Soldier told to give bonus money back--after serious injury

Having just been in Pittsburgh, it seems appropriate I post on a 'Burgher.

PITTSBURGH - For one Pittsburgh-area soldier, the holiday season came with an almost unbelievable letter from the Pentagon, telling him to give back nearly $3,000 in bonus money for time not served.

A roadside bomb in Iraq injured Pfc. Jordan Fox. He suffered permanent damage to his right eye and was discharged, coming home to a hero’s welcome.

Cao's Blog has the story and here is some related content.

Why We Fight (and why I hate the Bush Administration)

An incredible, must-see documentary by Eugene Jarecki. I saw Why We Fight, last year on HBO. Now the BBC has released it and YouTuber Eurasure has put it up. This documentary on the commerce of war, how the military industrial complex profits from war, and how it must continually create wars to continue the growth of its business, relevance and outrageous expenditure of public money. Required viewing for ALL Americans. Each part is about 20 minutes. Keep in mind while you watch, the same arguments for invading Iraq are being trotted out again to preemptively bomb Iran.

This documentary is stirring, poignant, prescient and right-on-target current in its message and content. Please watch it. Send it to others. Send it to your congressperson and senators. Please. We must stand together NOW.

I have posted this film previously and written related posts. If you have time, take a look at the past posts and the comments. There's still time if we join together against this fascist bush regime.


Graphic courtesy of Old American Century.org

Psychopaths=Good, Gays=Bad

So sayeth the US Army. First through the mouthpiece of Gen. Peter Pace (who has 'Gay eyes' if you ask me)and then via a military email account belonging to an Army recruiter
For those that haven't seen it, Think Progress is front-paging a story from Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend. An Army recruiter sent this comment (among others) to a a man, Corey Andrew who never intended on an army career:

“GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF NAKED THERE.” — U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Marcia Ramode, using her military email address to respond to Jersey City resident Corey Andrew, after Ramode learned Andrew was gay.

Photo:Sgt. Ramode caught unawares in the shower

Thanks General Pace for your stellar leadership in the area of not only civil rights but human rights. Please write your senator or any senator on the armed service committee and make this Sgt.Ramode resign. See if you can get them to take Pace with her. Frontlines has an update.

H/T to Lotus for the linky and Eli for the blog title.

Saving Money for Bullets and Bombs

Graphic courtesy of Peace CentralMore 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.