Saturday, September 11, 2010

9/11 manufactured consent anniversary

How did you observe the manufactured consent anniversary of 9/11?

Here's what I did. I posted my skepticism about 9/11 origins. I read about one of the freshly dead soldiers on Military Resistance 817 by Thomas F. Barton (This is an email newsletter I get. I am not sure where to read it in full online but it is great and compiles news you see nowhere else.)

New Jersey-Born Army Spec. Pedro Millet Meletiche Killed On Third Day At Afghanistan Front

Army Spec. Pedro Millet Meletiche

Spec. Pedro Millet Meletiche: Defense Dept./AP

August 25th 2010 BY Kerry Wills and Bill Hutchinson, DAILY NEWS WRITERS

A New Jersey soldier was killed on his third day on the front lines in Afghanistan, blown up by an explosive hurled at him by the enemy, officials and relatives said Tuesday.

Army Spec. Pedro Millet Meletiche, 20, of Elizabeth, was killed Sunday in the Arghandab River Valley when his unit was attacked as he was sweeping for mines.

“They sent him to the most dangerous part of the war,” his heartbroken mother, Denise, told the Daily News yesterday.

Her son was deployed to Afghanistan Aug. 1 and sent to the Arghandab River Valley on Friday.

Millet Meletiche joined the Army at the age of 17.

“He called me from the airport and said, ‘Mom, I’m leaving. I’m going in the Army,’” his mother said. “I didn’t know he was going. I said, ‘I don’t want you to go in the Army.’ He said, ‘I’m already on the airplane.’”

I read some of the Onion's 9/11 coverage for the last decade. My favorite:
  • On TV Tonight

    8:00
    9:00 10:00
    NETWORK
    ABC Attack On America America Attacked America In Crisis America Still In Crisis
    NBC A Nation Looks Around For Someone To Hit America On The Verge Of Flying Off The Handle America's Time Of Trial: Who Fucking Wants Some? You? Do You? How 'Bout You?
    CBS Dan Rather's 83rd Straight Hour On The Air Dan Rather Seriously Loses His Shit Medicating Dan Rather
    CABLE
    BET Wartime At The Apollow Tavis Smiley Presents: Terrorists Strike America—The White Man Finds Somebody Else To Fear And Demonize For A Change
    MTV The 100 Greatest, But, In Light Of Recent Events, Not As Important As Being Good To Our Loved Ones, Videos Of All Time You! MTV Extends Its Condolences Talking To Blink 182 About The Tragedy Carson Daly In Way Over His Head
    Lifetime Golden Girls Golden Girls Golden Girls Golden Girls Golden Girls Golden Girls
    History Last Tuesday In History Two Weeks Ago, As Told By Those Who Lived It Last Tuesday In History (rerun)
    Nickelodeon Clarissa Explains The Attack On America SpongeJohn SquareAshcroft Rugrats Rising
    Animal
    Planet
    Sharks: Terrorists Of The Sea The Noble American Eagle: Long May She Fly Fuck Everything, Here's Some Zebra Footage
    Public
    Access
    Patriotism How-To With Rainbow Steve Oh, Shit, Man... Oh, Shit Attack On America: Live Drum-Circle Coverage From Peace Park Extremely Uninformed Debate

I read Ten Reasons Not to Burn the Qur'an and then shared it on facebook.

I complained about a local public school having the kids put thousands of U.S. flags on the lawn every year. Because it "teaches kids to think." Yeah, I bet the ones riding by in the backseat of their mom's car while she picks up big brother have to think real hard to figure out what cemetery rows of the stars & stripes are supposed to stand for.

I had just heard from a girl in the first week of 9th grade that she is joining the Army because "they are going to send me to the Rhode Island School of Design. The recruiter promised." I wonder if she was even in double digits when the recruiters started talking to her.

I wrote to my Afghan-American friend about her Samsortya project regenerating trees in eastern Afghanistan. When I feel discouraged, I think about the last picture she sent me of those saplings thriving.

Then I watched this video made by Veterans for Peace member Jeanette McDermott of a bunch of us marching and talking about how the war economy (isn't) working for U.S. It has a lot of PINK in it plus VFP, IVAW, MFSO, and more, and a rousing rendition by emma's revolution of their song "Who Lies? Who Dies? Who Pays? Who Profits?" It lifted my spirits almost as much as the actual march itself. Thank you, peace friends, for being there.

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