John Cornyn wants people to get off their BUTTS! Thank you Mr. Cornyn. If there are no jobs for them or unemployment benefits, what do you propose they do to feed their families! On top of all the bullshit he is spouting, Congressman Pete Sessions says “We need to live within our means …” … Oooooh, I hear resentment and a lot of denial.

Pete Sessions says “We need to live within our means …”  Meet the Press  “What will GOP agenda be if it regains power” at (4:33-4:50, 5:16 )

Cornyn on NPR— said the influence of the Tea Party on the GOP was a “positive development.”

— He said the influence of the Tea Party on the GOP was a “positive development.” But as for the charge by Tea Party activists that Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski was a RINO — a Republican-In-Name-Only — he dismissed that out of hand. And as someone whose role it is to make sure the party’s incumbents are returned to office, he had warm things to say about her and another senator being challenged in the primary by the right, Arizona’s John McCain.

Cornyn..”influence of the Tea Party on the GOP was a “positive development.” Meet The Press…Slanderous to accuse the Tea Party of racism

Republicans want it all. They envision a world of elite overlords who are the sole deciders for the minions that work for them. They want the power to send their minions to fight wars to boost their profit margin … Oil can grease the Republican machine. They whip up their support base by zooming in on nonsense moral issues that can take the blame for everything … as long as the real issues stay on the back page.

Mitch McConnell is a little more serene about refusing to define entitlement. He does admit Bush Tax Cuts must stay, and extended unemployment benefits must come out of the existing Trillon Dollar budget. He says that taxes must not be raised. So … Republicans decide that to balance the budget, personal entitlements must be cut back … however, I have heard nothing about the cost of foreign wars. I have heard nothing about the details … that’s where the DEVIL lives. The details would paint the Republicans for what they are. See results from his latest interview on CNN.

CNN’s Candy Crowley talks with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) about jobless benefits and the deficit.

Zzzzzzzz

Time is not on my side.  Although I continue to observe and analyze current events and political shenanigans with critical eyes.

I am setting aside the venting of opinion and observation to attend to personal priorities.

TruthHugger may be resurrected during the next political disaster, but no promises.

Whatever happens, I am still BossKitty!

Monday, February 22, 2010 Texas Blog Roundup

The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds you that early voting runs through this Friday at 7 PM for the primaries as it brings you this week’s blog highlights.

BossKitty at TruthHugger is amazed that anger is directed toward the Internal Revenue Service when Americans elect the very people who make the laws IRS enforces. Joe Stack targeted the wrong end of this chain. Taxpayers get end up owing money because they do not understand the laws their representatives make. Tax and Defiance – Short Sighted Protester, Joe Stack.

In times of depleting incomes, Republican Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack brags about his $2.3 Million tax funded soap box derby track.

Two Steps Forward One Step Back for Tainted Texas Air at Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy reflects on the next 40 days of protest that are taking place at Planned Parenthood, and reviews a performance of the Vagina Monologues at Texas A&M. Also, a look at the poll numbers in the campaign to be the next governor of Texas, and a review of the week in headlines.

The Conservative Politicians Against Compromise convention picked an old-school nutjob as the presidential nominee in 2012, notes PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to know why Republicans hate education so much? Why make community colleges unaffordable?

In Lewisville, the school district has revoked consent for a community organization use their parking lots to gather signatures for a petition drive on the weekend.

In what will come as a massive surprise, McBlogger endorses Hank Gilbert. Find out why here.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson shows that even without the severe decrease in sales tax receipts Texas would still be facing a budget crisis, Understanding the budget and Texas’ structural deficit.

Off the Kuff notes the humor of our Attorney General suing to protect the sanctity of divorce.

Libby shaw at TexasKaos does the accountability analysis on the GOP stimulus hypocrites. See her scorecard here;  TX U.S. House Members Join Senators in GOP Hall of Hypocritical Shame.

If Citizen Sarah had a nickel for every time she’s put out a statement saying something along the lines of “Governor Perry is blowing hot air about climate change”… she could probably buy something really fancy, like a Mexican coke in a glass bottle. See Texas Vox for more details.

The Texas Cloverleaf reports from frigid New Jersey and wants everyone to know the state, and others, have not fallen into GOP hands.



