Jan 19 2008
I just sent out a Heads Up to Vet Pax, which is the coalition of Veterans For Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against The War Chapters in and around New York City.
I had been thinking about what could be done on this issue of o’really and his total lack of not only knowledge, about the Plight Of Veterans Who Are Homeless, but his total lack of Compassion, wasn’t that what his hero ran on, and Support towards Veterans in General.
lbear sent me an E which cleared the thought process.
Jan 12 2008
Melissa Posted This Yesterday Over At DKOS, it quickly moved off the list even before I caught it when I got home from work. it’s now been Rescued, if you have a KOS account Visit Link and Rate It, as well as the comments, Up today, 1-12-08, so that it gets the readers it should, and is brought back from obscurity to the Rec List, and Visit the Embedded Links to find out More!
Jan 08 2008
Cross posted from sanchopress.com
Citizens and military combine forces to advocate for better care for troops and vets, for responsive government and for the Constitution
There is a you tube video below the fold of this article I write. It is about OUR troops. It is about our nation supporting them. It is about our obligation to help them with the multitude of problems they face.
Remember them. Remember they are not a number or a statistic. Remember they are not bad people. Remember they are not in Iraq because they support George Bush’s policies. Remember they raised their right hand and swore an oath to God, our nation, to me and to you. Remember that oath was most of all to themselves.
Remember that this oath was to follow any lawful order of those of higher rank. Remember that even when they disagree with what they are told to do or where they are told to go or why they are there, they are soldiers and THEY DO IT, THEY MUST. Remember they are bound by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Remember they do it because it is their job. Remember they do it because they swore they would. Remember they do it because they are men and women of their word. Remember they are men and women of honor. Remember that when they signed up to serve our nation, you and me, they knew it was possible they would have to do things, go places and fight wars they may not agree with.
Remember many die in the sands of Iraq. Remember many are permanently physically wounded in the sands of Iraq. Remember even many more will be mentally scarred for the remainder of their life with PTSD and TBI and Depression and mental health problems and more. Remember that 20 or 30 and even 40 years from now, many will wake at night from horrendous memories, awful demons and things most of us can not imagine in our worst nightmares.
Remember they swore an oath. Remember they were doing their job. Remember they are soldiers. Remeber THEY MUST DO WHAT THEY DO. Remember they don’t deserve the things described above.
MOST OF ALL; Remember they are husbands, fathers, sons and brothers. Remember they are wives, mothers, daughters and sisters. Remember they are away from those they love and those that love them.
THAT IS WHAT THE VIDEO BELOW IS ABOUT. I LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG BUT YOU WILL STILL WATCH IT.
Aside from Iraq and our troops and our veterans, I NEED to express my feelings about the paragraph you will read just below the fold.
This paragraph below the fold was written by the author of the video. It is just above the video you will watch.
Regarding what the author had to write, I am outraged, disgusted, amazed and astounded. I am God damn pissed off and outright fucking angry. I can not believe she had to do what she had to do and write this to her audience. Please read what she had to write and watch the video below the fold and then please read my closing comments.
Aside from Iraq and our troops and our veterans, I NEED to express my feelings about the paragraph you will read just below the fold.
This paragraph below the fold was written by the author of the video. It is just above the video you will watch.
Regarding what the author had to write, I am outraged, disgusted, amazed and astounded. I am God damn pissed off and outright fucking angry. I can not believe she had to do what she had to do and write this to her audience. Please read what she had to write and watch the video below the fold and then please read my closing comments.
Jan 04 2008
I currently have a bare bones web site/blog called sanchopress.com with which I desperately need help and writers. It is going to be designed to unite the left and the troops/veterans as well as many other features I will explain further along. Why it is bare bones, when it once was not, is a long story and not needed here.
http://sanchopress.com/
Articles can be written on it now as well as making comments, but that is it for now.I have an excellent web designer who is very busy now and comes highly recommended. She has 87 clients all over the world. She can not start on sanchopress.com for about two weeks.
I am a veteran and my passion and dedication has been trying to help the troops/veterans. I have tried to unite the left and the troops/veterans. I have written diaries about the terrible plight of the troops/veterans and their families. The horrendous treatment and wait times at the Veterans Administration hospitals. I posted many diaries about troops/veterans issues.
Below are some of my troop/veterans diaries tat were posted on DailyKos, Docudharma, Turn Maine Blue and VetVoice.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/…
http://www.dailykos.com/story/…
http://www.dailykos.com/story/…
http://www.dailykos.com/story/…
My diaries had not gotten the left inspired enough to make a big difference in helping the troops. I blame nobody. Maybe they were not good enough diaries or maybe I did not have enough of a reputation established in the left community. With the fact that this method was not working, I knew I had to think of another way to get my goal acheived. I decided on my own blog. I knew I had to have a very good reason for people to come to my blog/site if I started one.
I gave a great deal of thought to the project because there are tons of web sites out there. I HAD to have something different and unique to merge these two groups. Otherwise, why come to mine?
