The Morning Show - Dr. Edward Tick on PTSD

As heard on Wisconsin Public Radio on The Morning Show 1-17-07

Dr. Edward Tick, author of War and the Soul:Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Also, Michael Durant ( author of In The Company Of Heroes ) - about the newest book, The Night Stalkers

You can listen to the show by clicking HERE which will bring up your Windows Media Player. You can also find it at 'The Morning Show' link above in the Archived Shows page.

My 'Thanks' to Ilona, over at PTSD Combat for the headsup about show!

News Crawl 1-20-07

A Grim Milestone: 500 Amputees

Last Tuesday marked another grim milestone: the arrival of the 500th amputee. Army officials said the victim, a 24-year-old corporal, lost both legs in a roadside bomb explosion on January 12. He was treated at the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, before landing at Andrews and being taken to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Soldiers may not get needed mental help
Returning vets aren't screened unless they say they need aid, officer says

Mental health screening isn’t consistent for U.S. troops returning from war, and if they don’t say they need help, they often don’t get it, the Army’s top medical officer said Friday.
“If an individual checks nothing, 'I have no mental health issues,' they’re not necessarily being sent to mental health counseling,” said Army Surgeon General Kevin Kiley, speaking at a hearing on military medical readiness before the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
It is estimated that about 17 percent of returning war fighters have post-traumatic stress disorder or severe anxiety and depression, compared with about 6 percent or 7 percent of the general population, Kiley said.

Psychologist: Navy faces crisis

An experienced Navy psychologist warns that the U.S. military does not have enough mental health professionals to meet the growing number of emotionally damaged war veterans.
Moreover, Navy Cmdr. Mark Russell says, many of the mental health professionals on staff lack formal training in core therapies for post-traumatic stress syndrome. Russell predicts a "perfect storm" of dire health care consequences.

"We cannot provide the standard of care to treat PTSD via psychotherapy when we can barely keep up with new referrals and have to manage crises while filling in for the staffing gaps and vacancies due to deployment, attrition or no billeting," Russell says. "This is why I have been so outspoken."

Then he brags:

As a result, he says, the military has a record of returning more than 98% of troops with emotional issues back to their units.

The Parrot

Laura Bush bought George a parrot for his birthday.

She told Dick Cheney, "The bird is so smart! George has already taught him to mispronounce over 200 words!"

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Cheney said. "But you realize that he just says the words. He doesn't understand what they mean"
.
"That's okay," Laura replied. "Neither does the parrot"

.


No 'Surge' for Them
Kurdish Force Heads to Baghdad Battle Zone

Chapman says there have been desertions. He expects only several hundred soldiers to show up in Baghdad, out of a battalion of 1,600.

Damn.....
Almost forgot.

Tune in this after noon 3PM PT or tonight 6PM ET to 'The Progressive Radio Network', online for the About Face show which will be a recorded show continuing the Sunday show, last week, with Members of the Appeal For Redress you won't be sorry!

Give it a try at 5PM ET as for some reason that's when it came on last Saturday, if not than it will be at 6PM ET!

And give 60min a call, they taped a show with a few of these Military Personal that has already been pushed aside Twice, it needs to be aired!!


Hush now, little one ...

Layla Anwar ...Since you love economics and you count so well when it comes to figures, dollars and dimes, let us do together a simple calculation. -In the 13 years of sanctions from 1991 to 2003, a conservative estimate places the number of dead Iraqi babies to 500'000 .(and the price was well worth it according to M.Albright, your democrat.) -Since 2003 , another conservative estimate is 260'000 dead Iraqi kids due to lack of medical care and a health system in total chaos. -Amongst the official figure of the Lancet report of 650'000 Iraqis dead, let's assume that at least 10% of that number were children killed by violentacts. So that makes around 65'000. (knowing that Iraq has a big youth population). -In the latest census by the UN, which was not taken into account when the Lancet report came out, 34'450 (plus) were killed due to violence. Assuming again a mere 10 % were children, that brings my calculation to3'400.
(...) So a quick summing up will give us a total of : 829'300 Iraqi children Dead. (...) As for the very progressive left and the rest of the apparatchik, well what can I say? They are already dressed in black chadors, beating on their chests, thumping on their heads, wailing in advance, for a improbable farfetched attack on some other country... They have turned their attention from the scene of the crime. Too much for you darlings? A mirror of your impotence or of your sellout? 800'000plus, Iraqi Children dead. I congratulate you. Let your new patron give you 800'000plus, medals as proof of your dedication for peace on earth...

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BILLIONS SPENT!!!

The Battle to Save Iraq's Children

The desperate plight of children who are dying in Iraqi hospitals for the lack of simple equipment that in some cases can cost as little as 95p is revealed today in a letter signed by nearly 100 eminent doctors.
They are backed by a group of international lawyers, who say the conditions in hospitals revealed in their letter amount to a breach of the Geneva conventions that require Britain and the US as occupying forces to protect human life.
In a direct appeal to Tony Blair, the doctors describe desperate shortages causing "hundreds" of children to die in hospitals. The signatories include Iraqi doctors, British doctors who have worked in Iraqi hospitals, and leading UK consultants and GPs.
"Sick or injured children who could otherwise be treated by simple means are left to die in hundreds because they do not have access to basic medicines or other resources," the doctors say. "Children who have lost hands, feet and limbs are left without prostheses. Children with grave psychological distress are left untreated," they add.
They say babies are being ventilated with a plastic tube in their noses and dying for want of an oxygen mask, while other babies are dying because of the lack of a phial of vitamin K or sterile needles, all costing about 95p. Hospitals have little hope of stopping fatal infections spreading from baby to baby because of the lack of surgical gloves, which cost about 3.5p a pair.

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BILLIONS SPENT!!!

Amin had to be fed powdered milk, diluted with tap water. There wasn't enough money to buy expensive formula milk or bottled water - their price had risen above the increase in wages since 2003. The problems with the intermittent electricity and gas supply meant regular boiled water could not be guaranteed. With the dormant waste and sewage disposal systems, drinking-water is more likely to be contaminated," he said.

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BILLIONS SPENT!!!

The doctors say the UK, as one of the occupying powers under UN resolution 1483, has to comply with the Geneva and Hague conventions that require the UK and the US to "maintain order and to look after the medical needs of the population". But, the doctors say: "This they failed to do and the knock-on effect of this failure is affecting Iraqi children's hospitals with increasing ferocity."

