Army: 24 Suspected Suicides in January '09

This is just being reported,

Army reports alarming rise in suicides last month

There has been a small sprinkling of reports about the Military Suicides in the last couple of months, most of those found only if one is hitting a number of news outlets but not making National News, even as those who serve do so for the Country not a Community located near a base or where their from.

The Army is investigating a stunning number of suicides in January — a count that could surpass all combat deaths on America's two warfronts last month.

According to figures obtained by The Associated Press, there were 24 suspected suicides in January, compared to only four in January of 2008, six in January of 2007 and 10 in January of 2006.

Questions, once again, and I say that as a 'Nam Veteran, we who've watched this all before, have been rising as to why the numbers are going up and the causes. As it says above we have Two Theaters of occupations ongoing, with multiple tours by many in both theaters, add now the collapsing economy, the still lacking help for trauma brought back from service in these theaters and stress of being away from family and home on extended tours over and over, the strains on marriages and the family as a whole, misuse of addictive substances to deal, and other factors I'm sure.

"The trend and trajectory seen in January further heightens the seriousness and urgency that all of us must have in preventing suicides," Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, said of the new monthly number Thursday.

The 24 suspected January suicides include seven confirmed and 17 still being investigated. Usually the vast majority of suspected suicides are eventually confirmed, and if that holds true it would mean that self-inflicted deaths surpassed the 16 combat deaths reported in all branches of the armed forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and other nations considered part of the global war on terror last month.

Most of the reports one might catch rarely give a reason or cause, just that a soldier, or veteran, especially a young recent vet, has been found dead, rarely giving a followup or unless local to the original the followup is not seen.

The Military is Broken, that's not to say those serving are not doing so Honorably, but once again, because of Wars and Occupations of Choice, the systems surrounding those serving are stretched past the breaking point and only little relief is forth coming quickly!

These problems were forecast by many of us that they would occur, no one listened, no one took the lead in even bringing them up as the beating of the war drums grew and grew and we're now six and seven years still occupying.

Army official: Suicides in January 'terrifying'

Army Releases January Suicide Data; Re-emphasizes Efforts

Army sees significant rise in January suicides

Soldier suicides up for 4th consecutive year

Army suicide prevention

A Few Earlier Reports on Shinseki from today

Shinseki pledges top-down review, change

"I intend to ... demand the highest levels of integrity, transparency and performance in leading the department through the fundamental and comprehensive change it must quickly undergo," Shinseki said. "There's a long tradition of VA providing leadership in medicine, of setting standards in many fields. Where we lead, we must continue. Where we do not, we must regain that leadership."

Paperwork among VA chief's priorities

The newly appointed head of the Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday the department needs a fundamental change in how it handles its paperwork.

Eric Shinseki described a Sisyphean task for caseworkers trying to plow through the backlog of files to make decisions on veterans' claims.

Members of the committee peppered Shinseki with questions about the VA's handling of mental health issues. The secretary said that much progress has been made in understanding traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) since he served in Vietnam, but there is plenty more to do.

"I am now watching all of our efforts to understand PTSD, TBI, substance abuse amongst our veterans and have a better appreciation of what we put my comrades through when we came back" from Vietnam, he said. "None of these programs were available, in fact. None of these terms were in vogue then. We still don't understand enough. We are still learning."

The chairman of the committee, Rep. Bob Filner, D-California, expressed frustration that screenings for the disorders were done through a self-evaluation, rather than through medical examination, and he implored Shinseki to change that.

ABC News End of Last Month Report

Military Suicides at a 30-Year High


Suicide Rate Reflects Toll of Army Life

With Suicides at a 30-Year High, Army Vows to Address Problem

In 2008 alone, the Army reports there were at least 128 confirmed cases of suicide, more than a dozen of which are still under review.

U.S. Army Suicides Highest In 3 Decades

 

And this is just reports on the Army, nothing yet on any possible Marine numbers.

Bring Them Home, And Take Care Of Them When They Return, Full Care!!

Let Me Get This Straight.......

With Guantanamo closing, where will the detainees go?

If not Guantanamo, then where? Anything but a welcoming party is forming at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. When President Barack Obama signed an order Thursday forcing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center within a year, he put in sharp relief the possibility that some of the world's most potentially dangerous terror suspects could be hauled to the military's maximum security facility in Kansas.

The gopers who 'Rubber Stamped' these Illegal Policies and over and over...........,defended same, Are Now whining and screaming about Not In My Backyard????

"almost homeless"

Wearing 'almost homeless' sign, ex-executive seeks work

Paul Nawrocki says he's beyond the point where he cares about humiliation.

Paul Nowracki, jobless since February, stands on New York corners with a sign announcing his job search.

That's why he weekly takes a 90-minute train ride to New York, where he walks the streets wearing a sandwich board that advertises his plight: The former toy-industry executive needs a job.

"Almost homeless," reads the sign. "Looking for employment. Very experienced operations and administration manager."

Wearing a suit and tie under the sign, Nawrocki -- who was in the toy industry 36 years before being laid off in February -- stands on Manhattan corners for hours, hoping to pass resumes to interested passers-by.

"When you're out of work and you face having nothing -- I mean, having no income -- pride doesn't mean anything," Nawrocki said. "You need to find work. I have to take care of my family."

People look but don't often stop. A woman in the jewelry business paused as Nawrocki stood with his sign outside Grand Central Station recently.

"I feel sorry for him. I wish I could help him," she said. "I'll pray for him. I'll give him a prayer card."

U.S. nonfarm payrolls plunged by an astonishing 533,000 in November -- the worst job loss in 34 years -- the Labor Department reported Friday.

In addition to the 533,000 lost jobs, an additional 621,000 workers were pushed into part-time work and 422,000 simply dropped out of the labor force.
"This is almost indescribably terrible," wrote Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist for High Frequency Economics. "The pace of job losses is accelerating alarmingly."
Over the past three months, 1.26 million jobs have been lost, a pace of job destruction exceeded only once since 1945.
"The threat of a widespread depression is now real and present," said Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland.

And once again the devastating proof of the incompetence of those We Pay!

The Forgotten Storm

This week, almost three months after Hurricane Ike battered Texas, it was clear that the rebuilding and repair is happening far slower than the rest of the country imagines it to be. David Stall, the Shoreacres city manager we spoke with had a poignant observation in our Evening News piece when he mentioned that it seems like when the lights came back on in Houston, people just began to think that everything was all better. The facts are that for his community, and several others along the Texas coast, life is far from normal.