AND Kamakazi pilot Joe Stack, who crashed plane into Austin building, hailed by anti-government groups

St Petersburg Times:  Texas case is extreme example of how Americans hate the IRS

Austin American Statesman:  Was attack an act of terrorism, rage or spectacle murder?

Suspect’s manifesto, crash-inspired Web game pop up online

Stack’s fight against tax system focused on, not limited to, 1986 change

Friends didn’t see pilot’s passion for IRS feud

Richmark Sentinal:  Joe Stack birth of the non-aligned, individual suicide bombers?

FOX:  Radical Anti-tax Groups Growing Threat, Say Law Enforcement

LA Times: Man who crashed plane into Austin IRS building part of decades-long line of tax protesters

AlterNet:  Texas Suicide Flyer Had Real Populist Grievances

Anti Defamation League:  Tax Protest Movement – Extremism

WIKI:  Tax resistance

Avoid These Tax Protest Scams Like You Would Avoid The Plague

Recent Cases (These Guys are Going to Jail)

Tax Protest Movement, Extremism in America

Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation

Militia Watchdog Tax Links

Joseph G. Adams’ Tax Protester Hall of Fame

Quatloos Tax Scams

Rational WIKI: Tax Protestor

Tax protester is a general category to describe anyone who does not believe they are required to pay various taxes. The most commonly disputed tax (in the US) is the income tax. In the United States, tax protesters tend to be largely middle-class conservatives with a libertarian bent. The term “tax protester,” while the preferred nomenclature, is somewhat misleading. In more common parlance they might be called tax deniers. Individuals who protest taxes for one reason or another, while not denying the government’s right to tax, are called tax resisters.

Tax protesters use pseudolaw and follow many of the same methods as creationists and other denialists in advocating their ideas, including: cherry picking data, pseudohistory, quote mining, and deception. There is actually a strong link between tax protesting and creationist movements, as well as the birthers, militia movement and some white supremacy groups. In November 2006 Kent Hovind, an infamous peddler of creationism, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for not paying income tax ^[1]. Many people have made a lot of money selling various schemes for avoiding having to pay taxes. Thousands of videos, books and conferences are offered every year that promise to cure you of a tax burden for a price. One example is that of Irwin Schiff and his site paynoincometax.com who was sentenced to jail in 2005 for his activities ^[2]. Not a single argument ever presented by a tax protester has ever been accepted by a court of law as valid.

Tax protesters should be distinguished from tax resisters, who do not deny the government’s right to levy taxes, but refuse to pay as a matter of principle, due to their opposition to specific government policies (opposition to public schooling or defense spending are common tropes). Such protesters are rather less likely to espouse right-libertarian politics; some are, indeed, extreme liberals. Tax resistance is a form of civil disobedience, at least when such people are willing to go to jail for the principle. One example of a tax resister is Henry David Thoreau, who refused to pay his poll tax because it supported the Mexican War, which he considered an immoral land grab.

Taxation in the United States is a complex system which may involve payment to many different levels of government and many methods of taxation. United States taxation includes local government, possibly including one or more of municipal, township, district and county governments. It also includes regional entities such as school and utility, and transit districts as well as including state and federal government.

Contents:
1. Federal taxation
2. State and local government taxation
3. Federal tax reform
4. Tax protester arguments

History of the U.S. Tax System

Federal Tax Brackets

Yes, the tax system has malfunctioned terribly.  Yes, when we vote for congress, our representatives decide how those taxes are spent.  No, we don’t always get what we vote for!

How are we supposed to fix that?  Not by flying planes into buildings or ambushing federal employees.

Votes are cast for groomed personalities and key words, then those same voters disengage to complain about who they elected.  Voters have become irresponsible puppets of marketing campaigns.  Marketers decide who to elect and proceed to mesmerize target voting groups.  These same marketers, bought and paid for by big business interests, also decide what words their candidate will have to say to get elected by each target group.

Holding elected officials accountable for their promises is the most difficult task to accomplish, why? because the Washington political machine is alien to anything the voter can identify with.  Politicians must sell their soul to other politicians and fund raisers to keep promises made to their constituents.  There are myriads of theories about how to fix the mess made of an idealistic democracy.  But, killing the messenger is not an option.  Paying attention to who you elect is the first step to changing the laws IRS must enforce!

