Paraphrasing a quote from Michael Moore's movie Sicko:  When asked why every British citizen should have free health care, Tony Benn, former member of Parliament in Britain said:  If you go back it all began with democracy.  Before we had the vote all the power was in the hands of rich people.  If you had money you could get health care, education, look after yourself when you got old.  What democracy did was to give the poor the vote and it moved power from the marketplace to the polling station, from the wallet to the ballot. What people said was very simple:  In the 1930's we had mass unemployment but we had no unemployment during war.  If you can have full employment by killing Germans, why can't you have full employment by building hospitals, by building schools, recruiting nurses, recruiting teachers?  IF YOU CAN FIND MONEY TO KILL PEOPLE, YOU CAN FIND MONEY TO HELP PEOPLE!

In 1948 a leaflet was issued which stated the following:  "Your new national health service begins on the fifth of July.  What is it?  How do you get it?  It will provide you with all medical, dental and nursing care.  Everyone rich or poor, man, woman or child can use it or any part of it.  There are no charges except for a few special items.  There are no insurance qualifications.  But it is NOT A CHARITY!  You are paying for it mainly as taxpayers and it will relieve your money worries in times of illness."  Somehow those few words sum the whole thing up.   

A report from The American Medical Association gives statistics comparing the health of 55 to 64 year olds concluded that British people are healthier than their counterparts in America in almost every category of illness.  Americans had more cancer, heart disease, hypertension and lung disease than the British.  The poorest people in England live longer on average than the richest people in America.

What's wrong with this picture?  Why does it take our representatives in Washington over 1,000 pages to explain a health care plan?  Why is America finding it so difficult to find the money to help Americans "relieve their money worries in times of illness" when our Congress has found the trillion dollars required to kill Iraqis?  Why could we find another trillion dollars to bail out the greedy, incompetent Wall Street tycoons whose fraud nearly took us over the cliff into depression? 

Remember the old typing exercise from school?  "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country!"

If every British citizen since 1948 has had universal health care, why can't the richest country in the world accomplish the same 60 years later?  Because "We The People" do not stand up and use the ballot to speak louder than the greedy who run the insurance companies and drug companies wallets.

"We The People," the REAL people who know universal health care is a must NOW have to speak up.  Be louder than the Fox News crowd who gathered in D.C. last weekend.  Speak louder than the bigots who fight it because they can't stand having an African American in the White House.  Speak louder than Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and the rest of the right wing puppets.

If "We The People" don't stand up and get this done NOW, when, if ever, will we have another chance? 

As most of us expected, things are beginning to get back to normal in Iraq:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090819/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

I'm sure we'll be hearing Limbaugh, Hannity and the rest of the "right wing" pundits spewing their spin all over the airwaves about how Iraq is crumbling because of president Obama's policies.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Iraq IS Iraq!  Bush's "surge" of troops and MONEY was meant to accomplish ONE THING:  Keep the inevitable from happening until a new, Democratic admistration was in place. 

Well, the new mantra for "We The People" should be:  REMEMBER GEORGE W. BUSH!
Let's not forget the administration which was responsible for our country's invasion of a sovereign nation.  Let's not EVER forget the administration which bears responsibility for each and every American who died in Iraq.  Let's not EVER forget the administration which is responsible for every American who was wounded in this unnecessary and corrupt "war."  Let's not forget which administration was responsible for the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Iraqi civilians who have been killed, maimed or relocated during the "ethnic cleansing" because of our invasion of their nation.

REMEMBER GEORGE W. BUSH!  But don't stop there...  Remember Dick "the monster" Cheney!  Remember Donald Rumsfeld!  Remember Condoleezza Rice!
Violence will quickly escalate in Iraq from this point forward.  Nothing can stop that.  It was inevitable from day one.  It took a monster to maintain some semblance of order there.  Saddam Hussein was violent, corrupt, evil and all the other adjectives the Bush administration used to describe him.  So naturally the answer was to put in place a puppet of American policy and the oil companies who controlled that policy to keep things under control while they drained all the money possible from America's budget and the Iraqi oil supply.

