Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Veterans issues

The Naylor living room is all playroom, cleared to toddle, cuddle and roll. But when Dad's home, the children often head to the back bedroom to play quietly with Mom.
Six years after Guy Naylor returned from Iraq, he can't stand the clamor of his own family. The soft-spoken dialysis technician shouted at other drivers so often, his family moved to Rockaway to escape Portland traffic. The medic who ran every day has gained 80 pounds. Joint pain wakes him. He coughs so much, his patients constantly ask if he has a cold. He swallows nine different medications a day. Up from none.
"He doesn't seem like a 40-year-old man," says his wife, Toniann. "He seems 60."
Naylor is being treated for post-traumatic stress and exposure to hexavalent chromium, an industrial chemical and well-known carcinogen that soldiers unwittingly faced while guarding war contractors. He's one of 278 Oregon Army National Guard soldiers who were notified of possible exposure while serving at or near the Qarmat Ali water-treatment plant in 2003. Fleeing Iraqi troops loyal to Saddam Hussein had dumped the orange industrial chemical across the property.

That's the opening to Julie Sullivan's "6 years after Iraq, hexavalent chromium exposure weighs on veteran" (The Oregonian) and it needs to be noted Sullivan is always there on this story. She's covering it when Congress holds hearing, she's covering it when the national media temporarily shows interest and she covers it when no one is covering it. At the end of November, Iraq War veteran Lt Col Jim Gentry died of cancer which probably stems to his own exposure to hexavalent chromium. The Democratic Policy Committee has done the bulk of the work on this issue. Which is good since that committee chaired by Senator Byron Dorgan was able to step up and exercise fact-finding tasks and hold public hearings while the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee did so little. Senator Evan Bayh (not a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee but he is a member and regional chair of the DPC) has a bill proposing a national registry for those exposed while serving and such a registry would go a long way towards helping veterans today and in the future establish medical claims. That bill is currently buried in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.


We do note the DPC here and have attended their hearings to cover them. Last week, they issued several news releases including the following on the Recovery Act:

Earlier this year, the Democratic Congress worked with President Obama to enact the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the Recovery Act) in an effort to rescue, rebuild, and strengthen our struggling national economy. Eight years of failed fiscal policies and misguided economic priorities had left our national economy on the brink of disaster, and now – only nine months later – our economy is on the brink of recovery. The Recovery Act and the efforts of American businesses and workers made this progress possible.

Despite this encouraging news, Democrats know that many Americans are still struggling, and unemployment – a lagging economic indicator – remains far too high. In response, Democrats are working to create and save millions of jobs with Recovery Act dollars and tax relief. Already, with more than half of the dollars yet to be spent, the recovery package has provided for more than one million jobs and the rate of job loss has slowed significantly. As we look toward the future, Democrats believe that the Recovery Act, combined with the American work ethic and ingenuity, will continue to make a difference for American families and will deliver on its promise to rebuild our economy and get Americans back to work.

To see how the Recovery Act is creating jobs and making a difference in your state, click below.

That is not Iraq related but I'm noting it because DPC has done serious work on the issues of the Iraq War and the issues of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan War. Again, the committee is chaired by Senator Byron Dorgan. And before someone e-mails to say, "I'm sure the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has held some sort of hearing . . . " I'm not saying they haven't. I'm saying it hasn't been a primary focus. October 8th's snapshot reports on that day's hearing about exposures. That hearing did cover veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. . . . and civilians exposed in the 90s . . . in the 80s . . . in the 60s . . . It did not make time to seriously address any issue as it hopped all over the map.



Meanwhile Diana Sroka (Northwest Herald) reports on the unemployment many veterans are facing with over 500 jobless in McHenry County alone (northern county in Illinois which borders a section of Wisconsin) while the estimate for the full state is at least 2,230 (based on unemployment benefits from the start of this year through October). Sroka notes, "A group of about 30 unemployed veterans gather twice monthly at the Woodstock VFW to network and discuss their job search strategies. Blanchard's group attempts to provide rehabilitation, job training and employment opportunities for veterans. And a host of state agencies, such as the Department of Employment Security and the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, strive to connect companies with qualified workers."