The list of things that income tax supports is endless.  There are services Americans cannot live without and of course, things most Americans would rather do without.  That is where the responsibility of the American   steps in.  Too many Americans cannot think that far ahead to understand that the services they take for granted are paid for by Income Tax.  This big and unwieldy country has myriads of responsibilities for it’s citizens that are very costly.  War is one of the more questionable costs, but a secure homeland is unquestionable.  Taxes pay for everyday services including :

Corporation for National and Community Service
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Social Security Administration
Department of State and Other International Programs
Department of Transportation
Department of Treasury
Department of Veterans Affairs
Environmental Protection Agency
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Intelligence Program
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Income Tax is Public money that is managed by our elected politicians, who also design the rules for how to use that money.

The American Voter is where the ultimate responsibility lies.  If the American voter cannot recognize they are complicit in creating a monster taxation system, they can throw tantrums but not take lives!

Origin
The roots of IRS go back to the Civil War when President Lincoln and Congress, in 1862, created the position of commissioner of Internal Revenue and enacted an income tax to pay war expenses. The income tax was repealed 10 years later. Congress revived the income tax in 1894, but the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional the following year.

16th Amendment
In 1913, Wyoming ratified the 16^th Amendment, providing the three-quarter majority of states necessary to amend the Constitution. The 16^th Amendment gave Congress the authority to enact an income tax. That same year, the first Form 1040 appeared after Congress levied a 1 percent tax on net personal incomes above $3,000 with a 6 percent surtax on incomes of more than $500,000.

In 1918, during World War I, the top rate of the income tax rose to 77 percent to help finance the war effort. It dropped sharply in the post-war years, down to 24 percent in 1929, and rose again during the Depression. During World War II, Congress introduced payroll withholding and quarterly tax payments.

• 1913 Form 1040 (PDF 126KB, 4 pages, including instructions)

A New Name
In the 50s, the agency was reorganized to replace a patronage system with career, professional employees. The Bureau of Internal Revenue name was changed to the Internal Revenue Service. Only the IRS commissioner and chief counsel are selected by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Budget of the United States Government: Fiscal Year 2011

The atmosphere of deception is normal in the US Military as it is in US Politics.  American society is divided between the complacent and the frustrated.  As described in my July 2008 article,  What is Adrenarche and Why Are America’s Services Sexually Immature, the acceptance of sexual misbehavior in the US Military has always been accepted. Not just tolerated, but expected.  The consequences?  America the dysfunctional.

WIKI: Sexual assault in the U.S. military

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO)

SAPRO is the organization responsible for all Department of Defense (DoD) sexual assault policy. The Department of Defense does not tolerate sexual assault. The Department has implemented a comprehensive policy to ensure the safety, dignity and well-being of all members of the Armed Forces. Our men and women serving throughout the world deserve nothing less, and their leaders — both military and civilian — are committed to maintaining a workplace environment that rejects sexual assault and reinforces a culture of prevention, response and accountability.

ARMY – NAVY – AIR FORCE – MARINES – COAST GUARD – Morale Article Index : Current 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Sexual Assault Task Forces Urges More Oversight

U.S. military struggles with internal battles

Pentagon to track assault of contractor employees

Fort Bragg Soldier Arrested In Alleged Burglaries And Assault

Sexual Assault Permeates U.S. Armed Forces – CBS 2009 report: Shocking Report On Frequent Attacks, Low Rate Of Investigation, Prosecution

Sex Trafficking High Around U.S. Military Bases Abroad

How American’s deal with their sexual drives has a long twisted history of abuse and disinformation. By condemning natural sexual development as ‘evil’, ‘unhealthy’ and ’sinful’, American men appear to be sexually stuck in a puberty cycle (adrenarche).  This applies equally to heterosexual and homosexual Americans. American females are equally repressed, but have learned to exploit weaknesses caused by male sexual immaturity.  Sexual acting out, with the help of drugs, alcohol, or religious dogma, leads to sexual abuse, and has finally surfaced for modern public scrutiny.  Christianity shares this repression with Islam … This behavior has been around since America began.  There have always been tolerances to protect American men when they act out, called euphemistically “indiscretions”.  The “boys will be boys” attitude follows teenaged boys during sexual discovery.  Then, sexually repressed and immature adults can enter the military where sex crimes have been accepted, masked and covered up throughout history. Rape and pillage have always been rewards for soldiers from the beginning of time.

