Hospital Offers Veterans Free TBI Screenings
BY LISA CHEDEKEL Courant Staff Writer
11:16 AM EDT, May 2, 2008
Concerned that the most talked-about injury of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is being overlooked, the Hospital for Special Care has started offering free screenings to veterans for symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury, or TBI.
The New Britain hospital has begun sending out thousands of mailings to veterans' groups, physicians, colleges and churches, encouraging service members who were exposed to roadside blasts or other head trauma to get screened for TBI. The hospital screenings are offered by phone or over the Internet and direct veterans who report symptoms of TBI to seek further evaluation at the West Haven veterans' hospital.
"We're not providing clinical services -- the VA's already here to do that," said Dr. John Stanwood, chief of psychological services for the hospital. "But they can't go out and advertise and do the kind of outreach we're doing. Our hope is to get every vet in the state who's at risk of TBI to access services."
The Hospital for Special Care is working with the West Haven VA to ensure that veterans referred for further evaluations will receive a prompt response from the VA's polytrauma/TBI support clinic, Stanwood said. The hospital hopes to steer veterans who are reluctant to seek treatment from the VA, or who report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder -- sometimes similar to symptoms of TBI -- to other resources, such as a state-run program that provides referrals to a network of mental-health counselors.
go here for more
http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hcu-veteransscreenings0502,0,3888925.story
Friday, May 2, 2008
UK:Marine died in 'unsuitable' vehicle
Marine died in 'unsuitable' vehicle
Richard Norton-Taylor The Guardian, Saturday May 3 2008
A Royal Marine killed in a gun battle in Afghanistan might have survived had more suitable armoured vehicles been available, a coroner said yesterday.
Richard Watson, 23, from Caterham, Surrey, died after he came under attack in Helmand province in December 2006. The inquest at Oxford coroner's court heard that Watson, from Plymouth-based 42 Commando, was in a Pinzgauer utility vehicle when his patrol was attacked.
Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, the coroner, Andrew Walker, said: "This vehicle was not designed to be used in a situation where there may be incoming small arms fire and as a consequence was unsuitable for this type of patrol. A request had been made for a Viking vehicle but none were available." Major Neil Sutherland, who had initiated the patrol, said that if he had had the option of using Vikings it would have been a "no brainer". He added: "But I was acutely aware that the number of Viking vehicles that were in the theatre were finite." He said: "If Marine Watson had been in a Viking vehicle in exactly the same spot with the doors closed he would not be dead today."
Asked by Walker if the Pinzgauer should have been used in areas where there was incoming fire, Nicholas Fox, a military vehicle expert, replied "no".
Watson's mother, Tania, said afterwards she hoped lessons had been learned from her son's death. "It has taken 18 long months to get this verdict and we feel that this has been unacceptably long."
A Royal Navy statement apologised for the delays in finding out exactly what had happened. It described Watson as "a natural leader who loved to be at the forefront of everything and had a determined and competitive character".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/03/military.afghanistan
Richard Norton-Taylor The Guardian, Saturday May 3 2008
A Royal Marine killed in a gun battle in Afghanistan might have survived had more suitable armoured vehicles been available, a coroner said yesterday.
Richard Watson, 23, from Caterham, Surrey, died after he came under attack in Helmand province in December 2006. The inquest at Oxford coroner's court heard that Watson, from Plymouth-based 42 Commando, was in a Pinzgauer utility vehicle when his patrol was attacked.
Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, the coroner, Andrew Walker, said: "This vehicle was not designed to be used in a situation where there may be incoming small arms fire and as a consequence was unsuitable for this type of patrol. A request had been made for a Viking vehicle but none were available." Major Neil Sutherland, who had initiated the patrol, said that if he had had the option of using Vikings it would have been a "no brainer". He added: "But I was acutely aware that the number of Viking vehicles that were in the theatre were finite." He said: "If Marine Watson had been in a Viking vehicle in exactly the same spot with the doors closed he would not be dead today."
