By Kenneth L. (Larry) Stephens
Veterans Day Is upon Us
Fri Nov 11, 2005 15:55
Veterans Day Is upon Us
By Kenneth L. (Larry) Stephens
Veterans Against the Iraq War
Thursday 10 November 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105I.shtml
Veterans Day is upon us and I must again renew my call to Support Our Troops. While many will say they do, and even more will point proudly to the magnetic sticker on their vehicle, this is not the support our troops truly need.
Being a Marine and Viet Nam veteran myself, I do not support the policy of going to war based on false and inaccurate statements made by this administration; I do not support sending our brave men and women into battle without the appropriate armor; nor do I support the way this war has been prosecuted. In other words, I do not support the policy of this 21st-century Viet Nam. But having said that, I do support our troops, and as a demonstration of that support, I will speak out and fight vigorously against the abuse of our troops and the failure of honesty in this administration by their deliberately hiding the true human cost of this war.
As of this writing, there are 2057 brave men and women who have been killed. Unfortunately, this number will change and probably sooner than later. The administration has put forth the number of wounded and wounded returned to duty in 72 hours at 15568+. Notice I did not say injured in battle, injured in accident, nor did I say this included those made physically or mentally ill by this conflict. This number is far higher and is a number the administration does not want the American public to hear.
However, the administration has not put their fingers in the dike holes, and important information has been coming out over the last 18 months that demonstrates the number of wounded, injured, made ill and suffering from disabilities is well over 100,000. I did not say that, the VA did. In a recent Field Hearing on the transition of reserve and National Guard soldiers from military to civilian life, the VA admitted to 393,000 discharges since the start of the War in Iraq. Of all these discharges, 26%, or 1 in 4, or over 102,000+ have disabilities and are seeking VA health assistance. This is up from 26,000 + as of April 2004.
The VA is no walk in the park and is not known for efficiency or accuracy. To apply for VA health assistance, the soldier must be discharged, make the application, present medical documentation and if approved by the VA standing criteria, then receive a rating. The opportunity for fraud is low, but the claim can take months to process. Imagine your son or daughter being disabled, being discharged or force-discharged because their disability is such they can no longer serve, then having to wait months for assistance.
But the VA is changing their criteria. Imagine the VA changing standing criteria and taking a benefit from a WWII, Korea, Viet Nam or Gulf veteran, let alone a vet from Iraq. It is happening now; and unless the American public makes it known that we will not stand for this abuse, then those who do not speak out will be part of the ultimate insult to all Veterans.
-------
House Budget Measure Is Pulled
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105J.shtml
House Republican leaders were forced to abruptly pull their $54 billion budget-cutting bill off the House floor yesterday, amid growing dissension in Republican ranks over spending priorities, taxes, oil exploration and the reach of government.
Paul Krugman | The Deadly Doughnut
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105K.shtml
Paul Krugman writes that soon millions of Americans will learn that doughnuts are bad for your health. And if we're lucky, Americans will also learn a bigger lesson: politicians who don't believe in a positive role for government shouldn't be allowed to design new government programs.
Alito Gets Federalist Society Seal of Approval
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105L.shtml
It was Samuel Alito's kind of crowd Thursday as the conservative lawyers of the Federalist Society opened their annual convention. While the society itself does not take positions on judicial nominees, various speakers and individual members volunteered approving words for Alito's approach to the law.
Mike Marqusee | Fallujah: A Name That Lives in Infamy
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105M.shtml
Mike Marqusee writes, "Like Jallianwallah Bagh, Guernica, My Lai, Halabja and Grozny, Fallujah is a place name that has become a symbol of unconscionable brutality. As the war in Iraq claims more lives, we need to ensure that this atrocity - so recent, so easily erased from public memory - is recognized as an example of the barbarism of nations that call themselves civilized."
Schools in Kansas to Challenge Darwinism
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105N.shtml
"This action is likely to be the playbook for creationism for the next several years," Eugenie Scott, director of the National Centre for Science Education told the Associated Press news agency. "We can predict this fight happening elsewhere."