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BILLIONS SPENT!!!

They call on the UK to account properly for the $33bn (£16.7bn) in the development fund for Iraq which should have supplied the means for hospitals to treat children properly. They say more than half of the money - $14bn - is believed to have vanished through corruption, theft and payments to mercenaries.

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BILLIONS SPENT!!

A system in meltdown

* Save the Children estimate that 59 in 1,000 newborn babies are dying in Iraq, one of the highest mortality rates in the world. Thousands of infants are dying because of the lack of basic cheap equipment. In Diwaniyah hospital, south of Baghdad, one doctor had to try to ventilate a baby with a plastic tube in its nose because he lacked an oxygen mask costing just 95p. The baby died.
* In the same hospital, a baby with a rare illness causing internal bleeding died due to lack of a phial of vitamin K, which would have cost less than £1.
* One doctor in a Baghdad hospital recently tried to save the life of a child with a drip, but he lacked a sterile needle for a child and the child died. The lack of rubber surgical gloves, which cost 3.5p a pair, has hugely increased the risk of infections.
* Premature babies are crammed three to an incubator, when an incubator can be found. An incubator costs about £5,000.
* Only 50 per cent of the pre-war total of doctors remain in Iraq. The US clearout of Ba'ath party members sympathetic to Saddam Hussein after the invasion has led to a breakdown of health administration.
* The British doctors are calling for guarantees of safety to be given to all medical staff in Iraq by the US and British forces. Above all there is a need to stop the militias killing doctors and nurses.
* Hospitals have been bombed and ambulances shot at. Helicopters could be laid on by the US and UK to ferry cases to Jordan, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia for treatment of acute trauma and disease.
* Doctors are calling on Britain and America to restore at least $2bn (£1bn) of $14bn that has gone missing since the invasion. Part of this sum, lost in corruption or to militias, was earmarked for hospitals.
* Up to 260,000 children may have died since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BILLIONS SPENT!!!

And more importantly WHERE ARE THE DOCTORS AND LAWYERS IN THIS COUNTRY, i.e. THE UNITED STATES!!

Not to mention The Representatives We Hire!!

This has Got To Stop and Stop NOW!!!!

Read the following if you haven't already. The Survivors, if there are any, will be coming after the Kids Here and around the World, and those kids children!
The Next Jihadists: Iraq’s Lost Children

We are the Occupying Power, We hold the Responsibility, We must bring those in Direct Responsibility of Starting All This into Accountibility, We must Rebuild what We Destroyed, We must Finally Understand The Extreme Tragedy We have Wrought!!!!!!!!!!

"I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of
gratitude" - The pResident {Yep up to 655,000 are really Grateful, many in
their Mass Graves, as are their Survivors}

"I think once they get in harm's way, Congress's tradition is to
support those troops," Mr. Hadley said. {Harms Way, shows what the
administration thinks of the Troops, it's called a Strong Defense!}

The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!

The Trial You'll Never See

Videos: Saddam’s American Allies: The Trial You'll Never See
Former “60 Minutes” producer and author Barry Lando connects the dots between Saddam Hussein and his American backers in this powerful documentary. Watch this!


PART 1



PART 2



And lets revisit Erics Thanks For The Memories, over at bushflash, for a better understand of the U.S. Saddam connections!

Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day

This is a day late, but important, especially for those in the state of Wisconsin and may not have known about it.
I want to thank Ilona Meagher, of PTSD Combat : Winning the War Within for pointing me over to a radio show, on a day I'm getting Iced out of work, that actually aired yesterday:

WGTD Morning Show: A Discussion with Dr. Edward Tick on Combat PTSD
Posted: 16 Jan 2007 11:38 PM CST
Thanks to new media, you don't have to be in Kenosha, WI Wednesday morning to catch an informative program on combat PTSD. Just tune into WGTD's online stream at 8:10 am CST/9:10 am EST (or check show archives following its airing). Click on 'Article Link' below tags for more...

in her postings that are sent out.

I visited to see if it was archived, it wasn't yet, the most recent on that list is from the 12th, looks like they let the week run out before posting those shows.
So I decided to listen to the live feed. On their local and state news section a report came up about 'Gulf War Syndrom', so in searching to see if I could find a link to it, or a printed report I found a link to the Wisconsin Veterans Section with 'Gulf War Syndrom' listed which led me to what's posted below.

Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day
Madison, Wisconsin - Jan. 17, 2007

Kicking off the day's conference will be a proclamation issued by Governor Jim Doyle, remarks by WDVA Secretary John A. Scocos on the significance of the day, comments by various dignitaries, and a presentation on Gulf War veterans' service-connected disability claims that will be of particular interest to Gulf War veterans and their advocates.

In public recognition of the continuing sacrifice by members of the U.S. armed forces who develop illnesses from exposure to Gulf War-related risk-substances, 2005 Wisconsin Act 37 designates January 17th of each year as "Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day."

Governor's Proclamation

THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
_________________________
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, in response to the August 2, 1990 invasion of the State of Kuwait by the Republic of Iraq, a coalition of approximately 30 nations including the United States of America launched Operation Desert Storm at 3:00 a.m. local time on January 17, 1991 in order to enforce United Nations resolutions for Iraq to end its occupation of Kuwait; and
WHEREAS, about 10,400 Wisconsin service members served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, with 11 losing their lives; and
WHEREAS, during the course of their Persian Gulf War service, these service men and women were exposed to endemic diseases, anti-nerve agent pills and biological warfare agent vaccinations administered without informed consent, and a veritable toxic soup of burning oil well fires, depleted uranium, low-level exposures to chemical warfare agents, pesticides, and petroleum products; and
WHEREAS, nearly one-third of the approximately 697,000 U.S. service men and women who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War have been granted federal service-connection for a myriad of illnesses and injuries, including chronic multi-symptom illnesses, neurological disorders, and an array of disabling health conditions; and
WHEREAS, elevated rates of life-threatening diseases including Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), brain cancer, and testicular cancer have been documented among Gulf War veterans in peer-reviewed medical studies; and
WHEREAS, as a public expression in recognition of the continuing sacrifice by members of the U.S. armed forces who develop illnesses from exposure to Gulf War-related risk-substances, the State of Wisconsin, by 2005 Wisconsin Act 37 enacted on August 17, 2005, designated January 17 of each year as "Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day";
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jim Doyle, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim January 17, 2007, as
GULF WAR ILLNESSES RECOGNITION DAY
throughout the state and encourage all Wisconsinites to honor and recognize those members of the United States armed forces who served in Operation Desert Storm ? the Gulf War ? for their dedicated service, and courage in protecting and defending the United States, and request that part of the day be used for quiet contemplation to honor those brave members of the U.S. armed forces who suffer illnesses as the result of their service to our nation.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the City of Madison this tenth day of January in the year two thousand seven.


