voices from the region they planned to liberate, who correctly warned that attacking Iraq would inspire a million bin Ladens. Our invasion was a bonanza for terrorist recruitment, and our removal of Saddam Hussein without an effective strategy for maintaining order was an invitation to every outlaw and power seeker to take advantage of the chaos that ensued.

Experts on terrorism tell us that humiliation is one of its causes. It was certainly not logic, then, that possessed the administration to use a campaign of ''shock and awe'' to send a message to the Middle East. Our power is exactly what angers and motivates terrorists to defy us. Vast numbers of the world's people live in our shadow, and we have yet to come to terms with their resentment. Agents of our country have overthrown democratically elected governments and made behind-the-scenes deals that benefit us at the expense of others. Like frustrated players who upset the game board because they can't win, more and more angry people have decided not to play by our rules. They've empowered themselves to hurt us using methods that armies cannot easily combat. The benefits of any military action must be weighed against its value to terrorists as evidence that we deserve to be hated.

President Bush has inadvertently demonstrated just how vital democracy is to civilization. When a few people act with arrogant disregard for the opinions of others, they erode the glue of consent that holds civilization together. That is true whether plans are hatched in a cave in Afghanistan or in an office in Washington, D.C.

With violent conflicts spiraling out of control, we must think clearly about war. As some begin to call for military strikes in Iran, we need the combined wisdom of every mind capable of reason to choose strategies that make sense, not rash actions that suit our emotions.

The world will not forgive and may not survive another disastrous mistake. We would be wise to act with an eye to the rights and safety of those who have not yet joined the terrorists. Otherwise, we will continue to create enemies faster than we can kill them.
Gail Bangert lives in Harwich.
(Published: October 10, 2006)

Vote to honor the fallen.

by Dante Zappala- younger son of Celeste Zappala

On April 26th, 2004, a day before the local primary elections, Sgt. Sherwood Baker was killed in Iraq. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He was my brother. Sherwood's death brought the war home to his entireextended network of family and friends. None of us thought this powerful strong man could fall. We were wrong.

The day after my brother died, amidst the disbelief and the sorrow, my mother went to our local polling station and cast her vote. Some may have toldher it was futile or seen it as meaningless. After all, it was merely a primary. Sherwood, however, wouldhave expected nothing less. He knew the definition ofcitizenship.

I've got hundreds of pictures of my brother. I can stare at them for hours. Maybe it's mental torture,maybe it's just part of the process, but I'm looking at the inflection of every smile, the direction of thecreases on his face. I'm looking at every pixel for a hint about how this came to pass. I've found a lot. We shared happiness on his 30th birthday three years ago. We shared pride and lots oftears when we were at Fort Dix before he shipped off.His face is stern and unwavering in those pictures from Dix. Sherwood wasn't bitter about being deployed.He had reservations; people in their right mindsdon't want to go to war, especially when they have a family. But he had made an oath before God to serveand he took that seriously.

He was truthful and, above all, hopefully; a patriot in the truest sense. The day Sherwood shipped off to Iraq, I knew that forour family, life was forever changed. In all I've donesince that day, I've tried to maintain his sense oftruth and hope.

And since his death, I've started listening. I've learned that the way we talk to eachother is as important as what we talk about. I believe the war has, in fact, affected almost every American family, only many have no idea how. We all go to bed with the full support of our troopsin mind and their safety in our prayers. But debates rage around dinner tables and in living rooms across the country. The righteousness of our opinions has created so much anger between us. We're red in theface proving each other wrong.

I've traveled the country, I've been in dialogue with all sorts of folks, activists, military families, politicians, people on the street. I feel a kinship, even with mysupposed enemies, because we have all made the same choice to participate in this democracy.

We have watched together as some of our most spirited citizens, living otherwise humble lives in America,have been called to war. We've watched together astheir lives are stolen away. It is not my intention to tell you who to vote for. We have all been victims of the usual fear mongering,spin and half truths that accompany the campaignseason. I understand the propensity to want to shut itdown. Television ads are either mindless or infuriating. Candidates are eager to push buttons, sowe build walls. 'They deserve each other,' we might tell ourselves. 'Why should I vote anyway?' Letting apathy take hold, however, will only spelldefeat.

We will not be defeated by one party or the other, but by an ideology of hopelessness. But of evenmore importance, staying on the sidelines betrays thenobility of those who have made the ultimatesacrifice. Believe what you will about the war in Iraq; about the pretext, the current situation and the solutions. However, understand that every Soldier and every Marine who has died in Iraq did so under the banner of our democracy.

'Support our troops' means get out andvote. While we may indulge in our cynicism as wedebate particular points of withdrawal strategies, fine men and women who love their country are being disenfranchised by death. And we have the luxury of walking to the polls andcasting a vote. Be it a vote of conscience, a vote ofpassion or a vote of frustration, by God, we can vote.Do your duty as citizens. Go to the polls. Pull thelever with an open heart. And carry with you the promises of the young men and women who can no longerdo it themselves.

HR 4232 Congressman Delahunt, Where is your leadership?

