It Does 'Take a Village'

From the family to the extended family to the surrounding community to the greater community all the way to the society as a whole:

Learning to manage bullies, one school at a time

The boy who allegedly shot his classmates in Ohio on Monday says he'd been bullied by some of those who were victims. Bullying is the motive behind most school shooting. CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano found a woman who is trying to stop bullying one school at a time. read more>>>

While bullying has always been and will continue it isn't that hard to greatly minimize and in many cases eliminate, we once mostly shunned adults that did and made them feel the guilt they should have, no more!

The rhetoric mostly from adults grows even more dangerous and the kids are being taught that, as does the speak about guns and being armed to so called protect, we modern 'adults' are the guilty parties to bringing about the rise of the deadly retaliations and blowback being carried out now by our children and especially in their schools, it's all of us doing the teaching!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feb 29th: Reception Prior to WH Dinner to Honor OIF Veterans

Reception Prior to White House Dinner to Honor Veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn

February 27, 2012 - Media are invited to a small reception with service members who will be attending the Feb. 29 White House dinner hosted by President and Mrs. Obama to express the nation’s gratitude to, and recognize the significant contributions of, the men and women in uniform who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and/or Operation New Dawn, and the families who supported them.

The reception will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Crystal City, Va. Media will be able to talk with service members from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 29. Following the reception, the service members will depart for the White House dinner.

The Pentagon Channel

PLEASE NOTE: No interviews will be conducted at the White House.

Media who wish to attend the reception should RSVP no later than 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 28 by calling Nick Simeone at 703-614-8056.

For information about coverage of the event at the White House contact Tanya Bradsher at 202-456-9275/9271.

Service members who will attend come from across America; from diverse backgrounds, ranks, and from all services, including Guard and Reserve. Most remain on active duty, while some are veterans. These service members and family members represent more than a million Americans and their families who served and made personal sacrifices in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. The names, ranks and home states of the participating service members can be obtained via the following Defense Department Press Release

America: From decline to rebirth

As a child born as WWII ended I lived the first part of my life in the rapid rise of economic growth, envied by all around this planet, and into that workforce of innovative, educated, skilled and mostly respected workforce. The second part not so as slowly the labor force saw their return on that experience stagnate and more and more respect for lost, rapidly over the last couple of decades. In these last decades we have praised, some worship, the rise of the wealth, on the labors of the masses, in the new capitalism we've followed that is built on just that that the few would greatly benefit and need do little to earn, along with the many schemes to con the masses into thinking they actually were still sharing in what they labored in, not the same as the old and that yet had not been perfected.

America the Possible: A Manifesto, Part I

March/April 2012 - LIKE YOU AND OTHER AMERICANS, I love my country, its wonderful people, its boundless energy, its creativity in so many fields, its natural beauty, its many gifts to the world, and the freedom it has given us to express ourselves. So we should all be angry, profoundly angry, when we consider what has happened to our country and what that neglect could mean for our children and grandchildren.

How can we gauge what has happened to America in the past few decades and where we stand today? One way is to look at how America now compares with other countries in key areas. The group of twenty advanced democracies—the major countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, the Nordic countries, Canada, and others—can be thought of as our peer nations. Here’s what we see when we look at these countries. To our great shame, America now has: read more>>>

Breaking: Never Leaving Behind Our Own

Though many still haven't come home from our previous wars, Iraq is Really Now Officially Over!!

U.S. military receives remains of last soldier missing in Iraq

February 26, 2012 - The U.S. military has recovered the remains of the last U.S. service member missing in Iraq, ending a nearly six-year ordeal involving shadowy militants and a tragic love story, his family said Sunday.

At about 1 a.m. Sunday, U.S. officers knocked on the door of the family home in Ann Arbor, Mich., with news that Army Staff Sgt. Ahmed Altaie was confirmed dead, though they had no details yet on how or when he died, said Entifadh Qanbar, his uncle and a close aide to Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi. Altaie was the last soldier unaccounted for in Iraq.

“There is closure now, but we still want to know: Was he killed, or did he die by natural causes in the hands of the group?” Qanbar said, noting that his nephew had suffered kidney problems that could’ve worsened during his time as a hostage. read more>>>

To the family We Welcome Home our Brother and may he now Rest In Peace and for Closure to your longing and suffering!!

