cross posted to Docudharma, Dailykos, Turn Maine Blue and VetVoice from Military Spouse Press, http://www.milspousepress.com/

I began writing a response to NamGuardianAngel's article below this one, http://www.milspousepress.com/... and it became a MEGA comment.

I also realized that the information was too important to you as a military spouse to contribute as just a comment. I had to ensure it was read by the maximum number by making it a stand alone Editorial Page contribution.

Hopefully, what is discussed will never affect you personally but statistics, studies and history prove beyond any doubt that they will affect a high percentage of military spouses.

PLEASE do not wait. Take action. If not for your soldier, yourself, your family, then for the other military spouses who will be affected by this.

We would like to have anyone come visit a brand new blog established for military spouses to discuss issues involving the troops/veterans, their spouses and their families issues.

It is not necessary to be a military spouse to join but it is anticipated that anyone who joins will follow the guidelines outlined on the site. There are some very unique issues and problems that military spouses face both in supporting their spouse and handling the "homefront" and dealing with the VA healthcare system and other military bureaucracies. Anyone might find the discussions interesting.

Come on over and check it out.

     Military Spouse Press
Military Spouses Empowering Military Spouses
    www.milspousepress.com

cross posted from Sancho Press. http://sanchopress.com/

There is also a war going on. There are men and women dying and getting maimed. There are men and women getting screwed by the right and not many on the left are doing anything to help stop it.  

A war is going on that is costing YOU and me and everyone $12 BILLION A MONTH. How much of that is being spent on the care and treatment of our troops/veterans? VERY LITTLE.

90% of Americans don't give a F**K about our troops/veterans even though they say they do.

We SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. What a bunch of horseshit from 90% of the American people to include 90% of the democratic/left.

If you are a troop/veteran this probably does not apply to you.

http://tomallen.house.gov/...

Rep. Tom Allen Praises VA Decision to Change Rule on Proving PTSD is Service-Connected
Tuesday February 19, 2008

Says passage of the Full Faith in Veterans Act is still necessary "to ensure that our veterans receive the highest quality of care"

Portland, Maine (February 19, 2008) -- U.S. Representative Tom Allen today issued the following statement in response to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) decision to no longer require combat veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while on active duty to provide written documentation that they witnessed or experienced a traumatic event during their service that caused their PTSD.  On February 11th, Representative Allen unveiled H.R. 5448, the Full Faith in Veterans Act at an Augusta press conference with veterans and representatives of veterans service organizations.  

Cross posted from Sancho Press. http://sanchopress.com/

We had an article contributed two days ago on Sancho Press about investigations being launched about the delay since 2005 of special vehicles that cost hundreds of our militaries lives. http://sanchopress.com/...

In addition to the MRAP requests being ignored the same individual who has filed for whistle blower status reports that a special laser to save Iraqi civilian lives was delayed despite requests from the field.

Marines had been requesting since 2005 that they receive a special laser that diverts drivers from checkpoints who had not adhered to requests to stop which resulted in our troops firing on them.

Marines on the front lines sought the tool, known as a Compact High Power Laser Dazzler, but stateside acquisition officials did not deliver it, a civilian Marine Corps official said. A less capable laser was eventually sent, but delays of nearly 18 months may have led to an untold number of Iraqi civilian casualties, according to allegations by the official, an internal critic whose claims are being investigated.

cross posted from Sancho Press to Dkos, DD and TMB.


Mine began with a cup of coffee and then a short walk of my dogs. Beautiful morning here in the deep woods in the heart of Maine. 15 degrees this morning at 7am with about three feet of snow on the ground. Below is a photo out my back window at 7:15am.

Click to enlarge


ABOUT 170,000 AMERICANS BEGAN THEIR DAY A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN US.

cross posted from Sancho Press. http://sanchopress.com/

In 2002 President Bush signed a bill to put citezenship applications of non US citizens who serve in the military on "the fast track". In addition, fees for citizenship are waived.

