30 Minutes To Say Goodbye

“Another gross miscarriage of justice by our government”
From Stand Up America:
Contact: standupamericaceo@gmail.com
www.standupamericaus.com

Most of you are aware of the facts in the case involving 1Lt Michael Behenna as detailed at www.defendmichael.com. These facts in and of themselves are horrific and represent a total betrayal of a young man who truly fought for his country against a determined and ruthless enemy. But few of you know the gut wrenching details that transpired after Judge Dixon denied the motion for a mistrial.

It was a Friday, March 20, 2009, three weeks after Michael was convicted of unpremeditated murder for the killing of Al Qaeda terrorist Ali Mansur. Before we left Michael's apartment to drive to the courtroom for the mistrial hearing, Michael gave his mother Vicki his billfold and car keys in case the unimaginable happened. Michael seemed prepared for the worst since he had been disappointed many times during his trial. Yet the thought that the Judge would not declare a mistrial seemed a remote possibility to us that morning. Based upon Vicki's experience with such matters as a federal prosecutor this should have been an open and shut case for granting a new trial. But at 2 PM that afternoon our world came crashing down when the judge denied the motion for mistrial claiming that Dr. MacDonell's testimony would NOT have changed the jury's verdict. He then told us that the defendant had thirty minutes to say good bye to his family.

We were stunned and in disbelief inside that courtroom. Tears instantly fell from our eyes at the news. Michael's girlfriend, Shannon, collapsed on the floor sobbing. Vicki and I reached for Michael, but he didn't want to be touched by anyone. Shannon's father was incensed at the prosecutors. Michael stood there stoically - his life changed forever. The family was ushered to a holding room where we had thirty minutes to say goodbye. Michael sat silently as one by one each of us hugged him and told him how much we loved him and that we would do everything possible to correct this injustice. Members of Michael's platoon told him to stay strong. A Sergeant Major that Michael had worked with on post the previous three weeks knelt beside Michael and told him 'You will always be a soldier.' He then stood and saluted Michael. The last thing Michael said to us before an MP escorted him away was "Don't let me be
Forgotten." Then, just like that, he was gone.

We stood outside the courtroom and waited until a military van whisked Michael away to the county jail where he would await transfer to Leavenworth. The family then drove to Michael's apartment where we spent the next several hours packing his belongings for shipment back to Oklahoma. Going through Michael's things only deepened our sense of loss. As parents you want to protect your children from harm and we were utterly powerless to do so. We packed away Michael's things in silence.

The next day Vicki, Shannon and I were able to visit Michael at the county jail where he was locked up with common criminals. Shannon has a vivid memory of seeing Michael in an orange jump suit leaning up against the wall waiting for his turn to visit. She says he looked like a little boy who was lost and unsure of what was happening to him. We knew what this young man was made of inside. There is no quit in him and whatever life threw at him he would survive it and come out stronger on the other end. But that knowledge did not ease the pain of seeing our son in such a place.

That would be the last time we would see or talk to Michael for over a month. Among the many actions the Army has taken against our son there is one that is truly unforgiveable. For his trip to Fort Leavenworth prison Michael was dressed in his officer's uniform and then paraded visibly handcuffed through the Nashville airport, then the Milwaukee airport, and then the Kansas City airport; flying from one airport to another on a commercial jet with two MP's on each side of him.

The only reason we knew he had been transferred to Leavenworth was because one of the flight attendants on Michael's flight from Milwaukee to Kansas City noticed this young man in an Army uniform in handcuffs with the two MP's sitting beside him. Near the end of the flight Michael asked for a pencil and paper and simply wrote the phrase 'defendmichael.com' and handed it back to the attendant. The flight attendant went to Michael's website that very night and posted a comment telling us that Michael was on his flight.

It has already been twelve months since Michael went to prison. But in those twelve months Michael's story just keeps gaining momentum. Because of you he has not been forgotten. There has been over 250,000 hits on his website with over 1,500 comments posted. Another 15,000 signatures on his Online petition. And Over 12,000 friends on the Free Michael Behenna Facebook page were posted. Over 3,000 people are wearing defendmichael wristbands. Hundreds and hundreds of letters were sent to Congressmen, Senators, and Military Leaders. And then there are the countless people who have been so inspired by Michael's story that they have taken action on their own. For example, a retired police officer in New York has somehow gotten postage stamps made that say defendmichael.com. Another supporter is distributing bumper stickers and others are passing out flyers in their communities. The founder of the Band of Mothers organization helped arrange meetings with members of Congress regarding Michael. And recently Michael couldn't believe his ears when he heard Michael Savage of the Savage Nation radio show talking about his case as he was sitting in his prison cell. There is even the possibility of an HBO documentary on Michael's story.

One year into his imprisonment Michael is living one day at a time. He is trying to make sense of what has happened while holding onto the hope that his freedom is not fourteen years away. I'm reminded of a line by the playwright Aeschylus which says 'And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.' If it is from pain that wisdom does spring forth, then Michael is becoming a very wise soul indeed. Again, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for your continued support and prayers for a soldier we proudly call our son.

