Deserting the Troops
By Nicole Belle Thursday Apr 24, 2008 8:36am
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As the granddaughter of an Air Force general, there are few stories that make me angrier than the treatment of the troops at the hands of the government who put them in harm's way. A RAND study came out recently that had just horrifying statistics: 300,000 U.S. veterans are suffering serious mental health issues, including clinical depression and PTSD. CBS News revealed the results of an investigation on Wednesday that showed suicide is epidemic, with 2,200 among active-duty service since the invasion. But what Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's head of mental health, didn't reveal to CBS is that there are an average of 1,000 suicide attempts per month, an unthinkably high number. VetVoice is asking for your support in asking for Katz's resignation.
Paul Rieckhoff, veterans advocate and founder of the IAVA, joins Keith Olbermann to discuss:
Olbermann: More shocking than that misrepresentation or whatever you want to call it, there are other facts that go hand in glove with this. 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan vets either with clinical depression of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The suicide rate of among veterans is anywhere between three and seven times higher than the rest of the country and this number of suicide attempts at a 1000 per month. Why are the numbers so terrifyingly high?
Rieckhoff: I would say it boils down because of the fact our country is not ready to receive these people, Keith. We’ve sent 1.7 million people to war in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. Hundreds of thousands of them are coming home with serious mental health problems. This Rand study that came out last week verifies it. We’re passed the point of canaries in the coalmine. Everybody knows there are serious mental health issues across the veterans’ population. And we’re not taking care of them. They’re backlogged at the VA, the average claim takes 183 days and it’s not a pro-active system.
If you would like to help, contact the Wounded Warrior Outreach Program.
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Just add this to the list of lies republicans have thrown at the American people.
Once the troops are used they have no value to the GOP. They see more sick people the liberals are forcing them to pay for.
How dare you disrespect our soldiers by suggesting that they're mentally ill!!! There is no such thing as post traumatic stress disorder, they're just a bunch of traitorous girlie-men who can't take a hit. The real men are still in Iraq!! (But don't ask me to send my own son to Iraq.)
Why not lock up the commander in thief; in a loonie ward? Is he mentally stable? Dr Justin Frank is trying to convince his medical peers to evaluate bush....
We know how Bush & Cheney 'dealt' with war; Cheney had, "More important things to do" and Bush went AWOL while guarding a bar stool in Alabama.
I'm more than casually certain that McCain will reinstate the draft. He'll have to.
Sickening. Just sickening. President Bush should roast in the hottest circle of hell for this.
The Champ is out.
Yes Bush has thrown away the lives of all the people who fight for his little war. Were going to see a lot of broken arrows come back to haunt this nation over the years.
It is indeed disheartening that those who supported and gave with all the idealisms that could be mustered, with bravery and courage in their hearts are now subjected to the reality of what it all meant. With over 1000 suicidal attempts per month, there will be deaths by suicide in our military by the thousands. This needs to be publicized and action taken to stem the flow. It won't be as long as the cover up continues. Now, we need to support our troops. It's going to take a lot of funding (which we currently don't have) and a lot of effort and courage of good people in the United States to make the leap and stand up and be counted.
As a Viet Nam Vet I have seen this shit before. It took a class action lawsuit against the VA to get them to start treating agent orange. The VA is very good at sweeping things under the rug that may make the administration look bad.
This 'war' is about war profiteering, that is the purview of the Department of War Profiteering. Medical profiteering is a matter of the 'free' market.
You know, keep the Government out of the health care business.
The party of the huns does not like to mix its profiteering
i wonder if bush has schedule his medal of honor ceremony yet. i would say un-Fing-believable, but sadly it is not. the people involved in running this country through bush co. always find a new way to sink to new lows. and the silence in MSM is still deafening.
Why are you folks surprised to hear what we Vietnam Veterans have been stating for decades? It is a sin and immoral system that spends the lives of their warriors and then throws them away when they no longer can or want to carry a weapon into illegal warfare for the benefit of corporate sharks.