Some part of today’s society must bring mother nature back into the human maturation process.  The double standard must be healed.  America’s double standard is  sexually unhealthy and it contaminates our policies and governing ability.  Senators, Congressmen and other elected and appointed officials use sex to define their inflated egos.  Sex is the tool used, by manipulators, to influence politics and policy.   Time to enter the 21st Century.  We know too much to allow this primitive repressive behavior to continue.

Mother nature had a plan, we see evidence of that in every species we discover.  Mother nature does not tolerate tampering with sexuality any more than she tolerates rape of her earth.

The ‘lip service’ given to sexual misbehavior in the US Military is rampant, but the cure is nowhere in sight.  As long as killing enemies takes priority over protecting the ideal of civilized society, ethical standards will never be applied.

History reveals military ethics remain despicable today .

Answers.Com: Sex and the Military

Encyclopedia.Com: Sex and the Military

All Academic Research Abstract by American Society of Criminology (ASC): The United States Military as the Offender: Relationship between sex trafficking and normative practices within the U.S. military culture

Military Sex Offenders Registry as of January 17, 2009

Time article 1993: Armed Forces: Sex, Lies and the Military

Heritage Foundation 1997: Sex In The Military: What Did They Expect?

To:  U.S. Congress:  Sex offenders are a small population within the U.S. military, but cause long-lasting damage to the victims they attack and the reputation of the military. Nonetheless, the Department of Defense has done little to ensure that offenders are brought to justice through trial and conviction. Hundreds of sex offenders involved in substantiated cases each year continue to serve or are released into the civilian population without being convicted and added to the sex offender registry. The systemic problems that allow so many offenders to escape justice have yet to be addressed.

Sex offense is known to be a chronic issue for most offenders, who have offended in the past and will continue to offend until they are caught and stopped. Solving the problem is as simple as ensuring that the small numbers of offenders serving in the military are brought to justice. Instead, more and more military victims from all branches of service have come forward with accounts of how they suffered for reporting the crime while the offender got off scot-free.

This problem has raged on unabated for decades, and it is time that something be done. The first step in solving the problem is understanding exactly what is causing it, beginning with a thorough Congressional investigation that includes all service branches. This should include reviews of past sexual assault cases to determine what caused them to fail. It should also include an inquiry into cases that were proven but not sent to trial. As many victims as possible should be offered opportunities to discuss how they were treated surrounding their allegations. Sex offenders have no place in the military. It is time to determine what allows a small handful of criminals to cause such widespread damage as their victims suffer for coming forward.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

View Current Signatures

The Texas Cloverleaf highlights the sentencing of GOP Denton County Constable Ken Jannereth. Probation, anger management, laying off the bottle, and maybe more to come for the disgraced lawman.

Could BeTrue of South Texas Chisme is watching 2 Texas Counties fight it out with their DAs over legal duties.

Bay Area Houston says Teabaggers claim illiterate Blacks elected Obama.

Is your gas wet or dry? Despite industry spin, it seems to not matter. TCEQ testing shows Barnett Shale “Dry Gas” health hazard. TXsharon thanks State Representative Lon Burnam for wading through the recent TCEQ testing report to find the truth. Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

Over at TexasKaos, light seeker connects Obama’s big picture with our big picture, in Obama’s Problem is Our Problem In a Nutshell. Is our future Sarah Palin, Tea Partyers and failure?

This week at Left of College Station, Teddy interviews several members of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community at Texas A&M while investigating what it is like to be gay in Aggieland. Left of College Station also takes a look at American’s ignorance of current events and the political process, and a report on the local campaign spending and donations. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.

The Nuge was campaigning for 39% over the weekend. Can’t you just feel the greasy, smelly excitement?

WCNews at Eye On Williamson looks at how the legislature is already laying the groundwork for adding sales taxes to items currently excluded like bottled water, basic internet service, and coin operated services, House Ways and Means Committee to look at “Certain Sales Tax Exemptions & Exclusions.

Off the Kuff looks at the effect of the “Citizens United” ruling on judicial elections in Texas.

WhosPlayin is neck-deep in local issues in North Texas, having spent the weekend with the Lewisville City Council at their retreat, and noting that he local school district is discouraging candidates from running for school board.

