This Is Your Community Too!!

Is Anybody Listening?

Many have already heard about the kids from Pomona California Village Academy High School, many have probably caught their little eight minute video that has launched them into the National Spotlight and Political Debate on what this Country is now going through. But this isn't new it's just affecting many more kids and families now, with more added each day. Kids can't learn and achieve any dreams they might have if their families are struggling and their living those struggles daily.

Last night on the PBS News Hour they showed a report on these kids and their videoed thoughts and feelings, that report is directly below.

Correspondent John Larson
Produced by: Karen Foshay; Edited by: Alberto Arce, Michael Bloecher, "Lil" Joe Whiting
Published On: March 19, 2009 4:41 PM

KCET SoCal Connected

It was a class project born out of a discussion of the American Dream. Five months later, it made it into a speech given by President Obama. “it” is an eight minute video titled, “Is Anybody Listening.” It’s the first person accounts of students struggling with foreclosures, hunger and the threat of becoming homeless.



The video feels like a twenty-first century version of a Dorothea Lange portrait. One student told us his American dream is modest - to have a refrigerator full of food. The goal of making the video was to get the attention of the nation’s leaders, specifically the President. It took a few months, but just last week, the video made it to the White House and President Obama told the students in a speech he is listening and promised to fight for their right to the American Dream. Although there is no assurance the President’s promise will change the lives of these Pomona kids, they are hopeful and for now are declaring “mission accomplished.”

If you are interested in helping the teenagers in the video, please contact Rick Motz at Village Academy High School, (909) 397-4900×2600.

KCET SoCal Connected Homepage

KCET SoCal Local

We live in an economic ideology called capitalism. We are taught that if we work hard, and in any job, develop the skills needed we can prosper and advance. Capitalism is supposed to be a system of sharing the profits of the work that goes into the making of or the services rendered. A bottom up economy, hard work, quality products and services, the bottom line grows and all should share in the benefits of that growth, from the top down.

These kids are no different than kids before them or that will come. All are endowed with gifts, each unique. Some will want and need the further education afforded in our universities and colleges, others will want to put there gifts to the test in many area's of employment, hobbies, and lives. All will continue to learn the lessons of life by living and growing. Most will find they have even more gifts as they mature. Most will want, and should get, the respect for what they do in their lives and in what they do in their working lives.

In just 8 minutes, the students from Village Academy High in Pomona articulated the struggles of millions of Americans. They did it by making a video called, "Is Anybody Listening?" and you'll be surprised to find out who is.

Is Anybody Listening - Where It All Began

Some how we've allowed that system to corrupt itself, businesses buying out smaller businesses to make huge corporations thus taking competition away by shutting down some as they absorbed others discarding the workers as they expanded, the money changers and business executives started reaping huge wages, benefits and business perks worried more about the money side and the investor than in quality product and customer service. This has left those producing he work with falling starter wages and stagnation in growth wages no matter how much is givin to their jobs as prices of commodities have risen.

The kids from Village Academy High in Pomona get the chance to meet President Obama.

Obama Visit

We once had a growing economy, workers had to fight for some of their share, and continue fighting, but it did grow, their was a sharing in the success on all levels.

How do I know, I grew up in it and than joined it. Workers would get raises on their quality of work, where most worked became their second families, their would be pretty much regular raises, I've known small investors, who did so on long term investing in companies, that reaped more wealth from those investment, than what they're meager wages produced, able to leave huge sums to their children. I watched as small businesses grew into larger and larger corporation, not through buyouts but quality work and service.

As our new President says, and many understand, a strong economy is bottom up not top down, if there really is that much money at the top for the money changers and business executives than that's where it's frozen, as the workers have become commodities to be brought in or discarded according to number figures on paper, everything is tossed aside for a bottom line percentage.

Bill Moyers Journal - Economy

March 20, 2009

Bill Moyers sits down with socialist historian Mike Davis for his critique of the government's response to the economic crisis and how he thinks it compares to Roosevelt's New Deal. Mike Davis is a writer and historian, who currently teaches creative writing at University of California, Riverside.

Watch the discussion

More about Mike Davis.

"We need more protests. We need more noise in the street. At the end of the day, political parties tend to legislate what social movements and social voices have already achieved in the factories or the streets or in the civil rights demonstration."

American Dissenters Dissident voices from Tom Paine to Ralph Nader.

Bill Moyers talks with Marta Peláez, president and CEO of Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc., a domestic abuse shelter in San Antonio, TX, for perspective on the human face of the economic downturn and how it may be pushing more families over the edge.

Watch the discussion

More about Marta Peláez

"Last year, at this same time, I had 68-70 on my daily census, women and children. Today, I just called this morning, we had 184 women — 114 of those people are children."

How to Safeguard Your Community Against Domestic Violence

What's One Thing Needed.......

Workers must once again unite, we've seen enough obscene behavior from the money changers and those they help as well as our representatives.

