Peers Inquiry - My Lai Incident - Released, Finally

Report of the Department of the Army Review of the Preliminary Investigations into the My Lai Incident

In November 1969, Stanley R. Resor, Secretary of the Army, and General William C. Westmoreland, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, directed Lieutenant General William R. Peers, U.S. Army, to “explore the nature and scope of the original Army investigations of what occurred on 16 March 1968 in Son My Village, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam.” This collection of materials, commonly known as the “Peers Inquiry,” which provides the results of General Peers’ investigation of the “My Lai incident”— later also known as the “My Lai massacre”— is divided into four volumes: the report, witness testimonies, exhibit materials, and CID [U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command] statements. (Library of Congress Call Number DS557.8.M9 U54 1974 and OCLC Number 1646516 [Volume I only, declassified and released]; OCLC Number 23720589 (Complete collection, comprised of volumes I through IV)

Volume I - The Report of the Investigation

Volume II - Testimony

Volume III - Exhibits

Volume IV - CID Statements

Civilian PTSD

Just a quick diary, as I'm off to work in a minute.

Finally more is being done, understanding still not complete!

If PTSD had been taken more seriously and studied by more, after Vietnam when it was Finally recognized and Labeled, it's effects would have been understood much better today, especially as to Combat and Occupation PTSD, but also in any Personal Trauma's!!

Some now are taking it very Seriously and doing studies where they never thought of before!

Many kids suffer delusions after ICU stay

Some thought parents were impostors; study shows need to calm fears

Nearly a third of children who stay in a pediatric intensive care unit have delusional memories, including vivid and frightening hallucinations, that put them at far higher risk of post traumatic stress disorder, British researchers said on Thursday.

Anyone notice Who is doing the Studies?

“They reported seeing rats, cats and scorpions on the walls and in some cases crawling on the bed and a couple of children were convinced their parents had been replaced by impostors,” Gillian Colville, a clinical psychologist at St. George’s Hospital in London, said in an e-mail.

If you visit and read, keep in mind All that can and does happen to Children, traumatic experiances, and how this might shape their lives!

The findings were surprising because the researchers had assumed the actual experiences in the intensive care unit — where children are treated for serious illness, injuries or are recovering from surgery — might have been more likely to provoke symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

As well as the many types of Traumatic experiances of Adults!

Colville said the findings mimic research in adults, who also report higher rates of hallucinations after an intensive care stay and are at higher risk of post-traumatic stress.

And what Invasion, War and Occupation does to All civilian populations living within!

Original Article
Children's Factual and Delusional Memories of Intensive Care

May Day! Iraq Dock Workers

May Day Message from the Port Workers in Iraq to West Coast dock workers in the U.S.

General Union of Port Workers of Iraq
April 29th, 2008

U.S. Labor Against the War is pleased to be able to share with you a statement of solidarity from the General Union of Port Workers in Iraq to the members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in support of the decision by ILWU members to shut down all the ports on the West Coast on May Day 2008 as a demonstration of their opposition to the war and occupation of Iraq.

In solidarity with the ILWU, the General Union of Port Workers in Iraq will stop work for one hour on May Day in the ports of Umm Qasr and Khor Al Zubair.


---------

Dear Brothers and Sisters of ILWU in California

The courageous decision you made to carry out a strike on May Day to protest against the war and occupation of Iraq advances our struggle against occupation to bring a better future for us and for the rest of the world as well.

We are certain that a better world will only be created by the workers and what you are doing is an example and proof of what we say. The labor movement is the only element in the society that is able to change the political equations for the benefit of mankind. We in Iraq are looking up to you and support you until the victory over the US administration's barbarism is achieved.

Over the past five years the sectarian gangs who are the product of the occupation, have been trying to transfer their conflicts into our ranks. Targeting workers, including their residential and shopping areas, indiscriminately using all sorts of explosive devices, mortar shells, and random shooting, were part of a bigger scheme that was aiming to tear up the society but they miserably failed to achieve their hellish goal. We are struggling today to defeat both the occupation and sectarian militias' agenda.

The pro-occupation government has been attempting to intervene into the workers affairs by imposing a single government-certified labor union. Furthermore it has been promoting privatization and an oil and gas law to use the occupation against the interests of the workers.

We the port workers view that our interests are inseparable from the interests of workers in Iraq and the world; therefore we are determined to continue our struggle to improve the living conditions of the workers and overpower all plots of the occupation, its economic and political projects.