I have been service connected for over 20 years now for PTSD, my history is the same as these younger veterans and we have been telling you that changes are needed! Maybe now that the media has finally begun to listen they will do something about it.
You must hurry or you will match another Vietnam statistic. . . we have more dead from suicide than died in combat! I hope you can stop this carnage before you mirror that fact as well.
And the MSM cares more about a pastor and "bitter" comments than truly "supporting the troops".
From the books I have read about this war (just about every one written so far) and learning what happens to the soldiers over there, what they do, what they experience and what they see, I can certainly understand why just about all of them coming home would experience some sort of mental problems. The fact that the administration did not take this into consideration a long time ago is inexcusable....especially after the war in Vietnam and the mental suffering of so many of those soldiers.
Some of the soldiers get caught up in anger and do things they would have never done in their life had they not faced the hell of this war. When they return home the guilt eats them up.
There is a good book titled, "The last true story I'll ever tell" it's written by John Crawford. It's an honest and at times ugly story of his experiences in Iraq as a soldier.
This administration will be known in history books as The Cover-up Administration. They try to cover up anything that doesn't benefit their goals.
LibertyWatch @ 12:
I sent this article to a right-wing "friend", who wrote back that this was, "only on CBS news and you can't trust them! Look at Dan Rather! A total liar!"
Who else will report this? Only KO (who they also say is a nut) and CBS so far? The VA has a lot of help from the MSM holding their broom as they sweep this under the rug!
I am an Viet Vet and not just disappointed with this administration's betrayal of our troops, but outraged.
Back in February I wrote a post on Soldier Suicide that has some good links to other sources of information
on the effects of war on our soldiers. Here's the link;
http://onemansop.blogspot.com/2008/02/suicide-saturday.html
Rich
As a Viet Nam (combat) Vet I am sick and tired of hearing McCain the hero because he was a pow. In my book that doesn't make you a war hero. The only hero's That I know are white grave stone markers. The rest of us did our jobs and lived. I was a grunt and charging the machine gun nest does not make me a hero, it was my job. If I had been a cook and charged the machine gun nest, then thats a hero. McCain was a pilot and got shot down and became a pow, all part of his job. No heroics for doing your job.
But I got a ribbon on my SUV that says "Support the Troops." Maybe nobody told them?
I think the Republican attitude about the military personnel was summed up nicely by the mother of the worse president in the history of the United States: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths," Barbara Bush said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on March 18, 2003. "Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"
Same goes for the military personnel returning from this debacle of a occupation. The rich have their own problems and have not time to worry about the "irrelevant problems of American solders" after all they did volunteer.
The sad part about less KIA is the huge number of WIA (Wounded in Action).
What's even sadder is the entire Iraqmire and the Neo-Cons that started it.
We’ve sent 1.7 million people to war in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. Hundreds of thousands of them are coming home with serious mental health problems.
Yes, our brains don't respond well to being lied to, when as a result of the lies we go out and commit murder. No matter how many times the Bush administration tells the average soldier that he did the right thing, deep down, he knows he didn't.
What Bush and Cheney forgot is that the majority of American citizens, unlike themselves, actually have consciences. The psychopaths in office, however, tend not to believe it. They don't have a conscience, why should anyone else?
But they support our troops, They wear their flag pins and flap their lips how they would go if they only could, tom delay was very upset that he could not go to "nam" because all the low income people took up all the spots. Never been bloodied little bill kristol(kristol--hay I bet he is tied to kristol meth, secret code) could not go because he could not see over the steering wheel of a hummer, lush bimbo had a zit on his ass that collected lint on it so he could not go, the list of gop chicken shits that could not go reads like a whos who of gop leadership. In fact the number of congress persons, who are more than willing to send our kids, who have any family members serving is very, very small. Why is that? Are their kids better than ours? When are we going to stand up and revolt against these cowards? How dare they stand behind the bodies of our children and tell us how brave they are! Its easy to be brave in the back of a limo or on the grounds of a prep school! SON OF A BITCH!!!---ceo
David Swanson's Top Ten Reasons not to Impeach Dick Cheney!
