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POPSThe Gift of Music Music is my most favorite gift of all. How could I not love the gift of a John Lennon classic. This super special gift was thanks to enigma2ever at Watergate Summer.
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POPSMentally ill soldiers being sent back to war Dr. Judith Herman is a psychiatrist who specializes in PTSD. She said she does not think it is safe to send a mentally ill soldier back to war. "Personally I'm appalled by the practice," Herman said. "I don't think it's safe for the individual soldier. I don't think it's safe for his unit either to send someone who is so impaired back into a situation of danger."
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POPSBush Snubs War Widow This is disgraceful, but it does not surprise me. It just continues to show me how "unChristian" this "compassionate conservative" president truly is. Very few things in this world bind us all together. Death binds us all as we will all eventually see the grave, regardless of religion. If we cannot show compassion for each other, particularly when you (as president) are personally responsible for the orders that sent a man to war and thus, to his death, then we are no better than those we might consider our enemy. This soldier gave his life for Bush's war and thus his wife has sacrificed her husband to support George Bush...the least he could do is express his sincere condolences to this woman, regardless of whether he supports her religious beliefs or not.
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POPSSoldiers families Suffer Rates of neglect and abuse of the children of servicemen and women rose 42% within the family when the enlisted parent was deployed on a combat mission, according to a new study led by senior health analyst Deborah Gibbs of RTI International, a research institute in North Carolina. Previous studies have shown an association between combat-related deployments and higher levels of stress in the family, and it is this stress that is thought to play a major role in the maltreatment of children by the parent who stays home.
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POPSIf you think were winning the war, read the whole story Anyone who reads these stories from the soldiers who were there. Will know we cant win when our actions will only provoke hatred towards America. As a Vietnam Veteran, I see what happened there, is happening in Iraq. Only I see it much more perverse.
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POPSA tangled web we weave, when practice to deceive! How sad is this... Our mainstream news would probably spin this like a benevolent story of HELP for the families who are struggling to become American citizens in this wonderful land of opportunity and advantages for the few. But the truth of the matter is... THEY NEED MORE BOOTS TO CONTINUE THIS OUTRAGEOUS WAR IN THE HOPE TO SAVE FACE!! It's hard to believe, all the efforts to continue sending troops to Iraq are only to help this president's place in history because of a war that never should have been waged. A war of lies, no matter the spin, it seems this is the only truth. "Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!" - Sir Walter Scott Once again, how sad. thinkingblue.blogspot.com
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POPSpoisoning the troops All the Memorial Day rhetoric does not change the fact the powers that be seem to view soldiers as players on a chess board -- lose the pawns -- it's OK as long as the King is protected.
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POPSCindy Speaks Out and Leaves the Dems Cindy Sheehan makes some excellent points in this open letter to Congress. The Democrats were put into power after 6 years of total Republican control of the House and Senate primarily because the voters wanted them to end this war honourably. They have the vast majority of the country on the side of ending the war and cutting off Bush's blank check. Now that they had the chance to do it, they flubbed it and gave Bush what he wanted with the suggestion of "wait 'til next time." The public, I sense, is tired of waiting, and they do not see why the Democrats folded like a house of cards when they finally have the power to do something towards bringing this war to a close.
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POPSLooks Like Dr. Laura's Glass House Is Cracked The other day, Dr. Laura told us milspouses that we needed to STFU about whining about our husbands serving in the illegal war in Iraq. In the article I linked, it did mention that her son was in the military but she refused to state where he was serving. Maybe this explains her lack of comment.
