American Legion VS Veterans of Foreign Wars............

[Joanne98]

Wayne Madsen Report
http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/

There is an interesting exchange between Mr Madsen and the editor of The American Legion Magazine...I didn't know the American Legion tried to overthrow FDR.

August 25, 2005 -- The Veterans of Foreign Wars trumps the American Legion when it comes to American values. The recent VFW convention in Salt Lake City featured 73-year old combat veteran Bill Moyer of Kentucky wearing a paper flap over his right ear during George W. Bush's ranting war speech. Printed on the ear flap was "Bulls**t Protector." At the same time, 2000 demonstrators, led by Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, gathered downtown to protest Bush and the war. Anderson was invited to speak to the VFW convention where his comments on the war were warmly received by the gathered veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and other military conflicts.

Such acceptance of growing anti-war opinion is not the case with the American Legion, the same organization that was exposed by Marine Corps General Smedley Butler for trying to overthrow President Franklin Roosevelt in a military coup during the 1930s. Speaking at the American Legion convention in Hawaii on August 24, National Commander of the Legion Thomas Cadmus commented on the various anti-war protests around the country: "Public protests against the war here at home while our young men and women are in harm's way on the other side of the globe only provide aid and comfort to our enemies." Cadmus has shown himself to be nothing more than a right-wing political shill for the Bush administration. The American Legion magazine has been turned into a vile propaganda rag for various neocon think tanks in Washington, including the horrid Heritage Foundation and Hudson Institute. What's more, Cadmus does not speak for all American Legionnaires,. Many Legionnaires, like their VFW colleagues, are participating in the anti-war protests and, no Mr. Cadmus, they are not doing so to "provide aid and comfort to our enemies." They support our troops by wanting them taken out of a war zone created by an insane administration. It is you, Mr. Cadmus, who is providing aid and comfort to our enemies by adopting the un-American tenets of the neocon movement.

By turning the tax-exempt American Legion into a political mouthpiece for the White House, Cadmus should be investigated by the IRS for violating the rules for non-profit organizations. If Cadmus wants to continue with his blatant political activities, let American Legion posts across the nation start paying taxes for their properties and the cheap booze they continuously ply to their alcoholic fixtures. -- Wayne Madsen, Past Adjutant, American Legion Post 85, Arlington, VA.

A few months after the invasion of Iraq, I had an interesting e-mail exchange with the editor of The American Legion magazine:

29 June 2003
To the Editor, The American Legion:

Your July issue contains a number of articles that can best be described as mere propaganda generated from the neo-conservative ideologues peppered throughout the Bush administration. These individuals, many of whom conveniently dodged the Vietnam draft, have hijacked American foreign and defense policy for their own narrow political purposes. "The Other Axis of Evil" by Paul Crespo gives weight to a white paper from the extreme right-wing Hudson Institute, while "Beyond Baghdad" is written by an official of the Hudson Institute. "A Farewell to Armistice" about North Korea follows the same neo-conservative line. Please do not allow your publication to become an echo chamber for the "neo-cons." As a veteran, I can speak for myself and many other veterans who object to the chickenhawk neo-con agenda, one that dismisses the opinions of flag rank officers and places our young military men and women in perpetual danger in a badly thought-out Iraq occupation and possible further military adventures as suggested by the above three articles.

Wayne Madsen, Arlington, VA

*** Dear Mr. Madsen,

Thank you for your message to The American Legion Magazine. Before accusing people of being "chickenhawks" or "dodging the Vietnam draft," you may wish to do a little more research. Paul Crespo is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Alan Dowd was seven years old when Saigon fell, and Mike O'Callaghan, a former Democratic governor of Nevada, is a Silver Star recipient who lost his leg in Korea.

Your point that many idealogues in the Bush administration evaded military service in Vietnam is accurate, but the same can be said of the previous administration. Draft evasion, unfortunately, is a bipartisan practice.

Sincerely,

John Raughter Editor USMC (1983-1990)

*** I did not accuse them of being draft dodgers or being chickenhawks, I was accusing them of serving the interests of those who are: Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Abram Shulsky, Dick Cheney, Harold Rhode, David Wurmser, Dov Zakheim, Scooter Libby, John Bolton, and the list goes on and on and ultimately also includes Messrs. Rumsfeld (weekend warrior between Korea and Vietnam) and G W Bush (AWOL weekend warrior). The draft dodgers in the previous administration did not place the country on an endless path to more unprovoked pre-emptive warfare and our previous Vice President did serve in Vietnam unlike either of the two top office holders in this administration. Many veterans were and continue to be patriotic Democrats who are opposed to this administration's unwise policies.

Wayne Madsen

***

I noticed that you left Bill Clinton off your list of "Chickenhawks." Were we ever attacked by Bosnia? Haiti? Or what about the air strikes he called on Afgahnistan , Sudan or Iraq?

I agree that many Democrats are patriotic Americans. Partisanship should have nothing to do with foreign policy.

*** "Partisanship should have nothing to do with foreign policy." In other words, just do what your dictators tell you to do and be about your business. On that particular note, my exchange with the editor ceased.

[oscar111]

1. wayne madsen? pls refresh memory, election 'O4 role

i recall , i think, he had some big story on election theft, a good story for exposing the theft.

what was it? I cant recall it exactly.

[Joanne98]

2. I love Wayne Madsen. He has a lot of good stories.

Some people think he's too tin foil though..

[ohio_liberal]

3. He wrote articles about Clinton Curtis and the company he worked for

If I remember correctly.

[Joanne98]

4. My favorite, "The Christian Mafia" he nails them to the cross.