By the Governor
DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE
Secretary of State

Gulf War Column by Secretary Scocos 2006

Fifteen years ago, as the nation sat down to dinner, President George H.W. Bush announced to a hushed nation, “ Just two hours ago, allied air forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait.”
After months of deploying military forces from dozens of nations in a massive coalition troop buildup, so began the Persian Gulf War on January 17, 1991 at 3:00 a.m. local time.

In all, nearly 697,000 Americans served in theater during the 1991 Gulf War, including an estimated 10,400 from Wisconsin. Eleven of our brave Wisconsin service members never came home.
For those who did return home, some had been wounded – physically, psychologically, morally. For others, the host of strange symptoms they were experiencing came to be known collectively as Gulf War Related Illnesses or Gulf War Syndrome. Of those who were deployed to the Persian Gulf between Aug. of 1990 and Jul. 1991, more than one of every three have now filed claims for service-connected disability compensation, including nearly half of those identified as having been exposed to low levels of Sarin nerve agent when a bunker filled with chemical munitions was detonated near Khamisiyah, Iraq shortly after the Feb. 1991 ceasefire.
Veterans identified by the Department of Defense as included in the Khamisiyah group received a letter in December informing them of the elevated rate of brain cancer among their group. Researchers have also found doubled rates of Lou Gherig’s Disease (ALS) among Gulf War veterans.
This year, our “Year of the Disabled Veteran,” we must do better at effectively helping our disabled veterans to gain effective treatment. And this January 17, Wisconsin is the first state in the nation to recognized Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day, a day statutorily designated for recognition of those who still suffer from post-deployment health issues.
In order to protect our current troops, we must learn the lessons of the 1991 Persian Gulf War to ensure that we will one day be able to treat and prevent the lingering health effects experienced by those who waged the war for the liberation of Kuwait amidst a battlefield filled with burning oil well fires, low levels of chemical warfare agents and other toxins, and exposure to a host of experimental drugs and vaccines.
And, through “Mission: Welcome Home” and related efforts, we must ensure that our newest returning veterans are warmly reintegrated into the society that caused them to be sent to war, while ensuring that they are made fully aware of the range of programs and services available to them.

Gulf War Additional Information links
1. VA Gulf War Veterans Information System (GWVIS) Reports
November 2005 February 2006
2. VA's Gulf War Research Advisory Committee
3. CDC's Research Planning final report
4. U.S. Senate Veterans Committee Report
5. IOM report, oil well fire combustion-product exposure associated with lung cancer:
Page 6 Page 7
6. DOD, OSAGWI
7. Chemical & Biological Warfare agents in the Gulf War
8. Depleted Uranium info
9. Health effects of DU
10. National Gulf War Resource Center
11. Wisconsin Radio Network: "Gulf War Illnesses get Recognition in Wisconsin"
12. Gulf War syndrome revisited - The mysteries of Gulf War syndrome are being unravelled, but will it plague the soldiers now returning from Iraq?
13. Evaluation Protocol for Gulf War and Iraqi Freedom Veterans with Potential Exposure to Depleted Uranium (DU)

When was the last time you heard about 'Gulf War Syndrom' and the Thousands of Veterans, of the first gulf war, who are suffering from?
Why is this just a Single State Action, and still not being covered by the Media, as it should, nor given the recognition by the Federal Government of whom these Military Personal Served Their Duty to, Us, when being sent into a War Theater?
This is something that Should Not Be left to the individual states, not only to recognized but fund, this is a Federal Government Issue, as are All Issues related to what the Federal Government does concerning our Military Personal, Period!!
I'll give you the quick but most important reason that issues such as this are pushed off the public radar, as they always are concerning our Military Personal and the results of the Conflicts they are sent into, M*O*N*E*Y!!
I don't care what political party one belongs to No One Wants To Pony Up The Costs Needed, but Many are more than Willing to Spend Multi-Billions to Wage Senseless Wars on others, have No Questions about where the Billions upon Billions are going as to the Defense Department or the Military Industrial Complex thinking they are being Tough on National Security. Hell we don't even want to Rebuild the Countries We Destroy, we call the people our Enemies after Destroying them and their Countries!!!
Human 'Animal' Nature, Disgusting!!!
Just ask a 'Nam Vet how Country treats you if you had developed illnesses from Defoliants. or PTSD, hell ask any Conflict Vet about what some have and are going through. And just watch what happens to our Present War Theater Veterans, hell it's been happening already!!

Women Vets Struggle With Invisible Wounds

More women have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan than in any previous war. (CBS)


Many Suffer From Post-Traumatic Stress After Being Exposed To Combat Situations

Quote

"This is the first time we've had mothers and daughters and sisters coming back into our families and our communities having served in these kinds of situations."

Wayne Gregory, psychologist,
Department of Veterans Affairs

PTSD Combat : Winning the War Within - Newsletter

WGTD Morning Show: A Discussion with Dr. Edward Tick on Combat PTSD
Posted: 16 Jan 2007 11:38 PM CST
Thanks to new media, you don't have to be in Kenosha, WI Wednesday morning to catch an informative program on combat PTSD. Just tune into WGTD's online stream at 8:10 am CST/9:10 am EST (or check show archives following its airing). Click on 'Article Link' below tags for more.................

DoD's 2005 Survey of Health Related Behaviors
Posted: 16 Jan 2007 03:08 PM CST
Released on Friday, the DoD's 2005 Survey of Health Related Behaviors among Active Duty Military Personnel is now available. From the DoD: This is the ninth survey in the series of anonymous surveys asking active duty service members about various lifestyle and.............

AUDIO: Spc. Doug Barber:

One Year After His Tragic Suicide - Unaired Interviews

By Jay Shaft

Two previously unreleased audio interviews with Spc. Douglas Barber, who served in Iraq with the Ohio National Guard. Released to commemorate the one year anniversary of his untimely suicide due to untreated PTSD and overwhelming mental trauma.
Go here.

