Robotic Drone Aircrafts

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAV’s, is becoming increasingly controversial. U.S. military leaders say the robotic drone aircraft have been effective in killing Al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan without putting U.S. troops in danger. But what happens when civilians die too? Our guest is Peter Singer, senior fellow and director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution; he’s also author "Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century"

This link brings up their audio player

This takes you to the 'PBS Here and Now' front page

On 60min this Sunday 5.10.09

America's New Air Force

Increasingly, the U.S. military is relying on un-manned, often armed aircraft to track and destroy the enemy – sometimes controlled from bases thousands of miles away from the battlefront. Lara Logan reports. Watch the teaser Video

Stand Up For Veteran's Caregivers

This video provides insights into the real-life challenges that family caregivers face when caring for a loved one with severe wounds or disabilities from their military service

For "Military Spouse Appreciation Day".........

Today, May 8, 2009, is "Military Spouse Appreciation Day"!

And while it comes two days prior to Mothers Day not all the spouses of military personal are women, especially in todays military, for women have increased not only their numbers in serving but what they now do in their military service to country.

Below is just a collection of news reports and appreciation letters about this day.

First Lady Vows More Support for Military Spouses, Families

First Lady Michelle Obama was surprised to learn that the majority of military families feel their struggles often go unnoticed, she said during an interview today with The Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.

“I just saw the results of a recent survey done by Blue Star Families that shows that 94 percent of military families feel as if the country doesn’t understand their challenges,” Obama said. “That’s a pretty powerful statement.” ....................

Fort Bragg focuses on military spouses

Fort Bragg wraps up a special two-day event on Friday for military spouses. Organizers say their goal is to provide an outlet for families to have fun and network with other families.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day started in 2001 as just a one-day event, but soon expanded to two days in 2007. It’s only one of the programs the military has to help the families of soldiers.....>>>Rest Here with Video

United States Africa Command

By General William E. Ward, commander,
U.S. Africa Command Print
STUTTGART, Germany, May 8, 2009 — The 8th of May is "Military Spouse Appreciation Day," a special day for all spouses here at U.S. Africa Command. Our spouses are very important members of the Team, whether residing in Stuttgart, Molesworth, Tampa, on the continent, or elsewhere. This is an opportune time to thank our spouses for all the support they provide that helps our Team accomplish the mission.

This day gives us a chance to reflect upon the situation our spouses face: frequent moves, family separations, and uncertainty in the face of current and potential global crises and thank them..................

Former Marine NCO Takes Military Spouse of the Year Honors

Tanya Queiro, a former Marine Corps noncommissioned officer, was named the 2009 Military Spouse of the Year at a ceremony held here today.

Queiro, who achieved the rank of staff sergeant during her 13 years in the Marine Corps, also was recognized as the Marines’ top military spouse for 2009.

“Military spouses know that military service is not a job; it is a lifestyle,” Queiro said upon accepting her two crystal-glass award trophies.

Living the military lifestyle, Queiro pointed out, provides “endless opportunities” for adventure and learning for many military spouses............................

Eielson Air Force Base

Commentary by Brig. Gen. Mark. W. Graper
354th Fighter Wing commander

5/7/2009 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- From deployments overseas in support of global operations to local missions at Eielson Air Force Base, we read about the many contributions of our servicemembers daily. But often we overlook the selfless support those same servicemembers receive at home from their military families.

There are thousands of men and women who sacrifice for our country without donning a uniform each day. They receive little public recognition, no medals, and no honors.............

Military Spouses Honored in D.C. Ceremony

During a special ceremony honoring military spouses, five women - representing each branch of the armed services, were recognized in Washington.

Marching in line, flag bearers paid tribute to the U.S. armed services, its fighting soldiers and the military spouses who help make it all happen..........................

MCPON Honors Navy Spouses' Service, Sacrifice

Written by Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Wednesday, 06 May 2009 00:00

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- On the occasion of Military Spouse Appreciation Day May 8, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) (SS/SW) Rick D. West sent the following message to the fleet, including Navy spouses and families:

"When I took this job in December, I made a promise to every one of you that I would do everything in my power to ensure you are supported, that you have the quality of life you deserve and when your loved ones are deployed, our Navy will take care of you when you need it.

These were not just words, and I will say the same thing to every family member or Sailor I meet.........................................

We owe them love, gratitude and respect

Commentary by Brig. Gen. Edward L. Bolton Jr.
45th SW commander

5/8/2009 - PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- While all DOD observances are important, I can think of none more fitting - and more justified - than the one we celebrate today. Today we will join with other services and military installations around the world to celebrate Military Spouse Day.

It would be impossible for me to put into words how much our military spouses mean to us...................

