Hey everyone.
My name is Casey J Porter and I am currently
deployed to Iraq. I am 28 and a SPC(P).
I have been Stop-Lossed 20 months beyond my
contract and am currently on my second tour.

I am a proud member of IVAW and came here to this message board to begin to bridge the gap. What I mean to do is to bring both sides of this war, Anti-Iraq war, and Pro-Iraq war, together, over common issues such as medical care, treatment, and better tac gear for our Soldiers.

I am of course not in favor of the Iraq war and speak out against when, and wherever I can.

I speak out about many aspects of the war. However, my problem is this:

I don't want to just preach to the choir. I have had many people thank me for speaking out, including vets from as far back as Korea. I give lectures and show videos and pictures from my first tour, and will do the same after this one, about what myself and others went through. But once again, I am speaking to people who's minds are already on the same side as mine.

Putting aside the fact that I am against the war itself, here are other issues I wish to bring people together on:

Soldier's being tricked into spending their
money with new cars, motorcycles, and other things, by big business.

Better armor and new equipment for Soldiers and their combat patrols. As a Tank Mechanic, I now also fix Hum-Vs. The Hum-Vs with there make-shift armor is a joke and new rides are needed. Everywhere I turn, I see flat screen TVs in waiting rooms and offices, why not spend that money on our guys?

Medical care is a joke in the active Army. I know first hand of lack of treatment we get. I want to bring Vets and civilians together to fix this mess. Both at the VA and for those still in service.

I am also a film-maker and have been making films about what goes on here and some of the issues above.

I will have to warn you that some of the videos contain vulgar language. However, it's the Army. Also, I have plenty of other non-war related stuff up.

They can be viewed here:
www.youtube.com/caseyjporter

I would like to know from people here how they view the Anti-Iraq war crowd and IVAW. I have met mostly good people since working with them. However, some are a little nuts and should keep their mouth shut. Please do not judge us because a few are a little nuts. Most are great and care about Soldiers deeply.

So, fire away! I look forward to answering your question.

Casey J Porter

Send the Anti-Iraq war cowards over there!

Well, I guess that means me!

Actually, I am in Iraq right now.

IVAW has my support and I hope you and the rest come home soon.

After promoting numerous fakers, and false accusations about the Iraq war I don't think I can ever trust IVAW or anyone associated with such an immoral organization.

Casey, good to see you over here man. Fellow IVAW member here... keeping our voices heard and educating the public of the atrocities occurring in Iraq is all we can do.

Unfortunately, as much as we may try, some people will not be able to shake off the brainwashing and mentality that all decisions made by our government and military commanders are proper and necessary.

quote:

Originally posted by runfuret:
After promoting numerous fakers, and false accusations about the Iraq war

Link?

http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/10/investigate_the_winter_soldier.html

Everything you need to know about "Winter Soldier Syndrome".

From the linked article...

"No veteran could fail to spot MacBeth as a phony - it took about 3 seconds. But IVAW couldn't do it until after he was outed by milbloggers."

I once claimed on my blog to own the Yukon Territory... guess that's true also?


Don't discount the service and stories of thousands on count of a handful of frauds.

Are you saying you dont believe that Jesse MacBeth was a member of IVAW? Google it.

Im not discounting anything except for IVAW. Im not saying that if you oppose the war that your opinion doesnt count for anything. I believe people can make very good arguments against the war if they do it intelligently. However IVAW doesnt make good arguments. Nor does it conduct business in an honorable and truthful manner. Thats why I dont trust that organization of the people associated with it.

No good arguments? The following is taken directly from IVAW.org:

Here are 10 reasons we oppose this war:

1. The Iraq war is based on lies and deception.
The Bush Administration planned for an attack against Iraq before September 11th, 2001. They used the false pretense of an imminent nuclear, chemical and biological weapons threat to deceive Congress into rationalizing this unnecessary conflict. They hide our casualties of war by banning the filming of our fallen's caskets when they arrive home, and when they refuse to allow the media into Walter Reed Hospital and other Veterans Administration facilities which are overflowing with maimed and traumatized veterans.
For further reading: www.motherjones.com/bush_war_timeline/index.html

2. The Iraq war violates international law.
The United States assaulted and occupied Iraq without the consent of the UN Security Council. In doing so they violated the same body of laws they accused Iraq of breaching.
For further reading:
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/proc/imtconst.htm
http://www.westpointgradsagainstthewar.org/

3. Corporate profiteering is driving the war in Iraq.
From privately contracted soldiers and linguists to no-bid reconstruction contracts and multinational oil negotiations, those who benefit the most in this conflict are those who suffer the least. The United States has chosen a path that directly contradicts President Eisenhower's farewell warning regarding the military industrial complex. As long as those in power are not held accountable, they will continue...
For further reading:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0714-01.htm
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/

4. Overwhelming civilian casualties are a daily occurrence in Iraq.
Despite attempts in training and technological sophistication, large-scale civilian death is both a direct and indirect result of United States aggression in Iraq. Even the most conservative estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths number over 100,000. Currently over 100 civilians die every day in Baghdad alone.For further reading:
http://www.nomorevictims.org/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1338749,00.html
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70A1EF...758DDDA10894DE404482