Coastal Texans pitch tents near padlocked FEMA trailers

When Hurricane Ike swallowed their beachfront home and all of their belongings, Darlene and Mark Pagels tried to hold it together.

They borrowed underwear and shoes. They slept in one-hour shifts at a local hospital. They ate free meals in a tent outside their church. And they waited, through September, then October, for a mobile home from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

When a FEMA trailer finally landed on the Pagels' property last week, it came with a padlocked door – and orders that they not move in until inspectors gave them the OK.

As the Economy Tanks Rapidly, and we still have Soldiers being killed and maimed in two occupations, add to All the rest that has happened, and not happened from the countries elected leaders, what is on the mind of the one sitting in the Oval Office and on our dime, along with his most loyal supporters, same ole same ole, Nothing, except what is most important to them:

‘Bush Legacy Project’

There’s an ongoing Bush legacy project that’s been meeting in the White House, really, with senior advisers, Karl Rove, Karen Hughes has been involved, current senior Bush administration advisers and they are looking at how to sort of roll out the President’s legacy.

As the minions of spin and propaganda are given their marching orders and talking points from this meeting of the goper minds, making sure it's spread far and wide and stated over and over, embeding the re-visionist history into the minds of their 'brownshirts', and hoping the historians, nixon reducs, but much bigger task!

Where bush retires to, clearing phony brush is to taxing:

Where bush, and cronies, need to live for us to deter future crimes:

We Can't make It Here

Brother Can You Spare a Dime

Before 9/11 - Taliban - al Qaeda

The National Security Archive has just released a Load of Files Electronic Briefing Book No. 253 Posted - August 20, 2008 under the title: 1998 Missile Strikes on Bin Laden May Have Backfired with a subtitle: Extensive 1999 Report on Al-Qaeda Threat Released by U.S. Dept of Energy,
Taliban Told U.S. They Wanted to Bomb Washington


With backlinks to the PDF's and more links in the sidebar on the left.

On the tenth anniversary of U.S. cruise missile strikes against al-Qaeda in response to deadly terrorist attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, newly-declassified government documents posted today by the National Security Archive (NS Archive) suggest the strikes not only failed to hurt Osama bin Laden but ultimately may have brought al-Qaeda and the Taliban closer politically and ideologically.

I've just glanced through some but the same questions come up that have with the remembering the reports on the Taliban and al Qaeda prior to 9/11, the many unanswered questions from the commission on 9/11, the dodging of questions and outright lies from some within the government, especially the administration, at the time and since, with more added as the policies of the administration exploded into the negatives for this country and it's national security and now negative standing amoung nations on this planet.


One question keeps growing, "With all this country must have known, through it's extremely well financed and technology advanced Intelligence Agencies, how were the acts of 9/11 allowed to happen?"!


The reasons given, intelligence sharing etc., are just to simplified to carry any weight, not after being told, and shown some, for years what our monies were buying and suspecting much more that was not told in the interest of National Security.

A 400-page Sandia National Laboratories report on bin Ladin { this is a big pdf download }, compiled in 1999, includes a warning about political damage for the U.S. from bombing two impoverished states without regard for international agreement, since such action "mirror imag[ed] aspects of al-Qaeda's own attacks" [see pp. 18-22 {pdf}]. A State Department cable {pdf} argues that although the August missile strikes were designed to provide the Taliban with overwhelming reason to surrender bin Laden, the military action may have sharpened Afghan animosity towards Washington and even strengthened the Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance.

Following the August 20 U.S. air attacks, Taliban spokesman Wakil Ahmed told U.S. Department of State officials {pdf} "If Kandahar could have retaliated with similar strikes against Washington, it would have." Such an attack, although unfeasible at the time, was at least in part actualized by al-Qaeda on 9/11.

Following the 1998 embassy bombings, the U.S. sought to extradite bin Laden to Saudi Arabia or possibly Egypt, but failed to get bin Laden out of Afghanistan because, at least according to the U.S. Department of State {pdf}, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were unable or unwilling to apply enough pressure to coerce Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Omar to surrender bin Laden.

The lengthy Sandia report compiled by Dr. Gary W. Richter {pdf} synthesizes an impressive volume of public-source information available on bin Laden into a coherent summary of the al-Qaeda terrorist threat following the August embassy bombings. The report concludes that the bombings did not take U.S. intelligence and diplomatic services by surprise, as the U.S. in 1998 had capable counterterrorism intelligence gathering and interdiction capabilities. However, according to the report, in retrospect, the August 20 retaliatory cruise missile strikes may have caused long-term political harm to U.S. national security and counterterrorism interests [see pp. 18-22 {pdf}]. The report contains extensive timelines, biographies and issue summaries and is useful for researchers interesting in the evolution of al-Qaeda and the American response.

The see pp. 18-22 above are small pdf's giving some quick interesting bullet points.


Read the Documents. This link is the same as the very first above. There are a number of documents at the bottom of the page to sort through.
Note: The following documents are in PDF format. You will need to download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.


Under Document 1 dated December 6, 1999 ou will find some information and backlinks along with these bullet points:

* The "war" against terrorism will never be "won," as terrorism will always be a global problem.

* The August 7, 1998, embassy bombings should not be taken as an indication that U.S. counterterrorism efforts are entirely ineffective.

* The August 20, 1998, retaliatory cruise missile strikes did little to help solve the problem posed by bin Laden and may ultimately prove to have done more harm than good.

* The risk of future attacks by Osama bin Laden or his associates using weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) is not insignificant.

* The root cause of the militant threat is the widespread and deep-seated discontent among a large segment of the Islamic world, as opposed to the actions or agitation of any one individual or group of individuals. As such, diplomatic options are likely to be the most effective strategies at reducing the threat.

And:

* The U.S. was not "blindsided" by a new threat, as much was already known about al-Qaeda, including its anti-American aspirations and the existence of an East African al-Qaeda cell. [page 18]

* Members of this East African cell had been identified before August 7, and were under "intense scrutiny." It is likely "that this campaign of disruption had done much to dissipate the threat." [page 18]

* In response to the ongoing surveillance, threat evaluation and disruption operations, the members of this cell "felt themselves to be at "100% danger." [page 18]

* "In retrospect there were also specific indications of a bomb plot," however "it seems as if threat assessment personnel in Washington did not take the warning signs as seriously as did the embassy personnel in Nairobi." [page 19]

* The number of bombings prevented far exceeds the number of bombings that were not stopped by U.S. security efforts. [page 18]

And:

* High cost

* International criticism

* Questionable justice in that the strikes "killed only (or nearly only) individuals who were innocent of the embassy bombings"

* Reputational damage from disregarding alliances

* Questionable effectiveness in destroying or disrupting al-Qaeda or perspective terrorists

* Possible diminished impact for any future U.S. strikes by "demonstrating how little [the U.S] could achieve (e.g., limited physical damage)," by depleting ammunition, providing adversaries with an opportunity to observe and reformulate strategies based on observed vulnerabilities, and convincing bin Laden that the U.S. is unwilling to use higher-cost forms of force that would put U.S. personnel at risk

* "The attack provoked a new round of terrorist bombing plots."