We'll note the People in Need Forum next month in McHenry County:

The next People in Need Forum with resources to help your neighbor and yourself will be presented on January 30, 2010 at McHenry County College from 8 am to 12:30.
This annual opportunity for volunteers and staff from human service, civic and faith-based organizations started in 2003 and has steadily grown since that time. The Forum provides an opportunity to learn about community resources available for those in need. With the current economic climate, there is a greater need than ever before to provide assistance to those who assist others in our community.
Workshops will provide practical information to help resolve care-receiver issues. Representatives from human service organizations will be in attendance with informational handouts on such timely issues as utility assistance, food stamps, health care, transportation options, homelessness, domestic violence, legal matters, and loss of job. All participants will receive the updated 2010 People in Need Community Resource Directory.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell is the policy implemented by Bill Clinton. In 1992, Bill Clinton campaigned for president promising to overturn the policy against gays serving in the military (that policy was not 'historic' and, in fact, resulted from failed legal efforts by the military to drum out soldiers). Then-President Clinton immediately attempted to address this. He faced resistance in Congress -- including from Democrats -- and Collie Powell was in the midst of a mid-life homosexual panic and threatening mutiny in the military if the ban was overturned. (The ban is a Reagan era creation. It is not 'historical.') Faced with a Congress dead sent against repealing the ban and beloved media generals who like their sex dirty but private, Bill put forward Don't Ask, Don't Tell as a compromise. It was a step forward. In an outgoing interview (conducted in November 1999) with Rolling Stone, Bill spoke of how Don't Ask, Don't Tell needed to be revisited and taken further. That was eight years ago. (And that was a "Rolling Stone Interview" and Jann S. Wenner conducted it.)

The measure was a step forward and argued that no one could be drummed out of the military for being gay if their private life was private. As a small step-forward, it was historic. As a measure that's now lasted two decades, it's shameful. Many have been drummed out for being gay. They 'told.' No, they were ratted out. But no one has been drummed out for asking. Gays are still the ones targeted even under this policy. There were penalties for both 'asking' and 'telling' but only gays (gay men and lesbians) have been punished. (And, no doubt, some straight people who either couldn't 'prove' they were straight or found the whole process too insulting.) Most people, during their daily lives, have conversations and, at some point, they may mention a significant other. Or an ex. It's not 'sex talk.' It can be, "Yeah, Terry and I stayed there" or whatever. Most people, in daily conversations, do mention an ex or a significant other. Gays in the military can be punished for that. "Terry" is a generic name. "Joe" or "Jo" sound the same. But "Betty," for example, is clearly a woman and "Charles" clearly a man. So gay men and women serving either have to not engage in the daily conversations that so many of us take for granted or they have to continually self-edit before ever saying a word. The Washington Post editorial board weighs in on the progress to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell (the editorial board supports repealing the policy):


The latest move came on Dec. 22 when Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and 95 House colleagues sent a letter to the Pentagon requesting statistics on troops discharged for violating the wrong-headed ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. They want everyone to see the effects of the policy on the military and the national defense. This has the added benefit of reminding Americans of the law's absurdity.
Since "don't ask, don't tell" was instituted in 1994, more than 13,500 members of the armed forces have been booted. According to the Moran letter, 730 mission-critical soldiers and more than 65 Arabic and Farsi linguists have been kicked out. How can it help U.S. efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan if those with critical skills are removed from service? Mr. Moran and his colleagues have asked Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to provide the total number of discharges in 2009 by Jan. 10. And they have asked him to give them monthly reports on service members discharged under "don't ask, don't tell," including their length of service, branch of the military and job specialty.

A visitor e-mails the public account to note Betsy Ross' "Iraq Troop Withdrawals Another Spin? Say It Isn't So" (GroundReport) which notes the members of the Florida National Guard deploying for Iraq:

So, just what gives actually?
We are sending MORE not LESS troops to Iraq at this point. And National Guardsmen at that, meant for domestic security and deployment most of all.
And as with the invasions in the border states as of late, "backup" for the border patrols, who it appears were also offered huge increases in their salaries if they put in for transfers from border patrol to service in Iraq during 2006 when Arizona was officially receiving troops which the Governor (Napoliano) had called out due to the continued victimization of American citizens in property thefts and other civil crimes, and drug cartel wars which were brewing on the U.S. side of the border.
It indicated that the terms of service for these Guardmen was 18 months also. When "officially" it has been announced that most troops were to be withdrawn from Iraq by the middle or end of 2010 per the "accord" signed by President Bush during his last 100 days in office - which it appears Mr. Obama is now following also - his "peace" candidate posture during the election cycle was clearly another campaign strategy and fascade as many prior candidates have been from both sides of the aisle - Mr. Bush included as the "conservative" and "Christian" after Clinton's MonicaGate fiasco.

