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Our National Shame
An average of 18 military veterans kill themselves each day and only five of them are under VA care when they commit suicide. An estimate of 300,000 U.S. troops — about 20 percent of those deployed — are suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It takes approximately 180 days to decide whether to approve a disability claim.
This is a national shame!
Those statistics might be a shock to those yellow, ribboned, "Support our Troops" card carrying pro-War activists out there. But the situation for Veterans has gotten so bad that two outside organizations are suing the Department of Government Affairs.
They claim that our government is not supporting the troops.
However, the Department of Veteran's Affairs claims that they have enough Psychiatrists; they have an abundance of claims from the elderly Veterans blocking access; and that they have done what is necessary to "quickly ascertain that the current Veterans are telling the truth about where or why they suffer from PTSD."
They also claim that the courts should not dictate how the government handles their V.A. Centers.
According to the A.P., this is the government's argument:
...government lawyers have filed court papers arguing that the courts have no authority to tell the VA how to operate and no business wading into the everyday management of a sprawling medical network that includes 153 medical centers nationwide.The veterans are asking the judge "to administer the programs of the second largest Cabinet-level agency, a task for which Congress and the executive branch are better suited," government lawyers wrote in court papers.
If the judge ordered an overhaul, he would be responsible for such things as employees workloads, hours of operations, facility locations, the number of medical professionals employed, and "even the decision whether to offer individual or group therapy to patients with" post-traumatic stress, the papers said.
The VA also said it is besieged with an unprecedented number of claims, which have grown from 675,000 in 2001 to 838,000 in 2007. The rise is prompted not from the current war, but from veterans growing older, government lawyers said.
"The largest component of these new claims is the aging veteran population of the Vietnam and Cold War eras," the government filing stated. "As they age, older veterans may lose employment-related health care, prompting them to seek VA benefits for the first time."
Government lawyers in their filings defended its average claims processing time as "reasonable," given that it has to prove the veterans disability was incurred during service time.
They also noted the VA will spend $3.8 billion for fiscal year 2008 on mental health and announced a policy in June that requires all medical centers to have mental health staff available all the time to provide urgent care. They said that "suicide prevention is a singular priority for the VA."
The VA "has hired over 3,700 new mental health professionals in the last two and a half years, bringing the total number of mental health professionals within VA to just under 17,000. This hiring effort continues," they said.
Is the current policies at the Department of Veterans Affairs costing lives? Are they doing enough to support our troops?
Keep an eye on this court case this week. It might be the fastest way to end this shameful behavior before more of our soldiers' lives are lost.
Thanks! I'm writing on Healthcare for NW Progressive Institute and these statistics came just when I needed them for the part about Outpatient services & Psychiatric care.
Amazing!
Hey Matthew, it could be worse pope news.
Remember when John Paul died, and they had a camera focused on his corpse for like 16 hours straight, with the word 'live' floating above his body...?
Atleast now they are wasting air time with a live pope. Anything to keep from talking about dead and wounded soldiers.
It does sound like the crew at the Clinton HQ puts a lot of time into tracking who, in their minds, has screwed them over. John Kerry is currently at the top of the hate list (a top Clinton supporter says Kerry is now "dead" to the Clintons):
Snip
This arrogance and vindictiveness of the Clintons is important to understand. It helps explain why Hillary won't get out of the race even though she can't win it. The world revolves around Hillary and Bill. They're willing to destroy anyone who gets in their way. And if the majority of the Democratic voters, the majority of the states, and the majority of the delegates get in their way, then they'll be on the top of the list. Right after John Kerry.
http://www.americablog.com/2008/04/at-clinton-hq-theyre-making-list.html
Hmmm.
mary from manhattan said:
For those in the New York City area...
Senator Kerry and Teresa will be in town tomorrow (Monday, April 21st) at the Barnes & Noble at Union Square, starting at 7:00 PM. details below. Hope to see you there!
________________________________
On Monday -- the night before Earth Day -- my wife Teresa and I will be at Barnes & Noble Union Square from 7-9 pm to talk about our book "This Moment on Earth" -- and to catch up with old friends who care about the big environmental challenges we face.
The environment's been a big part of our public passion for years and years -- in fact, Teresa and I first got to know each other at the first meetings on climate change in 1990. After the last election, when we met so many incredible environmental activists, Teresa and I decided we needed to tell the stories of some of the people we met, to help break through this notion that somehow the environment is this daunting, grim unsolvable challenge -- and to illustrate the incredible depth of Americans' commitment to environmental justice.
What we found -- and the story we told in our book -- was an incredible creativity from people from all walks of life working to make a difference. We met people working for environmental justice in their community, and patrolling rivers to chronicle environmental damage, and building organizations to track the connections between environmental toxins and rising levels of certain diseases. They didn't think of themselves as traditional environmental activists; they just saw the situation around them and decided that they had to do something.
We're at a critical moment on Earth, with our climate crisis growing ever-more acute. We need legislative solutions and political will, but we also need a new concept of environmentalism. At Barnes & Noble, we'll tell the stories of some of the people we met, and we'll talk about what they tell us about the hope for our planet.
So please join us on Monday:
Barnes & Noble Union Square
33 East 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
Monday, April 21
7-9 pm
Hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
John Kerry
Christy,
What did Hillary expect from Kerry after shooting him in the back with her comments about Kerry's "joke"? She seems like a royal (with a capital "R") bitch and is getting what she has deserves.
The Clintons have never done much to help Kerry.
I supported Kerry because of his close voting record with Kennedy, to start with. Hillary Clinton lost me in part because of the endorsements of Kerry and Kennedy.
Apparently it is two different flavors of the Democratic party and I am definitely going with "The Boss" this time (Springsteen endorsed Kerry in 2004 and Obama in 2008.)
My son has been down in Portland going door-to-door all weekend, something he never thought he had the courage to do, let alone phone work. The Obama campaign is giving him wonderful training. He has a degree in political science, but like his dad, is a little intimidated by the social requirements of doing something like this. I am so proud.