* Bin Laden received a good deal of publicity and "appeared to many as an underdog standing firm in the face of bullying aggression."

* The Taliban's poor control over Afghanistan "may mean that they shouldn't bear responsibility for the acts of those on their soil."

* The U.S. may have given away the moral high ground by mirroring certain aspects of bin Laden's strategy with the attacks, and the U.S. bombed targets in independent third-world countries without concern for the sensitivities or sovereignty of those nations.

And:

* Justified under domestic law

* Calling attention to the bin Laden-Taliban connection, which complicated the Taliban's ability to gain international recognition as well as their future ability to justify support for Muslim fundamentalist groups

* Demonstrated U.S. resolve, dedication to dealing with terrorism as a matter of national security, and the reach of U.S. military power

* Provides incentives for nations to cooperate in U.S. counterterrorism activities, if for no other reason but to avoid unilateral action

* May deter terrorists and nations from harboring terrorists

There's alot of reading and research that can be found and added to the already known and suspected.


Where Iraq fits into all this sits only in the minds of those who wanted an invasion an regime change for years before, those who once supported that dictatorship, and saw wealth and extreme power in toppling their once friend and allie, and controlling a country in the center of the region to grant expansion of that extreme wealth and power.


What the invasion and occupation of Iraq has accomplished is far beyond what any extremist anywhere in the region or not hoped for, total unrest and hatreds. One needs only look at Afghanistan today, the Pakistan border region and Pakistan, the continuation of actions in the Iraq theater, the push back by the Iranians and their preparations to ward off attack by anyone, Guerilla Insurgents reportedly flowing into the border region from all over and waging growing destructive attacks on Nato forces and the Afghans, and the growing Criminal Terror attacks in other points outside of these theaters.


Where we once might have had friends an allies we created enemies.


Where we had the chance to better relations with the other powers they are ignoring us and recently sticking our own actions right back in our faces, they will allie with the region those few wanted to control, against us.


And we as a Nation will move on in our Apathy, holding No One Accountable, an with no knowledge of what the future brings, only knowing it will not be what it should have been!

Ten lessons from recent torture hearings

Before I post up what I brought I'd like to point out that when Our Government changes It's Policies to Match those of what we call enemies it Endangers All The Troops in Active Theaters as well as the citizens of this country!!

And it leaves us not only open to condemnation but at a place where we cannot condemn others!!


ANP: Lawyers who approved "enhanced interrogation tactics" are under increasing pressure to explain them



American News Project: Reporter's Notebook: Ten Lessons from Recent Torture Hearings - The "enhanced interrogation tactics, " used in Guantanamo under orders from the Pentagon and the White House have been the subject of numerous hearings on Capitol Hill recently. The lawyers who approved the policies--which many call torture--are under increasing pressure to explain how it was possible for such methods to be ordered by the United States government. More hearings are on the way.

***************

Terror And The Unraveling Of America's Moral Fabric

The war on terrorism has had devastating social and political costs, and it is the United States government — not foreign enemies — that has caused much of the damage, says investigative journalist Jane Mayer.

Mayer's new book is The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals. In it, The New Yorker writer contends that the policy implemented after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks promoted an agenda that sought to increase presidential power. Further, many of the Bush administration's strategy decisions violated the Constitution and impeded the pursuit of terrorists.

SNIP: Read the rest at link, also listen to discussion there as well




Get Yours, Click On Image

Summer Reading: A Childrens Book for You Adults

As we wait for the many coming books, I'm sure more will be surfacing, as many try to cleanse their souls, of these last eight years plus, in seeking their higher kingdom, we might have the time to take this seemingly telling descriptive tale into the fold of good reading. We could even make the copies a collective item reminding us, in a comfortable way, of what we've been put through, us and the rest of the world. Comfortable because it might not enrage as we read and study the pictures, like the hard reality of the history will.

And I give you the title right off, Intriqued?

I didn't catch this when it aired, but while a visit to the NPR site, to relisten to another report, I caught this little tidbit in their list.

All Things Considered had it on yesterday, July 8.

The full title is: Goodnight Bush: A Parody.

It's a riff of the Margaret Wise Brown's classic children's book Goodnight Moon and satirizes the Bush administration.

But look closer and you'll see that the painting over the fireplace shows an oil derrick with stealth bombers flying around it.

In the fireplace, there's a ballot box burning that says, "Florida 2000."

And snaking around the side of the fireplace is a tiny microphone.

In place of the bunny rabbit character in the children's book, a childlike George Bush is tucked safely in bed "surrounded by toys that represent different facets of the Bush administration's legacy," Golan says.

A tiny Osama bin Laden peeks out from many of the pages, and a shotgun-toting Dick Cheney whispers, "Hush."

"The book obviously isn't for children," Origen says. "At the same time, it lets us look at the past eight years through the eyes of a child.

And it lets us see how far Bush's reality is from the reality anyone would want for their children."

The authors say the book is illustrated with "naked simplicity" to show respect and sensitivity.

You can take a listen in with this link to bring up their player

I just ordered my copy before writing this, I'm Intriqued, it looks like a fun, but serious, look at the state we find our country, and our world standing, today and for the forseeable future, at 59 that future should cover any time I have left, plus!!

How do Iranians react to threats of attack?

Triita Parsi talks about the affect of threats on Iranian public opinion



Trita Parsi was born in Iran and grew up in Sweden. He earned a Master's Degree in International Relations at Uppsala University, a second Master's Degree in Economics at Stockholm School of Economics and a PhD in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University SAIS. He has served as an advisor to Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH18) on Middle East issues and is a co-founder and current President of the National Iranian American Council . Dr. Parsi is the author of Treacherous Alliance - The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States (Yale University Press, 2007). He has followed Middle East politics for more than a decade, both through work in the field, and through extensive experience on Capitol Hill and the United Nations.