Edward Colimore (Philadelphia Inquirer) reports, "Scores of New Jersey Air National Guard airmen with the 108th Air Wing were deployed yesterday and others were set to leave today for six months of duty in Iraq." Meanwhile Scott Fontaine (News Tribune) reports on "deployment downtime" in Tallil.

The following community sites updated last night:




The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.



















thomas friedman is a great man






oh boy it never ends
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Monday, December 28, 2009

Iraq snapshot

Monday, December 28, 2009.  Chaos and violence continue, US veterans continue to wait for their GI Bill benefits check, pretty much All Things Media Big & Small stay silent on counter-insurgency (much to their lasting and historical shame) and rumbles of discontent with Nouri emerge in the Shia communities. 
 
For the second weekend in a row, James Cameron's Avatar was the number one film at the box office. Bob Strauss (San Jose Mercury News) reports it took an estimated $75 million in ticket sales (North America) over the weekend and BBC notes it's total box office take (in North America only) so far is $212 million "and could be on its way to grossing more than $1 b[illion] (625.6 million pounds) worldwide."  Cameron's last film was Titanic which grossed more than $1.8 billion at the box office.  I know James and he more than deserves a plug but we open with that because it is Iraq related.  David Price is with Network of Concerned Anthropologists. Last week, he observed:
 
Fans of Avatar are understandably being moved by the story's romantic anthropological message favoring the rights of people to not have their culture weaponized against them by would be foreign conquerors, occupiers and betrayers. It is worth noting some of the obvious the parallels between these elements in this virtual film world, and those found in our world of real bullets and anthropologists in Iraq and Afghanistan.             
Since 2007, the occupying U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan have deployed Human Terrain Teams (HTT), complete with HTT "social scientists" using anthropological-ish methods and theories to ease the conquest and occupation of these lands. HTT has no avatared-humans; just supposed "social scientists" who embed with battalions working to reduce friction so that the military can get on with its mission without interference from local populations. For most anthropologists these HTT programs are an outrageous abuse of anthropology, and earlier this month a lengthy report by a commission of the American Anthropological Association (of which I was a member and report co-author) concluded that the Human Terrain program crossed all sorts of ethical, political and methodological lines, finding that:    
"when ethnographic investigation is determined by military missions, not subject to external review, where data collection occurs in the context of war, integrated into the goals of counterinsurgency, and in a potentially coercive environment -- all characteristic factors of the HTT concept and its application -- it can no longer be considered a legitimate professional exercise of anthropology."
The American Anthropological Association's executive board found Human Terrain to be a "mistaken form of anthropology". But even with these harsh findings, the Obama administration's call for increased counterinsurgency will increase demands for such non-anthropological uses of ethnography for pacification.    
 
Dropping back to the December 3rd snapshot:
 
The American Anthropological Association's annual meeting started yesterday in Philadelphia and continues through Sunday.  Today the association's Commission on the Engagement of Anthropology with the US Security and Intelligence Communities issued their [PDF format] "Final Report on The Army's Human Terrain System Proof of Concept Program."  The 74-page report is a blow to War Criminals and their cheerleaders who have long thought that the social science could be abused or that the social sciences were pseudo sciences. 
 
Only a small number of outlets have covered the AAA's findings.  First up were  Patricia Cohen (New York Times), Dan Vergano (USA Today), Yudhijit Bhattacharjee (Science Magazine) and Steve Kolowich (Inside HigherEd). Another wave followed which included Tom A. Peter (Christian Science Monitor) reporting, "Today the program enjoys a core of supporters, but it's done little to address the concerns of anthropologists and, now, rising military complaints that the program has slowed the growth of the military's ability to train culturally sensitive warriors." Christopher Shay (Time magazine) added:
 
Two years ago, the AAA condemned the HTS program, but this month's 72-page report goes into much greater detail about the potential for the military to misuse information that social scientists gather; some anthropologists involved in the report say it's already happening. David Price, a professor of anthropology at St. Martins University in Washington and one of the co-authors of the AAA report, says the army appears to be using the anthropological information to better target the enemy, which, if true, would be a gross violation of the anthropological code. One Human Terrain anthropologist told the Dallas Morning News that she wasn't worried if the information she provided was used to kill or capture an insurgent. "The reality is there are people out there who are looking for bad guys to kill," she said. "I'd rather they did not operate in a vacuum." Price and other critics see this as proof that the anthropologists don't have full control over the information they gather and that commanders can use it to kill. "The real fault with Human Terrain is that it doesn't even try to protect the people being studied," says Price. "I don't think it's accidental that [the Pentagon] didn't come up with ethical guidelines."
 
