Posted on 10/17/2004 6:56:37 AM PDT by Phsstpok
The earlier thread about the October Surprise "Mutiny" hit piece on this mornings Today show prompted me to do some Googling to try to see if there were any connections of note. I felt that even the little evidence I found warranted a quick heads up and (forgive me) a separate thread as a call to action. I have no particular standing to do this, but this concerned me enough to fire off a flare.
It looks like the extreme left is orchestrating an October Surprise propaganda campaign against the war in Iraq and President Bush by staging a "mutiny" of reserve troops (appears to be 5 of 'em, when you get down to it) and playing it the way they played Abu Gharib.
First, the basic story. Reports surfaced on Friday, the 15th, that troops in Iraq had refused a "suicide mission" and were under arrest and held in close guard. A small handful of "frantic" family members began reporting "unfair practices" and "unsafe conditions," desperately calling on (the usual suspects) politicians to save their loved ones from cruel fate.
Some excerpts:
Daily News, October 17, 2004:
Calls, E-mails explain troops' alleged mutiny
The military has begun punishing some of the 19 Army reservists who balked at what they called a "suicide mission" and a "death sentence" in Iraq last week.
Some members of the South Carolina-based 343rd Quartermaster Company refused to transport fuel between the Iraqi cities of Tallil and Taji Wednesday morning, saying they had no protection for the dangerous trip.
now here's the kicker from the Daily News piece:
Citizen Soldier, a New York-based, nonprofit military rights group, has offered ... its help.
Citizen Soldier is not a "military rights group." It is a virulently anti-American and anti-Military extreme left front group. Their motto on their web site is: "Prepared to Challenge U.S. Militarism in the New Millenium."
Citizen Soldier also has close ties to John Kerry, as it's director Tod Ensign, was one of the organizers of Kerry's discredited Winter Soldier propaganda event in 1969, along with Jeremy Rifkin. This connection is the one that set off my alarm bells.
I couldn't figure the Mississippi angle till I found this in The Clarion-Ledger of Hattiesberg, Mississippi:
Platoon with Mississippi soldiers defies orders 17 soldiers placed under arrest in Iraq
A 17-member Army Reserve platoon with troops from Jackson and around the Southeast deployed to Iraq is under arrest for refusing a "suicide mission" to deliver fuel, the troops' relatives said Thursday. The soldiers refused an order on Wednesday to go to Taji, Iraq - north of Baghdad - because their vehicles were considered "deadlined" or extremely unsafe, said Patricia McCook of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Larry O. McCook.
and again, buried in the piece, is the clue to the source and spin:
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said he plans to submit a congressional inquiry today on behalf of the Mississippi soldiers to launch an investigation into whether they are being treated improperly.
Bennie Thompson is one of the more radical members of the Black Caucus. He is a leader in the "fair play for Fidel Castro" movement in Congress. He is often the designated "hit man" in attacking minority members of the Bush Administration, particularly Dr. Condoleezza Rice. He was a rabid Deaniac, but shifted his loyalty to Kerry when Dean fell on his own scream.
The Salon hit piece ties this squarely to the Washington/DNC/Carville slime machine:
The inside story of the Army platoon that refused to carry out a "death sentence" mission.
is by Mary Jocoby, Salon's Washington Correspondent. Jacoby is one of Salon's "reliable" writers who can always be counted on to spew hate at George Bush, in particular, and Republicans in general. She rates Seymour Hersh as a "crack investigative reporter" and has authored anti-Bush hit pieces such as "The Dunce," "George W. Bush's Missing Year" and "Swaggering toward Election Day."
What is truly amazing about these pieces on the "mutiny" is that they appear to have been ready to go before the incident took place. These folks had their stories straight and remarkably consistent in record time, even before the news had reached the regular news cycle on CNN, who jumped on this in record time.
Folks, this is a set up. But it's a set up that, like many of the Kerry camps dirty tricks, they've had to fire off prematurely to try to distract the news media from a Kerry gaffe. Pulling the trigger on this was timed to try and keep the disastrous Mary Cheney attack off of the Sunday morning talk shows. These soldiers are pawns who were told that they would be used to unseat a sitting President (with undoubted hints of vast rewards from a Kerry administration) but they are being sacrificed, just like pushing a pawn, to protect the dims' king.