Like many other promises made to military personnel this one is not being kept. This may not be the most important issue regarding failures to meet what military members have earned, promised and deserved but just another example of bureacratic snafus, incompetence and poor management.

cross posted from Sancho Press. http://sanchopress.com/

We spend our time on Sancho Press highlighting problems faced by our troops and veterans. We write articles about the injustices suffered by most who have bravely served our nation.

We point out problems with the VA and DOD policies. We work at joining citizens with the troops and veterans all together on Sancho Press. We want all to unite to get changes made to the many problems faced by those with PTSD, TBI, other mental health issues and the 800,000+ with backed up disability claims.

I stumbled across a few videos on you tube today. I realized that with all the focus I put on the above items I occasionally lose sight of those who didn't come back and the families they left behind.

(excerpts from "full" article on Sancho Press)

I have considered writing this article for nearly six months. The only way for me to write this is to reveal very deep, emotional and private details of my life. To lay myself open for all to see. The good, the bad and the ugly of nine years of living with TBI, the side effects it created, the results of the chronic pain from breaking my back in 3 places, the numerous other aches and pains that begin to set in four, six, nine years after a truamatic injury that added to my chronic pain. I have laid my self out there in a few articles but this goes beyond any I have done before.

I have been clear to all who know me, about my sincere desire to help our troops and veterans. The "full" article is another attempt at doing so. I started a website/blog solely for this purpose. A place to unite our citizens (many are unaware how massive the problems are) with our troops and veterans. I often spend 12 hours in a day on this cause. I want to and I have the time, so I should. My higher power ahs blessed me and I need to help others with the same problems I had. There are others who do the same like NamGuardianAngel.

Cross posted from Sancho Press. http://sanchopress.com/... Come over and join to help the troops and veterans. This post is just for fun.

Horseshit, bullshit and Bushshit below the fold. If not commenting, lease provide tips so I know if anybody is reading this shit. Contributions to any category are welcomed and can be submitted using the email on my profile. Thanks.

DOG SHIT

FIRST TIME HE WAS OUT WHEN IT WAS BELOW FREEZING
(click to enlarge)


"Gwad dwam wit, my fwucking twongue is stwuck"

I regularly posted diaries on Dkos from the beginning of August to mid Dec. (4.5 mths). DKos was my first blog in my life. Dkos was my first left political internet exposure after coming from the dark side in the fall of 2006. I was a prolific commentor. My first three or four diaries were horrendous. On my first which was a brain drain of mixed opinions of right and left I rightfully got blasted by most but a few were kind and said keep coming back and I did. I posted about 50 dairies in that time and probably made over 4000 comments.

I wrote about numerous subjects but the one I was most passionate about was the plight of our vets and troops. I had studied the problems. I knew all about the VA and the DOD. I get my healthcare at the VA. I have TBI (traumatic Brain Injury) like MANY coming back from combat. I do not think we should ever have gone to Iraq and we should get out ASAP. My views on all major issues are those of a Democrat. I did not get a great deal of readership to my articles on vet/troop issues. Some I had put 20 to 30 hours into reseach and writing. The readers I did get were primarily unaware of the magnitude of the problems.

(SARCASM) We have a presidential election race going on. We are going to have one of the most important elections in our lifetime in ten months. We have many other major issues including ending the Iraq war. Our economy is a mess. We have 47 million uninsured Americans. SCHIP didn't get through. We have 2 million homeless in our nation. We have a President and Vice President that should be impeached.

With all of this and more, I keep reading about veterans having problems here and there and a bunch of their advocates complaining about every little thing. There is even a web site completely dedicated to bitching about problems the veterans have. http://sanchopress.com/

I have compiled a list of their complaints for comparison to all the major issues going on in our country. Take a look and this and see if these people should quit there gripping and help with the big issues. I have numbered each suppossed problem and you don't even have to read the whole issue, you can just scroll down and read the main title of what they think is a big problem.  

Cross posted from Sancho Press. http://sanchopress.com/


TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury. The "signature" injury of the Iraq war.