So You All Want a National 'NYC Ticker Tape Parade'

And while the main mission for us being in that region continues since we abandoned that mission, actually related to 9/11, and our promises to those people in that country so long ago, the second time on the promises, i.e. Afghan/Soviet conflict.

Remember the last 'Welcome Home Soldiers' National NYC Parade, and all the related parades around the country.

Yesterday I posted here with some of my thoughts on.

Let me give abit more perspective as to the feelings and reality of.

New York City Parade, National Guard troops, Desert Shield/Storm tribute, 1991 | Image from NY State Military Museum

Short but deadly conflict and oh so patriotic feelings from the masses who don't serve but yes giving Honor to those that do. Well many of us older veterans knew exactly what was to follow in relation to the veterans of. Some joined the already decades long fights, with many similar issues, for a fully funded Veterans Administration especially related to the aftermath of our countries wars. And each war seems to bring something with that affects those serving in, this one brought thousands suffering from what was quickly labelled Gulf War Syndrome {GWS}, finally in the past couple of years getting at least some attention by the peoples government, and as before ignored by those not only attending the parades but the whole country, but for a few within. As was PTSD: Post Traumatic Disorder when we of Vietnam and the few caring people within the society finally gave a name to what always has been, no longer can be ignored. Why there were even a few experts{?} making a handsome living in denying it even existed, combat PTS or in the civilian populations. One major issue of Vietnam Agent Orange Defoliants not only has been ignored but lingers on especially in the population of Vietnam and the generations since but as our brothers who sought help for here are dying off from. And there's so much more, like calling TBI Traumatic Brain Injury the signature wounds of these present conflicts like they don't happen, related to our wars, in the other theaters of, few veterans were being diagnosed with prior to this decade.

Some already are saying that this coming event:

White House Hosts “A Nation’s Gratitude” Dinner to Honor Veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn

February 23, 2012 - The Department of Defense announced today the names of 78 service members who have been invited to attend the Feb. 29 White House dinner hosted by President and Mrs. Obama to express the nation’s gratitude to, and recognize the significant contributions of, the men and women in uniform who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and/or Operation New Dawn, and the families who supported them.

Is not sufficient as to the official ending of the war and occupation of Iraq, once again as the main reason reason for being in that region continues and soldiers of both continue to be killed and maimed.

Below is just a most recent report to come out, on only one major issue, related to these wars, all wars, both the costs of were rubber stamped by the congresses put off the budget till this administration came in and still on the countries credit card.

New Study Gives Scope and Cost of Combat-Related Conditions Among Veterans

February 24, 2012 - It’s difficult to know just how many of the two million people who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been afflicted with two common combat ailments, post-traumatic stress disorder (P.T.S.D.) and traumatic brain injury (T.B.I.). But a new study of six years of data from the Veterans Health Administration, published this month by the Congressional Budget Office, illuminates not just the extent of the treatment that is needed, but its costs.

In a sampling of nearly half a million veterans of the two wars, 21 percent had P.T.S.D., 2 percent had symptoms of T.B.I., and 5 percent had both. For a variety of reasons, it’s hard to extrapolate these rates to the entire group of those who served.

But the notable finding of the report is this: Taken together, the afflicted group’s first-year treatment costs ran four to six times as high as patients without these conditions.

snip

To put the numbers in perspective, the Veterans Health Administration spent a total of $6 billion on health care expenditures for veterans of these wars from 2002 to 2010; total spending in 2010 alone for health care for veterans of all ages and all conflicts came to $48 billion. All dollar amounts are adjusted to 2011 values. read more>>>

The Veterans Health Administration’s Treatment of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury Among Recent Combat Veterans

CBO Site Study Page: The Veterans Health Administration's Treatment of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury Among Recent Combat Veterans

Related: PTSD…And Cash

Keep in mind, as I placed above, the tens of thousands of us who served in Vietnam, add in those of Korea, the already growing smaller ranks of WWII veterans as well as those of Desert Storm and All the Veterans of our Military actions in between and related to the above issues and study, that have been ignored all these decades.

And the Country wants a Parade! Especially the flag wavin Hawks, the citizens and their representatives

Welcome Home Little Brothers and Sisters!!

