Iona Craig journeyed to the site of last month’s U.S. drone strike in Yemen for the incident’s first in-depth account
See on america.aljazeera.com
War
Justice for Jonathan Mitchell
“In Albuquerque, NM, on a dark night in a quiet neighborhood, 23 year-old Iraq War Veteran Jonathan Mitchell was shot and killed in March 2013. He was killed by Donnie Pearson. Pearson has not been arrested due to a claim of self-defense.
…
There is a petition on change.org for the arrest of Donnie Pearson. Click here to sign.”
The Uncounted
“Bill and Christine don’t celebrate Christmas or their birthdays anymore. They stopped going to Thanksgiving get-togethers. It feels awkward, like nobody knows what to say to them. It upsets them to see parents with their children. Lynne worked at Chili’s in high school, so if they go out, it’s usually there.”
“One tragic number is known: 22 veterans kill themselves every day. But another is not: How many military spouses, siblings and parents are killing themselves? What is war’s true toll?”
Community Village‘s insight:
I can’t imagine much worse then to loose your children.
It’s strange how U.S. culture knows the psychological burden that veterans and their family go through – and yet the U.S. continues to invade sovereign countries and kill.
#BadKarma
See on www.cnn.com
The Invisible War
“THE INVISIBLE WAR is a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of our country’s most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within our US military. Today, a female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire with the number of assaults in the last decade alone in the hundreds of thousands.
Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of several young women, the film reveals the systemic cover up of the crimes against them and follows their struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice. THE INVISIBLE WAR features hard-hitting interviews with high-ranking military officials and members of Congress that reveal the perfect storm conditions that exist for rape in the military, its history of cover-up, and what can be done to bring about much needed change.”
See on www.youtube.com
Former soldier at center of murder of Iraqi family dies after suicide attempt
Feds: A former U.S. soldier convicted 5 years ago of murdering an Iraqi family died Saturday, two days after an apparent suicide attempt in his prison cell.
See on www.cnn.com
LaVena Johnson
“LaVena Johnson (1985-2005), an American soldier, was the first female soldier from Missouri to die in the Iraq War. The Army called it suicide. Her parents say she was beat up, raped, shot in the head and then dragged to a storage tent that was set on fire to destroy the evidence.”
See on abagond.wordpress.com
Why We Still Mourn for Wounded Knee
Community Village‘s insight:
This article has some historical details that I didn’t know. I recommend the whole article. There are so many good sections I didn’t want to quote just one.
Remembrance, reconciliation are focus of Dakota 38+2 Riders
NEW ULM – On horseback, bundled against the cold, a band of riders passed near New Ulm Tuesday, one day away from arriving in Mankato to commemorate one of the saddest, angriest moments in Minnesota’s history.
The Dakota 38+2 Memorial Ride originated in Lower Brule, S.D., has been making its way across South Dakota and southern Minnesota to Mankato, where on Dec. 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men were hung in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. Two other participants were hung elsewhere. It was the final act in the US-Dakota War, which had raged across this area in August of 1862, but just the beginning of the U.S. war against the Native Americans that ended with the Wounded Knee massacre. It was an act that has affected the souls and psyches of the survivors and relatives of those involved in the war, even today.
Since December 2008, the Dakota 38+2 Ride has covered the 330 miles from the Lower Brule reservation to the hanging site in Mankato.
See on www.nujournal.com
Drone art: Death on a canvas
A generation of Pakistani artists focuses on expressing life under daily violence.
See on www.aljazeera.com
“10 Years From Now, There Will Probably Be 1 Soldier for Every 10 Robots”
“American soldiers patrolling dangerous streets will soon be accompanied by autonomous robots programmed to scan the area with thermal imaging and send live images back to the command center.
Likewise, squads of infantrymen hiking through mountains will be helped by a wagon train of robots carrying extra water, ammo and protective gear.
Such scenarios are but a few years down the road, according to robotic researchers and U.S. military officials.”
Community Village‘s insight:
See on leaksource.wordpress.com