Oh, REMEMBER HALLIBURTON!  It was not just the greed of the oil companies which took us into Iraq.  It was Dick Cheney's personal income generator too. 

Afghanistan is rolling quickly downhill into a Vietnam style quagmire for us.  Most Americans were in favor of the invasion there with good reason.  Most of the people responsible for 9/11 lived, trained in and controlled that country.  Once again, George W. Bush, et. al. dropped the ball when they had a chance to deal a knockout blow to Al Queda once and for all.  But that will all be clear when history is written.

Make no mistake about it...  Responsibility for the trillion dollars spent in Iraq, the lives lost in Iraq, the quagmire in Afghanistan, the new haven for Al Queda and Taliban in Pakistan and all future money, lives and effort required for these endeavors lie in one place:

REMEMBER GEORGE W. BUSH!

An Associated Press article on Yahoo today unfortunately validated predictions I've made over the past few years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090727/ap_on_re_us/us_soldier_slayings

Blogging about the PTSD tragedies our country faces because of the horror our brave young troops have seen and experienced during the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfield war in Iraq has been painful for me.  My experiences as a corpsman in Vietnam left me with psychological scars that are still with me after more than 40 years.  I'm afraid the article above proves that many, many of our returning veterans will have scars which remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Everyone who has followed my blog for these past years knows my view of the Bush administration and the damage they inflicted on our great country.  Nothing can change that now.  The only thing left to do is deal with the consequences of their incompetence and immorality.  History will remember this group as the worst executive branch our country ever produced.

Responsibility for the 4,328 Americans who have died in Iraq lies directly on the
Bush/Cheney/Rumsfield/Rice cabal who took our country into that unnecessary conflict.

Responsibility for every veteran who returns to kill, injure and terrorize their countrymen will also fall to those who sent them into that conflict.

The horrors the Yahoo/AP article describes is just the tip of the iceberg.  There will be hundreds if not thousands of these acts repeated over the next four or five decades.  Those statistics will become footnotes to the history of a war which should have NEVER happened!
And those body counts won't include the THOUSANDS of Iraq veterans who will commit suicide, fall into drug or alcohol abuse and a myriad other tragic consequences of their service to our country.

As the article describes these veterans are returning to the same bureaucratic nightmare we did.  Attempts to improve the VA and military response and treatment of PTSD is improving.  But at a pace which would make a snail appear speedy.  Not only that, the stigma which causes these brave veterans to feel that seeking treatment somehow makes them appear "weak" or "cowardly" or less "macho" is reinforced by the very people who should be supporting them.

One of the greatest evils of the Bush administration and the Republican machine during their reign was to brand Democrats as unpatriotic if they disagreed with Iraq policy.  Well, it's time to pay the piper and the blame lies not only with the "Bush Crowd," but with the Democrats who didn't have the courage to stand up to them.

To all Iraq veterans who read this, know that you have people out here who care about what's happened to you.  Know that there are others who KNOW the pain, anger and turmoil you are suffering.  Get to a Vet Center and talk to another veteran.  If you don't find the right person to talk to, go to another.  Don't stop until SOMEONE listens!  If you want to talk to me, leave a comment and we will figure a way to communicate.  I will listen and help you find that RIGHT person to talk to wherever you are.

DON'T think you are alone.  I know that tendency because I did it for 40 years.  Now I'm finally getting some treatment.  I know the struggle you are having with yourself.  I know some of the thoughts because I've had them too.  There are MANY of us who served in Vietnam who have fought for veteran's rights.  We care.

Don't look back in 30 or 40 years like I do at a life filled with regrets directly caused by PTSD.

For others who read this who know a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, listen to them.  Try to get them to talk to you.  Think before you ask a stupid question like:  "Did you kill anybody?"

 For everyone:  CARE, HELP, LISTEN.

Thank you.

