The Extremely Important Presidential Candidate Forum That Wasn't

We have two theaters of occupations of others in destroyed countries, destroyed by us, one in continuing destruction from others before to us now and our broken promises of helping to rebuild as that theater grows more dangerous, the other totally destroyed on the trumped up lies of a twisted ideology of a few, tens of thousands dead and maimed, millions living as refugee's, billions of dollars wasted, stolen, lost in the machine of war profitteering, soldiers serving mutiple tours in both, families of same scraficing as a nation that is not moves along, most not caring what is happening In Their Names.

We call this "The War On Terror" and in the seven years these conflict theaters have been raging all we've created are the hatreds that will feed the ranks of the criminal terrorists leading to damaged National Securities around the globe and more theaters of death, destruction and occupations.

The sub title of this 'War On Terrorism' has been sold to all as a clash of twisted religious ideologies, a 'Religious War', on all sides. Those war hawks supporting and pushing these ideologies, few of them fighting, define everything about these clashes with political and religious labels, those opposed are left to define in same manner.

Tonight, as we approach the 2008 elections, we will have the first face to face forum of the Presidential Candidates, and where will that forum take place, in of all places a mega church presided over, and moderated by a best-selling pastor, Rick Warren.

This in a Country that labels itself as a Christian Nation, comfortably attempting to push all other religious ideologies of it's citizens out of site and mind. A nation where those that individually preach their christian faiths in the teachings of rarely follow those teachings, picking and choosing the teachings each feels comfortable with in their lives while living with intolerance of others and placing political ideologies front and center as the religion they follow.

There was a Presidential Candidate Forum of much more meaning that was to be and should have been the first. It would have brought forth what this Nation and it's Presidential Candidates should be focussed on for in what direction this nation is heading, what are it's moral standards, how it should lead by the examples it says it has but continuingly fails to follow, how it takes care of those who serve it's National Defense and the families of those who serve and much more, but it didn't happen.

Let me introduce the young lady that was spear heading this attempted Presidential Forum:


"Military Spouses Working to Improve Lives of Soldiers"


Carissa is, Carissa Picard, A Blue Star Wife and President/Founder of Military Spouses for Change at P.O. Box 216, Copperas Cove, TX 76522

And these are just some of the Advocacy Groups working with her:

The Town Hall Consortium is made up of:

American Veterans

Brain Injury Association of America

Disabled Veterans of America

Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States

Fleet Reserve Association

Military Officers Association of America

Military Order of the Purple Heart

Military Spouse Corporate Career Network

National Spinal Cord INjury Association

The Sanctuary International

Veterans for Common Sense

Veterans United for Truth

Vietnam Veterans of America

Veterans Village

WELLsville Veterans Project


Carissa tried, along with others, to also get a Candidate Forum for the primary runs of both political parties and all the candidates, that to didn't happen.

This is an article from back than:

War uneasiness could loosen GOP's hold on military votes

This is a Video report from back than:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead.

The one that should have been was the 2008 Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall to take place on Monday August 11, 2008, 9:00 pm (EST) at the Bell County Expo Center, Belton, Texas and carried live on the CBS Television Network.

Neither of these important forums failed because of a lack of extremely hard work or poor planning, they did so because the Presidential Candidates, in the primary runs, and now approaching the elections didn't want them, nor did the greater majority of this countries voter population. The latter was proven out by posting about these on the political interactive web forums and the replys given and not given.

Breaking the cycle of war making: our country will not find peace until we take responsibility for our wars. from Heal the Warrior, Heal the Country

The forum that was to be this past monday was accepted by one presidential candidates camp, in word only, the other said that previous committments interfeared, with the Town Hall Consortium saying they would work with both to find a suitable date.

As the date was closing in the Consortium suspended the forum. The candidate camp that had accepted, instead of using that suspension as a political point, instead ignored and came out with a series of other attack ads and no mention in the stump speaches, the other camp also hasn't mentioned the forum, meanwhile our soldiers and their families still carry the countries burden of sacrifice. The voting population seems also to have brushed it aside as it wasn't, to them, important enough to stand behind and fight for!

While everyone hangs on to every word of tonights religious? Presidential Candidate Forum, listening to every word and many waiting to write about how each candidate faired, the Occupations go on, the destruction continues, the body counts go up, the billions are spent, the hatreds are increased, and this country continues it's downward spiral away from it's stated beliefs!