Televangelist Warns of Evolution Doomsday
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105O.shtml
Conservative Christian televangelist Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck.
Bob Moser | Cornbread and Roses
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105P.shtml
Bob Moser writes that in February John Edwards surprised everyone, announcing a campaign to "eradicate poverty in America." With a $40,000 annual salary paid by private funds, Edwards became the first director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at UNC, Chapel Hill's law school, largely a think tank designed to bring antipoverty scholars, activists, journalists and politicians together to cook up innovative ways to tackle economic and racial inequities.
Senate Approves Limiting Rights of US Detainees
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105Z.shtml
The Senate voted Thursday to strip captured "enemy combatants" held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, of the principal legal tool provided to them last year by the Supreme Court which allowed them to challenge their detentions through the US court system.
Welcome to t r u t h o u t video podcasting.
What is video podcasting? By using iTunes you will be able to subscribe to our podcasts, and when we post a new video your iTunes will automatically download it and have it ready to play the next time you launch your iTunes studio. For those with the latest iPods that support video you can load our video content onto your iPod as well and view it anytime. Video podcasting is the latest advancement from Apple Computers, but you can enjoy it from a Windows PC as well. Just go to http://www.apple.com/iTunes/download/ and download iTunes 6. You don't need an iPod to view our podcasts - your iTunes will play the video right on your computer.
Once you have iTunes set up and ready to go, subscribe to our podcasts at http://feeds.feedburner.com/TRUTHOUTVideoPodcasts and we will provide you with our latest video content.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Paul Krugman explains the problem with the hole in the Medicare doughnut; House pulls budget measure; Alito approved by Federalist Society; Fallujah is iconic symbol of unconscionable brutality; Pat Robertson warns of doomsday; John Edwards's fight against poverty in the US; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org
For full coverage of the CIA identity leak investigation, go to our
Special Coverage page: Mr. Fitzgerald Calling.
http://www.truthout.org/fitzgeraldcalling.shtml
Join fellow bloggers at the t r u t h o u t Town Meeting. Get perspective on today's important issues from TO's editorial team and prominent guest bloggers.
Join the debate! http://forum.truthout.org/blog
By Kenneth L. (Larry) Stephens
Veterans Against the Iraq War
Thursday 10 November 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105I.shtml
Veterans Day is upon us and I must again renew my call to Support Our Troops. While many will say they do, and even more will point proudly to the magnetic sticker on their vehicle, this is not the support our troops truly need.
Being a Marine and Viet Nam veteran myself, I do not support the policy of going to war based on false and inaccurate statements made by this administration; I do not support sending our brave men and women into battle without the appropriate armor; nor do I support the way this war has been prosecuted. In other words, I do not support the policy of this 21st-century Viet Nam. But having said that, I do support our troops, and as a demonstration of that support, I will speak out and fight vigorously against the abuse of our troops and the failure of honesty in this administration by their deliberately hiding the true human cost of this war.
As of this writing, there are 2057 brave men and women who have been killed. Unfortunately, this number will change and probably sooner than later. The administration has put forth the number of wounded and wounded returned to duty in 72 hours at 15568+. Notice I did not say injured in battle, injured in accident, nor did I say this included those made physically or mentally ill by this conflict. This number is far higher and is a number the administration does not want the American public to hear.
However, the administration has not put their fingers in the dike holes, and important information has been coming out over the last 18 months that demonstrates the number of wounded, injured, made ill and suffering from disabilities is well over 100,000. I did not say that, the VA did. In a recent Field Hearing on the transition of reserve and National Guard soldiers from military to civilian life, the VA admitted to 393,000 discharges since the start of the War in Iraq. Of all these discharges, 26%, or 1 in 4, or over 102,000+ have disabilities and are seeking VA health assistance. This is up from 26,000 + as of April 2004.
The VA is no walk in the park and is not known for efficiency or accuracy. To apply for VA health assistance, the soldier must be discharged, make the application, present medical documentation and if approved by the VA standing criteria, then receive a rating. The opportunity for fraud is low, but the claim can take months to process. Imagine your son or daughter being disabled, being discharged or force-discharged because their disability is such they can no longer serve, then having to wait months for assistance.