One in five Iraq vets return with mental problems was the story on AP a couple weeks ago.
Why is it so hard to simply recognize this fact?
This war has been pushed by many who profess to be pro-life. Does anyone see the despicable dichtomy of this? Does anyone ever consider how many pregnant women have been killed in Iraq? Abortion by ammunition? How about the don't see,don't care attitude towards broken troops upon their return home-IF they return?When such indifference to OUR troops' suffering is so abhorrently prevalent,when we exhibit so little humanity to our OWN,how in the hell can we be expected to show humanity to others?THIS is why we have lost respect in the world since Vietnam,among other reasons. Just look at this thread-very few posters.Nuff said.
Heard a little of Belzer on Air America talking about this and the issue of troops having to prove that their injuries were indeed combat-related (not pre-existing) to be able to get benefits. Also, a statement by a caller who said that Reservists who are injured in combat have greatly reduced or non-existent health benefits from the VA.
Don't know how much is factual, but the trend toward fighting to avoid paying for injuries suffered is indeed disgraceful, yet not surprising.
I'm not sure the public as a whole cares about this. Most families have no one involved in this war and they see it as some sort of distant challenge that they want the troops to "win" for the USA. I don't think they give a lot of thought to the real live people who are being sent over there or what they are like when they return. They hear lines from Cheney that the troops volunteered to wear the uniform and that's what the public ingests. That sound byte soothes any concern or guilt they might have felt. They volunteered to do this so they must want to do it. Next subject?
It's sad as hell, but I fear it's true.
diamondmc @ 16:
AMEN! I, too (also a veteran), am sick of hearing McCain called a "hero." What did he do that was herioc? He got himself shot down. That's not heroism, that's incompetence. And he lost four other planes, three of which appear to be his fault. Have we sent him a bill yet??? We need to stop this "hero worship" NOW!
fastfeat @ 25:
And this prick McCrazy, the great war hero, won't support the GI bill that is now in congress. I want to know how any vet could vote for him. Someone come on this site and tell me why this guy is worth a hill of beans.
Alright, recognize: The destruction of the military in the deserts of Arabia was the plan all along to get rid of the only population that could, if awakened, effectively fight the dark forces of Totalitarianism ever more quickly consolidating their control over all the world's resources.
1000 suicide attempts a month among soldiers & veterans. Being turned into a murderer will lower your valuation of all life, even your own, but no matter what has happened, those once used to terrorize and oppress can reclaim their morality and end oppression.
Here in Texas, the last couple of months, the Dallas VA hospitals have had four people commit suicide.
Apparently the mental section made their condition worse, seeing people constantly screaming, some rolling on the floor, some smeared in their own feces and blood.
Yesterday there was a report that the suicide attempts at the VA hospitals have been underreported.
I watched Phil Donahue last night on Tavis Smiley and he talked about the way bush and his cabal have sanitized this war by not showing the flag draped coffins and not letting press at military funerals. Out of sight out of mind. Too many don't see the cost (not in money) of this occupation. It was a great interview. Tavis just let him talk unlike all the other shows where the host keeps interupting or reframing the questions to mean something different. MSNBC did a great disservice to the country when it threw him off the air for speaking the truth against this war.
To the vets of the Vietnam war who have commented here, thank you for reinforcing my feelings about McCain and this "hero" thing. I have thought what you guys are confirming. Having never been in the service I didn't know if the yardstick I was using to qualify someone as a hero was the same as veterans would use. Seems it is.