 
Anthropologically informed counterinsurgency efforts like the Human Terrain program are fundamentally flawed for several reasons. One measure of the extent that these programs come to understand and empathize with the culture and motivations of the people they study might be the occurrence of militarized ethnographers "going native" in ways parallel to the plot of Avatar. If Human Terrain Teams employed anthropologists who came to live with and freely interact with and empathize with occupied populations, I suppose you would eventually find some rogue anthropologists standing up to their masters in the field. But so far mostly what we find with the Human Terrain "social scientists" is a revolving cadre of well paid misfits with marginal training in the social sciences who do not understand or reject normative anthropological notions of research ethics, who rotate out and come home with misgivings about the program and what they accomplished.
 
Now you might think National Public Radio, so fond of being seeing erudite (they wish), would be all over the study from a leading organization of social scientists.  You would be wrong.  It's not that counter-insurgency isn't discussed NPR, it is, it's just that they only do so to promote it.  (Ava and I wrote about that earlier this month.)  Similarly, the foundation grant heavy (bloated?) Democracy Now! has never taken on counter-insurgency.  It's refused to do so.  We've been covering it repeatedly in this community while Goody's been all over psychologists and blah blah.  But never alarmed by this.  You need to grasp that.
 
There's a lot of money being made in and off counter-insurgency.  And there are a lot of people who will not speak the truth.  You need to grasp that it's a bastardization of a science and you need to grasp that when such a thing happens, when science is used to attack a native people and a society is silent, you have the next Nazi Germany.  That's not hyperbole.  This has been going on throughout the decade and who will call it out.  Tom Hayden will do so as an aside approximately every 15 months or so.  That's still more than any of his peers.  Davy D of KPFA can't cover it because his hero Samantha Power is a counter-insurgency pusher.  She blurbed the manual with praise.  And what you're seeing is a left incapable of standing up to the war pushers, a left incapable of calling out the disgusting Sarah Sewall -- who may very well be the modern day Josef Mengele -- and a foundation backed attack on native people.  You've got the idiot Thomas E. Ricks -- an expert on nothing -- who can't stop going ga-ga over counter-insurgency (make he's sure he's called out the War Crimes trials, in fact make sure he's tried).  So much so that 'reporter' Thomas E. Ricks attacks the Vice President of the United States today.  Dumb ass Thomas E. Ricks wants to take on Joe Biden and wants to start false rumors (no, Joe Biden has not fallen asleep in meetings -- Thomas E. Ricks is LYING) because Joe Biden won't sign on 100% to Tommy Ricks' beloved war crimes. 
 
These aren't just 'fact-finding' missions (for the military), these are experiments carried out in the field.  And these expermients can result in death.  No social scientist should be in bed with the military.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is completely stupid (Thomas E. Ricks) or completely unethical (Monty McFate).  And we started covering it, honestly, because I know the liar Monty McFate and she was shooting off her mouth (with lies as always) to the idiot George Packer (who never learned to fact check).  That's why it landed on our radar December 20, 2006.  We have now been covering it for over three years.  And where's our 'brave' 'independent' media?
 
Two years ago, David Price was part of a panel (with pro-counter-insurgency advocates Monty McFate, Col John Agoglia and Lt. Col. Edward Villacres -- a three-to-one imbalance) on The Diane Rehm Show (see the October 11, 2007 snapshot for a transcript of some of the exchanges).  Search in vain for serious explorations of this issue.  Now everyone can bore you to death demonizing Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann -- and no one's ever supposed to notice that the same sexism Barack unleashed among 'progressives' in 2008 continues to run wild and trample on equality -- but you can't deal with the things that really matter.  If it were you or your child being 'studied' by the occupiers so that they could enslave you, it damn well would matter to you.  But it happens 'over there' and as long as 'over there' doesn't show up on your TV screens, it appears everyone's not wanting to rock the boat or risk offending Harvard or, yes, the "the Kennedy School of Government".  And while America's salivates over another round of "Bash the Bitch" (it's amazing how often that game is played), don't for one damn minute think anyone's being informed.
 
Amy Goodman won't call it out, she's too wrapped up in War Hawk Sammy Power.  Remember?  Remember her interview with Sammy?  Best if you caught it on WBAI because WBAI was in fundraising mode and there was Amy raving over her while trying to get people to call in and 'support independent media.'  Amy was raving that Samantha Power "'might be the next Secretary of State" and, growing more excited in her pitch, qualifiers fell away and you were left thinking not only would Power be Secretary of State, if Barack won the general election, but Samantha Power was right up there with Mother Teresa, maybe even ahead of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, to hear Amy rave on air.  You can't take those moments back and those moments -- and Goodman's silence on counter-insurgency -- are very telling.
 