But the VA is changing their criteria. Imagine the VA changing standing criteria and taking a benefit from a WWII, Korea, Viet Nam or Gulf veteran, let alone a vet from Iraq. It is happening now; and unless the American public makes it known that we will not stand for this abuse, then those who do not speak out will be part of the ultimate insult to all Veterans.
-------
House Budget Measure Is Pulled
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105J.shtml
House Republican leaders were forced to abruptly pull their $54 billion budget-cutting bill off the House floor yesterday, amid growing dissension in Republican ranks over spending priorities, taxes, oil exploration and the reach of government.
Paul Krugman | The Deadly Doughnut
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105K.shtml
Paul Krugman writes that soon millions of Americans will learn that doughnuts are bad for your health. And if we're lucky, Americans will also learn a bigger lesson: politicians who don't believe in a positive role for government shouldn't be allowed to design new government programs.
Alito Gets Federalist Society Seal of Approval
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105L.shtml
It was Samuel Alito's kind of crowd Thursday as the conservative lawyers of the Federalist Society opened their annual convention. While the society itself does not take positions on judicial nominees, various speakers and individual members volunteered approving words for Alito's approach to the law.
Mike Marqusee | Fallujah: A Name That Lives in Infamy
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105M.shtml
Mike Marqusee writes, "Like Jallianwallah Bagh, Guernica, My Lai, Halabja and Grozny, Fallujah is a place name that has become a symbol of unconscionable brutality. As the war in Iraq claims more lives, we need to ensure that this atrocity - so recent, so easily erased from public memory - is recognized as an example of the barbarism of nations that call themselves civilized."
Schools in Kansas to Challenge Darwinism
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105N.shtml
"This action is likely to be the playbook for creationism for the next several years," Eugenie Scott, director of the National Centre for Science Education told the Associated Press news agency. "We can predict this fight happening elsewhere."
Televangelist Warns of Evolution Doomsday
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105O.shtml
Conservative Christian televangelist Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck.
Bob Moser | Cornbread and Roses
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105P.shtml
Bob Moser writes that in February John Edwards surprised everyone, announcing a campaign to "eradicate poverty in America." With a $40,000 annual salary paid by private funds, Edwards became the first director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at UNC, Chapel Hill's law school, largely a think tank designed to bring antipoverty scholars, activists, journalists and politicians together to cook up innovative ways to tackle economic and racial inequities.
Senate Approves Limiting Rights of US Detainees
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111105Z.shtml
The Senate voted Thursday to strip captured "enemy combatants" held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, of the principal legal tool provided to them last year by the Supreme Court which allowed them to challenge their detentions through the US court system.
Welcome to t r u t h o u t video podcasting.
What is video podcasting? By using iTunes you will be able to subscribe to our podcasts, and when we post a new video your iTunes will automatically download it and have it ready to play the next time you launch your iTunes studio. For those with the latest iPods that support video you can load our video content onto your iPod as well and view it anytime. Video podcasting is the latest advancement from Apple Computers, but you can enjoy it from a Windows PC as well. Just go to http://www.apple.com/iTunes/download/ and download iTunes 6. You don't need an iPod to view our podcasts - your iTunes will play the video right on your computer.
Once you have iTunes set up and ready to go, subscribe to our podcasts at http://feeds.feedburner.com/TRUTHOUTVideoPodcasts and we will provide you with our latest video content.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Paul Krugman explains the problem with the hole in the Medicare doughnut; House pulls budget measure; Alito approved by Federalist Society; Fallujah is iconic symbol of unconscionable brutality; Pat Robertson warns of doomsday; John Edwards's fight against poverty in the US; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org
For full coverage of the CIA identity leak investigation, go to our
Special Coverage page: Mr. Fitzgerald Calling.
http://www.truthout.org/fitzgeraldcalling.shtml
Join fellow bloggers at the t r u t h o u t Town Meeting. Get perspective on today's important issues from TO's editorial team and prominent guest bloggers.
Join the debate! http://forum.truthout.org/blog
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