Asked by Walker if the Pinzgauer should have been used in areas where there was incoming fire, Nicholas Fox, a military vehicle expert, replied "no".
Watson's mother, Tania, said afterwards she hoped lessons had been learned from her son's death. "It has taken 18 long months to get this verdict and we feel that this has been unacceptably long."
A Royal Navy statement apologised for the delays in finding out exactly what had happened. It described Watson as "a natural leader who loved to be at the forefront of everything and had a determined and competitive character".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/03/military.afghanistan
Cynthia Sommers wants cause of death changed for record
Widow cleared of murder wants death certificate changed
By ALLISON HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer
Friday, May 2, 2008
05-02) 00:53 PDT SAN DIEGO (AP) --
Cynthia Sommer has a death certificate for her Marine husband that lists homicide as his cause of death. Forensic experts said Todd Sommer was poisoned with arsenic.
But the lab results underpinning that finding were discredited two weeks ago, leading prosecutors to release the widow from jail more than two years after she was incarcerated for the supposed crime. Now, Cynthia Sommer wants the death certificate rewritten to show her husband wasn't murdered.
"What can they say, that I killed him with a hammer?" she told The Associated Press.
The San Diego County medical examiner's office won't say if it will change the cause of death. The district attorney's office says it may bring new charges if additional evidence is found but admits it has no case against the widow.
Sommer, 34, was convicted of murder in January 2007 after initial tests showed enormous amounts of arsenic in frozen samples of her husband's liver and kidney, despite concerns from the lab's own director and other experts.
With no proof that the widow was the source of the arsenic, prosecutors relied heavily on circumstantial evidence of her financial debt and later spending sprees, including wild parties she threw after her husband's funeral and breast implants paid for with his $250,000 life insurance payout.
Prosecutors told jurors Sommer was the only person with a motive to kill the Marine, but the linchpin of the case was always the arsenic: Without it, there was no physical evidence that Todd Sommer was even killed.
As prosecutors prepared for a second trial, ordered by a judge who ruled that Sommer received inadequate representation, they asked another lab to analyze previously untouched specimens. The samples had been embedded in paraffin wax and sealed in a drawer at a military morgue for six years.
The tests showed no traces of poison.
click post title for more
By ALLISON HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer
Friday, May 2, 2008
05-02) 00:53 PDT SAN DIEGO (AP) --
Cynthia Sommer has a death certificate for her Marine husband that lists homicide as his cause of death. Forensic experts said Todd Sommer was poisoned with arsenic.
But the lab results underpinning that finding were discredited two weeks ago, leading prosecutors to release the widow from jail more than two years after she was incarcerated for the supposed crime. Now, Cynthia Sommer wants the death certificate rewritten to show her husband wasn't murdered.
"What can they say, that I killed him with a hammer?" she told The Associated Press.
The San Diego County medical examiner's office won't say if it will change the cause of death. The district attorney's office says it may bring new charges if additional evidence is found but admits it has no case against the widow.
Sommer, 34, was convicted of murder in January 2007 after initial tests showed enormous amounts of arsenic in frozen samples of her husband's liver and kidney, despite concerns from the lab's own director and other experts.
With no proof that the widow was the source of the arsenic, prosecutors relied heavily on circumstantial evidence of her financial debt and later spending sprees, including wild parties she threw after her husband's funeral and breast implants paid for with his $250,000 life insurance payout.
Prosecutors told jurors Sommer was the only person with a motive to kill the Marine, but the linchpin of the case was always the arsenic: Without it, there was no physical evidence that Todd Sommer was even killed.
As prosecutors prepared for a second trial, ordered by a judge who ruled that Sommer received inadequate representation, they asked another lab to analyze previously untouched specimens. The samples had been embedded in paraffin wax and sealed in a drawer at a military morgue for six years.