"CSNY: Deja Vu"

A film by Neil Young

Due in theaters July 25

The Trailer

"CSNY: Deja Vu" Trailer

The war in Iraq is the backdrop as the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young "Freedom of Speech Tour" crisscrosses North America. Echoes of Vietnam-era anti-war sentiment abound as the band connects with today's audiences.

I caught a fresh Reuters Article, with interview, about the film just a short while ago, read through it and it peaked my interest, as a fan of CSNY and Neil Young, in finding some more.

In the spring of 2006, Neil Young was just a year removed from a near-fatal aneurysm when he became so enraged with the war in Iraq that he quickly wrote, recorded and released the protest album "Living With War."
Not two months after its release, his part-time supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young launched their Freedom of Speech tour, during which unwitting fans expecting the band's sweeter side were greeted instead with its serrated edge.

Because of the Concerts content

the move angered some fans, while inspiring others.

Angered some fans? Knowing CSNY, and especially Neil Young, how could someone call themselves Fans and attend a concert by them than get Angered because of the music they played!

I already know the reasons why, being a member of the 'Focus Groups' not to be listened to in the leadup to the invasion and long after the destruction started, as do many others.

The forthcoming documentary "CSNY: Deja Vu" charts that friction, portraying fans who saluted the group's efforts and those who felt betrayed by them, while also introducing viewers to Iraq War veterans who are now protesting the war as musicians, politicians and social workers.

The search led me to a number of articles and to a Bill Board review and a Lengthy Q&A Interview.

From the review:

Neil Young says the soundtrack to the forthcoming Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young documentary "CSNY: Deja Vu" constitutes the best album ever made by the legendary supergroup.

"It's CSNY," he told Billboard recently during a lengthy interview about the new film. "It really is CSNY. It's not overdubbed. There's no fixes. It's straight from the board."

From the interview:

It's pretty shocking midway through the movie when an irate Atlanta fan tells you to stick it up your ass, and another remarks that he wants to "knock your teeth out" for singing anti-war, anti-Bush songs. How did you react the first time you saw this footage?

With fans like that who needs the ones that never could stand you!

Wonder what these 'fans' think now, and did they purchase the album or will they now watch the film!

Abit later in the interview Neil has this to say:

Well, I think misleading the country into a war with Iraq by misrepresenting the facts, as the Senate committee has verified that he did, that was the wrong way to go about it. I think that he took a tremendous amount of good faith and good will from around the world and used it very poorly. It's not, "What could he have done," so much as it is, "Why did he do what he did?" I mean, it's just unfortunate that his feelings and convictions took him there, and we're the ones who suffer for it -- to a lesser degree us, and to a greater degree the Iraqis. And we're all suffering for it. And it's just very unfortunate. I just feel badly about it because (pauses) it's not because I hate Bush. I just think he's a strong leader that was going in the wrong direction. It's a bad combination.

And shortly after the above he adds this:

And he needs to be impeached for what he did. I mean, the Senate has verified it. It needs to happen for history. It's like a dirty business. It needs to be taken care of. Nobody wants to be bothered, but it should happen, because do we want to let this go down in history? It's a cancer. It's a blight. It has to be eradicated. You have to look at this and go, "The president mislead the people into going to war, lost 5,000 troops, there's hundreds of thousands of people killed in Iraq, billions and billions of dollars were taken out of the economy for the war, and now we've discovered for sure -- the Senate committee has said, 'Yeah, he did. He lied.'" So what do you have to do to get impeached? What do you need to do? And who are we if we don't do it ... if we don't actually say, "Hey -- the law! You can't do that!"

Remember this song:

This Country needs to right this ship of state and abide by it's Constitution and Laws or just say The Hell With The Whole Thing and except what the few are striving for, Their Total Control and we just become the sheep of that Control!

There needs to be Accountability not only for this Country but this Planet we share!

We must really Lead, as a Nation, by Example, and the Examples we are setting are not those of a Country with Moral Values nor Intelligent Human Values!

Do on to Others as you would want Them to do onto You!

Find the Cost of Freedom

"Freedom" doesn't come to others by destroying them and their countries in Wars of Choice and the Destructive Occupations that follow, it only leads to more Hatreds, Death, and Destruction!

"Blood and Oil"

The notion that oil motivates America's military engagements in the Middle East has long been dismissed as nonsense or mere conspiracy theory. Blood and Oil, a new documentary based on the critically-acclaimed work of Nation magazine defense correspondent Michael T. Klare, challenges this conventional wisdom to correct the historical record. The film unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years – rendering our contemporary energy and military policies virtually indistinguishable. In the end, Blood and Oil calls for a radical re-thinking of US energy policy, warning that unless we change direction, we stand to be drawn into one oil war after another as the global hunt for diminishing world petroleum supplies accelerates.

"Blood and Oil" is a very, very well made film that will show you something new even if you already know that - as Dubya admits - the United States is addicted to oil, even if you know the deal that FDR cut with the king of Saudi Arabia on February 14, 1945 (and have already seen the film footage of them meeting on a US ship accompanied by the king's slaves and astrologers), even if you know the openly oily basis of the Truman Doctrine, the Eisenhower Doctrine, the Nixon Doctrine, the Carter Doctrine, and Reagan's Persian Gulf policies, the origins of Centcom, and the oily panic of Bush I (who finally established that the policy of blood for oil would be hushed up and disguised by phony war justifications), even if you know that Bush I's reneging on his promise to leave Saudi Arabia after driving the Iraqis out of Kuwait turned Osama bin Laden into an enemy of the United States, even if you've followed the crimes of Cheney-Bush and the establishment of Africom, even if you have been screaming against war for oil since before Shock and Awe.

Get this film and host an event showing it!

View the trailer and find out more

NOT Winning 'Hearts and Minds', but Making Enemies!!

Haditha victims' kin outraged as Marines go free (McClatchy has the video at top of this report)

Eight Marines were charged in the case, but in the intervening years, criminal charges have been dismissed against six. A seventh Marine was acquitted. The residents of Haditha, after being told they could depend on U.S. justice, feel betrayed.

"We put our hopes in the law and in the courts and one after another they are found innocent," said Yousef Aid Ahmed, the lone surviving brother in the family. "This is an organized crime."

If nothing is brought into a Court of Accountibility, with evidence layed out for all to see, Guilt or Innocence means nothing, Hatreds and Blowback are created, Creating More 'Enemies' not Justice! That is Not bringing 'Freedom' and 'Democracy', it adds to the Destruction already created!

Our Medicated/Wounded Military

Yesterday "GregMitch" posted a Diary on the same subject I'm placing up first.