Warriors Steppin Out

No matter what branch of service one joins, in the service of this Country, they have an Obligation to Stand Up to the Oath taken, against what they may feel are Unlawful Orders, No Matter Who Gives Them.
And especially as NCO's and Officers, if those Orders put their personal into extreme danger, against the Oath to Defend Country and Constitution, it is their Duty to Question those orders.
Military personal have few options to be heard, outside of ranks, but the Appeal For Redress gives them an Avenue to discuss their grievances with their Elected Representative in Congress who Work For Them and Us Civilians.
The Military Personal need our Real Support, just speaking the Words is not the support wanted nor needed!

From the Daily Press-Hampton Roads Virginia
Warriors rally against Iraq war
Active-duty personnel join activists in Norfolk to ask for an end to the conflict.

Now a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, he joined other active-duty personnel and peace activists at a Norfolk church Monday to promote an "Appeal for Redress" that asks Congress to bring the war to an end.

More than 1,030 soldiers, sailors and airmen have signed the petition, which is to be presented to Congress today.

"We've served in combat, and we've seen the futility of this war," said Magruder, who serves in an Army National Guard unit based in California. "The soldiers want to resist. The soldiers want to come home. We need the citizens to back us up."

More than 100 people attended the protest. Roughly one-third of the crowd were active-duty service members.

One message was repeated at Monday's protest: Dissent is not disloyalty, and those who object to the war are not traitors.

"It is not political, despite how others try to label us," said Liam Madden, a Marine who served seven months in Iraq. "Veterans often say, 'Not one more of my brothers should die for a lie.' This is not political. It is a call to conscience."

Active-duty war objectors face ostracism among their peers and potential retaliation from their superior officers, said Fabian Bouthillette, a former Navy officer who joined Iraq Veterans Against the War.

"Supporting the troops means more than slapping a bumper sticker on a car," he said. "I think it is very difficult for active-duty men and women to protest, to speak out. They have that right. We're all in this together."

A soldier based in Fort Lewis, Wash., 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, is awaiting court-martial for refusing to be deployed to the war, to which he publicly objected.

Magruder said he will go back to Iraq if his unit is redeployed there. But, he said, he'll do it only to support his brothers and sisters in arms.

From the Washington Post
Why They Fight -- From Within
Two Navy Men Create an Outlet For Military Protests on the Web

For Jonathan Hutto and David Rogers, life has become something of a surreality show. The two Navy men, comrades in arms, are waging a war against a war.

Jonathan Hutto, left, and David Rogers, who serve in the Navy, put together a Web site with names of active troops who are against the war in Iraq. (By Jay Paul For The Washington Post)

Working from within, Hutto, Rogers and others have established AppealforRedress.org , a Web site that enables active-duty, reserve and National Guard troops to appeal directly to Congress to withdraw military personnel from Iraq. On Monday, the group held its coming-out news conference in Norfolk, announcing that more than 1,000 people have signed appeals. On Tuesday, the pleas will be presented to Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) on Capitol Hill.

"Just because you joined the military doesn't mean your constitutional rights are suspended," said Hutto, a petty officer third class and 1999 Howard University graduate. "True patriotism is having a questioning attitude about the government."
Redress in this situation means relief, he said. "Relief from this war."

Audio Clip

Hutto on Antiwar Group Inspiration
Jonathan Hutto discusses the book "Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War."

Some, however, are reticent to appear in public. Organizers estimated that about two dozen active-duty members showed up at the Norfolk event, in a church near the naval base here. They were expecting 50. Hutto pointed out that many of the signers do not live in the Norfolk area.

The idea for the within-the-ranks antiwar group came after Hutto read "Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War" by David Cortright. Hutto showed the book to Rogers. They invited Cortright to come to Norfolk.
"I was so impressed by the seriousness of the discussion," said Cortright, who teaches peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. He said it takes guts for active military members to speak out. "But they do it respectfully."

A specialist 4 during Vietnam, Cortright said there were hundreds of active-military antiwar groups by 1970. "They published underground newspapers, ran coffeehouses, organized demonstrations and protests," he said. He recalled that in 1969, a petition signed by more than 1,300 active-duty military people -- calling for a national protest against the Vietnam War -- ran in the New York Times.
A widely circulated appeal for redress is a new wrinkle made possible by the Internet. The plea is simply stated. Here is the nut: I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. The site is also sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out.

Signers include:
Kevin Torres, 23, from Brooklyn, a sergeant in the 101st Airborne who has served two tours in Iraq. "I felt like with our being there, we were making more enemies," he said. "The people hated us. They wanted us out of the city."
And Liam Madden, 22, a Marine sergeant from Vermont. He spent seven months on the ground in Iraq. "I saw Iraq struggling to get on its feet and failing to do so -- despite the best efforts of American military," he said. "I have nothing against the military or my experience. It's the policy I oppose."

He said warriors have the right to question their mission and not be like the cavalry in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade": Theirs not to reason why /Theirs but to do and die.

From The Richmond Times Dispatch
25 service members urge Iraq pullout

In an hour-long event that paid homage to the anti-war teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the notion that dissent can be patriotic, the group claimed support from hundreds of actively serving personnel.
Speakers said they will be in Washington today to present members of Congress with the names of 1,031 actively serving members of the military who have signed an Internet document calling for the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
"It is respectful," said Liam Madden, a U.S.Marine Corps sergeant based at Quantico. "This is not politics. It's our generation's call to conscience."

"I don't have the capacity to be silent and complain [about] things I find to be immoral," Hutto said yesterday.
Hutto said about 25 personnel were present, including a number who are now in the reserves. None of the service personnel was in uniform, in accordance with federal law governing dissent by military members. He and others who spoke at the news conference said they have experienced no reprisals for their activities.
The group has been coached by legal advisers that the law permits them to speak out if they direct their speech at members of Congress.

Madden said after the news conference that serving as a leader of an anti-war movement does not conflict with his role as a Marine sergeant.
"In my heart, I'm doing what a sergeant should do, which is serving as an example," he said.

Cortright is also president of the Fourth Freedom Forum, which has provided help and raised some money for Hutto and Madden's campaign.
Cortright said 60 percent of those who signed the Appeal for Redress have served in Iraq, and all of them are brave: "It's an extraordinary expression of conviction and courage."