But there will Still be No Demand for Sacrifice by Country!!

No Revenues = No Sacrifice = No Support = DeJa-Vu all over again!. Now a decade and counting added to the previous decades of under funding the VA, while the peoples reps Still try and lay blame on the Agency, after rubber stamping wars and costs of and those represented cheer on these wars!

While the wealthy and other investors garner their booty, still, from both and many have the chutz·pa to call themselves more patriotic{?} then others wrapped in those false flags, using false slogans and various cheap symbols of!

Bill 'Moyers & Company: 24 February 2012

Neil Gabler on How Pop Culture Influences Political Expectations

February 24, 2012 - Film historian and culture critic Neal Gabler joins Bill Moyers to discuss how representations of heroism in movies shape our expectations of a U.S. president, and how our real-world candidates are packaged into superficial, two-dimensional personas designed to appeal to both the electorate and the media. As a result, says Gabler, we never get to the true pressing questions and issues of America. read more>>> with Full Transcript

Neil Gabler on How Pop Culture Influences Political Culture from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

With more of that evenings show, found at Moyers & Company, with back links to others and further related.

Enthusiasm for 'Welcome Home Parades' is Great, But

Rachel I'm glad you're really hyped about these 'Welcome Home' parades, but you like most of the country and especially congress, outside of the present administration being the only ones speaking and doing, so I give my very little voice of advice one more time.

Parades are not Sacrificing by the country, but boy howdy are they quickly over and cost little to hold, and thankfully the kids love a parade, for what these soldiers were sent into, now a decade and counting of None nor Demanding they should, added to the previous decades.

Welcome Home Little Brothers and Sisters!!
But there will Still be No Demand for Sacrifice by Country!!
No Revenues = No Sacrifice = No Support = DeJa-Vu all over again!. Now a decade and counting added to the previous decades of under funding the VA, while the peoples reps Still try and lay blame on the Agency, after rubber stamping wars and costs of and those represented cheer on these wars!

While the wealthy and other investors garner their booty, still, from both and many have the chutz·pa to call themselves more patriotic{?} then others wrapped in those false flags, using false slogans and various cheap symbols of!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now I'm not calling you out on reporting on these, Please continue doing so and with that Same Enthusiasm, But Please start adding the Reality as to what I posted above. Think about what the previous admin did with their rubber stamping congresses, and about congress members inside trading, related to these wars and the veterans of, let alone us older veterans as they sought these wars, think of the ignoring veterans, PTS for some forty years, Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome and so much more from all our wars, leaving the main mission and promises to the Afghan people to destroy Iraq on hyped false and ever changing intelligence. Have a staff member listen in to the Veterans Affairs congressional hearings, especially the House and who controls that, both houses though with the 112th the Senate ones have not only been rare there hasn't been much of anything till the end of this month, and next week. Pay real close attention to how the so called conservative members, both sides of that political isle, ask questions and interrupt those testifying and especially if from the VA and how they never point to themselves nor those they represent, one who did was Rep. Bob Filner in the last two congresses and led the House Veterans Committee but he's retiring from congress. Ask why none of the so called candidates, with even a reality show called Debates and multi millions backing them especially from the corporate persons, only mention the wars and veterans of them and rarely the older vets of this country when they feel the need to wave the flag, back to parades on that one.

You've now got a powerful soapbox, and You Really Care, use it!!!!!!!!

USN '67-'71 All Shore GMG3 Vietnam In Country '70-'71

Report: DC Big Internet Voting System Failure

Small coding mistake led to big Internet voting system failure

February 22, 2012 - The main security weakness that let University of Michigan researchers take control over a planned city of Washington, D.C. Internet voting system pilot for overseas voters in 2010 was "a tiny oversight in a single line of code," the researchers say in a new paper detailing their exploits. City officials canceled the pilot shortly before the November election after the hack was revealed.

It's evidence, say the researchers--led by Assistant Professor J. Alex Halderman--that Internet voting should be postponed until, when or if major new breakthroughs in cybersecurity occur. Mistakes like the one they exploited are all too common, hard to eradicate, and indicative of a brittleness in web applications, they say. Seemingly trivial errors can result in attackers gaining system dominance--and in the case of an internet voting system, controlling the outcome of an election.