The tests showed no traces of poison.
click post title for more
National Guardsman Matthew Trahan killed in Baton Rouge
La. guardsman shot, killed in car
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 11:54:59 EDT
BATON ROUGE, La. — An off-duty National Guardsman who was within weeks of departure for Thailand and, eventually, Iraq, was shot and killed in Baton Rouge. A man accused in his murder was arrested Thursday.
Larry Murray, 18, of Baton Rouge, turned himself in to Zachary police Thursday night and was being charged in the first-degree murder of Matthew Trahan, 20, said Sgt. Don Kelly, a Baton Rouge police spokesman.
Trahan was shot Wednesday night in a run-down North Baton Rouge neighborhood five blocks from an Exxon refinery. Baton Rouge police said he was from Lafayette, about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge; relatives said he was from Scott, a suburb of Lafayette.
“Trahan had apparently given the suspect Murray a ride and, at some point, investigators believe Murray shot Trahan and then robbed him of cash,” Kelly wrote in a news release.
Police had a warrant for Murray’s arrest within hours.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_guardshot_050208/
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 11:54:59 EDT
BATON ROUGE, La. — An off-duty National Guardsman who was within weeks of departure for Thailand and, eventually, Iraq, was shot and killed in Baton Rouge. A man accused in his murder was arrested Thursday.
Larry Murray, 18, of Baton Rouge, turned himself in to Zachary police Thursday night and was being charged in the first-degree murder of Matthew Trahan, 20, said Sgt. Don Kelly, a Baton Rouge police spokesman.
Trahan was shot Wednesday night in a run-down North Baton Rouge neighborhood five blocks from an Exxon refinery. Baton Rouge police said he was from Lafayette, about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge; relatives said he was from Scott, a suburb of Lafayette.
“Trahan had apparently given the suspect Murray a ride and, at some point, investigators believe Murray shot Trahan and then robbed him of cash,” Kelly wrote in a news release.
Police had a warrant for Murray’s arrest within hours.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_guardshot_050208/
Pentagon plans national mental health campaign
Pentagon plans national mental health campaign
By PAULINE JELINEK and LOLITA BALDOR (Associated Press Writers)
From Associated Press
May 02, 2008 8:28 AM EDT
WASHINGTON - Senior military officers could be talking about their emotional struggles on YouTube and MySpace this year, in a Pentagon campaign to urge troops into counseling for wartime mental problems.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday that getting therapy "is not going to count against" troops when they apply for national security clearances.
A new policy on security clearances and the idea of a planned national awareness campaign on mental illness are efforts by a Defense Department struggling to care for the many thousands of troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with emotional wounds.
Part of the problem is changing a military culture that equates such problems with weakness and so stigmatizes those getting treatment.
"It's time for leaders of all stripes to step forward and lead by example, when it comes to mental health issues," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen told a Pentagon press conference.
"You can't expect a private or a specialist to be willing to seek counseling when his or her captain or colonel or general won't do it," he said.
"I've talked with a number of (senior leaders) already and we already have folks who are standing up and ready to come forward and tell their story," said Col. Lorree Sutton, an Army psychiatrist who heads a new center for psychological health and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
"We can talk about how important it is," she said. "Ultimately, troops and families - they want to see leaders walking that talk."
The two spoke at a Pentagon press conference after Gates announced at Fort Bliss, Texas, that uniformed and civilian Pentagon employees would no longer be forced to reveal all previous mental health treatment when applying for national security clearances.
Visiting a recovery center for PTSD, Gates called the illness one of the "unseen wounds" of war. He said there are two issues in dealing with it, the first is the task of developing care and treatment.
"The second, and in some ways perhaps equally challenging, is to remove the stigma that is associated with PTSD and to encourage soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who encounter these problems to seek help," he said.
Gates later told a gathering of nearly 900 command sergeants major and instructors at Fort Bliss that they have a special role in encouraging soldiers to seek help.
"Let them know that doing so is a sign of strength and maturity," Gates said, shortly after he toured the base's mental health treatment facility. "I urge all of you to talk with those below you to find out where we can continue to improve."