Scott and Vicki Behenna www.defendmichael.com

Sign Petition

Coffee Party: Chock Full O' Nuts

"We did not do enough to help our friend Van Jones" is a direct quote from the Coffee Party manifesto. Anyone who is a true, Constitution supporting Patriot of this great country should know by now to RUN as fast as possible from a group which supports Van Jones.

Jones was Barack Hussein Obama's Green Czar. Of all the criminal and Communist vowing cabinet members, Jones is the only one to be released as he was too outspoken of his Communist ties and agenda, even for the Obama administration. However, the Coffee Party, conceived just three weeks ago, has over 80,000 followers and many of them are Conservatives and professed Christians.

Coffee Party, started as a facebook page, was supposedly the brainchild of a Korean woman, Annabel Park, former campaign worker for Obama, and political strategist (video below). The introduction to the group is very patriotic sounding, implying the concept of the group is liberty and 'making voices heard'. If you check a little further you will find the Declaration of Independence. I also found a website, but will not provide link here as I found it had "malicious software" installed.

Strangely, the group organizers did not want my voice heard. I recognized right away that several conservatives belonged to the group, so I investigated to see if it was something I would be interested in. As I delved into the conceptual literature, which can only be posted by administrators of the site, I continued to see one particular word repeatedly---PROGRESSIVE. (movement to change our Constitution)

The word (progressive) is a particular 'hitch in my get along' anyway, so I dug even deeper to ensure just what was the true nature of this group. I could not believe my eyes when I began to read comments such as "We must force media to convince people TEAPARTIERS are all racists." Eventually I would find the support of Van Jones and many more racist-teaparty remarks and strategies, but not before I read their calls to promote EVERYTHING Obama does. They go on to state Government is supposed to be trusted to take care of our needs, and we (citizens) should get out of government's way. In other words, it was instructing people to shut up and not obstruct the government...a far cry from the "All voices should be heard" introductory statement.

It became clear this was nothing less than another Obama cult.

I copied and pasted (unedited) several of the statements made by the administrators of the site which can be viewed here. The next day I was accosted by dozens of people I never heard of, including a few officials of the Coffee Party organization. The messages (mostly on twitter) started out as denials to everything I had posted from their sites (web & fb). Some acted confused, asking where I found such material. Then, it progressed into I was a liar, even though I gave locations, and posts were unedited.

As the day progressed (I hate that word now) and I did not buckle to the threats of law suits and slander, the messages evolved into attacks on my character. It was the usual 'Alinsky Handbook For Radicals' non-sense. If they shout loud and long enough that you are a lune or a scare-monger, the concept is people will listen and disregard what you have to say. Again, a far cry from the pledges I first read upon arrival to their site regarding "ALL SHOULD BE HEARD" as they scrambled to shut me up.

As I warned people the Coffee Party website had malicious software (just like White House site), several people with too much caffiene accused me of installing it.

I begged them to sue me, so we could exchange 'Discovery' and it would reveal exactly who and what was behind Ms Parks' so-called 'grassroot' organization. They dropped that issue quick. From then on I received insults and name calling, mostly from college students. They informed me I was no patriot, a hypocrite Christian, racist, living in a fantasy world, and those are just a few I can repeat.

What was very alarming is the numerous ones I was able to talk to and derived at they had no clue what was the true nature of the group. Reminiscent of my pondering how so many felt duped by Obama during the campaign, when it was clear what he was, if they would have been more informed.

Others I spoke with from the group, unsuccessfully, claimed to be Christians, and questioned my involvement in politics. The first thought came to mind, I must admit, wasn't very Christian, as I attempted to reason with the confused attacker. They identified themselves as a "Christ follower" and a Progressive. One of us was very confused. As I explained it is impossible to refer to one's self as "having a relationship with Christ" and support a most ungodly foundation. One even had either the ignorance or audacity to state their is nothing in the bible condemning abortion.

I observed several comments around the internet where the Progressives hang out and exchange their wisdom---calling me a "Troll". A troll has commonly been known as a liberal (or Progressive) who joins a group or befriends Patriots so they can attempt the same attacks in hopes of discrediting their oppinion through lies. They ignorantly call me a troll because I joined their group to obtain facts about their beliefs, rather than fabricate as do they.
****
The moral of the story is- many are being duped into joining this evil, deceptive, 'stepping stone' to Communism and agenda to REFORM our country. Whether out of ignorance, as they only go as far as the deceptive introduction, or out of confusion for what they believe in, the majority of coffeepartiers have no idea what they are doing there. If they believe it is a way to be heard, they must understand not to stray from the (dictatorial) agenda, or they will be silenced.



See also: Coffee Party: A Progressive Brew

The Coffee Party: A "Progressive" Brew

Update: CAUTION! My last visit to Coffee Party website revealed "malicious software" has been installed...

MISSION: The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.
-----------------------------

Above is the mission statement of the Coffee Party Movement (website). Starting as a facebook page February 9, just three weeks ago, the "movement" now has chapters all over the U.S. and, as of the time this article was written, nearly 70,000 followers. A national conference is scheduled.