But lets expand to on what our Civilian and Military leaders are doing to Our Troops and National Security in bushs, and now mccains call for More, occupations!

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, an alarming number of active-duty troops are turning to prescription anti-depressants to cope with the stress of battle. David Martin reports:

Many Frontline Troops Turn To Meds To Cope

(CBS) As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, we're learning that a large number of troops are turning to medication to deal with the stress of battle.

Each year, between 20 and 40 soldiers are evacuated from war zones for mental problems brought on by combat, says CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin, and many more stay in the battle with the help of medication.

A recent survey found 12 percent of soldiers in Iraq reported taking either anti-depressants or sleeping pills. That works out to about 19,000 soldiers, half of them using anti-depressants.

Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Tuesday, "This high rate of the use of anti-depressants and sleeping pills is really just a symptom of a deeper problem. We're sending folks back over and over again in a tremendously stressful environment, and it's taking its toll. The anti-depressants and sleeping pills are one way that the military and the individuals are trying to meet that threat."

The current front page, Time Magazine, report mentioned in the video

America's Medicated Army

While the headline-grabbing weapons in this war have been high-tech wonders, like unmanned drones that drop Hellfire missiles on the enemy below, troops like LeJeune are going into battle with a different kind of weapon, one so stealthy that few Americans even know of its deployment. For the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Today we find out Much More:

Report: Unfit troops sent to war

The Army isn't following its own rules, as some GIs with "significant" physical problems were deployed, the GAO finds.

About two-thirds of the soldiers at three Army bases who had "significant" physical problems were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan anyway, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office survey released Tuesday.

I keep asking the question, "Why isn't bushs new son-in-law in a Military uniform, he certainly looks young enough and healthy enough to be serving in the all volunteer military and in these theaters of occupations?", I haven't gotten an answer.

Well maybe others could push for one:

Senator questions injured soldier deployments

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee blasted the Pentagon on Wednesday for sending a wounded Fort Carson soldier back to Iraq, questioning whether it had been done to fill depleted ranks.

Citing a Denver Post report, Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, asked about an Army captain's e-mail saying that Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team had "been having issues reaching deployable strength," and that some "borderline" soldiers were sent overseas.

"Are there shortages in deployment strength that are now causing some of these decisions to be made that otherwise would not be?" Levin asked at a committee hearing.

No wonder I don't see as many cheap magnetic ribbons of support for the troops {while they Still support the bush}, not only on the younger folks vehicles but their parents as well, they can run but they can't hide, as our Military Breaks even further!

Bring Them Home NOW, And Take Complete Care Of Them When They Return, Health, Education, and Welfare!!

Our Medicated Military

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, an alarming number of active-duty troops are turning to prescription anti-depressants to cope with the stress of battle. David Martin reports



Many Frontline Troops Turn To Meds To Cope

(CBS) As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, we're learning that a large number of troops are turning to medication to deal with the stress of battle.

Each year, between 20 and 40 soldiers are evacuated from war zones for mental problems brought on by combat, says CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin, and many more stay in the battle with the help of medication.

A recent survey found 12 percent of soldiers in Iraq reported taking either anti-depressants or sleeping pills. That works out to about 19,000 soldiers, half of them using anti-depressants.

Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Tuesday, "This high rate of the use of anti-depressants and sleeping pills is really just a symptom of a deeper problem. We're sending folks back over and over again in a tremendously stressful environment, and it's taking its toll. The anti-depressants and sleeping pills are one way that the military and the individuals are trying to meet that threat."

Also this current front page report at Time magazine:

America's Medicated Army

America's Medicated Army

Illustration by Lon Tweeten and D.W. Pine for TIME

Seven months after Sergeant Christopher LeJeune started scouting Baghdad's dangerous roads — acting as bait to lure insurgents into the open so his Army unit could kill them — he found himself growing increasingly despondent. "We'd been doing some heavy missions, and things were starting to bother me," LeJeune says. His unit had been protecting Iraqi police stations targeted by rocket-propelled grenades, hunting down mortars hidden in dark Baghdad basements and cleaning up its own messes. He recalls the order his unit got after a nighttime firefight to roll back out and collect the enemy dead. When LeJeune and his buddies arrived, they discovered that some of the bodies were still alive. "You don't always know who the bad guys are," he says. "When you search someone's house, you have it built up in your mind that these guys are terrorists, but when you go in, there's little bitty tiny shoes and toys on the floor — things like that started affecting me a lot more than I thought they would."

More at Time Magazine

And or read this post at VetVoice.

"True Crimes: The Untold Story Behind the Devastation of Iraq."

Join many others online, or if in New York city at the event, tomorrow evening:

On Tuesday, June 3, join the Center for Constitutional Rights for an exciting live webcast of the event "True Crimes: The Untold Story Behind the Devastation of Iraq."

The event, which will take place at New York City's Town Hall, features bestselling author JEREMY SCAHILL, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer CHRIS HEDGES, journalist LAILA AL-ARIAN, and The New Yorker's SEYMOUR HERSH, as they go behind the headlines to tell the untold story of the occupation of Iraq, the daily plight of Iraqi civilians, and the ongoing role of private mercenaries in America's so-called "war on terror."

The webcast will stream live on CCR's website on Tuesday, June 3, 7 p.m. EST. Go here for more details.

This event also marks the book launches of Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians by Chris Hedges and Laila al-Arian and the updated paperback edition of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill.

CCR has worked with all of these authors in our pursuit of justice for the victims of the war and occupation of Iraq. Recently, we filed new cases against Blackwater for its killing of Iraqi civilians as well as a new case against CACI and Titan, military contractors in Iraq who were responsible for interrogation and translation at Abu Ghraib.

The event is co-sponsored by CCR, The Nation, Public Concern Foundation, Democracy Now!, The Indypendent, CERSC, Democrats. com, Veterans for Common Sense, Peace Action New York, Alternet and Tricycle.

For those in or near New York City:

Tickets are available for the event at the Town Hall Box Office, 123 W. 43rd St., New York City ( 212-997-6661) or at Ticketmaster (212-307-4100/ )

And from 'Democracy Now!' today an interview with Jeremy Scahill:

* Blackwater: From the Nisour Square Massacre to the Future of the Mercenary
Industry *

The private military firm Blackwater has gone from being a relatively
unknown contractor working in Iraq to a household name and the subject of
multiple investigations, lawsuits and congressional inquiries. In the
meantime, the company continues to reap millions of dollars in profits and
was recently awarded a new contract from the State Department. Last year,
Democracy Now! correspondent and Nation Fellow, Jeremy Scahill, published
his book Blackwater: The Rise of the Worldｹs Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
The book quickly landed on the New York Times bestseller list and helped
frame the debate that was to come. With the book's paperback release in a
thoroughly revised and updated edition, Jeremy Scahill joins us for the
hour.