Bush supporters are getting everything they voted for in Bush and then some. Working two and sometimes three jobs per household does not leave much time to develop political opinions, much less informed ones.
ysbaddaden @ 30:
Dang. I didn't see that. Must have missed it in between the onslaughts of hail :)
pissed off patricia @ 26:
And if you think about it, it's also very selfish to exact some vague idea with which one has no connection to on another.
pissed off patricia @ 32:
Glad to have helped.
to jmike@27 Not only that but the little yellow fucker gave information to the vc and allowed himself to be used as a tool for PR film and radio clips as well as being filmed hugging the commander of the pow camp he was vacationing-- I mean held in. When vc found out who he was he got all kinds of perks that very few if any got. It is my guess that he was also giving head to guards. He was a hero all right, charlies hero! I remember well that photo of Jane with vc on gun mount, but I will never forget the picture of that little chicken shit hugging the camp commander! Nor the photo of him with gw, was mccains hand on georges ass?
Just heard on MSNBC that a contracted US ship has fired toward an Iranian vessel. They had no more details than that.
How do people sleep at night knowing this crap is happening?
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 34:
I'm sorry I don't understand exactly what you are saying.
Janet @ 31:
It's called propaganda for a reason people......... I just got back from vacation and didn't realize how bad the propaganda coming across the border was until I got to Cuba and saw it for myself.(sorry for going off topic site monitor, but I thought mentioning cuba was relevant in my post)
Disabled Vets need our help..you can donate here.
http://www.dav.org/
So far Olbermann is the only one that I have seen who has given this issue any time. This morning on the msm its all about Rev Wright again, and how obama is a elitist. Its know wonder the country is so screwed up.We have no 4th estate in this country, all we have now are political hacks for the rightwing. Oh ya, I forgot the media is leftwing...
Actually,its not enough siad. Bring back the draft! I have said for abut a decade now,that the reason the immigration issue is not being dealt with is because, illegals who are being allowed to take root here now,their children will be this nations future cannon fodder. This administration has sown the seeds of the future soldiers with the immigrant population. (The chilldren born of illegals here ARE American citizens).. Then the draft will be reinstituted.In no way does my commentary reflect negatively upon immigrants.I believe this will be the future military to a large degree.
[deleted--over the top]
pissed off patricia @ 39:
LOL sorry, I get that a lot hehe.
I agree with your post wholeheartedly.
What I meant was that a ton Americans have no connection with the soldiers in Iraq. It seems selfish to me that they'd continue to push for a "win" in Iraq without taking the soldiers into account even in something as simple as making an issue out of the fact that so many vets are returning with major issues.
We need to remind the reichwingnuts that their dear leader, Warpig, went to Yale & Harvard Business School so HE'S as "elitist" as one can be!!!
Renell @ 43:
It won't happen... A draft would cut into the profits that the pigs are making off war. The draft would bring real unrest in the country and the pigs would not be able to steal as much money.
L.A. Confidential @ 33:
Very true. When the BushCo LLC says look not to the Federal Government to solve your personal problems, they are being honest with the American Public. The whole notion of a sociopathic Federal Govt. is what the 1% Overlords paid for and it is for the rest of us to either accept or reject this form of non-intervention corporatism in November.
If I received a dime for every lie that the BushCo LLC have made over the last 7+ years I could hire Warren Buffet to scrub my toilets.
However in the case of the lack of care our Soldiers are receiving we are getting everything that the Corporatist promised.
Re: Reverend Wright-BTW who WAS a Marine-and his "Godd--n America"-God has NOT damned America, America has done it to herself.
#47--------By then,do you think there will be ANYTHING left to steal?
Underground Pirate @ 44:
If your statement is for real, you sir, are a first class asshole. Blame the troops for the bush thugs that took this country to war is bullshit. We all have blood on our hands for allowing bush to take us to war and not trying to stop it with every fiber of our being.
L.A. Confidential @ 33:
"I am so proud to be from the state of Minnesota. We’re the workingest state in the country, and the reason why we are, we have more people that are working longer hours, we have people that are working two jobs."
Rep. Eric Cantor (VA) on unveiling his...cough, cough...corporate tax cuts
Renell @ 50:
Its a big world...
jmike @ 27:
Agreed. As someone who has not served in the military (among living Americans, now the vast majority of us), I understand the fine line most of us have to walk between being grateful for others' service and the differences in how those in battle are compensated/awarded.