This week at Texas Vox Citizen Sarah geeked out on the new energy generation plan presented to Austin City Council. May not sound too snazzy but there’s enormous potential there to reduce carbon emissions, build up our local economy, and improve public health with this plan, so she thinks it is pretty cool.

Neil at Texas Liberal commented that office building janitors in Houston have set up a Facebook page as they prepare for a new round of contract negotiations in 2010. All work has merit and all people should be paid a living wage.

Yesterday was huge for New Orleans but it was also TeaBagger Rally Day in northwest Harris County, as PDiddie at Brains and Eggs recounted in “Rick and Ted’s (and Sarah’s) Excellent Super Bowl Sunday Venture”.

What Does The Constitution say about religion? (It may not be what you think.)

By Oliver “Buzz” Thomas

Ask most Americans what the Constitution says about God, and their answers may surprise you.

“One nation under God?”

Nope, that’s the Pledge of Allegiance.

“Oh, yeah, right, right. How about, ‘Endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights’?”

Sorry, but that’s the Declaration of Independence.

“Hmmmm.”

Mostly what you’ll get is a lot of blank stares. Trust me. I’ve tried it in nearly 50 states. Fully 55% of the country, according to a recent survey by the First Amendment Center, believes that the U.S. Constitution establishes us as a “Christian nation.” Worse still, while nearly all Americans say freedom of religion is important, only 56% think it should apply to all religious groups. The truth is that the Constitution says nothing about God. Not one word. And, you can bet that some of the local clergy back in the 1780s howled about it. Newspapers, pamphlets and sermons decried the drafters’ failure to acknowledge God.

One, and only one, reference

Even more interesting is what the Constitution has to say about religion. Although many of the nation’s loudest religionists continue to assert that America is a Christian nation in some legal or constitutional sense, the language of the original Constitution itself suggests otherwise. The only reference to religion is tucked away in Article VI and reads: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a Christian nation to me. If you wished to create a Christian nation, wouldn’t you at least need to ensure that its leaders were Christian? The No Religious Test Clause stands out because most colonies did have religious qualifications for public office. Many required a belief in the Christian doctrine of the Trinity with some, like the Carolinas, going so far as to require that all elected officials be Protestant.

So, why would the framers of our Constitution do such a thing, and moreover, why two years later would they adopt a constitutional amendment declaring that the new federal government could “make no law respecting an establishment of religion?” Was it because they were militant atheists? Hardly. James Madison, the primary architect of our Constitution, studied under the tutelage of Presbyterian-preacher-turned-Princeton-president John Witherspoon and even considered a career in the ministry before opting for politics.

More likely, the framers were concerned about the corrupting influence the institutions of church and state have on each other when either becomes too cozy. These guys knew their history. They had witnessed the blood shed by governments in the name of religion. Europe was nearly destroyed by it. They also knew their politics. The Baptists, Presbyterians and other Evangelicals were fed up with religion that was “established” by the state (as was the Anglican Church in many Southern colonies and the Congregational Church in New England) and were determined to achieve full-throttle religious freedom for all — believers and non-believers alike. [Read it all including the comments]

Why then do some Americans insist on making this country, founded with secular intent, a Theocracy?  Because it is easy to manipulate, many non-cosmopolitan, religious people into electing politicians who pump their good vs evil beliefs.  OK, I said non-cosmopolitan because, rural areas are less exposed to the realities of a diverse population.  Their understanding of diversity is based on hearsay and exaggeration by biased charismatics.  Look at some of the acid comments recently made about the Haiti victims by TV Evangelist bankers.  Look at some of the nasty comments made about the Tsunami victims several years ago.  The “Christian” venom spewed is no worse than what some radical Muslim clerics spewed about September 11, 2001.   So Christian radicals are competeing for the lowest of low and deceiving America’s Laws by proselytizing on government issued weapons!  How dare they!  America’s secular Constitution made America a Democracy, not a Theocracy!

U.S. military rules prohibit any service member from proselytizing while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, which are primarily Muslim nations.

