California counts cost of raging wildfires
Story Highlights
More than 20 firefighters reportedly injured in Station Fire; two died earlier in crash
California has spent $21 million fighting fire; it's 22 percent contained
Blaze encroaching on San Gabriel Wilderness Area in Angeles National Forest
Crews battle blaze near historic observatory atop Mount Wilson
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A raging wildfire north of Los Angeles has displaced thousands of anxious Californians, burning 140,150 acres by Wednesday.
Beth Halaas sifted through the ashes of her family's charred Los Angeles County home trying to find something to salvage.
"It's stuff. Hold on to some of it for traditions. But you've got to remember it's just stuff," she said on CNN's "Campbell Brown."
The so-called Station Fire forced Noel and Marta Rincon to evacuate their home in Tujunga.
"I thought that we were losing our home," the husband said of the residence where he was born and the couple raised their family.
read more here
California counts cost of raging wildfires
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Voice of a New Generation of Veterans
The Voice of a New Generation of Veterans
After Serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, White House Aide Tackles Policy Challenges
By Philip Rucker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Matt Flavin oversaw a 450-person intelligence unit in Bosnia, deployed overseas with the Navy SEALs and survived combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the challenge now facing the 29-year-old is in Washington, where he is charged with helping President Obama make good on his pledge to expand veterans' benefits.
Flavin, director of the new White House Office of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, is the administration's liaison to the nation's roughly 23 million veterans. For a president with no military experience, he orchestrates outreach to the politically prized constituency.
In a community dominated by veterans of the Vietnam War, Flavin embodies a generational change. He and the few other administration officials who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan -- including Tammy Duckworth, an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs -- offer a voice in Washington for the men and women fighting in today's conflicts.
read more here
The Voice of a New Generation of Veterans
After Serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, White House Aide Tackles Policy Challenges
By Philip Rucker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Matt Flavin oversaw a 450-person intelligence unit in Bosnia, deployed overseas with the Navy SEALs and survived combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the challenge now facing the 29-year-old is in Washington, where he is charged with helping President Obama make good on his pledge to expand veterans' benefits.
Flavin, director of the new White House Office of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, is the administration's liaison to the nation's roughly 23 million veterans. For a president with no military experience, he orchestrates outreach to the politically prized constituency.
In a community dominated by veterans of the Vietnam War, Flavin embodies a generational change. He and the few other administration officials who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan -- including Tammy Duckworth, an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs -- offer a voice in Washington for the men and women fighting in today's conflicts.
read more here
The Voice of a New Generation of Veterans
Military leaders, first responders learn about PTSD
Combining these groups is one of the best things they could do because it's great to know they have plenty of company living with this misery. Feeling alone is a terrible thing but finding each other, well, strength comes from numbers.
Military leaders, first responders learn about PTSD
Posted: Sep 2, 2009 07:53 PM EDT
by ABC-7 Reporter/Anchor Celina Avila
EL PASO, Texas -- In an attempt to increase awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder, military leaders and first responders in our community were invited to a symposium at Sierra Providence Medical Center.
Firefighters on harnesses at the scene of a bad crash. An elderly couple murdered, allegedly in front of children. A deadly shooting of an high-schooler, allegedly by a Fort Bliss soldier in need of mental help.
Those are not only recent headlines but actual emergencies. "Everybody looks at you and expects you to be the strong one," said El Paso police officer Michael Baranyay.
A somber video detailed the reality of war was shown to various law enforcement agencies. The video shed light on post-traumatic stress disorder and how it can affect the tough men and women we look to protect us.
read more here
http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=11037494&nav=menu193_2
Budget cuts hurt everyone
Bad economy hurts us all the way around. We all know the kinds of problems California has but budget cuts left a fire engine shut and in another story, rape kits have not been placed where they are needed to catch a rapist.
These two stories just came out today as firefighters are trying to put out another wildfire raging and two firefighters died.