Honoring the Silent Service of Military Spouses

With today's on-going war on terrorism, many people pay tribute and give thanks to the brave men and women in uniform who go into harms way to defend the rights and freedoms of our great nation. But there is another brave group who seldom receive the appreciation they deserve for the sacrifices they make every day: our nation's military spouses.
Friday, May 8, is Military Spouse Appreciation Day, and is dedicated to honoring the spouses who keep the home fires burning while their significant others serve.........................

Military Spouses' Appreciation Day events at Fort Lewis, WA

Military Spouse Appreciation Day is May 8, 2009. This year, Fort Lewis, WA has various activities and specials going on to thank the spouses of service members. Here's a list of the current activities going on in the Fort Lewis community for Military Spouse Appreciation Day.

1.........................

Chairman Issues Military Spouse Appreciation Day Message

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has issued a message to service members and their families around the world, commemorating May 8 as Military Spouse Appreciation Day.

Here is the chairman's message:

"Each May, our nation pauses to pay tribute to our past, present and future military spouses. Nothing could be more right, or more honorable, than this. Without our families, those of us in uniform cannot serve. And truly, our spouses serve just as much as we do.

"Despite the strain of nearly eight years of war and numerous critical engagements around the globe, America's military is stronger and more capable than ever. From personal experience, I know that much of that strength comes from our spouses.......................

Military spouses and their children, if they have any, along with immediate family and relatives of those serving, are the only ones who are actually sacrificing anything and possibly everything for this countries security, especially the spouses and the children!

The least you can do is keep them in mind today, especially those who's spouse are now, or have been, serving in the two theaters of occupation we have had ongoing for going on eight years. Those who are directly in danger right or wrong these occupations may be!

Homeless Heroes:

Veterans' Struggles, Part One

The issue of homelessness has garnered much attention in the metro recently, following a fire at homeless camp along the Des Moines river. While it is no secret many of the homeless people living in tents and so-called hooches are veterans, we don't often examine the question of 'why'.

In Part One of a special series on Homeless Veterans, we introduce you to a Vietnam veteran, and a program trying to help keep him off the streets..........

A Soldier's Miracle

One Word From A General Seems To Bring Wounded Soldier Back To Life

Lt. Brian Brennan is a walking, talking miracle. There are no other words for it. One year ago today, he lost both his legs to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, and now his mother is watching him learn to run all over again, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin.

The 44 pounds of explosives which tore off his legs and killed three fellow soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division also left Brennan with a brain injury so traumatic there seemed little hope for recovery.

"He didn’t wake up," said Joanne, his mother. "That's when the real terror struck us all. Oh my, he may never wake up. They said on scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst, he was a 1."

Then one day last June he had a visitor. .........

The Shock Doctrine

"The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism"

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

Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" advances a truly unnerving argument: historically, while people were reeling from natural disasters, wars and economic upheavals, savvy politicians and industry leaders nefariously implemented policies that would never have passed during less muddled times. As Klein demonstrates, this reprehensible game of bait-and-switch isn't just some relic from the bad old days. It's alive and well in contemporary society, and coming soon to a disaster area near you.

"At the most chaotic juncture in Iraq'' civil war, a new law is unveiled that will allow Shell and BP to claim the country's vast oil reserves… Immediately following September 11, the Bush Administration quietly outsources the running of the 'War on Terror' to Halliburton and Blackwater… After a tsunami wipes out the coasts of Southeast Asia, the pristine beaches are auctioned off to tourist resorts… New Orleans residents, scattered from Hurricane Katrina, discover that their public housing, hospitals and schools will never be re-opened." Klein not only kicks butt, she names names, notably economist Milton Friedman and his radical Chicago School of the 1950s and 60s which she notes "produced many of the leading neo-conservative and neo-liberal thinkers whose influence is still profound in Washington today." Stand up and take a bow, Donald Rumsfeld.

There's little doubt Klein's book--which arrived to enormous attention and fanfare thanks to her previous missive, the best-selling "No Logo: No Space, No Choice", No Jobs", will stir the ire of the right and corporate America. It's also true that Klein's assertions are coherent, comprehensively researched and footnoted, and she makes a very credible case. Even if the world isn't going to hell in a hand-basket just yet, it's nice to know a sharp customer like Klein is bearing witness to the backroom machinations of government and industry in times of turmoil. --Kim Hughes --This text refers to the "Hardcover edition".

Record High Army Suicides Prompt Action : NPR

A U.S. soldier is now more likely than a civilian to take his own life, and the situation is getting worse, not better. To combat suicides, the Army is taking new steps, such as using an interactive video game in which soldiers role play with an imaginary buddy in crisis. >>>>>Rest Here {along with the audio feed}

Or click this link to bring up their player.

