The 'rush' would have enjoyed this series from NPR's All Things Considered, Women in Combat, as would his minions. 'Phoney's' one and all! Their experiances, their treatment, their dedication, their service to country and fellow 'phoney' soldiers. If the 'rush' and his minions had listened that is.
You see the 'rush', as well as most who bow to his hypocrisy, being so articulate and knowledgable, with understanding and experiances beyond us all, Know War, Know Real Soliers, Know The Experiances In Theaters of Actions, hell he, they, know everything, just ask him, them, if you can get beyond his screeners when even bothering to take calls. He gives the talking points to the 'think tanks'{?} of those who refer to themselves as republican{?} and conservative{?}.
And as we all know most of those minions are big strong tough males, just like the 'rush'. Who, like the 'rush', don't bother with living the experiances before commenting on same, hell they don't read about nor watch, to much to fill their 'beautiful minds', they Just Know, and will band together to pass on All That Knowledge!
You see those who actually live the experinces can't have Minds to think for themselves, so the 'rush', and his minions, need to fill that 'void' and stop others from 'manipulating' those empty minds.
The series started on monday Oct 1st and covered differant reports by Michele Norris each day till friday the 5th.
You can read and listen to each report by visiting the differant pages of the All Things Considered NPR site.
Since 2002, women have served nearly 170,000 tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pentagon rules dictate that women may not be assigned to ground combat units. That means they are not allowed to serve in the infantry or as special operations commandos.
But women are serving in support units as truck drivers, gunners, medics, military police, helicopter pilots and more.
Women serving in the U.S. military make up about 10 percent of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although they aren't assigned to ground combat units, they are experiencing combat nonetheless.
The current Pentagon policy governing women in combat dates back to 1994. Then-Secretary of Defense Les Aspin wrote that "women shall be excluded from assignment to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground."
Since 2002, the Miles Foundation — a private, nonprofit organization that tracks sexual assault within the armed forces — has received 976 reports of sexual assault in the Central Command Area of Responsibility, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan.
This page also gives us a related report by Gloria Hillard on The Deep Scars for Many Female Vets
Female soldiers have been returning from Iraq with not only combat-related trauma, but also with deep emotional wounds known as military sexual trauma. A 2003 survey of women using the Veterans Administration health care system reports that 28 percent experienced at least one sexual assault during military service. And that sexual trauma, combined with combat trauma, makes women far more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder.
To date, more than 80 women have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, and hundreds have come home with combat injuries.
Her injuries, loss of both legs, and rape by rank.
"We were out there every day, patrolling, doing checkpoints, raiding villages, searching villages, searching females. That's what I was used for primarily," she says with a laugh. "We were out there doing everything."
For 15 months, their platoon was sent where the violence was worst. Many lost friends or faith in their mission, but 'at least we made it alive,' said one soldier.
On the battalion's first run through the city, it was pounded at every turn with automatic-weapons fire, rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs. By the end of the day, one soldier was dead, 12 were wounded and two vehicles had been destroyed.
"That kind of overwhelming show, we had never seen before," Oliver said. "So we pulled back, took a deep breath and realized, yeah, this AO [area of operation] really is that bad."
By the time the Regulars left Iraq in September, 21 of their 300 or so soldiers had been killed. About 50 were so badly injured that they never returned to the fight.
Their 3,700-strong 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Ft. Lewis, Wash., lost 48 soldiers in all, and nearly 650 were injured.
With a reflection by one 'phoney soldier' on the realities of Guerilla Warfare:
"I had this romantic vision of going to war that just doesn't exist anymore, not in this kind of war," he said.
In the movies, he said, there was always a "band of brothers" going after the enemy with honor and glory. But in Iraq, it felt like the enemy was always one step ahead, melting away before a major assault, only to strike back with even greater fury.
Most of those 'enemies' are protecting their own in atttempting to rid their small country of univited invasion and occupation forces, of which the leaders of same want to control the lives and wealth of the occupied.
Just like the 'rush', and his minions, big brave and tough males, preach about being their right to own any and all types of weapons made, from single shot to fully automatic, not to hunt but to protect their own and their surroundings from all those evil forces ready to destroy them!
As the 'rush', and his minions, blather through the crack, which looks rather familiar to another bodily crack, on their faces!
Anger over a divorce settlement may have driven a 63-year-old Baptist deacon to shoot five people in a law office, killing two, then exchange gunfire with police during a standoff, authorities said Friday.
Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including numerous home remodeling projects, use of the university jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay.
She is accused of dropping tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarships to friends of her children and sending scores of text messages on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males."
And 'God', unless they're going to either change the spelling or descriptive word of same is apparently talking to Roberts Jr, as 'God' did to the old man.
Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts, says God is speaking again, telling him to deny lurid allegations
And what do some of the students feel about these developements,
Cornell Cross II, a senior from Burlington, Vt., said he is looking to transfer to another school because the scandal has "severely devalued and hurt the reputation of my degree."
"We have asked and asked and asked to see the finances of our school and what they're doing with our money, and we've been told no," said, Cross who is majoring in government. "Now we know why. As a student, I'm not going to stand for it any longer."
Look folks, I may be older and probably missed something along the way. But I do remember a three letter word that was taught to us called 'Sin', that's S**I**N, as in 'Sin'! Something one should try their best to avoid, and if finding one's committed to ask forgiveness and make amends to those 'Sinned' against.
Now all religious beliefs have their variations of this, but they all boil down to the same thing and the same actions needed.
Now would someone tell me when this was just dropped by the American Taliban Christians. And when it was finalized that if one does 'Sin', no matter how small or how large, that all one needs to do is say 'Jesus Forgive Me' and Thus one is not only forgiven but the Wealth of Heaven awaits with outstretched arms, All is forgiven {sorry folks but you don't get 10 virgins, or do we now, ummmmmmm}
I'm getting extremely tired of reading about 'God Fearing' Christians, especially as they try and force their beliefs on us all, that don't Follow What They Preach!!!!!
As you watch let your mind, if you have one, wonder to thoughts of what we have given to the children, those that survive, of a small country that did Nothing to us! And don't give the 'Saddam was a Tyrant' crap, he was, but He Was All Ours, from before we helped place him in Power to his Hanging, if that even was him, remember all the reports of look alikes for his security! We Have Totally Destroyed The Lives Of The Iraqi's, ESPECIALLY The Children!!
Hope can only come from the People of this planet, certainly not any so called Leaders!!
And we certainly don't need to do the same for another group of people and Children, those of Iran, once again, having done Nothing to Us!!
Bruce Springsteen speaks to Scott Pelley about why the anti-war message on his new album is patriotic.
Rocker Bruce Springsteen answers critics who call his anti-war sentiments unpatriotic by saying the real sin against patriotism is saying nothing while your country is being harmed. SNIP
You can read the rest at the link above.
But................
Here's a teaser:
On his new album, "Magic", Springsteen jumps right into the fray again. In a dramatic new REM-ish anthem called "Last to Die," he sings: "Who'll be the last to die for a mistake/The last to die for a mistake/Whose blood will spill, whose heart will break/Who'll be the last to die for a mistake."
The mistake is clearly the Iraq war. "We don't measure the blood we've drawn anymore," he sings. "We just stack the bodies outside the door."
Attorney Harold Burbank, 2008 candidate for the US House, District 5, Connecticut, has learned from the Iran UN Mission that it will puruse Burbank's proposal that Veterans for Peace USA, a 7000 member US war veterans peace group, and Iran war veterans begin a cultural exchange for peace. Burbank made the proposal in his capacity as a Veterans for Peace observer for this week's UN General Assembly High Level Dialogue on Religion and Culture, scheduled by the General Assembly in part to address religion and culture issues raised by the 9/11 tragedy.
"If the US and Iran governments will not or cannot talk to each other sensibly, it is time for those who have implemented war policy, the US and Iran war veterans whose lives and families have been or could be affected by a US war with Iran, to try to talk sense to each other and perhaps in time to their governments on how to end Middle Eastern wars and threats of wars. Ideally this dialogue will lead to new champions for peace on both sides that cannot be ignored to prevent war in Iran." Burbank said the Iran UN Mission press secretary was trying to schedule a meeting for him for detailed talks with appropriate Iran staff this week, to coincide with work that Iran and Veterans for Peace are doing for the High Level Dialogue on Religion and Culture. Burbank said he got his idea after hearing Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad challenge the UN community in his General Assembly speech last week to join Iran for a "Coalition for Peace". "I think that Veterans for Peace should accept Ahmadinejad's challenge. Both Iran and Veterans for Peace have responded positively," Burbank said. "Our Maine chapter has already promised to fund several delegates. It is up to Iran to advise us on how to take the next step."
The Peace One Day (POD) film project began as the vision of one man, British filmmaker, Jeremy Gilley. Launched in September 1999, POD ... all » gained active support from all sectors of society, from governments through to individuals. In September 2001, POD achieved its primary objective.
A United Nations General Assembly resolution (A/Res/55/282), put forward by the UK and Costa Rican governments, was unanimously adopted by all UN member states, formally establishing an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on the UN International Day of Peace, fixed in the global calendar on 21 September - Peace Day. All sectors of society are being asked to honour and celebrate the Day on 21 September. The vision of the Day extends far beyond the cessation of violent conflict and represents an opportunity for individuals to join in a moment of global unity.
Posting this video on 'Gold Star Mothers Day 2007'!
The photo's within were taken at the 'Arlington South Memorial - Charlotte NC' on this same weekend which was set up for the first 'International Day of Non - Violence'!
