On what McCain would do, one only has to recall the Kerry Committee hearings on MIAs/Pows.
McCain himself a former prisoner let them down
by voting against subpeonas and in general
acting to allow a full investigation (as did Kerry).

The Tillman's have come close to accusing the
government of murdering their son. Certainly it
seems that an enormous amount of attention was being paid to Pat Tillman's daily activities up to the level of Rumsfeld. It was if they were
waiting for something to happen so they could
exploit it, which is exactly what they did. And did
immediately. Maybe it was "just in case he gets
killed" maybe not.

Hi Dave Z,
I listened to the Mary Tillman interview this morning with Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow. She did not mention any of the candidates who are running for POTUSA as having any commentary on Pat's execution by friendly fire. That, alone, says a lot. She has the potential of engaging a huge audience and getting these politicians to actually say something substantive on the corruption of the U.S. military and administration, and she is missing it.

I want to know what the NFL and its players have to say about one of their own being murdered in their name, and then lied to about the circumstances. I liked Mary's comment regarding the honor of dying for one's country being authentic only if killed by the enemy. She made the analogy of being killed by a car not being any less honorable than being in the war zone. My paraphrase. Of course, being in the war zone is not honorable when one is there for lies and corporate profits, dead or alive.

One point that is not made is that any organization whose strategy includes the killing and maiming of other human beings, whether "innocent" civilians or combatants, is not to be trusted to tell the truth, ever. I'd love to see you make that point. We don't expect killers to tell the truth on the witness stand in a court trial; why would we expect them to tell the truth in this incident?

I thought at one point there was a Mr. Tillman/father in this story. Is he out of the picture?

What are your comments?

Having retired from the US Navy in the mid 70's, I had to watch the beginnings of this fundie movement where they had their best and brightest enlist in the military and it's Officer Corps. They made no secret what they were up to in the early 70's and do not to this day. The leading officers in all branches seem to be linked through prayer meetings and seminars, etc., I walked into a classified space on a guided missile destroyer to do some work and found about 15 men of the ships company holding a religious meeting. These were from various rates/ratings and only 2 of them were authorized to be in the space. I immediately had the space sealed and had the master at arms and the Officer Of The Day called. This in turn caused a firestorm that was not only ugly and mean, but life threatening. These people are out to gain control of the Armed Forces, you already have seen what they have done to the government, no matter which branch.. Religion is in control of the various offices and until that genie is put back in it's bottle, we're in a heap of hurt.

Pat Tillman was killed to keep him quiet, and to destroy all the evidence that he had been able to gather. He was a known atheist, and as such wasn't deserving to live, according to the beliefs of the fundie reich wing out there.

I only hope that when January rolls around, President Obama will have all his Justice Dept. ducks in a row, and we can get to the bottom of this and many other overflowing barrels of republican dung.

Damn! How I hate these bastards who destroyed the country of my birth!

Thank you Dave! I am a high school history teacher teaching the Iraq War. You have expressed, in the last few paragraphs of your essay, all of my frustrations in dealing with these important issues. Being called a communist (who does that anymore?) by other teachers, teenagers with a video-game blood-lust... Unfortunately, I do not have faith that America will be able to pull itself out of its descent. I do however, continue to instill in the kids a love for what this country should and could be. Thank you so much for shining an utterly fascinating and unique light on the world of sports; I wait anxiously for the new book!!

I'd be interested in what she'd like me and anyone else who's listening to do. Ask her what Steve Bzomowski, someone who feels heartbroken for her and sad and angry at the country for what it's doing and what's it's become, can do. Not just about Pat Tillman but about the whole immoral, virtueless lot of them who could lie, pretend, threaten, placate, so thoroughly ruin what was once a place of hope and promise.

Seems to me, there are issues and events and moments that in their telling and re-telling, in their unravelling toward the truth, can crystallize for people what the problems are and where solutions lie: the Pat Tillman story, the Pat Tillman tragedy, is one of them.

I with maheanuu on this one: here's to praying that Obama takes 'em on and knows that not only do we have his back, but that we're with him. Bottom line: they're killing us and stealing our money. Are they not?

Good luck.

Thank you, Mr. Zirin. Sincere condolences to the Tillman family. Mary Tillman is doing what she must do, in the best way she knows how. As is Cindy Sheehan. We all handle overwhelming grief in different ways. What noble cause, Sheehan asks? Indeed.
Six investigations at least. I've heard the number seven. It's a coverup and one must ask why and who is being protected? Where is Bush's totally politicized Department of Justice? Why is there no murder investigation?
Maheanuu has hit the nail on the head. How long will it take to turn it around? Maybe never, but with an engaged populace it's possible, but it will take two generations.
I don't begrudge people their religious beliefs but they have no place in government.

Dave,

Thanks for sending your articles to me. I really appreciate and admire your work. I feel tremendously for the Tillman family. However, I lost respect for Pat when he turned his relative fame into hero worship by enlisting in the army. He was immediately (and I'm sure with his approval) portrayed around the country as a true warrior, fighting to save Western democracy--the oldest lie in the history of Western combat. Worse still, he was a recruiter's dream. Not knowing him, I immediately assumed he was either a dumb, country redneck in love with high-powered guns, or he was a willing propaganda tool--the guy who would look the part of the football player-turned-patriot-hero, but who would, in reality, reside in Baghdad's Green Zone, working with the most shameless of Hollywood producers.
To hear that he had changed his mind, or that he was even reading Chomsky, is heartwarming. I hope his family, with your help, can get his story out there in the mainstream. And I hope that the process of learning the truth will make them stronger in the years to come. Their work in this regard would be a tribute to Pat.

Thanks, again, Dave.