Responding to a call by Washington, D.C., election officials for outsiders with no previous access to test system security, Halderman and his students penetrated the pilot system within 48 hours of it going online. Their successful attack went undetected for another 36 hours, they say, despite the fact that they left a calling card in the form of having the vote confirmation screen to play the University of Michigan fight song after 15 seconds. Even then, the detection didn't occur because D.C. officials spotted anomalies in intrusion detection system logs, or even stumbled on the fight song itself, but because someone on a mailing list monitored by the city asked, "does anyone know what tune they play for successful voters?" read more>>>

Report: DC Big Internet Voting System Failure

Evils of War

Paul Appell: Must not forget evil of war

Feb 19, 2012 - Retired Maj. Larry Johnson called me recently to ask if I would write something about the Vietnam War, since he feared many may have already forgotten about it.

Many of us who participated in that war wish we could forget. But alas, as Plato is alleged to have written, “War is only over for those that have died.”

It is painful to see the lessons of the Vietnam War forgotten. Some of us feel that our current wars are a repeat of the mistakes of Vietnam.

Many of those who celebrate wars quote the St. Crispin’s Day speech in Shakespeare’s “Henry V” about the band of brothers. They usually fail to quote the advice given to Henry by Williams earlier: “But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make.” Henry Kissinger was pontificating at an Ivy League school a few years ago about how his great diplomatic skill ended the Vietnam War. A Vietnam vet in the audience asked him after the speech to name one person killed in the war. A flustered Kissinger could not name one. In today’s times, the reckoning is not made by the king. Wars are declared by the elite few, but fought by the poor masses.

snip

As Country Joe McDonald sang in his song “Agent Orange,” “They killed me in Vietnam, and I didn’t even know it.” read more>>>

Are Koch Bro's Photo's Soon to Grace Your Kids School Walls

I receive a weekly news letter with the self explained title, This Week in History, which brings some very interesting past history into my in-box, some of which I'll use most bringing up the memories of what I've learned over my life, in my private life while expanding my knowledge in my professional trades working life, but not used often as I add more and more to that hard drive in my head the human brain.

This one, just below, for today caught my curiosity to read further as many do if they have a reference link as others do even without a link but the words within that now can be easily searched out.

February 20, 1942 - The vast majority of teachers in German-occupied Norway refused to comply with the forced Nazification of the school system. The government had ordered display of the portrait of German-installed Minister President Vidkun Quisling (formerly head of Nasjonal Samling, the Norwegian fascist party) in all classrooms, revision of the curriculum and textbooks to reflect Nazi ideology, and teaching of German to replace English as their second language

The teachers organized and 12,000 of 14,000 nationwide wrote the same letter on this day to the education department refusing membership in the newly formed Nazi teachers’ association. Two days later clergy throughout the country read a manifesto against Nazi control of the schools.

How the teachers pushed back

Trying to control the schools, and what is taught within them, has been going on for quite awhile in this country, especially over the past couple of decades but seeded to really ramp up, on speed and private funding, over the past one, which is why I'm posting this up. What with the increasing coverage of what has been going on the past some five years at least and probably much longer. Did a quick search and just grabbed some recent reporting about, on segregation once more rearing it's ugly head, or on ALEC in Kansas schools, or how about phony science especially about climate change, with another on climate change.

It figures the Koch bro's and their ilk would be funding issues like those last two. They're profiting extremely well off what has been with the other special interests that have been blocking what we once started down the road to manufacturing, developing further and adding another growth industry, alternative clean energy, started some forty years ago, right about the same time we started off-shoring our innovative labor trades for cheaper labor and little to non regulation while those same trades wages and benefits started stagnating and in recent years falling. Back then and through the years the excuses were it was to expensive to build the products and install or that energy was cheap so why change to clean. Now it's grasping at 'climate change' and the denying the existence of the obvious and using the only tool they can that it's because of our actions over many many decades and the use of fossil fuels and more. A very weak use of propaganda as whether you buy it or not is not the real reason, for there are many, in developing a widely growth industry into an economic reality.

But back to the why I bring you the This Week in History and the subject title, the link above takes you to the first of three pages titled NONVIOLENCE IN WORLD WAR TWO WHAT HAPPENED IN NORWAY which is self explanatory as to Non Violence and War. With the first into the second covering what the Nazi's were trying to do while occupying Norway and in their schools and the resistance from the school teachers, others and the Norwegian population.

