Breaking the Army...

For those of you who don't follow MOJO, Mother Jones, or haven't visted lately, get their updates in your e-box, or just plain don't know about this magazine, you miss some fine investigative reporting, digging deeper on breaking news, great commentary, and an erge to do your own digging for more info from other sources.
Here's just a few from the recent MOJO. Than below those a few other reports of interest. {the two graphics are theirs from this newest report on the troops}

Revelations about the appalling living conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center have exposed the bureaucracy and neglect that many wounded soldiers face after returning from Iraq. But this is only one aspect of the sad aftermath of this war. More than 1/3 of the troops currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have served multiple tours, negatively affecting the army's readiness and putting pressure on the National Guard and Reserves. Furthermore, 23,000 troops have been wounded in action in Iraq and countless more are struggling with the psychological wounds of war. Check out Mother Jones' Iraq 101 package for some compelling facts on what it takes to put a GI back together again, what U.S. soldiers have experiences in Iraq, and how the Iraq War is breaking the army.
Read: Breaking the Army

Much has been written about how President Bush and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld waged war on the cheap, but the Veterans' Administration has also been shortchanging soldiers who come back wounded. Cutbacks, cooking the books, privatization schemes, and even a proposal to close down the VA's operations have all been in evidence.
Read: Caring for Veterans on the Cheap

It's easy to send soldiers off to war; it's a lot harder to face them when they come home. Check out this photo essay on returning from Iraq and the damage done.

Visit These Links Below if you haven't recently.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is America's first and largest nonprofit, non-partisan advocacy organization for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. They have good resources on the conflict background and the issues facing the troops, as well as a video gallery of life in Iraq and a gallery of photographs taken by GIs.

The Iraq Coalition Casualty Count keeps track of coalition deaths and non-mortal injuries in Iraq.

Take Some Action

While the "support the troops" mantra is ubiquitous in Congress, medical facilities like Walter Reed Army Hospital have been stretched to the limits to care for injured soldiers. Yet the 2008 military budget proposal emphasizes funding for next-generation weapons that have nothing to do with the troops on the ground in Iraq. Learn more and tell your representatives what you think.
According to a report prepared for the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, thirty percent of surveyed vet centers said that they need more staff. The same report concluded that "the administration's failure to adequately increase staffing and other resources for Vet Centers has put their capacity to meet the needs of veterans and their families at risk." Find out more and take action.
There are numerous charities that make a difference in GIs' lives by sending letters, gifts, and packages, and helping troops keep in touch with their families and friends. Find out how you can get involved here.
Most Americans now think the best way to support the troops is to bring them home, but soldiers are still being sent in Iraq without proper training, equipment, or rest periods between deployments. Senator Barrack Obama recently introduced binding legislation that would cut the number of troops in Iraq, put forward, specific benchmarks for success, and establish a timeline for redeployment. Learn more and take action here.

OK, now this next ones got me stumped, or should I say, Not Surprising! Considering all we've been Finally getting out of the MSM about Military and Veteran Care and the Incompetence of the Military/Civilian Leadership of the Armed Forces!
Now we All know the total Incompetence of this whole Administration, it just keeps stacking New failed Policies and Incompetent Cabinet members foulups, not to mention the pResident, One on Top of Another and Another and Another and Another...................................................................!!
We also know about the totally Incompetent and Corrupt previous Congess, betja their really pissed that they've got to stay in Washington and WORK for their pay now! Jury still out on the New Congress but at least We've Finally Got Questions Being Asked and Investigations going on!
But how the Hell does a Professional Military, or rather Professional Military Leaders, not have a clue as to How Many of their Military Personal, intelligent folks indeed saying we no longer want anything to do with your Illegal Immoral Iraq War and the Failed Policies of the Administration, are Not Reporting For Duty! Of all Branches of a Government a Military knows when one sneezes let alone where their troops are. The report below, my guess is, just gives a tip of what else they haven't a clue about, like the Monies they oversee as well as equipment and a whole host of items and issues.

Army Lacks Accurate Count on Deserters
by Nancy Mullane
Listen to Report
Morning Edition, March 19, 2007 · The Army can't provide a specific number of deserters. At least 3,000 soldiers have left the ranks in the last year. Critics say that without an accurate count, the Army has an incomplete picture of military readiness.

And from Democracy Now a glipse folks of what is coming in your lives and what you maybe living under when the total controll arrives, as this Society Collapses!

* Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army *
Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill joins us to talk about his new book,
"Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." Scahill
writes, "Blackwater is the elite Praetorian Guard for the 'global war on
terror,' with its own military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, and 20,000
private contractors at the ready. Run by a multimillionaire Christian
conservative who bankrolls President Bush and his allies, its forces are
capable of overthrowing governments." From Iraq to New Orleans, Blackwater
has continued to pull in multi-million-dollar government contracts, mostly
without accountability and in near-secrecy.

Listen/Watch/Read

For folks in New York City the following might interest you.

* BLACKWATER: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army *

On Wednesday, March 21st at 7:00 PM at the Society for Ethical Culture (64th
and Central Park West) in New York, Amy Goodman will moderate a discussion
between Naomi Klein and Jeremy Scahill upon the publication of his new book,
"BLACKWATER: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." Book
signing to follow. TICKETS: Suggested Donation $10.
For more information, Visit Here

Journalism in Iraq...

This was just on the PBS NewsHour:

Dangerous Conditions Constrain Journalism in Iraq

As security conditions have deteriorated in Iraq, the country has become the most dangerous in the world for journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Two veteran reporters discuss the challenges of getting the story amid the violence.

Listen On Real Audio