Wow. Just Wow. Kevin Tillman speaks out
 

Kevin Tillman is a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with his older brother, Pat. He has been silent since his brother died in 2004.

Last week, he wrote this. It's as powerful as anything I have read about the war in Iraq, the leadership of our country, and American apathy.

It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.

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 back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.
Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

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 torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

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 America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

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.

Somehow nobody is accountable for this.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.

Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat’s birthday.

Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman

Must still be bitter over his brother.

Can't say I blame him if he is.

Yeah, what does he have to be pissed-off about?

It's Clinton's fault.

This has Sandy Berger written all over it.

This just doesn't smell right, too many lib talking points in there. If it's legit he has every right to say it, he's certainly earned that.

Then why did they volunteer if they had so many objections???

It's okay. Your brother is with Jesus in heaven now. He's done the right thing supporting the godly crusade of Reverend King George II. You need not worry.

CNN.com has the story, too. It certainly reads heartfelt. I'm sure he's bitter about Pat's death, too.

When you are making your tin foil hat this morning, make sure you add a few extra layers. :D

The "illegal war" stuff is what gets me, if it's illegal now it was illegal when he signed up. Maybe it's just the grief messing with his head, which is understandable.

No hat required.

It is on snopes.com, and has a status of "Undetermined - research in progress..."

-Z

An article in Sports Illustrated not long ago was very revealing about Pat Tillman and his brother. It took a couple of hours before I could get the article out of my head. It can probably be seen somewhere on the net. PT was quite an interesting man and his volunteering for the army was not done so much for patriotic duty as some would have you believe.

Wait a minute...I'm confused. Didn't he sign up, of his own free will?

chibone914 has it right...if they have so many ill-feelings and objections, why did they sign up?

The militairy has one primary purpose: to make war. If you're not OK with that, why join?

Actually, no. In America the sole purpose of military is to defend the states from invasion.

Of course, but what's a few hundred thousand illegal aliens a year between friends?

And occasionally spank a few uppity southern folk back into shape.

It actually DOES seem fishy. Its almost like Cindy Shehananagins talking points.

Re: Wow. Just Wow. Kevin Tillman speaks out
 

I think that in retrospect many Americans after 9/11/2001 felt a strong uniting need to follow the leader and be good soldiers . Although I signed no papers I stood faithfully behind Bush and our country's leaders as we invaded Afghanistan.

I kept my mouth shut but my eyes open as I was taught to do.

When I saw Iraq emerge as a target, not as an issue I saw it as a diversion from our mission. A diversion, which could turn our troops into "walking targets". This is when I strongly objected; this is when America split in two.

When I saw the evidence to make the case against Iraq, I smelled lies and deceit. I saw cowardice in Congress at an unimagable scale. Almost all were afraid to be singled out as un-American, thinking only in the short term, their next elected term that is.

Why has Kevin Tillman waited so long?

Why has America waited so long?

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/tillman.asp
Status: Undetermined.

Harddrive, what is with the comments about him signing up knowing all of this. I think you are reading something into the statement that isn't there. It seems pretty clear that there is a realization about the facts used to justify going in after the fact.

Just the same, the jury is still out about the statement being legit. Besides, the dude and his brother signed up and did their service. If he feels it was BS, thats his right.

Tillman did his duty, he followed orders and completed his enlistment honorably.

What he is saying, now, is that the President did not do his duty, perhaps the most solemn duty of the Commander in Chief.

It is a duty not to send men and women into combat recklessly.

Re: Re: Wow. Just Wow. Kevin Tillman speaks out
 

Mid-term elections are coming up. Whoever really put this together, whether or not Tillman agreed to put his name to it, knows that. The shameless Dems will stoop to anything to tug at their constituants's heart strings. Just look at their multi-term Congresswoman they *****-canned in Illinois in favor of their wounded anti-war vet. Pathetic then, pathetic now. Pathetic that some of you swallow this crap hook, line, and sinker.