Listen/Watch/Read

The Above Interview Is GOOD!!!

Let me say, Anything and Everything 'Blackwater Does' can Will Create 'Blowback' on the Military Personal, this Countries Citizens and the Nations National Security, Anything!!!!!

Afghanistan

Ambush In Afghanistan
U.S. Army Special Forces say they were shocked by military tactics used by Taliban fighters who ambushed them near Kandahar, Afghanistan, in their first account of the unreported battle. Lara Logan



Green Berets Recount Deadly Taliban Ambush
Special Forces Troops Tell 60 Minutes Taliban Fighters Better Organized Than They Expected

With all the focus on the war in Iraq, we don't hear much about the war in Afghanistan any more, even though the U.S. is fighting the Taliban nearly seven years after they seemed to be defeated.

After 9/11 and the invasion of Afganistan, to rout out al Qaeda and bin Laden along with the Taliban, we literally walked away.

Not only in troop strenght, to keep order and help rebuild a society that had experianced years of Warfare with the Soviets, which brought the Taliban to power.

We walked away before, after the Soviets finally gave up there extreme Debacle, walked away from the promises made to the Afgan people, the whole western world just forgot and went their merry way. This brought about the rise of bin Laden and al Qaeda and the growth of extreme Criminal Terrorism, Emboldening them to take on the Western powers who's long established failed policies left many in the region with Hatreds of the policies that were set to control them and certainly not aimed towards freedom, their freedom.

Than Iraq

Now they are Emboldened once again and the Hatreds have not diminished but grown, across the region!

Leaving and invading Iraq, a Country and People that did nothing to deserve the invasion, destruction, deaths and maimings, and Occupation by foreign militaries have Created so much more Hatreds amoung so many more people, those that do survive, especially the next generations of the children, that the Whole Region will be Unstable and a Breeding Ground for those who will bring on more World Wide Criminal Terrorism, Terrorism that our children will have to live with and forced bring their own terror to others as each side retaliates for each incident waged!

This is the legacy and world we are leaving behind, unless the people themselves can rise above the so called leadership and arrogance, and use of War as a wealth generating endevor, and find the way forward without the death, destruction, and all that is associated with the Conflicts man wages against eack other!

" What does it matter to the dead, the orphan, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"
- Mohandas K. Gandhi

" Wars, conflict, it's all business. One murder makes a villain.
Millions a hero. Numbers sanctify.
-Charlie Chaplin

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is," - George W. Bush, Texas Gov., 1999

An Iraqi Gives His Side

Let me get this straight, we invaded a Country for No Reason At All, or if you are to believe the civilian and some military leadership a Number of Reasons that Kept Changing!

We're now into the Sixth Year and We're Training{?} a new Iraq Military Force as well as a Police Force!

Well lets hear, once again, the Iraqi side,

Desertion or a Break? An Iraqi Gives His Side

He was not deserting his men, the Iraqi Army captain insisted Wednesday. He had left his 70 soldiers in the midst of a battle in Sadr City the day before to take his long-overdue three-day break.

Hey everyone needs abit of R&R in the heat of battle, in ones own country, against ones own people, which probably played more into it than just a long-overdue break.

He had not been paid in two months and was overwhelmed by the problems of commanding his company, part of the 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division. He was considering not going back to the fight in Sadr City.

Not Paid? Who's running this Debacle, the one who thinks he's the Greatest CEO ever to come along? Sounds like thw way he ran his other businesses, All His Life, that daddies friends had to keep bailing him out of.

I'd take more than a Break if I didn't get paid, I'd send my resume to the competition, seems they're getting better funding or at least better with the capital they got.

On the phone they had read a roster of names of the men in his battalion. “I don’t even have access to that,” he said. “They could only have gotten it from my senior commanders.

“Our senior officials, they are thieves,” he said.

Hey maybe We Are Training them right, at least at the civilian and military leadership positions!

“The Mahdi Army, they have much better equipment than we do.”

He said most of his men had only two 30-round ammunition magazines each, magazines that sell for less than $12 on the streets of Baghdad.

“During the battle, my soldiers’ bullets are finished and they have to stop fighting,” he said. While the militia has mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns, he said, “Three of my six machine guns are not working, and I have no mortars.”

Lesson of Occupation: Train, but don't supply, a countries, you invaded, forces, so you can keep your own forces in place to kill and be killed while leadership and supply contractors reap Huge Contracts with Huge Bottom Lines of Profit!

“Most of my soldiers have family inside Sadr City,” he said. “Their tribes and cousins and relatives are there. They can’t fight in Sadr City.”

Lesson two: Kill and Maim tens of thousands of the innocent citizens of the country occupied than tell citizens of same they now Must Fight Against Each Other while Puppet Government, set up by occupiers, Reap their share of the Blood Money!

Everyones 'Happy' but the Citizens of the Country who now Live their daily lives in Death, Destruction,Homeless, Families Destroyed, Neighbors Destroyed, Neighborhoods Destroyed and Walled In, Culture and Country Destroyed, Innocence Destroyed,.....................................................................!!!

Oh, and Torture anyone you wish, creating the Growing Hatreds of the Past Failed Policies around this planet, Towards Us!

Oh

And you might want to read this:

Bush Defense Secretary Admits 9/11 Was Blowback

“We were attacked from Afghanistan in 2001, and we are at war in Afghanistan today, in no small measure because of mistakes this government made--mistakes I among others made in the end game of the anti-Soviet war there some 20 years ago.”

"May Day! May Day! May Day!"

MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!

The following was written by Jack Heyman a longshoreman who works on the Oakland docks

Longshoremen to close ports on West Coast to protest war

While millions of people worldwide have marched against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and last week's New York Times/CBS News poll indicated that 81 percent believe the country is headed in the wrong direction - key concerns being the war and the economy - the war machine inexorably grinds on.

Amid this political atmosphere, dockworkers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have decided to stop work for eight hours in all U.S. West Coast ports on May 1, International Workers' Day, to call for an end to the war.

This decision came after an impassioned debate where the union's Vietnam veterans turned the tide of opinion in favor of the anti-war resolution. The motion called it an imperial action for oil in which the lives of working-class youth and Iraqi civilians were being wasted and declared May Day a "no peace, no work" holiday. Angered after supporting Democrats who received a mandate to end the war but who now continue to fund it, longshoremen decided to exercise their political power on the docks.

