The Army has set a second court-martial for July 16 for an officer who refused to deploy to Iraq and spoke out against the war and the Bush administration. Read more.
Not one of them has felt the cause was noble enough to put his or her life on the line.Read this and explain to me how this family of criminals can claim to, "support the troops." Pleeze use small wurds so I can unnerstan.
The Army Times brings this compounding shameful behavior of the US Army to light.Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.Tell me again how junior's administration supports the troops? These warmongering hawks HATE the troops or worse don't care about them one whit. If there is one way to truly show support for the servicemembers of this country, not just lip service, please contact your representatives and DEMAND action. Heads should roll for this ignominious disservice. Our troops were doing their jobs; make congress do theirs.
“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
"To Iraq and Back" broadcast last night on the topic of wounded soldiers and their recovery process.. Watch it here.
“There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,” a source with close ties to British intelligence said. “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.”In related news, 60 Minutes last night had a segment, "Dissension in the Ranks," Watch video here via Raw Story. Also, Servicemembers join war protest with petition to congress, Common Dreams has it. It would appear that finally the servicemembers are catching a clue. I knew they would. Please read/watch this story-in-progress.
With Cheney, there are also no lingering questions about capacity, motive, or malice. Over the past six years, as the country has spiraled into military misadventure, fiscal madness, and environmental meltdown, the vice president has not merely been wrong about the issues; he has been duplicitous, deceitful, and deliberately destructive to the American democracy. These things can no longer be denied by rational minds...read moreThink Progress posts the interview of President Jimmy Carter ripping Dick an new one. Read or watch it here.
"... my recent public opinion research has recorded unprecedented anxiety about the country's direction. Just 34 percent of the voting public believe that the America of tomorrow will be better than the America of today, while 57 percent think it will be worse.This explains why so many people have lost patience with the current U.S. leadership. It is no wonder that 52 percent of voters in my election night survey said they were "mad as hell" about politics and politicians. [snip]Congressional Republicans didn't seem to notice in 2006, and certainly didn't seem to care.[snip]It is unfortunate that the Republican Party is currently dominated by hyperpartisan, gut-punching professional politicians and expert technicians whom I wouldn't want to face at the dark end of the electoral alley. They specialize in the flawless execution of "wedge" politics. That may have worked well in past elections, but no longer. The latest gimmick is "branding" -- a Madison Avenue technique -- to reverse the Republican slide. But political parties are not brands, slogans are not a replacement for ideas and you don't sell leaders the way you sell widgets." Read the rest...Weird though how Frankie-boy espouses this new strategy of 'fact-based reality' thus changing the tactics of "branding" for which he has been not only a major proponent, but one who provided language and strategy to that GOP movement. Prick. Yeah, I'm one of the really pissed off Americans. The irony and hypocrisy runs so deep with these people, it's a shame it's not an alternative energy source---we could be off our "oil addition" in a hot minute.
If you think a coat of paint and a few new beds are anything near to adequate care you can kiss my ass twice. Secondly, the real problems at WR aren't simply "building neglect" but the 
It's one thing to find one's self stuck for four more years of the next "unitary president" like George W. Bush, but it's quite another to participate in making that happen. That's not "accidental geography" or even what could reasonably be called a rational choice to spend time there. And the highest price being paid is one that slips our minds all too often: The erosion of the rights of ourselves and our fellow citizens, the evisceration of Constitutional precepts, and -- most precipitously and perniciously -- the loss of our own humanity as well as how others regard us around the world. So to my "til-hell-freezes-over" friends, I say two words: Supreme Court. Read the rest...
According to the military, five soldiers Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, Spc. James P. Barker, PFC Jesse V. Spielman, PFC Steven D. Green and PFC Bryan L. Howard planned to rape a a 14-year-old girl named Abeer Qassim Hamza. PFC Howard was told to monitor a radio as the others entered the victims' house. Green ordered the father, mother and younger daughter into a bedroom. Shots were fired and Green emerged and reportedly said, "I just killed them, all are dead." Green and at least one of the others proceeded to sexually assault Abeer and when they were finished, Green fired two or three shots into her head, killing her.Cortez was sentenced to 99 years. He got off easy.