Hyannis Office
Congressman Bill Delahunt

146 Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601

(508) 771-0666
Toll-Free: (800) 870-2626
Fax: (508) 790-1959


Hey Bill, Where is your leadership? How many more grave markers will it take to awaken your leadership?

" If ever you voted for the war,

Then you're out the door"! JJB

If you are active military and want to have the support of those who disaggree with this Congressman and President then click here; Appeal for Redress.org

Click on Me to read or type Bill Number in window: TYPE HR4232

This is the letter that was sent to Congressman Delahunt on:

8 September 2006
Congressman Bill Delahunt

2454 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515



Dear Representative Delahunt,



The US war in Iraq is an endless fire consuming lives, resources, and the fragile possibilities of peace. As our member of Congress, you are the legitimate connection to end this terrible tragedy by supporting our request to cosign legislation that will bring an end to this war. Joining the Declaration of Peace campaign, a coalition of more than 250 national, religious, and peace organizations across the US, Cape Codders for Peace and Justice thank you for cosponsoring H. Con. Res. 197 to prohibit the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq. We also appreciate your support of the discharge petition with the purpose of gaining debate and a vote on HR 55. However, you have also stated this plan inhibits your support of H. R. 4232 as politically contraindicated. None of the legislation has gained supporters for months and we need bold steps to move forward. We look to you for that progressive leadership. Therefore, we request that you cosponsor H. R. 4232 to end funding for deployment of US troops to Iraq. Congress may not have control of decisions made by the administration but certainly has responsibility for the funding. We also request that you cosponsor H.Con. Res. 348 to prohibit permanent bases, control of oil and redeployment of troops.

You articulately expressed our sentiments on Iraq Watch (July 10, 2006) when you stated, “Well, the truth is, nothing has been accomplished, except the loss of thousands of American lives with a financial cost going on some half a trillion dollars. You know, one only has to watch the nightly news. I was in the cloakroom earlier and watched the national news. It was depressing, it was sad, it was tragic. What is going on in Baghdad today and all over Iraq is an orgy of violence and blood-letting.” Now please continue to speak truth to power and cosign legislation to end the war and bring the troops home, fund human needs, and resolve to deny war as national policy. We believe that humanity can and must rise above the violence to build a world of justice and peace for all peoples.

Members across the country will receive similar requests from their constituents with the belief that their representative in Congress, at this very “depressing, sad, and tragic” time, will respond to the public outcry against this invasion and war by cosponsoring the above legislation.

We would like to make an appointment with you or receive a written response to this communication on or before September 21, 2006. Thank you for your time and consideration. Declaration of Peace petition is enclosed.

signed by CCPJ legislative committee (Please note that the Declaration of Peace called for sponsorship of HR 4232)

A BUSH ATTACK ON IRAN TO SAVE THE PRESIDENCY?

US-Led Military Thrust Focuses Heavily on Broad Naval DeploymentDEBKAfile Exclusive Military Report http://www.debka.com/article_print.php?aid=1223
October 30, 2006, 11:53 AM (GMT+02:00)

Hundreds of US and allied war ships foregathered in the strategic seas of the Middle East and India in the last days of October 2006 for two primary missions: To prepare for a US-led military strike against Iran which has stepped up its uranium enrichment program with a second centrifuge project - undeterred by the prospect of UN sanctions; and measures to fend off palpable al Qaeda threats to oil targets. DEBKAfile’s military sources provide details of the massive deployments: 1. A large-scale US-Indian sea exercise called Malabar 06 is in progress off the Indian coast of Goa, ending Nov. 5. The American vessels taking part are the USS Boxer carrier, the USS Bunker Hill guided missile battle cruiser, the guided missile destroyer USS Howard and the USS Benfold , as well as the Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine Providence and the Canadian guided missile frigate HMCS Ottawa .

Indian maritime might is displayed with its warships like INS Beas , INS Mysore , INS Shakti , INS Ganga , tanking ship INS Gharial , submarine INS Shankush and Coast Guard ship CGS Samar Malabar also involves the landing of large number of soldiers ashore, ahead of the Indian acquisition of the massive amphibious USS Trenton transport dock which can carry six helicopters and about a 1000 soldiers.

Our Tehran sources report that last Thursday, Oct. 26, Iranian officials were seriously rattled by a rumor that an Iranian spy plane had located the USS Boxer heading for the Persian Gulf. It prompted fears of an imminent American military assault to lift Republican prospects in the coming US midterm elections of Nov. 7. In any case, the Iranians suspect that at the end of the joint US-Indian exercise in the Arabian Sea, Boxer will veer west and head into the Persian Gulf.

There would then be four US air carriers with task forces parked opposite Iranian shores, including the USS Enterprise Strike Group, the USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group and the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which are already in place.

According to the intelligence reaching Iran, the Boxer and its escorts carry 850 Marines who have just spent months in special training for operations on offshore oil rigs and platforms.

