46. I, like at least one other typist, have to wonder about this "atmosphere of lawlessness" that Cenk speaks of, as if wars prior to this one have been fought by folks who are all as pure as the wind- driven snow but somehow our military in 2008, as well as military contractors, have been hopelessly corrupted by that evil GW Bush and "Darth" Cheney.

To try to draw some sort of grand, sweeping conclusion like that from this terrible incident is folly at best and cynical, hyper-partisan speculation at worst.

I agree that further investigation is needed here. Nothing is going to bring this woman back to life, but those responsible need to pay the price for what appears to be a horrific crime. If Cenk's presentation is accurate, suicide seems extremely unlikely in this case.

Dave at 10:01PM on Jul 31st 2008

47. I know I'm just pissing in the wind here, but, for some strange reason, I find myself compelled to spout off.

I clicked on this post prepared to share Cenk's outrage, but I should have known better.

First, let me say that PFC Johnson's family deserves an independent investigation to try to address any questions they have about their daughter's death. Regardless of whether this was a rape/murder or a suicide, we owe them that much and more for their, and their daughter's, sacrifice.

However, Cenk's "outrage" seems to be an expression of paranoia, rather than any legitimate "concern for our troops". Look at the two supporting links, which contradict each other. FireDogLake talks about a "blood trail" leading to a contractor's tent, while PFC Johnson's own father says she was found in a "filthy contractor's tent". FireDogLake says her father is a physician, while The St Louis American says he is a PhD, and nothing in his background suggests he has any expertise to interpret the photos of his daughter's body.

I don't know anything about FireDogLake, but I'm going to work off the assumption that the St Louis American at least adheres to some level of journalistic integrity. There is absolutely nothing in their story to support Cenk's "outrage". The injuries to her body (burn on side, broken teeth, busted lip, broken nose) could mean a lot of things, but they don't, by themselves, contradict the Army's classification of her death as a suicide (with a rifle . . . think about it).

I have no problem with questioning or criticizing the military, but Cenk's assumption are what's outrageous about this story. To assume the worst about the military, absent any credible supporting evidence, is anti-military. To assume the worst about your country, absent any credible supporting evidence, is anti-American. To imply some sort of Cheney-croneyism, absent any credible supporting evidence, is evidence of a deranged and feeble mind.

cmw at 10:14PM on Jul 31st 2008

48. Thank you cmw & Dave,

more voices of reason.

The title of Cenk's story, "If YOU care about the troops, then YOU have to care about Private Lavena Johnson". An alluring neutral headline telling readers "welcome to my web, said the spider to the fly".

Here you have a story worthy of legitimate interest & from the very beginning Cenk turns it into a politicized bonanza. He immediately skews the facts, >>>"A trail of blood from the private's body led into the tent of a military contractor from Kellogg, Brown & Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton at the time)">>> just to heighten malcontent & make the connection to of course Cheney.

This is why it pissed me off.

He's taken stories lately with similar interest & politicized the hell out of them. He painted Michael Savage's remarks on autism last week to spark outrage against conservatives as though we all agreed.

He takes Jackson's & Whoopi's "nigger" remark & turns it around on Elizabeth Hasselbeck (a conservative) because of her emotional defense saying there should be no place in society where we denigrate certain groups.

It's ok to have philosophical differences in life, but it's not ok to take those differences & label them as illusions of "change" when your true intentions are hate filled deception....

Noone yet has answered my question,, "Why was this aimed at Republicans"???

If you can't answer the question then you should understand my ticked position.

Bobby at 11:39PM on Jul 31st 2008

49. It's quite obvious by your babblings that you have never served.
________

I'm afraid you're wrong Allie, you ignoramus. You are confusing my record with that of Dick Cheney or one of the other chicken hawks.

I was born on a military post and spent a lot of my early life around the military. My father was a career military man who served as an infantryman during both Korea and Vietnam.

I myself have served as both an enlisted man and as a commissioned officer in the Regular Army and the Army Reserve. During my tenure in the Army I was fortunate enough never to have had to go to war but I have spent a considerable amount of time training soldiers and I know them like the back of my hand.

I appreciate your patriotism and service to our country, but don't feed me a line of shit about who cares for the troops because I know better. This country made a decision after Vietnam that it would be primarily the poor and working classes that would do the dirty work of fighting our wars and securing our frontiers while the more comfortable classes could, in good Dick Cheney fashion, get on with their careers.

Oh, and another thing Allie. Not only did I take eco 101, but I majored in economics in college. Yes, I'm aware of the economic theory that holds that if you cut taxes on the wealthy that it is supposed to trickle down to the rest of us by way of new jobs, and pay raises and other fairy tale notions. What it has led to in the last couple of decades is a concentration of wealth at the top while the jobs that are created go to places like India, China and Mexico.

My economic professors used to preface their statements with the term ceterus paribus (All things being equal). But all things aren't equal anymore Allie. Capital is free to flee across borders seeking the cheapest labor. They only come to us when they are looking for a few good men and women to open up difficult markets, if you get my drift.

randy at 12:18AM on Aug 1st 2008

50. The only part of Cent's rant is that if what is said is true, then the military has a burden of proof to ensure that no foul play occurred regarding the death of PFC Johnson. It is not a democrat or republican issue, but a military issue. However, if the military cannot provide adequate proof that any ancillary damage was not present, then there should be an investigation pushed by the Secretary of Defense.