What is the answer? What can be done in such a bad economy? Not an easy answer but the most obvious one is to raise taxes on the people to help pay for what businesses no longer contribute. They are doing that in Florida by raising fees. Things are starting to turn around according to the experts but how long will it be before police and fire departments are back up to full funding? These cuts don't just hurt the police officers and firefighters, they hurt the citizens these men and women risk their lives for everyday.
3-year-old's drowning underscores L.A. Fire Department budget cuts
By Robert J. Lopez
A 3-year-old boy died in a swimming pool accident last week in Bel-Air on a day when one of the neighborhood's fire engines had been shut down
LA County to attack rape kit backlog
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The sheriff in California's Los Angeles County says he's committing $3 million in next year's budget to help with the backlog in rape kit DNA testing.
Human Rights Watch, the civil rights advocacy group, said the announcement came in a letter it received from County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. The rights group has been researching the backlog of untested evidence in rape cases.
read more here
These two stories just came out today as firefighters are trying to put out another wildfire raging and two firefighters died.
What is the answer? What can be done in such a bad economy? Not an easy answer but the most obvious one is to raise taxes on the people to help pay for what businesses no longer contribute. They are doing that in Florida by raising fees. Things are starting to turn around according to the experts but how long will it be before police and fire departments are back up to full funding? These cuts don't just hurt the police officers and firefighters, they hurt the citizens these men and women risk their lives for everyday.
PTSD on Trail: Ex-New York City Pollice Officer
Father says PTSD caused him to enter school with gun
By Steve Lieberman • slieberm@lohud.com • September 1, 2009
Peter Cocker today informed the court that he will offer a psychiatric defense to charges he rushed into South Orangetown Middle School armed and held the superintendent at gunpoint before being disarmed.
The Tappan father suffers from post traumatic stress disorder from years as a New York City police officer, his lawyer, Gerard Damiani, said after a court appearance at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City.
Cocker became agitated June 9 after his son collapsed on the baseball field and he felt his boy had swine flu symptoms , Damiani said.
He also had been drinking alcohol heavily, a form of self-medication resulting from post traumatic stress, Damiani said.
Cocker became angry at Schools Superintendent Kenneth Mitchell for sending out a Rockland Health Department form letter on swine flu precautions, authorities said. Cocker wanted the letter changed and the schools closed. The boy attends the middle school.
read more here
http://www.lohud.com/article/20090901/NEWS03/909010386
By Steve Lieberman • slieberm@lohud.com • September 1, 2009
Peter Cocker today informed the court that he will offer a psychiatric defense to charges he rushed into South Orangetown Middle School armed and held the superintendent at gunpoint before being disarmed.
The Tappan father suffers from post traumatic stress disorder from years as a New York City police officer, his lawyer, Gerard Damiani, said after a court appearance at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City.
Cocker became agitated June 9 after his son collapsed on the baseball field and he felt his boy had swine flu symptoms , Damiani said.
He also had been drinking alcohol heavily, a form of self-medication resulting from post traumatic stress, Damiani said.
Cocker became angry at Schools Superintendent Kenneth Mitchell for sending out a Rockland Health Department form letter on swine flu precautions, authorities said. Cocker wanted the letter changed and the schools closed. The boy attends the middle school.
read more here
http://www.lohud.com/article/20090901/NEWS03/909010386
Sgt. Northcutt's Post-Iraq Nightmare
If you are more offended by the language in this article than what they story really is, then you really shouldn't be reading this blog. I'm sure my regular readers will overlook the street language because they would probable be using the same words themselves. Why not? When I'm angry I still use them. What our troops are going through with being kept in combat on medication is enough to get anyone angry.
Sgt. Northcutt's Post-Iraq Nightmare: Getting Arrested for Growing Pot
By Fred Gardner, O'Shaughnessy's . Posted September 1, 2009.