U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret ‘Jesus’ Bible Codes

Contractor to stop stamping Bible verses on gear for U.S. military

‘Bible codes’ on Afghan army guns

US-made rifles inscribed with Bible codes are being used by US forces and Afghans to fight the Taliban.  The weapons come from Trijicon, a manufacturer based in Wixom, Michigan, that supplies the US military. The company’s now deceased founder, Glyn Bandon, started the practice which continues today.  David Chater, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in the Afghan capital Kabul, said: “It is a rallying cry for the Taliban. It gives them a propaganda tool.  “They’ve always tried to paint the US efforts in Afghanistan as a Christian campaign”.

So, it looks like America is throwing off it’s secular cloak and choosing to behave like Iran: Who rules Iran? Are you kidding? Unless you’ve been on another planet for the past 30 years, everybody knows that it’s the radical Islamist clerics who rule Iran. And they dominate with an iron fist. The post of president is largely ceremonial. All of the candidates in this week’s election were hand picked by the mullahs.

And Malaysia: Religious tension is rising in Malaysia over the Christian community’s use of the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for its own god.

America wants to be ruled by TV Evangelist Bankers who are always holier than everyone else until they’re caught!  This is where Religion has buddied up with weapons manufacturers  to promote killing in the name of Jesus.  Lets make our Christian warriors feel better about killing people with other belief systems, even though they may share their foxhole with Muslims, Jews , Buddhists or Agnostics!

Texas has most drilling, worst regulation. Texas made national news this week in the ProPublica investigative report and they used pictures provided by TXsharon at Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

WhosPlayin reports that the local city council is once again considering the question of whether to participate in 287(g) and force its vendors to use E-Verify to check for work eligibility.

BossKitty at TruthHugger found a poignant editorial on Al Jazeera: Weary Soldiers At Risk, They Know This - Why do foreign correspondents have more in depth observations than America’s own Corporate media who follows the money and toes the line for sponsors political perks that promise ’scoops’.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks all kids should be given free, nutritious school meals. Just do it.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson discusses another worthless GOP plan for transportation in Texas, Kay’s transportation plan is a clunker.

The Texas Cloverleaf questions whether or not a Houston City Councilman-elect knows the difference between a campaign website and city resources.

Off the Kuff called out some political gamesmanship over the murder rate in Harris County.

Last week Teddy reviewed the best of the Left of College Station, and looks at the year ahead at Left of College Station. This week Left of College Station will begin coverage of the 2010 campaign season in the Brazos Valley, and report on human trafficking in Houston.

Candidate filings, including Gordon Quan for Harris County Judge and a list of the statewides, appears in PDiddie’s post at Brains and Eggs.

Bay Area Houston hopes the next decade will be better than the last.

Justin at Asian American Action Fund Blog covered Gordon Quan’s campaign kickoff including full video of Quan’s speech.

Libby Shaw puts together the latest throw downs exposing GOP hypocrisy and lies. Check it out : Rachel Maddow Busts Republicans for Cowardice, Hypocrisy and Lies.

At McBlogger, Mayor McSleaze noted with some interest that Marc Katz filed for Lt. Governor. Some, but not much. More important to him was a really nasty prairie dog attack.

Neil at Texas Liberal selected his wife as person of the decade and named his blog—Texas Liberal— as blog of the decade.

‘The US military is exhausted”

A photograph with a message – and without a hope

By Sarah Lazare

The call for over 30,000 more troops to be sent to Afghanistan is a travesty for the people of that country who have already suffered eight brutal years of occupation.

It is also a harsh blow to the US soldiers facing imminent deployment.

As Barack Obama, the US president, gears up for a further escalation that will bring the total number of troops in Afghanistan to over 100,000, he faces a military force that has been exhausted and overextended by fighting two wars.

Many from within the ranks are openly declaring that they have had enough, allying with anti-war veterans and activists in calling for an end to the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with some active duty soldiers publicly refusing to deploy.

The architects of this war would be well-advised to listen to the concerns of the soldiers and veterans tasked with carrying out their war policies on the ground.

Many of those being deployed have already faced multiple deployments to combat zones: the 101st Airborne Division, which will be deployed to Afghanistan in early 2010, faces its fifth combat tour since 2002.

“They are just going to start moving the soldiers who already served in Iraq to Afghanistan, just like they shifted me from one war to the next,” said Eddie Falcon, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Soldiers are going to start coming back with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), missing limbs, problems with alcohol, and depression.”

Many of these troops are still suffering the mental and physical fallout from previous deployments.