From The Navy Times
Service members to Congress: End Iraq war

“I am grateful for your courage,” he said to the service members and crowd of family, friends and peace activists who were present at a Capitol Hill press conference.
The effort by the service members did grab attention. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., issued a statement saying he has deep respect for service members willing to stand up for what they believe. “They have exercised their constitutional right to free speech, and they have questioned an unjust war,” he said.

A couple of the group of Active Military Personal, and one must be Active or very recenly Discharged to sign on to the appeal, with the Appeal For Redress were interviewed on Sunday on the Air America Phoenix - 1480 KPHX - Phoenix's ONLY Progressive Talk Radio show About Face which is hosted by members of the local Phoenix Veterans For Peace Chapter.
Those shows are not archived but the "About Face" show, though not live, airs also on The Progressive Radio Network a streaming online Radio Network. The About Face program airs on Saturdays, at 3pm PT 6pm ET.
The show, described above, was taped and will be aired this coming Saturday, on the Appeal For Redress. It will also be archived at the 'About Face' link above after it's aired.
Now last saturday it aired at 5pm ET don't know why so you might want to check it earlier if you are interested in hearing this interview.
If you know any Active Military Personal who might be interested, send the link to them, they can tune in anywhere in the world.
There is an archived show on PTSD with Ilona Meagher and guests already on the board at the left.

Just keep in mind these recent comments:

"I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of
gratitude" - The pResident

Yep up to 655,000 are really Grateful, many in their Mass Graves, as are their Survivors!

"I think once they get in harm's way, Congress's tradition is to
support those troops," Mr. Hadley said.

Harms Way, shows what the administration thinks of the Troops, it's called a Strong Defense!

The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!

Priest Discusses Christianity in Baghdad - 01.15.2007

Alive In Bagdad

After the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Christians have felt themselves increasingly under attack. During Saddam Hussein’s time, brutal acts were carried out against all Iraqis, but Saddam only permitted atrocities at his whim.

Without the security of Saddam’s strong central state and intelligence apparatus, sectarian, religious, and ethnic in-fighting has sprung up in much of Iraq. The Christian community, already small and isolated, primarily in Northern Iraq and Baghdad, has grown even more worried. They have faced a surge of attacks targeting them, attempting to push them from the country.

These attacks have been all too successful, today Iraq’s Christian community is almost entirely devastated. Most of them have fled to Jordan and Syria, many seeking a path to safety amongst other Christians in the West.

This has also led to the devastation of two of Iraq’s oldest idigenous communities, the Assyrians and Chaldeans, who are both primarily Christian communities now.

To continue hearing the stories of regular Iraqis’ daily lives, consider making a donation to support the work of Alive in Baghdad and continue providing our correspondents with a salary and the equipment necessary to continue their work.

PTSD Combat : Winning the War Within; Newsletter

Military Resources Strain a Disservice to Current and Former Vets?

Posted: 16 Jan 2007 06:22 AM CST
Donna Teresa in today's Monterey Herald: Joshua Amaya, son of Raul Thomas Amaya, a Navy Vietnam veteran, who served in the reserves in 1967-1968 and active duty in 1969-1970, who recently died, experienced some of the consequences of this war. Josh and his family were having........

Personality Disorder -- Or Combat PTSD?

Posted: 16 Jan 2007 05:26 AM CST
A recent post on the fact that 22,000 OEF/OIF troops have been discharged with personality disorder -- the same diagnosis given to Steven Green, the soldier charged with raping an Iraqi girl and then killing her and her family in Al Mahmudiyah -- stimulated quite a bit of..........

Back from Memphis - Journalism That Matters

Posted: 15 Jan 2007 11:16 PM CST
After dealing with some technical difficulties that prevented me from posting while I was away in Memphis attending both the Journalism That Matters sessions [pictures] and the National Conference for Media Reform [pictures] from Thursday through Sunday, I'm finally back...........

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"I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of
gratitude" - The pResident {Yep up to 655,000 are really Grateful, many in
their Mass Graves, as are their Survivors}
"I think once they get in harm's way, Congress's tradition is to
support those troops," Mr. Hadley said. {Harms Way, shows what the
administration thinks of the Troops, it's called a Strong Defense!}

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The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!

Appeal For Redress

Iraq Vets Call on Congress to End War
By Stacy Bannerman
t r u t h o u t | Report

Monday 15 January 2007

As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for US troops to come home.
- Appeal for Redress

An anti-war organization launched by a 22-year-old Marine and a 29-year-old sailor has accumulated 1,028 signatures from active-duty and Reserve troops calling for an end to the war in Iraq, which has lasted nearly four years. The signatures will be delivered to lawmakers on January 16th.

"There is a distinct difference between the people who make policies and the people who carry them out," says Seaman Jonathan Hutto, co-founder of the Appeal for Redress. If Hutto has his way, that line will begin to blur over the next twenty-four hours. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, more than 50 active-duty members of the Armed Forces will hold a press conference at the Unitarian Church in Norfolk, Virginia, to discuss why they are among the more than 1,000 military personnel - mostly active-duty, and veterans of at least one tour in Iraq - who have signed the Appeal. The troops will be joined by representatives from Iraq Vets Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, Veterans for Peace, GI Rights Hotline and the Military Project.

The following morning, Mr. Hutto and Appeal for Redress co-founder Sergeant Liam Madden (USMC), joined by sailors, Marines and airmen, soldiers and supporters, will deliver a copy of the signed document to Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and other members of the Out of Iraq Caucus on Capitol Hill. Of the dozens of Iraq options being circulated among Democrats, Congressman Kucinich's 12-point plan for US withdrawal is most closely aligned with the Appeal for Redress.

Congressman Kucinich recently said, "The American people voted for new direction. That direction is out of Iraq. Let us rescue our troops. Let us rescue a domestic agenda. Let us reverse policies that created chaos, massive civilian casualties and destruction in Iraq."

The historic Appeal for Redress is "the most significant movement of organized and dissident GIs seen in America since 1969, when 1,366 active-duty service members signed a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for an end to the Vietnam War," according to The Nation ("About Face," January 8, 2007). Eugene Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice, calls it "simply unprecedented."