The March 2006 killing of the family was originally reported to be the work of insurgents. Later, soldiers told their superiors of their suspicion that U.S. soldiers were involved. The deaths are considered among the worst in a series of alleged atrocities by U.S. military personnel in Iraq. Read the rest of the story.
More reports from Walter Reed. Democracy Now! conducts in-depth interviews with a reporter, a soldier and a veteran about conditions at Walter Reed--not the horrific physical conditions of the facility which reporter Mark Benjamin calls a "red herring of mice and the mold" but the dangerous, abhorrent, total neglect of those with traumatic brain injury and the military refusal to provide adequate treatment. The DOD in charge of medical care for these service persons, is the same DOD that keeps them from proper care and fair compensation for their injuries.Watch it here.
senator or congressperson a letter. Then seek out anyone who will listen and if they are Republican, all the better, and ask them how they are 'supporting the troops.' Do it. Remember every letter received represents the same opinion being shared by 10,000 other people who feel the same way but didn't write, or so say the marketing pros. Thanks from a Vet.
These 'Christian' people who have exerted extreme pressure on the political processes in this country and exported their brand of radical religious terror throughout the world indeed represent the most frightening trend in the world today because their evil is done with a smile and violence pretending the sincere belief that it is 'God's Work.' Unless the American public and politicians stop tip-toeing around these insane power-hungry, money-loving, war-mongering fiends, because this cult cloaks itself in an essential freedom, we will find ourselves in essence, a Christo-fascist police state. How long will it take before we Americans find ourselves clothed in a burka of religious-based fascism? We are well on our way.” … So Kos, let’s made a deal. How about if progressive religious folks, like me, make real sure that we never say, or even suggest, that values have to come from faith - and progressive secular folks, like you, never suggest that progressive values can’t come from faith (and perhaps concede that, in fact, they often do). If we progressives, religious and secular, could stop fighting among ourselves (shooting ourselves in the foot) and join together on some really big values issues - like economic fairness, health care, and a more just foreign policy - think of the difference we could make. How about it?”
Walter Reed
Ave to the wounded heart
To the fragile mind
To the shattered soul
To the morning
And the evening
And the morning again
Ave
Ave to the next breath
To the next thought
To the next prayer
To the waiting
And the asking
And the waiting again
Ave
Ave to the scarring
To the screaming
To the nightmares
To the enduring
And the suffering
And the dying
Ave
Ave to the healing
That flits like a shadow
Down dingy corridors
Like a mirage
In the desert
Like the armor
That never came
Like the mercy we denied them
To be its givers or receivers
Like the justice they are owed
Even if it comes
Too slowly
For too many
And is not enough
Ave to the wounded
And to those who will not let them
Be forgotten.
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At school happy hours, while everyone was socializing and enjoying their drinks, I found myself having to explain the insurgency, the sectarian violence and what I thought would happen if American troops withdrew from Iraq. That was the question that troubled me most.Read the rest...
To me, it sounded like a question that only the defense secretary should be contemplating. Did people here feel entitled to ask it because they had voted for this government, and they therefore felt responsible for their government’s policies? I decided to think this was the reason, and it consoled me.
I have just emailed this to my Senators. Please take any part of it or write your own and send it. Send it to your Senators today. Dear Senators Boxer and Feinstein,
My request as an American , a voter, a USAF service-connected disabled veteran, the spouse of an active duty USAF officer and constituent is that you and the other 98 senators go to the nearest VA hospital, or Walter Reed, or Bethesda and look those broken souls in the eye. Explain to them why you can't take a more principled stand on their behalf. Then tell these soldiers, marines and airman that if they wait another two years, there might be enough funding to help with their problems.