Up to 20 percent of the more than 1.6 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to have anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental problems.
Yet officials say roughly half don't get help because they fear it will keep them from getting security clearances, will stifle their careers, or embarrass them before their commanders and buddies.
"It's way past time, some seven years into this war, that we recognize the toll it's taking inside our minds, as well as outside our bodies, and to deal with that reality in a measured, mature and thoughtful manner," Mullen said.
Sutton said a national campaign to discuss treatment, seek solutions, develop support networks and so on later is still in the planning stages.
Asked how many leaders might come forward and what forum they might use, she said a campaign could use print and broadcast media. "We also want to use the modalities that our warriors, our troops and our families use, so we're planning to harness the power of YouTube, MySpace, Second Life, podcasting, all manner of ways, because it's so important to get this message out."
Officials also are considering setting up a Web site "linking up mentors, families perhaps that may be living across the country from each other but who have similar interest, maybe similar concerns, similar backgrounds who would like to support each other," Sutton said.
click post title for more
Sign me up to be a mentor!!!!!
By PAULINE JELINEK and LOLITA BALDOR (Associated Press Writers)
From Associated Press
May 02, 2008 8:28 AM EDT
WASHINGTON - Senior military officers could be talking about their emotional struggles on YouTube and MySpace this year, in a Pentagon campaign to urge troops into counseling for wartime mental problems.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday that getting therapy "is not going to count against" troops when they apply for national security clearances.
A new policy on security clearances and the idea of a planned national awareness campaign on mental illness are efforts by a Defense Department struggling to care for the many thousands of troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with emotional wounds.
Part of the problem is changing a military culture that equates such problems with weakness and so stigmatizes those getting treatment.
"It's time for leaders of all stripes to step forward and lead by example, when it comes to mental health issues," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen told a Pentagon press conference.
"You can't expect a private or a specialist to be willing to seek counseling when his or her captain or colonel or general won't do it," he said.
"I've talked with a number of (senior leaders) already and we already have folks who are standing up and ready to come forward and tell their story," said Col. Lorree Sutton, an Army psychiatrist who heads a new center for psychological health and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
"We can talk about how important it is," she said. "Ultimately, troops and families - they want to see leaders walking that talk."
The two spoke at a Pentagon press conference after Gates announced at Fort Bliss, Texas, that uniformed and civilian Pentagon employees would no longer be forced to reveal all previous mental health treatment when applying for national security clearances.
Visiting a recovery center for PTSD, Gates called the illness one of the "unseen wounds" of war. He said there are two issues in dealing with it, the first is the task of developing care and treatment.
"The second, and in some ways perhaps equally challenging, is to remove the stigma that is associated with PTSD and to encourage soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who encounter these problems to seek help," he said.
Gates later told a gathering of nearly 900 command sergeants major and instructors at Fort Bliss that they have a special role in encouraging soldiers to seek help.
"Let them know that doing so is a sign of strength and maturity," Gates said, shortly after he toured the base's mental health treatment facility. "I urge all of you to talk with those below you to find out where we can continue to improve."
Up to 20 percent of the more than 1.6 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to have anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental problems.
Yet officials say roughly half don't get help because they fear it will keep them from getting security clearances, will stifle their careers, or embarrass them before their commanders and buddies.
"It's way past time, some seven years into this war, that we recognize the toll it's taking inside our minds, as well as outside our bodies, and to deal with that reality in a measured, mature and thoughtful manner," Mullen said.
Sutton said a national campaign to discuss treatment, seek solutions, develop support networks and so on later is still in the planning stages.
Asked how many leaders might come forward and what forum they might use, she said a campaign could use print and broadcast media. "We also want to use the modalities that our warriors, our troops and our families use, so we're planning to harness the power of YouTube, MySpace, Second Life, podcasting, all manner of ways, because it's so important to get this message out."