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POPSMilitary Wife Contronts War Hawk on C-Span
I would like to add that I agree with what the caller said (you can read the transcript or watch the exchange at the link). I have to tell my friends to use the back door when they stop by, so I know if visitors are wanted or unwanted. My kids don't always remember to tell that to their friends or when the UPS man drops by, it freaks the hell out of me. My heart skips a beat wondering if it's THE visit. I sleep with a land phone and a cell phone right next to my head, so i can take his call, even at 3 in the morning (or in case the call is "bad news", then I don't have to worry about having missed the call). When I'm not home, a phone is on my person at all times...on the sink when I'm in the shower. If the phone rings at a peculiar hour, it freaks me out. If I don't get an email, at least once a week, it is "cause for concern". My kids are "clueless", I don't want them to worry. "Daddy is at work" is all they know...they even know where, but they don't know why.
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POPSTroop Extensions: CNN Opinion Page Read all the comments. Many are from actually soldiers or military family members and even vets. Some support the extension, others do not. It's just CNN, but it is an interesting "snap-shot" perspective on how some people feel about what is happening to our troops (and their families).
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POPSWas Bush Trying To Blame The Democrats For Military Extensions... ...Despite Pentagon Planning For Same For Well Over A Year? Read the whole article yourself. I have read on a few blogs, speculating, that the reason the leak happened was to avoid the chance for Bush to blame the Democrats for the extensions, but since he hasn't "yet" vetoed their Iraq spending bill, it is "too early" to blame them for hurting the troops, therefore this new extension falls squarely on the Administration, since no action by the Legislative Branch has yet been made law. A lot of military families are angry at the leaker...but what if the leak was a way for someone to "blow the whistle" on the Bush Admin, not just rile up the troops? Either way, it does smell fishy.
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POPSDon't Just Take My Word For It: Soldiers Speaks Out On The 15 Month Extension (Please go to the link and read full article) I was lucky. When my husband was in Iraq the last time, we were told to expect him to be gone for up to 18 months (since there had been a history of other troops being extended), but he got home within a year and we were relieved. Some others we had heard about, not so much. Some of them got home and were told to GO BACK right away, since their unit had got extended AFTER redeployments began! So when hubby came home, there were a few weeks (while we waited for his whole battalion to redeploy) where I was anxious about whether or not he could be recalled. Like I said, we got lucky. But, you will have to excuse me if I don't hold my breath on the whole "12 months" at home "promise" since that was a "promise" from day one of the Iraq war, that over time has been slowly whittled away as to be meaningless. My hubby is going back after less than a year and that's if they leave on their original schedule. I hear they are leaving sooner.
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POPSExtensions Don't Just Stretch The Army, They Stretch Families, Too! This war is putting a strain on many military families and marriages. I seem to regularly hear about "another spousal suicide" in my neck of the woods...things that do not get reported in the msm, because it's one of those things that the military doesn't report because it would "harm the troops morale". A year ago, a woman across the street was found dead, her husband was in Iraq and he worked side by side with my husband. He "got to" come home...sadly. I hear about divorces on a regular basis, some families work it out, most don't. Who gets married to spend most of their marriage apart? I guess it follows the old adage that if the Army wanted you to have a family, they would have issued you one." I heard that a lot when I was pregnant and needed my husband home and we weren't even at war then! It's hard enough raising a child as a couple, it's even harder trying to raise normal, happy kids who know they have a daddy, but never get to see him.
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POPSI Guess They Aren't Pickin' Up What He's Puttin' Down Anymore Of course, I can only speak from personal experience and I have had the opportunity to see the president give a speech, in person. Soldiers are becoming more and more disenchanted with Bush and his policies. It doesn't help that their families are even more displeased. My husband is headed for Ft. Irwin (where Bush gave his recent speech) in June. He told me he's glad that Bush stopped by sooner, rather than later (when he will be training there).