Fort Campbell tries to address the consequences of exhausted soldiers.

As far back as 1919, exhausted warriors suffer numerous medical complications.

Symptoms Of Hyperthyroidism Observed In Exhausted Soldiers, by W. Johnson © 1919 BMJ Publishing Group.

McClatchy has a blog dedicated to the perils facing “Wounded Warriors” a collection of veterans coverage from the McClatchy Washington Bureau, McClatchy Newspapers, and other sources

As far back as 2004, MSNBC recognized and warned about some of the consequences facing returning troops:

1 in 8 returning soldiers suffers from PTSD – But less than half with problems seek help, report finds

The Psychology Of Healing For Returning Soldiers And Their Families

Coping with the aftermath of war is challenging for returning soldiers and their families. Psychologists offered ways for individuals and their families to handle post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems that may arise.

Returning Soldiers Project – The United States is in the midst of a military conflict in Iraq that has involved thousands of men and women in the armed forces of this nation. These men and women are not only regular service people, but also reserves whose necessary service disrupts their lives in a variety of ways.

Walter Reed

Regardless of active duty or reserve status, soldiers are returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, from combat to civilian life to peace time. This return can happen in as little as 48 hours with

contemporary transportation capabilities. Surely that return brings with it a host of issues related to reunion with one’s family, friends, and colleagues. There may be physical issues related to injury and rehabilitation. There may be psychological dimensions of that return that are difficult to navigate. And there may be spiritual and religious dimensions to that return that must be addressed by the individual soldier.

In addition to the issues that an individual soldier might face upon a return from combat, there are the family and friends who may experience a range of emotions upon the return of their familymember or friend.
About the Returning Soldiers Project

The Returning Soldiers Project is a collaborative effort among Villanova faculty and staff members to address an important series of questions:

• What obligation does society have to assist the returning soldier, his or her family, and his or her friends, in the transition from war to peace?
• How ought society respond to the soldier’s need for healing, physical, psychological, and/or spiritual?
• Indeed, how ought society help to facilitate any forgiveness that a soldier needs, both from him- or herself, his family and friends, and the society that sent him or her to war?

Walter Reed Army Medical Center – Returning Wounded Warriors –

TruthHugger has often complained about the inadequate medical support system receiving troops and especially support contractors returning from hostile areas.  Whether its Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa or any of those secret places the American Public is not authorized to know about, the system has a great facade but little follow through.  The bureaucratic obstacle course is almost as traumatic as the environment that caused casualties in the first place.  The physically and mentally harmed are damaged again and again then returned to a socially unprepared, uneducated and inadequate environment.  Accountability is spotty and easily denied by a government that addresses the issue as an afterthought.  Playing catch up, the US Government scrambles to clean up its negligent, short sighted support system.  The best attention is being provided at smaller levels like specific military bases, specific veterans associations and non-profit agencies.  But, the largest institution that falls short is still the same one that puts it’s human capital into dangerous and traumatic environments.

Returning from one traumatic environment to another can be a knock out blow to many returning people.  There should be no distinction between US Military and US Support Contractors, whether you like them or not.  These returnees are expected to incorporate back into, what America calls, a stable, productive and civilized society. Then, they are expected to resume whatever life they left behind. Move along.  Forget about it, don’t talk about it, unless your social circle was  with you in the trenches, your family and friends cannot relate to your experiences or your dreams.  They cannot see your dreams.  They don’t understand you are seeing them much differently than you did before you went on a violent adventure.

The worst insult for returning warriors and support contractors is the misunderstanding of their problems.  America’s focus fixates on the monetary expense first and the human expense second.  Mental issues caused by repeated psychological trauma is something Americans cannot deal with unless they work in the medical field.  Medical expenses must be factored in when calculating war funding instead of manufacturing new destructive toys to profit generals and senators.  After all, bringing industry to your constituency is so patriotic … and profitable.

Returning to America is as traumatic as leaving it.  Culture shock.  It does not have to be that way.  Weary soldiers must be helped by allowing them to recover before expecting them to incorporate back into society.  The consequences; they remain broken, traumatized and hazardous. Hazardous?  Yes, the collateral damage to families sending their loved ones into harms way, then receiving a changed person back is very disruptive and can spread the toll of psychological trauma.