Manufacturing American heroes: the Tillman myth

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Monday May 31, 2004 11:53

by End Zone

I got a letter from the government
the other day
I opened and read it
it said they were suckers
they wanted me for their army or whatever

- Tricky

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,118064,00.html

Fox News was of course more than happy at the time to manufacture the story of how Tillmans patrol had been attacked by Afghan resistance.

Local officials gave Fox News the "enemy" side of it. An area militia commander claimed there were 15 fighters. There's no confirmation of that but considering the casualties on the U.S. side that sounds right. It's reported some of them were local Afghans. Others were Central Asian and Arab — the sort of guys who are "rank and file" Al Qaeda (search) members. The folks Pat Tillman left his U.S. life behind to tangle with after the atrocity of Sept. 11.

The local commander also told us nine of the enemy were killed.

The killing of Pat Tillman hit all the troops in Afghanistan hard for a couple of reasons. First, of course, there's the incredible selfless sacrifice that he embodies, casting aside a relatively cushy multimillion-dollar pro sport life for climbing around craggy mountains searching for guys in beards with guns. As Specialist John Bushnell from Fort Bragg (search), California, told me, "That was a lot money and a good career he gave up. ... He's a real American hero."

When are Fox going to print a retraction of their fabrication?

http://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oef/profiles/tillmanpatrickd.html

Military Officials conceded at the weekend that a former American football star, who left his multimillion-dollar career to join the armed forces after the 11 September attacks and was killed in action in Afghanistan last month, was probably a victim of "friendly fire".

It now appears that an Afghan soldier who was alongside Cpl Tillman as they returned to the first unit was mistaken as an enemy combatant by one of the US soldiers and fired upon. Other US soldiers began shooting in the same direction, at which point Cpl Tillman was fatally wounded. It seems, moreover, that there were no enemy soldiers in the vicinity at the time.

http://www.strike-the-root.com/4/sat/sat8.html

". . . As an unrestricted free agent in 2002, he turned down a three-year, $3.6 million contract offer from the Cardinals" in order to go to work for Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and the other criminals. ("Former N.F.L. Player Killed in Afghanistan" by Kirk Semple, April 23, 2004)

Tillman is being celebrated as a hero by all the courtiers and regime-dupes. Nowadays the System has to confect its heroes out of unlikely material; really all you have to do is get killed, banged up, or captured, so long as you are serving the Empire when it happens. But in fact Tillman was no hero; he was a sucker.

A man who defends his country is not a sucker. He may well be a hero -- a real hero of the old-fashioned sort. But Tillman was not defending his country. He was promoting imperialism and criminal war. He had turned his fate over to evil men embarked on an evil enterprise. He threw his life away, but not for nothing. He threw it away for worse than nothing. He threw it away in the cause of imperialism and criminal war.

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Comments (8 of 8)

Tricky????

by Performers Rights Watchdog

Mon May 31, 2004 13:54

Chuck D, I think you'll find.

Jaysus, if you're going to quote lyrics, at least get the author right.

I stand corrected ... more familiar with Tricky's version

Mon May 31, 2004 15:49

Martina:
I got a letter from the government
The other day
Opened it and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me givin' a damn, I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn
About a brother like myself
Because I never did
I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute...
It occurred to me
The suckers had authority
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out, but that thought was thought before
I contemplated a plan on the cell floor
I'm not a fugitive on the run
But a brother like me begun, to be another one
Public enemy servin' time, they drew the line y'all
They criticize me for some crime

I got a letter, I got a letter, I got a letter
Picture me given' a damn, I said never
Mmm...mmm...mmm
It occurred to me
The suckers had authority
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out, but that thought was thought before

I got a letter from the government
The other day
Opened it and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me givin' a damn, I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn
About a brother like me and myself
Because I never did
I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute...
It occurred to me
The suckers had authority
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out, but that thought was thought before
I contemplated a plan on the cell floor
I'm not a fugitive on the run
I'm not a fugitive on the run

Tricky:
Many switch in, switch on, switch off (x5)

Martina:
Nevertheless they could not understand
That I'm a black man, and I could never be a veteran.
On the strength of situations, I'm real.
I got a raw deal, so I'm lookin' for the steel
Looking for the steel.

I got a letter from the government
The other day
Opened and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me givin' a damn, I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn
About a brother like me and myself
Because they never did
I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute...
It occurred to me
The suckers had authority
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out, but that thought was thought before
I contemplated a plan on the cell floor
I'm not a fugitive on the run
I'm not, I'm not
I'm not a fugitive on the run
But a brother like me begun, to be another one
Public enemy servin' time, they drew the line y'all
To criticize me for some crime

I got a letter from the government
The other day
Opened it and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me givin' a damn, I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn
About a brother like me and myself
Because I never did
I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute...

Mmm...mmm...mmm...mmm
I got a letter from the government
The other day
Opened it and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me givin' a damn, I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn

Tillman

by devil dog

Tue Jun 01, 2004 05:27

You're absolutely right, Tillman was an idiot to be fighting the peace-loving members of Al Qaeda and the Talliban who never hurt anyone in their lives.

So he may have been killed in a blue on blue - so what?

As for your lyrics quoting, I suppose the US should base its international relations on second rate musicians?

Grow up.

Cannon fodder

by Touch Down

Tue Jun 01, 2004 09:45

Try to see beyond emotive stuff like the 911, the flag, blue-on-blue etc. to the core issue that the US oil-barons and their illegal junta are conducting a resource war to line their pockets at your expense!

The issue is that this myth has been created to draw more naiive individuals like Tillman into a criminal enterprise by Bush and his cronies.

As long as such myths go unchallenged more young men and women will continue to step forward to take part in the ongoing war-crimes by the US administration.

Wake up!

Pat Tillman was a hero

by Sally O'Connor

Tue Jun 01, 2004 15:59

He made the ultimate sacrifice for what he believed in.

You "no war at any cost" appeasers are not fit to shine his boots.

I believe that if there is a hell

Tue Jun 01, 2004 16:09

that Tillman is there giving head to Jihadists. Fuck them, they belong together in eternal damnation. Both are equally arrogant and contemptuous of human life.

Tillman was a hero

by Barney

Fri Jun 04, 2004 14:59

How dare you compare him to the Islamofascists? You don't deserve the freeedoms you enjoy because of the sacrificie of men like Tillman.

patt tillman / al qaeda

by voice of reason

Thu Jun 24, 2004 15:29

I think its important we remind ourselves every so often that al qaeda would like to kill most of us. We just arent on the top of their priorities list right now.

How we deal with this is where the debate should begin. The invasion of Afghanistan (where Tillman was) had some justification as thats were a lot of them were based. The invasion of Iraq of course has no justification on these grounds.

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Manufacturing American heroes: the Tillman myth

Comments (8 of 8)