Yeah, but in today's military your as likely to get a "screw that" to a "fix bayonets" call, not because the troops aren't willing to fight, but because they want to pull out the (un-authorized) Mossberg they've got under the seat, or the (very un-authorized) Talon Tomahawk, or their (even more un-authorized) Katana.
At least that's how the Force Recon guys are teaching my son (shhhh, I'm not supposed to tell).
Thanks much! No book currently planned--not enough time before the election--though if one might help unseat Kerry from his Senate seat it may be considered.
Hmmm--compare that with this group linked to Norma Becker of the Fifth Avenue Vietnam Peace Parade Committee, another old VVAW ally:
Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
Staff members are also members of the board.
They sure are! I almost lose my lunch every time I see one!
Lots of familiar names, on that list and the prior. Another common thread might be WRL (just thinkin' here).
In Phsstpok's first post, they said: "What is truly amazing about these pieces on the 'mutiny' is that they appear to have been ready to go before the incident took place."
That seems right out of the playbook and reminded me of Project Air War and related organizations who were well prepared to protest, having knowledge in advance of seemingly unpredictable events.
"Another common thread might be WRL (just thinkin' here)."
I almost mentioned the same thing :)
I'll refresh this as I get more names, links and quotes
Note: this is before incorporating most items posted during the business day on 10/18
Other FR threads:
Unit That Refused Iraq Duty Said Released - AP ^ | 10/16/04 | REBECCA YONKER
Army Looks Into Complaint From Reserves (Fox News)
Doubts about US morale in Iraq as troops refuse 'suicide mission' (my blood is boiling now) (The Guardian)
Mississippi Paper Breaks News of Army Reservists Refusing Dangerous Iraq Mission
AP ^ | October 15, 2004 | APArmy probing possible mutiny San Antonio Express-News. ^ | 10/16/2004 | Sig Christenson
GIs who refused job had unarmored trucks courier press ^ | 10 17 04 | JIM KRANE
CBS' Mutiny: From Forgery To Snitch Men's News Daily ^ | 10/18/04 | Bob Parks
MSM articles:
All of us refused to go' New York Daily News
Revolt in the ranks in Iraq Salon, Mary Jocoby
Unit That Refused Iraq Duty Said Released - (AP ^ | 10/16/04 | REBECCA YONKER)
5 troops may get general discharge (Clarion-Ledger)
Platoon defies orders in Iraq (Clarion-Ledger via Marine Corps Times)
Army Looks Into Complaint From Reserves (Fox News)
Doubts about US morale in Iraq as troops refuse 'suicide mission' (my blood is boiling now) (The Guardian)
Mississippi Paper Breaks News of Army Reservists Refusing Dangerous Iraq Mission
AP ^ | October 15, 2004 | APArmy probing possible mutiny San Antonio Express-News. ^ | 10/16/2004 | Sig Christenson (NOTE: check relevant text in linked FR thread - San Antonio Express-News requires registration)
GIs who refused job had unarmored trucks (Courier & Press News / AP - JIM KRANE )
Six Degrees of John Kerry lists of names (for research):
"Mutineers"
| Name | quoted relative or source | Article referenced | Information / quote |
| Sgt. Justin Rogers | Harold Casey (grandfather) | Unit That Refused Iraq Duty Said Released (AP) | his grandson told him Saturday that he and other soldiers had been detained by military authorities but were later released his grandson, Justin Rogers, 22, called him Saturday to tell him that he and other soldiers were put under armed guard after refusing to deliver the supplies "The fuel was contaminated for the helicopters," Casey said his grandson told him. "It would have caused them to crash. ... They saved lives." |
| Spec. Joseph Dobbs | Beverly Dobbs (mother) | All of us refused to go (NY Daily News) | told online magazine Salon she got a panicked call from her son Wednesday. "Mama, we're in a lot of trouble," he said. "We had some contaminated fuel. We went out on this mission, and they turned us back, and our captain got mad and was gonna send us out on another mission," Beverly Dobbs recalled her son saying. "We refused to go because our vehicles were in awful shape. The place they wanted to send us was dangerous. We had to go without guns. All of us refused to go. We're not risking our lives like that." |
| Sgt. Larry McCook | Patricia McCook (wife) | Unit That Refused Iraq Duty Said Released (AP) | her husband called Friday and said the soldiers had been released after being detained her husband said five members were reassigned because "they said these five really instigated the entire process." |