He's also the one who got me to support both Kerry and Obama. I had my pros and cons and some attraction for aspects of other candidates. It was his objective analysis of the records and the assets that sold me, along with those of my friend Alan's son Josh, who at the moment has also made our hearts swell with pride because he has gone to Pennsylvania to work to help Obama.
I emailed Marjorie to make sure she knew about Kerry and of course she did and in fact said she might be going to it with Mary from Manhattan.
By the way, I was over in Redmond today to meet with NW Progressive Institute and Redmond is full of Obama signs. Let me tell you about Redmond. It is not like Seattle. The eastside isn't BLUE with 80 plus percent for Obama or Dems. It's PURPLE and the Dems are an "underground" who are surrounded by quite a few Republicans. I have the utmost respect for them because they are working hard. I am going to do all I can to help them.
It is the young who have to live with all this longer. I for one am ready to see the torch passed.
8 Year old Portland politically savvy boy
http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/print_story.php?story_id=120335883418190200
_________________________________________________________
Young Voters in Pennsylvania hold the key
http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USN1829426120080420
________________________________________________________
Millennial Generation set to rock the vote
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/04/20/MNN7107FVE.DTL
April 20, 2008 9:30 PM
Christy said:
Re: The Clintons.
The only good thing I can see coming from this is that they are in a downward spiral continuing to self destruct. I actually had more respect for each of them before this fiasco.
Let's just hope this one doesn't get stolen. It's the Last Chance Express.
Sparrow,
My close friend has a nephew serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq, third tour. I met him when I was home last summer, and he said most of the deployed soldiers' marriages do not hold up under the strain. He considers himself to be very lucky because his marriage has remained intact. I am not kidding.
TSP, thanks so much for your generous comments on my views and writing.
National shame, National disgust, National outrage. Here's hoping this court case cane bring greater highlights on current policy.
US war veterans get day in court
April 21, 2008 - 1:51PM
Veterans of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere who say they have systematically been denied proper medical care are set to have their case heard in court.
The lawsuit starts on Monday before a judge in the US District Court for Northern California in San Francisco.
The veterans claim the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was unable to deal with the growing number of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases emerging from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Unless systemic and drastic measures are instituted immediately, the costs to these veterans, their families, and our nation will be incalculable, including broken families, a new generation of unemployed and homeless veterans, increases in drug abuse and alcoholism, and crushing burdens on the health care delivery system and other social services in our communities," the suit said.
More......http://news.theage.com.au/us-war-veterans-get-day-in-court/20080421-27j8.html
These alert and courageous parents are to be congratulated. It would not be an easy thing to report your child to the police. The possibility of the consequences don't bear thinking about. How many other potential killers are hiding their rage within themselves at home?
Perhaps we all need to more education of the psychology of people who are potential mass murderers. The earliest signs. The frequency of the earliest signs. When perpetrators kill themselves they take all sense of justice from families of the murdered or injured children.
Children and the wider public need more information about the psychology of these very disturbed young people so that they can be identified, as in this case, before the monstrous conclusion.
Student behind bars for school bomb plan
April 21, 2008 - 2:03PM
An 18-year-old student has been arrested in the United States for allegedly stockpiling 4.5kg of ammonium nitrate to bomb his school.
Ryan Schallenberger also had maps of a school building, and had filled his diary with praise for the boys who committed the Columbine high school massacre, police in Chesterfield, South Carolina said.
Sunday is the ninth anniversary of the Columbine massacre, but investigators do not know whether there was any link between the anniversary and Schallenberger's plans.
Schallenberger's parents called in the police when they discovered the ammonium nitrate had been delivered to their home, and found their son's hate-filled diary.
http://news.theage.com.au/student-behind-bars-for-school-bomb-plan/20080421-27i2.html
For the vets lawsuit article -
http://news.theage.com.au/us-war-veterans-get-day-in-court/20080421-27j8.html
LOS ANGELES (IPS/GIN) - Veterans of the Iraq war are becoming homeless more quickly than veterans from Vietnam, largely due to domestic conflicts and custody disputes that happen upon their return.
“What’s unique about the men and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan is that they’re not able to integrate with their family,” said Rachel Feldstein, the associate director of New Directions, a residential care center for homeless veterans in West Los Angeles. “They’ve seen horrible things. They’ve been in horrible places and their family can’t relate. And so they become homeless.”
The U.S. Vets Westside Residence Hall, where New Directions is based, is a hulking eight-story structure a few blocks from Los Angeles International Airport. It’s the largest transitional housing and employment center for homeless veterans in the country, hosting 700 veterans annually.
Michael Hall is one of its residents. The 31-year-old Army staff sergeant enlisted shortly after high school and served as a heavy equipment mechanic and technical weapons specialist in Bosnia, Cuba, Kuwait and Afghanistan before being severely injured in Iraq in 2003.
The federal government’s Department of Veterans Affairs considers Mr. Hall to be 100 percent disabled. He has difficulty walking, dragging his feet with each step he takes. He also suffers from mental problems—bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—conditions he didn’t have before he went to Iraq.
Mr. Hall said his problems really started when he got back to the United States and started using methamphetamines to dull the pain.
Mr. Hall has four children, ages 7, 4, 2 and 1, but his behavior since being released from the military has kept him away from them. In addition to using drugs, he started dealing them, as well. Since leaving the military in 2003, he has served time in federal prison in Oklahoma for felony home invasion and has had numerous other run-ins with the law. Within three years, he hit rock bottom and became one of 27,000 homeless vets on the streets of Los Angeles.
“These are guys who are pretty much going straight from deployment to the streets,” Ms. Feldstein said, adding that veterans of the Iraq war are becoming homeless much more quickly than Vietnam vets.
While about half of the estimated 400,000 homeless veterans served during the Vietnam years, Ms. Feldstein said most did not usually become homeless until nine to 12 years after their discharge.