Let us hold hands for the victory of our struggle.

Long live the port workers in California!

Long live May Day!

Long live International solidarity!

The General Union of Port Workers in Iraq
An Affiliate Union with General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (GFWCUI)

They Served Their Country Honorably

Seven veterans under VA's care commit suicide

They served their country honorably but after risking their life in combat abroad, coping with coming home was too much. In the last three months seven servicemen being treated by Spokane's VA Hospital have committed suicide.

What does one say when they have watched others go through All This Before, and having beared witness through these many years!

Any who have read my attempts at putting the reality to words over these past 6 years, long before the carnage again started, or read and listened to others saying pretty much the same damn thing, you know how I feel!

"After returning home from his tour of duty in Iraq, Tim was given the following choice -- either commit to a two-year enlistment in the Washington National Guard and receive a stability from deployment for that amount of time or be stop-lossed and face certain redeployment within a year," Hergert wrote in a letter to Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the Senate's Veterans Affairs committee. "Tim chose to enlist in the Washington National Guard unit and was assigned to Spokane, Washington."

Only back than, till now, my brothers and sisters, weren't forced into 'Stop Loss' nor 'Mutiple Extended Tours', back in the Debacle Occupation the Country said they'd Never Forget and Learn The lessons Of, one had to Volunteer for more than one tour, the few I know that did were KIA on their second or third, they couldn't cope in the Real World!

"Mom, I don't think I can go back to Iraq," Jacqueline Hergert recalls her son's words.
Last month, Juneman was found hanging in his Pullman apartment.
"My son hanged himself in his apartment on March 5, 2008. He was not discovered for 20 days, and then only because he didn't pay his rent for the month," Hergert continued in her letter to Sen. Murray. "He missed numerous scheduled medical appointments at the VA hospital. He missed his weekend duty with the National Guard unit. Yet, no one came to check on him, not even the doctors or counselors who were seeing him for his injuries and trauma."

These tragic incidents are Not The Fault of the Greater Majority who Work In The Veterans Administration System, most are extremely dedicated not only to their work but those They Serve!

This is Totally In The Lap of the Leadership, the Political Appointee's, and those in the Administration parts of the systems, especially if hired because of Political affiliation these past 7 years, not only VA but across the board in this failing Government, Total Incompetence, and an Apathedic Freightened Country that Refuses to Hold Accountibility on those as that Incompetence Continues, Unabated!!

"I have to live with the knowledge that he died alone and in despair and feeling without hope," Hergert said.

The lead to the tragic story above, and those I'm placing below, come from Veterans For Common Sense who are spearheading the Lawsuit, now in trial, against the VA. Visit their site and throw a few duckets of that Tax Rebate their way, they could use it as Veterans Fighting For Veterans, along with other organizations you might be inclined to Support.

One for those Not Serving and Suffering, as our Military Personal and Their Families Are, You're Way Overdue your Sacrifice! {Service Members and Families of Disregard previous sentence, You've Given This Country Way Too Much All Ready!!}

Two, it's the Best Way to put that money that should Already be Going to these returning Vets to a use that is extremely worthwhile, you certainly don't need to shop for more crap in your lives!

Mental Health

The War Within: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
James Sperry's nightmares always take him back to Fallujah.

Combat Vets Face Hurdles as Students
Colleges learning to deal with PTSD, lost limbs, brain injuries.

Many Troops Never Get Help for Mental Wounds
Army Cpl. Robb Rudd finished basic training within 48 hours of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Inner War Knows No Truce
The movie “Stop Loss” filled the silver screen with haunting images of bad dreams, alcoholism and family strife in the wake of a tour of duty in Iraq.

Bill Would Expand PTSD Benefits
House lawmakers have reworked a bill that would make it easier for veterans to get benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder by not requiring them to prove their exposure to a stressor.

Editorial Column: Half of Vets Suffering Brain and Mind Injuries Go Untreated, But Pentagon Pretends Nothing's Going on
Penny Coleman
An activist travels to the DoD's annual suicide prevention conference, only to find the military brass living in a parallel universe.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Mitchell to VA: 'My Patience is at an End'
Rep Harry Mitchell (D-5) has given Deparment of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake an option: Produce documents related to suicides among veterans by May 9, or he will pursue "other options."