One place leaders can and should come from is the ranks of our returning soldiers, already well disciplined, many with great leadership qualities, and having experienced the worse man can bring on his fellow man.

We will find business and rank and file workers, leaders all, within those ranks!

Baptized by Fire: Killer Blue {into the 7th yr.}

We've now entered the seventh year in Iraq and still way over one hundred thousand military troops occupy, a country that never should have been invaded, while we are led to believe that most of the country is quite, as Iraqi's and Soldiers still die and are maimed!



The destruction and death has slowed down, but the reasons are the same as can be found anywhere there's an occupation and guerrilla insurgency, the insurgents have laid down their arms, for now!

Lets look back with the help of a few site links.

Back from Iraq, men of Killer Blue look ahead
The struggle to be average Americans again plays out in different ways

Where are they now?

Invasion Iraq: Six Years Later

Video: Do you remember?

"Shock and awe." "The deck of cards." "Embeds." As the Iraq invasion unfurled, these and other previously unfamiliar words were on everyone’s tongues. Take a look back.

{There are a number of links to video highlights from the opening days of the Iraq War in the link directly above}

Much has been finally coming to the surface, these last couple of years, that was seemingly ignored as two theaters raged by those who enacted them and the country that cheered them on!

Here's one issue we'll be hearing much more about unless they put a stop to it now, in our professional military!!

Sex Abuse And Female Soldiers

March 17, 2009 - Sexual Assault Permeates U.S. Armed Forces
CBS Evening News: Shocking Report On Frequent Attacks, Low Rate Of Investigation, Prosecution

Katie Couric investigates an alarming trend in the U.S. military, as more and more female soldiers have come forward with tales of sexual abuse at the hands of male soldiers and superior officers.

March 18, 2009 - Does Policy Endanger Female Soldiers?
Female Troops Face Threat Of Sexual Abuse By Comrades As "Moral Waivers" Increase

CBS News Exclusive: Katie Couric reports on the growing number of female soldiers who claim to have been sexually abused, as records indicate that convicted rapists have been permitted to enlist.

And as we look forward lets bring the troops home, take care of them when they get here and really upgrade our veterans hospitals and clinics. And this time Sacrifice, ourselves, as they and their Families Sacrificed for us, and give All that is Promised and Due!!

Us Vietnam Vets will Make Sure this generation isn't treated as our brothers and sisters were, and we once again watched as Gulf War I veterans were, that's a Promise!!

This new generation has embraced the technology, what wasn't before, to advance their cause, battles they shouldn't have to be fighting, and we're right there with them!!

The Country better not fail once more, and learn the lessons this time, the real lessons!!

'Seven Years Too Late'

Karzai: Additional U.S. Troops 'Seven Years Too Late'

In an interview with Margaret Warner, Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed additional U.S. troops, but said they were "seven years too late." He also endorsed reaching out to members of the Taliban who embraced the Afghan constitution.

Streaming Video Link, which you can also find, along with audio and transcript at top site link.

'The Unmaking of a Marine'

"Packing Inferno"

For nearly a decade, both wars have largely been reported by the media and explained to the public by lawmakers in statistical terms; thousands of U.S. soldiers killed in combat, hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis dead, and three-quarters of a million veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress.

Until recently, the press has been prohibited from photographing veterans returning from combat in flag-draped coffins, and funerals for the fallen were likewise off-limits.

But by relying heavily on numbers and press releases as a way of covering both conflicts, the public has been rendered incapable of experiencing or feeling any dramatic element associated with the devastation. It’s a sad truth that the average person is unable to accurately say how many U.S. soldiers have been killed and wounded since the wars began (4,257 dead, more than 31,000 wounded, 320,000 diagnosed with brain injuries).

Tyler E. Boudreau's book: "Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine"

This Is What Should Have Happened: Afghanistan

I just caught this and will say, this is what should have occurred after we invaded and rid the country of the Taliban rule, and while we went after bin Laden and al Qaeda!

Will it be to late?

I think it is already, and Hopefully I'm Wrong, Very Wrong, this time:

U.S. civilians may join Afghan buildup

Hundreds of U.S. civilians may be sent to Afghanistan in a program to support
security, governance and local development, Obama administration officials said.

The new civilian diplomats and specialists from U.S. departments such as Agriculture and Justice, along with hundreds of "full-time, temporary" hires, would work at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the officials said.

Other civilians would be assigned to U.S. "provincial reconstruction teams" and to other efforts "to build Afghan civilian capacity around the country," The Washington Post (NYSE:WPO) reported.

The new civilian force would complement 17,000 new U.S. troops scheduled for deployment this year, bringing the total to about 55,000, administration and Pentagon officials said.

At this stage of the occupation, and as Afghanistan has been ramping up in Taliban/al Qaeda numbers, destructive raids and bombings, this will be very dangerous for any civilian corps, especially a large one. One good thing,it isn't happening under the previous administration and Hopefully will be Nothing Like What We Had In Iraq, Hopefully!!!!!