There was another recent report about even civilian workers on military bases have numbers of suicides on the rise, the military structure is broken, the stress, across the board, is extremely high!

And this recent video report:

Military Suicides at a 30-Year High


Study: Communities must do more for vets

If local organizations do not reach out proactively to the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to become more engaged in treating the veterans returning to their communities, they can expect the veterans’ pain to affect their families, their ability to contribute to society, and even their ability to care for themselves, said Audrey Burnam, senior behavioral scientist at the Rand Corp. think tank.

Burnam said vets returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq represent a “historic opportunity” for communities to learn more about PTSD, educate others about the illness and come together to deal with it.

Burnam, who spoke at a Health Affairs Journal panel May 5 in Washington, is the lead author of a new Rand report, “Mental Health Care for Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans,” that makes a case for a broad reform of services that looks beyond VA.

A Full List From Rand

NH hopes to help its veterans for long haul

Dave Clark remembers all too clearly that February day in 1968 when the transport truck he was driving in Vietnam was hit by enemy fire, and all the troops he was carrying were killed. He recalls, "I grabbed my weapon after I got thrown from the truck and i joined the marines in a firefight until a grenade ended it for me."

And from one veteran to another, Clark sends a message that it's more than OK, it's essential to ask for help. "They're gonna be scarred. They're gonna be scarred and they're gonna have to have somebody to talk to.

Linda Blimes Book
The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict

Refugee Iraqi Student Taif Jany: Happy Birthday Pete Seeger!

by Andrew Courtney

Iraqi student Taif Jany gives Pete Seeger a gift: the words to the famous Woody Guthrie song "This Land is Your Land", as adapted by Iraqi refugee students in Damascus, Syria. The occasion is Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration, May Day 2009, with friends and local musicians at the Beacon Sloop Club on the Hudson River.

The audience sings along with Pete and Taif, a refugee from Baghdad. Taif, now attending Union College in Schenectady, NY, is part of the Iraqi Student Project.

The "super patriots supporting the Troops":

The following link is a short post over at the VetVoice interactive blog by Matthew Alexander, an Air Force Interrogator who wrote "How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq"

This is his post subject title: Coulter Insults Hundreds of Combat Veterans starting off with this:

On Hannity on April 30th, Ann Coulter criticized me for speaking out against torture, mocking my service and stating "I did not know the Air Force had interrogators."........find the rest at link.

I placed the link to this on my facebook page, one of the lady friends, who works with the military, came back with this:

Steven K. O'Hern's book: The retired AF COL was director of the Strategic Counterintelligence Directorate of the Multi-National Force in Baghdad, Iraq, from April to September 2005

"Intelligence Wars: Lessons from Baghdad"

Description:
Since the first heady months of the war in Iraq when President Bush celebrated aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln under a "mission accomplished" sign, US forces have been bogged down in a frustrating war of attrition against a largely unseen insurgency that attacks with ambushes and roadside bombs. In this revealing insider's look at the US intelligence community's efforts to fight the insurgency, author Steven K. O'Hern, who served in Iraq in 2005 as a senior intelligence officer, offers a critical assessment of our intelligence failures and suggests ways of improving our ability to fight an often elusive enemy.

O'Hern criticizes America's military leaders for being enamored with high-technology solutions for all situations, including intelligence operations. Essentially, we are still relying on an intelligence system that was designed to beat the Soviet army........More at the book link

"Happy 90th Birthday Pete!!" {UpDated}

Pete Seeger - Guantanamera


Pete Seeger At 90: An Appreciation

Listen to a short take on the Appreciation from NPR

Weekend Edition Sunday, May 3, 2009 - Pete Seeger turns 90 today — and he's still performing. In fact he's playing and singing tonight at a birthday bash in Madison Square Garden, alongside Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris and many others.

Proceeds from the show will go to Clearwater, an organization — and a boat — launched by Seeger 40 years ago to raise awareness about pollution in the Hudson River. >>>>>More Here

Pete Seeger tells how he came to write "Turn Turn Turn."


Happy Birthday Pete! Posted by Jimmy Higgins

In a few hours I'm going to the Pete Seeger 90th birthday concert, courtesy Lee and Alice (pbut). In my early teens, some who know me now will be surprised to learn, I was a folky. These days, not so much.