Officials also are considering setting up a Web site "linking up mentors, families perhaps that may be living across the country from each other but who have similar interest, maybe similar concerns, similar backgrounds who would like to support each other," Sutton said.
click post title for more
Sign me up to be a mentor!!!!!
PTSD truth causes fast changes
VA adds $2 million for PTSD center
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 14:22:34 EDT
After a series of congressional hearings showed that gaps remain in mental health care for veterans, the Veterans Affairs Department announced Friday it is allocating an additional $2 million to the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
A recent Rand Corp. study found that more than 300,000 combat veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression — a number that mirrors the Defense Department’s own studies.
But Rand found that only 50 percent of them receive care — and of those, only half received “minimally adequate” care — or care proven to be effective in treating PTSD.
The Defense Department, as well as Rand, have also found that significant issues remain in combating stigma surrounding PTSD. Many troops still think that their leaders will find them weak if they seek care, that a mental health issue could ruin their careers, that they’ll be prescribed anti-depressants with harmful side effects or that they’ll be denied security clearances.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_ptsd_funding_050208w/
Bill would open Vet Centers to active troops
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 13:17:01 EDT
Active and reserve service members would be eligible for mental health counseling from one of the 207 veterans’ centers operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs under bipartisan legislation introduced Thursday.
The bill also includes incentives for veterans to become mental health specialists so they could serve as counselors.
The bill would extend military survivor benefits in cases of suicide among service members with a history of service-connected mental health problems, an unprecedented policy change that would extend active-duty survivor benefits beyond the end of service for those who are not receiving retired pay.
Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., joined by six other senators including Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, said he is looking for a quick way to increase access to qualified behavioral health specialists who can provide both immediate treatment and, if needed, long-term care.
Vet Centers, which provide readjustment and mental health counseling for people no longer in the military, are not typically available for use by people on active duty, nor to their families. National Guard and reserve members may use Vet Centers after being demobilized but sometimes have problems with eligibility because they do not have the same discharge papers provided to people separated from active duty.
The bill introduced Thursday, S 2963, “will give our troops the same access to Vet Centers our veterans receive,” Bond said in a statement.
This “not only opens the door to additional resources but also lightens the load on our currently over-tasked specialists,” Bond said. “There are grossly insufficient numbers of military behavioral health specialists to provide the care our troops need.”
go here for morehttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_vetcenters_050208w/
Master Sgt. Brendan O'Connor gets Distinguished Service Cross
Bragg E-8 gets DSC for crawl to save soldiers
By Kevin Maurer - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 11:37:22 EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A Special Forces soldier who crawled 200 feet while being fired upon to save a wounded colleague, then led a group of besieged soldiers to safety, received the Army’s second-highest award for valor Wednesday.
Master Sgt. Brendan O’Connor, assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group, received the Distinguished Service Cross in a ceremony Wednesday at Fort Bragg for his actions in Afghanistan.
“He made a conscious decision to do whatever it took to get to our wounded soldiers,” said Maj. Sheffield Ford, the team’s commander during the June 2006 battle in southern Afghanistan.
O’Connor, 47, said he doesn’t believe he is a hero. He said that police officers and firefighters are courageous every day and that he was only completing his mission.
“I am being recognized for a moment of courage,” said O’Connor, whose wife and four children attended the ceremony. “I firmly believe other soldiers in my place would have done the same thing.”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_bragg_dsc_050108/
By Kevin Maurer - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 11:37:22 EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A Special Forces soldier who crawled 200 feet while being fired upon to save a wounded colleague, then led a group of besieged soldiers to safety, received the Army’s second-highest award for valor Wednesday.
Master Sgt. Brendan O’Connor, assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group, received the Distinguished Service Cross in a ceremony Wednesday at Fort Bragg for his actions in Afghanistan.
“He made a conscious decision to do whatever it took to get to our wounded soldiers,” said Maj. Sheffield Ford, the team’s commander during the June 2006 battle in southern Afghanistan.