Already, she said, Iraq war vets are living on the streets of Los Angeles, getting seriously addicted to drugs and falling into criminal behavior, she said.
more...
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_3661.shtml
... and in related news...
Pass this on if you know anyone who can help.
The 'Sites' they refer to is Kevin Sites, the war reporter that filmed the Fallujah mosque execution of a wounded Iraqi.
"The "Kivu Sewing Workshop for the Welfare of Women" aims to help rape victims "regain confidence and purpose." Since 1998, a reported 5.4 million people have died because of conflict in Eastern Congo (formerly Zaire). The rape of civilian women is so common there that the United Nations' top humanitarian coordinator, John Holmes, says it's "almost a cultural phenomenon."
Sites got involved after meeting a victim called "Serapina," who'd been repeatedly raped by rebel soldiers and forced to witness other atrocities. Her first husband and two children were killed in front of her in 1997. Seven years later Serapina was attacked a second time; she was raped again and her second husband and unborn child were both killed.
The workshop is headed by Amani Mataboro Tom, who was Sites' fixer and translator for the Congolese leg of The Hot Zone project. Tom was motivated to start the workshop by sexual violence inflicted on members of his own extended family.
Training at the workshop will last for eight months. In exchange for free tuition, participants must pass on skills to other women in the workshop. The workshop in Walengu hopes to operate on as little as $500 a month.
Sites is looking for donors and web gurus to help build, host and maintain a website for the project. He can be e-mailed at ksinhz@hotmail.com."
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/04/sites_interview
McCain camp says Hamas wants Obama
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/19/mccain-camp-says-hamas-wants-obama-2/
Real funny considering mccrazy himself recently and blatantly 'agreed with' osama bin laden.
Maybe so Christy, but what a stupid and disgusting thing to say, so friggin reminiscent of the "Osama Wants Kerry" bullsh*t.
Gee, imagine friends and enemies alike around the world actually WANTING to have the chance to deal with someone reasonable instead of dealing with warmongers or NOT dealing with anyone at all.
I just drew up a handy dandy list for mccrazy off the top of my head.... Pass it on if you need it.
Things you probably do not know about John McCain
1) He is breaking the very laws on campaign financing that he helped write on a daily basis.
2) He is not a 'natural born citizen'. He was born in Panama, and no matter how you twist the Constitution, a child born in Panama can not fit the defintion of 'natural born citizen'. Natural born citizens do not need a legal justification or clause to make them citizens.
3) John MccAin has cheerleaded the Iraq War consistantly and in even the face of a desperate reality. He has in fact stated that we should remain there for 100, even 'a million' years. McCain himself said ‘No one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have.’
4) McCain constantly confuses facts, such as Sunni vs. Shiite, and makes deliberately misleading 'gaffes', only to insist they were all 'mistatements' and that he 'mispoke' on the rare occassion he is challenged on them. Most of the time they are not reported at all, instead McCain is given the benefit of the doubt inspite of the exact opposite being true.
5) The reporters covering McCain are often openly courted by McCain, and are unethically close to the subject of their reporting. When he makes mistakes, mistatements, or even flat out lies, they simply do not report it. They chose access to power over their duty of informing the public with full disclosure.
6) If you think John Kerry was 'elitist' because his wife was an Heiress, that standard also applies to McCain who divorced a wife to marry an heiress worth in excess of 100 million dollars. She then financed his political rise and they have no less than 8 homes.
7) McCain has openly sought the endorsements of some of the most radical elements of the Christian Right. If Obamas pastor is controversial, then so is McCains open solicitation of religious leaders who are openly engaged in hate speech and racial stereotyping.Yet his connections to these people go unreported.
8) In the media, McCains support for our soldiers is assumed, yet he is actively resisting signing a new GI Bill, and has backed up every policy of George W Bush, no matter how detrimental it was to our Armed Forces.
9) Has been called 'anti- torture' even though he again actively supports an administration fully engaged in the depravity of it. He has yet to demand it cease, nor has he provided legislation or investigations to stop it. (The President Vice President and many administration level officials have now admitted to constructing and approving a torture program)
10) Is consistently known for improper relationships with lobbyists. Even ones that have business before the committees he is on. Rarely are these relationships reported or investigated by anyone in the media.
11) McCain does support dismantling Social Security in favor of 'private accounts'.
12) Fully supports George W Bushs policy to give tax breaks to the wealthiest among us, and continued corporate welfare, even as he admits he does not fully understand our economy.
13) His campaign openly admits his financial policy will not reduce our deficits, and in fact has stated openly “..would like the next president not to talk about deficit reduction.” . McCain himself has said vehemently "I disagree. I disagree with the experts. I disagree. I disagree. I disagree with the experts."
14) Has now finally admitted the US Economy is in recession, even though he has been denying it all along.
15) Is quietly co-ordinating and being advised by Karl Rove, whom was the 'Architect of George W Bushs disastrous policies, and is now a 'Fox News Contributor" who is never identified as McCain advisor on air, even as he is supposedly 'reporting' on the nominee.
16) He still does not have a comprehensive health care policy to represent and his campaign seems to be scrambling to make up one as they go along.
17) He has no plan to address Global Warming.
18) Has openly said he agrees with Osama Bin Laden about our military involvement in Iraq... "For the first time, I have seen Osama bin Laden and Gen. Petraeus in agreement, and that is, the central battleground in the battle against al-Qaeda is in Iraq today! That’s what bin Laden is saying, and that’s what Gen. Petraeus is saying, and that’s what I’m saying, my friends."
19) He has physically assaulted atleast two fellow senators.
20) Refuses to release his medical records or his wifes tax records.
21) Makes same arm gestures as Bob Dole.
Christy,
McCain said he thought the religious right were a bunch of "intolerant people" in 2000.
Then he wanted to cozy up to a few of them, since he doesn't play politics, to get big endorsements this year. Dobson has said in the past few months that he won't even vote this time for President, then decided it was his duty to vote so was checking out McCain's position on stem cell research.
