I just knew this guy was as phony as a three dollar bill. Hows that FOX network working out for ya now.I just knew this guy was as phony as a three dollar bill. Hows that FOX network... more
The Labor Department says that the unemployment rate last year for young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans hit 21.1 percent, reflecting a tough obstacle combat veterans face as they make the transition home from war. The number was well above the 16.6 percent jobless rate for non-veterans of the same ages, 18 to 24.The Labor Department says that the unemployment rate last year for young Iraq and... more
The Human Rights Campaign is sending out an action alert asking anyone to share the stories of don't ask, don't tell's affects on soldiershttps://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=711... more
Atrazine, a weed-killer sprayed primarily on cornfields, can run off into rivers and streams that supply municipal water systems. As the Huffington Post Investigative Fund reported in a series of articles last fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to notify the public that atrazine had been found at levels above the federal safety limit in drinking water in at least four states.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois by 16 cities in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Iowa. The communities allege that Swiss corporation Syngenta AG and its Delaware counterpart Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. reaped billions of dollars from the sale of atrazine while local taxpayers were left with the financial burden of filtering the chemical from drinking water.
Atrazine has long been a controversial product. The European Union in 2004 banned its use, saying there was not enough information to prove its safety. The EPA recently announced that it would be re-evaluating the herbicide's ability to cause cancer and birth defects, as well as its potential to disrupt the hormone and reproductive systems of humans and amphibians.
Last week, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science reported that male frogs exposed to levels of atrazine below federal limits could become functional females, with the ability to mate and lay eggs.Atrazine, a weed-killer sprayed primarily on cornfields, can run off into rivers and... more
A charity called Gaeso faces allegations (article says in referral charges) that it took £500 from Gurkha veterans who wanted to settle in the UK and passed the money onto a law firm in Britain called Howe & Co, "This is despite the fact that the Ministry of Defence has an office in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, offering the same advice for free." The law firm Howe & Co deny the allegations that they took any money.
Defence minister Kevan Jones says Gaeso told the Gurkhas misleading information and he's 'irritated' that Joanna Lumley hasn't spoken out against exploitation the veterans face.
The charity group Veteran Aid says they fear more cases of exploitation after helping one veteran who ended up living rough after giving away £9,000 when promised he had a home waiting for him, "We are not in the business of blaming Joanna Lumley for this. What we are saying is that we have come across cases of Gurkhas who have ended up here totally lost."A charity called Gaeso faces allegations (article says in referral charges) that it... more
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A measure to give some 57 million elderly people, veterans and persons with disabilities a $250 check was rejected by the Senate on Wednesday, a setback for the powerful seniors' lobby.
President Barack Obama has called for Congress to approve the payments to make up for their benefits not increasing this year, but the Senate defeated it 50 to 47.
The payments would have added $13 billion to a $108 billion job-creation package pending in the Senate.
Congress approved payments last year as part of the $862 billion stimulus package.
Social Security payments for the elderly and disabled will stay flat this year for the first time since 1975 because they are tied to consumer prices, which decreased amid the worst economic recession in 70 years.
That follows a year in which payments rose by 5.8 percent, largely due to a spike in gasoline prices.
"It is wrong to turn our backs on seniors in this moment of economic difficulty," said Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who sponsored the amendment.
But Republican Senator Judd Gregg pointed out that the bill would defeat the purpose of indexing Social Security payments to inflation.
"The law says it shouldn't be given," Gregg said.
At least 10 Democrats agreed with Gregg and joined 40 Republicans to defeat the proposal.
There are more than 1200 New Mexicans legally using medical marijuana under state law, of those, about 25 percent of them are veterans returning from war with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
But at VA hospitals nationwide, doctors are being told not to give out prescriptions because medical marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
A memo sent out to VA doctors has stated if they were to help patients get medical marijuana by filling out forms, it could mean their license to prescribe drugs could be revoked and could even result in criminal charges.There are more than 1200 New Mexicans legally using medical marijuana under state law,... more
The largest group of patients enrolled in New Mexico’s medical marijuana program are those who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, according to the most recent New Mexico Department of Health data. But Albuquerque’s Veteran’s Administration hospital–which many veterans rely on as their only source of health care–doesn’t allow its physicians to recommend the use of marijuana to patients.
Of 1,249 patients enrolled in the state medical marijuana program as of mid February, 291 have a diagnosis of PTSD. The next two largest groups are cancer patients, at 198, and HIV/AIDS patients, at 130.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder, sometimes severe, that is experienced by people who’ve endured dangerous situations, such as military combat. A Rand Corporation study in 2008 concluded that 20 percent of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD or major depression.