Phillip Northcutt started legally cultivating medical marijuana to deal with PTSD from fighting in the Iraq. It wasn't long before the police and the courts caught up with him.
Phil Northcutt saw the map of Iraq on the wall and started recalling his time there. He’d been stationed in Ramadi, Al Anbar Province, in 2004.
Phil Northcutt: There was this main street, ‘Route Michigan,’ like a 4-lane highway going through town with a 12-inch tall median painted yellow and black. When we first got there you could see big holes in the median. By the time we left, there was no median. It had been blown up along six or seven miles of roadway...
There were two different kinds of fighters we engaged. When we first got there it was like local fighters. You could tell. They were wearing the man dresses and flip-flops and they had old rusty AKs. They were like beat-up, ragged-out goat herders but with weapons. They didn’t use squad maneuvers, they didn’t use military tactics, it was a shoot and run kind of thing. And pretty much we killed all those guys or they went away.
And then the second wave came in. These dudes were wearing brand new Adidas, American jeans, they were wearing tactical rigs like American contractors, baseball hats, sunglasses –they looked like American contractors.
read more here
Getting Arrested for Growing Pot
Fallen Marine's Mom Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame
Energizer honors Masaryktown mom's tireless work on behalf of U.S. troops with Keep Going Hall of Fame
By Beth N. Gray, Times Correspondent
In Print: Wednesday, September 2, 2009
MASARYKTOWN — Dee Mills has worked tirelessly for years as founder of Lea's Prayers and Postage to bring joy to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now, it's time for her service to be honored — in a big way.
Mills has brought national fame to herself and this tiny crossroads community in Hernando County as the 2009 winner of the national Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame award. The award celebrates people whose attributes and actions best exemplify qualities of the Energizer Bunny: perseverance, determination and never-quit attitude.
The bunny is featured in ads plugging the battery company's theme, "It keeps going and going and going."
Among thousands of applicants for the Hall of Fame, Mills, 53, was selected in June by a company panel from among 100 finalists, then named one of the Top 10.
Brief biographies of the 10 appeared on the Energizer Web site, and viewers were asked to vote their choice for a Hall of Fame inductee. The company announced her selection this week. Mills learned of her win about two weeks ago but she was sworn to secrecy.
After Marine Sgt. Lea Mills, then 21, son of Mills and her husband, Rob, was killed in Iraq in April 2006, Mills launched her effort to let deployed troops know they are not forgotten.
read more here
Keep Going Hall of Fame
By Beth N. Gray, Times Correspondent
In Print: Wednesday, September 2, 2009
MASARYKTOWN — Dee Mills has worked tirelessly for years as founder of Lea's Prayers and Postage to bring joy to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now, it's time for her service to be honored — in a big way.
Mills has brought national fame to herself and this tiny crossroads community in Hernando County as the 2009 winner of the national Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame award. The award celebrates people whose attributes and actions best exemplify qualities of the Energizer Bunny: perseverance, determination and never-quit attitude.
The bunny is featured in ads plugging the battery company's theme, "It keeps going and going and going."
Among thousands of applicants for the Hall of Fame, Mills, 53, was selected in June by a company panel from among 100 finalists, then named one of the Top 10.
Brief biographies of the 10 appeared on the Energizer Web site, and viewers were asked to vote their choice for a Hall of Fame inductee. The company announced her selection this week. Mills learned of her win about two weeks ago but she was sworn to secrecy.
After Marine Sgt. Lea Mills, then 21, son of Mills and her husband, Rob, was killed in Iraq in April 2006, Mills launched her effort to let deployed troops know they are not forgotten.
read more here
Keep Going Hall of Fame
Bank America tells man with no arms they need thumb print?