Marine Sergeant Madden calls it "completely legal." The Military Whistle-Blower Protection Act (DOD directive 7050.6) allows active-duty military, National Guard and Reservists, while out of uniform and off duty, to file and send a protected communication to a member of Congress regarding any subject without reprisal. Although their communication to Congress is shielded by law, public opposition to the war in Iraq is still a risky step for these active-duty troops, including high-ranking officers and many who still hope to make the military their lifetime career.

Sgt. Madden, who "braced for a command that wouldn't be happy," feels that working for an end to the war is part of his duty as an American citizen. "The 'surge' is a day late, and a dollar short. No one is happy about it."

"With recent calls for an escalation of troops in Iraq, Congress should listen to those of us who have been there and who will be directly affected by this policy change," states Seaman Hutto, an E4 assigned to mass communications who spent six months on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, stationed "somewhere in the Iraq theater."

Hutto "didn't grow up in a place where the military was highly regarded," and he opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning. He didn't reveal his anti-war stance to the Navy when he enlisted in January of 2004, because he needed "the structure, and to pay off student loans." He's almost half-way through his six-year contract, and "hope[s] that the appeal can shift the policy to withdrawal."

"This president is doing this for a legacy and not the good of the American people or the military ... or the people of Iraq," says Sgt. Madden, who is stationed at Quantico, Virginia. Madden's active-duty time in the Marine Corps will end in a matter of days, but he will still be eligible for mobilization and deployment for another four years. The military's standard contract requires eight years of service, which can be fulfilled through a combination of active-duty, Guard, or Reserve service. With the Pentagon's recent decision to lift the cumulative limit that constrained Guard and Reservists to serving no more than 24 months in the Iraq or Afghan wars, it's possible that Sgt. Madden could be called up again.

He spent seven months in the thick of it in Haditha, time that he initially refused to talk about, claiming "it has nothing to do with the Appeal for Redress." But then he said that he was one of the "lucky ones, I didn't come home with any physical or mental problems." When asked what his plans are for the future, Sgt. Madden replies, "To keep on with this struggle until this illegal, immoral war is over."



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Stacy Bannerman is the author of When the War Came Home: The Inside Story of Reservists and the Families They Leave Behind, (Continuum Publishing, 2006). She is a member of Military Families Speak Out, and can be contacted at her web site.

A Speech To Be Heard...

But More Importantly HEED

AZAH AWASUM

Winner, "The First National 'Words That Shook The World' High School Public Speaking Competition

15 years old


In her very first speech in front of an audience, on August 1, 2006, 15 year old Azah Awasum won "The First National 'Words That Shook The World' High School Public Speaking Competition". Her energy, confidence and depth of commitment shook the 500 fellow students and VIP Judges and won her a standing ovation and the title of Best High School Speaker in America. Richard Greene was honored to sponsor this competition with The Anthony Robbins Foundation and The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Organization, a competition dedicated to finding the next Martin Luther Kings, Barbara Jordans and JFKs. This extraordinary young woman, the daughter of Camaroon immigrants, is certainly on that path!

QUICKTIME

REAL PLAYER

Breaking Ranks

Charles E. Anderson | Breaking Ranks: Troops Call for Iraq Withdrawal

On Wednesday, January 10, President George W. Bush announced that he would be sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq as early as Monday. "The escalation of this war is very disappointing," said Mass Communications Specialist Third Class, Jonathan Hutto, 29, a sailor stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt. Ironically, as the additional troops begin arriving in Iraq, Hutto and other active duty troops will travel to Washington to present the Appeal for Redress of Grievances from the US Congress to US Representative Dennis Kucinich.

The Phoenix AZ Chapter of Veterans For Peace had a couple of the Active Duty Personal taking part in the Presentation of the 'Appeal For Redress' on their Radio Show 'About Face' today, Sunday, that show isn't archived but there will be an expanded version, with this Marine and National Guard member next Saturday at 3PT or 6ET PM:
HERE

Niger To Sue U.S. - Over 2 Billion

NGOs to sue US over WMD claims
From correspondents in Niamey
January 14, 2007

SOME 30 non-governmental organisations in Niger said overnight they are going to sue the United States for nearly two billion dollars for "unfairly accusing" Niger of selling uranium to the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
"Our lawyers are about to file a lawsuit against the US calling for damages of about 1000 billion CFA francs ($2.42 billion dollars) for the harm suffered" by the country, Moustapha Kadi, president of the Collective of organisations in Niger defending the right to energy (CODDAE).
The lawsuit by the collective will be filed at either French or Belgian courts, Kadi added.
In January 2003, US President George W. Bush accused Saddam of having bought uranium from Niger to make weapons of mass destruction.
The Niger collective said in a statement that investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), world media and US officials, all concluded that it was a "false accusation" against Niger.
That false information was used by Bush "to invade Iraq," said the collective's statement, which also called for support from Niger's President Mamadou Tandja, who back in 2003 said the US allegations were "harming Niger's image".
Niger is the world's third-largest producer of uranium with about nine percent of the global market, according to 2003 figures.
The country's two uranium deposits have been mined for 40 years by the French group Areva, number one in civil nuclear energy.

The Next Jihadists: Iraq’s Lost Children

Newsweek has another Powerful Report coming out in it's Jan 22nd Issue.
Many, well before this Debacle started, and in the lead up to and since, were warning about this scenario of the youth growing up under Occupation, Death, Destruction of their Country and their People and what it might bring in the future.
This is Much Worse than Vietnam, than they only wanted us Out Of Their Country, now National Security, not only here but Around The World, are The Aces In The Deck!!
And those Aces have already been dealt!

Not only the young of Iraq and possibly Afganistan, but the youth of that whole region, and the children they may have will share in the hatreds that have been wrought!

The 64 thousand dollar question is "For How Many Generations?"!

My belief now is that it has gone way to far and will be an extremely long time, if ever, when the realities and common sense can bring about change in peoples minds and hearts, especially in that region but also here!

The universal question in the U.S., after 9/11, was "Why Do They Hate Us So?". That question was easy to answer than, if one wasn't apathedic of world affairs, because of our failed foreign policies for decades in that region, and it's even easier to answer now, it's laid out before us! Not just in a War Waged for Absolutely NO REASON, but also in the rethoric of hate and childish hateful name calling spoken on our public airways and read on many of these online boards and in the main stream media as well! Not only as to those who are fighting our occupation and now their own sectarian griefs, but we lump a whole peoples, because of religious beliefs and regional ideologies into the same label 'Terrorists', which is a criminal act by the few, but growing number, and should be looked at as same, Criminal!