Those of you who have followed my PTSD blogs for the past few years probably aren't surprised at the events in Iraq today:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090511/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

First, let's give the Pentagon a little credit...  At least they have tried to put in place "debriefing" programs and even addressed SOME "treatment" options for the PTSD that will inevitably result from the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld, et. al. policies which took us into the worst error in American military history.

But, as I've stated in previous blogs, PTSD was unfortunately easily predictable for those of us who know something about it.  Four tours in constant danger, seeing things that human beings should not have to see and doing things that human beings should not have to do WILL result in a percentage of those troops doing MORE things that human beings should not do and causing the average American to see MORE things that human beings should not have to see.

The truth is:  the story above should not have happened.  Taking it to the source, these are five more lives which ended as a direct result of the greed, arrogance and incompentence of the Bush/Cheney regime.

Another unfortunate fact about our system of CYA media will probably not see the forest for the trees when reporting on the future chaos in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  While the overthrow of the Pakistani government by a revived Taliban is probably inevitable, blame will be placed on the actions of the Obama administration instead of where they belong:  BUSH!

If the Bush administration hadn't taken their collective eyes off the ball and shifted our military might to an unnecessary, preemptive effort to GET "Daddy's" nemesis in Iraq the Taliban could have been completely eliminated in 2003.  But that's water under the bridge.  I've screamed against the hurricane of right wing pundits for years about what would result from those decisions.  Few have listened.

Now, we are entering the first stage of our country's fall into the consequences of PTSD. 

Don't be fooled by the spin that's about to occur in media about this being an isolated case.  It took me 40 years to seek treatment.  Some of these soldiers, sailors and marines will do the same.  There will be a terrible price to pay for Bush/Cheney for decades, generations.

Suicides, spousal and child abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence which explodes on innocent American citizens, etc., etc., etc.

This is the beginning, America.  If you have the ability to help any of these veterans to readjust and deal with the horror of PTSD, do it.  Be politically active and vote for those who really CARE about these returning warriors.  Make sure they aren't swept under the rug of indifference that is likely to cover our country in the aftermath of Bush's "FOLLY."

Most importantly, NEVER forget that it's not the fault of the real victims of incompetent civilian leadership.  It wasn't our fault for the mistakes of Vietnam.  Don't let these current warriors suffer as we did without help of support until so many of us were beyond help or dead.

Please CARE!  

On the liner notes of an early album the "then" wife of Van Morrison said:  He has an "essential core of aloneness."

Although I have no evidence that Mr. Morrison suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, I've never heard a better description of the essence of PTSD.  Those of us who DO have PTSD can relate completely to that phrase.

In this month's issue of VFW Magazine are some recent statistics involving troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq:

                                              PTSD Rates Rising

Nearly 45% of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who sought care with VA  through September, 2008 had been diagnosed with possible psychological disorders, according to a January, 2009 VA report.

Between fiscal years 2002 and 2008, VA reported that 400,304 Iraq and Afghanistan
vets  - or about 24% of the total troops who had served in those conflicts - had gone to VA for treatment.  Some 178,483 vets (45%) were diagnosed with possible mental disorders.

Of that total, 92,998 (23%) vets were diagnosed with PTSD, and 63,009 (16%) were found to have possible depressive disorders.

I've been blogging about this for over 3 years now and I absolutely HATE having been right.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to see this coming.  3, 4, sometimes 5 tours in a place and situation where every hour of every day troops didn't know where or when the next explosion might take an arm or leg or life. 

Combat situations where the mind numbing fear of crashing through a door expecting a stream of bullets or another booby trap to end their tour and cause that knock on the door of a mother that EVERY military family fears, only to find after firing away as his weapon sweeps the room that the dead are women and children.  How can anyone hold on to their sanity with such events and stress?

Those who have followed my PTSD blogs know how I felt about the previous White House inhabitants.  George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, et. al. bear complete responsibility for not only the 4261 who gave their lives in Iraq and the THOUSANDS more who left limbs, eyes and their innocence there but for those mentioned in the VFW article above who will bear the internal scars for the rest of their lives.