This refusal to question the counter-insurgency movement is a undemocratic refusal and it's completely against the norms of an open society.  But that's what's taking place in the United State right now.  Few will question it.  Few will even bother to report on it.  The findings of the American Anthropological Association are perfectly in keeping with the tenets of social science.  There's nothing controversial about the study the organization issued. There's something very controversial about the group-think that refuses to question counter-insurgency.  And when you grasp that Amy Goodman couldn't stop caterwauling about "we never see where the bombs drop" and yet refuses to devote even one damn segment in all these years to counter-insurgency, you realize how pathetic she and 'independent' media are.  Now, in fairness, she will talk counter-insurgency .  . . in past decades.  But as she herself whined, if we can't talk about the war before it starts or while it's going on, when can we talk about it?  After it's over!!!!! When it's too late!!!  Amy Goodman needs her words tossed back in her face.
 
We've noted the number of Iraqi Christians as 800,000 often quoting one media outlet on that or another.  An e-mail to the public account ask that we note Help Iraqi Christians (which we just did) and they note there were an estimated one million Iraqi Christians (in Iraq) at the start of the Iraq War.  Their source is the US State Dept.  If you go to the 2006 State Dept report, it reads, "According to official estimates, the number of Christians decreased from 1.4 million in 1987 to fewer than 1 million with Catholics (Chaldeans) compromising the majority. Christian leaders eastimated that approximately 700,000 Iraqi Christians lived abroad."  Though the report uses "fewer than 1 million" (and 800,000 is fewer), if you look at the numbers it's not so simple.  In fact, there numbers add up to over one million -- the State Dept numbers in that report (which may be not checking their figures or switching to pre-war numbers without including that notification).  But we will now say "an estimated 1 million" when referring to the number of Iraqi Christians in Iraq at the start of the Iraq War.
 
Friday, Bushra Juhi (AP) reported that Bartela was placed under curfew after a conflict between Iraqi Christians and Shi'ite Muslims over decorations.  UPI states 5 Chrisitans and 5 Shi'ites required hospitalization.  A number of outlets take the position that Shias were wrong or Iraqi Christians were in the wrong.  I have no idea.  (I don't think the outlets do either.) But what is known is that Bartela (also spelled "Bartella") is a village with a majority Christian population.  Many have long reported on that including Alice Fordham (Times of London) back on December 18th.  That does not mean that reports of Shia entering Bartela and ripping down Christian decorations (as reported in Christian media) are true.  But it is worth noting that only the Christian media (here for the Christian Post article by Ethan Cole) bother to note that the village is mainly Christian.  That's a key detail to the story and it is telling that a number of outlets (including those trying to play it down the middle -- CNN among them) refused to identify the village as what it was.
 
Violence continued over the holiday weekend.  As Third noted, " Friday 9 were reported dead and 25 injured; and Saturday 11 were reported dead and 36 reported wounded" while Sunday saw 7 reported dead and thirty-six wounded. Today Reuters notes the US military and Iraqi forces shot dead 1 person and arrested a second.
 
And on the 'freedom' front, in 'liberation' news, Alsumaria reports, "Strict traditions and social conventions are back in the spotlight in Iraq with the decision of Iraq's Education Ministry to separate boys and girls in Sadr City schools. The Ministry's surprising decision spurred mounting debates. Decision advocators confirm that social and religious status in Sadr City does not permit to mix boys and girls in schools." KUNA meanwhile reports, "Some 9,000 Iraqis registered as refugees in Jordan are now resident in third countries, out of 17,000 the UN Refugee Agency recommended be repatriated and out of an overall 53,000 refugees."
 
