Posted on 03/10/2010 7:15:24 AM PST by Interesting Times
Adam Kokesh, candidate for the Republican nomination for the US House of Representatives from the Third District of New Mexico, is doing his best to deceive the electorate. He portrays himself as a libertarian conservative, but he is neither libertarian nor conservative (unless he reinvents himself again). Most egregiously, he is attempting to portray himself as a patriotic anti-war/anti-military veteran in a manner reminiscent of John Kerry and Vietnam Veterans against the War (VVAW), in which Kerry tarnished the valor of his brothers-in-arms in order to advance his political career.
As did VVAW, Kokesh's Iraq Veterans against the War (IVAW) holds that America is an imperialistic country, that the military is merely a tool of the government, and that our soldiers are little more than marauders and murderers who, in the words of John Kerry, behave ''in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan.''
I first met Adam when he and a motley group of Code Pink, MoveOn.org, IVAW (Iraq Veterans against the War), and other ''representatives'' of radical anti-American organizations formed up in front of the Army recruiting station in Washington, DC. Their clear intent was to create a disturbance, but the presence of a few dozen Gathering of Eagles members caused them to reconsider their plans.
I approached Adam and struck up a conversation, during the course of which I learned that he considered himself to be a libertarian. I replied that I considered myself a libertarian, as well, and that perhaps we could agree to disagree on the specific issue of the Iraq war. He seemed amenable to that, but his group reconvened in front of the recruiting station a few weeks later and trashed the place. It was then that I realized that the Adam Kokeshes of the world cannot be relied upon to compromise.
The next time I encountered Adam was last summer at an economic conference in St. Louis. That was when I first learned that he was running for Congress. He presided over a "promote Kokesh" seminar that I attended. He spouted off a basic libertarian message without including any of his own biography, which is, to say the least, nasty. Significantly, he claimed to have been honorably discharged as a sergeant from the US Marine Corps. Both claims are false, as will be demonstrated below.
Adam Kokesh is, in my view, a traitor to his country, and certainly to the United States Marine Corps, in which he "served" as a reservist for several months in a civil affairs unit in Iraq. Upon returning to the States, he enrolled in Claremont McKenna College in California.
While at Clarement McKenna, a pistol was stolen from his car, and Adam dutifully reported the theft to the campus police, who asked him where the pistol came from. Adam said that it was a war souvenir from Iraq, and it was not long before the USMC brought charges against him for smuggling an illegal weapon into the US. His then-pending discharge as a sergeant was changed to that of a corporal.
Adam just didn't know when to let well-enough alone, because in 2007 he was involved in a street demonstration in DC in which several anti-war protesters were arrested. It seems that he was involved in a bit of street theater in which he led a "combat patrol," in uniform, to protest the Iraq War. This event was sufficient newsworthy as to cause the Marine Corps to investigate Adam's involvement in what was obviously an unpatriotic act.
It seems that when the Marine major assigned the investigation contacted Adam by e-mail, Adam replied with a "f__k yourself," and the Corps thereupon initiated proceedings that resulted in his having his theretofore-honorable discharge downgraded to a general discharge.
Adam then continued to drive nails into his political coffin, as evinced by his visit to the US Army Garrison in Ansbach, Germany. His actions there were, by any measure, seditious, if not downright treasonous. In his own words, Kokesh imparted the following message to our troops:
"We are here to reach out to active duty members of the United States military stationed in Germany and let them know what they can do to help stop the US occupation of Iraq. Soldiers need to know that when they decide to resist, they will have the support and thanks of the global moral majority. We are also here to support the German peace movement. As in the United States, protestors are often dismissed as ignorant and childish, but with the voices of veterans backing them up, they have the credibility they deserve. It is clear that real change will not come from your government or ours, but rather from the righteous voice of compassion."
"The people of Ansbach have chosen to stand up not only to the imperialism of the United States, but also their own country's history of complicity. The US military has long chosen its own tactical advantage over the consideration of the people in the communities that it affects and claims to protect. It is sad that it has taken so long for Germans to make this stand, but we support them in their opposition."
"Germany has long been complicit in America's aggression. There is no longer any valid premise for the vast American presence in this country. It is not for your security or benefit, but supposedly for the benefit of America, and it is not in the world's best interest. The lesson of World War II should not be to remain silent during the next war of aggression." [Adam Kokesh; May 13, 2007; US Army Garrison, Ansbach, Germany]
A complete account may be viewed here.
His personal report is here.
Adam Kokesh probably wishes that he had not been so open about his disloyalty, because he is now pretending to be a patriotic, libertarian-leaning, conservative Republican in his congressional campaign. Sorry, Adam; that just won't wash. You have shown your true colors, and America-loving patriots just won't let you get away with your masquerade.
Go ahead and renew your ties with the Code Pink/Winter Soldier/George Soros/IVAW crowd. Take off that suit and tie, and let your hair grow long in a John Kerry-lookalike manner. Be what you want to be, as long as it's not pretending to be an American patriot.
Larry Bailey
Captain (SEAL), USN (Ret.)
Chocowinity, NC
American Patriots Against Kokesh
PING! to the New Mexico list.
Sorry not to have alerted the list earlier, but I have been really busy at work lately and will continue so for the next couple of months. I check in at FR at least a couple of times a day so you can ping me to a story and I can alert the rest of the list.
However, the NM Ping list is on my home page and anyone can copy and use it without waiting for me to see an article or ping.
And, finally, if anyone would like to be added or removed from the list, please FReepmail me.
I remember someone who was walking around at the Tea Party Express event passing out voting info on himself in Rio Rancho last year. Seems to me it was someone who claimed to be a Marine. I wonder if this was Kokesh.
Also, I think Villanucci has an open forum on Fridays that allows a guest to bring up any topic. It may be a good idea to chime in.
INDEED.
Adam Kokesh is a gadfly candidate in a district that’s safe for the other party. It’s best to ignore him.
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