No Time Out for the Iraqi People

In another time and place, this guy was a Maverick, too.

I like this brief essay, but also must add that we consider the needs of the innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and any other country we are bombing and/or intimidating into submission to full spectrum dominance.
Our Troops Don't Get a Time-Out for the Financial Crisis
Jon Soltz Posted September 24, 2008 05:56 PM (EST)
So, because there's a financial crisis, Senator McCain cannot take 90 minutes to address how he will face challenges around the world, including how and when he will send American troops to fight, and possibly die.
Wow. Troops would sure love that luxury.
Unfortunately, though, insurgents in Iraq don't stop shooting at us, or setting IEDs, because our Commander in Chief needs a breather to figure out Wall Street.
Al Qaeda in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border region don't send our troops notes that read, "Hey, I hear you guys are tied up with Wall Street. Your President needs to concentrate on other things, so we'll give you a break. So, to make things easier on you, here's our coordinates."
Nor do our troops get a few days to figure out how to hold onto an area we've secured, if there's an unexpected attack. Sometimes we need to deal with multiple flare-ups at once in any warzone. We'd sure love a time-out, but sadly, the world isn't such a nice place that it gives us that kind of pity.
When you're Commander in Chief, I don't think there'd be a worse signal to send to our troops in harm's way than to say, "Hey, hold on guys. I know you're getting killed over there, but I have to get a time-out here to deal with Wall Street."
If troops need to multi-task without a break, is it so wrong that we demand that a potential President-in-waiting prove that he can manage a financial crisis, and still address crises around the world for 90 minutes? And, if a potential President-to-be can't manage that, is it wrong to think that maybe he ought not just suspend a debate and the campaign, but move aside and get out of the race?
Just something to think about.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/our-troops-dont-get-a-tim_b_129055.html

Anthrax, Gulf War Syndrome & Karl Rove?

Raw Story has published a very provocative angle to the anthrax story. The repercussions may well be a major nail in BushCo's coffin. Some of the culprits include the lovely Paul Wolfowitz and H. Ross Perot, who at least made some attempts to address the issue. Please forward this to loved ones who served in the first Gulf War. Let them know their health and well being was deliberately compromised by our government.
White House memo exposes Rove knew of problems with anthrax vaccine
Allen McDuffee, August 7, 2008
Rove said Gulf War Syndrome, vaccine political stumbling block
The Department of Defense continued its controversial mandatory anthrax vaccinations program despite high ranking Bush administration officials acknowledging there were problems with the vaccine within months of the Bush administration taking office—well before the 9/11 attacks and the October 2001 anthrax letters.
A 2001 memorandum from former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz indicates that the White House knew of problems relating to the Gulf War Syndrome and the military's controversial anthrax vaccine.
Obtained by RAW STORY earlier this year from a senior military official and referenced in today's New York Daily News, Rove wrote, "I do think we need to examine the issues of both Gulf War Syndrome and the Anthrax vaccine and how they can be dealt with. They are political problems for us."
RAW STORY had held off printing the memorandum (which appears below) in an effort to validate its authenticity. Along with the memo, Rove noted that he had attached "material on the Anthrax vaccine problem," which had been forwarded to him by H. Ross Perot. He titled it "GULF WAR SYNDROME AND ANTHRAX."
RAW STORY had held off printing the memorandum (which appears below) in an effort to validate its authenticity. Along with the memo, Rove noted that he had attached "material on the Anthrax vaccine problem," which had been forwarded to him by H. Ross Perot. He titled it "GULF WAR SYNDROME AND ANTHRAX."
Pentagon maintains vaccine is safe, requires injections
Despite repeatedly maintaining it is safe, documents obtained by Raw Story last year showed that the Pentagon and medical military personnel have known since at least 1998 that there are genetic triggers between illnesses and some required immunizations. They also revealed the military knew and did not implement routine pre-screening which could help reduce vaccine-related illnesses.
[...] Texas billionaire and onetime presidential candidate H. Ross Perot testified to a Congressional committee in 2002 regarding issues with the vaccine and its manufacturer.
"BioPort is a mess," Perot said, referring to the Pentagon contractor, which has since changed its name to Emergent BioSolutions. "BioPort should not be able to keep that contract. For years they never met any goals or objectives...For years they got bonuses that equaled or exceeded their salaries and didn't accomplish their goals."
"The damage that was done to our Tigers in the Armed Forces is incredible," he added. "Hundreds of pilots have left the Air Force rather than take the shot. $6 million to train one pilot. That's a high price to pay, right?"
[…] Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), has called for a "full-blown accounting" of the probe, which cost taxpayers $15 million and took seven years, according to the Washington Post. Democratic Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-NJ), who represents the region the deadly letters were mailed from from, says hearings should be held as to "why investigators are so certain that Ivins acted alone."
The memo is available in PDF format here.
This article was edited by Raw Story Managing Editor Larisa Alexandrovna, and paid for by reader donations to Raw Story Investigates. You can contribute by clicking here, allowing us to conduct more investigative reporting.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Memo_shows_White_House_knew_of_0807.html