| Patricia McCook (wife) | 5 troops may get general discharge | Thompson said he reviewed a faxed plea from Patricia McCook to his office after a Clarion-Ledger reporter called it to his attention. | |
| Sgt. Michael Butler | Jackie Butler (wife) | Platoon defies orders in Iraq | “I got a call from an officer in another unit early (Thursday) morning who told me that my husband and his platoon had been arrested on a bogus charge because they refused to go on a suicide mission,” said Jackie Butler of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Michael Butler, a 24-year reservist. “When my husband refuses to follow an order, it has to be something major.” |
| 5 troops may get general discharge | Jackie Butler, Sgt. Butler's wife, said her husband told her "a lot of stuff is going on, and he's just taking it day-to-day" right now. She said Butler on Saturday did not mention a discharge. "I would be happy with that if it is true," she said. "At least I would have him and wouldn't have to worry about him being over there." | ||
| Pfc. Colin Durham | Nadine Stratford (godmother) | All of us refused to go (NY Daily News) | Citizen Soldier, a New York-based, nonprofit military rights group, has offered her its help. "I haven't heard a word. I feel worried," said Stratford, 46, who spent the morning scouring newspaper accounts of the alleged mutiny. "It had to be something bad for him not to want to go," she said. |
| Amber McClenny | Teresa Hill (mother) | Platoon defies orders in Iraq | McClenny, 21, pleaded for help in a message left on her mother’s answering machine early Thursday morning. “They are holding us against our will,” McClenny said. “We are now prisoners.” The convoy trucks the platoon was driving had experienced problems in the past and were not being properly maintained, Hill said her daughter told her. |
| Teresa Hill (mother) | Doubts about US morale in Iraq as troops refuse 'suicide mission' | Ms McClenny told her mother that the convoys were normally escorted by armed Humvees and helicopters but that they did not have that support on Wednesday. "They knew there was a 99% chance they were going to get ambushed or fired at," Ms McClenny's mother said. "They would have had no way to fight back." She said her daughter had told her that the vehicles had been poorly maintained. |
|
| David Martin (CBS News National Security Correspondent) | CBS' Mutiny: From Forgery To Snitch | "Other soldiers told their families the fuel they were supposed to deliver was contaminated and there was no point in undertaking the dangerous drive. Amber McClenny left this message on her mother's answering machine." Audio of Specialist Amber McClenny, U.S. Army: "Hi Mom, this is Amber. This is a real, real big emergency. I need you to contact someone. I mean raise pure hell. We, yesterday we refused to go on a convoy to Tajii which is above Baghdad. We had broken down trucks, non-armored vehicles. And we were carrying contaminated fuel. They're holding us against our will. We are now prisoners." - (as reported by David Martin during CBS Evening News, October 15th, 2004, via Men's News Daily) |
|
| Spc. Scott Shealey | Ricky Scott (father) | 5 troops may get general discharge | "My son said they are getting ready to be discharged and would be home in three or four weeks," said Ricky Scott of Quinton, Ala., father of Spc. Scott Shealey. "It's just a boot ... some way to put some type of close to this while using them as scapegoats." Scott said his son told him some members of the 343rd, a supply unit whose general mission is to deliver fuel and water, left their station at Tallil Air Force Base for Taji, Iraq, days before the ultimate refusal of orders. The fuel was denied in Taji because it was contaminated and could not be used for aviation purposes, he said. The soldiers, who were not being escorted by armed personnel, were fired upon during their return trip by about 50 insurgents but were able to make it back without casualties. |
| Spc. Aaron Gordon | Kathy Harris (mother) | Army probing possible mutiny | "I think I know my son and he's a good soldier," said Kathy Harris, a 47-year-old Fort Sam Houston civil service worker. "He's proud of what he's doing. He's not trying to avoid what he's doing or trying to get out of the military." (Note: this sounds like one of the folks who got fooled by the ringleaders - just personal, gut feeling - PHSSTPOK) |
Military personnel involved or referenced
| Name | Position | Article referenced | Information / quote |