So their alliance hasn't been reported because there is no firm alliance at this time. If McCain gets the R.R. endorsement it will be because of a back door deal, IMO.
Christy,
You should go send that list to all the media. Also send it to Ed Shultz because he's been focusing on McCain's temper.
April 21, 2008 7:24 AM
monkey said:
LOS ANGELES (IPS/GIN) - Veterans of the Iraq war are becoming homeless more quickly than veterans from Vietnam, largely due to domestic conflicts and custody disputes that happen upon their return.
Now isn't THAT special. They don't say that another reason they become homeless after they get PTSD, etc. is because of the really awful state of our economy.
We've been shafted.
Christy,
Do you have any URL's I could add to that list?
Because if you do, I have quite a few people I would like to send the list to.
An old man with PTSD with his finger on the button. That's just what we need.
I had to post it for you on one of my other blogs, trying to not be too political on the art blog
http://christyscranium.blogspot.com/2008/04/things-you-probably-do-not-know-about.html
BTW, had to change the words senators in #19 to:
19) He has physically assaulted atleast two fellow members of congress.
TSP said:
An old man with PTSD with his finger on the button. That's just what we need.
OMFG! I did not even think about that!
HELLLP!! Help! SOMEBODY HELP USSSSSS!!!
Based on new financial disclosure reports released Sunday, and interviews with his finance team, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee will instead accept taxpayer money to finance his general election
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9737.html
Michael Moore Endorses Obama
http://silencedmajority.blogs.com/silenced_majority_portal/2008/04/michael-moore-e.html
Michael Moore might rank right behind the Clintons as the top 2 items that will ensure Republicans get out to vote.
Cannibal Lecture
Great, Christy. Thanks.
Am I gonna use that list ;-D) Thanks for all that information, Christy girl.
Ha ha Christy you are too funny.
Actually I wish I could take credit for the "old man with PTSD with his finger on the button" comment. It was my witty and wise son's first comment about McCain.
The kid was born astute.
Tomorrow's the big day (Penn.) I be gettin' nervous. (Just don't tell anybody.)
Don't worry about it, Christy. Unless they steal it, I don't see any way people will vote McCain in.
Oh, now I get it!! Cindy McCain wants to be First Lady.
Michael Moore will also get out the youth vote.
If the youth vote is larger than in previous elections, the bastion of old white male power is doomed. Hillary could be lst US woman president yes - but was Margaret Thatcher a milestone in a positive way? I think not - she was a female Reagan.
NMP,
Wasn't there something going on big with Obama's campaign today? A drive or something you were going to participate in?
TSP
I have been making calls to Pennsylvania with some other people. I found out from conversation that they have been to a place about 60 miles south of Pittsburgh, near West Virginia. I talked to some very nice older people, rather conservative Dems, Clinton-leaning but not entirely. They have some of the fears one finds in rural areas and I know it from living in South Dakota. There are alot of myths about the world out there. I wouldn't say it was encouraging for Obama directly, but it IS encouraging that he even has the money and callers to get conversations going with people in Clinton territory.
My son went down to Portland all weekend and registered voters door-to-door in a less-affluent more minority/mixed neighborhood there. The effort was very well organized, as the phone calling has been. All the money is being put to good use. If Obama isn't our President, he will still have started a movement but I hope he is our president and so do alot of others in the world.
There are some people with their speech and beliefs being taken out of context - all those being associated with Obama where it's clear people won't necessarily look deeper. That is propaganda. I've seen some of the ads both candidates are running in Pennsylvania. They are both leaning negative at this stage of the game. Articles on PA point to what a varied state it is. It has the demographics of America in the 1950s. It's very interesting.
I just put up a photo Kayakbiker's mother sent me of a church with an Obama/Osama message on the marquee, endorsed by the all-white congregation. I also was sent a video of Ed Rendell speaking favorably at length by Farrakhan and a story about Clinton accepting as an endorser the very mysoginistic evil tabloid publisher who tried to take her husband down and accused her of being a murderer.
http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com
I don't want to feel like a yellow journalist but fair is fair if people are going to talk about Wright, Ayers, Hamas etc. Let's get it all out there and find out who is really pandering and covering up.
NMP
I realized what you are talking about
http://www.obamaminute.com - I did participate. He hoped to bring in a million dollars in one minute. The server couldn't handle it all during the minute but some like me had pre-pledged so we'll be counted.
I haven't heard how he did but it was a neat idea!
Oh look, bill says If Only We Were All Republicans.....
PITTSBURGH -- Following a rally for his wife's campaign at Market Square in Pittsburgh, former president Bill Clinton suggested his wife would already be the nominee -- if she were running under Republican party rules.
"If we were under the Republican system, which is more like the Electoral College, she'd have a 300-delegate lead here," he said. "I mean, Senator McCain is already the nominee because they chose a system to produce that result, and we don't have a nominee here, because the Democrats chose a system that prevents that result."
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/21/bill_clinton_defends_hillarys.html#more
Someone must have forgot to throw him a bimbo to keep him quiet.
NMP,
Thanks. It will be good to see how well he did, too.
I am excited about the Penn primary tomorrow, I go into what used to be my favorite political news show, to watch them tear my candidate down
some more. Had to turn it off. Must write them again. (Uhuh, nothing like trying to control Murdock or Moonie or whoever it is that wants this WORLD to spin to the tune of his axle.)
I just don't understand it. This news channel seemed to be fair, and even excited about one of the candidates that I support, until about a week and a half ago they just started ripping their fangs in.
I guess when I see them same ol' politics in the media that we saw in 2000 and 2004, my hopes get dashed.
I DO CARE WHETHER or not my candidate gets in. I'm part of the 1.3 million and counting.
NMP, I know what you are saying about the rural areas like SD and ND leaning more toward one candidate, and we both know why. It has challenged me here, and I have seen it here.
