Well, looks like the long awaited civil war in the “Iraq” Veterans Against the War is about to start!

Big doings in phony baloney land!

First, it was announced yesterday (?) that Kelly Dougherty is leaving her position as Executive Director of IVAW. I like Kelly, have from since when I met her and she was very nice. (Jonn liked her fishnet stockings as well as I recall.) Kelly seemed to be a mollifying factor to the more extreme elements, so her leaving is a good thing from our point of view. And they’re [spelling corrected for all 30 comlpaining] replacing her with a doozey!

Alex Bacon comes to us from the Fort Lewis chapter, with extensive experience with nonprofit management, finance, fundraising, and administration. As the former Administrative Organizer for Jobs With Justice, he spent the last three years helping organize strategic direct actions and campaigns in support of workers rights. He also comes with a strong commitment to GI organizing and resistance, as one of the two creators behind Coffee Strong, the GI Coffeehouse at Fort Lewis. Alex is also a long time GI Rights Counselor and leader within the GI Rights Network. In 2006 Alex was active in organizing support in the NW for IVAW members like Ehren Watada and Ricky Clousing who were resisting participation in the occupation of Iraq. Alex holds a BA in Labor Studies, and prior to getting involved in this work enlisted in the Coast Guard shortly after graduating high school where he served for two and a half years before being discharged in July of 2003 for going AWOL.

Awesome! A coast guard deserter who left prior to OIF! I mean, you just can’t write humor like that. Add in that he’s an activist with Watada who deserted his men and his responsibilities and has worked with Socialist organizations and this guy is money.

Secondly, our own frendemy Army Sergeant is making a stand, and it’s a good one.

However, due to illegal and unethical manipulation of my proxy vote, Camilo Mejia managed to achieve a Chair position once again.

Many in the movement have a good opinion of Camilo Mejia. This is because they do not see the behind the scenes attributes that those in positions of leadership within IVAW do. This letter may well create a firestorm: I don’t care. People who value me for my ethics and bravery in speaking out against what they see as a monolithic machine need to equally value that bravery in speaking out against what I see as a cancer striking at the heart of the veteran anti-war movement. For the record, Camilo is also the member who wrote the previous email telling me I need to leave IVAW for VFF simply because I love America.

Camilo Mejia has behaved improperly and unethically in regards to the International Socialist Organization (ISO). He is a member, and his book is published by them. He is reliant on them for his bread. Yet he repeatedly has refused to recuse himself from any votes on the matter. It is his pernicious influence that had Haymarket Books, a known ISO tool, to be chosen as the publisher for the Winter Soldier book. They, in turn, and Aaron Glantz, an ISO member, excerpted pieces of our testimony. Patriotic IVAW members and those who loved America were often left out of the book, or their testimony was cut down to make it only what the ISO wanted to say….

We are not Iraq Veterans Against Everything, and we sure as hell are NOT Iraq Veterans Against Capitalism.

This is why I like Army Sergeant, she’s not afraid to tell even her own side that they need to knock off with the bull shit. Still don’t agree with her on the War, but she’s not the nefarious America hater some of you think she is.

Category: Politics