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POPSYour Daily Dose of Moral Outrage: US Army Edition READ THE WHOLE LINK...there are too many juicy details to clip: Another excerpt: He was given discharge papers, Defense Department form No. 214, that say he served honorably and left at the end of his enlistment. Miller got a place in town and a job, and began planning for his life as a civilian. The 29-year-old enjoyed his four years in the Army and once was named soldier of the month, but he admits he bristled under the authority and knew it was time to shed the uniform. The post says Miller never should have been allowed to leave, because he was awaiting trial. “He was erroneously discharged from the Army,” Fort Carson spokeswoman Dee Mc-Nutt said. When Miller didn’t show for his July 7 court-martial, a legal battle ensued, with the Army proving to a judge that Miller’s discharge was void. Miller went back to Fort Carson where he was convicted in a court-martial Aug. 1, reduced in rank to private first class and given extra duty. WAY MORE AT THE LINK
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POPSSupport The Troops! Send Them Shoes! Here's a chance for you to do a little bit more than stick a yellow ribbon magnet on the back of your motor vehicle or rail against liberals or wingers about who supports the troops more/less. Regardless about how we may feel about the field of combat, the troops still need our actual support (not just slogans). Please help out if you can. I know, from personal experience, that every generous gesture is appreciated.
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POPSAnother Casualty of War: 60,000 Military Marriages (Read the full article) I have seen a lot of military marriages fall apart (due to actions on the part of both partners) and I have seen far too many divorces in my community. Not everyone can handle the stress of (continued) deployment. Honestly, I have a hard time with it, too. And, yes, my husband and I have gone through the turmoil of possible divorce. Though things are going a whole lot better for us now, there is no telling that we may not have to face that struggle again when having to go through yet another deployment. There are so many issues that go on that civilians do not understand and yet, the spouses are expected to go about the everyday as if everything is normal and not complain. Well-meaning people do not really want to hear how we "are doing"...they practice avoidance when spouses wish to be honest. It's even hardest for Reserve/Guard families-they live even farther away from military life. They need YOUR support almost more than active spouses.
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POPSLeft Behind: Soldiers Families Lots more at the link. Even though our government doesn't think much of it, I can tell you that it is a poignant part of my life. The main post chapel is less than a block away from my home and almost every single day cars overflow the parking lot for yet another Memorial Service and it is a heart-breaking scene to see, week after week, families and friends huddled together crying in front of the church. It's poignant to me since I have a soldier who is preparing to go back (Iraq, Season 3). Over the last 3 1/2 years I have had many many sleepless nights. So much so that I could not stomach even watching the local news, much less CNN. The so-called "family values" crowd needs to come out against the war for the simple fact they are always the ones preaching that children need TWO PARENTS (OF OPPOSITE SEX). We are heading to the point where that vision will no longer be a reality. And, I'm sure they will still blame Bill Clinton...
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POPSIf Convicts Can Serve, Why Not Gay People? There are already gays serving, some "openly, but discreetly". There are far more who are totally forced to live a lie. Many "straight" soldiers know and don't care. With all the problems this country is having hiring recruits to fight the endless war on terror, it's way past time to get rid of the rules that bar openly gay Americans from serving in our Armed Services. When you are having to lift restrictions on weight, criminal and education history in order to increase your ranks, what is wrong with expanding the pool of candidates to homosexuals? Of course, with so many Americans being against the Iraq war, this probably won't make a whole lot of difference if it passes.
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POPSCompany Accused of Insulting Soldier Getting Threatening Calls The last bit of the article says quite a bit: 1) The troops have no choice where they serve, so this company's representative was completely wrong in his remarks in regard to Webster's inquiry. 2) Because it's a Muslim-owned business, it's only going to make sentiment towards Muslims worse. Many people know how I feel about the war in Iraq, but to stoop to rudeness, especially as a business person, is beyond the pale. A simple "no, we don't ship to APOs, sorry can't help you" would have sufficed. I don't even care who owns the business. This company was absolutely wrong in this instance. Regardless of where they stand on the war, I won't feel sorry for them if they go out of business because what they did was offensive, period.
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POPSBush Bracing For Brash Audience I didn't vote for the guy and I have never been able to watch him give a speech without cringing. The last time I actually did watch, a few weeks later my husband and his fellow soldiers had orders to go to Iraq. I'll pass on watching, tonight as well. I'll watch "the google" for the highlights.
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