| Brig. Gen. James E. Chambers | commanding general of the 13th Corps Support Command | U.S. general promises to review protective measures for supply vehicles after reservists refuse mission in Iraq | all soldiers involved in the incident had returned to duty and it was ''too early'' to determine whether any of them will face disciplinary action. Chambers told reporters the command will ''assess armor'' on supply vehicles, which are often subject to insurgent attack, and add steel plating if necessary. He denied claims by some of the soldiers to their families that the fuel they were to deliver was contaminated. |
| Gen. Vows Review of Iraq Safety Measures | "In Jim Chambers' opinion, the most dangerous job in Iraq is driving a truck," he said. Soldiers take their missions realizing "it's not if, but when, they will be attacked." On Wednesday, 19 members of the platoon did not show up for a scheduled 7 a.m. meeting in Tallil to prepare for the fuel convoy's departure a few hours later, a military statement said. |
||
| GIs Who Refused Job Had Unarmored Trucks | "Not all of their trucks are completely armored. In their case, they haven't had the chance to get armored," said Brig. Gen. James E. Chambers, commanding general of 13th Corps Support Command, which sends some 250 convoys ferrying Army fuel, food and ammunition across Iraq each day. Chambers said 80 percent of the 13th Coscom's 4,000 trucks have been fitted with custom steel plate, but some of those in the unit that balked, the 343rd Quartermaster Company, were among the last left unarmored, because the unit's mission normally confines it to a less dangerous part of Iraq. "They were concerned about the maintenance," Chambers said. "If there is a maintenance issue, we'll clear it up." He denied claims by some of the soldiers to their families that the fuel they were to deliver was contaminated. |
||
| Col. Darrell Roll | deputy to Brig Gen. James E. Chambers | ||
| Brig. Gen. Charles J Dunlap Jr | formerly Lt Col., deputy staff judge advocate currently Brig. Gen. Air Combat Command |
The US military: A creeping civilian mission | published an article titled "The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012" |
| Sgt Salju Thomas | Combined Press Information Centre in Baghdad. | Doubts about US morale in Iraq as troops refuse 'suicide mission' | "The soldiers raised some valid concerns. Unfortunately, it appears a few soldiers chose to express those concerns in an inappropriate manner, leading to a temporary breakdown of discipline." Sergeant Thomas stressed that the soldiers had not been detained or arrested. Two investigations have been set in motion by the 13 Corps Support Group. One, in Tallil, where the unit is based, will look at the nature of the soldiers' complaints, including the state of their equipment. The second will study "whether any offence of a disciplinary nature has been committed and what other measures may be necessary", said Ser-geant Thomas. |
Politicians/Pundits pushing the story
| Name | Position | Article referenced | Information / quote |
| Rep. Bennie Thompson, | Congressman, D Miss | KnoxNews.com: | Thompson's office received a letter from Patricia McCook of Jackson, Miss., on Thursday, relating concerns about her husband, Sgt. Larry McCook, and 16 others "being detained or possibly arrested in Iraq," said the congressman's legislative assistant, Karis T. Gutter. The office had received earlier correspondence concerning "ill-equipped vehicles," he said. |
| 5 troops may get general discharge | Thompson said he reviewed a faxed plea from Patricia McCook to his office after a Clarion-Ledger reporter called it to his attention. | ||
| Dan Rather | Anchor, CBS Evening News Reporter, CBS 60 Minutes Wednesday |
CBS' Mutiny: From Forgery To Snitch | "Good evening. Mutiny: It's supposed to be unthinkable for soldiers in wartime. Troops refusing to follow orders in a combat zone. But with U.S. casualties in Iraq mounting, along with some complaints about lack of proper equipment and not enough troops, American commanders are being forced to think about troops refusing missions. And in one case that, I emphasize, is still being investigated, nothing proven, members of a U.S. Army logistical unit may have rejected an order they considered too dangerous." - (opening of CBS Evening News, October 15th, 2004, as reported by Men's News Daily) |
| David Martin | CBS News’ national security correspondent | CBS' Mutiny: From Forgery To Snitch | "With many of Iraq's major roads turned into shooting galleries, 19 members of an Army Reserve unit are under investigation for refusing an order to drive a convoy of fuel trucks. Sergeant Patrick McCook told his wife they refused to go because the trucks they were driving weren't adequately protected." - (report during CBS Evening News, October 15th, 2004, as reported by Men's News Daily) |
.