O’Connor, 47, said he doesn’t believe he is a hero. He said that police officers and firefighters are courageous every day and that he was only completing his mission.
“I am being recognized for a moment of courage,” said O’Connor, whose wife and four children attended the ceremony. “I firmly believe other soldiers in my place would have done the same thing.”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_bragg_dsc_050108/
Marine Sgt. Merlin German dies of burns from 2005
`Miracle' Marine dies; badly burned in 2005 Iraq blast
`Miracle' Marine badly burned in 2005 Iraq blast dies after becoming emblem of resolve
The Associated Press
AP News
May 02, 2008 07:37 EST
A Marine sergeant who became a symbol of resilience as he strove to recover from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq that blanketed 97 percent of his body with burns has died, the Defense Department said. He was 22.
Sgt. Merlin German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was continuing treatment for the injuries he suffered in combat on Feb. 22, 2005, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The former turret gunner was dubbed the "Miracle Man" for his determination in facing his wounds, which cost the former saxophone player his fingers and rippled his face with scars. He endured more than 40 surgeries, spent 17 months in a hospital and had to learn to walk again.
`Miracle' Marine badly burned in 2005 Iraq blast dies after becoming emblem of resolve
The Associated Press
AP News
May 02, 2008 07:37 EST
A Marine sergeant who became a symbol of resilience as he strove to recover from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq that blanketed 97 percent of his body with burns has died, the Defense Department said. He was 22.
Sgt. Merlin German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was continuing treatment for the injuries he suffered in combat on Feb. 22, 2005, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The former turret gunner was dubbed the "Miracle Man" for his determination in facing his wounds, which cost the former saxophone player his fingers and rippled his face with scars. He endured more than 40 surgeries, spent 17 months in a hospital and had to learn to walk again.
Bush makes historical record for failure
Bush Disapproval Rating Makes History
CNN
Posted: 2008-05-02 11:34:39
Filed Under: Nation News, Politics News
WASHINGTON (May 1) - A new poll suggests that President Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday indicates that 71 percent of the American public disapprove of how Bush is handling his job as president."No president has ever had a higher disapproval rating in any CNN or Gallup Poll; in fact, this is the first time that any president's disapproval rating has cracked the 70 percent mark," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director."Bush's approval rating, which stands at 28 percent in our new poll, remains better than the all-time lows set by Harry Truman and Richard Nixon [22 percent and 24 percent, respectively], but even those two presidents never got a disapproval rating in the 70s," Holland said. "The previous all-time record in CNN or Gallup polling was set by Truman, 67 percent disapproval in January 1952."While Gallup polling goes back to the 1930s, it wasn't until the Truman years that they began surveying monthly approval ratings.
How would you rate Bush's performance as president?
Poor
74%
Good
11%
Fair
9%
Excellent
6%
Total Votes: 127,159
Does he deserve the lowest presidential approval rating in modern history?
Yes
74%
No
26%
Total Votes: 125,436
Will congress notice this? Will the GOP in congress notice this?
For the readers who still support Bush, the question is why? When asked about this the people who call into shows will say it's because he kept us safe since 9-11, but they never seem to have an answer as to why it is he was in the chair the day we were hit or why it seems that every defense this nation had all failed at the same time. I've heard them say that it's because we have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan but they never seem to have an answer as to why that is or why it has also been apparent that he has not taken care of any of them.
As a Chaplain, I want to get CERT training, Community Emergency Response Teams, so that I can respond better to emergencies. I just returned from the local fire station only to find the program has been canceled because of budget cutbacks here in Florida. That's how bad things have gotten. They had to cut a program to train volunteers!
A report came out the other day on employment and it listed the number one hiring as the federal government. Local governments are cutting jobs.
Fallout from tight state budget will impact many Floridians
The budget set to pass today is $5.7B smaller than that in 2007.