Then I want you and your duly elected colleagues to go to the nearest military base and look those kids, and the parents who must leave their kids, and tell them why you can’t do anything to prevent their deployment to Iraq. Then tell them if they are still alive in two years, you might be able to help them then.
Next, I would like you to go visit some widows, widowers and family members, part of the one percent of the American people actually sacrificing, and tell them you would have really liked to have taken a stand to prevent their loved one from dying, but you couldn’t figure out a way to do that and get re-elected. Tell them you are sorry that in two years their loved ones will still be dead, but only then you will try to keep someone else’s kid, parent, spouse, from getting killed.
Finally, I want you to face the American people with respect to the resolution against the escalation of the war, and follow Chuck Hagel's advice, “I want 100 senators to look in that camera and tell your people back home what you think. Don’t hide anymore.”
This hand wringing on the part of those of you in power is unconscionable. As you posture, people die. It’s that simple.
Senator Patty Murray said she's finds it "deeply disconcerting that he could have been let go for political reasons". That's a nice sound bite, but I'd like to ask Senator Murray exactly what she and her newly Democratic majority plan to do about it. It's not just a matter of pushing good attorneys out, it's that the re-strengthened Patriot Act allows for replacements without even a cursory look by a Congress needing to conduct oversight. I have hopes that Senator Pat Leahy, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, will be looking into this, but it's time for all of our senators to start undoing some of the damage that's been done to this country - before the 2008 campaign season begins in earnest and they start skipping votes. So, as they wade through the broken glass of the last 6 years, I'd like to remind the Democrats that flying the banner of "majority" doesn't mean much until you crash the gates and really take the castle.
"For the first time, the report chronicles the criminal activities and misconduct of high level officials in the current administration. Using public and court records, CREW developed a comprehensive list of government officials who have abused the public trust."
"That day they came home and they were changed because of the things they'd seen," said Sayeeda as she ladled rice into the boys' bowls. "The youngest two have been wetting their beds and having nightmares, while Abdul-Muhammad has started bullying and ordering everyone to play his fighting games. I know things are not normal with them. My fear is one day they will get hold of real guns. But in these times, where is the help?"
The "here" is obvious: 
Frank Rich alone is worth the price of a New York Time subscription. Read his piece, "Why Dick Cheney Cracks Up"IN the days since Dick Cheney lost it on CNN, our nation’s armchair shrinks have had a blast. The vice president who boasted of “enormous successes” in Iraq and barked “hogwash” at the congenitally mild Wolf Blitzer has been roundly judged delusional, pathologically dishonest or just plain nuts. But what else is new? We identified those diagnoses long ago. The more intriguing question is what ignited this particularly violent public flare-up.
The answer can be found in the timing of the CNN interview, which was conducted the day after the start of the perjury trial of Mr. Cheney’s former top aide, Scooter Libby. The vice president’s on-camera crackup reflected his understandable fear that a White House cover-up was crumbling. He knew that sworn testimony in a Washington courtroom would reveal still more sordid details about how the administration lied to take the country into war in Iraq. He knew that those revelations could cripple the White House’s current campaign to escalate that war and foment apocalyptic scenarios about Iran. Scariest of all, he knew that he might yet have to testify under oath himself.
Oh, I see you have.
Cheney knew that the intelligence for the war had been cooked. He was not obsessed with Wilson because he was angry that Wilson was allegedly falsifying information. Cheney was not seized with a feeling of injustice or a need to inform the public of the truth. Cheney is not a fool. "Cheney knows how to read intelligence reports. He knows how to read classified information," Richard Clarke, former director of counterterrorism on the National Security Council, told me. Of course, Clarke said, "Cheney had read the reports" that disproved the administration's line. "Cheney knew it was false," said Clarke. What worried Cheney was that he was keenly aware that the so-called intelligence the administration propagated was phony, shabby and shaky. What also peeved him was that Wilson had said that his mission had been triggered by a request from the Office of the Vice President.
