Josh Simpson: Live up to the creed, socialismo o muerte!

The folks at 9/11 Families for America sent a link to an interview of Benji Lewis and Josh Simpson (who I wrote about the other day) conducted by Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer who was nicknamed the “Sweetheart of the Revolution” by Hugo Chavez for her blind and undying support for the Chavezistas. Of course, she supports Chavez’ revolution from the comfort and splendor of her Manhattan apartment and law offices.

Anyway, Golinger, who also writes for the uber-Left, pro-Chavez website Venezuelanalysis, doesn’t bother to check the background of her interviewees. This is from the bio at the end of the interview;

Josh Simpson, 27 years old, was a Sargeant [sic] in the US Army Counterintelligence Division. He was in charge of interrogations and source operations in Mosul, Iraq from 2004-2005. His actions resulted indirectly in the deaths of hundreds of Iraquis [sic].

So that’s like four jobs now that Simpson claims to have worked during his year in Iraq. I thought I had him caught in another lie when in his bio he claimed to have a degree in Political Economy from Evergreen University. Of course, that should be Evergreen State College, but they really do have a Political Economy program at ESC.

Sweet. Anyway, to the interview. Of course, Golinger’s first question and both Lewis and Simpson give the standard answer; they came from military families, they thought they were doing the patriotic thing, but they were lied to by society and the government. I’m pretty sure they’ve all rehearsed the answer. Lewis adds that he was brainwashed;

As I was in bootcamp the invasion was happening and we would see video clips of it set to heavy metal music to get us riled up. It was disturbing. Before every class in bootcamp they would show videos of people getting shot, killed, set to heavy metal music, and then as we were invading Fallujah, the PSYOPS (pyschological [sic] operations) units weren’t pointing the speakers at the people in Fallujah, they were pointing the speakers at us, playing the same music as they did in bootcamp.

Funny how “heavy metal” music only makes you want to kill when the military plays it for you. Simpson immediately reverts to his lies;

I was in charge of interrogations in Irak. And Source Operations, running sources to get information. I was in Mosul, Iraq. In Iraq, 95% of those detained and interrogated were innocent. The interrogations agitate the population against you. If they weren’t terrorists or insurgents when detained, they will be afterward! The reason why 95% are innocent and still detained is because the way to measure succes in Iraq, unlike in Vietnam where it was a body count, is based on the number of detainees. It doesn’t matter if they are women or children or innocent. I didn’t participate in physical torture and beat detainees.

Makes sense, doesn’t it? Detain people just for the sake of detaining them. Makes me think we’re winning when we have a lot of prisoners. Especially children. Nothing fills me with a sense of victory like children behind bars. You?

Well, Lewis can crank out bigger lies;

We thought we were going to Fallujah to neutralize an insurrection, but they didn’t tell us that the entire city had already been bombed by the US for about a week and a third of the population was already displaced or dead. We were being told that this was a mission of revenge, we didn’t know they were Blackwater mercenaries that had been killed, we were told they were just US citizens.

A revenge mission. That makes complete sense to me. Strategically it’s brilliant, right? Love those revenge missions. What Lewis is trying to say, of course, is that he wasn’t paying attention to the operation order so he’s got to make up some shit now.

Of course, Golinger keeps her politics completely out of the interview;

Didn’t you know it was a war for oil?

It’d be a damn sight easier to invade Venezuela to get oil than to fly an Army halfway around the world to take Iraq’s oil, you dumbass.

More sweetass lies from Simpson;

I was active duty for 5 years then I signed up for another 3 years as a reservist. I didn’t want to go back to Irak [sic]. I was told that if you join the reserves you can get a nice bonus and you won’t be deployed for two years. I was naive thinking the war in Irak [sic] would be over in two years.

Eight years is a first term enlistment, he didn’t “sign up” for another three.

Support the troops? Not Simpson;

Benji: The “support the troops” campaign has altered everyone’s perception.

Josh: I’m actually opposed to that campaign. People should have been more confrontational with the troops.

EG: Like in Vietnam.

Benji: The “support the troops” campaign was engineered to allow for indirect acceptance of the war.

Josh: People are scared to criticize the troops, it’s considered the most blasphemous thing in the world. At the same time, if you are never criticized than you will never know that what you are doing is wrong.

Benji: You can’t criticize the troops. It’s a poverty draft, these kids just do it because they have no other way out of poverty.

Josh: But you have to criticize them, because they will say they are just following orders, but that’s bullshit, the Nazis were just following orders too. The military is fascist, it’s basically blind, unquestioning obedience.

See that? All of Simpson’s comrades are just a bunch of Nazis and fascists. but, face-to-face Simpson would confront me and tell me how we’re all veterans and we shouldn’t treat each other like I treat him.

To prove they love the country that gave them the opportunities they’ve had and allowed them to travel freely to other countries to speak out against their birthplace;

EG: What would you say to the Venezuelan people about the US military buildup in Colombia?

Josh: Be prepared. Neighborhood and popular militias are the most effective way to deter the US – it’s working in Irak, and Afganistan. People with rifles can hold out forever. You’re not going to be able to defeat the US military with tanks and airplanes because they have more than all countries in the world combined. Live up to the creed, socialismo o muerte! Capitalism is in a major state of decline and it’s going to lash out. We have to fight it however we can, it’s the only way to exist. If Venezuela was attacked, and there was an Abraham Lincoln Brigade to defend Venezuela, I would come here in a heartbeat.

Benji: To me it’s obvious the US is gunning for Latin America. Latin America is one big resource for the US, that’s all they see, they see the people as a nuisance. The only thing the US is good at is invading other countries, that’s the only export the US still has, invasion.

IVAW in their own words.

Category: Antiwar crowd, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Phony soldiers, Terror War