Freedom Ride for 10 soldiers imprisoned over actions in Iraq

When President Obama said it was time to turn the page on Iraq, he should have also declared his intention to close the book on the lingering, festering injustices the U.S. government has perpetrated on ten American veterans of the Iraq war still incarcerated in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth.

As noted in this column before, these Americans are the war's forgotten men, soldiers trapped by restrictive, legalistic rules of engagement on a ultra-fluid battlefield where the enemy knew no rules. For killing this enemy and, it must also be admitted, surviving to live another day, these soldiers were sentenced to terms ranging from ten to forty years.

In other words, for the rest of their young lives.

Allen West, himself a retired Army lieutenant colonel and veteran of both Desert Storm and the war in Iraq, has not forgotten these men. West, the Republican candidate for Congress in Florida's 22nd District, is speaking this Labor Day weekend at the first, and, it is hoped, last Leavenworth Ten Freedom Ride, a parade past the Leavenworth military prison to draw attention to the plight of the Ten, resulting in their freedom.

West himself could almost have been among them. Back in 2003 as a battalion commander north of Baghdad, West fired his pistol near the head of a uncooperative Iraqi under interrogation who was believed to be withholding information about an assassination plot and ambush of West and his troops.

The man talked. West and his men encountered no more ambushes for the next two months until West was relieved of his command and charged with improper interrogation methods, charges that could have drawn a prison sentence.

"I know the method I used was not right, but I wanted to take care of my soldiers," West testified at his 2003 Article 32 hearing (similar to a preliminary grand jury hearing). When asked if he would alter his behavior under similar circumstances in the future, West replied: "If it's about the lives of my soldiers at stake, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can."

Former UM footballer Jay Riemersma won't contest less-than-700-vote loss in race to succeed retiring Rep. Pete Hoekstra

Fewer than 700 votes separated ex-NFL football player Jay Riemersma from former state Rep. Bill Huizenga after Tuesday's primary in Michigan. But Republicans won't have to wait for a recount to find out who their nominee will be in the Grand Rapids-area 3rd district.

The Detroit News reports that Riemersma won't be asking for a recount.

He released a statement saying his close loss "should be a reminder to us all that our vote, and our voice matter in this process."

Michigan does have a cliff-hanger primary: In the 1st district, candidates ended Election Night with a 14-vote spread, so a few changes before certification of the results could make a difference. The deadline for counties to send certified vote tallies to Lansing is Aug. 17; the state election board is to certify results on Aug. 23.

Tennessee congressional candidate tries to block Obamacare

A Tennessee constitutional lawyer running for Congress is flying to Washington D.C. today to make an attempt at personally serving top Democrats with a class action lawsuit against President Obama’s health care bill.

Van Irion says he’s planning on doing everything he can to personally serve a complaint and motion for a preliminary injunction on President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Attorney General Eric Holder. The preliminary injunction is the first motion of its type to be filed and seeks to immediately bar the government from enforcing any aspect of the health care reform bill passed last March.

Irion is the lead attorney in the lawsuit against the recently passed Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act. It’s likely viewed as a campaign gimmick, considering the lead plaintiff in the suit is Anthony Shreeve, who is running Irion’s congressional campaign. But Irion says over 25,000 Americans have signed up as co-plaintiffs on the lawsuit.

Global warming skeptic seeking GOP nomination against alarmist in Oregon

Come Wednesday, one of the most forceful and articulate champions of skepticism toward the idea of man-made global warming could emerge as a Republican congressional candidate.

Arthur Robinson, who founded the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (OISD), addressed the Heartland Institute's Fourth Annual Climate Change Conference in Chicago on Monday where he warned against intrusive, big government policies that invoke environmentalism.

Should he win tonight's primary, Robinson would go on to challenge Rep. Peter DeFazio, a long-time incumbent Democrat representing Oregon's 4th district. DeFazio has supported legislative schemes that are burdensome to business and to individual Americans, Robinson point out in his luncheon address delivered by way of video.

Robinson is perhaps best known for the Petition Project he organized that attracted the support and signatures of over 31,000 scientists who question the premise of man-made global warming.