On Sec.Gates visit to Dover AFB

Gates' 3.18.09, Emotional Reaction to His Visit to Dover AFB, an ABC News Video.

Gates': "...very difficult...I will add a sentence or two...I went to the back of the plane by myself, and spent time with each of the 'transfer cases'...I think I'll stop there."

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Cheney is ‘Evil'

Colin Powell’s former chief of staff Cheney is ‘evil,’ his fearmongering is ‘assisting’ al Qaeda.

AMEN to that: They've been 'Aiding' al Qaeda since 9/11

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Some Truths About Guantanamo Bay

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

‘torture is the tool of the lazy, the stupid, and the pseudo-tough. It’s also perhaps the greatest recruiting tool that the terrorists have,’"

[They] were not fighting this perpetual war for victory, they were fighting to keep a state of emergency always present as the surest guarantee of authoritarianism.-- George Orwell, 1984

Military Suicides: Senate Hearing 3.18.09

DoD Addressing Military Suicides

Chairman Ben Nelson (D-NE) is holding a Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcmte. hearing examining suicide prevention programs in each of the armed services. Defense Dept. representatives are discussing areas for improvement of access to mental health care and other initiatives that might help reduce military suicides.

This will bring up their Video Page of the Hearing

Policy and Female Soldiers

Does Policy Endanger Female Soldiers?
Female Troops Face Threat Of Sexual Abuse By Comrades As "Moral Waivers" Increase

For Wendy - an idealistic 17-year-old - the military seemed like the answer to her prayers.

“I was mostly going in for school,” Wendy said. “But I was also going in to see the world and travel.”

Deployed as a combat medic, Wendy was thrust into a chaotic and increasingly violent situation. Not long after, she experienced another kind of trauma, when she was assaulted by a fellow soldier in her barracks while she was sleeping.

“He started pushing himself on me,” she said. “And I wasn’t having it. So I started punching him and I actually kicked him in the groin.”

UpDated: Veterans March for VA Hospital in S. Texas

Kathy Upton, pictured above in the red shirt, is the manager of the Best Western in George West. On Tuesday afternoon Upton donated two rooms to Rio Grande Valley veterans who are marching to San Antonio. This allowed the veterans to get showers after their 30-mile trek from Alice. (Photo: RGG/Joey Gomez)

A couple of days ago I posted about a group of Veterans Marching to San Antonio Texas to raise awareness of the need for Veterans Hospital in South Texas that's been needed for a long time, the Texas Pols have promised but it never comes about, typical.

This is to update that previous, with a few news reports, video and pictures, as these Vets are On The March!!

A Call to Action!

An open invitation for the March to San Antonio in order to raise community and national awareness of the distance Valley Veterans must travel to receive Specialized, Surgical, and Urgent care because of the lack of a local VA Hospital.

Started: March 14th 2009

Ending: March 20th 2009

4:00 p.m.

Audie Murphy Memorial VA Hospital

7400 Merton Minter St

San Antonio TX 78229

Anyone reading and in Texas in or near San Antonio welcome their arrival on the 20th!

March To San Antonio, this is a different page than the one directly above, in the quote. It takes you to a site that gives photo's of their daily progress.

Veterans begin their march Saturday morning on the steps of the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library in Edinburg on their way to San Antonio to bring awareness of the need for a veterans' hospital in the Valley. (photo: Joel Martinez | The Monitor)

Here's some recent photo's, articles, video, and audio:

Gomez: Thoughts from Day One of the Valley Veterans March

SAN MANUEL, March 15 - Rio Grande Valley Veterans March organizer Rey Leal was smiling after completing the first 25 miles of the trek to San Antonio.

“Do your feet feel like hamburgers,” he asked me, as we reached San Manuel. “Don’t quit. Don’t do something just to quit. You are already here so finish. There is no room for weakness from any of the Valley veterans.”

Leal served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine and is a member of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America.

“For the record, I don’t intend to quit, ever,” Leal said, referring to decades-old fight for a veterans’ hospital in the Valley. “It only took a few minutes on the road for me to realize this is much bigger than me or any one of us.”

Guardian reporter Joey Gomez is embedded in Charlie Team on the Valley Veterans March. Charlie Team comprises Terry Alaffa of McAllen, Mindy Vela of Edinburg, and Mike Mejia of Mercedes. The group is pictured alongside U.S. 281 between Premont and Alice on Day Three of the march.

Peña: Veterans are riding a wave of support not seen before

SAN MANUEL, March 15 - A different feeling pervades the current march by Rio Grande Valley veterans to San Antonio, according to state Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg.

“Veterans are riding a wave of support never before seen in the region,” Peña said.

Peña made his comments while walking with the veterans that set off from Edinburg on Day One of the current march. He was the only lawmaker to travel with Valley veterans in their first march to San Antonio in November, 2005. Prior to that walk, many of the veterans struggled hard to get the attention of national politicians to build them a VA hospital, Peña said.