Iraq War

Investigators: Millions in Iraq Contracts Never Finished
Millions of dollars of lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts were never finished because of excessive delays, poor performance or other factors, including failed projects that are being falsely described by the U.S. government as complete, federal investigators say.

Talk Doesn't Mean Action for Vets
Judging by sheer numbers alone, this is most definitely the Year of the Veteran at the state Capitol.

Department of Defense

Is There an Army Cover Up of Rape and Murder of Women Soldiers?
The Department of Defense statistics are alarming — one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military.

Bring Them Home and Take Care Of Them When They Return, Now!!!

We've gone through all of this before, this time Learn From The Mistakes and Incompetence of those we Call Our Leaders, Never Again!!!

MAY DAY! MAY DAY! MAY DAY!

Clarence Thomas, National Co-Chair of the Million Worker March Movement and Executive Board member of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10, spoke on April 24th, 2008, at the Iraq Town Hall meeting, in the Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, CA. The ILWU has committed to blocking ports on May 1st in opposition to the occupation of Iraq.

YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE HERE

"We let our soldiers down . . . No excuse."

General on Fort Bragg Situation

by Brandon Friedman

I just took part in my first Army Blogger's Roundtable conference call put on by the Defense Department. It was a chance for the Army to explain to us, first-hand, its side of the story with regard to the Fort Bragg barracks situation. It also gave me and the other bloggers the opportunity to get some answers from a one-star general on what's being done to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

You can listen to the entire call by clicking here.

Brandons post covers the outrage over this Video, produced by a Father of a returned Afgan Vet and his own Outrage:

Brandon served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is the author of The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War

You can read the rest of Brandons post, at Vet Voice through the top link, with part of his transcript of questions he asked.

Veterans Court - Buffalo NY

Back in January Ilona Meagher, of PTSD Combat-Winning The War Within posted about a Justice Court being set up in Buffalo NY to help Veterans who get into legal trouble you can read her post Here

This Court came together with the help of the local Buffalo chapter membership of Vietnam Veterans of America:

Western New York Chapter 77 member Jack O’Connor has put together a program called Veterans Court in conjunction with the Buffalo Police Department, Buffalo City Court Judge Robert T. Russell, Jr., and the Buffalo VA Medical Center. The object of the Veterans Court program is to keep veterans who are arrested for low-level crimes out of jail. The program provides VA counselors to work with these veterans with the idea of getting them into appropriate treatment programs. If a veteran successfully completes the program, which Judge Russell monitors, charges may be dropped and the veteran will not have to serve jail time.

Since than not much has been reported about this needed endevor to help Veterans who go astray of the law, in most cases in their attempts to reintegrate back into society, a society that most haven't experianced what these military personal have.

The Huge Majority of service men and women, even though reports have serviced, as the military trys to maintain it's quota's on enlistment, aren't criminals, never have been of criminal mind, and most likely never would have broken laws. But when one goes into Wars of Choice, and especially with extended multiple tours, many change as they are caught in a never land of trying to adjust and living with the memories of their experiances unsure of where to seek help or who to talk to. Their actions can than lead to breaking the laws of the land they once served Honorably, loosing their way after that service.

On the 29th, of April, the Veterans Court came into the light, long over due, but well along since the start to report on it's needed service.

NPR's Morning Edition did a report on one returned Iraq Veteran it's been helping, instead of locking up:

Nancy J. Parisi for NPR
Iraq veteran Gary Pettengill waits at the bus stop outside the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Buffalo. He is here most days, either to work or to go to drug rehab.

Court Aims to Help Vets with Legal Troubles

You Can Listen Now, brings up NPR Player.

Morning Edition, April 29, 2008 · As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan put renewed focus on the issue of veterans' mental health, a judge in Buffalo, N.Y., has created a special court to assist veterans who wind up in the criminal justice system.

Gary Pettengill wanted to make a career out of the military, but the Army made him take a medical discharge in 2006 after he injured his back in Iraq. At the time, Pettengill was 23 and married, with a third child on the way.

To cope with what he says were empty days and nightmares caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, Pettengill says he started smoking marijuana. Then he began selling it to pay his bills. In February, he was arrested during a drug sweep and accused of being in possession of two pounds of marijuana.

Read Rest Here

Nancy J. Parisi for NPR
The VA provides Pettengill with bus tokens to get to and from the medical center. That helps him stay on track with the Buffalo veterans court.