It's frustrating, but this town is an older population, most from the "old school". I'm sure the campaign has it covered as far as demographics, but it is a little scarey because of the fact that the rural (if not theft) took it for Bush in '04. They trickle in precinct by precinct, county by county, and they do add up.
Maybe it's just Neandrethal man that feels that way. I guess you could definitely say I don't live in a progressive part of the country, although we did go Obama in the primary.
Christy said:
Oh look, bill says If Only We Were All Republicans.....
UnFREAKINGbelievable.
Oh looky...
More felons allowed to enlist in Army, Marines
Both the Army and Marine Corps are struggling to increase their numbers
WASHINGTON (AP) - Under pressure to meet combat needs, the Army and Marine Corps brought in significantly more recruits with felony convictions last year than in 2006, including some with manslaughter and sex crime convictions.
Data released by a congressional committee shows the number of soldiers admitted to the Army with felony records jumped from 249 in 2006 to 511 in 2007. And the number of Marines with felonies rose from 208 to 350.
Those numbers represent a fraction of the more than 180,000 recruits brought in by the active duty Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines during fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2007. But they highlight a trend that has raised concerns both within the military and on Capitol Hill.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24243460/
NMP, tell your son I think he is very brave.
And if he wants to come to Louisiana we sure could use him here.
I took an unscientific poll the other day. And the more I think about what happened, the more it freaks me out. BTW, no one knew they were being 'polled'.
I got curious after I realized that in all my years here, I had never seen a single political protest sign or seen a protest rally...at all. Not one single time I can remember. I am not kidding.
So, I kinda casually started asking other people had they ever seen one. I made sure to ask every age group except small kids and toddlers. I asked maybe 25 people, all ages all races.
Not a single one of them had ever seen a protest sign nor seen a political ptotest rally either. Not a single one of them had ever seen such a thing in Louisiana.
At first I was like 'I knew I wasn't trippin!'
Then I was like.. 'Wow. How creepy is that? Isn't that what it is like in China?'.
If I can get a video cam with the battery power I need, I am going to give it to my son, and let him document a small group of us that has decided to rally, just to see what the response will be. But to be honest we are all kinda nervous about it.
Canary in a coalmine experiment. No one wants to be the canary.
Christy
That is pretty cooL!! Good luck!
Here is a protest that allegedly took place outside New Orleans:
One point to make about Louisiana, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, for that matter even Morgan City, any city on our coast is an exception, not the rule.
The constant flow of outsiders into the port cities give them a very different cultural and political landscape than the other 99.9% of Louisiana.
Unfortunately, the 'outsiders' do not usually venture in further than the ports. Once you leave the port cities behind and go north the attitude immediately changes. Grinding poverty, dead last in healthcare, sky high illiteracy rates, total, and I mean TOTAL information control, no political dissent, every unfair election trick you can imagine.
And we are barely more racially integrated now than they were here in the 60s. We still describe our churches and schools as 'the white church', or 'the black middle school'.
I have always heard New Orleans is 'different' when I went I started understanding what that meant. They are...were.. way more integrated than the rest of Louisiana. I was so proud to see a place in Louisiana where blacks could be just proud. And politically aware.
But here in landlocked Louisiana, it is like it is not even on the same planet. If they hold rallies in New Orleans or Morgan City, it is still too far away from here to matter or even be seen.
Christy
Funny - I've heard people say the same thing about Hawaii!!
Christy
Even China is more open than that.
Inland Louisiana sounds more like North Korea.
I just spoke to my high school buddy in Yuma - the one I almost cut out of my life. Yuma is no different. He's the one who defected from the Democrats to the Republicans, and is planning on supporting McCain, even though he doesn't like ANY of the candidates. For some reason, he thought I was a Hillary supporter - I corrected him by telling him that Hillary's smear of fellow Democrats only works against her.
I mentioned Yuma because it doesn't seem to be much of an improvement over Louisiana. NMP really hates the place, and I confirmed her report that there is no mass transit there. The only enlightened places in Arizona are Tucson (University of Arizona) and maybe Phoenix and Tempe, that's about it.
Heck, even Southern California isn't much better either. The Reagan Revolution started here.
Christy
You really make me want to visit New Orleans. One of these days, I will.
What if the candidates had been asked these questions?
Q. The recent incident in the Strait of Hormuz highlighted the danger that provocations by either side or just misunderstanding could ignite a Tonkin-Gulf-like military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran that could degenerate into an all-out war. Do you believe that President Bush has the legal power to retaliate militarily against an alleged Iranian provocation without Congressional authorization?
Q. Are you concerned about a so-called “surprise” in a form of a Tonkin-Gulf-in-the-Persian-Gulf that could affect the outcome of the election? Have you or your aides raised this issue with officials in the administration or discussed it with your colleagues in Congress?
Q. Under what circumstances can President Bush count on your support if he decides to strike Iran before the election in November? Under what circumstances would he not have your support?
Q. The Israelis have also warned that they could take a unilateral action and strike against Iran’s nuclear sites if the U.S. and the international community fail to prevent the Iranians from pursuing their nuclear military program. Should the president demand that Israel get U.S. permission before deciding to strike Iran’s nuclear sites? What should the consequences be if Israel attacks without U.S. permission?
Q. Would you agree to supply Israel with bunker busting bombs to help it destroy the Iranian installations?
Q. Can the Israeli government count on your support if it decides to strike Iran before the election in November?
http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/4685
Eastern Washington is an inland empire or isolation too.
Have you guys been following Hillary on Olbermann and her recent comments about obliterating Iran?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/21/214248/351/937/500454
batshit crazy neocon stuff & Happy Earth Day on her website - you don't threaten nuclear annihilation as leverage & love the planet
NMP... I hate to say it, but those questions on Iran are.... totally bogus.
To even ask those questions is to assume georgie and company has been right about Iran all along. And we all know they are not right.