At the same time, fewer than 10 percent of veterans with PTSD complete treatment programs for the disorder. Suicide among veterans has skyrocketed, and more vets have committed suicide since 2001 than have died on the battlefield in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Drug Enforcement Agency advises VA on policy
The VA policy that prohibits its doctors from recommending medical marijuana derives from the advice of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, according to a policy statement given to The Independent by Sonja Brown, Chief of the Voluntary Service & Public Affairs Operations of the New Mexico VA Health Care System. This advice reflects the continued federal classification of marijuana as an illegal drug, despite the fact that 14 states now allow its use for medicinal purposes. (con't)The largest group of patients enrolled in New Mexico’s medical marijuana program... more
Retired Navy Cmdr. Beth R. Coye says she was forced to live a lie for years by hiding her sexuality. It was a pretense that grew intolerable as she rose in rank, especially when she found herself signing the discharge papers of Sailors who were caught trying to live the same lie --- that of being a gay or lesbian in a military that bars homosexuals from serving openly.
"My tour as a commanding officer was the most difficult," she said during a recent interview with Military.com from her home in Ashland, Ore. "Over two-and-a-half years, I had to discharge eight young men and women over homosexuality. And that broke my heart, and my integrity. My integrity was compromised."
"That was the tipping point. I could no longer do this," she said.
While she was up for captain, a few who knew her secret urged her to stay the course, but she resigned her commission after two decades in uniform. That was 1980.
Coye now has joined the chorus of those who want the U.S. armed forces to let go of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bars homosexuals from serving openly. She was heartened by the testimony given by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen on Feb. 2 before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Coye watched the proceedings online, disappointed only that Gates ordered two more reviews on gays in the military, one a service-led study looking at the implications across the force of repealing the current policy and the other a Rand Corp. study following up on one it did in 1993. That study concluded that homosexuals serving openly would not hurt the military.
"Overall, my feelings [watching the Senate hearing] were of joy, that finally the top leadership, both civilian and military … have 'gotten it'," Coye said. "They really have studied it, obviously, listened to both sides, and I was particularly moved by Adm. Mullen … that he personally took it on board and said it is a matter of integrity."
Coye's choice to get a Navy commission came naturally to her. Her father, Rear Adm. John S. Coye Jr., was a 1933 Naval Academy graduate who earned the Navy Cross and other decorations during his World War II service as a submarine skipper, with 14 confirmed sinkings of Japanese ships. Beth Coye spent some of her early years in the Panama Canal Zone where her Navy dependent playmates included John McCain.Retired Navy Cmdr. Beth R. Coye says she was forced to live a lie for years by hiding... more
In March of 2003, I was sent to invade Iraq amidst the largest anti-war demonstrations in history, with an equally senseless war already being waged in Afghanistan. Myself, and countless other veterans, went believing the lies spewed by Washington, but saw first hand the criminal and imperial nature of that war, and every war waged by the U.S. Our experiences compelled us to stand up and fight back.
Many of us joined together to form March Forward!, and have been building resistance to these wars, both in and out of the military. This video was made by our members, all of whom are veterans and active duty soldiers, to help us publicize the next step in our struggle to end the wars—the national mass anti-war protests in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco on March 20th, seven years after the brutal invasion of Iraq.
Help us make our voices heard. We need you all behind us on March 20th to stand united against the crimes of this government—but we also need your help in spreading the word. Please circulate the above video to everyone you can, and be a part of the growing movement against the U.S. war machine.This is a message from Mike Prysner:
In March of 2003, I was sent to invade Iraq... more
Our real enemies are not those living in a distant land whose names or policies we don't understand; The real enemy is a system that wages war when it's profitable, the CEOs who lay us off our jobs when it's profitable, the Insurance Companies who deny us Health care when it's profitable, the Banks who take away our homes when it's profitable. Our enemies are not several hundred thousands away. They are right here in front of us.
Our real enemies are not those living in a distant land whose names or policies we don't understand; The real enemy is a system that wages war when it's profitable, the CEOs who lay us off our jobs...Our real enemies are not those living in a distant land whose names or policies we... more
After the Christmas bombing fiasco in Detroit, prettymuch everyone is talking about new body scanners and more torture and terrorism against decent law abiding airline passengers. Are we saying a word about the Dutch who lied to us about the terrorist's passport or the Israelis, yes, let's admit who they really are, whose airport security companies only seem to protect El Al planes and nothing else? No more terrorist "walk arounds" or hidden box cutters on planes. We aren't buying it anymore. We have had one coincidence too many.
Do we talk about folks like Michael Chertoff, the creator of our totally broken system of phony counter terrorism when he headed Homeland Security with its spying on everyone BUT terrorists. Chertoff, is the guy who now is out selling radioactive scanners to fix the problems caused by his own incompetence. He is going to make tens of millions off his own utter incompetence, or what we hope is incompetence. Does anyone really think we can stay ahead of the human mind with gadgets operated by illiterates, incompetents and, at times, terrorist sympathizers?