Paradox: Construction - Destruction

Iraq

Contractors operate equipment under the crackle of automatic weapon fire and with the protection of M-1 tanks, Stryker vehicles and Apache helicopters. The workers in this case are constructing a series of walls to block certain areas of Sadr City, the vast Shi'ite slum in Baghdad.

Dozens of walls have already been built around Baghdad, the southern city of Basra and other Iraqi cities, creating segregated ethnic Sunni and Shi'ite neighborhoods ringed with checkpoints and command posts. The latest flurry of construction activity has little to do with nation building, but rather is more related to a deteriorating security environment.

Vietnam

"Motor grader operators work with loaded carbines at their sides; ... scrapers cut roads across the shadows of hastily prepared gun emplacements; a lean, tanned construction superintendent waxes enthusiastic over the future while helicopters stutter overhead looking for enemy guerrillas."

The above description is not from the latest edition of the New York Times reporting from Iraq, but rather from a journalist covering the US's massive construction effort amid the war in Vietnam in 1966. Then, the project to build a separate state out of the southern half of Vietnam involved the energies of the best and brightest academic experts in economics, political science, police systems and government, as well as dozens of private corporations which specialized in engineering and construction.

The above were taken from an article in Asia Times by James M Carter who is an assistant professor of history at Texas A & M University.

The article by James Carter US paradox of construction and destruction was posted up on the 25th of this month.

On the 28th, this was being reported: Audit: Millions Wasted In Iraq Contracts
Investigator Gives Snapshot Of The Uneven Reconstruction Effort That Has Cost U.S. Taxpayers $100B

Millions of dollars of lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts were never finished because of excessive delays, poor performance or other factors, including failed projects that are being falsely described by the U.S. government as complete, federal investigators say.

The Audit was released on Sunday which you can find here - SIGIR: Independent & Objective Oversight

Another cut from Mr Carters article:

The idea was to quickly build up southern Vietnam's primitive physical infrastructure while putting in place a government in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) advised and funded by Washington. The working assumption was that the local people would be grateful and welcoming, and, working alongside American advisors and experts, would contribute to the invention of a new, prosperous and non-communist state.

Visit Mr Carters article, he has much more about the policies than and abit of comparison.

Than visit, if you already haven't, the above report on the Audit of Iraq Reconstruction, or one of the many in the mainstream on topic, and the Audit itself.

Than you might want to see, if you haven't already, what is already being planned in the halls of Congress in this report Congress wants Iraq to repay U.S. expenses

Iraqis would be forced to pay for U.S. efforts in their country directly or via loans from the United States if any of at least five similar pieces of legislation introduced on Capitol Hill this month is approved.

We Invade, Destroy, Kill and Maim, Occupy, Torture, Imprison, Segragate, than turn around and "Send Them The Bill"!

Than we, in our Arrogance, wonder why "Others Hate Us!"!

I'll close with another observation of Mr Carter:

As the US's Vietnam experience showed, war is not the same as nation building. If ever larger military deployments are necessary simply to hold ground, then perhaps it's high time to admit that the Iraq project has already failed. Vietnam showed that greater militarization will only bring more destruction, suffering and political polarization and accentuate the paradox of simultaneous construction and destruction, which unfortunately has found painful new life in Iraq.

Combat Vets as Students

The News & Observer has a good report on the returning OIF and OEF Veterans as some transition to Students in Colleges and Universities around the country, reporting on some of the problems they face in that transition from combat soldier to student.

This could have been expanded, as many already have found out as others before you went through the same, to the transition from In-Theater Soldiers to Civilian life not just as Students

.

As tens of thousands of veterans of the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq try to collect on their promised college benefits, McKinnon and others are finding that their combat experience complicates the transition from soldier to student.

The report covers one returned soldiers experiance and is titled Combat vets face hurdles as students with the subtitle Colleges learning to deal with PTSD, lost limbs, brain injuries

.

Sometimes she can't recall a professor's name. She loses track of test dates.

Natasha McKinnon is a student at N.C. State University

"Not only am I a full-time student," McKinnon said during a break between classes, "I'm a full-time patient. It takes a toll, mentally and physically. Sometimes I'm there in class, but only in body. Not in mind."

Some of these Veterans as students, as well as those back in civilian life, may have had outgoing personalities before but now find it hard to re-integrate back into their once comfortable surroundings and become quieter or moody, they've seen and experianced things in these occupation theaters that can't be explained to the unexperianced, they may have personally done things that go completely against their upbringings or been witness to others actions.