Unfortunately, neocons, most of whom have NOT served as well, have made an art form out of this scenario by playing to the guilt (or just lack of service) of most Americans. "You are un-American if you don't support a
combat survivorWAR HERO like John McCain!"Of course, having the media saturated with your trumpeters and paid by the beneficiaries of such blather helps too.
We are getting caged in folks. Don't give up, but know that they're looking for the padlock now.
fastfeat @ 54:
And then they treat the troops like shit if Democrats bring a bill to the table in regards to "supporting the troops".
diamondmc @ 51:
Thank you for saying that. I see that tripe on here sometimes and it pisses me off.
He had the audacity to mention money? The money is not an incentive.
diamondmc @ 53:
There has to be a limit to the amount of money that the Chinese, Saudi, etc, will loan to "our" Government.
The more that "we" borrow, the more that "our" dollar deflates, it is the law of diminishing returns.
WW I German war heros took revenge by launching WW II. How did that work out? All war 'heros' are not good people.
Underground Pirate @ 44:
Wow! That's even harsher than I would say it here (having been banned about 100 times before for much less).
I was thinking that of the "300,000 U.S. veterans are suffering serious mental health issues" I would bet 300,000 of them suffered serious mental health issues BEFORE THEY JOINED!
You have to be brain damaged to join in the first place. The job of killing women and children for the RICH OWNERS of this country is only atractive to the hoplessly ignorant, or those with some organic brain disorder.
As the sign has said (FOR FREAKIN' DECADES)
JOIN THE ARMY, SEE THE WORLD AND KILL PEOPLE.
They weren't defending this country.
There was no honour in the criminal activities in Iraq.
But NOW you want the sympathy of AMERICAN TAXPAYERS - WHY??
Let Haliburton, EXXON, Boeing, KBR and the rest of the OIL and ARMS DEALERS take care of those who fought for them.
NEVER my war - Never my WARRIORS.
All this nonesense would try to paint our dear little baby killers as just ANOTHER victim - EXCEPT THE GUYS WHO DID MOST OF THE KILLING in Iraq were ALL VOLENTERS and the ones left alive get TO GO HOME.
THAT IS NOT TRUE FOR THE CHILDREN OF IRAQ killed or maimed while sleeping in thier own beds - THEY were always HOME and have no place left to go.
It is a travesty, but I think we should take responsability FOR THE ACTUAL VICTIMS as a priority over the pretend (wave your little flag and add another yellow magnet to the tail of your SUV) victems who VOLENTEERED to go.
They did kill for money and many other really BAD reasons.
IMPEACH
Hold a trial
Hang the guilty
Who will pay reparations to the victims of this illeagal war?
NO ONE.
henry wallace @ 57:
Although it came to naught, American conservative corporationists were going to use disgruntled WWI veterals to overthrow FDR, and install a fascist government.
Funny thing, can Blackwater be considered a new version of the WWI Pension Army?
Another funny thing, wasn't international banking and stock problems, widespread hunger, food riots, and protectionism involved with the outbreak of WWII?
Leaveus @ 58:
You really don't have a clue why anyone would join the military do ya??? You must have a short memory, because most of the country supported the war at the begining, because we where lied to by the bush thugs. Men and women who joined their Nat Guard to help their state didn't think they would end up in Irag fighting for their lives. This country is to blame, including YOU. So put the blame where it belongs. It belongs to all of us here in America.
When will we realize that war of any kind is not the answer? Americans have been brainwashed to believe that fighting wars is a brave and noble thing to do. That the death and destruction of fellow human beings is protecting our freedoms. Sorry, the reality is soldiers are nothing more than trained killers. The result of putting normal people into this situation is exactly what we have gotten. It's sad that the small percentage of humans that are capable of performing the acts needed in a war situation are able to persuade others into it. America has gotten itself into some deep shit with this way of thinking. I'm sure that your savior weeps when he looks at what you've done to our brothers and sisters around the world. So, what is the answer to this problem? We can start by not supporting the troops. Why keep giving the psychos that start and run war the resources to do it? Americans keep feeding the war machine with all of the resources they need. Money, bodies and our consent is all they need. When will we realize that war is nothing more than the biggest scam ever perpetrated upon humanity? Wake up, time is running out. This whole thing kind of reminds me of the scene from the Simpsons where Bart is loading Skinners pants with all sorts of fireworks. This is not going to end well.