In Iraqi political news, Meanwhile Qais Mizher (Washington Post) reports Shi'ites demonstred against Nouri al-Maliki in Karbala on Sunday. And distaste for Nouri may be spreading throughout the Shia communities.  Saad Fakhrildeen and Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) report the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has repeatedly delivered sermons on "the government's failing" and Friday, Sayed Ahmad Safi "delivered a scathing critique of the political establishments to the tens of thousands gathered for the religious rites" declaring, "More than 50% of our people live in poverty in a rich country, but when we see all the circumstances this poses a question mark. Why is there not a quorum in the Parliament? Why is there no legislation [passed]? Why don't the executives come spontaneously without an invitiation.":

 
Turning to the US, in the December 24th snapshot, we were noting the veterans were still not receiving their GI Bill benefits for the fall semester of 2009 -- the semester that has ended. And we were noting how the VA went before Congress in October and declared they needed no more funding, no more workers, they were on top of it, it was a glitch (one they attempted to blame on universities initially before they learned colleges weren't going to be played by a bunch of lazy VA workers) and they were on it.  They said only a few "thousands" didn't have their checks yet.  And a few "thousands" still don't have their checks.  Where is the outrage?  Over the long holiday weekend, stories emerged that may help put a human face on those who are suffering because the VA can't do the damn job they're supposed to.  Joe Seelig (Highlands Today/ Tampa Tribune) reported:
 
Howard Jenkins is the local veterans employment representative for the Heartland Workforce in charge of the Veterans Work Study Program. He said he didn't know the number of students other programs have, but it is a big problem.            
He's spoken with his counterparts in similar programs in Florida and they are having problems, too, he said.                   
"I have one that's affected also," said Jenkins. "He hasn't gotten paid for the hours he's been working here. He started working in October. He's never been paid. The Veterans Work Study Program augments their standard of living while they go to school."                     
Many of these veterans have families with children, he said.                    
"The young man I have is working for college for next semester," he said. "There are about 90 veterans signed up for classes at SFCC (South Florida Community College)."             
About 277,000 veterans have signed up for school under the GI Bill across the country and only about 50,000 had been processed, he said.
 
 
Tom Tiefry, an Eastern Michigan University student and U.S. Marine, is among the thousands waiting for his money. Without any income, the Afghanistan war vet has been draining his savings, can't move out of his mom's home in Gibraltar and hopes his beat-up 1994 Chevrolet Camaro can survive the commute during the Michigan winter.                                   

"It's very frustrating," said Tiefry, 23.                                       

He made a commitment to his country for four years of service and views the delay in his GI Bill funds as the government not honoring its commitment to him.

"My word was good," Tiefry said. "But it wasn't a given that their's was. It never crossed my mind that this sort of thing could happen."                

 
 Patricia Alex (New Jersey Record) reports:


The delays had thousands of vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan scrambling to pay rents and mortgages, and fearful they would not be able to continue school next semester.                           
"It's been three months of going into debt," said Chris Mazzoccchi of Saddle Brook, who served with the Marines in Iraq. Mazzocchi, 24, quit his job in ground service at Teterboro Airport to take advantage of the bill and began studying criminal justice at Bergen Community College this semester.                       
He is entitled to tuition reimbursement and a housing allowance of $2,033 a month, he said.                     
 
Idiot of the month is Mark K. Matthews (Orlando Sentinel) who 'reports' this morning on the delay, "A major problem has been the sheer number of applicants. Under the new GI Bill, recent veterans are allowed to transfer their benefits to children and spouses -- increasing an already inflated pool of new students."  No, Marky, you stupid idiot, that's not true.  And why do I know that's not true?  Because the VA was specifically asked that in a Congressional hearing in October.  I was there, Marky, where the hell were you?
 
Back in October, AP owned this story and the reason may be because they are one of the few outlets that still covers Congressional hearings.  No surprise, they are the ones (specifically Kimberly Hefling) who broke the story last week.  No surprise, a lot of idiots like Mark K. Matthews, who couldn't get off their fat asses (he's in DC) and sit through a hearing, are yet again offering defenses for the VA.  Repeating, that had nothing to do with it.  This was addressed in a Congressional hearing that you should have been present for Mark K. Matthews.

So where does is stand right now?  Here's what the VA management hopes (three sources), they hope they can get the checks out (or all but 100 out) no later than January 5th (out in the mail, not received) and then, when Congress is back in session, the VA's attitude will be: "Oh, we already took care of it."  If that happens and Congress lets them get away with it with no objections, not one member of Congress deserves to be re-elected.  The VA swore in October, to Congress, that they were on it, that this was all being handled and no more problems and they were so on top of it, they didn't need additional money and they didn't need additional employees.  The VA lied to Congress.  And the VA shut out Congress.  Three different members of Congress, in an open hearing, told the VA that if there were any other problems with this program, Congress needed to be notified immediately and the VA swore it would happen.  Last week, Congress was notified . . . when Kimberly Hefling started filing AP reports on this subject.
 