The numbers of those affected by this tragic misadventure which only had one benefit:  the enrichment of Bush/Cheney and the rest, will be exponentially increased as families, loved ones and friends of these returning veterans must deal with the psycological damage done by this unnecessary and horrible exploration of Cheney's "Dark Side."

It took me nearly 40 years to seek help.  I'm finally working on finding a way out of "my cave" where I took refuge from reality too many times for too long.  The VA is helping with the process.  My hope is: the numbers mentioned in the article above are the final count of PTSD affected vets from Bush's miscalculations.  But in my heart I know there are many like me who won't ask for help for years.  And many others who, like so many of my fellow Vietnam vets will end the suffering without seeking relief from the nightmares, flashbacks and survivor guilt by putting a gun in their mouth or in an "accident" where they inexplicably crash their vehicle or motorcycle into a freeway overpass.

If you know a veteran of these recent wars, please talk to them.  Not in a judgemental way but to let them know you want to help.  Please ask them to go to the nearest Vet Center (there are vet centers in or near almost every community) where they will find at least one fellow combat vet who is a counselor. 

There are groups at the Vet Centers and VA facilities which meet frequently.  Even though it is difficult, try to get them involved.  These groups contain other veterans who KNOW what they're going through and might be able to take away some of the guilt they feel for surviving while their comrades died.  Try to convince them that the feelings that they somehow lose their "macho" image by admitting these thoughts are affecting them are not valid.  I know how easy it is to somehow translate the feelings and emotions of PTSD  into feelings of low self esteem or "weakness."  Nothing could be farther from the truth!

If you're a veteran and you're suffering from these symptoms, thoughts or feelings, please feel free to contact me or your local Vet Center.  Talk to a buddy who was there with you.  Talk to ANYONE, just TALK.  Get help.  Please don't hide in that "Cave" for 40 years like so many of us have.  It only gets better when you deal with it. 

The "Army Emergency Relief" fund is yet another indication of this nation's tendency to say one thing and do another when it comes to our veterans.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090222/ap_on_re_us/army_s_stingy_charity_1

In the words of Strother Martin in "Cool Hand Luke," this country had better get it's head "right!" 

The false patriotism the Bush administration portrayed while allowing the shameful abuses and neglect at Walter Reed and other actions which turned a blind eye to our vets, was and continues to be disgusting.

My PTSD research has exposed a pattern of this mistreatment of veterans applying for compensation.  It seems the Department of Veterans Affairs is operating with the modus operandi of a "for profit" insurance company:  deny, deny, deny until the veteran either gives up or dies.  Problem solved.

I spoke with one who was diagnosed with PTSD and after nearly a year the verdict on his application for veteran benefits:  DENIED!  It was determined that his PTSD was NOT service connected.  It seems he had some family issues before he served in Vietnam and was involved in combat operations for 13 months including standing next to a buddy who was dismembered by a mortar round and other events which might make the average citizen withdraw into the darkness of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The attitude of the folks who make the determinations about PTSD diagnosis for veterans may need to be adjusted.  Otherwise these vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are destined to suffer the same fate as many of us who served in Vietnam:  Suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, family abuse issues, etc., etc.

I've had diabetes for over 7 years.  For the first 5 years I just assumed that it was caused by my being overweight.  Then I was told by another veteran that Agent Orange had caused many of my fellow Vietnam veterans to develop the disease.  Nobody in my family had ever had diabetes.  I had always been otherwise healthy.  After thinking about it, I sought benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and after nearly a year it was determined that my diabetes WAS caused by my exposure to Agent Orange and I was granted 20% disability for that illness. 

At least that small compensation might pay for the medication needed to control my diabetes was my immediate thought.  Control became more and more difficult as time passed and medications were increased.  My doctor finally found a drug which, in combination with two others, corrected my blood sugar to normal limits.  It is called Januvia.  The catch is:  my copay is $50 when I fill the prescription.  The usual copay for medication is $10 so my question would be:  how much does this "miracle" drug cost without insurance?