Wes @ 2:
The GOP loves the military, but not the troops. The troops are just pieces of a tool that the GOP uses to accomplish its goals toward an American hegemony. If they can no longer perform, the troops are discarded.
Frybread @ 62:
Does hegomony mean the gop marries their shrubbery?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e2kaQqxmQ0
L.A. Confidential @ 38:
Some of us don't. Others, not so well.
Why oh why do Reslugs hate and spit on our troops soooooooo much.
Janet @ 31:
Anyone who speaks the truth gets the axe (figuratively speaking)
WATCH OUT FOR PLANE CRASHES.
This is the republicon way of getting rid of truthsayers.
RayC @ 18:
They learned a lot from Vietnam - unfortunately the wrong lessons. I believe the Administration intentionally avoided the deployment of body armor so that there would be fewer injured coming home, only more dead - it's cheaper in the long run. Although at this point, not many are actually making it home before being redeployed. They are treating troops like disposable canon fodder after some nebulous goal of "winning". Winning what? Disney World Bagdhad and the world's largest military installation on foreign soil? And don't forget about the oil. This is pure war profiteering. The CEOs of the top 10 military contractors make from 50 to 270 million. That is absurd. This is their revenge for the military cutbacks during the Clinton years. The fat bastards can't get enough - and they want it all before the bottom drops out. I hope they have really good security at their mansions and hideaways, because I know who I'm coming for first. Count on it.
I used to work for a motor insurer which dealt with members of the US Armed Services and we noticed a jump in fatal road traffic accidents, some of which were under very questionable circumstances. One of the questionable cases came back with a US Army Criminal Investigation Department report stating it was not a suicide as the victim did not leave a suicide note, sorry but I also used to work in a life insurance company and I know that most suicide cases do not leave notes.
And here is another threat they face.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/19/wbike19.xml
Got to have a news blackout of wars cost. No pictures of Dover and ABSOLUTELY no coverage of the costs of this calamity in Iraq!!
Another reason that having to trick your brain into believing in a lie is hard on a persons psychological state, factor in the deaths of so many and................man.
I feel for my brothers and sisters grappling with these issues, it shows they have both a brain and a heart when they do. We need to help them, all of us, any way we can
I want to know if anybody else has heard this and WTF is up.
The Army IS NO LONGER PROVIDING LUNCH to the 85th infantry from Oklahoma in Iraq. This was just on my local news here in Texas. I don't know the whole story about it, but if this is true.... HOW???? How on earth can you rip the citizen-soldiers out of their jobs, drop them in a war and NOT FEED THEM.
On the news they said the Army officials said it was too expensive and the soldiers were taking too much food from the mess hall. The families are sending food to the soldiers.
Did my local news just get the story details wrong? (wouldn't be the first time) I was in the Army and National Gaurd for 8 years in the 80's and 90's and this is just completely contrary to everything we were trained on.
All these suicides should be added to the war dead, so the American public would get a real picture as to what this war is costing us in real numbers of life and death. Also, please make sure your congress person is supporting the GI bill that is now in congress.
Desserting the troops is when they return home, and prepatory to making their bedsprings squeak, their significant other covers them with whip cream.
OK, I did a little bit more research on the no lunch story. So far, all I have found is the story below.
As a veteran, I am just ......FURIOUS! I was in the Army during the first gulf war (1990-91). One of the hot topics then was the appalling way the Iraqi government treated their ground troops- not feeding them - not providing the basics. Remember the stories about the starving Iraqi soldiers surrendering to our troops?