Here's a couple of cuts from:

Vidkun Quisling (on right), Germany’s puppet leader in Norway, allowed Germany to invade his country and declared himself Prime Minister. In Norway his name has become synonymous with traitor.

Indoctrination

The Germans believed that the most effective way of promoting Nazi ideals would be through the schools. In the autumn of 1941 the Nazi minister of education issued a series of orders. Portraits of Vidkun Quisling, as Norway's Nazi party leader, were to be hung on school walls, and anyone who removed them would be punished. Textbooks were to be revised to conform with Nazi views. No English texts could be used, and German, not English, was now the second language which every child must learn. Teachers must also educate their pupils thoroughly in Nazism.

The teachers were appalled. Their underground group met repeatedly to discuss what they should do. Meanwhile they were in no hurry to obey the education minister's commands.

Membership of the Norwegian Nazi party had been growing, from around 4,000 before the invasion to 40,000 in January 1942. Quisling's recruiting success was noticed in Berlin. He was brought back out of the cold and unexpectedly offered the post of 'Minister President' (prime minister). Almost his first act was to establish a new Nazi-oriented Teachers' Association with membership compulsory for all teachers. He quickly followed this up with a Nazi Youth Movement (based on the Hitler Youth movement in Germany), compulsory for all children aged between 10 and 18. Some of these 400,000 young people, Quisling said, would be selected for training as Nazi party members.

Courage and endurance

The teachers were now faced with the choice of submitting or losing their jobs and pensions. Their underground association came up with the answer: mass action. The teachers were to write to the education department, rejecting membership of the new association. Their letters were to be written with exactly the same wording and posted on the same day: February 20, 1942. Two days later a manifesto against Nazi control of Norway's education system was read aloud by clergy in churches throughout the country. There were 14,000 teachers in Norway, and 12,000 of them rejected Quisling's demand. As one teacher said: 'It was a matter of conscience. We couldn't have looked our families and friends in the face if we hadn't taken this stand.' By the beginning of May Quisling had to acknowledge his failure. 'You have destroyed everything for me,' Quisling told a teachers' meeting angrily. {continued}

snip

499 teachers now faced another cattle-car journey. This was followed by a sea voyage, in conditions that horrified even the Nazi doctor who went on board to make a report for Quisling. The ship had room for only 250 passengers, but all 499 were crammed in. Many could not even lie down, though they were now ill with 'pneumonia, gastric ulcers. asthma, bronchitis. haemorrhage and mental derangement'. 'The water supplies are totally inadequate, and there are only two lavatories,' the doctor added. Quisling replied, 'The measures taken against Norway's teachers are a direct consequence of their treasonable activities': they had had their chance to recant. read the rest here>>>

There are many many players in what's been going on over these recent decades as to schooling and as to public schools especially. But it seems that has been racing forward rapidly and the Koch bro's. have taken the lead in the funding, harnessing what might have been smaller groups of ideologues found all over and bringing them together as one very large group walking in lockstep while on the same page and ideology, of as our new capitalism has given them and others the ever growing great wealth to fund their views on the masses, in politics and much much more, in their needs to more power and much more wealth, which frankly is utterly crazy as were the similar ideologies of the past and some still around in many regions still including here.

Homeless Veterans Could Get a Place to Live "IF!!"

There should be No "If's" "And's" or "But's" about it, especially as to the previous decade rhetoric of empty words of 'Support' with cheap symbols and flag waving while yelling USA, USA, USA....on who is the most Patriotic and especially coming from the lapel flag pin wearer's that call themselves the representative's of the people and are hired to do so!

Since my four years of service and last in Vietnam every time I've heard 'tax cuts' my first thought was the consistent underfunding of the Veterans Administration, it's also my first thought when the drums of war hit that first beat and grow louder as the greater majority walk lockstep with the many reasons given for sending our Military into invasions and, knowing it's coming, long occupations with what will follow as they return home.

Especially this past decade and counting of which the wealthy who reap directly or through their investments in the blood booty from our waging of wars and got huge tax cuts, while not investing in economic growth here as to their free market capitalism, and many are seeking even less of the percentages they should be paying then they are now as their wealth grows more outrageous while the rest pay through their labor.