“You can tell the difference, and the response was immediate after that walk for the needs of those veterans,” Peña said. “You can tell by the crowd today, when were walking in 2005 there were perhaps 12 of us walking. Now, well I don't know the number here but it's large, maybe four or five times the size and that's because of the response we feel we're getting.”

Gomez: Thoughts from Day Two of the Valley Veterans March

FALFURRIAS, March 16 - At this point it's about 10 p.m. and I am huddled in a corner of the building at Post 7634 in Falfurrias. I'm sleeping on a dining table with my sleeping bag because some of the veterans had mentioned rats but I still haven't seen one.

Without a doubt today's 47 mile march from San Manuel to the Border Patrol Checkpoint and finally to Falfurrias separated the fair-weather supporters from the truly hardcore veterans who are absolutely determined to reach San Antonio. The pain of the march has strengthened their resolve, which remains undaunted.

Throughout the trip I am constantly reminded by veterans that the media do not know how it feels to make the repeated trip to San Antonio because they haven't experienced the hardship, which makes my trip all the more important. My goal remains to understand the veterans at this level.

March 16, 2009 - Vets: We deserve closer care
Vets march through south Texas to highlight the need for a V.A. hospital. Organizer Rey Leal talked to HLN from the road.


Mike Escobedo, Jesus Bocanegra, and Maribel Guzman march along U.S. 281 between Premont and Alice on Monday. The Valley veterans march in relay, with groups of four or five completing eight miles each. The Guardian was able to get an audio interview with Escobedo while he was marching Monday.

Audio: Valley veteran talks about the aches and pains endured by marchers

ALICE, March 16 - On Monday, the Guardian dropped in on the Valley Veterans March to ask Mike Escobedo how things were going.

Monday is Day Three of the march, with veterans traveling from Falfurrias to Alice. The weather was much warmer than on the first two days of the March. However, Escobedo said the spirits of the marchers was high.

Audio interview in Windows Media Player

And while these Veterans are Marching what they seek is being announced to day to be built, but in another state, as this I received earlier from the Veterans Administration Announces:

VA to Build Stand-Alone Replacement Hospital in Denver

WASHINGTON – Fulfilling President Obama’s pledge to “stand with our veterans as they face new challenges,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced today that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will build a stand-alone replacement hospital for its existing facility in Denver. The new facility will be located on the grounds of the Army’s former Fitzsimons hospital in Aurora.

The new medical center will provide Denver-area Veterans with a full range of medical, laboratory, research and counseling services, including services for Veterans with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and other disabilities.

VA will also create new Health Care Centers, which provide ambulatory care and same-day surgical services, in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Billings, Mont. The Colorado Springs facility will be managed in collaboration with the Department of Defense. VA also plans to add eight new health care facilities in rural areas throughout the region.

Is it cost or numbers that prevents VA from building Valley veterans hospital, ask marchers

ALICE, March 16 - Rio Grande Valley veterans marching from Edinburg to San Antonio believe they have come across one of the most compelling reasons for building a VA hospital in their region.

A car pulled up as they were walking towards the Falfurrias checkpoint on U.S. 281 on Sunday. A woman leaned out and handed veteran Juan Vela a note. Unsigned, the note told the story of her husband, a 65-year-old Valley veteran who has made 55 trips to the Audie Murphy VA hospital in San Antonio. The man has prostate cancer. The woman said she does not know if her husband will live long enough to make his 56th trip to San Antonio.

Because of the traffic backing up behind her, the woman had to drive off before the marching veterans could find out the name of the ailing veteran.

“We have the man’s letter but we would like to know his name because we want to have his testimony entered into the record when we go to Congress,” said Valley veteran Mike Escobedo.

Well now these Vets, when they travel to Washington next week, to lobby for their needs, now have a new tool to use, the building of this Va Hospital. If this country can afford this one, as well as enriching Incompetent Executives with bonuses from these so called 'bailouts', that means there's more than enough money to give to S.Texas in that long time need!

Valley veterans Apol Uresti of Donna, Manuel Ibarra of Edinburg and Jose Maria Vasquez of Elsa are pictured on Day Three of the Valley Veterans March. Vasquez said he is disturbed by comments made by the VA about why a veterans' hospital cannot be built in the Valley. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

Valley veterans Rey Leal and Chris Treviño are pictured after giving an interview to the Guardian and KGBT Action 4 News alongside U.S. 281 between Premont and Alice on Monday. Leal said motorists are honking their horns and pulling over to provide water, supplies and donations. “People have been great," Leal said.


VA Watchdog - RIO GRANDE VALLEY VETS MARCHING AGAIN FOR VA HOSPITAL

-- "The government only works when you put pressure on it.

There's going to be a VA hospital in the Valley."