Iraq's Young Blood
There's also a photo gallery at the site with descriptions of each photo.

Newsweek

Jan. 22, 2007 issue - Ammar will tell you he's proud to be carrying a gun. His father was a brigadier in Saddam Hussein's Army, a man who saw combat in his country's several wars, and from an early age Ammar had accompanied him to the shooting range. "I got used to the sound of guns then," Ammar says. So he was ready, last fall, when the imam in his Baghdad neighborhood urged residents to take up arms against the invader—who in this case happened to be members of a Shiite militia trying to push into the predominantly Sunni area. Ammar joined the neighborhood watch, a ragtag bunch of men who stand guard nightly at improvised roadblocks and rooftop observation posts. In mid-October Ammar fought his first big battle against soldiers from the Mahdi Army—"the garbage collectors and robbers," as he contemptuously refers to the Shiite militia. He says he put his Kalashnikov assault rifle to good use: "I think I injured or even killed two of them. Our group killed more than six of them that night."

There is no need to brainwash a child into becoming, in that region, a Jihadist. they are there, it is their countries, it is their regions, they are living the hell 24/7, and many can't leave. They don't serve a tour of one year, they serve a tour of duration, if they survive!

Sectarian warfare is reshaping Iraq in all sorts of malevolent ways day in and day out. But it is also forging the future by poisoning the next generation of Iraqis. Like many of its neighbors, Iraq is a young country: nearly half the population is under the age of 18. And those children have had a particularly turbulent upbringing. Kids like Ammar were born in the aftermath of one debilitating war, against neighboring Iran, then suffered two others and years of impoverishing sanctions in between. They are especially vulnerable to the demons that now grip Iraq. Hassan Ali, a sociologist at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, estimates that at least 1 million Iraqi kids have seen their lives damaged by the war—they've lost parents and homes, watched as their communities have been torn apart by sectarian furies. "These children will come to believe in the principles of force and violence," says Ali. "There's no question that society as a whole is going to feel the effects in the future"—and not only Iraqi society. From the Middle East to Europe to America, violence may well beget violence around the world for years to come.

As generations grow farther away from old hatreds and failed policies they become very distant memories to each succesive generation, untill the fires are stoked, than those hatreds come roaring back and grip the newer generation into actions they never would have been involved in only a short time before. Than the Pandora's Box is completely broken, leaving nothing to encase those hatreds in, and they run rampant for long periods of time leaving death and destruction in their wake!

Blood and Memory: The Cycle Has Started
Iraq's vendettas could haunt the west for years.

Blood feuds flourish where family ties are strong and the rule of law is weak. Add the righteousness of competing faiths along with fierce memories of ancient wrongs and you have the makings of savage, seemingly endless conflicts from Northern Ireland to the Balkans, the lake regions of Africa to the arid Holy Land. And Iraq—well, Iraq is in a class by itself: a breeder reactor where explosive hatreds were both incited and contained by Saddam Hussein's brutality, only to become an uncontrolled chain reaction after the U.S.-led invasion liberated both the country and its vendettas. Arab culture cannot be solely blamed for the furies that have been unleashed in Iraq since 2003. But it guarantees they will not be soon, or easily, tamed.

We allowed the Flood gates to be open to these old hatreds and have made more growing hatreds the reality now. We invaded a country, once again for No Reason, we destroyed and killed and are still carrying out that death and destruction, we installed another puppet government, in a country we had already done the same before, we are picking sides in the sectarian violence that those who led the charge for this War had Absolutely No Understanding of before and still don't!

The tradition of "an eye for an eye" is so ancient and dangerously ingrained among the desert Arabs that 1,400 years ago the Qur'an called on good Muslims to forgo vengeance in order to expiate their sins. But the old codes of honor remained, and in the most troubled parts of Iraq today, increasingly, they prevail. When governments cannot or will not protect the people, then families, clans, tribes, gangs and militias will. (Indeed, among the Shiites of Karbala, gang rule has a history as old and complex as the mafia in Sicily.) As these groups gain strength, the central government and its modern institutions weaken further.

Blame for the Top Brass
And I would add to their title the Extreme Blame to the Civilian Leadership of This Country!

Given all the recriminations over the mess in Iraq, it is remarkable how little criticism has fallen on the U.S. military. Americans want to honor the sacrifice of the troops in the field and they may feel guilty about the cold reception given many veterans returning from the Vietnam War. But in the public blame game that's erupted on Capitol Hill and on the cable news talk shows, the armed services are largely given a free pass.
Some top soldiers, however, aren't so sure they should be let off the hook. Is there, NEWSWEEK asked retired Gen. William Nash, who commanded U.S. forces in Bosnia in the 1990s and remains plugged in, a sense within the Army of mistakes made in Iraq? "It's pervasive," he answered. Gen. Jack Keane, the Army vice chief of staff at the time of the Iraq invasion in March 2003, told NEWSWEEK: "Everyone recognizes that we made mistakes. The harder part is what to learn from them."

MISTAKES!!! The Mistake was going in in the first place The Mistake was not understanding that one does not Kill and Destroy others into their thoughts of 'Freedom' and their ideology of 'Democracy', especially as they redefine that 'Democracy' in their own land which is looking more and more like a redefined ideology of the old Fascisms that was thought to be beaten down!

A Defining Realignment

Ted Kennedy speaks with the voice of history. White-maned and nearing 75, the brother of two assassinated heroes and a veteran of 44 Senate years, he is—in defiance of the odds—again in his prime: a chairman in good health with a doting wife and a packed legislative agenda.
No one tells Ted Kennedy what to do; in any case, the Senate's Democratic leaders were fine with his plan to give a big speech two days before President George W. Bush announced a troop "surge" in Iraq. They are generally glad to let Kennedy play the role he relishes: Irish-American Isaiah, calling his party to account even as legislative insiders keep their distance.
This time party brass got more than they bargained for. Summoning the authority of his years as an intimate witness to history, Kennedy made an eloquent case for a Senate vote on the surge and for a court test of its legitimacy under the War Powers Resolution. "Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam!" he thundered. "Echoes of that disaster are all around us today!"
It was, in its own way, a defining moment. He got a standing ovation and, the next day, congratulations all around on the Hill. By the end of the week—in the aftermath of Bush's tepid speech and Condi Rice's evasive testimony—Kennedy looked prescient.