I went to the local VA hospital where my diabetes medication is covered by my disability.  Guess what?  Januvia ISN'T one of the medications they stock!  The VA doctor told me that it was TOO EXPENSIVE for the VA to provide!  Anyone else surprised by this?

So, here are my choices:  Take the medications the VA DOES have in stock and maintain my blood sugar around 300, pay for the Januvia outside the VA and keep it around 100...  Hmmmm, live or die?  What should I do? 

This is minor compared to what other vets are experiencing.  The average to get compensation for any service connected disability is ONE YEAR from application to decision.  ONE YEAR!  And with the numbers of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are going to be experiencing PTSD symptoms and in desperate need of help, it will probably take longer from this point until the Department of Veterans Affairs can make decisions because of sheer volume.

I was happy to hear about Obama's appointment of Army Gen. Eric Shinseki to head the department.  I was also pleased to hear about Tammy Duckworth being chosen to participate in helping General Shinseki.  She has done a GREAT job here in Illinois while heading our state's Veterans Affairs department.

I do have hope that things will change for the better during Obama's administration.  But it's going to be a long haul to restructure the system's treatment of our veterans.  REAL patriotism should push those in charge to alter the course of treatment of our vets.  "We The People" need to stay on this issue and push our officials in Washington to make much needed changes.

Suicides are at all time highs among active AND former military personnel.  Those who follow my PTSD related blogs know how I feel about the Bush administration's neglect and outright disdain for those who have served while putting on their "False Patriotism" faces for the right wing.

We MUST let our representatives know that the past treatment of our veterans is unacceptable.

Let's make certain that the "CHANGE" we were promised during the presidential campaign really happens.  Call or write your Congress person.  Get involved in this issue.  Only YOU can guarantee the "CHANGE" our country needs.

4,237 Americans have been killed during George W. Bush's war in Iraq.  As shocking and shameful as that number is, it is only the tip of the iceberg.  That total does not include the other victims of Bush's arrogance and incompetence:  Soldiers who couldn't take the stress of four and five tours under the pressure of combat.

TWENTY-FOUR American soldiers committed suicide last month.  SIXTEEN died in combat.

A Pentagon document written by Al Pessin states the following:

...The army says it has confirmed that 115 active-duty soldiers committed suicide last year, with two more investigations still pending. That is a rate of nearly 19 per 100,000 soldiers. The rate was just under 10 per 100,000 in 2002, before the Iraq invasion, and has been rising steadily, except for one year, ever since. The rates for the last two years are the highest since record keeping began in 1980...

If January's statistic holds as an average for 2009, there will be nearly 300 soldier suicides this year! 

Anyone who has followed my series of articles about PTSD over the past few years here on TPMCafe and DailyKos know that I believe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will be one of the worst after effects of the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld et.al. years.

I'm afraid there's going to be a large price to pay not only in dollars and lives but to the psychological well-being of our nation and her people.  There have already been atrocities committed by returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.  PTSD is not an excuse for such events but the damage done to these veterans by the policies of the Bush administration should be taken into account when deciding their punishment.  Not only that, there needs to be additional funding and manpower devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of these people.

As a Vietnam veteran Navy Corpsman, I know a little about the toll PTSD has taken on my generation. 

Please call or write your representatives in Congress to get this matter on the agenda of our government.  "We The People" are powerful if WE unite against this tragedy.

For all who have served and paid with their psychological well-being, I salute you.  If you're a veteran of Afghanistan or Iraq and you are having difficulty adjusting to life back here in "The World" as we used to call it in Vietnam, look for a Vet Center in your community.  There is help available in almost every city.  Changes have been instituted in the VA because of the actions of some of us who served in Vietnam and have taken on this cause. 

Don't do what I did and let your psychological issues cause you to withdraw into yourself for 35 or 40 years.  Take my word for it, it NEVER goes away!  I pulled away from loved ones for too many years and hid behind the wall I built in my mind.  I'd hide in "My Cave" as I came to call the darkness in my soul.  Don't let that happen to you!

Talk to someone.  Go to a Vet Center.  Contact the VA.  Don't hide in "The Cave" for 40 years!