Vets March for VA Hospital in South Texas

KIIITV News March 17, 2009

ALICE--If you were in the Jim Wells County area today, you probably noticed dozens of military veterans hitting the streets marching towards San Antonio. Their goal? To get a VA Hospital built in the Valley.

The veterans said more than 100,000 vets live in the Coastal Bend, the Valley and Laredo. They want a VA hospital in South Texas for special treatment instead of being forced to go to San Antonio.

Several groups of veterans were marching on Highway 281 in the Alice area today. They said dozens of vets are taking part in this march to raise awareness about the hospital.

Veterans VA Texas March

Day 4 of Valley veterans' march to San Antonio

ALICE, TEXAS -- Tuesday marked day four of the Rio Grand Valley veterans march to San Antonio. The march is designed to highlight the need for a Veterans Affairs hospital in Deep South Texas.

The nearest one is in San Antonio is about 280 miles from the Valley. Local veterans marched from Falfurrias to Alice Monday.Motorists traveling past them on U.S.Highway 281 were stopping to offer money, water and supplies.

Organizer Rey Leal said the group didn't let the heat get in the way of the purpose for the walk.

Gomez: Just 90 miles to go on Valley Veterans March

Vietnam War veteran Juan Vela, uncle of Progreso mayor Omar Vela, is walking all the way on the Valley Veterans March. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

GEORGE WEST, March 18 - A little more than 90 miles to go. The arrival of the Rio Grande Valley veterans in George West at the end of day four was a turning point in countless ways.

First, all the veterans say they are now more accustomed to the daily rigors of the march. The miles aren't taking as much of an impact on bones, joints, or tender feet. Rather all say they are in fact hardened to the road. The initial shock of the march is gone and that the injuries to limbs and body that were prevalent even a mere two days ago are over.

March organizer Rey Leal told me earlier that all veterans have gotten over the shock of walking farther than the couch to the fridge. This reporter however trained for two weeks before this mission.

They are coming towards their goal of reaching San Antonio by friday, coming near the end of todays march, than tomorrow into friday, give some Support if in Texas and near by the March route.

The rest of us give Support by visiting their sites Here - A Call to Action! and Here - March To San Antonio. And give a call or other communication to your representative in both the house and senate.

Iraq's Workers Unite as U.S. workers welllllllll........

Look around you, what can one say, except possibly going further into lower wages, at least they wouldn't be stagnant as they have been for most for these past years.

And workers having a Voice, C'mon!!!

Iraqi unions announce new confederation

And where did this take place, wellll.... in Iraq, of all places:

People's Weekly World Newspaper, 03/17/09

At the first International Labor Conference ever held in Iraq, three of the country’s major labor organizations announced the formation of a new labor confederation.

At the close of the two day meeting of Iraqi unions with their international allies, Iraq’s powerful Federation of Oil Unions, the nationwide Electricity Association and the General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions signed an agreement to create a new labor confederation, a step toward unifying the Iraqi labor movement as an advocate for the interests of Iraqi workers.
The conference, held on March 13-14 in Erbil in the Kurdish Region of Iraq, drew more than 200 delegates from unions and federations across Iraq and solidarity delegations from the U.S., the United Kingdom, South Africa, Japan, Australia, and Iran.

More than a year in the making, the conference drew representatives from Iraq’s oil and gas industry, its port union, the electrical generation and distribution industry, construction, public sector, transportation, communications, education, rail roads, service and health care industries, machinists and metal working sector, the petro-chemical industry, civil engineers, writers and journalists, food oil workers, tailors and students. Workers attended from fifteen of Iraq’s eighteen provinces.

U.S. Labor Against The War did post up an announcement to this gathering of Iraqi workers:

It's in PDF form and you can read it in full here.

As it starts out with this:

To: The First International Labour Conference in Erbil, Iraq, March 13-14, 2009

From: The 186 organizations affiliated with U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

We send you our greetings and solidarity on the momentous occasion of the First International Labour Conference in Iraq.
This historic gathering of Iraqi unions and labour federations with your international allies marks an important step toward full
restoration of the inalienable rights of Iraq’s workers to organize and bargain collectively in defense of the their interests in
unions of their own choosing, free of government interference, influence or control.

These rights are enshrined in the internationally recognized core conventions on the rights of workers adopted by the
International Labour Organization of the United Nations. These rights apply to all workers, in both public and private
sectors.

These rights are promised by the new Iraqi Constitution.

Oh and in case you were wondering, there were U.S. Labor representatives at the conference:

The U.S. delegation of six was organized by U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW), a network of 186 local, regional, state and national labor organizations that together represent more than five million union members. It included USLAW National Organizer Michael Eisenscher; USLAW Steering Committee Member Michael Zweig (a leader of United University Professions/AFT Local 2190); Bill Shortell, President of the Central Connecticut Labor Council; Jim Norris, President of United Steel Workers Local 675, representing oil industry workers in Southern California; and two members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, T.J. Buonomo from Philadelphia, and Aaron Hughes of Chicago.