Those questions are a probe to see how much and how fast we can bomb Iran for no other reason than they make Israelis nervous.
And as far as the Israelis go... If they attack Iran... I will make it a point to turn on them forever.
None of my children will ever be sacrificed in the name of Israel.
Here is a good question on Iran for the candidates....
Are you aware that our own NIE clearly states Iran is NOT pursuing a nuclear weapons program?
If you are aware of it, then why in the hell are you sitting here talking sh*t about 'obliterating' them?
OMFG!
Forget government corruption or corporate fraud. Three members of Congress want the Justice Department to investigate whether college football’s Bowl Championship Series is an illegal enterprise.
Reps. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., and Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, are introducing a resolution rejecting the oft-criticized bowl system as an illegal restriction on trade because only the largest universities compete in most of the major bowl games. The resolution would require Justice’s antitrust division to investigate whether the system violates federal law.
The measure also would put Congress on record as supporting a college football playoff.
“Who elected these NCAA people? Who are they to decide who competes for the championship?” Abercrombie said at a press conference Thursday on Capitol Hill, gripping a souvenir University of Hawaii football.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
OMFG! OMFG! OMFG!
What is WRONG with these people?!
Bill Clinton claimed that Barack Obama's campaign "played the race card on me." According to ABC News, Clinton was
"talking to station WHYY about the fallout over his comparison of Obama's South Carolina primary victory with the support of black Democrats to Jesse Jackson's primary wins. Those comments were portrayed by critics as an attempt to highlight Obama's race."
Clinton told the interviewer that "you have to really go some to play the race card on me." Clinton then lists the reasons why no one should portray him as a racist. He includes the fact that he has an "office in Harlem, and Harlem voted for Hillary, by the way." He goes on to say, "I have 1.4 Million people around the world, mostly people of color... on the world's least expensive AIDS drugs...."
At the very end of the interview, when Bill thinks he is no longer on the line, you can hear him saying, "I don't think I should take any shit from anybody on that, do you?"
Listen to the interview below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/22/bill-clinton-obama-played_n_97927.html
More at Younger Than McCain website. The person who started this website is actually my age (quite old, but younger than McCain) - send ideas.
http://silencedmajority.blogs.com/silenced_majority_portal/2008/04/younger-than-mc.html
Christy
Those questions were from an article on that site from "American Conservative" - which comes from paleocons like Buckley.
The actual site is http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/4685, which is Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran.
A series of liberal questions could also be asked, as there is no point on the spectrum where invasion or obliteration / nuclear annihilation of Iran is sane.
Here is the mission section for the site, which is from across the pond.
http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=about
Major mccrazy scandal brewing. Anyone surprised?
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has doled out numerous favors to Arizona millionaire Donald Diamond, the New York Times reports, including authorizing the Interior Department to pay Diamond $23 million for Arizona ranch property valued at about $5 million. “Mr. Diamond and his family have given more than $55,000 to Mr. McCain’s campaigns” and Diamond has raised $250,000 for McCain’s presidential race so far.
Link up from Think progress.org
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/us/politics/22diamond.html?hp=&pagewanted=all
Clinton on Pennsylvania: 'I have to win'Story Highlights
NEW: Sen. Clinton says she must win Tuesday's primary in Pennsylvania
NEW: Sen. Obama says narrowing of race amounts to a moral victory
CNN's "poll of polls" finds Clinton ahead of Obama by 9 percentage points
Pundits: If Clinton wins by fewer than 10 points, nothing changes in race
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/22/pa.primary/index.html
Prediction: The implosion of the party begins tonight, nice going.
Monkey,
The implosion has been happening for a month now already. However, I hope that if Hillary wins that her victory is less than 10%. Anything less than double-digits is a disgrace since she once had a 20-25% lead.
Also...if anyone wants to chat in the irc tonight about the primary, how about if we meet around 8 or 9 pm? (est)
Sparrow, I'm thinking it might all be over by 8 or 9 EST, the way they project a winner.
I would love to hang. Monkey's the bartender. I'll have a Long Island Iced Tea. And I'm hoping it will be ready when I arrive.
Hello from Brazil!
Where I noticed a GORGEOUS box of tomatoes sitting in a market, just for Christy, where everything is labeled environmentally friendly, and where I am assiduously avoiding any mention of PA.
I'm in an internet cafe, saince there is no wireless around, apparently, so all I have to do is NOT login until tomorrow or watch CNN and I'll be fine!
(I just can't take it anymore).
Anyway, sending love to all. I love this hot steamy stunning city and will tell you all more MANANA!!
Whoops, the polls are open until 8:00 p.m. EST
Hello, Karen, enjoy!
The media is already pushing the "why is it that Obama can't close the deal?" mantra over and over...
... and sparrow, I'll keep your beverage at the ready, and if I happen to knock it back in the interim while viewing the aforementioned implosion, I'll have a fresh one or three ready for you when you arrive.
Pour, Pour Pitiful Me
A Nixon for Obama
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/a-nixon-for-obama/index.html?ref=politics
Gee, a Nixon endorsement, that's good.. I guess.
Gotta tell ya though, even endorsements have become surreal and absurd anymore... I find they just add to the media circus frenzy and often detract from the message, with fixations on strange and even stranger bedfellows.
The ties that bind.
Ok, here we goooooo.........
updated 6 minutes ago
Exit polls: New Dems break for Obama
Sen. Barack Obama is scoring big with new Democrats in Pennsylvania's primary voting today, early exit polls show. Sen. Hillary Clinton is faring better with voters who made up their mind in the last week. Obama called Pennsylvania an "uphill climb" but said his campaign showed he can compete in a big state
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama scored big with new Democrats in Pennsylvania, early exit polls show.
One out of every seven Democratic party voters was not registered as a Democrat at the beginning of the year, and 60 percent of them cast their ballot for Obama, according to the exit polls.
Sen. Hillary Clinton fared better with voters who made up their mind in the last week, the exit polls showed.
