ice of the Secretary of Defense in May of 2002, I was a draftee from another OSD office. Lesson number one for neo-conservatives and other fascistas – don’t rely on draftees until you have complete control of the system. Of course I did my job as best I could, but my exposure of the leadership and decision-making process in the top levels of the Pentagon was a personal turning point. By August, I had begun to express my constitutional (and Constitutional) frustrations in short essays that poked fun at what I saw going on around me in the Pentagon. As some of these essays were not completely full of respect and deference for people like Rumsfeld, various members of the Defense Policy Board, and President Bush, there was no question of publishing these essays under my name and rank.

Hard core anarchists and other purists might criticize me for not just throwing a few hand grenades over the office dividers and letting the chips fall where they may. But by this time I already had submitted my retirement request, and selfishly after my twenty, I wanted to spend the money, not time in Leavenworth. But I did find a home for my essays in an anonymous way. Retired Colonel David Hackworth, with his sites hackworth.com and Soldiers for the Truth, generously offered to post my essays under the moniker of Deep Throat Returns "Insider Notes from the Pentagon." I was embarrassed at the Deep Throat aspect, but happy to oblige with a steady stream of short articles until I left the Pentagon.

I had been advised by a friend before I began work in Near East South Asia policy to write down everything I saw. I didn’t do that. Like most of us who listen to wise friends but don’t follow through on their advice, I regret it now. Had I kept a detailed diary, I would have been a far better protector and defender of the Constitution, as our military oath of office charges. My diary, as limited and ineffective as it is, lives in those articles. They are still on the web. I am linking them, by date and title, below. If you see something interesting or intriguing, check it out. They are all pretty short, some are funny in their way, and none are sweet.

27 August 2002 Osama and Richard

13 September 2002 You Go, Mr. Cheney!

24 September 2002 Rumsfeld’s Right About the Leakers

30 September 2002 The Neocons Worst Nightmare: It’s Not What You Think!

3 October 2002 Who Says Iraq 2002 is like Vietnam circa 1960?

4 October 2002 Lincoln Speaks to Bush

6 October 2002 Objectives or Bust!

7 October 2002 Liberation Theology, Neocon Style

9 October 2002 The Cincinnati Story

11 October 2002 E-Ring Dreams

13 October 2002 "Belts and Suspenders"

15 October 2002 Saddam and Al Qaeda

16 October 2002 Newtie and Company – The Real Banger Sisters?

17 October 2002 Multiple Choice in the Land of Oz

21 October 2002 Chickenhawks, Report!

23 October 2002 Logic and Rationality: Detained Indefinitely

24 October 2002 Spy Games, Inc.

25 October 2002 The "No Oil Bidness Left Behind" Act

28 October 2002 Eight Bells Ringing

30 October 2002 Trust Me, Ahmad!

1 November 2002 Kim Chong-il Takes Your Calls

3 November 2002 The Don Dangerfield Show

6 November 2002 Lord of the Flies Redux

8 November 2002 Committee for the Liberation of Iraq – Join Us!

14 November 2002 Orwellian? Not Really…

20 November 2002 The Testosterone Wars

23 November 2002 Unzip! Stand at Ease! Spin Chamber and Fire!

3 December 2002 NEWSFLASH! Deceit and Secrets Small Price to Pay, Say Some Public Servants

9 December 2002 Duty, Honor and Avoiding Grammatical Pitfalls

12 December 2002 Crib Sheet for Mr. Cheney: The First 100 Years’ War

16 December 2002 Mad Hatters and March Hares: Read All About It!

18 December 2002 Minority Reports

23 December 2002 Combat Lobotomies – Who You Gonna Call?

26 December 2002 Crimes of Omission

2 January 2003 Give Us Our War…Uh, I mean Circus!

7 January 2003 Transformation, Evolution… Whatever

11 January 2003 Not in the Mood for Credibility or Honor? Try Our Blue Plate Special!

14 January 2003 A New World Order

21 January 2003 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre – Coming Soon to a Desert Near You!

31 January 2003 Ready to Go to War?

3 February 2003 Fear of God (and Washington, D.C.)

8 February 2003 Life is Tough All Over

10 February 2003 Foreign Policy 101: Truman (1945), Lying Adolescents (2003)

16 February 2003 Deep Denial, and Deep Kimshee

21 February 2003 Luxury Taxes

6 March 2003 Status Report

10 March 2003 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love CBW

26 March 2003 Understanding Neocon-Speak

29 March 2003 The Soufflé Has Fallen

28 April 2003 Shifting Sands

28 May 2003 Those Awful Turks

If you have read this far, bless your heart! While the neo-cons rested, I thought I’d rest too by re-reading my "diary."

The major ideological battles between the neo-cons and a mishmash of libertarians, conservatives, independents, greens and democrats has yet to be fully enjoined. The movie Braveheart calls to mind a famous line spoken by King Edward I, a version of which is probably muttered today in private neo-conservative circles. Edward I, an ethnic cleanser par excellence, is famous for saying, "The trouble with Scotland is it is full of Scots."

While our soldiers tough it out day by day in Iraq against heat, contempt of the locals, and basic betrayal by their civilian leadership, the truly bloody political hand-to-hand combat at home has not yet begun. But the sound of the drum is low, persistent, faint but steady. We anticipate the upcoming battle, like William Wallace’s Scottish freedom fighters anticipated the methodical power of Edward’s army, with caution but with an angry passion for justice. Bearing a Constitution nearly shredded by neo-conservative wars at home and overseas, we should be cause for no small amount of trembling amongst neo-conservative intellectuals, media and advisors to the Bush administration. Indeed, we not only want their heads, we quite simply insist upon it. Platters and blue body paint entirely optional.

July 24, 2003

Karen Kwiatkowski [send her mail] is a recently retired USAF lieutenant colonel, who spent her final four and a half years in uniform working at the Pentagon. She now lives with her freedom-loving family in the Shenandoah Valley.

Copyright © 2003 LewRockwell.com

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