I would hate to start putting together a pattern of money grubbing companies, "fly by night" Cheney/Rove demagogues and the worldwide network of Israelis who seem to have their hands in both ends of every disaster and come up with an inescapable conclusion: If terrorism weren't so damned convenient, useful and profitable for everyone but the victims and the supposed terrorists, the two groups that get blown to hell, we might not have terrorism at all.
You don't have to be a genius to see a con, not one this lame.
astr
The next time an "expert," be it a retired spy, self proclaimed counter-terrorist consultant or one of the robotic Pentagon morons or, worse yet, the especially despicable gang at Family Security Matters, the GOP front group that fills my mailbox with childish "terrorist under the bed" stories intermingled with "vote for my thieving friend" and "send us more money so we can keep lying" messages, sticks its head up, it might be time to consider a Jihad here at home.
Time to call a halt to all of it.
I'm sorry. I am not buying any of it anymore. I'm not buyin 9/11 and Rumsfeld telling me, "I didn't know there were terrorists, it was a big surprise to all of us," or every Air Force plane in the US suddenly breaking at the same time.
I am not buying the, "We're sorry about lying to all of you about Saddam and his WMD's but we needed to steal his oil and it only killed 5000 or so kids, most of them not all that important anyway."
I am not buying the "Let's bomb and invade Iran though there is even less proof Iran has a weapons program than Saddam. There hasn't been a credible word about Iran, only the usual harping from the Murdock/Israeli press and the folks who want a chance at stealing Iran's oil too.
We knew the oil from Iraq, the oil Americans were bled to death paying for, was stolen from the people of Iraq. If a crime works once, why not try it again. Iran, expect a visit, we are coming to save you from yourselves. Start digging graves for your children, our oil tankers are on their way.
Then we come to the "whatever" in Afghanistan. I won't call it a war. War needs an enemy and some sort of objective. Our only objective is to "surge." Can't we do that here at home? It has kind of an indecent sound if you think about it.
I'm not buying the surge. Nobody is, but a few are pretending to, mostly because they are so addicted to constantly lying that they don't know how to stop. The entire idea behind our strategy is based on smoke, mirrors and horse manure. "Yes, the warlike Pashtun tribes are waiting with open arms for us to start handing out Ipods and Laptops. Nothing brings out love in a fanatical Jihadist like a bit of Steve Miller Band."
More at link:NO MORE CONVENIENT COINCIDENCES
By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor
After... more
If it is taboo to discuss how America's actions in the Middle East cause Terrorism -- and it generally is -- that taboo is far stronger still when it comes to specifically discussing how our blind, endless enabling of Israeli actions fuels Terrorism directed at the U.S. An article in yesterday's New York Times examined the life of Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, the Jordanian who blew himself up, along with 7 CIA agents, in Afghanistan this week. Why would Balawi -- a highly educated doctor, who was specifically recruited by Jordanian intelligence officials to infiltrate Al Qaeda on behalf of Western governments -- want to blow himself up and murder as many American intelligence agents as possible?If it is taboo to discuss how America's actions in the Middle East cause... more
Yesterday, Gerald Posner, famous for being the last man on earth who believes Lee Harvey Oswald shot John F. Kennedy simultaneously from 3 separate locations while standing at a vending machine announced that Pakistan's "CIA," known as the ISI was responsible for murdering 7 American CIA agents in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. His proof: Well, actually, he didn't get into that.Yesterday, Gerald Posner, famous for being the last man on earth who believes Lee... more
;segmentUtilities
Delay, Deny and Hope That I Die. Sounds a promising title for a piece on the despicable scandal that is the U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs (DVA). “Two wars and a recession have significantly increased the claims handled by the U.S. Dept. of Veteran's Affairs, slowing the large bureaucracy and frustrating many veterans,” reads the teaser. But watching the 60 Minutes segment, it looks like the piece got shut down, carefully crafted not to either name names or point to systemic failures other than vague references to culture and claims and some wars that had begun somehow.
If 60 Minutes looks like it lost its punch, not to mention rigorous fact checking, it’s because it has. What could have been a blockbuster was reduced to a limited hangout. The DVA was created and planned to fail. Does anyone really think you can wage war and pay for the damages?
The target of the piece, the DVA, is worthy of many hits, but 60 Mintues seems to have gotten into the protection racket. The military-industrial complex is safe and sound, but veterans are still screwed.;segmentUtilities
Delay, Deny and Hope That I Die. Sounds a promising title for a... more
From The Guardian. By Ewen MacAskill and Daniel Nasaw in Washington Jon Boone in Kabul -- Long-term weaknesses in US intelligence-gathering have been ruthlessly exposed over the last fortnight by the Christmas Day airline plot and the Afghanistan suicide bombing that killed seven CIA officers, according to former and serving intelligence officers. They are scathing about the way the operation in Afghanistan has been run and say it is part of an institutional weakness on the part of the CIA and other intelligence-gathering agencies.