Here is the story.
http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=8225819
Oklahoma soldier says meals cut
Associated Press - April 25, 2008 8:05 AM ET
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Congresswoman Mary Fallin says she wants the Army to investigate allegations that members of the Oklahoma National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade are not being regularly fed in Iraq.
Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz says Fallin's office has been told members of the 45th at Camp Bucca are working 9-hour shifts without being served lunch.
The issue was first raised by the father of an Oklahoma soldier who contacted Oklahoma City television station KOCO.
Howard Fleshman he received an e-mail from his daughter Kristy and is concerned about the well-being of Oklahoma soldiers.
A spokeswoman for Congressman Tom Cole says Cole is also looking into the matter.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I said from day one of this illegal invasion/occupation that the bush administration would desert the troops. It's not just when they get back home from a combat tour either. Anyone else seen this article : soldiers waiting for a flight out of Iraq after tour of duty completed, and waiting, and waiting. So that's how the pentagon is going to extend their useless "mccain surge".
geek-xtian @ 71, I'd have to say that the lunch story most likely is KBRs way of saying FU to the troops and America for telling them that they can't charge for 2 meals for each 1 served anymore. Or maybe KRB is doing it because they're pissed off about their rape rooms coming under fire from Congress.
I wish you would add a link to this
http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=ufbm45uPxjY
OR
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wzHgQWGtbuc
The government ignores the mental health of the citizens it sends off to fight its wars after, and only 'if' they return in one piece physically.. Then lies about it if they can, downplays it if they can't lie about it, and obsficates the entire issue as much as possible... This same government, and apparently it's both parties actually, refuse to consider a universal national health care plan for the nations citizens and lies about those reasons behind their refusal to truly address this issue in any kind of logical and/or humane manner. Dems pay lip service to the concept than renege on doing anything constructive to address the idea or implement any rational plan related to it. The repubs chant the lie of the so-called free market mantra and scare up boogieman stories about socialized medicine..(as if this is some kind of evil in and of itself conceptually... just for the record, it is not)..What is poo poohed as socialized medicine can and does work if anyone will take the ideological blinders off for even a minute and really take an honest look at it.
While denying this nations citizens reasonable appeals for redress on these two serious issues and a host of others, such as illegal domestic spying on average people for political (not national security) reasons just to touch on yet another issue, these same people who masquarade as politicians and (haha) statesmen and women and 'leaders' of this nation with purported logical and rational minds, continue to reap the rewards of these political stations they were 'elected' not born to, to enjoy what amounts to being cradle to grave universal healthcare for themselves and immediate families. They continue to spend money noone has via blank checks to conduct this immoral and illegal occupation/war of agression in the middle east which is further tarnishing whatever tatters of our international reputation may still exist. They do this 24/7/365. Not to mention the war crimes involved and the millions from multiple nations along with our people who are being killed and maimed daily, practically by the minute.
They do all this and so much more that time does not allow a full airing in this post, and lie thru their teeth with straight faces about all of it... Even if I spent the time to air the rest of this dirty laundry list which is considerable , I would still be, at the end of the day, left with this very basic question.... What the hell have we as a nation done to ourselves and why exactly? Really, what's the point? To further enrich an already wealthy well heeled minority at the expense of the majority of this nations population and callapse the sovereignty and stability of the nation itself??!!! None of it makes a lick of sense if viewed in total. I'm informed it is to protect us.. Protect us...From what? That which we created??? That's all just more lies to hide the inherent criminality and sickness that infests our government now at its highest levels... It's almost as if, the shock of 9/11.. The shock of that act and seeing it in prime time on morning T.V. fostered a sort of national societal mass insanity. Some kind of acute phobia distilled down and acted out thru this extremely dysfunctional, paranoid and now fully criminal current administration. With George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as the perfect frontspieces and icons for this sick selfish depravity.
If the United States was a person seeking health care, any clinician interviewing us would have to conclude that we need a straight jacket and a padded room as initial treatment, followed up by some heavy doses of thorizine. And the sickest saddest part of all? None of it appears to be likely to change in any appreciabl