I'm sure Tillman would take exception to your characterization of his beliefs as "crap."

I do.

Another of your comprehension problems. Read Jeff's post again, but this time concentrate on context. Do this three times then move on to my next sentence.




OK, good job, now do you see that the word "crap" was used to describe the Dem tactic of pulling at heartstrings for votes.


Now Jeff may feel Tillman's comments were also crap, I don't know....but it's clear that he was referring to the tactic as noted by his reference to the Illinois race confirms.

We'll get you up to speed soon enough.

You have become a true slicer and dicer of the English language. Bill Clinton would blush at your prowess.

Re: Re: Re: Wow. Just Wow. Kevin Tillman speaks out
 

The so called "crap"....................is it the document in question, or the alleged forgery of the document?

We need clarification Jeff Higgins.

As it reads, I think you have commited to a determinition of forgery, therefore the document and all of it's statements are "crap" as well as the intent of it's true authors.

Right?

If you think I'm the one playing games with words I'm worried you may need more help than I previously thought. I'm available nights for tutoring.:D

Rodeo, you missunderstand. Not so much Tillman's words (if they are in fact his) but the timing of their release, and the use to which they are being put. Look at the big picture. Tillman's suffering is meaningless, beyond the political gain they hope to achieve from it, to the scum that have so opportunistically presented his words at this time. It's their crap that you continue to swallow. It's their guiless tactics that you seem to accept, or even endorse, if the target (Dubya) is important enough to you.

So put your blinders on and continue to lap up (and celebrate) any morsel that falls your way. From exagerated Iraqi deaths, to mothers of war casualties, to mourning brothers; all cynically used to further an agenda withn no regard whatsoever to the poor folks living it. They are all simply talking points to your ilk.

I think you must have me confused with another poster.

Even Fox News is carrying the story. I'd say it's real.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Oct23/0,4670,TillmanBrother,00.html

No author on that, 5:02 October 21st update.

Leads to this, the claimed original publication:
http://www.truthdig.com/

Looking more legit, let's wait for Snopes top catch up.

Re: Re: Re: Wow. Just Wow. Kevin Tillman speaks out
 

You act like the Democrats are the only shameless bunch out there.

That is pathetic in and of itself.

I'm a democrat and I will state for the record that Democratic Politicians are shameless. I will however accuse the the Republican party of exactly the same thing.

Politicians as a whole are a shameless bunch. Maybe they should be; after all by many accounts both sides are whores to special interest groups.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

They have picked up the same AP story,, I say it's worth waiting for, the truth that is.

Harddrive,

Sorry. I must have skipped my meds today.

It does seem like the statement is legit. I don't seewhy some here are complaining that it is inappropriate timing to make it. The dude has every right to bring this up during the election season. Hell, at least he paid real due in this fight (thats more than I can claim). I don't understand why it could be called a dirty democratic tactic when it is a fair statement and a legit time to bring it up. Afte some of the Rove induced political tricks I have seen, this is most defintely the high road by comparison. I am sick of the double standard. Its just too bad that the republican party supporters don't like it. The guy paid a huge personal price and he went in with honorable intentions. If he feels used, it is his absolute right to say it when he chooses.

I find that offensive.

This is my country too.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Wow. Just Wow. Kevin Tillman speaks out
 

Uh, no Mike, I'm not trying to imply that at all. Both sides have amply demonstrated their ability to roll around in the gutter. Examples abound on both sides of the aisle. It can be a rather amusing game of one-upsmanship at times, as to which side can come up with the most innappropriate material to use against the other. We just happen to be discussing Tillman, his letter, and the timing of its release. Clearly engineered by Democratic hacks, so that is why I'm picking on them. This time.

The fact that elections are the only tool being used today to reel in government, just one of today's problems, means that bringing this up just before an election IS PRECISELY THE TIME TO DO IT.