NCSU has a historical connection to veterans; immediately after World War II, the campus was inundated with returning soldiers attending school on the generous GI Bill of 1944. By the fall of '46, they made up more than three-fourths of NCSU's enrollment, part of the national "GI Bulge" that sent 8 million vets to college or vocational training.

Compared to that flood, today's student veterans are a trickle, coming quietly onto campus a few at a time, often without mentioning their military service. No one tracks how many enrolled at NCSU, Duke or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are veterans. If they don't ask for help, the schools may never know they're there.

They also return to a Society not paying much attention to what is really going on and only show Support in mostly meaningless ways, using words and symbols, with little actual action nor willing to pay for the needs the country promises to those who serve them.

Recognition of who they are now and what we sent them to experiance and do, In Our Names, should be a Societies Responsibility, that Responsibility also extends to the little Countries Citizens we send our own to invade and occupy especially in our Wars of Choice, for we bring The Terror to their doorsteps not them Terrorizing ours!

"These are people who have put themselves in harm's way, in a very dangerous place," Branker said. "I just don't see that a person could come back from that experience and the effects be mild. If there is a way to help them, we want to do it."

There is more you can read about what Ms. McKinnon and her sisters and brother vets are experiancing at the article link.

There is also a couple of related links Some combat scars are like learning disabilities and Audio slide show: Veteran on a mission on the right that you might miss.

What returning Combat Vets need are Good Listeners, when they are comfortable enough to open up, which may take time, a long time.

They most certainly don't need the UnExperianced telling them what their needs are or how to cope with their Experiances!

Not to Alarm, but as we've learned, once again, many are having extreme trouble in their transition and coping and are opting out, this can be caught well before it reaches that stage of personal decision.

If they can reach out to others or those others are asked to help, those who served with them, those who have already returned, those who served in other conflict theaters, those who have the similar experiances of Conflict Theaters of War.

Thoses who have Experianced ease in the transition and coping as they have already started that journey with the help of others of like experiance.

This country faces the Unknown, for there are many who have not only experianced the trauma of war in a single tour of duty but have Mutiple Extended Tours of the Stress and Reality of the Wars of Choice, something unpresentented in previous conflicts unless one choose to serve more tours, and those I knew from 'Nam did so because they couldn't transition back, and they never did!

These returning Soldiers also Need Much More Support, not in just words or lapel flag pins, from those We Hire To Represent, that's their job!!

Request for Information

On another Investigation spearheaded by

Melissa W. Kasnitz
Managing Attorney
Disability Rights Advocates

Melissa sent me an e-mail, part of which is:

Disability Rights Advocates is working up a new investigation regarding the physical facilities and accessible medical equipment at VA hospitals.

Though I'm a 'Nam Vet I'm not a disabled Vet. As I sent back that info to Melissa telling her I'd search out others who would be able to give handson help to her.

Melissa is one of the Attorneys who were heavily involved in working up the Class Action Lawsuit now in Trial on the Veterans Care Issue in California that has been posted about on these boards.

You can go through their website: Disability Rights Advocates, to contact her and the other Attorneys, if you do it might be wise to make your contact Attn: Melissa Kasnitz in the subject line to be sure it gets to her.

Help for Veterans

The following came in on a google news alert I have on Nadia McCaffery who's son, Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey, was killed nearly five years ago in Iraq. The reason I use the alert is that Nadia, and her Daughter-in-Law have been slowly growing the dream of helping other Veterans returning from the Theaters of War suffering from PTSD and TBI, her son was a medic. Their dream, in her sons honor, is called Veterans Village

This report doesn't cover 'Veterans Village' but Nadia was asked about her thoughts on this Congressional Bill.

House subcommittee passes amendment to help veterans keep their homes with a larger loan guaranty limit.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs loan guaranty limit was $144,000 — an unrealistic low, Siebold said. With the amendment to the veterans act, that limit may soon match the newly upped Federal Housing Administration loan limit of $729,750.

“It’s basically like the government is your co-signer,” said Siebol, who lives in Stockton. “It makes the loan a lot less risky.”

Now what is the response from an insider in the loan industry:

“It’s a lot of hoopla,” said Hinrich, a Tracy lender, “a bunch of window dressing — a chance for politicians to earn bragging rights.”