Join The Coffee Party Movement facebook page was supposedly the brainchild of Annabel Park, 41, from Korea, and supposedly a grassroots effort. Ms Park worked for the Obama campaign. The page was in response to her being "Furious" over the success of the Tea Party Patriots. At first, the page has a very patriotic, 'individual liberty' sort of feel to it. Even after reading some of the "notes" posted to inform people what the group is about, it is flavored with quotes and rhetoric would appeal to any American.

There is quotes from the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. As you read further back, closer to its induction, the message becomes quite clear: All Americans should have a voice---to defend Barack Obama. It is clearly an Obama cult. It states people should "get out of the way and let the government take care of us."

"Engage the government not as an enemy but as the collective will of the people, push leaders to enact the progressive change for which 52.9 percent of the country voted in 2008." Wait! It gets a lot better...

Like a walk down 'memory lane' with Janeane Garofalo and MSNBC...the whole basis for this movement is to attack anyone who obstructs Obama's plans, and all Tea Party Patriots are racists. There are professional videos, and already appeared on CNN's Morning Show and articles highly promoting it on the CNN Blog. Three weeks! Tea Party had over a million show up in Washington D.C. and barely got a mention.

"A better world is possible — a world where people come before profits. That’s socialism. That’s our vision. We are the Coffee Party Party USA."

The following is a 'call to arms', if you will, pasted (unedited) from a Coffee party post, NOT a public forum, on Feb 9. Let me repeat that for liberals who cannot seem to understand- The following was copied and pasted unedited from administrator only area of the site:

· All community, civic and faith leaders to call on their constituents and congregations to judge the President’s programs in a deliberate and even-handed way, and to ensure they are not unduly influenced by the racial attitudes that many of us were raised with;

· All elected officials to refrain from apocalyptic and incendiary rhetoric that feeds the idea that the Obama Administration is somehow radically different from previous U.S. Administrations, an idea which factually baseless and which is driven by racial myths;

· All media to effectively cover the extent to which the Teapartyists reflect the racial attitudes that they were raised with, as well as to clearly identify those especially despicable individuals who are manipulating ugly emotions and attitudes for political and financial gain;

· All those who support progress towards racial justice to speak up against the Teapartyist phenomenon as the current expression of longstanding racist attitudes in this nation;

· All those who wish to see the President succeed not just to stand by him, but to actively defend all those who are attacked on his behalf, and to actively push for the progressive decisions that can make his Presidency’s accomplishments historic;

· And above all, we call on all Americans to remember that we are united in a nation that is a great and ongoing experiment, that no one guaranteed it would be painless, but that we have the ability, if we so choose, to reject the errors of the past, and rise once more even closer to our centuries old goal of “liberty and justice for all.”

Call to order:
(1)We need to emphasize the racism in the Tea Party movement. It is logical for white people over 55 (I am one) to react intensely to a Black President. Let's keep reminding everyone that many of us were raised in the Jim Crow era, and naturally respond irrationally to a Black President, especially at first.

(2)We need to keep doing our organizing on all our issues. People who have the experience of winning through effective organizing on issues that matter to them will not give any support to the Tea Party movement.

(3)We need to bring out the corruption in Tea Partyism, such as the involvement of the health insurance industry.

(4) We need to defend our own from them. We failed to do this when Van Jones was attacked. We have done a so-so job with ACORN. The main power of the Tea Partyists is negative -- to take down progressive leadership. We must fight hard to take this power away from them.


*************************

After researching the premise of the group and its founder, I began warning people of its deception. Initially, I received confused and even argumentative responses. I learned that conservatives were duped into joining the group, as they didn't read beyond the introduction, and thought it was "harmless".

I believe most of the 70,000 joined out of ignorance, "For which it stands." The word progressive is used dozens of times in reference to the government, and "their" leaders. Glenn Beck has been on a "Progressive" kick, as of late. Months ago, Mr Beck was very clear on his stand that Obama was at least a Socialist.

I have heard enough "tags" for what Obama's political stand is to make my nose bleed. From Maoist to Marxist to Progressive...ITS ALL COMMUNISM!!!

"Progressive" is a positive connotation for an evil agenda, much the same as "Pro-choice" is for murder, or genocide. The Nazis gave communism a very bad name. The goal of the U.S. for about seventy years has been to defeat communism all over the world. "Progressive" is just a more politically correct label for those of whom are loyal to the communist ideology. Socialism is merely the 'stepping stones' to communism.

I very much respect Glenn Beck, but, as much as he preaches against "political correctness", his avoiding the truth of Obama's agenda is quite dangerous. The leftists hope to appeal to the uninformed, convincing them capitalism is evil and Conservatives want to deprive them. If we continue to play the politically correct game, America loses.

"Americans will never give up their Capitalism and jump into Communism, but, convince their leaders to feed them a little Socialism at a time, and they will one day awake in Communism."~~~Nikita Khrushchev, former leader of the Soviet Union.

At 1:35 in the following video is Park, supposed creator of Coffee Party, in a group of people chanting "Obama" over and over, as though in a trance