This country, the U.S., has to rebuild the Labor Movement with stronger unions, not repeating the mistakes of the past, the workers of this country is what built it, and as we've been watching the money changers are the ones who have destroyed it.

Who's more equipped to rebuild the Labor Unions and Labor Rights, those who've are already known to be dedicated servers of the country and have now, many of them, served multiple tours in not one but two major long running conflicts and occupations. These Veterans have faced the adversity that the greater majority will never face, as that majority wasn't even asked to sacrifice. They've been tested beyond what most would be, they understand what working together can bring in results. They need now become our new leaders to rebuild this country, we have a long way to go to even get back to where we were.

This countries majority are mind and hand workers, not paper pushers, always have been. Some of these disciplined Veterans will, and should, get the knowledge needed to start and run new companies, others will get their knowledge, or use the already known and enhancing that, helping to build these new companies, but all must work together and share the success of these companies, for them, for their families, and for the country!

We must have new companies under the banner of defense contractors, the old are to well embedded and do what they please with little condemnation. We must get some of our manufacturing back, we've already lost way to many trades and a whole hell of a lot of experience, we can't have a Strong National Defense when we depend on others to manufacture our needs, especially in a National Disaster should one prevail. Just look around, where do those who've been laid off go, into the commercial or service sectors, if no ones buying there's no need for more workers at low wages, the stores and services are laying off as well.

If the Fat Cats don't want to give up their obscene compensations and perks, than the workers have to become as one and fight for what's right.

Telling auto workers they have to give back wages and benefits, again, to save their jobs, which is questionable to say the least, while executives receive 'multi- million dollar bonuses' on top of multi-million dollar wages and perks, is beyond obscene.

Blaming worker wages for being excess and causing the problems in cost and returns on investments is a fantasy fairytale that must end, if there's so much wealth to distribute to the top tier's than that's where the problem is. It isn't only in compensation it's also in what these companies spend to keep those they call the cream of the crop to stay, success or failure, and write off or hide from the tax payers.

And one way to do what is responsible, our responsibility, is to work with these Iraqi's, after the destruction we wrought on their country for no reason!!!!

UpDate: Passed on from those that were there

"A dramatic moment in the conference occurred when T.J. Buonomo, a former U.S. Military intelligence officer, and Aaron Hughes, a former U.S. Army sergeant, both of Iraq Veterans Against the War, took the stage to deliver their remarks. It was the first time that veterans of the U.S. military had returned to publicly acknowledge crimes committed against the Iraqi people and to apologize for their role in the economic and military occupation of Iraq. They said they were not there to ask forgiveness, but rather to take responsibility and to demonstrate their solidarity with the Iraqi people. They denounced the manipulation of intelligence, bribing of Iraqi journalists, the torture of Iraqi prisoners, the suppression of worker rights, and attempts by the U.S. government and multinational corporations to control Iraqi oil. The response was immediate, powerful, and heartfelt. One Iraqi union leader who had been considered a staunch nationalist rushed the stage to embrace the veterans. "

Rachel Corrie: March 16, 2003

Rachel Corrie, an American college student in Gaza to protest Israeli military and security operations, was killed when run over by a bulldozer while trying to stop Israeli troops from demolishing a Palestinian home.

The 23-year-old from Olympia, Washington, was a member of International Solidarity Movement and was the first nonviolent western protester to die in the occupied territories.

In Memoriam Rachel Corrie 1979-2003

Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice

Statement from the Family of Rachel Corrie

March 16, 2009 at After Downing Street

We thank all who continue to remember Rachel and who, on this sixth anniversary of her stand in Gaza, renew their own commitments to human rights, justice and peace in the Middle East. The tributes and actions in her memory are a source of inspiration to us and to others.

Friday, March 13th, we learned of the tragic injury to American activist Tristan Anderson. Tristan was shot in the head with a tear-gas canister in Ni’lin Village in the West Bank when Israeli forces attacked a demonstration opposing the construction of the annexation wall through the village's land. On the same day, a Ni’lin resident was, also, shot in the leg with live ammunition. Four residents of Ni’lin have been killed in the past eight months as villagers and their supporters have courageously demonstrated against the Apartheid Wall deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice—a wall that will ultimately absorb one-quarter of the village's remaining land. Those who have died are a ten-year-old child Ahmed Mousa, shot in the forehead with live ammunition on July 29, 2008; Yousef Amira (17) shot with rubber-coated steel bullets on July 30, 2008; Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22) and Mohammed Khawaje (20), both shot and killed with live ammunition on December 8, 2008. On this anniversary, Rachel would want us all to hold Tristan Anderson and his family and these Palestinians and their families in our thoughts and prayers, and we ask everyone to do so.
We are writing this message from Cairo where we returned after a visit to Gaza with the Code Pink Delegation from the United States. Fifty-eight women and men successfully passed through Rafah Crossing on Saturday, March 7th to challenge the border closures and siege and to celebrate International Women's Day with the strong and courageous women of Gaza. Rachel would be very happy that our spirited delegation made this journey. North to south throughout the Strip, we witnessed the sweeping destruction of neighborhoods, municipal buildings, police stations, mosques, and schools –casualties of the Israeli military assaults in December and January. When we asked about the personal impact of the attacks on those we met, we heard repeatedly of the loss of mothers, fathers, children, cousins, and friends. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports 1434 Palestinian dead and over 5000 injured, among them 288 children and 121 women.

