Thursday, September 3, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
SSP Update
To my three readers + Pete: Sorry for the lack of posts recently.
I had to work an overnight shift on Wednesday and tried to sleep all day yesterday, unsuccessfully. I'm feeling all out of sorts.
Check back soon because we've got some good stuff planned.
I had to work an overnight shift on Wednesday and tried to sleep all day yesterday, unsuccessfully. I'm feeling all out of sorts.
Check back soon because we've got some good stuff planned.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Essay: PTSD The Wound That Does Not Heal
By Ramona Mitchell
The election is over. We (Progressives) have won but the war is not over. We are still involved in a two front war in the middle east and also at home with our various domestic problems. We must insist that our new representatives in Washington support our troops by ending our immoral and illegal occupation in the Middle East and provide them with the proper medical and mental health care they so desperately need.
For so many of our vets the war will never be over. Some have physical injuries but so many more also have the less noticeable mental and emotional scars caused from their experiences. Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be difficult to obtain not because it is untreatable but because of the training our troops receive. They are trained to be strong. Army Strong. This is one reason I believe some refuse to seek counseling. That would be a sign of weakness or you could say it would be surrendering to the enemy.
The enemies they fight every day are the memories they have of their time in combat and the difficulties they face adjusting to civilian life. Family members try to be supportive however we could never understand what they have been through.
I know this because my son was in Iraq for two tours of duty. He tried to open up about his experience at the welcome home gathering we had for him after his first tour. A family member asked him if he had any close encounters with the enemy. My son's face brightened up and I could see he was relieved to be able to tell all to someone who was interested and who cared. He proceeded to tell us that he was in a convoy third vehicle from the front lead vehicle. Their convoy hit a roadside bomb and his best friend was killed. His friend was in the lead vehicle. He added that everyone was too upset to gather the remains. He felt he had to do it so he picked up his buddy's head to bring back for burial. That was all that remained.
His face changed when he saw the reaction to his story. Some turned away and changed the subject while another woman ran into the bathroom physically sick. He has said very little about it since then. I know there is more that he is afraid to share. He is home now and is in the inactive reserves until October of next year. He was diagnosed with PTSD while in Iraq. He is home with his wife and child, has marital problems, is unemployed and spends his time playing violent video games. He was a gifted artist before he enlisted. Now he has no interest in art or anything else.
In closing, my hope is that Mr. Obama will hold Bush and his cronies responsible for their actions and they will be prosecuted for war crimes. Maybe punishing those responsible will help others to heal.
The election is over. We (Progressives) have won but the war is not over. We are still involved in a two front war in the middle east and also at home with our various domestic problems. We must insist that our new representatives in Washington support our troops by ending our immoral and illegal occupation in the Middle East and provide them with the proper medical and mental health care they so desperately need.
For so many of our vets the war will never be over. Some have physical injuries but so many more also have the less noticeable mental and emotional scars caused from their experiences. Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be difficult to obtain not because it is untreatable but because of the training our troops receive. They are trained to be strong. Army Strong. This is one reason I believe some refuse to seek counseling. That would be a sign of weakness or you could say it would be surrendering to the enemy.
The enemies they fight every day are the memories they have of their time in combat and the difficulties they face adjusting to civilian life. Family members try to be supportive however we could never understand what they have been through.
I know this because my son was in Iraq for two tours of duty. He tried to open up about his experience at the welcome home gathering we had for him after his first tour. A family member asked him if he had any close encounters with the enemy. My son's face brightened up and I could see he was relieved to be able to tell all to someone who was interested and who cared. He proceeded to tell us that he was in a convoy third vehicle from the front lead vehicle. Their convoy hit a roadside bomb and his best friend was killed. His friend was in the lead vehicle. He added that everyone was too upset to gather the remains. He felt he had to do it so he picked up his buddy's head to bring back for burial. That was all that remained.
His face changed when he saw the reaction to his story. Some turned away and changed the subject while another woman ran into the bathroom physically sick. He has said very little about it since then. I know there is more that he is afraid to share. He is home now and is in the inactive reserves until October of next year. He was diagnosed with PTSD while in Iraq. He is home with his wife and child, has marital problems, is unemployed and spends his time playing violent video games. He was a gifted artist before he enlisted. Now he has no interest in art or anything else.
In closing, my hope is that Mr. Obama will hold Bush and his cronies responsible for their actions and they will be prosecuted for war crimes. Maybe punishing those responsible will help others to heal.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Ceremony - Watch It Live Online!