Vietnam Veteran Will Finally Get US Citizenship

Thanks to Denis Hamill of NY Daily News. Well done! Mr. Thomas' story is too amazing to edit, so here is the whole story:
No way to treat a hero: Vet earned three Purple Hearts but still no citizenship
Thursday, June 5th 2008, 4:00 AM
This one looks like it might have a happy ending - but for the moment this disabled Vietnam veteran with three Purple Hearts is a man without a country.
In 1960, at 16, Rudolph Thomas Sr. came to America with his grandmother from Trinidad. He lived in his grandfather's house on Decatur St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant and, after graduating Franklin K. Lane High, he was drafted into the United States Army on March 8, 1965.
He did basic training in Fort Gordon, Ga., advanced individual training at Fort Dix, and then volunteered for the Army Airborne jump school at Fort Benning, Ga.
"In 1967, I was stationed in Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne when I got my orders to go to Vietnam," says Thomas, who lives in Flatbush. "When I reported to leave they said they couldn't send me because I was not a United States citizen."
He remained at Fort Bragg and three months later they issued new Vietnam orders. "They said, ‘Congratulations, we've naturalized you as a U.S. citizen and you're going to Vietnam,'" he says. "They checked yes on the papers where it asked if I was a U.S. citizen."
Thomas went to Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne and saw heavy action in places with names like Bon Song, An Khe, Bar Tuey.
"The first time I got shot it was in the right ankle," he says. "I got sent to Cam Ranh Bay to recuperate. Then I went back into the bush and was shot in my left foot. I got laid up in the hospital again. I got my third Purple Heart from a landmine, taking shrapnel in my right knee, left buttock and left shoulder. It burned the pants off me."
After the third injury he was sent back to the States.
Rudy Thomas reenlisted, spent six years in the army and received honorable discharge papers that clearly indicate he was an American citizen.
He returned to Brooklyn where he receives a 40% disability pension for post traumatic stress disorder.
His son from his first marriage, Rudy Thomas Jr., became a New York City police officer.
"In 1980 I was hired by New York State Department of Labor under the veteran's readjustment program," the father says. "I have been working there since as a disabled veteran's outreach specialist."
On July 4, 1993, his police officer son was off duty, waiting for his fiancée to come out of a deli on Pennsylvania Ave. in Brooklyn when a gunman demanded his motorcycle. When he identified himself as a cop, the armed man shot Rudy Thomas Jr. dead.
In 2005, when his grandfather died in Trinidad - in his late 90s - Thomas applied for his first American passport.
"The people at the passport office looked at my army papers and told me that I could not have a passport because I was not a United States citizen," Thomas says. "I was shocked. They told me to go to 26 Federal Plaza to apply for citizenship."
In December of 2005 Thomas went and applied for citizenship to the country for which he'd fought in a foreign war.
"The woman there said the information on my military papers was inaccurate and that I was never naturalized," he says. "They opened a case and told me to go home and wait."
He's still waiting - and he never got to attend his grandfather's funeral.
Last week, he sent me an e-mail: "I am writing to you with the hope that this matter can be taken care of as soon as possible since it didn't take this long to send me to Vietnam and fight and shed blood for this country when so many others were running away and dodging service ..."
I called Shawn Saucier, a spokesman at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of Homeland Security.
"There is a provision of U.S. immigration law that enables us to move forward on Mr. Thomas' citizenship application pending a criminal background check," he said after doing some research.
"Typically someone has to be a Green Card holder for five years before being eligible to apply for citizenship, but there is a provision ... for certain military veterans who served in active duty during a time of war ... It could possibly happen in the next few weeks."
"If the background check goes well," says Saucier, "we're glad to help someone who put his life on the line to defend the United States to become a citizen."
"That's great news," Thomas says. "Especially since I thought I was a U.S. citizen for the last 40 years since I went to Vietnam."

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/06/05/2008-06-05_no_way_to_treat_a_hero_vet_earned_three_.html

GI Bill--Yea! More War Funding--Nay!