Bank of America's thumbprint rule irks man born with no arms
The Associated Press
12:22 p.m. EDT, September 2, 2009
TAMPA - A Florida man born without arms says a Tampa-area bank would not let him cash a check because he could not provide a thumbprint.
read more here
Bank of America thumbprint rule irks man born with no arms
The Associated Press
12:22 p.m. EDT, September 2, 2009
TAMPA - A Florida man born without arms says a Tampa-area bank would not let him cash a check because he could not provide a thumbprint.
read more here
Bank of America thumbprint rule irks man born with no arms
Man shot in front of 100 people, no clues
Police identify man shot at Orlando apartment complex
Bianca Prieto
Sentinel Staff Writer
9:10 a.m. EDT, September 2, 2009
Orlando police are investigating an late night shooting at a complex on Jacobs Place near the East-West Expressway.
Jarrell C. Bowers, 25, was shot in front of a crowd of about 100 people who were gathered at the complex, an Orlando lieutenant said.
Bowers was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition. He is recovering there this morning.
read more here
Police identify man shot at Orlando apartment complex
Bianca Prieto
Sentinel Staff Writer
9:10 a.m. EDT, September 2, 2009
Orlando police are investigating an late night shooting at a complex on Jacobs Place near the East-West Expressway.
Jarrell C. Bowers, 25, was shot in front of a crowd of about 100 people who were gathered at the complex, an Orlando lieutenant said.
Bowers was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition. He is recovering there this morning.
read more here
Police identify man shot at Orlando apartment complex
A pastor who hates Pres. Obama and wishes he would die
Secret service investigates pastor 8:42
A pastor who hates Pres. Obama and wishes he would die. What's the Secret Service doing? What Rick Sanchez found out
Source: CNN
Added On September 1, 2009
Where is all of this hate coming from when they are supposed to be "Christian leaders?" Think about it. Westborough Baptist Church protesting at military funerals. This man and others saying they want President Obama to die. Where is all this hate coming from? People didn't like President Bush but even if the leaders spoke out on what he was doing, they prayed he would open his eyes, they prayed for him and for the country. They did not pray he would die.
A pastor who hates Pres. Obama and wishes he would die. What's the Secret Service doing? What Rick Sanchez found out
Source: CNN
Added On September 1, 2009
Where is all of this hate coming from when they are supposed to be "Christian leaders?" Think about it. Westborough Baptist Church protesting at military funerals. This man and others saying they want President Obama to die. Where is all this hate coming from? People didn't like President Bush but even if the leaders spoke out on what he was doing, they prayed he would open his eyes, they prayed for him and for the country. They did not pray he would die.
Veterans suffering from PTSD can visit virtual Chicoma Island for help
Veterans suffering from PTSD can visit virtual Chicoma Island for help
By Bob Brewin 09/01/2009
View slideshow of veteran visiting Chicoma Lodge in Second Life.
Combat veterans rarely talk about their most searing hidden emotions and thoughts caused by their experiences in battle, a reticence that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles is near completing Coming Home, a virtual world in Second Life that its creators hope will help break down the barriers to PTSD treatment, said Jacquelyn Morie, a project leader at ICT.
The institute developed a virtual world that features immersive therapy, which mental health professionals can use to treat Iraq combat veterans suffering form PTSD called Virtual Iraq. The site includes a virtual Iraqi village that veterans can walk through.
ICT initially planned to use the village in Second Life, but in a recent paper that Morie wrote, a veteran told her that he found the Iraqi village "disturbingly realistic, and he did not believe that any veteran should be allowed to explore the village without a therapist at his side."
read more here
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090901_9444.php?oref=topstory
By Bob Brewin 09/01/2009
View slideshow of veteran visiting Chicoma Lodge in Second Life.
Combat veterans rarely talk about their most searing hidden emotions and thoughts caused by their experiences in battle, a reticence that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles is near completing Coming Home, a virtual world in Second Life that its creators hope will help break down the barriers to PTSD treatment, said Jacquelyn Morie, a project leader at ICT.
The institute developed a virtual world that features immersive therapy, which mental health professionals can use to treat Iraq combat veterans suffering form PTSD called Virtual Iraq. The site includes a virtual Iraqi village that veterans can walk through.
