Just a Retired SFC

Things from anywhere and everywhere

ABC: Tracking Wounded Vets Cost Too Much

from TPMmuckraker
TPM alum Justin Rood reports: A proposal to keep seriously wounded vets from falling through the cracks of the bureaucracy was shelved in 2005 when Jim Nicholson took over as the secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department, according to the…

So gay Republicans think Bill Clinton was anti-gay… uh, as compared to who, Barney Frank?

from AMERICAblog by John Aravosis (DC)
I’m getting tired of hearing gay Republicans repeat the mantra that Bill Clinton was a disaster for gay rights, that this proves how much the Democrats have failed us, and somehow this exonerates how hateful the Republican party is to gays. Yes, Clinton screwed us on DOMA, and his wife is following suit. But putting that aside, and it’s a big thing to put aside I admit (and I’ll be addressing it shortly), the gay Republicans are lying to us in an effort to assuage their own guilt at still supporting a party that hates them.
The biggest complaint against Clinton, aside from DOMA, is, seemingly, that he didn’t pass any great pro-gay legislation like ENDA, hate crimes, marriage, etc. Well, that’s all well and good, until you realize that presidents don’t make and pass legislation - Congress’ do. And from 1994 until 2006, the Congress was Republican (albeit we had a brief Dem stint in the Senate when Jeffords defected). So any gay Republican who has a problem that we haven’t had any great gay rights successes at the federal level in 12 years need go only in search of the nearest mirror in order to find who’s to blame.

GOP congressman who was responsible for Walter Reed oversight now says the uproar is just politics

from AMERICAblog by John Aravosis (DC)
Yeah, if I were Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., the former GOP House Veterans Affairs Committee chair in charge of making sure that Walter Reed and the rest of our military hospitals didn’t abuse our soldiers - and they DID abuse our wounded troops under Buyer’s non-watch - I too would be making light of the scandal at the expense of our troops. Especially if I were the guy who replaced the previous committee chair in a coup, all because the previous guy was too much of an advocate for the troops.

Anna Nicole Story Trounces Walter Reed Story on Fox ‘News’

from BRAD BLOG by Brad Friedman
Pounding on several deadlines at once, so for the moment, here’s something to chew on… References to Anna Nicole and Walter Reed on cable networks on March 2: NETWORK ANNA NICOLE WALTER REED FOX NEWS 121 10 MSNBC 96 84 CNN 40 53 Courtesy of ThinkProgress, with more details here… Discuss.

Nicholson stalled program to aid wounded vets.

from Think Progress by Nico
“A proposal to keep seriously wounded vets from falling through the cracks of the bureaucracy was shelved in 2005 when Jim Nicholson took over as the secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department,” ABC News reports. “As a result, seriously wounded veterans continued to face long delays for health care and benefit payments after being discharged from the military, says former VA program manager Paul Sullivan. … Sullivan said he was told the cost of the system — less than $1 million to build and requiring a handful of staff to maintain — was prohibitive.”

REPORT: 72 Percent Of Army Brigades Have Served Multiple Tours of Duty

from Think Progress by Payson
The Center for American Progress has released a new study on the state of our military readiness. The report — “Beyond the Call of Duty: A Comprehensive Review of the Overuse of the Army in the Administration’s War of Choice in Iraq” — undertook a “massive research project to identify, brigade by brigade, the number and duration of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan by the active Army.” The report found a large majority of Army brigades have served multiple tours:

– Brigades with one tour in Iraq or Afghanistan: 12
– Brigades with two tours in Iraq or Afghanistan: 20
– Brigades with three tours in Iraq or Afghanistan: 9
– Brigades with four tours in Iraq or Afghanistan: 2

The report also points out that a total of 420,000 troops have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan more than once, and over 84,000 National Guard and Reservists have done multiple tours.

Paul Rieckhoff: Walter Reed: What You Can Do About It

from HUFFPO by Paul Rieckhoff
In the last few weeks, we’ve seen a sea change in media coverage in this country. For once, it was the war that pushed Britney Spears’ latest stupidity out of the news cycle - and not the other way around.
Of course, cable news coverage of the Walter Reed scandal (or there lack of) was embarrassingly bad - by one count, Fox devoted 12 times more coverage to Anna Nicole Smith. But after four years of war in Iraq, most of the media seemed to realize it was time to cover the real stories, not the trials and tribulations of the famous-for-being-famous. The bottom line: the plight of wounded veterans is finally getting the attention the issue deserves, and it is about damn time.
Unsurprisingly, the American public’s furor over this issue got Washington moving faster than I’ve seen in years: hearings at Walter Reed, new legislation in Congress, two generals relieved of duty, and the appointment of two bipartisan and independent investigatory panels. It all sounds good, but what does this mean for the long term?
Not much, if Washington doesn’t follow through. There is some great bipartisan legislation that would address some of these issues - but right now, it’s just sitting in Congress.
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to tell you about a couple of these bills and what you can do to keep fiascos like Walter Reed from happening again - and I’ll keep you updated about whether Congress is really putting their money where their mouth is. Here is the first one:

The Point of Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage…

from ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES by echidne
Is to blurt out the unsayable so that it is said and the regular conservative politicians don’t have to say it. That way all the deep-hitting racist, sexist and xenophobic themes are out there and can be referred to in some simple euphemisms. These people are invaluable worker ants for the wingnut hive, invaluable.

Dems Push Legislation To Withdraw Troops By ‘08 Fall

from HUFFPO by The Huffington Post
In a direct challenge to President Bush, House Democrats are advancing legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the fall of next year.
Democratic officials who described the measure said the timetable would be accelerated — to the end of 2007 — if the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki does not meet goals for providing Iraq’s security.