It's much more then just about the homeless veterans and it covers every area of this country.

In the mean time actual caring people in small groups or non profits fight for donations so they can do something about what the whole country should have been doing all along and over these many decades, after they cheer on these wars of choice! And those cheering are calling out the rest who are not, especially us veterans who know what's coming for the decades after, as not as patriotic as them because we don't walk in lockstep with them nor the policies they fully support!

Federal funding could help homeless vets

Feb 16, 2012 - Homeless veterans in Southwest Florida could get a place to live if money projected in President Barack Obama's budget makes it to local non-profits.

The results of a new study will show soon exactly how many homeless veterans live in Lee County. We're told there is a need every night for beds for veterans who have nowhere to sleep.

James Ervin says he remembers walking the streets.

"That was a miserable existence," James Ervin said.

The Army veteran spent dozens of days and nights homeless.

"I slept in the front of my car for four months," Ervin said.

This situation isn't unusual - especially in the state of Florida.

"Florida has one of the highest rates for homeless veterans of the 50 states," said SWFAS Transitional Living Center Managing Director Rosemary Boisvert.

Boisvert works with homeless vets who have addictions at Southwest Florida Addiction Services. They have six beds for vets.

President Obama's proposed budget could help them add more. read more>>>

Women veterans getting lost in homeless count

February 16, 2012 - "Trying to start today is a bit late. They're here now. What do we do?" Gulf War Navy veteran and female veteran advocate Yvonne McJetters of Charlotte, North Carolina

They're bunking up with family and friends. They're sleeping on the streets. They're being turned down from shelters because of having too many children. Female veteran homelessness is skyrocketing.

While the overall count of U.S. veterans homeless on a single night decreased by 12% last year, the homeless women veterans have more than doubled from 2006 to 2010, according to a government report. read more>>>

Report Finds San Diego Ill Prepared For Large Influx Of Military Vets

February 16, 2012 - A new report predicts the homeless problem for military veterans in San Diego is likely to persist. It shows various federal, state and San Diego agencies spent $54 million dollars on the problem between 2009 and 2010. But the money has done little to provide affordable housing or jobs for homeless vets.

One out of four homeless people on the streets of San Diego is a military veteran. On any given night up to 2000 are either on the streets or living in a temporary shelter. Because of its strong military presence -- San Diego is also home to the largest veteran population in the country.

"There's still a lot more work to be done,"said Erik Bruvold. He's President of the National University System Institute for Policy Research in La Jolla. Bruvold said the federal governments goal of ending homelessness among vets by 2015 is likely to become harder. "Prior veterans have done better than their non-veteran counter parts, they have higher incomes, low unemployment rates and they participate at a greater rate in the labor force," he said.

But the study finds those who've served since 9/11, mostly twenty-something year olds, are suffering at far greater numbers. "So that's got to be of concern. Over the next decade about 16,000 post 9/11 veterans are expected to come to San Diego, Bruvold said. read more>>>

Report: Homeless Problem for Military Veterans in San Diego

And now they seek those quick one day events, parades, not the veterans of Iraq as I understand their message and wants but the citizens rallying behind them and using as a political wedge as to the presidency of the country which is not a dictatorship no matter how much they miss the previous one, or days of 'welcome home' flag waving guilt trips with no feelings of guilt, which is no 'Sacrifice' at all and no demands at given!

Bruce Springsteen: 'What was done to my country was un-American'

The Boss explains why there is a critical, questioning and angry patriotism at the heart of his new album Wrecking Ball

17 February 2012 - At a Paris press conference on Thursday night, Bruce Springsteen was asked whether he was advocating an armed uprising in America. He laughed at the idea, but that the question was even posed at all gives you some idea of the fury of his new album Wrecking Ball.

Indeed, it is as angry a cry from the belly of a wounded America as has been heard since the dustbowl and Woody Guthrie, a thundering blow of New Jersey pig iron down on the heads of Wall Street and all who have sold his country down the swanny. Springsteen has gone to the great American canon for ammunition, borrowing from folk, civil war anthems, Irish rebel songs and gospel. The result is a howl of pain and disbelief as visceral as anything he has ever produced, that segues into a search for redemption: "Hold tight to your anger/ And don't fall to your fears … Bring on your wrecking ball."