We walked through the farming village of Khoza in the South where fifty homes were destroyed during the land invasion. A young boy scrambled through a hole in the rubble to show us the basement he and his family crouched in as a bulldozer crushed their house upon them. We heard of Rafiya who lead the frightened women and children of this neighborhood away from threatening Israeli military bulldozers, only to be struck down and killed by an Israeli soldier's sniper fire as she walked in the street carrying her white flag.

Repeatedly, we were told by Palestinians, and by the internationals on the ground supporting them, that there is no ceasefire. Indeed, bomb blasts from the border area punctuated our conversations as we arrived and departed Gaza. On our last night, we sat by a fire in the moonlight in the remains of a friend's farmyard and listened to him tell of how the Israeli military destroyed his home in 2004, and of how this second home was shattered on February 6th. This time, it was Israeli rockets from Apache helicopters that struck the house, A stand of wheat remained and rustled soothingly in the breeze as we talked, but our attention shifted quickly when F-16s streaked high across the night sky. and our friend explained that if the planes tipped to the side, they would strike. Everywhere, the psychological costs of the recent and ongoing attacks for all Gazans, but especially for the children, were sadly apparent. It is not only those who suffer the greatest losses that carry the scars of all that has happened. It is those, too, who witnessed from their school bodies flying in the air when police cadets were bombed across the street and those who felt and heard the terrifying blasts of missiles falling near their own homes. It is the children who each day must walk past the unexplainable and inhumane destruction that has occurred.

In Rachel's case, though a thorough, credible and transparent investigation was promised by the Israeli Government, after six years, the position of the U.S. Government remains that such an investigation has not taken place. In March 2008, Michele Bernier-Toff, Managing Director of the Office of Overseas Citizen Services at the Department of State wrote, “We have consistently requested that the Government of Israel conduct a full and transparent investigation into Rachel's death. Our requests have gone unanswered or ignored.” Now, the attacks on all the people of Gaza and the recent one on Tristan Anderson in Ni'lin cry out for investigation and accountability. We call on President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and members of Congress to act with fortitude and courage to ensure that the atrocities that have occurred are addressed by the Israeli Government and through relevant international and U.S. law. We ask them to act immediately and persistently to stop the impunity enjoyed by the Israeli military, not to encourage it.

Despite the pain, we have once again felt privileged to enter briefly into the lives of Rachel's Palestinian friends in Gaza. We are moved by their resilience and heartened by their song, dance, and laughter amidst the tears. Rachel wrote in 2003, “I am nevertheless amazed at their strength in being able to defend such a large degree of their humanity--laughter, generosity, family time—against the incredible horror occurring in their lives.....I am also discovering a degree of strength and of the basic ability for humans to remain human in the direst of circumstances...I think the word is dignity.” On this sixth anniversary of Rachel's killing, we echo her sentiments.

Sincerely,
Cindy and Craig Corrie
On behalf of our family

"Two Wars"

Decorated Iraq/Afghanistan war hero Nate Self talks about his new book, "Two Wars: One Hero's Fight on Two Fronts--Abroad and Within", detailing the now historic rescue on Roberts Ridge and his struggle with PTSD. Learn more at Two Wars.

"Two Wars" by Army Ranger Nate Self - book trailer


Watch Nate's Interview from KWTX-TV

Veterans Begin 250 mile walk to San Antonio

To View The Rest Of This Slide Show Click Here.

On March 14, 2009, Veterans from all over the Rio Grande Valley in Texas gathered at the Dustin Sekula Memorial Library in Edinburg, Texas. It was a cloudy and rainy day but it was not enough to keep them from their goal; to walk 250 miles North to San Antonio.

The march is to bring community and national attention to the fact that many area Veterans must travel the 250 miles to get to the closest VA Hospital.

"We're hoping that the President will remember his promise to help bring a VA Hospital to the Valley," said Jesus Bocanegra, 25, from Weslaco, Texas.
It will take the Veterans 6 days to reach there goal but they wont stop there.
"Our goal is to remind the President and Congress that we're still here and that the Veterans in the Valley still need a Hospital," said Reynaldo Leal, 25, from Edinburg, Texas. "If they don't listen to us now, we'll just have to pay them a visit in person."
You can follow the groups journey at March To San Antonio

"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards"-Theodore Roosevelt

Join us as we walk 250 miles from Edinburg to San Antonio, Texas, to show the world how far our brothers must travel to get surgical and specialized medical care.