The biggest crisis in intelligence-gathering since 9/11 has been brought about mainly because no single agency is in charge, they say, creating a situation in which about a dozen US intelligence agencies fight for their own turf.From The Guardian. By Ewen MacAskill and Daniel Nasaw in Washington Jon Boone in Kabul... more
[I]t's impossible to grow accustomed to the extreme fantasy atmosphere and self-absorbed blindness that pervades American discussions over Terrorism, especially in the wake of a new scare. The Right, seeking as always to exploit Terrorism fears, falsely accuses Obama of not displaying "war" language and a "war" mentality, in response to which he and his aides step forward to affirm -- yet again -- that WE ARE AT WAR!, and to point to all of the times Obama decreed this to be so and all of the war actions he has ordered. So we've spent the last decade screaming to the world that WE ARE AT WAR!, that we're a War Nation, that we're led by a War President. That we are "at war" -- not just in Iraq and Afghanistan, but generally against Islamic extremists -- is an absolute bipartisan orthodoxy that must be affirmed by all Serious people. ... Yet even in the face of all of that, it is bewilderment and confusion that reign when our media stars and political figures talk about attempts to attack Americans. Why would they possibly want to do this? They must be crazy, or drunk with religious fervor, or consumed by blinding, inhumane hatred. Much of that is probably true for individuals willing to blow themselves up in order to slaughter as many innocent civilians as possible. But it's equally irrational to think that you're going to spend a full decade bellowing WE ARE AT WAR! to the world, send bombs and troops and all forms of death to multiple Muslim countries (both directly and through Israel), and not have that directed back at us.[I]t's impossible to grow accustomed to the extreme fantasy atmosphere and... more
My name is SPC L. D. Hunt. I am 28 years old, a loving husband, and very proud father of an amazingly smart little boy. I am also currently in Iraq. I am writing to you in hopes that maybe my story can help motivate some of you to continue the fight you are bravely acting out in on behalf of the American people.
In May 2002 I was arrested in Brunswick county, NC for possession of less than one half ounce of marijuana. At the time I was in my care in a private area but I was unaware of laws at the time dealing with search warrants, etc. The police officer who arrested me drilled the hell out of me. Questioning me and making subtle threats against myself and my occupants, I agreed for him to search me personally. I told him of the bags and the bowl in my pockets and he promptly put me in cuffs and began to tear my car apart. After the search I was taken to the magistrates office and booked. I was given a court date and told to return. The cute part about that was when I was getting out of the police car, the bags were on the center console and when the officer got out, his elbow knocked one of the bags down into the floor between the seat and the console. When I informed him of what happened, he told me “not to worry about it”…
A few weeks later came my court date. I went to court to represent myself, ready to accept whatever punishment they were going to give me. I told the judge in a very professional manner of my mistake and my willingness to go along with the sentencing. I was given a $100.00 fine and 1 year of unsupervised probation. When I received the judgement I breathed a sigh of relief thinking that the worst part was over, when in fact, it was just beginning.
I consider myself a good worker, especially in terms of customer relations in sales positions. I was also working on getting back into college and moving on with my life. But it became quickly apparent that nearly all employers would not hire me. Target, Walmart, and many other places wanted nothing to do with me, all while I watched them hire people with felonies and much harsher police records on them. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me how minding my own business and using such a small amount of plant material could cost me worse treatment than a car thief or someone with an assault record. To this day I still can’t figure the logic in it. Needless to say this affected my finances very quickly.
The next few years proved to be extremely trying as the only work I could get were at construction and jobs I had no experience in and I was not good in. I felt like I was forced into a position that made me constantly searching for new work as with that industry in NC the amount of work available was dependent on my employer’s success at acquiring new contracts. This did not bode well for trying to pay bills, go to college, and keep a healthy relationship with my wife.
In 2005 things came to an extremely bad climax and I was without work, none was available, and there was nowhere among the dozens of job applications I put in that would give me a second thought due to my conviction. All but one. And it was the one place I laughed at the thought of being hired: The North Carolina National Guard. The decision to join wasn’t very hard when I found out that with a simple letter I could be approved to put my life at risk for my country. Once again I wondered about the ethical and moral stance that places like Walmart, Target, and the other giant companies took when it came to hiring. How could I be rejected at a Walmart or a McDonalds and be hired in an instant by the US government? When the paperwork was over I was among the newest of the NCNG’s medics. I chose that job since I figured it would be a great career path and it allowed me to help stop my brothers and sisters from dying. As a meTo whom it may concern:
My name is SPC L. D. Hunt. I am 28 years old, a loving... more