But I am proud to say, I have never once stopped defending Pete Seeger from criticisms aesthetic and political. His instrument is not and never was his voice, nor even his banjo. It was his audience. And he played his audience so brilliantly because he genuinely loved them and trusted them to help make his music, their music. >>>>>More Here

Pete Seeger Appreciation Page

In addition to being America's best-loved folksinger and an untiring environmentalist, Pete Seeger is a national treasure. He has been at the forefront of the labor movement, the struggle for Civil Rights, the peace and anti-war movements, and the fight for a clean world. He has been a beacon for hope for millions of people all over the world. Once blacklisted from national television for being unafraid to voice his opinions, he was given the nation's highest artistic honors at the Kennedy Center in December 1994. In January 1996 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although he left Harvard during his second year, in the spring of 1996 he was awarded the Harvard Arts Medal, presented annually to a Harvard graduate who has made an important contribution to the arts. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album of 1996 in February 1997 for his Living Music recording "Pete." At the end of April 1999, he traveled to Cuba to accept the Felix Varela Medal, that nation's highest honor for "his humanistic and artistic work in defense of the environment and against racism." In April 2000, he was named one of America's Living Legends by the Library of Congress. >>>>>More At Site

Pete Seeger & Bruce Springsteen HQ "This Land is Your Land" "We Are One" Obama Inaugural


Clearwater

Songs of the Sloop and River

Since before the sloop was ever launched, music has been the foundation of Clearwater. Pete Seeger raised the first few dollars for the sloop’s construction by performing songs about the river and passing around a banjo to collect donations. Each year, Clearwater produces the Great Hudson River Revival, which provides great musical entertainment, and an important environmental message, powered completely by wind, solar, and bio-diesel power.

Music, rhythm, and song are a key part of Clearwater’s education program on the sloop. Every day on-board, you may hear (or perform) old classics, recent favorites, or original creations.

There's a number of songs you can download on the rightside of the site page.

UpDate:

Singer songwriter Pete Seeger performs at the benefit concert celebrating his 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, May 3, 2009 in New York. The concert is a benefit for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, created by Seeger to preserve and protect the Hudson River. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

Springsteen Leads Star-Studded 90th Birthday Concert For Pete Seeger
A star-studded medley of musical guests played tribute to Pete Seeger at a benefit concert for the legendary folk singer's 90th birthday.

Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Ani DiFranco and John Mellencamp were among the 40 musicians performing in Madison Square Garden for the Sunday night show, a benefit to raise awareness for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, an organization Seeger started to preserve and protect the Hudson River. >>>>>Rest Found Here

Pete Seeger 90th Birthday Amazing Grace

Pete Seeger leads his audience at MSG 05/03/09 in Amazing Grace. He also tells the story of the song. Sorry, but I didn't get the end of the singing so buy the DVD.

by Andrew Courtney

Iraqi student Taif Jany gives Pete Seeger a gift: the words to the famous Woody Guthrie song "This Land is Your Land", as adapted by Iraqi refugee students in Damascus, Syria. The occasion is Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration, May Day 2009, with friends and local musicians at the Beacon Sloop Club on the Hudson River.

The audience sings along with Pete and Taif, a refugee from Baghdad. Taif, now attending Union College in Schenectady, NY, is part of the Iraqi Student Project.

Rachel Corrie: "Rachel" the Documentary

Rorschach "Rachel"

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Simone Bitton's documentary "Rachel," which premiered this week at the Tribeca Film Festival, is what's not in it. Bitton, a Moroccan-born Jewish filmmaker who spent many years in Israel and now lives in France, conducts a philosophical and cinematic inquiry into the death of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old American activist who was killed under ambiguous circumstances in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip in March 2003. But the political firestorm that followed Corrie's death, which saw her beatified as a martyr for peace by some on the left and demonized as a terrorist enabler by some on the right, is virtually absent from the film....>>>>>Much More Here

Listen to interview with Simone Bitton at Tribeca


Rachel's mother and father, a brother 'Nam Vet, were living and working for a stop to the impending illegal invasion of Iraq, here in Charlotte, at the time of Rachel's Murder by the Israeli Army!!

Global Press.......

Global Press Freedom Declines-Freedom House

Journalists are facing an increasingly dismal working environment, with a decline in global press freedom in every region of the world. Those are among the findings of a report released Friday by Freedom House, a Washington-based organization that supports freedom around the world.

In the nearly 30 years Freedom House has been rating global press freedom, 2008 is the first year it has reported declines in every region across the world.

The executive director of Freedom House, Jennifer Windsor, says the journalism profession is fighting to stay alive, which she warns has enormous implications for democracy. "Declines have been registered in established democracies, as well as partly free countries, and the most repressive regimes have continued to tighten their grip in order to control the information flows that have become increasingly globalized and out of their control," she said. >>>>>Rest Here-VOA News

Freedom of the Press 2009 Survey Release

Israel Loses Prized 'Free' Press Status; Kuwait Tops Arab World

Israel's media freedom ranking has been downgraded from "free" to "partly free," the first time the Jewish State has lost its status as the only Middle Eastern nation with a "free" ...