This is a pretty good description of what is to come tonight, as shown on MSNBC Countdown last night:



And this is a tiny window on how lives have been changed:

A Thank You to Those Who Care for Our Nation's Wounded




"Military Spouses for Change" is working to improve the lives of soldiers and their families. They want to convince government to improve health care, treatment for PTSD and other issues that soldiers face when they return home.

That 'Government' is You!!

"We want this dialogue, we want this conversation to occur, we want the American public to be watching it as it happens," Military Spouses for Change President Carissa Picard said.

Again I'll say, neither Presidential Candidate Camp wanted this forum, but more Importantly neither did the American Voters, either party!

Brave New Foundation: In Their Boots Episode 7

Originally aired on August 13th, 2008

Topic: Pre-Deployment Stress and Children's Issues
Departure: Chapter 1

Amanda Raymond
Navy Wife

Virginia Ruehrwein
Director of
Youth and Community Outreach
Armed Services YMCA, San Diego




Amanda Raymond
Amanda Raymond lives in the small town of Prospect, Maine and works as a “domestic engineer” — the 24/7 job of raising her 5-year-old daughter, Olivia, and 10-month-old son, Cole. Amanda grew up Navy. Her grandfather was in the Navy. Her father was in the Navy. So it was no surprise when Amanda joined the College NROTC Program in 1997. She met her husband Gary while they were both midshipmen at the University of Maine in Orono. She was commissioned into the Navy in 2000 and served for five years. While she eventually separated to become a full-time mom, Gary stayed in the service. And in April, Gary deployed to Iraq. He’ll be gone for 406 days. Most of those days she’ll have to explain to Olivia where daddy is. And while she’s a tough lady, she knows it’ll be hard.

Gary Raymond
Lt. Gary Raymond met his wife Amanda in college. They were both midshipmen at the University of in Maine in Orono, and got married the same weekend he graduated. Since then he’s been an Assistant Professor of Naval Science at the Maine Maritime Academy, a Navy Nuclear Power Officer on a submarine, and on April 27, 2008, he deployed to Iraq to work as a Watch Officer, monitoring communication networks throughout the country. Gary will be gone for 406 days. While he’s overseas, he’ll miss Christmas with the family, his daughter Olivia’s first day of kindergarten, and his son Cole’s first steps. By the time he comes home his son will be almost 2 years old.

Heal the Warrior,

Heal the Country.

I most certainly am not an Edward Tick, author of War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a few other books, as well as the article in Yes Magazine linked above. He is also the director and senior psychotherapist of Soldier’s Heart: Veteran’s Safe Return Initiatives.

So I'll give a few of the cuts from the article and add some other related information I've recently received.

Breaking the cycle of war making: our country will not find peace until we take responsibility for our wars.

He starts out the article with the above quote and this:

Guilt, shame, slaughter without purpose, alienation from homeland and life itself—this was the legacy that Günter passed on to his son Walt from his World War II combat service in Hitler’s Wehrmacht. Walt, “the only child born in freedom,” was born in the United States shortly after his parents emigrated here from Germany. Growing up in the Cold War 1950s, Walt longed to be an all-American boy, but was always the Indian to his friends’ cowboys and the “Kraut” to their G.I. Joes.

The Warrior’s Path

Our troops do not enlist because they want to destroy or kill. No matter the political climate, most troops seek to serve traditional warrior values: to protect the country they love, its ideals, and especially their families, communities, and each other. If they must kill or be killed, they need transcendent reasons to do so. Throughout history, the only reason for fighting that has survived moral scrutiny is a direct attack with real, immediate threat to one’s people. PTSD is, in part, the tortured conscience of good people who did their best under conditions that would dehumanize anyone.

Warriorhood, however, is not so valued or nurtured in modern society. “Warrior” is not even a recognized social class. A veteran, especially one with disabilities, appears to many, and sometimes to him or herself, as a failure in terms of normal civilian identity. Michael fears that, as an experienced combat veteran, the only place on the planet he now fits is in the French Foreign Legion.

The Echoes of War

War abroad fosters war at home. When we go to war, we inevitably bring its violence and horror back to our homes and streets. We cannot help it.

Cleansing the Warrior

War poisons the spirit, and warriors return tainted. This is why, among Native American, Zulu, Buddhist, ancient Israeli, and other traditional cultures, returning warriors were put through significant rituals of purification before re-entering their families and communities. Traditional cultures recognized that unpurified warriors could, in fact, be dangerous. The absence of these rituals in modern society helps explain why suicide, homicide, and other destructive acts are common among veterans.