Contradictions / Changes in the Story
| Source | 1st version | Source | 2nd version |
| KnoxNews.com: | Thompson's office received a letter from Patricia McCook of Jackson, Miss., on Thursday, relating concerns about her husband, Sgt. Larry McCook, and 16 others "being detained or possibly arrested in Iraq," said the congressman's legislative assistant, Karis T. Gutter. The office had received earlier correspondence concerning "ill-equipped vehicles," he said. | 5 troops may get general discharge | Thompson said he reviewed a faxed plea from Patricia McCook to his office after a Clarion-Ledger reporter called it to his attention. |
Evidence of Enemy Action
| Article / Post | Source | Content / Information |
| Marching for Saddam | Insight Magazine Online | (Andy) Stapp (chairman of the American Servicemen's Union) committed himself and his organization to armed violence and to promoting mutiny within the U.S. military. According to the transcript of his speech broadcast over Radio Pyongyang, Stapp stated, "The American Servicemen's Union will study as documents, that must be read, the works of genius of Marshal Kim Il-sung. ... With the juche idea as the guiding compass of struggle, we will consolidate the branches of the American Servicemen's Union in order to rally more soldiers around the organization. In this way the American GIs will fight against their real enemies, against the policy of aggression and war enforced on them by the U.S. ruling circles and the fascist military officers." He added that his goal was "to build a powerful American Servicemen's Union that will turn the guns against their fascist officers. ... If the American Servicemen's Union cuts the windpipe of U.S. imperialism inside the army while at the same time it is mutilated in all parts of the world, U.S. imperialism will surely perish forever." |
Michael Savage is talking about this now. This is the first time that I heard the actual phone call from the coward to her mommy.
I'm not a copter mech (worked on alot of diesels and gas motors even a few planes) but more than likely it would just run like Sh!t and smoke like hell. They are basically the same thing. One is more refined than the other. Alot like regular and premium. Both will run in a hot rod but you won't win any races.
It's weird how when I see some of the names now I immediately want to be sick.
I know the feeling! After seeing some of these names enough times you start to expect them. They change the names of the front groups periodically but it's the same people and core groups.
Well you might want to add a "Hardball" catagory because I just saw that lil'crissy mathews is gonna have this "topic" on pmsnbc tonite @ 7:00pm est.....just a "heads up"....
Great work Phsstpok !!! and a BTTT !!
Agreed. Especially interesting that another unit completed the assignment. Reel in a nice fat congressman?
Wow, great compilation/chart! My humble suggestion: start a new thread so this info doesn't get buried.
I'm in the process of "de-freeperizing" the tables to make it less FreeRepublic thread specific. I'm also working on an essay trying to bring all of the pieces together. I'll post it on my web site and provide a link back here in the thread.
I'm tempted to add in the Pat Robertson bruhaha as another apparent staged "incident." Pat said it, I gather, but did CNN play with the editing? Is it possible that the sKerry people promised him something (Pat is convinced that Bush wants to partition Jerusalem)? Is it possible that one of the infamous Clinton White House FBI files is on good old Pat?
I probably won't include it in this effort, but it looks interesting on its own.
Thanks for the kind words, by the way.
Hey, I tried to go to Pat Robertson's site to find out. Google News had this link. http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/News/041019a.asp
Unfortunately...my computer problem of late wouldn't show the page.
Hope something is there for you.
I think this is exactly the point. I don't think it would be dangerous in either application. The Grunts statement that by not delivering the fuel "saved lives" is just over the top.
It all boils down to they screwed up and were looking for mommy or grndpa to bail them out. Let's face it, you don't call home to complain when you don't like what your CO tells you to do something you don't agree with. It is just not done, period.
bump for update. thanks for your continuing work on this.
here's something to run in the background as you work: http://pages.sbcglobal.net/bommer/When_The_Man_Comes_Around.html -- by Bommer
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