The voices of intelligent experiances and lessons learned, not just a Kennedy but millions strong, were completely shut off, called 'Focus Groups' by what has been shown over and over an extremely unintelligent group of power brokers and their minions!
I believe these minions would follow this group into another 'Jonestown' if called upon, that's how empty headed they frankly are, empty words, empty rethoric, consistantly wrong, and consistantly biggotted!

We Might 'Win', But Still Lose
Colonel Duke says the Mahdi Army is 'sitting on the 50-yard line, eating popcorn, watching us do their work for them.'
'Win', one does not win a Guerilla War, they may shutdown, for a short time, sectarian violence, but as has already been seen that violence will rear it's ugly head once again for the hatreds have been unleased and by us still being there and supporting our puppets those hatreds will remain!

Number Of Iraqi Civilians Slaughtered In America's Rape Of Iraq - At Least 655,000 + +
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America's Rape Of Iraq 3,017 - plus
The Rape of Iraq Costs $357,490,957,418 and counting by the minute
See the cost in your community

The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!

Ft. Benning Troops Headed For Iraq Refuse To Cheer For Bush:

Maj. Gen. Refuses To Allow Them To Talk With Reporters;
"If Any Of Them Harbored Doubts About Heading Back To Iraq, Many For The Third Time, They Were Kept Silent"

Bush gets cool response from troops set for Iraq
By Joseph Curl
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 12, 2007




FORT BENNING, Ga. -- President Bush sought a friendly audience and a patriotic backdrop yesterday to continue to make his case for sending 21,000 more troops to Iraq, but he received only tepid applause at this Army base, where the commanding general forbade soldiers from talking to reporters.
The president's speech was similar to the national address he delivered Wednesday night, but he used firm language when speaking about what is coming for insurgents in Iraq. He also hailed efforts by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki against militias responsible for continual waves of sectarian killings in Iraq.
"Yesterday, the resolve was seen when Prime Minister Maliki made it clear that illegal militias, including the Mahdi Army, have a choice to make: either lay down your arms or face justice," Mr. Bush said. "That's the kind of leadership that the Iraqi people expect, and that's the kind of leadership I expect, and the American people expect."
He added, "Our support is not open-ended. If the Iraqis demonstrate a willingness to fight for a better future, we'll help them. It's in our interests that we do so. Not only do we expect to see action militarily, as I mentioned, we expect to see them fulfill the benchmarks that they laid out for their people."
Mr. Bush visited Fort Benning because the base will send a combat brigade to Iraq earlier than planned, by March instead of late May or early June. The brigade has done two tours in Iraq, and on its last yearlong deployment, in 2005, 34 soldiers from the 4,000-member unit were killed.
In his speech, Mr. Bush also reiterated the warning he gave in his prime-time address: His planned troop surge would not be a quick fix.
"The new strategy is not going to yield immediate results. It's going to take awhile," he said. "The American people have got to understand that suicide bombings won't stop immediately."
Before meeting with families, Mr. Bush watched as five members of a parachute team floated to the ground in a demonstration of base training.
"We're proud of you," he told the men.
Earlier in the day, the president awarded the Medal of Honor to the late Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham of Scio, N.Y., who covered a hand grenade in Iraq two years ago, saving the lives of his comrades. He is the second Iraq war soldier to receive the prestigious award.
"I've lost my son, but he became a part of history," Cpl. Dunham's mother, Deb, said after the ceremony, which drew tears from Mr. Bush. "It still hurts as a parent, but the pride that you have from knowing he did the right thing makes it easier."
The 300 soldiers who, with their families, heard the afternoon speech were banned by Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, commandant of the 32,000-soldier base, from talking to reporters. Journalists were barred from re-entering Freedom Hall, where Mr. Bush delivered the speech, or from approaching soldiers outside the hall.
While the president met with family members of 25 soldiers from the base who were killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, several reporters waited for word from the base on whether the ban would be lifted. A senior administration official said, "We have no control over that."
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The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!

Damn 'TERRORIST' Herdsmen!!

Bet they had something to do with 9/11! The lord told the bush so! Nothing like making More Enemies!

Nomadic Herdsmen Innocent Targets of Bombing in Somalia, Says OXFAM

Autio Clip

The relief organization OXFAM says nomadic herdsmen have been innocent targets of bombing in the south of the country. Beatrice Karanja, a spokesperson for OXFAM in Nairobi, tells VOA the bombings have affected some of the agency’s humanitarian water and sanitation programs.
SNIP

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Somalia air raids hit nomads, 70 dead - Oxfam
Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:27 PM

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Air attacks against fugitive Islamists in south Somalia in recent days have mistakenly targeted nomadic herdsmen gathering round fires, killing 70, British-based aid agency Oxfam said on Friday.
"Under international law, there is a duty to distinguish between military and civilian targets," Oxfam added, citing its local partner organisations in Somalia for the information.
Washington sent a warplane into Somalia on Monday to try and take out what U.S. officials say are top al Qaeda suspects hiding with the Islamists.
SNIP

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US strikes on al-Qa'ida chiefs kill nomads
By Anne Penketh and Steve Bloomfield

Published: 13 January 2007
The herdsmen had gathered with their animals around large fires at night to ward off mosquitoes. But lit up by the flames, they became latest victims of America's war on terror.
It was their tragedy to be misidentified in a secret operation by special forces attempting to kill three top al-Qa'ida leaders in south-ern Somalia.
Oxfam yesterday confirmed at least 70 nomads in the Afmadow district near the border with Kenya had been killed. The nomads were bombed at night and during the day while searching for water sources. Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Kenya has acknowledged that the onslaught on Islamist fighters failed to kill any of the three prime targets wanted for their alleged role in the 1998 US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.
The wanted men are Fazul Abdullah Moham-med, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and Abu Taha al-Sudani, who were all supposedly sheltered by the Union of Islamic Courts during its short reign in Mogadishu.
The operation, which opened a new front in Washington's anti-terror campaign, seems to have backfired spectacularly in the five days since it was launched. In addition to the scores of Somali civilians killed, the simmering civil war in the failed state has been rekindled.
SNIP