Lastly,  KPFA's Flashpoints Radio is facing serious cuts while other programs don't appear to be.  For example, I can think of one mid-day program airing three times a week with two hosts.  Strange because when one of the hosts was in management just a blink ago, the show got by just fine -- for months and months -- with just one host. Local Station Board member Henry Norr (at The Daily Censored) writes about what is seen as a targeted attack on Flashpoints and we'll note the last paragraph of the article: "To express support for Flashpoints, write to general manager Lemlem Rijio at gm@kpfa.org and turn out for the first meeting of the new LSB, now set for 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010 (disregard dates announced earlier) at the Humanist Hall, 390 27th St. (near Telegraph), Oakland." For those who've never listened to KPFA's Flashpoints Radio, it remains the only program on KPFA that addresses the Iraq War.  The Iraq War doesn't exist on KPFA without Flashpoints.  That's reality.  And remember just a second ago we were talking about a co-host of another program who could be let go?  When that co-host was in management she was all for "The War Comes Home."  It was going to be this, it was going to be that.  It was going to be all over Pacifica and cover the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.  A lot of money was put into that project.  Where did the money go?  The show barely aired and that 'hard hitting' website that was supposed to back it up?  If you care about "Santos Grill und die Gartenparty wird gelingen" (which is German and announces that the grill and the garden party will be successful) you should check out the website for War Comes Home.  How the hell did KPFA not only lose their website but lose it to a German grill cook?  And it's real cute how, at the bottom, it reads: "Copyright 2009, Warcomeshome.org. All rights reserved."  Grill cooking.  I really would love to hear where the money for The War Comes Home project went.  And if Pacifica can't pay for websites, they need to return to Blogspot.  That is where Wake Up Call (WBAI), for example, used to be.  But someone needs to find out where the money for War Comes Home went because it was supposed to be funded.
 

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The war continues, the whores try to sneak back in

Alsumaria reports, "Strict traditions and social conventions are back in the spotlight in Iraq with the decision of Iraq's Education Ministry to separate boys and girls in Sadr City schools. The Ministry's surprising decision spurred mounting debates. Decision advocators confirm that social and religious status in Sadr City does not permit to mix boys and girls in schools." Ah, US 'liberation' of Iraq, the smell of it! KUNA meanwhile reports, "Some 9,000 Iraqis registered as refugees in Jordan are now resident in third countries, out of 17,000 the UN Refugee Agency recommended be repatriated and out of an overall 53,000 refugees." Again, ah, the smell of the US 'liberation' of Iraq.

But it's not all suffering. Khayoon Saleh (Azzaman) reports Iraq and Iran are drawing close to an agreement on the importation of natural gas from Iran: "The statement said the delegation would seek striking a long-term contract to supply gas-driven power plants with fuel particularly in southern and central Iraq." It's not all suffering . . . Unless you draw the connection between the natural gas deal with Iran and what Iran wants (and Nouri's willing to do). (Expel the MEK.)

The White House is occupied by another War Hawk, Barack Obama. B.J. Reyes's "Protesting Obama’s Wars in Hawai'i" (World Can't Wait) reports on calls to end the wars:

On one corner, groups opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan carried signs urging an end to the conflicts on foreign soil.
Across the street, abortion foes protested the inclusion of funding for abortions in any health care reform bill.
The demonstrations were peaceful, though witnesses said one car that slowed down so someone could make an obscene gesture was involved in a fender bender.
Signs bore statements including "Stop the wars," "Peace, put it in action" and "I don't want to pay for baby killing." At least one demonstrator carried the Hawaii state flag upside down.

The illegal war and the White House wants it and, for all their grand posturing, the Congress keeps funding it. Strange that they can always ensure the funds for these wars but can't provide their Constitutionally mandated oversight when it comes to veterans issues. The VA, the latest round of stories, insists it is working on its backlog. That would be the backlog for the Fall 2009 semester. That would be the backlog they swore to Congress -- I was at that hearing -- was being addressed, was being taken care of and that they didn't need any additional help. That was in October. It's the end of the year and still veterans wait. Patricia Alex (New Jersey Record) reports:


The delays had thousands of vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan scrambling to pay rents and mortgages, and fearful they would not be able to continue school next semester.
"It's been three months of going into debt," said Chris Mazzoccchi of Saddle Brook, who served with the Marines in Iraq. Mazzocchi, 24, quit his job in ground service at Teterboro Airport to take advantage of the bill and began studying criminal justice at Bergen Community College this semester.
He is entitled to tuition reimbursement and a housing allowance of $2,033 a month, he said.