Using my skills from my successful 20+ year career in corporate marketing/sales/management I began to develop what I believed to be a win/win idea that I have not seen anywhere on the web. If someone can show me a site/blog with the veterans/troops working in unison with the left, I would like to take a look at it.
I am also setting SanchoPress as a corporation with paid employees, a second in charge etc. Of course I can not pay anyone until we are successful and begin to receive moneys from donations and from advertisements.
ALL blogs operate on this system of income. There is even a web site showing most blogs income from advertisements only (below). Since I am looking to the future, I must make a plan for this. That is only wise and logical. When we are successful, it WILL happen. Advertisers WILL come and offer money to be on the site.
http://web.blogads.com/adverti…
Eventually I want to pay Editorial Page Contributors (front pagers), Web designers, graphic designers and others who make a substantial contribution to the corporation and cause.
I know many troops on the front lines from my involvement in VetVoice. I know many veterans from the VA where I have health coverage. I know Brian Mcgough who did the rebuttal film to Rush Limbaugh. I even have a chopper pilot of a medi-vac unit who has committed to writing a daily diary each evening about what happened in his day and to contribute it on sanchopress.com (beginning in March).
I know “owners” of veterans wives for change organizations and changes for veterans families organizations. They are on board with this.
I know many others from this war who are now out of the military. I also have gotten to know some members on Dailykos, Docudharma, Turn Maine Blue and VetVoice. I need more than the few I have gotten to know on each blog to help this endeavor work.
I have TBI (like many vets), which caused depressive disorder, mental health issues and I also fractured three vertebrae in the auto accident that caused all these issues. I am disabled. With some similar problems to those returning from combat, I can relate better to them. I have also had nine years to learn to live with my problems and can help some adapt. We all have our cross to bare. I am not complaining. I wouldn’t trade my problems for yours.
I spend a great deal of time on the blogs and the internet. Much of it researching troops/veterans issues. The situation is horrendous. Our military is decimated. They are stretched beyond limits. They are exhausted and weak and have tours that are far too long and stays home that are far too short.
The House subcommittee On Veterans Health estimates that 65% of troops returning from this war will have some degree of brain damage (TBI)!
I finally came up with the idea to get both groups on one site. My vision was to make a newspaper type blog with links to every left blog and every troop/veterans blog. Also every non profit charitable organization and animal rights site and global warming sites, Native American sites, every news feed and more. This idea/vision became sanchopress.com.
A one stop shop with everything a blogger needs in one place and also what the troops/veterans need too. This in no way will hurt blogs like DailyKos or Docudharrma or any of the others including troops/veterans blogs. It will in fact help them. Some coming to sanchopress.com will see sites they didn’t know about and go to different blogs than they have ever visited before.
SanchoPress will have some unique features. When one of the links has a petition going, it will show up in red on the screen so all know. There will be a daily quote, a daily trivia question, a daily unknown fact, a daily Don Quixote picture and several more similar items to at least add a little bit on the lighter side.
If the citizens of the left hear first hand about TBI, PTSD, mental health problems, divorce, spousal abuse, child abuse, homelessness, inadequate medical care, GWS and a troop/veteran suicide rate of 18 per day, they will be more inclined to help.
OUR troops/veterans are in dire need of our help. The military and their structure are not prone to react to soldiers complaints. It will take our voices along with theirs to get things fixed.
We will operate as a team, united, as one group, demanding action and results for both the troops/veterans issues and our issues. The power of this larger group will definitely have more of an impact than each on their own.
They need us to do things to help them, like write senators and congressmen about their poor health care. Ending this war! The 3-6 month wait for mental health problems at VA hospitals. The housing that has been outsourced and many have lead paint and mold problems. Diagnosing soldiers with personality disorder instead of PTSD so they don’t get benefits and are then told to vacate the military housing and base within 10 days (22,000 since the war started). The 200,000 homeless veterans. More and more.
The troops/veterans are beginning to see the right for what they truly are. They know the right vehemently pushed to send them into this useless war. Now, when they and their families are in need, the right has abandoned those they sent there to carry out their dirty deeds.
Jan 01 2008
We have some seeking to find the answers to all the wrongs committed by an administration
shown time and again to be Incompetant and Corrupt! And we have many, who once controlled,
playing the Obstructionists on every issue raised.
These Obstructionists were extremely lax in
their roles as the peoples representatives when they did hold that control, and will continue to be so,
we would have already seen a change in their ideology, whatever the hell that is!
One Extremely Important Issue that stood out, of the previous Congress, and the Media didn’t even question,
as they were beating the War Drums, and using three words ‘Support The Troops’ to marginalize
anyone questioning the Policies of the Administration, was ‘What About The Troops?’.
Dec 29 2007
Today the puppeteers pulled the puppets strings and the puppet says it will veto the Defense Department bill passed by the House and Senate containing
The bill is important to members of the military and their families, since it provides for a 3.5 percent pay raise for the troops and contains measures intended to improve the much-criticized health-care system for veterans.
