The Demons don't sleep forever . . .

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of Vets seeking treatment for PTSD since 2003. Not surprising you’d think because that’s when the Iraq war began churning out damaged veterans. But wait! These aren’t Iraq vets! No, they’re Vietnam vets. Seems that the war news coverage has awakened all the demons from that thirty-year-old war. Wonder what flashbacks Dubya and Cheney are having? Oh, never mind . . . In many ways Iraq is worse than Vietnam. Looks like Bush’s little adventure is going to be with us a long, long time. Us Vets call them the walking wounded and a lot of them don’t even know they’re wounded yet. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/14859170.htm

Remember a while back when I wrote about Kellog Brown & Root providing untreated wastewater to troops in Iraq? Well, Senator Byron Dorgan (D N. Dakota) proposed a simple amendment to Pentagon funding for 2007. It would establish a senate oversight committee to monitor awarding contracts and the performance of those contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It failed along party lines. Every Republican voted one way and every Democrat voted the other. Why? What possible justification can there be to allow contractors to provide water contaminated with human fecal matter in it to our troops in a combat zone? If anyone can explain that to me I’ll be happy to post it here for all to see. http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?bid=15

The Pentagon has determined that homosexuality is a mental disorder. Does that mean that homosexuals qualify for help under the Americans with Disabilities act? Can they collect VA benefits? Can the Pentagon have its cake and eat it too? Seems so. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13431328

Donald Rumsfeld has been directly linked to a $30 billion contract for tanker aircraft that the military doesn’t want and can’t use. He says he was distracted by the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and can’t remember. Since when does the Secretary of Defense become directly involved in military contracts? I guess that’s one of those unknown unknowables . . .
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/19/AR2006061901090.html

Plan to be buried in a VA cemetery? If the bird flu goes pandemic don’t count on it. The VA has announced that it will close 129 cemeteries if the flu breaks out. Seems they don’t have the staff to handle the load. Should a pandemic occur some of the VA’s National Cemetery Administration will be re-route calls to funeral homes. Gee, I didn’t know Halliburton was in the burial business . . . http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501AP_Bird_Flu_VA.html


And so it goes . . .

Haditha