Last month, in response to the union's declaration, the Pacific Maritime Association, the West Coast employer association of shipowners, stevedore companies and terminal operators, declared its opposition to the union's protest. Thus, the stage is set for a conflict in the run up to the longshore contract negotiations.

The last set of contentious negotiations (in 2002) took place during the period between the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the invasion of Iraq. Representatives of the Bush administration threatened that if there were any of the usual job actions during contract bargaining, then troops would occupy the docks because such actions would jeopardize "national security." Yet, when the PMA employers locked out the longshoremen and shut down West Coast ports for 11 days, the "security" issue vanished. President Bush then invoked the Taft-Hartley Act, forcing longshoremen back to work under conditions favorable to the employers.

The San Francisco longshore union has a proud history of opposition to the war in Iraq, being the first union to call for an end to the war and immediate withdrawal of troops. Representatives of the union spoke at anti-war rallies in February 2003, including one in London attended by nearly 2 million people, the largest ever held in Britain. Executive Board member Clarence Thomas went to Iraq with a delegation to observe workers' rights during the occupation.

At the start of the war in Iraq, hundreds of protesters demonstrated on the Oakland docks, and longshoremen honored their picket lines. Without warning, police in riot gear opened fire with so-called less-than-lethal weapons, shooting protesters and longshoremen alike with wooden dowels, rubber bullets, pellet bags, concussion grenades and tear gas. A U.N. Human Rights Commission investigator characterized the Oakland police attack as "the most violent" against anti-war protesters in the United States.

And finally, last year, two black longshoremen going to work in the port of Sacramento were beaten, Maced and arrested by police under the rubric of Homeland Security regulations ordained by the "war on terror."

There's precedent for this action. In the '50s, French dockworkers refused to load war materiel on ships headed for Indochina, and helped to bring that colonial war to an end. At the ILWU's convention in San Francisco in 2003, A. Q. McElrath, an octogenarian University of Hawaii regent and former ILWU organizer from the pineapple canneries, challenged the delegates to act for social justice, invoking the union's slogan, "An injury to one is an injury to all." She concluded, "The cudgel is on the ground. Will you pick it up?"

It appears that longshore workers may be doing just that on May Day and calling on immigrant workers and others to join them.

May Day protest

WHEN: 10:30 a.m., May 1, followed by a rally at noon.

WHERE: Longshore Union Hall, corner of Mason and Beach (near Fisherman's Wharf)

.
WHAT: March to a rally at Justin Herman Plaza along the Embarcadero.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: May Day!**ILWU Homepage**Transport Workers Solidarity Committee or call (415) 776-8100.

A CALL TO ACTION ALL OUT ON MAYDAY TO STOP THE WAR!

At the start of the Iraq War in 2003, many working people were opposed to the invasion. Now the overwhelming majority want to end the war and withdraw troops.
Yet, both major political parties continue to fund the war.

Marches and demonstrations have not been able to stop the war. The Longshore Union (ILWU) will stop work for 8 hours in every port on the West Coast on May 1st.
This action shows that working people have the power to stop the war.

Don't work on May 1st — MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!

*Stop the war!
*Withdraw the troops now!
*No scapegoating immigrant workers for the economic crisis!
*Health care for all!
*Funding for schools and housing!
*Defend civil liberties and workers' rights!

MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!

Port Workers' May Day Organizing Committee

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT:

Contact ILWU President Robert McEllrath With A Letter Of Support For The Longshore Caucus’ Resolution To Use International Workers Day To “Stop Work To Stop The War”

Date: 29 Mar 2008
From: Clarence Thomas
Via New York City Labor Against The War

As a result of an important action taken at the recent International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) Caucus, Longshore workers will stop work during the first shift in opposition to the war in Iraq, on May 1, 2008.
They will also use this occasion to acknowledge International Workers Day to express labor solidarity concerning issues and challenges that confront workers.
This war has cost more than 4,000 American lives and 29,000 have been seriously injured. It has been estimated that 1 million Iraqis have lost their lives, untold have been injured and 4 million have been displaced in this illegal and amoral war and occupation. The war is costing $435 million per day.
So far, $526 billion has been expended on the war. The daily amount spent on the war could enroll 58,000 youngsters in Head Start or provide health insurance to 329,200 low-income children.
We’re writing to ask you to contact ILWU President Robert McEllrath with a letter of support for the Longshore Caucus’ resolution to use International Workers Day to “stop work to stop the war”. Please ask other organizations to do the same.
Robert McEllrath, ILWU President
1188 Franklin Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 775-0533
(415) 775-1302 FAX
Your support in spreading the word of this historic action is very important.
In Solidarity,
Clarence Thomas
National Co-Chair
Million Worker March Movement

And there's MORE:

Mail Carriers Vote 2 Minutes Of Silence On May Day To Oppose The War

April 11, 2008 New York City Labor Against The War

Postal letter carriers in Greensboro voted to observe 2 minutes of silence at 9:15 a.m. on International Workers Day - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - to express their opposition to the war in Iraq.
Their workplace action is in solidarity with the ILWU longshore workers, who are shutting down all West Coast ports for 8 hours on May 1st in opposition to the war. The vote took place on April 3 at their regular membership meeting in Greensboro.
The action by Greensboro Branch 630 of the National Association of Letter Carriers is also in solidarity with San Francisco Branch 214 letter carriers and the American Postal Workers Union in the New York Metro Area and San Francisco, who earlier voted to pause for 2 minutes of silence on that day to oppose the war.
The APWU locals, whose members work around the clock, plan to observe the period of silence at specific times on all three shifts.

And still MORE:

New York Faculty/Staff Union Supports ILWU Anti-War Work Stoppage

April 11, 2008 New York City Labor Against The War

The following anti-war resolution was adopted unanimously at the March 27 delegate assembly of the Professional Staff Congress, AFT Local 2334 at the City University of New York.