Fifty-eight percent of those voters said they chose the New York senator. That includes voters who made up their mind in the aftermath of last week's heated Democratic debate.
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/22/pa.primary/index.html
Just an FYI...listening to Ed Schulz while I do my work and Terry McAwful was talking to him and bringing up the t.p. that Obama outspent Hillary by 3-1 and why 'can't he put it away...?'
Ed had a great response...
Hillary and Bill have had a sixteen year advantage of name recognition, power, and infrastructure. So the fact that Obama has done all that he's done is quite remarkable!
I just saw a poll that puts hillary at 52 and Obama at 48%. No where near the blowout lead she started with.
Karen went to Brazil on Penn Primary Day? Wow I am totally jealous. What a grand adventure! Glad to see yall made it ok.
I knew they would have real tomatos there. Fresh too, I bet. See, it is not that I mind Mexicans growing tomatos, it is just they are half rotted before they ever get here.
Sorry, I just have a thing for tomatos.
Ok. so this is funny.
The nets are calling it for Clinton already.
So the splitting of the Democratic Party continues.
If her pathetic 'victory' makes her stay in, really, that is ok too.
Yes, it will fracture the dems, but the repellicans are fractured too and it is about damn time more than 300 million people are ruled by more than 2 parties.
I am a dem, a liberal dem in a red stronghold, and I say let the old die away. It is about damn time the baggage is kicked to the curb.
Don't be afraid of the split... it was inevitable. And, it is good that is is happening now with Obama ready to take over the helm. He has enough cross over appeal he can wipe the floor with mccrazy inspite of the infighting.
Oh. I saw it pointed out elsewhere that a side-benefit of the long running primary is that we're able to get better voter id and issue related identifications.
whoo hooo.
This split has been needed, but thank you to the clintons for reminding us all why it NEEDS to happen.
And happen NOW, not later. now.
No more democrats that act like republicans allowed. Tyvm. They don't have to go away mad, but they will go away.
Otherwise it will be just more of the same FOREVER. over 300 million people subjugated to an endless REPUBLICAN world.
Hey hillary...Bring it on.
K--well, I came up for air. It wasn't much fun. Diving back into work again.
See you all in a few weeks or at the next primary.
53 to 47.
She gained with late deciders. The ones who saw bin laden and freaked out.
So sad.
Look at the 'total votes' on the crooks and liars graphic.
For dems 115,125
for rebublicanss... 14,772
Say huh?
She is going on (listening to NPR) about how much money Obama had - that's because people sent it from all over the US - if they wanted her they would have sent HER money.
She is acting like she just won the nomination. She will net what .. 10 delegates?
My girl did OK!
My girl did OK because she is strong and not a phoney with a bad hair cut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltRwmgYEUr8
Doesn't it even bother you at all that you had to imply we are all liars, just to justify her lies?
By the way... did ok is not good enough.
Oh and that thing on the hair cut, did your new friend lush limpball teach you that?
Christy:
I do not understand where you are coming from on that. I do not understand your reference to lies. The hair cut has to do with Hillary and Barack - as in she finally found one and B is still searching....
Christy:
I never said anything about others being liars. As you have cautioned me off the juice, I will allow myself to do the same to you.
Chuck in Houston
You do not remember our conversation where you implied we are 'all liars in this life' just to excuse her outright being caught in sniper fire lies?
I find that either very astonishing or completely convienant.
You DO NOT UNDERSTAND My refrence to lies...?
Wow. You are becoming more republican every time we meet.
Well, maybe since she has the better haircut, that really does mean she will be a great president!
Funny cause when John Edwards got a great cut, he was BELITTLED for it.
Atleast Obama only pays 20 bucks a cut, how much did hillarys cost?
I mean, since it will decide the presidency, we must know....?
No, you did not imply it, you flat out said we are all liars in this lifetime.
It was the only thing you could say really, to avoid asking why she would lie about such a thing.
BTW, I don't drink, I live in a dry town. No need to warn me away from something I rarely indulge in.
I do not envy you trying to defend her. If I supported her and I knew the only way she got the margin she did tonight was by flashing bin ladens picture.. I would be ashamed.
I am really glad I chose different.
Christy:
We are all liars in this lifetime. Yes. I would never cast a stone in that respect. Maybe you are different. Maybe you are perfect. In that case, please forgive me Lord as I have sinned.
Chuck
Which still don't change nothing in that my girl did great tonight again!
Im am not perfect. But I am not a liar either. You were flat out implying that her lies were insignificant because we all lie about such things.
NO! Wrong answer.
Perfect? Now you are trying to insult me with what again...?
I am not perfect, but I will be damned if you call me a liar to distract from HER LIES.
Did great...? You call scaremongering and race baiting 'great'...? Of course you would.
You damn right I am 'different'. I am not the 'liberal' you are used too. When you use republican tactics I will call you on it and even tell you what I think of it.
If you ask me, liberals should have started fighting back years ago. It is actually quite liberating.
Bin laden just don't scare me. And niether does hillary. The liar.
Christy:
Again, good luck. You lost me a long time back with that hate speak. You ought to think once and a bit about all the hate you spew out and not blame it all on others.
Chuck in Houston
Hate speak? Hate speak....?
HAHAHA! HAHA!
Wow you are so desperate it is kinda funny.
Maybe next, to avoid her lies again, you can tell us all about obliterating Iran. Talk about hate speak!
HAHAHA! Ok it is REALLY funny.
BTW, I take responsibility for ALL of my words, why can't 'your girl'..?
And do tell us what it was 'your girl' won tonight? Because her desperate game of catchup has yet to get her anywhere except deep in debt. Even with this victory she can not win without also corrupting our entire primary system. But if you are willing to defend her flat out lies, defending that will almost certainly be automatic.
So much for 'great' more like too little too late.
An American spied for Israel in the 1980s, Israel openly admitted it - and the spy gets a slap on the wrist, only now.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7361446.stm
Disgusting.