John Kennedy and Jim Stratton Sentinel Staff Writers
May 2, 2008TALLAHASSEE - The $66.2 billion no-new-taxes state budget the Florida Legislature will approve today will reverberate across Central Florida.Services from courts to drivers-license offices will be cut back; government workers won't get raises. Teachers will lose their jobs; services for the disabled will shrink; and nursing-home patients might wait longer for bedside care.College and university students will pay about $70, or 6 percent, more per semester. There will be no sales-tax holiday for hurricane preparedness; the one for back-to-school items is shortened to seven days and doesn't include books. And parents will find it tougher to place their children in arts classes, summer school or other specialty programs.
71 workers in Seminole laid off in cutbacks
Sandra Pedicini Sentinel Staff Writer
May 2, 2008
Seminole County on Thursday eliminated about 110 positions from its work force of about 1,400 employees to help balance its budget.Seventy-one people are being laid off, effective immediately, county officials said.Seminole residents will feel the effects, as well, of the changes, which a county spokeswoman said would cut about $14 million from the county's general fund budget, paid for by property taxes. Additional money will be cut from other funds, paid for with revenue from sources such as sales-tax revenue and fire assessments.
Again, I would really like to know why anyone is supporting Bush now.
US Military Coordinated Day of Prayer Events with Christian Right Group
US Military Coordinated Day of Prayer Events with Christian Right Group
Jason Leopold
The Public Record
May 01, 2008
April 30, 2008 - At least half-a-dozen active-duty military officials have been working closely with a task force headed by the far-right fundamentalist Christians planning religious events at military installations around the country to commemorate Thursday’s National Day of Prayer.
In working directly with the National Day of Prayer (NDP) Task Force and agreeing to work as event coordinators, these military officials not only violated constitutional provisions governing the separation of church and state but they also signed an oath that states they “believe that the Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of The Living God” and that “Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only One by which I can obtain salvation and have an ongoing relationship with God,” according to materials posted on NDP Task Force’s website.
Furthermore, the declaration signed by the military officials says that they promise to “ensure a strong, consistent Christian message throughout the nation” and that National Day of Prayer events scheduled to take place at their military installations “will be conducted solely by Christians.”
Lisa Crump, manager of the NDP Task Force’s local coordinators, said that volunteers who are interested in becoming event coordinators, including members of the military, must complete click here "a simple application with contact data and statement of faith, confirming your commitment to Christ is all that's needed to get you on the way to becoming a [National Day of Prayer] Task Force volunteer coordinator."
go here for the rest
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/9988
Has the military suddenly forgotten the rich history of chaplains of all faiths in service taking care of the spiritual needs of all the armed forces?
"This inter-faith shrine...will stand through long generations to teach Americans that as men can die heroically as brothers, so they should live together in mutual faith and good will."
President Harry S Truman
Rabbi Alexander Goode
Reverend George L. Fox
Reverend Clark V. Polling
Father John P. Washington
During World War II some 8,000 Army chaplains dedicated their lives and service to the fighting men of The Greatest Generation. Though these chaplains earned 2,453 high military awards for their valor, none received the Medal of Honor.
Four of the seventy-seven who gave their lives in service received one of the most unusual and distinct medals in history. Ordered by special Congressional action, its intent was to carry the same weight and prestige as the Medal of Honor.
It is known simply as The Four Chaplains Medal, and calls to memory four men of God, one Jewish, one Catholic, and two Protestant, who overcame the boundaries of denomination to become brothers serving the same Father.
This is a Chaplain in Iwo Jima
This is a Chaplain in Korea
This is a Chaplain in Vietnam
These are American soldiers who happen to be Muslim
Does the military suddenly think that their soldiers are of any lesser value if they are not Christian, or a particular branch of Christianity? I'm really getting tired of reading reports about this kind of practice. This was always supposed to be about taking care of the spiritual needs of all the troops as they are, in the faith they practice or taking care of them as humans if they have no faith at all. Don't they understand that they are not only hurting the troops by making them feel less worthy and pushing them away from seeking any spiritual council at all? They feel they are not being embraced but forced into deciding to belong or be an outcast.
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