Barack Obama has an uphill battle ahead in Afghanistan thanks to the arrogance and incompetence of the Bush administration.  We all remember the American people supporting Bush's invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11th attacks.  Unfortunately, as we all also remember, Bush's "error in judgement" took us from possible victory in Afghanistan to the quagmire in Iraq.

Now the Taliban has strengthened to levels beyond 9/11 and they are the aggressors in Afghanistan again:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20081211/wl_time/08599186573000

History won't be kind to the Bush administration.  It will be shown to be the worst in American history.  But it's not Bush's legacy that concerns me...  It's the American lives which will continue to be lost as we re-enter Afghanistan in order to slow the violence of a resurgent Taliban and Al Queda. 

It will be wonderful to have competent, intelligent leadership again in the executive branch.  But can the new administration overcome the mistakes caused by the previous one and bring stability to a region which seems to thrive on turmoil?  Time will tell.

Maybe Ted Stevens conviction on 7 felony counts HAS had an effect on Alaska politics.  Sarah Palin is trying to cover her tracks of past breaches of the public trust and Alaska ethics laws by revealing free trips she "forgot" to report:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/ap_on_el_pr/palin_ethics

I wonder what other violations she will "remember" as time passes.  I'm so happy to see the Republican party clinging to this empty shell as the future of their party.  She is the gift that keeps on giving!

I've been blogging for nearly two years that the "Enron Math" of this administration was hiding the recession which was affecting "We The People" out here in the real world.

Now the "experts" are finally admitting that we've been in a recession since 2007!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081201/ap_on_bi_ge/recession

Anyone else think that's news?  We've been feeling it all along, right?  And now that the "experts" have finally admitted we've been in a recession all along, it's official!  When do you think they'll announce the beginning of the depression we've been feeling for months?

World War II veterans returned with "Shell Shock" and sat in the darkness of bars across the nation because back then "real men" didn't cry or whine about their horrific experiences.  "Real men" were TOUGH like George Patton.  "Real men" slapped the "cowards" who had difficulty dealing with all the blood, guts and FEAR.

Vietnam veterans returned with a psychological disorder which came to be known as PTSD.  We sat in the darkness of bars and others of us fell into the easy escape of drugs to escape the horror of nightmares, flashbacks and FEAR.  We used these "easy" escapes because John Wayne and all the other WWII "heroes" would be ashamed if they knew what we were feeling.

Those returning from the current conflicts have exponentially greater stress disorder.  As I have blogged before, Iraq veterans have legitimate reasons to have the highest percentage of PTSD of any American veterans in all our wars.  Even ignoring the political implications of our country's leadership overturning many of the "rules" of war which have kept America as a shining beacon of moral behavior for over 200 years, these vets have other factors which far outweigh the immoral acts of their Commander in Chief.

Reservists and National Guardsmen sent into battle with less training than their "regular" counterparts, multiple tours into an environment of CONSTANT danger and fear, a larger percentage of the force with families forced to face the realities of trying to survive without Dad or Mom around for years are all factors which happened far less frequently with Vietnam veterans.

What is the military's answer to all these troubled individuals returning with psychological trauma never before experienced in such large percentages?  They are increasing the numbers of counselors and psychiatric staff in the VA facilities and on military bases:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081129/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/soldier_stress

During my ongoing research for the book on PTSD which is nearly finished, I have written here many times about the "cave" where I've lived for the past 40 years.  The "cave" where so many Vietnam veterans have hidden in the darkness and relative peace of denial which allowed so many of us to "function" in society for all these years.  "We" built a wall between us and reality which protects our loved ones from knowing what's really inside.  But in our perverted "haven" which was put in place to protect our loved ones from the reality in our memories we actually caused the reverse to become "their" reality.

Drinking, drug use, physical and psychological abuse of those we love became "their" reality. Without knowing the root cause many marriages and families were destroyed.  Our ranks are thinning now.  Most of us are in our 50's, 60's and 70's now.  It won't be long until the news organizations portray the few remaining veterans of Vietnam as a "dying" breed like they do now with WWII and Korean vets.