And you can help a Gold Star Mother achieve her dream of a personal Tribute to her son, Helping Other Veterans by visiting, and supporting The Veterans Village Project.
The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 115 of June 23, 1936, has designated the last Sunday in September as "Gold Star Mother's Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in its observance.
This is stated on the back of the medal given to me due to Alex being killed during combat.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton proclaimed that we should "honor women whose sons and daughters have pledged their lives to securing for all Americans the blessings of liberty. These mothers have made tremendous sacrifices, the most painful being the loss of their children, and deserve the respect and recognition of the nation."
Why do we not honor the fathers and siblings as well? I am but a stepmother, yet due to my gender and not my blood, I am given this honor. I had to request the medals for both my husband and son because they were never considered to be honorable enough.
My husband and stepson Brian continue bereft and much more impacted than the females of my family. As a gender, feelings stew inside of you all causing deep harm either to yourselves or by directing agression outward (i.e. by starting meaningless and purposeless wars).
In 2007, George W. Bush proclaimed "The gift of liberty is secured by heroes who have answered the call to serve when America needed them most. On Gold Star Mother's Day, we honor the mothers of the service men and women who have given their lives in the defense of our great Nation.
President Bush, you goad all Mothers with this supplemental day of honor. This day has been given to us due to having our sons killed during combat. I feel no joy at this recollection. I feel no honor in knowing that this nation thrives on wars to move the wheels of its economy, where young men and women are seduced by honor to spill blood.
The President continues his proclamation stating, "America's Gold Star Mothers are remarkable patriots who serve their communities by demonstrating good citizenship, providing support and services to our troops and veterans, and helping comfort the families whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice. Their sense of duty and deep devotion to our country inspire our Nation, and we thank them for their compassion, determination, and strength. Though they carry a great burden of grief, these courageous mothers help ensure that the legacy of our fallen heroes will be forever remembered. On this day, we offer our deep gratitude and respect to our Nation's Gold Star Mothers; we honor the sons and daughters who died while wearing the uniform of the United States; and we pray for God's blessings on them, their mothers, and their families."
For your information, I pray for the day not just for the occupation of Iraq to end, I pray for the day when no more of these pins are ever needed again. I pray for an end to this oddly named and misunderstood club of females: Gold Star Mothers. I hope that these misanthropic Gold Star Mothers soon go into extinction due to an end to war. The grief is not golden. The pain at knowing that another Gold Star Mother comes into being every half day or so is heartbreaking and maddening.
President Bush, I am a Gold Star Stepmother for peace. The DoD gave me the little gold star pin with the purple border too. Yet, those in defense of justice, peace and the constitution are constantly called traitors. Which is it President Bush? Am I a patriot or not? This Catholic Sunday school teacher, this volunteer for the Veteran's Administration, this community activist, and stepmother who believes you have committed impeachable offenses wants to know.
Sincerely, I urge justice and peace for all, Melida Sharon Arredondo Roslindale, MA Gold Star Stepmother to Lcpl. Alexander Scott Arredondo, USMC, 08/04/84 - 08/25/04 Born: Boston, MA KIA: An Najaf, Iraq
And the proclamation for this day by the President:
From the White House: Gold Star Mother's Day, 2007 A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
The photo's are just a couple taken at the 'Arlington South Memorial - Charlotte' yesterday, that was set up by a number of volunteers, on friday, for the 'First International Day of Non - Violence' and will be taken down tonight.
Update: Forgot to add the following:
Anyone interested in displaying the Arlington South crosses,in North Carolina or South Carolina, can email organizers at Statesville Memorial Oroginally Summer Lipford, Gold Star Mom, wanted this Memorial to be able to be displayed in North Carolina or South Carolina by anyone interested. Well after we displayed it the first time, on Memorial Day Weekend in Statesvlle NC it has traveled to a few places, one is:
The mission of Patrick McCaffrey’s Foundation is to promote mental and holistic wellness and palliative care among veterans returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), by providing a live-in retreat village, wherein with the help of trained professional staff and volunteers, veterans will find inner healing and an eventual re-entry into society. The Patrick McCaffrey Foundation, named after Sergeant Patrick R. McCaffrey, the first California National Guard, since WWII, (from the 579th Engineer Battalion from Petaluma), to lose his life in Iraq on June 22, 2004, is committed to bringing healing and hospice, as well as career counseling and training, to veterans returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its founding member and President, Nadia McCaffrey, mother of Sergeant Patrick McCaffrey, wants to carry on the work her son would have pursued had his life not been curtailed so prematurely. Patrick, who did not expect to be deployed to Iraq, decided to honor the commitment he made to help people by going to Iraq as a leader and Combat Life Saver, bringing healing and love to his fellow soldiers and the Iraqi children.