ICT initially planned to use the village in Second Life, but in a recent paper that Morie wrote, a veteran told her that he found the Iraqi village "disturbingly realistic, and he did not believe that any veteran should be allowed to explore the village without a therapist at his side."
read more here
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090901_9444.php?oref=topstory
Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire really using military intelligence
Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire just made me very hopeful by saying it depends on what works best, instead of just using what is there, she's searching. The military has a habit of searching for the latest and greatest when it comes to winning wars, but hardly ever seems to apply the same intelligence when it comes to what war does. She just proved it by this statement alone.
There are great programs out there, like the Montana National Guard have, plus some others, but there are also programs that don't work. In many cases, they actually do more harm than good. One I hope they totally abandon is Battlemind, but judging from the lack of reports on this program lately, I have a feeling they have been dropping it quietly. The other is Warrior Mind, which could have been a great program had they not fully understood the message being delivered ended up being yet again, if you end up with PTSD, it's your fault. Both of these programs could have worked really well if they had been thought out more and the developers heard the words being said through the ears of someone with PTSD. Then they would have known how much harm they were doing.
The other thing in this report is that Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli's words showed they still don't understand that PTSD comes after trauma, strikes the compassionate with vengeance and is a wound to the soul/emotions, that makes these men and women so wonderful and vulnerable at the same time. If they ever understand this then they will know exactly what to do and come up with programs that address the body-mind-spirit connection that is under assault. This is not all bad because at least he's asking what is behind it instead of ignoring it.
There are great programs out there, like the Montana National Guard have, plus some others, but there are also programs that don't work. In many cases, they actually do more harm than good. One I hope they totally abandon is Battlemind, but judging from the lack of reports on this program lately, I have a feeling they have been dropping it quietly. The other is Warrior Mind, which could have been a great program had they not fully understood the message being delivered ended up being yet again, if you end up with PTSD, it's your fault. Both of these programs could have worked really well if they had been thought out more and the developers heard the words being said through the ears of someone with PTSD. Then they would have known how much harm they were doing.
The other thing in this report is that Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli's words showed they still don't understand that PTSD comes after trauma, strikes the compassionate with vengeance and is a wound to the soul/emotions, that makes these men and women so wonderful and vulnerable at the same time. If they ever understand this then they will know exactly what to do and come up with programs that address the body-mind-spirit connection that is under assault. This is not all bad because at least he's asking what is behind it instead of ignoring it.
Schofield Barracks hosting suicide awareness event
Advertiser Staff and News Services
The Army in Hawai'i will recognize National Suicide Prevention Month tomorrow on Sills Field at Schofield Barracks with events intended to promote awareness of the impact suicide has not only has on family members, but also on the "Army family," officials said.
The day starts at 6:30 a.m. with a two-mile fun run, followed by opportunities for soldiers and family members to visit booths staffed by behavioral health experts, Army counselors and military chaplains.
"The most frustrating thing is trying to find a cause," Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 30.
Among those efforts, which included a service-wide stand down and a series of chain-teaching sessions, is a $50 million, five-year study on suicide conducted in conjunction with the National Institute of Mental Health.
"It's not that the Army lacks programs to confront the problem of suicide," said Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, Director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. "The long-term challenge is determining which programs are most effective for our soldiers, and ensuring Army leaders, from junior noncommissioned officers to the most senior leaders, know how to help their soldiers take advantage of these programs."
read more here
Schofield Barracks hosting suicide awareness event
What is the real agenda
What is the real agenda?
Up until about 15 minutes ago, I was in a pretty good mood. I started to go through some emails and some of them were very nice, very hopeful, with a clear agenda of helping others. No political thoughts hiding or blatantly clear. They were just about humans needing each other and acknowledging it.