5. Soldiers have the right to refuse illegal war.
All in service to this country swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. However, they are prosecuted if they object to serve in a war they see as illegal under our Constitution. As such, our brothers and sisters are paying the price for political incompetence, forced to fight in a war instead of having been sufficiently trained to carry out the task of nation-building.
For further reading:
http://thankyoult.live.radicaldesigns.org/content/view/172/
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qa6ZHYcG_EM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1dAXQeH7y9g&mode=related&search=
http://girights.objector.org

6. Service members are facing serious health consequences due to our Government's negligence.
Many of our troops have already been deployed to Iraq for two, three, and even four tours of duty averaging eleven months each. Combat stress, exhaustion, and bearing witness to the horrors of war contribute to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a serious set of symptoms that can lead to depression, illness, violent behavior, and even suicide. Additionally, depleted uranium, Lariam, insufficient body armor and infectious diseases are just a few of the health risks which accompany an immorally planned and incompetently executed war. Finally, upon a soldier's release, the Veterans Administration is far too under-funded to fully deal with the magnitude of veterans in need.
For further reading:
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/
http://www.vets4vets.us/

7. The war in Iraq is tearing our families apart.
The use of stop-loss on active duty troops and the unnecessarily lengthy and repeat active tours by Guard and Reserve troops place enough strain on our military families, even without being forced to sacrifice their loved ones for this ongoing political experiment in the Middle East.
For further reading: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_loss_092704,00.html

8. The Iraq war is robbing us of funding sorely needed here at home.
$5.8 billion per month is spent on a war which could have aided the victims of Hurricane Katrina, gone to impoverished schools, the construction of hospitals and health care systems, tax cut initiatives, and a host of domestic programs that have all been gutted in the wake of the war in Iraq.
For further reading:
http://www.costofwar.com

9. The war dehumanizes Iraqis and denies them their right to self-determination.
Iraqis are subjected to humiliating and violent checkpoints, searches and home raids on a daily basis. The current Iraqi government is in place solely because of the U.S. military occupation. The Iraqi government doesn’t have the popular support of the Iraqi people, nor does it have power or authority. For many Iraqis the current government is seen as a puppet regime for the U.S. occupation. It is undemocratic and in violation of Iraq’s own right to self-governance.
For further reading:
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
10. Our military is being exhausted by repeated deployments, involuntary extensions, and activations of the Reserve and National Guard.
The majority of troops in Iraq right now are there for at least their second tour. Deployments to Iraq are becoming longer and many of our service members are facing involuntary extensions and recalls to active duty. Longstanding policies to limit the duration and frequency of deployments for our part-time National Guard troops are now being overturned to allow for repeated, back-to-back tours in Iraq. These repeated, extended combat tours are taking a huge toll on our troops, their families, and their communities.
For further reading:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mi...ll=la-home-headlines

Reading over those items... are you saying that you agree with NO PART of those statements? Not even a single one?

As I said, blanket statements are worthless. I fought honorably and with the utmost integrity despite disagreeing with all aspects of the Iraq war. So don't say you can't trust IVAW. I am IVAW and along with hundreds of others, our stories are legit and matter.

Those arent IVAW's. Those accusations have been around since forever. Heres the thing... If I were going to oppose the war I would do so in the association of a group that didn't have such questionable membership policies. Not ****** bag organizations like IVAW.

Now what are you going to defend? Your stance on the war, or your membership in IVAW? Which is more important?

And btw, the cost of the war is on credit. So it's not robbing us of any funds sorely needed at home. If the war were to end tomorrow we wouldnt have any more or less money than we do now.

quote:

Those arent IVAW's. Those accusations have been around since forever.

Semantics... fact is, it is those reasons, of which I agree completely, that I joined IVAW. You can question the integrity of individuals, but to blanket and question the integrity of an entire network of people is silly to me.

There has been GI's convicted of rape and murder in Iraq... does that mean that all GI's support those who rape and murder? See what I'm saying?

I can understand and appreciation that you question the actions of "some", but you shouldn't hold that against "all".

This is my last comment on this topic, circles never get anywhere...

The reasons for war in Iraq were fraudulent. The "credit" money which is funding the war machine is still money, the funds are coming from somewhere to build tanks, and provide flights to and from the combat zone for hundreds each day. Someone has to pay for all of that... resources aren't free.

Over 4,000 of my brothers and sisters have died in Iraq with tens of thousands suffering from physical or mental trauma. The situation in Iraq, while better than recent past, is still terrible. Shops aren't open, people don't have constant electricity in all places, no running water in some villages. It's time for Iraqis to run Iraq and let the Americans come home.

I have shed many tears over Iraq, so has my family... I am sure you have to. I have bled in Iraq, I have sweat through my cammies in Iraq... I don't want anyone else to have to suffer as I did. It's time to end this conflict.

I agree, the money is coming from somewhere, and yes our children will have to pay off those debts. That in itself is a good argument against the war. However its simply wrong to claim that the war is taking away money needed at home right now. The thing is I am not saying that everyone in IVAW is a fraud. I'm sure there are many inteligent and honorable people who are members of which I assume you are one. I just question the wisdom of associating with such a controversial organization especially concerning the war. If I were to be against the war I would want to be part of an organization with an impeccable record. The IVAW just doesnt have that.

Thats the reason I havent made any statements on this thread about wether I support or oppose the war. It doesnt matter if I do or dont. What matters is the immoral and untruthful behavior of said organization.