"I have spent my life judging the distance between American reality and the American dream," Springsteen told the conference, where the album was aired for the first time. It was written, he claimed, not just out of fury but out of patriotism, a patriotism traduced.

"What was done to our country was wrong and unpatriotic and un-American and nobody has been held to account," he later told the Guardian. "There is a real patriotism underneath the best of my music but it is a critical, questioning and often angry patriotism." read more>>>

We Take Care Of Our Own (With Lyrics)

Iraq Veterans White House Dinner

A National Day of recognition should come from the Federal side but do you really want that right now as both these wars are tied together as one because of 9/11 and the false reasons and trumped up intelligence to invade and occupy Iraq, once again abandoning the main mission and our Countries promises to the Afghan people some ten years back.

At this time this sounds very reasonable and being done in a correct fashion, might be great if they streamed it or televised it as well, hint hint.

Iraq veterans invited to White House dinner-Some restrictions apply

February 16, 2012 - On February 29, in the East Room of the White House, 64 former service members who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn will sit down to dinner with the President of the United States.

The 64 men and women were not randomly invited, but specifically hand-picked by the Pentagon, to represent the more than 1.5 million soldiers (all inclusive of the branches) who served in Iraq.

The White House had criteria: Every state and territory had to be represented. Ethnic diversity was imperative and all branches of the military and every service rank had to be included.

The dinner was to be a melting pot of diversity and culture as well as an accurate representation of those who served in Iraq. read more>>>

Take it from this Vietnam Vet, came home from Vietnam and my last year of four in service to Country back in '71, the National Parade should be held when All the troops are withdrawn, now with the slow ongoing withdrawal as the soldiers try and at least complete some of that main mission and those promises the country made. Much better then what we got, an after thought as the Parades were organized and held for the first Gulf Wars end, the folks went home and have since ignored the veterans with Gulf War Syndrome and more, or the many others since then in communities trying to clear their conscious while forgetting the lessons of Vietnam. Why there one coming at the end of March, not a parade but a day of welcoming home, billed as the biggest welcome home Vietnam Veterans gathering eveeeeer in North Carolina at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the kids thank god will thoroughly enjoy!

News Hour Discussion with Lt. Col. Daniel Davis on Afghan War

Commanders Sending False Impressions of Afghan War

AIR DATE: Feb. 17, 2012 - SUMMARY Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis recently criticized top military brass, including retired Gen. David Petraeus, saying they have misled Congress and the American people about progress in the war in Afghanistan. Margaret Warner speaks with Davis about his whistleblowing, why he went public and what his future may hold in the military. Transcript>>>

Bill, Moyers & Company: 17 February 2012

Kathleen Jamieson on Enemies and Saviours of Political Truth

February 17, 2012 - In this web-exclusive conversation with Bill Moyers, communications expert Kathleen Hall Jamieson shares more eye-opening political analysis, including positive outcomes of both the Republican debates and some Fox News coverage, how audience participation at a debate distorts its purpose, Super PAC attack ads that demonstrate misinformation at its worst, and what local citizens can do to fight back against deceptive campaign advertising.

Some notable quotes From Jamieson: Full Transcript>>>

Kathleen Jamieson on Political Obstacles to Truth from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

Bill Moyers Essay: Freedom of and From Religion

February 16, 2012 - In this video essay, Bill Moyers addresses the question of how to honor religious liberty without it becoming the liberty to impose on others moral beliefs they don’t share. The recent debate over contraception coverage in Catholic hospitals and other faith-based institutions brought this question to the forefront, but then something surprising happened — a reasonable, practical, and equitable solution from President Obama that took the political steam out of what some saw as a holy war. Full Transcript>>>

Bill Moyers Essay: Freedom of and From Religion from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

Decoding the Political Buzzwords of 2012

February 17, 2012 - With the Republican presidential primary debate season drawing to a close, we asked linguist Geoffrey Nunberg to decode some of the language heard on the campaign trail thus far, including words and phrases uttered in 19 debates, nearly $70 million worth of political advertising, countless stump speeches, interviews and media appearances. Lauren Feeney: What does “dog-whistle politics” mean? Have you heard any examples during this primary season? read more>>>

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