Censor fi

The next time some Bush Administration commisar -- or some Bushie media shill -- uses the phrase "The troops in Iraq are putting their lives on the line for our freedom," blow up your TV.

And mail the smoldering parts to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.

I'm not sure, exactly, what our troops are in Iraq for, but it's not to fight for your freedom or mine. Hell, they can't even secure their own.

BUT THE PROBLEM is neither al Qaida nor any of the Wahoobi suicide jockeys who seek to plunge the world neck deep into the 13th century. No, according to this Washington Post story, the problem is Uncle Sam:

The national commander of the proud, patriotic, 2.4 million strong Veterans of Foreign Wars (motto: "Honor the dead by helping the living") took one look at the mushrooming dispute between three antiwar Marine reservists and the U.S. Marine Corps, and knew where his sympathies lay: with the protesters.

"What the Marine Corps is trying to do is hush up and punish these individuals who served our country," Gary Kurpius, the national commander, said in a telephone interview. "All they're doing is exercising the same democratic voice we're trying to instill over in Iraq right now."

The Marines have accused the three reservists, all members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, of wearing their uniforms during political protests and making "disrespectful" or "disloyal" statements. All three were honorably discharged from active duty, but now face "other than honorable" discharges from the inactive reserve, which could affect future employment and veterans benefits.

The VFW issued a blistering statement on the controversy yesterday. Headline: "VFW to Corps: Don't Stifle Freedom of Speech."

Kurpius, an Army vet who fought in Vietnam, doesn't even agree with the protesters. "We're pretty much on record supporting the troops, and if you're going to support the troops, you're going to have to support their mission," he said. "I may disagree with the message . . . but I and my organization will always defend their right to say it."

The Marines respond that this is not a free-speech case. Adam Kokesh, 25, one of the protesters, "violated Marine Corps uniform regulations and he was disrespectful to a commissioned officer," said Master Sgt. Ronald Spencer, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City, Mo. "That would be the issue. It has nothing to do with free speech."

Kokesh, who fought in Fallujah and now is a graduate student at George Washington University, was wearing parts of his camouflage uniform in March during a demonstration where 13 veterans roamed Capitol Hill and downtown Washington carrying imaginary weapons to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

When Kokesh was contacted by the major assigned to investigate the case, he responded with an e-mail about his service and opposition to the war, and concluded with a profane suggestion about what the major could go do.

While all three reservists wore parts of their uniforms during demonstrations, at least one of the charges seems to involve speech only: Liam Madden, 22, of Boston, is accused of making disloyal statements in a speech where he accused the Bush administration of "war crimes"; said the conflict is a war "of aggression" and "empire building"; and said Bush "betrayed U.S. military personnel." Madden says he was not in uniform during that February speech in New York.

Spencer, after addressing the uniform issue, said he needed a few hours to research questions about the alleged disloyal statements, then did not return messages to answer those questions. Maj. Stewart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman, referred those questions back to Spencer, saying, "I'm unable to speak to the legal reasoning behind the freedom of speech charges issued by the Marine Corps."

NONE OF THE MARINES are on active duty. They're not even in the regular reserves. They're all in the "Individual Ready Reserve" -- a reserve of last resort, for lack of a better description -- membership in which is involuntary and lasts for eight years after discharge from the armed services.

They're all civilians, in other words.

The Marines are going after civilians because the government doesn't like what those veterans are saying about the war. The Marines are going after civilians because they can . . . or so someone in Washington thinks.

That's not freedom. That's Mussolini's Italy -- or Chavez's Venezuela -- fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn looking for the "Hitler's Germany" exit. And if these Marine combat veterans haven't earned the right to say Crazy King George's catastrophic little war is full of beans . . . well, then none of us have the First Amendment right to say the God's honest truth in public.

Either wearing fatigues or butt naked.

If Americans can't goad our elected representatives into putting an end to this plague of Mad Bush Disease -- putting an end to the insanity ASAP -- it's going to get worse. Much worse.