The IVAW Board Series: S. Brian Reinhold
This is the final installment of the seven part series on the prospective IVAW Board of Directors – unless TSO decides to do an installment on Selena Coppa. We’ve seen four members of six who are more concerned with fund raising and being an activist anti-war organization than they are with being a veterans organization. Mr. Reinhold, however is so squishy that it’s difficult to tell what he thinks.
He gives no definitive answers to any questions. For example when asked where he sees IVAW in 2,5 and 10 years, he writes;
In two years the organization will still be pushing for an immediate withdraw from Iraq. Membership will grow based on this position.
In five years the organization will be pushing for direct withdraw from Afghanistan. Membership will grow based on this position. The inclusion of Afghanistan veterans will have to be reflected in the organization or will need a branch off organization to meet this need.
In ten years the IVAW will be large enough to support a possible merger with small organizations that will help us meet our collective goals without compromising our moral and just positions.
Huh? That’s pretty vacuous. But then he’s a teacher, what would you expect? Without the answer key, I’m sure he has difficulty with any questions. To his credit, he actually served in the military and served in Iraq;
My service time in OIF III consisted of Apache maintenance and logistic support without, thankfully, direct engagement. My civilian background is in the visual arts and education.
He mentions outreach, but I suspect he means to build the number of activists and not to help veterans with their problems;
The most pressing issues facing the organization are:
1) Membership: more outreach on bases, pr to active duty and reserves.
2) Creating a national bond between locals and members: time and action.
3) Political action: whether it be working with or deposing of politicians, IVAW should lead the way as an organization made up of people with national ties as strong as the military.
He lists membership in countless unions along with VFP and ANSWER (yep, that ought to make the parents of his students feel better) so we can only guess at his intentions on the IVAW Board.
Category: Antiwar crowd, Iraq Veterans Against the War
“that will help us meet our collective goals”
Sheesh, just quit farking around and stick a hammer-n-sickle on your friggin’ IVAW logo.
No shit, JuniorAG. Pretty soon they’re going to go to the Ward Reilly model and let people call themselves “Iraq veterans” if their cousin’s brother’s friend’s uncle’s sister served in Iraq. All to meet those “collective goals.”
This is better than HBO.
I love this blog!!
At least he is in favor of reaching out to AD, unlike Webb et al, whose outreach is just to ask them to engage in sabbotague.
“My service time in OIF III consisted of Apache maintenance and logistic support without, thankfully, direct engagement.”
So he sat on his ass in the FOB and protested the occupation by fighting troops? Oooo…impressive. I suppose he boycotted the icecream in the messhall to show his defiance.
Saying ‘at least he was in Iraq’ is like saying, ‘at least she was still warm when he had sexual relations with her body.’ in a trial against necro-freekie-ish-ness…
Good morning. First off, here is my correct name spelling:
Steven Bryan Reinholdt
This site was brought to my attention not a valuable source of information but an example of IVAW critique. I invite any source of credible critique in hopes of creating an open dialogue. This is not hippy-liberal action, it’s honest communication. I will not pretend to disagree with some positions I have seen briefly on this site, but will leave my comment since you have addressed my candidacy for the board of IVAW.
Your comments on my statement and questionnaire, despite the access you seem to have to the members portion of the sight, are in the least- honest. My intentions serving on the board were not based in mass amounts of experience in similar positions; it was only to describe my involvement and history working in the capacity of an educator. Nothing more, nothing less. Yes, I support my union. As do many members of varying political and social opinions. The comment about not having the answer sheet for direction is not in tune with the way I organize my curriculum. We have not spoken, I don’t fault you for the incorrect assessment. I assume by that you might be against standardized testing. On that we can agree.
The point about my lack of including veterans assistance in my future vision for IVAW is a valid one. Through the collective decision of the membership, our goals should be maintained through general principles 5 (veteran health-related issues) and, in some respects, 10 (our military being exhausted by multiple deployments, more so mental health in this case). We all need to come to the table and demand that veterans receive the care that deserve.
Including the friend of a brother who had an uncle who had a cousin who had a sister who had a friend who had an aunt serve in Iraq. Veterans all! Make sure they get taken care of as well.