It is despicable that such a large number of people will die without ever coming to grips with what might have been.  Help wasn't there for so many.  Suicide was the only way out for so many.  Loneliness, despair, depression and shame have been the predominant emotions for so many. 

Things might have been better for returning Vietnam veterans if there had been psychological counseling available.  Education about PTSD during basic training SHOULD be a part of ANY volunteer military organization.  Remove the "shame" and so many more would seek competent counseling when symptoms surface during and after service.

It took me nearly 40 years to finally seek help.  And the help that's available to veterans even today is pathetically inadequate.  Vet centers are popping up across the country but if my experiences are any indication, they are staffed with poorly trained people who provide an ear and not much more.  I have found my sessions with the two I have visited to be equivilant to sitting in my cave and talking to the stone walls.

I hope Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have more competent and adequate counseling available.  I hope the leadership in Washington puts in place firewalls to stop what I fear is coming.  I hope competent counseling is made available for families of returning vets.  I hope veterans become the priority they should have always been.  If not, we are destined to see violence, suicide and depression on a scale never before experienced by our country.

Write your representatives in Congress.  Offer help to these veterans when you see them.  The "shame" of having PTSD MUST be removed.  It IS real! 

Watch out America...  "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!"  

There has been no doubt in my mind that "Georgie" would be determined to be the worst president in our country's history.  This opinion is quickly becoming the consensus of our nation's population:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081110/pl_politico/15478

I must confess, this administration still scares me.  I blogged several times this year that I was worried that Bush/Cheney et. al. would not allow this election to take place and they would use the powers granted them (by them) in the "Patriot Act" to hold on to power.  "Georgie" is using his last days to put new "laws" in place to make things more difficult for Obama.  And using his power without worrying about low approval ratings to put these road blocks between prosecutions of his administration and current constitutional law is the final nail in the coffin of his legacy.

Well, "We The People" WERE allowed to vote and "We" have spoken.  It is beginning to appear that there WILL be a peaceful transfer of power from the monsters who have controlled our executive branch for these horrible 8 years to a new team of competent, intelligent managers.  For the first time in those 8 years I have hope that our country can begin the long journey out of the black hole that has been the Bush administration.

"They" are still trying to cause international incidents by sending missiles into Pakistan and crossing the border into Syria to strike which are clearly against international law and America's previous moral compass which served us so well for over 200 years. "They" are still standing in the way of legislation which might help us slow the deterioration of our financial markets.  Bush will certainly pardon ALL those who broke our laws, perverted our constitution and pushed the world to the brink of WWIII.

Hope is a good thing.  I like having it again.  But I still believe there is no limit to the evil these people will commit.  Hope fills me these days.  But Blackwater is still out there, Gitmo is still there, Cheney still has access to secrets that should scare the Hell out of EVERY American.

I thought the bottom of the stock market was around 8,000.  I've argued with my nemesis (Lt. US Army) for nearly two years about where this economy would wind up under these people.  It turns out that I was right about the crash and the upcoming depression but I'm now afraid that I may have underestimated the bottom.  Experts are not predicting somewhere around 6,400!  I hope they are wrong.  Time will tell.

Afghanistan is a smoldering cauldron nearing the melting point and yet Bush insists on blowing up Pakistani civilians in an effort to hasten that meltdown.  Yes, I'm still afraid of these monsters.  But I'm cautiously hopeful.

Ain't hope GRAND?!?!?

I was just listening to John McCain giving a campaign speech in Philadelphia.  After a glowing assessment of one of his strongest supporters, turncoat Joe (Zel) Lieberman, he introduced his mother to the crowd with the following quote:

"...And how can I go without mentioning my mother who is 96 years young?  She raised our family for years in the absence of my father who was at sea doing his nation's business.  And I have one brief... of many stories: two Christmases ago I believe it was my mother wanted to drive around France so she flew to Paris and she tried to rent a car.  They told her she was too old so she BOUGHT a car and drove around France!  THAT, if anybody...  those are the genes I've got my friends."