The problem came when the rants made my mood darken. I feel like I do when on Tuesday night I go to see a bad movie and feel it was not only a waste of time and money, but left me wondering what is wrong with some people when they put out something that is not helpful, hopeful or even funny. If you walk out of a movie feeling worse than you walk in, that's a bad movie. This is not a movie but a bunch of people across this country hiding behind an actor's mask with a clear agenda that is politically motivated hiding behind a noble cause.
Some of the subjects are about "corruption in the VA" the "death book" and topic of the times, "Obamacare." All of these are coming in under the category of veterans.
First I wonder where all these people were when all the problems the veterans were facing over the last eight years while the number of veterans seeking help from the VA was growing along with the claims waiting, but nothing was being done. I wonder where they were when the suicides and attempted suicides was increasing, not only in the military but with our veterans as well when last reported 18 a day commit suicide.
The difference between then and now is a different administration with a different political party.
Gone are the days of "you have to support the President in a time of war" indicating that if you spoke out against anything the other administration did, you were not supporting the troops or the veterans. "You have to support the war or you don't support the troops" was dropped and suddenly they are coming out saying that even Afghanistan should be ended. Blog after blog that ignored the facts in order to support their own agenda have totally switched into being what they used to call anti-American, anti-military and anti-troops. Amazing!
Some fair minded people paying attention (like me) were attacked from both sides because we dared to tell the truth no matter who was in charge. Believing they need to be treated fairly while being held accountable just doesn't seem to fit in anymore. Gone are the times when fighting for all veterans was a good thing to do if you dare to take on a politician.
Some say that it's because of the 2000 election that politics took over everything but that is not the truth. It's an excuse. 9-11 proved that when we were all Americans. It is because of the blog world being used by people with hidden agendas. Instead of talking about the same problems the veterans faced all these years and staying on the fact most of the problem are getting worse, they want to jump on to false outrages as if they are helpful at all. Instead of demanding plans to get the troops back home from Iraq and Afghanistan so that no one can ever compare either to Vietnam, the claws come out. Instead of finding solutions to the huge problems they face, they waste their time and energy sending out emails to make someone's blood boil in a feeding frenzy so they don't pay attention to any of the facts behind how we got to where we are or what the real problems are.
I just read an email from someone saying that "the death book signals out veterans" as if that made any sense at all. It was from the VA! It is about making choices with time to think about what veterans want when it comes to their own lives but this person decided to use words that would cause people to get upset without having time to think about what was really in the publication.
Much like a very bad movie, with bad actors working off an even worse script, their agenda is clear and this is not about veterans or the troops. All of these chain emails are about manipulating without a good imagination or noble intent. It's a waste of time, an assault on the emotions and all will have a bad ending if good people don't start to ignore the people sending out these emails and start to focus on the real problems veterans face along with the troops.
Up until about 15 minutes ago, I was in a pretty good mood. I started to go through some emails and some of them were very nice, very hopeful, with a clear agenda of helping others. No political thoughts hiding or blatantly clear. They were just about humans needing each other and acknowledging it.
The problem came when the rants made my mood darken. I feel like I do when on Tuesday night I go to see a bad movie and feel it was not only a waste of time and money, but left me wondering what is wrong with some people when they put out something that is not helpful, hopeful or even funny. If you walk out of a movie feeling worse than you walk in, that's a bad movie. This is not a movie but a bunch of people across this country hiding behind an actor's mask with a clear agenda that is politically motivated hiding behind a noble cause.
Some of the subjects are about "corruption in the VA" the "death book" and topic of the times, "Obamacare." All of these are coming in under the category of veterans.
First I wonder where all these people were when all the problems the veterans were facing over the last eight years while the number of veterans seeking help from the VA was growing along with the claims waiting, but nothing was being done. I wonder where they were when the suicides and attempted suicides was increasing, not only in the military but with our veterans as well when last reported 18 a day commit suicide.
The difference between then and now is a different administration with a different political party.