2. American, Italy, France, Britain, Australia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are taking part in an exercise practicing the interception of ships carrying nuclear materials or components for use in advanced weapons. The exercise opposite Bahrain is the first to be held in the Persian Gulf under the three-year old proliferation security initiative. It applications could be translated equally into the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test on Oct. 9, or Iran.

On Oct. 27, Robert Joseph, the US undersecretary of state for arms control remarked: “From Iranian news reports we know the exercise got the attention of Iran.” But rather than climbing down, Tehran referred two days later to the war games as “adventurous” and placed its armed forces on a high alert which encompassed the joint naval units of the military and Revolutionary Guards in the Persian Gulf, while the Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian army, navy and air force were placed on “yellow” alert, one level short of full war.
Also Oct. 29, , supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei replaced Iran’s air force chief, Karim Qavami with Brig Gen Capt Ahmad Miqani, on the recommendation of the Revolutionary Guards commander.

DEBKAfile’s Iran sources report that Khamenei did not approve of Qavami’s admiration for America’s military capabilities – especially the US air force’s advanced aircraft and equipment. Qavami was wont to speak out at general staff meetings in favor of procuring a new air fleet the better to stand up to a possible US attack. His successor follows the supreme ruler unquestioningly and has complete faith in the ability

3. Saudi Arabia did not join the multinational Bahrain exercise, but instead mustered its entire navy and all its special forces for deployment in dense defensive array around the biggest oil terminal in the world, at Ras Tanura.

Riyadh acted in response to tangible intelligence that al Qaeda is preparing to attack its oil installations.Warnings have intensified in recent days of impending al Qaeda attacks on the oil fields, oil ports, oil tankers and oil fields of Saudi Arabia and the Arabian oil emirates. One threat specifically targets the Bahraini offices and staff of the Benin Republic’s Societe Togolaise de Gaz and Societe Bengaz S.A. It is not clear exactly why al Qaeda is targeting this African-owned oil company in particular. In addition, the US embassy in Riyadh has warned Americans operating in the Gulf region to stay clear of all oil installations, especially in Saudi Arabia.

Another pointed alert covers Western residential compounds in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, specifying American expatriates as al Qaeda targets. Saudi security forces are standing guard at these compounds which were fatally attacked in November exactly three years ago.

4. The fourth major naval concentration is deployed in the Red Sea along Saudi Arabia’s west coast. The oil kingdom has placed its military and fleet at their highest level of preparedness for Al Qaeda-instigated terrorist attacks along this coast, particularly at the ports of Jeddah and Yanbu.

DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report: That the Saudis have by and large switched their defenses against al Qaeda to coastal targets indicates the receipt of intelligence input of a new local sea base established by al Qaeda, which enables the jihadist group to stretch its capabilities for assaulting oil and Western shore targets from the sea. This base might be located on the shore of a Gulf nation, somewhere in the Arabian Sea or in the Horn of Africa.Copyright 2000-2006 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.

RE: Naval Interdiction Exercise Said Planned for Persian Gulf By REUTERS
Posted 10/12/06 12:16DefenseNews.com

A BUSH ATTACK ON IRAN TO SAVE THE PRESIDENCY?According to the semi-official DefenseNews.com

(*A&B), a Naval interdiction exercise, (long?) “set for Oct. 31, is the …. first to be based in the Gulf near Bahrain, across from Iran,” “A senior U.S. official insisted the exercise is not aimed specifically at Iran, although it reinforces a U.S. strategy aimed at strengthening America’s ties with states in the Gulf, where Tehran and Washington are competing for influence.”According to former UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter: “The path that the United States is currently embarked on regarding Iran is a path that will inevitably lead to war. Such a course of action will make even the historical mistake we made in Iraq pale by comparison.”

(*C)As Zbigniew Brzezinski has said: “In a war with Iran, we'll get dragged down for 20 or 30 years. The world will condemn us. We will lose our position in the world." (*D)Is Bush is operating on the principle that “after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along?” (Articulated by Herman Goering, one of Adolf Hitler’s henchmen.) (*E)Will a “Gulf of Tonkin” incident with Iran do the trick for the President?

Would a 9/11 size casualty loss such as a big carrier be within his budget?
Douglas Marshall, LCDR USN Ret.24
Powderhorn Way
Sandwich, MA 02563
508-429-3151

NOTES FOR BACK GROUND:

A) For the Full Defense News article see:

B) For fuller background on Defense News see:By its own description “Defense News and its Web site, DefenseNews.com, are part of the Army Times Publishing Company, the leading military and government news periodical publisher in the world.”

C) See: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/16/144204

D) See Vanity Fair, 2006: Zbigniew Brzezinski’s "I think of war with Iran as the ending of America's present role in the world. Iraq may have been a preview of that, but it's still redeemable if we get out fast. In a war with Iran, we'll get dragged down for 20 or 30 years. The world will condemn us. We will lose our position in the world."

E) See Scoop New Zealand - 2006-08-28:

(Hermann Goering) as quoted in an article entitled “US vs. Iran - Is An Attack Inevitable?:”

“Naturally, the common people don't want war ... but after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.”