This one needs to be shouted from rooftops.
Kevin Tillman is the brother of Pat Tillman, the former NFL player who died in Afghanistan in what the military first termed as “killed in action” and later admitted was friendly fire. Both brothers enlisted in 2002, shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Kevin has written an extraordinary essay that contains all the thoughts he and Pat knew they would have to keep to themselves while they served our country.
You need to read it in its entirety and then email it to everyone you know. You can do both at Truth Dig but here’s part of this incredible work.
Much has happened since we handed over our voice:
Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.
…Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.
…Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.
…Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.
Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.
Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.
…Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.
Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.
Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.
…Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.
Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.
Somehow this is tolerated.
PATRIOTS FOR A FAIR CONTRACT WITH AMERICA
Kevin Tillman, pretty safe to say, would be ‘onboard’ with the general concept outlined below…
His statement, like recent Keith Olbermann commentaries, seems lit from within, kindled with TRUE “patriotism” –which by definition, speaks to generations. (The sunshine speech-riters shall fall by the wayside like so much roadkill)…
WHOA!
Takin’ us to WAR?
~You ForGOT to “ReCU$E” Yourselves!
“Who knows, maybe mainstream journalists might even begin questioning why a war cabinet of Texas oilmen lied their way into occupying some of the most oil-rich regions of the world. . .”
–Steven T. Jones / San Francisco Bay Guardian
A SLIPPERY-SLOPE QUESTION OF
[VIRTUAL!]
“SACRIFICE” IN “TIME OF WAR”
MORAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST ASKING IT?
–NONE.
WATCHIN’ ‘EM SQUIRM? PRICELESS.
Imperfect but Plausibly-“Effective” Compliance
to be “Increasingly” Monitored by the Blogosphere:
AN “OATH” OF MARTIAL OFFICE
To Strike or Not-to-Strike
A Potentially National
Moral Funnybone
In Requesting of Public Servants Exercising Fatal Authority In Our Name A Formal
“DECLARATION OF DISOWNERSHIP”
–A For-the-Record Concession that No Entitlement Exists to Present or Future Personal Profit ‘Demonstrably Connected’ to Any War Authorized, Promoted, Advanced or Otherwise
“Engaged on Their Watch”:
We the People Hold Ourselves Deserving of “An Explanation” Should the Answer to This “Recu$al-for-Life” Question be “No”.
If the Answer is “Yes”, Then Be It Understood:
Martial Planner Agrees
to Surrender-on-Demand Said Profit–
(Deliberate or “Unintentional”, Exposed or “Discovered”)
to Veteran Benefit Groups, College Funds For Children of the Fallen, etc…
IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
…IN AMERICA…
TO ASK OR NOT TO ASK?
~SHOULD NEVER
BE THE QUESTION
ironically? :
“relevant” as ever…
TRUTH TO POWER:
Healthy for the Media,
Good for Democracy–
Bad for “Our Due” Mind$et Public Servants
Moral Multi-tasking
~A question of courage
in a measure of character~
…for the Asking…
Reposted July ’06
That is BS!! Our elected leaders have balls and I am very happy they represnt us. You frickin people are so clueless it makes me sick and scared that we will one day as a a country be destroyed by sensitive liberal people as you. Thanks so much!
This Tillman family is using their son’s death as a politacal and religous tool just as they claim the Army used his death . It was a tragedy, yes. But no bigger a tragedy than any other soldier’s death in any other war. We should be proud of our soldiers and our country. Pat and his brother made a decision to join. The way his brother makes it sound, in this statement ,is as if they had apprehension about doing it. I can not believe Pat, a millionaire football star with a bright career, could of had any doubt in is mind he wanted to do this. War is not fair and it is definately not a mistake free enviroment. Pat died in war, regardless if it was in the heat of battle and by friendly fire, let it go. The Army did handle this wrong but does that mean his family should use that as a stage for their aethiest beliefs and liberal agenda? I am proud of Pat Tillman!!!!! His family should be too. It is my strong belief that his family should not use their son’s death, because he was a celebrity, as a tool to push their belifs and political stances on others. Their have been many soldiers that have died and their families do not use their deaths in this way,; maybe because their loved ones were only famous to them. Maybe the Tillman’s should tell their stories of atheism and liberal B.S. to the 3,000 plus men women and children of 911. Maybe Pat’s little brother can tell all of the kids that lost parents in 911 that their parent is “not with God they are @$%#&%^ dead.” I feel sorry for the Tillman’s that they lost a loved one, but I feel even worse for them on how they have decided to handle the death of one of many heroes that we call American Soldiers
Look how rightwingers like Brian and George hate our fallen troops and our vets. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves.
You’re delusional if you continue to believe that Iraq had anything to do with the 9/11 attacks. It’s people like you who have put this country in mortal jeopardy.
We understand you get your information from comedian Rush Limbaugh. What is sad is that your intellect is so limited that you can’t tell when he is lying to you.
It’s actually very simple: If Rush’s lips are moving, he’s lying.
Maybe it’s time for Brian and George to suit up and head for Iraq. YOUR president bought and broke – why don’t you guys fix it and let the rest of us deal with the real terror threats. Your team is obviously too incompetent to succeed, and the challenge is too important to leave it in your hands.
I find very revealing Mr Tillman’s concepts, regardless of the reasons to do so within an aparent contradiction of terms ( they must have both known the real reasons behind the war the moment they enrolled,as well as the risks )
Tomorrow you are going to choose again.
If your choice and its outcome do not bring a needed and expected turn in both your home and foreign policies, you will be the ones to loose more.
But since the half cooked stew that the majority of your electorate has, comprising religion and politics in one mesianic unity of what can hardly be called thought,isn`t very encouraging as to what may be expected as an example of common sense.
And since, untill now,the result has been turning this already violent world we suffer into a fascist nightmare without much apparent regret.
My conclusion is that the rest of the world will survive two more years of Bushism and Negropontism ,some of it as Iraq at a dire cost.
But likewise I’am not so sure all of you will survive them, or an inheritor such as Lieberman without embroiling in a second civil war,once more due to your own contradictions (and to the benefit of the rest of the world).
If it happens,as an hygienic need( such as the case of a high fever trying to cook a virus )the call to war, could well be the same held by Arnaud Amaury during the crusades against the Cathars .
“Finish them all, for god shall know his flock ” !.
Ergo my vote goes for Bush,in his role of virus, and just for the sake of the rest of us.
I’m on the 12th chapter of my manuscript, “Does W Stand for Worst?” and would v. much like to include Kevin’s ode in its entirety to his brother, Pat.
(SFChron., 8-24-06, p.B7)
Thank you, Frank Callahan, paratrooper, Korean War (1951-55)