[Bumped up by Bob - Lots of you, I mean lots and lots of you, are watching this right now on this blog. Consider this an open thread and feel free to comment on the proceedings]
Hi Folks,
Haven't been around much and am still trying to wrap my head around the impact Tuesday's events will have in store for us. In the meantime, I'm still boppin' around the 'nets. In the process, I came across this little site that will be airing the Inauguration Ceremony live online. Okay, I confess, I'm just sharing this because I like the countdown clock. . . (I can't wait for the door to hit Bush on the fanny on his way out.) Anyway, here ya go:
Enjoy!
Hi Folks,
Haven't been around much and am still trying to wrap my head around the impact Tuesday's events will have in store for us. In the meantime, I'm still boppin' around the 'nets. In the process, I came across this little site that will be airing the Inauguration Ceremony live online. Okay, I confess, I'm just sharing this because I like the countdown clock. . . (I can't wait for the door to hit Bush on the fanny on his way out.) Anyway, here ya go:
Enjoy!
How to Deal with a Telemarketer
My friend, former co-worker, and occasional business partner Marie sent me this. She might be better known to some in the blogosphere as Lincoln Park Dem.
WARNING: This is a bit racy but, kept in context, it is very, very funny.
WARNING: This is a bit racy but, kept in context, it is very, very funny.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Indiana State Senators Bring Assault on Environmental Laws
Last week the Gary Post-Tribune ran an editorial about a bill in the State Senate that the Post-Trib called “an outright assault against environmental enforcement in Indiana”.
The bill is Senate Bill 79 and it was authored by:
State Senator Dennis Kruse (R-Auburn)
State Senator Ryan Mishler (R-Bremen)
If enacted into law, the bill would ensure that no state environmental law would go beyond any environmental rule set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Are you kidding me? Those EPA rules have been watered down and stripped by eight years of the Bush administration. It could take the Obama administration years to restore them to their original strength. And, what is so wrong with Indiana setting the pace for clean air and water in our country?
It seems to me that this is a reaction to the concerns that were brought up over the British Petroleum refinery expansion project in Whiting. You remember that, don’t you…the one where BP wants to dump ammonia into Lake Michigan because they have no room to process it. The argument that Indiana Republicans have been making is that BP’s discharges into Lake Michigan would still fall within EPA allowances. Of course they would and now state Republicans want to write their silly argument into law.
The bill is Senate Bill 79 and it was authored by:
State Senator Dennis Kruse (R-Auburn)
State Senator Ryan Mishler (R-Bremen)
If enacted into law, the bill would ensure that no state environmental law would go beyond any environmental rule set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Are you kidding me? Those EPA rules have been watered down and stripped by eight years of the Bush administration. It could take the Obama administration years to restore them to their original strength. And, what is so wrong with Indiana setting the pace for clean air and water in our country?
It seems to me that this is a reaction to the concerns that were brought up over the British Petroleum refinery expansion project in Whiting. You remember that, don’t you…the one where BP wants to dump ammonia into Lake Michigan because they have no room to process it. The argument that Indiana Republicans have been making is that BP’s discharges into Lake Michigan would still fall within EPA allowances. Of course they would and now state Republicans want to write their silly argument into law.
"It's Morning Again in America"
By Bob Mattson
Tomorrow, at 11:00 AM (Central Time), Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The long dark night that is the Bush administration will be over and, to quote the Ronald Reagan campaign ad of 1984, it will be “morning again in America”.
There is so much that I could say of the pain of the last eight years and the promise of the next four. Add to that the incredible story of Barack Obama and I begin to doubt that Hollywood could have brought us anything better than this. It's almost surreal.
Yet, here we are.
Barack Obama is a man with great communication skills and an incredible gift for inspiring others. But I hope that we, so desperate for change and so desperate for hope, haven't made him into a modern day messiah. While I am immensely proud of my country for electing this man as president, he is but a man. It will take all of us working together to overcome the challenges we face. I for one am ready to do my part.
Tomorrow, at 11:00 AM (Central Time), Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The long dark night that is the Bush administration will be over and, to quote the Ronald Reagan campaign ad of 1984, it will be “morning again in America”.
There is so much that I could say of the pain of the last eight years and the promise of the next four. Add to that the incredible story of Barack Obama and I begin to doubt that Hollywood could have brought us anything better than this. It's almost surreal.
Yet, here we are.
Barack Obama is a man with great communication skills and an incredible gift for inspiring others. But I hope that we, so desperate for change and so desperate for hope, haven't made him into a modern day messiah. While I am immensely proud of my country for electing this man as president, he is but a man. It will take all of us working together to overcome the challenges we face. I for one am ready to do my part.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