Gone are the days of "you have to support the President in a time of war" indicating that if you spoke out against anything the other administration did, you were not supporting the troops or the veterans. "You have to support the war or you don't support the troops" was dropped and suddenly they are coming out saying that even Afghanistan should be ended. Blog after blog that ignored the facts in order to support their own agenda have totally switched into being what they used to call anti-American, anti-military and anti-troops. Amazing!
Some fair minded people paying attention (like me) were attacked from both sides because we dared to tell the truth no matter who was in charge. Believing they need to be treated fairly while being held accountable just doesn't seem to fit in anymore. Gone are the times when fighting for all veterans was a good thing to do if you dare to take on a politician.
Some say that it's because of the 2000 election that politics took over everything but that is not the truth. It's an excuse. 9-11 proved that when we were all Americans. It is because of the blog world being used by people with hidden agendas. Instead of talking about the same problems the veterans faced all these years and staying on the fact most of the problem are getting worse, they want to jump on to false outrages as if they are helpful at all. Instead of demanding plans to get the troops back home from Iraq and Afghanistan so that no one can ever compare either to Vietnam, the claws come out. Instead of finding solutions to the huge problems they face, they waste their time and energy sending out emails to make someone's blood boil in a feeding frenzy so they don't pay attention to any of the facts behind how we got to where we are or what the real problems are.
I just read an email from someone saying that "the death book signals out veterans" as if that made any sense at all. It was from the VA! It is about making choices with time to think about what veterans want when it comes to their own lives but this person decided to use words that would cause people to get upset without having time to think about what was really in the publication.
Much like a very bad movie, with bad actors working off an even worse script, their agenda is clear and this is not about veterans or the troops. All of these chain emails are about manipulating without a good imagination or noble intent. It's a waste of time, an assault on the emotions and all will have a bad ending if good people don't start to ignore the people sending out these emails and start to focus on the real problems veterans face along with the troops.
A Hero's Death in Afghanistan, and the Question 'Why?'
A Hero's Death in Afghanistan, and the Question 'Why?'
By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
On Saturday, millions watched as Ted Kennedy made his final trip to Arlington National Cemetery. With rather less attention, Arlington's soil opened again Monday to accept the remains of one of Kennedy's former aides, 40-year-old Bill Cahir.
The deceased, an Alexandria resident, was unknown to most Americans, but he did no less for his country than his old boss -- and, gauged by the last full measure of devotion, he did even more. He went from his job working for Kennedy in the Senate to become, at various points, a Washington journalist and a failed congressional candidate. But it was the Sept. 11 attacks that inspired Cahir, at age 34, to get an age waiver from military recruiters in 2003 and enlist in the Marines.
That brave and fateful choice ultimately landed Sgt. Cahir on the horse-drawn caisson at Arlington on Monday, two weeks after he took a bullet to the neck while on patrol in Afghanistan. Cahir's widow, pregnant with his twin daughters, accepted the folded flag from his casket.
read more here
A Hero Death in Afghanistan
By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
On Saturday, millions watched as Ted Kennedy made his final trip to Arlington National Cemetery. With rather less attention, Arlington's soil opened again Monday to accept the remains of one of Kennedy's former aides, 40-year-old Bill Cahir.
The deceased, an Alexandria resident, was unknown to most Americans, but he did no less for his country than his old boss -- and, gauged by the last full measure of devotion, he did even more. He went from his job working for Kennedy in the Senate to become, at various points, a Washington journalist and a failed congressional candidate. But it was the Sept. 11 attacks that inspired Cahir, at age 34, to get an age waiver from military recruiters in 2003 and enlist in the Marines.
That brave and fateful choice ultimately landed Sgt. Cahir on the horse-drawn caisson at Arlington on Monday, two weeks after he took a bullet to the neck while on patrol in Afghanistan. Cahir's widow, pregnant with his twin daughters, accepted the folded flag from his casket.
read more here
A Hero Death in Afghanistan
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