Peace Groups Write to Congress
What to do?  Get active!
Dear Representative,
On behalf of the 68% of people in this country who want to
bring our troops safely home in 2008
(1), we thank you for voting against $163 billion more for
Iraq occupation funding on May 15
(2). Unfortunately the Senate did not follow your lead and
you will have to vote again on Iraq occupation funds in June.
This time your vote may include the popular GI education
"bill" and other domestic funds.
We urge you to stand firm in your opposition and vote against
the Senate bill for the following reasons:
1. The GI bill passed with overwhelming majorities in the
House (3) and Senate (4) and would easily pass as a
standalone bill, which we support. You should demonstrate
your honest support for our troops by fighting to pass the
bill without requiring an additional year of war.
That bill could include all the other domestic funds.
2. By far the best way to show your support for our troops
is to bring them safely home as soon as possible.
We consider it morally disgraceful that necessary
expenditures to meet human needs are being tied to
$165 billion to pay for another year of war. Under the
guise of helping veterans, a 'yes' vote on a bill that
includes funding for Iraq guarantees that hundreds of our
soldiers will die, thousands will endure physical and mental
injury and that the carnage in Iraq will continue.
We recognize that defeating the Senate bill would force
Congress to pass a stop-gap bill to fund short-term
operations in Iraq. We support a narrow bill modeled after
the Lee Amendment that fully funds a safe withdrawal of our
troops from Iraq.  This is the position that 68% of people
in the United States support(1).
Sincerely,
Democrats.com
United for Peace and Justice
AfterDowningStreet.org
Code Pink
Gold Star Families for Peace
Progressive Democrats of America
US Labor Against the War
Voters for Peace
(1) 68% of Americans want Bush to bring U.S. troops home
within 6 months, according to a Democrats.com telephone
poll of 628 adults conducted from May 1-4, 2008 by ICR.
http://www.democrats.com/iraq-poll-2
(2) House Roll Call 328
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll328.xml
(3) House Roll Call 330
http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2008&rollnumber=330
(4) Senate Roll Call 137
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110& amp;session=2&vote=00137

Support the GI Bill

Wesley Clark, along with Brave New Films and VoteVets has put this issue right where it belongs, front and center. Unfortunately, our mis-leaderer doesn't support the troops. If we don't keep up the pressure, Mr. MIA will crush it. Please take a moment to sign the petition and pass it on.

Last week, the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of Senator Jim Webb's New GI Bill by a 75 to 22 vote. The New GI Bill would help veterans keep up with skyrocketing tuition costs and pay for a quality education after they return from service.
President Bush has threatened to veto the bill, and we are going to need a two-thirds majority in the Senate to override his veto.
Click here to help us build on our momentum. Email your Senators, and tell them to override the President's veto against the New GI Bill now!
Tell Your Senators To Support The GI Bill
Senator Jim Webb's New GI Bill, which would give our returning soldiers the education benefits they need, recently passed in the Senate. But President Bush has threatened to veto the bill, and we need a 2/3 majority in the Senate to override his veto.
Join 13,991 other Americans and email your Senators, demanding that they provide our troops with the education they deserve today!
http://ga4.org/campaign/gibill?rk=7pNzN24qxGwwE

HRA Keeps 12 Veterans on ICE

What kind of society treats its warriors like this? Can there be a lower act of disgrace?
CITY DENIES VETS BURIAL RITES, CHARITIES SAY
By DOUGLAS MONTERO
April 28, 2008 -- The city is having trouble providing burials for unclaimed veterans because it notoriously shortchanges charitable groups that help bury them, critics charge.
Vincent Reilly, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Inc., said he's done fronting money to bury the indigent because the city's Human Resources Administration frequently rejects reimbursement claims. [my bold]
"We find [the HRA] to be deadbeats," Reilly said.
JoAnn Orr, an HRA director in charge of burial claims, said that the agency helped bury 82 veterans last year and that it has reimbursed other charitable groups.
Still, the HRA reimbursed fewer than half the 1,960 claims made last year.
A dozen unclaimed veterans remain on ice at the city morgue. [my bold]
After The Post recently brought the situation to light, the Mayor's Office on Veteran Affairs met with veterans groups.
Queens Councilman Hiram Monserrate, the head of the Veterans Committee, will conduct a hearing today to root out the bureaucratic problem. http://www.nypost.com/seven/04282008/news/regionalnews/city_denies_vets_burial_rites__charities_108482.htm