Well maybe he's right, than again if he feels like that the question is why isn't he, and others, helping these legislators tweak the bill to better help out these returning combat vets. many of those in the loan industry are a big part of the problem. They managed to tweak the loans, coming up with very questionable loan packages, in order to enhance the bottom lines for their own wealth but especially for the wealth of those who invested in these packages, not worrying at all about those being sold the loans who possibly couldn't afford to pay them off, and many of them jumped on board in the questionable selling of these loan packages.

And how does Nadia feel about this legislation:

Before her son left on his fatal mission, he took out a second loan on his Palo Alto home.

“He didn’t want his wife to go through financial troubles,” McCaffrey said of her son.

But when he got killed, McCaffrey and her daughter-in-law were left to foot the bill. After learning of the higher-limit veterans’ loan guaranty, McCaffrey said she hopes she can refinance and lower the monthly payments for her daughter-in-law.
“It would be a great relief to us,” McCaffrey said today. “And I know so many people who can benefit from this.”

In this article they also talked to a disabled Marine corps veteran.

Today, Siebold and his peers face the ugly consequences: default, foreclosure and, in some cases, homelessness.

In another article about this bill they have this to say:

The lower figure is useless in Northern California, especially in the Bay Area where housing prices are among the highest in the nation.
"I've heard from reservists who have been deployed multiple times, saw a big loss in pay and they get in trouble with their home loans," McNerney said.

Now this is the bill coming out of committee:

Congressional Legislation Veteran Home Loan Guaranty Improvement Act of 2008
Bill # H.R.4884

Cosponsor Total: 21
(last sponsor added 04/23/2008)
21 Democrats

About This Legislation:

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the home loan guaranty programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Introduced by Representative Bob Filner.

Did anyone notice what I quickly saw? Who the original sponsor was and the 21 co-sponsors, this should make it clearer:

Arizona

Raul Grijalva (D 7th)
04/08/2008

California

Barbara Lee (D 9th)
04/10/2008


Gerald McNerney (D 11th)
03/13/2008


Bob Filner (D 51st)
12/19/2007

Guam

Madeleine Bordallo (D At-Large)
04/08/2008

Illinois

Janice Schakowsky (D 9th)
04/08/2008

Maine

Michael Michaud (D 2nd)
02/07/2008

Minnesota

Tim Walz (D 1st)
04/10/2008

Nevada

Shelley Berkley (D 1st)
04/14/2008

New Hampshire

Carol Shea-Porter (D 1st)
04/08/2008

New Jersey

Robert Andrews (D 1st)
03/10/2008


Donald Payne (D 10th)
03/10/2008

New York

John Hall (D 19th)
04/10/2008

Ohio

Betty Sutton (D 13th)
04/10/2008


Zack Space (D 18th)
04/14/2008

Pennsylvania

Robert Brady (D 1st)
04/08/2008

South Dakota

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D At-Large)
04/23/2008

Texas

Silvestre Reyes (D 16th)
04/08/2008


Ciro Rodriguez (D 23rd)
04/10/2008


Solomon Ortiz (D 27th)
04/08/2008

Vermont

Peter Welch (D At-Large)
04/08/2008

Now my question is, Where are all those Lapel Flag Pin Wearers with an 'R' following their names? You know the ones I mean, the ones who were loudly beating the Drums of War when they had total control over the Washington based Government. The ones, through their mouth pieces and supporters, were calling Any who Opposed the coming Failed Policy Unpatriotic, Traitors, and every name their think tanks could muster. The ones, while having All That Control, never once mentioned nor held Congressional Committee meetings to come up with the monies and legislation needed for the returning Military Personal they were Sending Into Two War Theaters of Occupation. The ones who were blocking any want and need of Congressional committee meetings and hearings that the minority party were trying to hold, the ones that managed to hold hearings were relagated to basement meeting rooms with no 'R's' to be seen.

Instead they were just Rubber Stamping anything that came out of the administration, No Questions Asked, and the Military Personal, and their Families, were Never Even Thought Of, Especially the Reservist and Guard members yanked from civilian life and jobs to fight in Conflicts for the War Profitteers of Wall Street and the Private sector!!

Why isn't there By-Partison Bills, with Huge Majority Support, to Help these returning Combat Vets in All Their Needs, and Where Is The Public's Outrage on the Treatment of these returning men and women We Sent Off To Destroy and Occupy Others Countries?