Dec 28 2007
Technorati Profile
A while ago a user came on and started discussing how the netroots needed to help the Veterans more. I agreed and offered my assistance. I researched hosts, explained domains, hosts, Content Management Systems etc. I set up the Content Management System, designed the logo, Linked to blogs and alternative news sources, fed newsfeeds through javascripts in order to display them as headlines on the side bar, researched PTSD, Health, International resources for inclusion in the site, arranged for a cartoonist and a Gear Shop to be installed, created a back room for administrators along with advice on how to post images and youtube videos, explained copyright violations and how to avoid them and I did all this for free.
Now the owner, a Veteran, has decided that I am not worthy of his particular project. I did all of the above in a week’s time. I have been on computers since the age of 11. I understand HTML, javascript and Content Management systems, I understand search engines and ranking techniques and have just recently understood how to utilize newsfeeds in new ways as yet undiscovered by the majority of bloggers and websites.
So God dammit I tried. To any Veteran that feels these skills would be helpful to their own projects please contact me at thefuture at inbox.com. I would very much like to help someone that would like to be helped.
Tips for better communication below the fold:
Dec 28 2007
I am doing research for an article for a magazine. I have been speaking with troops directly in Iraq and Afghanistan on the front. I also speak with Veterans who have left the military who were in both these battle fields.
In general these men and women believe that we need to remain in Afghanistan. They firmly believe that both the Taliban and Al Qaeda remain strong forces. Their thoughts are that essentially these groups are organizations setup with a corporate structure. Many said it does not matter whether Bin Laden or any other leaders are dead or not, there are many second in command (vice presidents) who will take over.
They feel as strongly as we on the left about getting out of Iraq. Virtually every one of them I spoke to currently in the military and those who have returned believe it was wrong to go into Iraq and we need to be out ASAP.
We currently have 160,000 troops in Iraq and 50,000 in Afghanistan.
They know Bushco used 9/11, Al Qaeda, Bin Laden and The Taliban for fear mongering. They believe that he just exploited a situation that is real. Their thoughts are that both these groups are as strong or stronger than they were on 9/11.
Those in Afghanistan believe in what they are doing there and are very frustrated that Pakistan is not allowing them in their country to pursue the Taliban and Al Qaeda. On this battle front the men and women universally are committed to their cause.
Those in Iraq are completely discouraged and feel their training is being wasted and they are killing for no good cause. They know they are in an un-winnable war that is virtually a civil war within Iraq. The Iraqi government and military are NOT “stepping up to the plate” and taking the lead and doing their job. They should be preparing to take things over as we withdraw but are doing little to show signs of doing so.
In general the troops in Iraq would gladly go to do what they were trained to do in Afghanistan.
I have spoken to over 50 men and women who are in or were in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have spoke to officers as high as Majors. That is three promotions from General. They are of the same belief.
What are your thoughts on these issues? PLEASE TAKE POLL, THIS IS A LARGE PART OF WHY I POSTED THIS ESSAY. THANKS.
Dec 19 2007
This Friday is a day designated to remember the homeless, as well as a day to take some action to stop the war in Iraq.
And, yes, they are related. As the environmentalists remind us, everything is connected.
We are creating future homeless veterans every day in Iraq.
It’s got to stop. And we’ve got to stop it.
Dec 19 2007
Their excuse for Walter Reed, “Oh it’s closing in a couple of years!”, as they were rubber stamping a War of Choice knowing Reed would be where many would pass through, was/is a Total Disgrace, another Deja-Vu Vietnam Era!!
It’s simply, Powerfully, titled “The Disgraceful Treatment of our Veterans”
Dec 12 2007
TominMaine and others are working on a new project but they’d like to include everyone’s thoughts in this process. Below is a list of questions, answering them will help them a great deal and provide a better foundation for their efforts.
A main goal is to bring the Netroots together with the Military and Veterans Groups. Right now there is a divide that could be overcome with a simple project or two like this one. So, below the fold are the questions:
Dec 11 2007
In today’s WaPo Dana Priest and Anne Hull provide followup coverage on the Army’s effort to court-martial Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside for her psychological breakdown while serving in Baghdad: “Leniency Suggested for Officer Who Shot Herself.” The original investigative piece was published on December 2nd: “A Soldier’s Officer.”
Maj. Mervin H. Steals, the investigative officer in charge of the preliminary hearing, forwarded the following recommendation up his chain of command:
One of the Army values is integrity, which is defined as doing what is right, legally and morally. The moral thing to do is dismiss these charges, to allow 1LT Whiteside to end her military service and receive the benefits that she will desperately need for the remainder of her life.
The commander of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, Maj. Gen. Richard J. Rowe, Jr., is responsible for a final command decision in this case, but it now appears as though the Army is moving toward resolving this case in a sensible, medically appropriate, rather than medieval, way.
Below the break are some additional insights directly from the Whiteside family, as well as my own question on the difference between us and the “Greatest Generation.”
(Will X-post at Daily Kos and Raising Kaine.)