A traumatic brain injury is usually the result of a sudden, violent blow to the head. Such a blow can launch the brain on a collision course with the inside of the skull. The skull itself can often withstand a forceful external impact without fracturing. The result — an injured brain inside an intact skull — is known as a closed-head injury.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/...


This is one of the issues I have studied the most in my efforts to help our troops and veterans. I have TBI from an auto accident in 1999.

IF YOU HAVE NOT YET READ PART ONE IN THIS SERIES, I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU DO TO GET NEEDED INFORMATION THAT IS ONLY IN THAT PORTION. http://sanchopress.com/...


excerpt from NamGuardianAngel's
http://sanchopress.com/...

Acinetobacter baumannii brought back from Iraq and Afghanistan
New Bacterial Infection Linked to Military
Report: Troops Transmitted Mysterious Bacteria That Has Killed 7 And Affected Military And Civilians Alike
By JOHN HENDREN
Feb. 8, 2008
Troops arriving home from Iraq and Afghanistan have been carrying a mysterious, deadly bacteria, according to a new magazine report.
Doctors have linked the bacterium acinetobacter baumannii to at least seven deaths, as well as to loss of limbs and other severe ailments, according to the report, which found the bacterium has spread quickly since the war in Afghanistan began in the fall of 2001

Series of two to be posted from Sancho Press http://sanchopress.com/ on Docudharma, Turn Maine Blue, DailyKos and sent to the Communications Director (per her request) for Congressman Michael Michaud, Maine 2nd district, member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.  


CAN YOU SPARE JUST ONE HOUR OUT OF YOUR LIFE  OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS?


If you REALLY want to know what problems our troops and veterans are battling, then you might want to take that one hour to read and watch these. It took me about 90 minutes to read every word and watch every video. I have TBI and am not the sharpest tack in the box. It took me MUCH longer to compile excerpts from 27 articles, videos and photos.  I am doing this in two parts. This being the first and the second to be posted tomorrow, Mon. 2/11 between 8:00am and 8:30am EST.

If you can not spare this much time, that's fine. I know these are more a book than an article. They will be equally split between today and Monday. There will be a link in Monday’s back to this one.

cross posted from Sancho Press. I hope nobody at DailyKos will be offended by this shameless pimp. Sancho Press is a completly different type of site than Dkos. Sancho Press is solely dedicated to uniting citizens with the troops and veterans. http://sanchopress.com/

Since our first article on 28 Dec 07, it has been a slow growth. During that period there have been a handful of people who held Sancho Press' head above water. They should be recognized. (I truly apologize if I miss anyone).

I believe we are turning a corner. More are hearing about Sancho Press. More are joining. Our visits per day and our page visits have continually gone up.

I have commitments from a half dozen professional journalists who have worked at places such as Army Times, USMC publications and more. These individuals should be on within a few weeks and should really get things rolling.

Sancho Press will have some exclusives with "dirt" on the military and their publications.

The real point here is to recognize those who got us to this point and in a position to really take off and do some good for our troops and Veterans.    

There is a you tube video below the fold of this article I write. It is about OUR troops. It is about our nation supporting them. It is about our obligation to help them with the multitude of problems they face.

Remember them. Remember they are not a number or a statistic. Remember they are not bad people. Remember they are not in Iraq because they support George Bush's policies. Remember they raised their right hand and swore an oath to God, our nation, to me and to you. Remember that oath was most of all to themselves.

I am doing research for an article for a magazine. I have been speaking with troops directly in Iraq and Afghanistan on the front. I also speak with Veterans who have left the military who were in both these battle fields.

In general these men and women believe that we need to remain in Afghanistan. They firmly believe that both the Taliban and Al Queda remain stong forces. Their thoughts are that essentially these groups are organizations setup with a corporate structure. Many said it does not matter whether Bin Laden or any other leaders are dead or not, there are many second in command (vice presidents) who will take over.

They feel as strongly as we on the left about getting out of Iraq. Virtually every one of them I spoke to currently in the military and those who have returned believe it was wrong to go into Iraq and we need to be out ASAP.