March began 03/14/2009

Where you'll find photo's taken from each day of the March.

I have a Digg, for the I-Report, posted up for this, rate it up!!

Winter Soldier Europe

Hearing March 14th 2009



Hearing-homepage

In Freiburg on March 14th 2009 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans of the US military, German military, and British military told the truth of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan in the hopes of letting the protesters know the horror of what they are protesting against, and to counter the lies of humanitarian wars.

YouTube Site Page, with the 25 Video Testimonies, video links can also be found at homepage.



Winter Soldier Europe - Hearing 14.03.2009 - Part 01


Winter Soldier Europe - Hearing 14.03.2009 - Part 25


The rest, in between, can be found at the Home Site or the YouTube Link above.

Sundance Channel on Iraq: 6th Anniversary

The Sundance Channel just launched a website in observance of the sixth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

From a post by Anna Brew, found at After Downing Street hattip for the lead:

The highlight of the site is a large collection of webisodes and clips from two documentaries that will premiere on television on March 19th (the date of the 2003 invasion): Hometown Baghdad and Heavy Metal in Baghdad. Both films capture the day-to-day realities confronted by Iraqi citizens.

Hometown Baghdad


HOMETOWN BAGHDAD

Hometown Baghdad follows three Iraqi college students based in Baghdad as they try to maintain a semblance of normal existence amidst the escalating violence and chaos around them. Expanding the acclaimed 2007 online series of the same name, directors Hawes, Hillis and Turkey deliver a visceral portrait of the war's toll, interweaving their chronicle with footage from their subjects' frank video diaries.

The online version of Hometown Baghdad was created and produced by the New York-based Chat the Planet and drew hundreds of thousands of viewers worldwide when it launched in March 2007. The series won
three 2008 Webby Awards, in the categories News and Politics Series, Public Service and Activism, and Reality. In an article about the online series for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, pop culture critic
Cary Darling wrote that the series' scenes of ordinary lives "offer a glimpse into a society few knew existed: young Iraqis who are clinging to a global, middle-class identity while the world around them crumbles into chaos."

Heavy Metal in Baghdad


HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD

Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi's Heavy Metal in Baghdad follows the heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam in 2003 through the nightmare of the 2006 insurgency and into their new lives as
"heavy metal refugees." Moretti and Alvi, who are the chiefs of VICE Films and VICE Records, established a relationship with Acrassicauda when it was profiled in VICE magazine in 2003; they began their
efforts to film the band in 2005, when their company sponsored an Acrassicauda concert at a Baghdad hotel. Heavy Metal in Baghdad is their feature directorial debut. In a review of the New York Times,
Nathan Lee called the film "an intrepid, unlikely and altogether splendid feat of D.I.Y. reportage. ... this rock-doc like no other electrifies its genre and redefines headbanging as an act of hard-core courage."

Acrassicauda has been featured in the NYTimes and Fox News ... and they've seen some attention from Metallica

IRAQ ON SUNDANCE

Films & Stories About the Conflict

For the last six years, Sundance Channel has been following the happenings of the Iraq War through riveting documentaries and features. Each story is presented though a unique perspective, from political analysts giving their two cents to 20-something Iraqis trapped in a war zone. Each story gives a unique, human perspective on this thoroughly complicated conflict.

Here are some other perspectives on the Iraq War that have appeared on sundancechannel.com:

Read about TAKING CHANCE, a feature that premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival starring Kevin Bacon. Based on a true story, it tells of a Marine who volunteers to escort the remains of a 19-year-old killed in Iraq to his family in a small Wyoming town.

Learn more about Iraq's national water and land planning efforts in order to secure long-term stability and security of their country. Particularly in the Middle East, there is a great need for the availability of fresh water.

View festival coverage on IN THE LOOP, a satire on the inner workings of the US and British government prior to a major invasion. It features a stellar ensemble cast that includes James Gandolfini, Tom Hollander, and Anna Chlumsky.

Check out BODY OF WAR, another standout documentary as told through the eyes of a young soldier who was paralyzed from the chest down after being shot in Sadr City, Iraq. It airs on March 16th at 7:30pm.

IN THE LOOP

Writer/director Armando Iannucci’s IN THE LOOP, a film participating in the 2009 Sundance FIlm Festival. It is a comedic satire about American and British relations prior to a major invasion.
......................

If Armando Iannucci’s political farce about the road to war through the corridors of power weren’t so funny, it would be utterly terrifying. When a British cabinet minister, Simon Foster, comments publicly that he thinks war is “unforeseeable,” the result is an immediate bollocking from Malcolm Tucker, the prime minister’s testy bulldog pushing for war. Unable to clarify his position, Simon is sent to Washington, where, trying desperately to be important, he meets Karen Clark, a U.S. State.>>>>>>>>>>