A Double Wound

Sitting Bull and his warriors, and other bands from innumerable traditional cultures, were never plagued with self-doubt about the value of their mission, as many of our soldiers are today. In order to do battle with a whole heart, the danger and threat to one’s home must be real, and the people must experience it as immediate and about to threaten their total existence; there must be no alternative. A people and their warriors must be in unity.

Ed goes on to explain further each of the topics above and has a few more topics of explaination below those. He closes with this:

I asked Walt’s permission to tell his story during our farewell visit in the hospital where he was dying of Agent Orange cancers. He was surprised at first, but finally said, “I was afraid my life was worthless. But please tell my story. Please make it mean something. Maybe it can help some other poor souls avoid my fate.”

Read an excerpt from conscientious objector Aidan Delgado’s The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: Notes from a Conscientious Objector in Iraq

Read the Rest of Edward Ticks article Here

And some links:

Pentagon spends record on TBI, PTSD research, a drop in the bucket of what's needed, was needed long ago, and will cost even more if not taken seriously this time!

MOAA & USNI Host Wounded Warrior Defense Forum in D.C.

Substance Use Disorders and Clinical Management of Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Prevalence of Chronic Pain After Traumatic Brain Injury

Stress Management Important Throughout Military Careers

Computer-based program helps retrain the brain after injury

Veterans Tsunami is coming...

There's a post over at KOS that if you haven't caught you should, if a Veteran of OIF and OEF and or a concerned advocate and activist.

It is posted by Peoples Lobby

The Country should be giving Total Funding to these programs, but it's always left to the Families of Veterans, Veterans of previous conflicts and the Dedicated Advocates/Activists to not only Volunteer but to gather the needed funds to accomplish the goals. And most of those advocates come directly from the Pro-Peace Activists ranks during and long after the conflicts are over!

Dedicated individuals in the nonprofit sector have the programs that our government should be carrying forward to help our troubled vets today and produce fewer wounded vets tomorrow. Building Veterans Villages helps vets erase post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and build their lives. Fielding 21 million Americans under the American World Service Corps will eliminate creating future PTSD wounded vets and build stronger lives for all who serve and are served. Visit Veterans Village and World Service Corp to learn more.

SNIP: Read Rest Here


And if you have a KOS account rate it up as you visit the sites and offer your Help to Nadia!

Russian Georgian Conflict

Pepe Escobar: Georgia is a strategic client state of the US with close ties to the Bush administration



Georgian troops launched an aerial bombardment and ground attack on its separatist province of South Ossetia on Thursday. South Ossetians want to join up with their ethnic brethren in North Ossetia, an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation. Seeing this as an act of aggression Russia launched bombing raids against Georgia, vowing to defend its citizens. More than half of South Ossetia's citizens are said to have taken up Moscow's offer of a Russian passport. Pepe Escobar believes that "the hypocrisy of the international community knows no bounds for if the West forced the issue of Kosovar independence then the independence of South Ossetia should also be on the cards."

The geopolitics of Georgia

F William Engdahl: There are far bigger stakes being played out in Georgia than a territorial dispute



US attempts to get Georgia into NATO, coupled with its desire to erect an anti-missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech republic would give it first strike capability towards Russia. Moscow sees this as a national security threat against the sovereignty of Russia. Political economist F William Engdahl believes this is the geopolitical endgame being played out in Georgia.

Military Spouses - A Thank You

Thanks to Ilona Meagher over at PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within, with a hattip to VA Watchdog, for posting the following.

Though bowed,
You are not broken.
Though stretched,
You're strong, my friend.
You are resilient like a willow --
You'll find your spring again.
Though your branches
Now weigh heavy,
Your roots go deep and true.
This is just a change of season --
God has better plans for you.

-- Sharon Hudnell

A Thank You to Those Who Care for Our Nation's Wounded



Visit the link directly above for the rest of what Ilona posted on this, and visit hers and the VA Watchdog links for a host of important information.

Brave New Foundation:In Their Boots Episode 6

Originally aired on August 6th, 2008



Topic: Peer Support as a Way of Healing
Hero's Welcome
Chapter 2

Domonicque Tatum
US Army Veteran

Matt Randle
Institutional Outreach Coordinator
Vets4Vets