Whereas, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has voted to stop work and shut down all 29 West Coast ports for the full 8-hour day shift on May 1st, in protest against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

Whereas, this historic decision to use the power of their contract to close the ports represents one of the most powerful forms of labor action a union can take to demand an end to the war; and

Whereas, the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY has, since the start of the war in Iraq, called for an end to the war and a reordering of national priorities so that funding is available for education, healthcare, jobs and other human needs; and

Whereas, it is especially important that CUNY students, faculty and staff have an opportunity to discuss the meaning of a powerful labor action to end the war, given the intense military recruitment our students face and the direct effect of the war budget on CUNY funding and contracts; and

Whereas, the PSC has embarked on the most intense phase of our fight for a fair contract; and

Whereas, the ILWU has expressed the hope that its decision will be a "clarion call" to the rest of labor; and

Whereas, the March meeting of the Hunter PSC chapter voted to hold an outdoor event/teach-in against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan on May 1st in solidarity with the ILWU work stoppage and with the theme of mobilizing labor's power against the war; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the PSC send to the ILWU a message of solidarity on the occasion of their historic initiative for workers' action against the war, and as part of this effort, be it further

RESOLVED that while the priority for PSC organizing during the next two months will be the drive to reach a good contract settlement, PSC chapters that vote to undertake a campus event or teach-in on May 1 in solidarity with the ILWU action will be supported in
doing so; and such actions should reach out as broadly as possible to students and the community and should contribute to building the union campaign for a good contract.

A big Tip of the Hat goes out to Brother 'Nam Vet Thomas Barton, over at Military Project - G.I. Special and Traveling Soldier who passed on the above information in his lastest G.I. Special Newsletter, I just did abit of extra highlighting and added a few links!

What say folks, will You MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!

Take the Day Off, have a Planned Action to show your Solidarity with the Longshoreman and Support For The Troops, Real Support "Bring Them Home Now, And Take Care Of Them When They Return!!"

IRAQ:

Returning Home Is No Easy Solution for Displaced Iraqis

Assessments by Iraq's Ministry for Displacement and Migration (MoDM) and IOM of Iraqis having returned to their original homes from internal displacement or asylum abroad reveal that return has not brought them relief from the humanitarian crisis they suffered during their displacement.

Priority needs among the 5,200 people assessed by IOM monitors out of nearly 78,200 returnees identified so far across the country are food, fuel, non-food items and access to health care and medications.

In the first of IOM reports focusing exclusively on the monitoring and needs assessment of returnees, nearly two-thirds of identified returns were to Baghdad with March 2007 as the peak month for returning.

Almost half of these returnees said they only had an intermittent access to government food rations which were largely insufficient to meet their needs.

For those returning to Baghdad, lack of access to health care was the worst of any region at 70 per cent with the national average still high at 56 per cent. Shortage of health facilities and medications and a lack of finances were the main reasons cited.

Although the vast majority of returnees had returned to their original house (84 per cent), many properties had sustained significant damage and lost or stolen belongings including furniture, highlighting a significant need for property assistance.

In Baghdad, where most property disputes occur over occupied houses, the resettlement of returnees is currently being handled on an ad hoc basis by various authorities. Any future large scale returns would necessitate setting up a comprehensive policy and mechanism in order to avoid renewed tensions.

Although identified returns so far constitute less than one per cent of the total displaced Iraqi population (an estimated five million internally displaced people and refugees), monitors had observed an increase in returns in March prior to the recent violence in Basra, Baghdad and elsewhere that outstripped the capacity of the MoDM and local authorities to identify all locations. Therefore, real figures for returns are likely to be higher.

"The situation for those returning is grim and isn't necessarily an improvement from when they were displaced. Many returnees are unemployed while only a fraction have received any form of humanitarian assistance other than some food rations," said Rafiq Tschannen, IOM's Chief of Mission for Iraq.

"Although efforts are being made to help returnees really get back on their feet, intensifying these efforts is major challenge for all the humanitarian agencies as well as the Iraqi government. IOM is working closely with the MoDM to ensure assistance reaches a much greater number of returnees and our reports on the monitoring and assessment needs of returnees will go a long way to making sure we all get the right kind of help to those who need it."

To access the report in PDF Click Here

4,000 Souls

Sen. Robert Byrd has a request posted over at Huffington Post, the title is his.

He hasn't Waivered as apparently many in this Country have!

Each brave soul leaves behind devastated loved ones -- sons, daughters, wives, husbands, moms, and dads. Each tragic loss leaves a void -- a missing smile and loving embrace, an empty chair at the family dinner table -- that can never be filled.

It's not a long read, won't interupt the clinton/obama mass postings, you can spare a minute or two!
{This line is for the KOS crowd, as I posted there as well}

At this somber moment, let us resolve to take steps to finally bring this tragic war to an end. In 2008, the American people must not stand passively mute, as far too many of their leaders did five years ago. Let your voices be heard.

Not just their leaders, but Far Too Many Americans, Period!

I didn't than, and I'm Still Not Mute, as tens of thousands of us haven't waivered neither, how about you!!

And what do the pResident cheney, and his little puppet say:



**********

PBS Nightline

Tonight and Tomorrow Night:

Bush’s War–And Our Own

"They are monsters and devils wearing human clothes,"

They Didn't Hate Us Before!

Just One Of Tens of Thousands, NOW!!

Um Saad, a middle-aged woman living in the Sunni district of Khadra in west Baghdad, blames the Americans for the death of her husband and two of her sons and threatens revenge.

We Invaded
Based on Lies and Cherrypicked Intelligence!

We Occupy

One of the reason given, Saddam was Evil and he Tortured, he was all ours for years! We installed him, we welcomed him, we supported him, and We All Know Now, We Torture, just like Saddam, even in his old prisons!

"One day I will put on an explosive belt under my clothes and then blow myself up among the Americans. I will get revenge against them for my husband and sons and I will go to paradise."

As long as We Stay we are Responsible

Everything that happens within a Country we destroyed, and Occupy, driven Millions from their homes, killed and maimed untold numbers of Innocent Human Beings, We Are Responsible!

Not just the military we sent, But this Entire Nation!

The misery of people like Um Saad is the cumulative result of years of war. Dressed in dark robes, sitting in the bare sitting room of her modest house in al-Khadra, this 49-year-old woman tells how her family was slowly destroyed.

Bereaved Iraqi mother vows revenge on US

As you Don't Think about what we've done, the Conflict in Iraq, along with the rest of of the 72% that don't care about the Military personal Killed, 3,987 you probably won't care about the Hatreds we've created on a people that most certainly didn't do a Damn Thing to deserve these past Five Years we've given them!!

Still think there might be waves and waves of Flowers for us, for our Victory, Think Again

Place yourself, especially your Children, in place of the Iraqi's, How Would You Feel and What Would You Do!!

Mission Accomplished

The Responsibility

Now, is for All the Deaths and Destruction!!

The Responsibility, long into the Future, is to Finance the Rebuilding of what We've Destroyed, Lives and a Country!!