And THAT, John McCain. is the clearest statement I've yet heard of how disconnected you are from "We The People!"  How many of us can afford to fly to France, let alone, BUY a car there?

You're absolutely right.  Those ARE the genes you have.  The genes that allow you to think of a man like Barack Obama who came up from the pits of America's "least-likely-to-succeed" through hard work and study as an "elitist" while you spew this kind of crap to huge laughs and applause among your base.  Your base, like "Joe the plumber" who has become famous for providing you with a new "talking point." 

Joe, who claimed to be "undecided" when asking his now famous question of Obama grew up in the Florida panhandle.   In an interview this morning, Joe stated that he wasn't told until he was 18 that he was born in Ohio.  For anyone who didn't see that interview, he said the hardest part of learning that news was to find out he was a "yankee!"  That should tell you all you need to know about Joe.  He jokingly said he grew up in LA...  "Lower Alabama!"  Not since another Joe, Joe Scarborough, has there been an "undecided" voter with such clear intentions.  Joe the plumber continued during that interview this morning to spout each and every Republican talking point as if he were a spokesman for McCain's campaign.

Is there anyone in America who REALLY thinks "Joe the plumber" was "undecided?"

Most of us are just average folks out here in this country.  Most of us won't pick up a turd and eat it even if you tell us it's a hot dog, John.  "We The People" are in the process of taking this country back from the Bush/Cheney crowd like you who still count on being able to scare enough voters into continuing on this road to the destruction of our once-great country.  Most of us are FED UP with the real "elitists" like you and "Georgie" who were born on third base and think you hit a triple.

It's going to take more than a "plant" at an Obama event to turn this election around, Johnny. It's going to take more than lies and scare tactics to turn this election around, Johnny.
It's going to take more than these "more-of-the-same" tactics which Karl Rove and the others who have helped steal the last two presidential races to turn this election around, Johnny.

"We The People," for the first time in a long time have HOPE.  "We The People" are smarter than you give us credit for, Johnny.  "We The People" WILL vote this time and WE will try to fight the monsters who have manipulated our country's system for two long.  "We The People" won't be intimidated by your party's disenfranchising tactics this time.  And, maybe, this time, "We The People" will prove that there is HOPE for CHANGE, REAL CHANGE.

Everyone please vote!  Show "THEM" their days are numbered.  Show "THEM" elections can still be valid and REAL.  Show "THEM" we're fed up with "THEM!" 

It turns out Sarah Palin is more like "Georgie" than even I thought.

It was just announced that the results of the investigation in Alaska into "Troopergate" determined she DID abuse the power of her office.

Inability of Sarah Palin and her husband Todd to separate their personal lives and problems from the responsibility of public service was quoted as one of the abuses of her office as Governor of Alaska.

At least 19 phone calls from Palin and her husband attempting to coerce people into firing the Public Safety Administrator because he wouldn't fire her former brother-in-law.

State laws were broken and Palin violated state trust.

If you liked Bush/Cheney, you'll LOVE McCain/Palin!

Well, it's finally happened...  The incompetence and greed in Washington and on Wall Street has scared the rich people.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

"Panic" is the word being thrown about all over the country.  The economy is where I said it would be over a year ago.  People are stressed over their retirement accounts and the far right talking points are absurd.  I heard a Republican "financial expert" respond to a question about what the "Baby Boomers" should do who were depending on their stock dividends to sustain them in their retirement years:
"They should," she said, "hold off on retiring for at least two years until the market comes back."

Can you believe ANYONE would actually speak those words to retirees who have worked their entire lives and believed in the "system" and our "leadership" to provide the security necessary to enjoy their remaining years?

Oh, and the next sentence from that "expert" was this:
"Maybe they should get a part time job to make up for the losses!"

A part time job?!?!?  Who is hiring?!?!?

This too shall pass.  In a couple of years the market will rebound and hopefully most will survive these hard times.  I know it's difficult to cope with the dishonesty and incompetence which brought our country and the world to this point but there is little that can be done now.