If there was a blood trail, then there were footprints and/or drag marks also present that would have told you which way the body had been moved. If you consider that PFC Johnson was found inside a tent "owned" by KBR, does not implicate KBR in the Private's murder. It also leaves the possibility that someone other than another soldier was responsible, possibly even an Iraqi.

The military is what it is and sometimes there is no desire to open what could make the military look bad, but unless it was to cover up for the sake of the military, then it is possible that a verdict of suicide was given for that reason. As for the military not having the capability to uncover a crime, you should have CID get on your case and find out just how effective they are.

No one has said how many non-military personnel were at that base nor if theydid a background check on them or not. It also doesn't sound as though her fellow troops were asked if she was seeing someone or if someone else had a violent experience with anyone else, military or non-military. If there were bite marks, it should be easy to cross match them with the DoD database on any soldier there. Any DNA can be cross matched as well since that is now how you are identified even if all that is left is a small chunk.

Anyone not in place should have been accounted for. Was PFC Johnson on guard duty? If she had a weapon, what was it and was she in a combat unit or a unit that would see combat? If not, then why did she possess a weapon? If it was an M-16, then the damage to her head/body would reveal it. I have yet to see where the wound was inflicted, but an M-16 is a loud report weapon and fully capable of being held in one's mouth while pulling the trigger with the muzzle blast fully capable of loosening teeth.
In addition, what was her job? Did it involve work where you could get bruised?

Then you have to ask yourself what the other troops that knew her thought? I'm certain that other blacks knew her and don't believe that everyone knew something had happened, because that doesn't happen in the military because someone always is in a position to hear what happened.

I am in agreement that the body be exhumed and let the family pick the forensic pathologist to do the autopsy investigation and publically report his findings. The military can pay for it, one missle is enough for the investigation, you can hire a team and it won't cost that much compared to some ordinance so let it happen.

As for Cenk's politicizing this after thrtee years in an election year is enough to make you vomit. He's using her death to further his political agenda, which in my opinion, makes him a willing accomplice in trying to finger point anything at republicans or KBR. Bobby said it well enough for me so I'll drop it at that. The higher you go in the military, the less they care about individuals. It should have been PFC Johnson's squad, her platoon leader, head NCO, Company CO that should have known (and probably did) if there was a problem or why she was out alone in a combat zone.
And yes, for you haters out there who have left your unfathomable unintelligent comments about the military and war, you look at the society you live in, take a hard goddamn look and then you tell me the military is nothing but rapists and killers of innocents and I'll tell you you live in someplace other than reality. You tell me what goes through someone's mind when he shoots his first person or sees his first casualty smeared on a wall in some hellhole that they were sent to fight in! It doesn't matter who sent them or why, that's not their job, their job is to rain death on their enemy and sorry, but innocents get killed.

If PFC Johnson was murdered, I outlined what should be done to assure that is what happened. I will also tell you that after three years, if she was raped and murdered, her attacxker could be one of those numbers of our dead soldiers that you leftists and pacifists so love to point out, forgetting that that is someone's son or daughter, not a number to make your goddamn ideological point and that's just what Cenk is doing. If he wants justice, let him pay for the investigation, I'm certain Air Amerika can find the resources to clear the name one one of our own, right? When hell freezes over! You cannot mix men and women in the military, in a combat zone or other area and not have incidents. I honestly feel for the Johnson family and I hope they get the answers they deserve to get. Sadly, it will change nothing except PFC Johnson's last hours will be as a victim of a criminal attack and subsequent murder or just someone else who couldn't take the strain any longer. Only PFC Johnson and maybe one other person knows the truth about those last hours but if knowing she did not kill herself will comfort the family, then begin the investigation ASAP! Then be sure and report on the results Cenk..tell us if what you claimed was true, that republicans had all to do with this and no democrat swas involved, but you've pretty well proved that no politicians, even Obama really gave a damn about PFC Johnson but her friends and her family haven't you gasbag?

Dedmanrisn at 1:11AM on Aug 1st 2008

51. >>>Dedmanrisn at 1:11AM on Aug 1st 2008>>>

Damn good post!

One of the best composed I've read on this blog.

This is how an issue is supposed to be discussed. Period....

Bobby at 8:17AM on Aug 1st 2008

52. Bobby and Ded I appreciate your ability to discuss issues on here without so much partisan name calling,and arrogant overtones. I had given up on this blog but I enjoy reading your well reasoned posts. Keep it up Thanks!

Derrick at 9:29AM on Aug 1st 2008

53. When the powerful protect their asses they see power & nothing else....



Bobby
xxxx
True, but as was noted by a previous poster, that this story got no air time has much to do with the victims race. Had the victim been a perky, wide eyed photogenic blonde, the media would have been falling over itself the "tragic death" of a heroic soldier.
As an aside, perhaps Ms. Johnsons parents gave up shortly after because the story didn't resonate, because they wetren't media savvy, because they were overcome with grief, etc. It has little or nothing to do with their belief that she ended her own life as you imply.

Tim at 7:56AM on Aug 5th 2008

54. Bobby and Dedman:
Since the two of you are sooooo outraged at the politicizing of such events by a "liberal", I'm guessing you're venting your outrage at Cenk's neocon counterparts such as Rush, Savage, Coulter, and others who are no more than talking heads for conservative causes and the Republican Party. No? Mock outrage and hypocrisy it is, yes?

Tim at 8:27AM on Aug 5th 2008