It's the sort of story that should result in mass outrage; however, you have a better chance of reading about outrage in Iraq. Saad Fakhrildeen and Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) report:

Discontent among Shiites has been on full display in Karbala, one of the sect's most sacred places. In recent months, representatives of the country's most influential cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, have returned again and again in Friday sermons to the subject of the government's failings.
On the eve of Ashura, Sistani's representative in Karbala, Sayed Ahmad Safi, delivered a scathing critique of the political establishment to the tens of thousands gathered for the religious rites.
"More than 50% of our people live in poverty in a rich country, but when we see all the circumstances this poses a question mark. Why is there not a quorum in the parliament? Why is there no legislation [passed]? Why don't the executives come spontaneously without an invitation" to parliament, Safi asked in his Friday sermon.
"We cannot hinder the progress anymore because of [officials'] personal reasons, trips or holidays," he added. "This must be considered: The secrets must come out [about] the financial corruption."
Pointedly, Sistani has declined to endorse any party, in contrast to 2005, when his name was associated with the Shiite coalition running in the two elections that year.

A visitor e-mailing the public account asks if we can note Norman Solomon's "The Political Dark" (ZNet):

In 2010, we should concentrate on generating the kind of public information, vigorous debate and grassroots organizing that could shift the center of political gravity in a progressive direction.
At every turn, progressives should be putting up a fight -- not only in all kinds of venues outside the electoral system but also inside the Democratic Party. Winning elections will require doing the methodical and difficult work of running candidates in Democratic primaries, sometimes against entrenched incumbents.
For instance, that's what stalwart anti-war progressive Marcy Winograd is doing in her challenge to Congresswoman Jane Harman in the Los Angeles area. Across the country, dozens of strong progressives are running for Congress with a real chance to win. They need our volunteer help and our financial support.

Yeah, we can note it and we can note that Norman Solomon needs to SHUT THE HELL UP. And I don't tell people to "shut up." I have never even let anyone (friends, lovers, boyfriends, my husband, etc) tell a dog to "shut up." But Norman needs to shut up. In fact, he needs to shut the hell up.

What people need to do?

The first thing they need to do is not listen to LIARS like Norman Solomon.

And why he thinks we need to vote for a candidate he supports is amazing. This is the LIAR for Barack. This is the pledged delegate for Barack. The man who has hectored Big Media for years about people not revealing conflicts of interests but Norman 'forgot' to reveal he was a pledged delegate for Barack. He didn't bother to in his Panhandle Media columns. He didn't bother to in his radio appearances -- weeks and weeks of complaints to KPFA forced them to start identifying 'independent analyst' Norman as a Barack delegate. But his syndicated column that appears in the lesser papers around the country? In that, he made the disclosure. Because he knew he'd be dumped if he didn't. So, in other words, when forced, Norman will make a disclosure. When not making a disclosure threatens his pocket book, he'll make a disclosure.

As for Marcy Winograd? She's yet to prove that she's anything but another FAKE, just another WHORE. She can't shut up about "Send me to DC so I can fight for Obama!" Guess what, Trash, that's not why anyone but the dwindling Cult of St. Barack would vote for you. Are you going to push to end the wars, Marcy?

No, of course not. She'll give (limited) lip service but she's PDA -- Pathetic Democrats of America ("Progressive" Democrats of America) -- and the bulk of them don't stand up for a damn thing. By the way, Norman, you're endorsing Marcy in this column. Don't you think you need to do a disclosure?

Oh, that's right, this is a column for Panhandle Media.

So you don't feel the need to talk about how you know Marcy and how you've known her for years. Just like when you were offering 'independent analysis' you didn't feel the need to explain you were a pledged delegate for Barack.

Ethics are tough for Norman. Attempting to break up marriages are a little bit easier, right Normy? But ethics are real tough.

Norman's a damn liar and someone forgot to inform him -- maybe we all need to spit on him when he goes out in public -- and, no, I'm not joking -- that not only is he not a leader, no one trusts him anymore. No one needs to hear from him.

He WHORED. He sold out the peace movement and he WHORED. And until he wants to take accountability for his actions, he needs to shut the hell up. The world was never waiting to be led by Norman Solomon. That should have been obvious to him by the time he hit forty but, somehow, it escaped him. But after his non-stop lying in 2008 and his non-stop minimizing in 2009, we don't need him in 2010. As a friend says (the wife of the marriage you tried to break up, Normy), "I'd furnish the razor blades if I thought he'd use them."

In the real world, March 20th there's a DC action being called by A.N.S.W.E.R. and others.


A.N.S.W.E.R.

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