Were Republicans allowed to vote for Clinton or Obama in Pa? If so, I've just been watching the "likelihood that many of Clinton's votes were from Republicans". This would be because they know that John McCain is more likely to beat Clinton than to beat Obama. Does it work like that? I really can't see many democrats voting for all the slime Clinton is tipping over Obama. But Republicans - now that's a whole different issue.
After last night, my level of disgust has spiked... on so many levels... and I was reminded again within about 30 seconds of turning on the Idiot Box as to why I never turn it on in the first place.
Armchair quarterbacks all with skin in the game, not even pretending to be unbiased ... pontifficating and defecating at the same time, never EVER talking about actual issues, while doing the nation and the world a great disservice through their empty-yet-flashy, drama laced existence (sans Olbermann).
Oh, and I'm about 1 'victory' speech away from leaving the party, cuz 'she' sure is leaving me.
Crappy Humped Day
monkey, I haven't been able to watch world news programs or any of the Pa commentaries on Australian news. They are as lolly-sickening as any American reports on the primaries. I found vacuuming preferable!
It really is sickening. It must be so much worse for you. Please though, just grit teeth and ensure that the slime doesn't take hold for the rest of this long, painful, drawn out campaign. And it's not even the election yet! Please everyone - stay with it - hard and all as it is.
The world is depending on you to persevere.
All I'm going to say is that Hillary has rendered herself even more unelectable in November via her performance in this primary campaign.
I have no clue what blue collar workers in PA were thinking, but I hope it's that "a vote for Hillary is really a vote for McCain". Because if Hillary wins the nomination, that's who they'll be getting.
I don't love Obama's chances in November, especially after the beating he's taken at the hands of Billary; but by this point, people like me would have to get good and drunk before going to the polls in order to be able to pull the lever for Hillary. And if we're going to get that drunk, we're just as likely to simply stay home, and sleep it off...
I see hillary raked in over 2 million last night.
That still leaves her what? Atleast 8 million in debt.
And no closer to clinching the nomination than she was yesterday morning.
Since her campaign is known as a 'dead beat', kinda makes you wonder how she will pay off the little people who do all the work for her, or does she just plan on not paying them at all?
Which all leads me back to the simple statement I made when she decided to enter the race, that absolutely nothing good can come from it, and damn it all to hell if I don't see it unfolding that way right before my eyes.(sorry Chuck)
It was a foregone conclusion in my mind before the campaign even started that the only person(s) who can equal or surpass Dubya and the entire GOP right now for divisiveness is the Clintons, and its playing out just that way too.
... and it's NOT because I don't like her, but it's far far FAR more pressing that the party be unified to take back the White House, it's critical...
Read on...
Taking a toll
But there are signs that the brutal slog is taking a toll. Clear polling leads that Obama once held over Sen. John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, have disappeared.
Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, said even before a controversy erupted over Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., focus groups were turning on the candidate. In Tennessee, they criticized him for not wearing an American flag pin on his lapel and his wife, Michelle, for calling the United States "downright mean."
The candidate of hope is morphing into an Ivy League scold, Ayres said -- and Republicans can hardly believe their fortune. With President Bush's approval ratings at record lows, oil prices soaring, housing foreclosures spreading and an unpopular war raging on, the GOP faces what may be the worst political environment since the early 1970s. And, they say, Democrats are making the same mistake now.
"He's George McGovern without the military experience," Ayres said of Obama. And the Clinton campaign will exploit such an attack, as her backers seek to convince superdelegates -- Democratic elected officials and party powers who will decide the nominee -- that Obama is unelectable.
"There's a reason Sen. Obama and his campaign have ratcheted up their year-long assault on Sen. Clinton's character and ended the Pennsylvania campaign with a flurry of harsh negative attacks," a Clinton campaign memo asserted yesterday. "It's because they know that a loss in Pennsylvania will raise troubling questions about his candidacy and his ability to take on John McCain in the general election.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24267022/
great story here & they took the pics (more at story)
Sorry I missed the party last night. I got toasted before they projected Hillary the winner
(not really).
No actally I went to go in the chat, but found I couldn't get in and set up a fresher download of Java. The download was to tke 40 minutes. I got the download started.
In the meantime, MSNBC projected it for Hillary, and then started to murmur repellican talking points about "Why can't Obama just close?
Oh, yeah, and Olberman HOSTED Cinton on his show the night before the primary...What is that if not biased and giving her a boost right before the primary?
I doubt very seriously if Penn is reflective of every white working class voter's thoughts and feelings. The Clintons worked long and hard to
tie up that state, and they had alot of help from Penn insiders.
I think we should find a way to let the media k now we are on to them and boycott them. Same old, just like 2004, only at the last minute this time. Sounds like something right out of the Rovian playbook. Oh, BTW, someone said something last night on MSNBC about Rove "helping McCain".
We are each feeling frustrated and a bit angry today.
Just remember, though the MOST IMPORTANT thing is that the Dems win in November.
I don't think this will go on much longer, and then what?
People who feel they need their momma to protect them against Osama would cave at the fear at the very end, but that, too, smelled to me.
That whole Osama bin Laden picture flash in her last ad of the Penn primary WAS dirty politics in my opinion, and Obama is trying to change the tone and the menu America gets when ordering their next leader.
Maybe he needs to put pictures of all the homeless peope this country has watched eat out of garbage cans in his next ad. Along with all the people still not built back up in N'Awlins.
And the people moving in with their parents or taking to the streets because they got screwed over by Wall St. and are losing their homes.
Add to that pictures of our children "being left behind" to the tune of 50% of them not even graduating from high school in the inner cities. Then take some pictures of mom and pop who are working two jobs a piece to put food on the table but can't get healthcare. Then put it out there again, just all the PAC monies each candidate has received, for how much and for who.
I'm sorry but I don't want another liar in the White House.
New thread was posted early this morning. (Sorry no announcement was made but I had to leave immediately.)