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Follow-up
and commentary on the blog
talk radio show
featuring
Mr. Mullin's opponent, Adam Kokesh.
Below is a follow-up and commentary on the
blogtalk radio show
(http://vietnam-veterans.us/videos/ChandlersWatchKokesh232.mp3)
featuring Mr.
Mullin's opponent, Adam Kokesh. The extremely revealing and disturbing
admissions made by Mr. Kokesh in this radio interview are analyzed below.
This commentary is now distributed far and wide over the internet and
posted on many websites (www.americanpatriotsagainstkokesh.wordpress.com).
I take extreme exception to Mr. Kokesh
running as a Republican. As I stated in this radio interview with him, it
tore my heart out to hear him call my Son a terrorist, and me the mother
of a terrorist, as he stood out in front of the recruiting station at 14th
& L in Washington, DC, back in 2007. He made those vile statements to me
as he wore his Marine Corps jacket, and as my Son was serving his 3rd
deployment.
I will never forget Mr. Kokesh's behavior
that day and I am repulsed that he has the audacity to run as a Republican
in the New Mexico primary. It is my hope that Mr. Mullins is successful in
winning the primary in New Mexico to beat out Kokesh. His radical
associations and behavior since 2007 do not in anyway reflect
the principles of the Republican Party I have known all my life.
I wish Mr. Mullins victory in this race and
I proudly made another $100 donation to his campaign. He is the ONLY
Republican in this race! The donation is in the name judperl.
Good Luck and I hope the commentary below
is useful in your campaign!
Very Proud Mother of an 82nd Airborne
Warrior,
4 Deployments, Bronze Star Recipient,
Beverly Perlson
The Band of Mothers
The Negative Effects of the
Anti-Military Left on Our Veterans and Their Families:
A response to a Blog Radio interview with
Adam Kokesh
We often
hear from the leftist anti-military groups that their demonstrations and
activities are intended to help and support our troops. However, our
veterans and their families often report that these activities have a very
negative effect on them. An example of these negative effects was apparent
on the April 22, 2010 Chandler’s Watch Radio Blog show in which Adam
Kokesh was interviewed (http://vietnam-veterans.us/videos/ChandlersWatchKokesh232.mp3).
Mr. Kokesh is a member of the Iraq Veterans
Against War (IVAW), and he has an extensive history of engaging in
anti-military activities in alliance with groups such as Code Pink and
MoveOn.org.
Currently, he is running for US Congress – New Mexico 3rd CD as a
self-declared Conservative Republican. He was recruited and endorsed by
the Ron Paul Liberty Candidate group.
Mr. Kokesh
was invited as a guest to discuss his anti-military activities and the
impact of those activities on his current campaign for US Congress. A
Marine who is opposed to the Kokesh candidacy hosts Chandler’s Watch, and
Mr. Kokesh understood that he would be facing some tough questioning from
both the host and the callers.
Initially,
Mr. Kokesh attempted to defend his anti-war activities by minimizing the
contact that he had had with other radical groups and by saying that, at
that time, he believed that his actions were in the best interest of the
troops, given the “illegal” nature of the war. Further, he went on to
note that he has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and that his
support of our troops is evidenced by his involvement with attempting to
assist veterans with PTSD in obtaining services once they had returned
from Iraq.
During the
course of the show both a Gold Star and a Blue Star Mother phoned in.
What was most striking about their phone calls was the degree of anguish,
anger, frustration, and at times rage that was evident in their voices and
in their comments. They attempted to let Mr. Kokesh know just how painful
his actions had been to them and to their families, and how the attempt by
the radical left to impugn the honor and the integrity of their sons had
affected them. I know the Blue Star Mother personally; she is a tireless
supporter of our troops, even though her son has long since finished his
active duty. She is self-controlled and thoughtful, and it was surprising
to me to hear the depth of her anger, anguish, and yes, rage. Similarly,
the Gold Star mother’s voice was filled with the anguish and pain of
having lost her child, and the rage she feels towards the anti-military
leftist’s for their attempts to dishonor him. While I am not a Star
Mother, I AM a mother, and what I was hearing from these women could well
be described as “motherly rage”.
Mr. Kokesh
also heard from a Vietnam and a Desert Storm veteran, both of whom had
felt the wrath of the “radical left” upon their return from active duty.
Both of these men were well modulated in their comments, but the scars of
a country’s betrayal were apparent in their voices.
By the end
of the interview Mr. Kokesh, to his credit, did apologize for his IVAW
actions, and for the pain and suffering that those actions had caused.
Further, in his own defense, he reflected that perhaps his anti-military
activities were in part a result of his immaturity and that he felt he had
grown since then. He also noted that he himself had suffered from PTSD
following his return from Iraq. He again highlighted his interest in PTSD
issues in returning veterans as evidence of his commitment to the
well-being of our soldiers.
By way of
commentary, I would like to offer the following reflections to Mr. Kokesh
as regards PTSD in our returning soldiers and as regards the importance of
a mature character when running for national office.
Firstly,
most returning soldiers experience an Adjustment Reaction Disorder as they
make the transition from military to civilian life. This can be an
uncomfortable and anxiety provoking process, but it is actually expected
and normal. In contrast, PTSD is a prolonged and disabling disorder that
is differentiated from adjustment reactions in both its duration and
severity. One of the most important factors in guarding against an
adjustment disorder developing into chronic PTSD is the quality of the
environment in which the person is living. There is the need for a
supportive, understanding, accepting environment. This is hardly the case
when Code Pink stages “solidarity” marches through the streets of
Palestine and the IVAW burns an American flag at a “peace rally” in
Washington DC. Clearly a rejecting, judgmental and oftentimes
aggressively accusatory anti-military movement will do precious little to
mitigate against the onset of a full-blown PTSD.
Secondly,
I would like to comment on Mr. Kokesh’s statement that his IVAW activities
were a result of general immaturity on his part. I would agree with that
assessment. However, I would also note that little time has elapsed since
Mr. Kokesh was a very ardent and active member in the IVAW, and there is
nothing, other than his word, to suggest that he has matured away from his
radical leftist anti-military beliefs. This issue of “immaturity” is
especially troublesome, since Mr. Kokesh is aspiring to become a member of
the US Congress, a position that by its nature requires a mature and
thoughtful approach to very complex and stressful issues.
In
closing, I would hope that Mr. Kokesh’s experience on Chandler’s Watch
helped him to understand the pain and the anguish that groups such as the
IVAW have inflicted on our veterans and their families. I would venture a
guess that the views of the callers to the show are not unique within the
veteran community. While I do not have any specific polling data, I would
bet that most veterans are vehemently opposed to the IVAW and their
radical anti-military membership.
I would
suggest to Mr. Kokesh that, if he is truly interested in the issues
surrounding PTSD in our soldiers, he continue his education in Psychology
and devote more of his time to understanding both the disorder and the
negative effects of a radical leftist movement on this condition.
Perhaps
within the course of more extended personal self-reflection, and pursuits
of higher education, and practical real-life experience Mr. Kokesh might
gain the requisite knowledge, empathy, and maturity that are necessary in
order to be an effective and honest Congressman.
Carolyn
VanZorge
www.americanpatriotsagainstkokesh.wordpress.com
americanpatriotsagainstkokesh@gmail.com
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