6/22/2010

peter orszag is scum

this morning, the following went up:


we don't go snooping into people's lives and the news wally and cedric are covering (and covering very well) caught ruth and me by surprise. we're both blogging about it tonight.

peter orszag apparently thought o.m.b. meant 'playboy mansion.' and he's been back slapped and praised (including on the ridiculous morning edition that wally and cedric called out) as a stud.

why?

he got a woman pregnant. and then dumped her for another woman.

that's nothing to praise.

shame on every 1.

how dare they.

do you realize how attacked single mothers are in this country.

and yet what happens to the men?

oh, yeah, they get to pose for playgirl and are treated like heroes just because they slam the grandmother of their child.

or in peter's case, they get to be in the administration and are hailed as studs.

while i don't believe in shaming any woman who's a single mother - by choice or fate - i can remember oprah and a host of others doing just that.

and where's the hand wringer over peter?

it's about damn time that if people were truly offended by single parenthood they started holding men responsible as well.

but we don't see that, do we?

we see blame the woman. we see blame the child. but the 'stud' skates away free.

it's disgusting.

1 of the few besides wally & cedric noting that today is zennie abraham of the san francisco chronicle:

On January 7th Milonas and Peter Orszag announced that she had given birth to a child, leading to this statement by the couple:

"We were in a committed relationship until the spring of 2009. In November, Claire gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Although we are no longer together, we are both thrilled she is happy and healthy, and we would hope that everyone will respect her privacy."

The truth is Peter Orszag met Bianna Golodryga at last year's White House Correspondents Dinner. Orszag then dumped the heiress Claire Milonas for Golodryga while Milonas was pregnant.

peter orszag is scum and, some 1 needs to tell him, he's ugly scum at that. his ability to attract women is going to nose dive just as soon as he's out of the white house. (unless the geek's planning to follow his latest f**k to abc and become a pundit.)



let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Tuesday, June 22, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, Iraq's LGBT community continues to be targeted, the Senate Armed Services Committee explores military suicides (and PTSD and TBI), and more.
"The Committee meets today to recieve testimony on the status of our efforts to prevent military suicides and the challenge in detection, treatment and management of the so-called invisible wounds of war which we consider to include Traumatic Brain Injury, concussive events, Post Traumatic Stress and other combat-related psychological health concerns A hearing on military suicides was requested by Senator [James] Inhofe several weeks ago and we all appreciate that request," Senator Carl Levin declared today bring the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing to order. Appearing before the Committee was Gen Peter Chiarelli (Army), Adm Jonathan Greenert (Navy), Gen James Amos (Marine Corps), Gen Carrol Chandler (Air Force), and the VA's Dr. Robert Jesse.
Chair Carl Levin: The increase in suicides by military personnel in the last few years is alarming. In 2007, 115 Army soldiers committed suicide; in 2008 the number increased to 140, and to 162 in 2009. Similarly, 33 Marines committed suicides in 2007; 42 in 2008, and 52 in 2009. I understand that there are a number of additional cases where the Armed Forces Medical Examiner has not yet concluded whether the deaths are by suicide, so the 2009 numbers will likely be even higher. These increases indicate that despite the services' efforts, there is still much work to be done. We must improve our suicide prevention efforts to reverse the number of services members taking their own lives. I am greatly concerned about the increasing numbers of troops returning from combat with post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries and the number of those troops who may have experienced concussive injuries that were never diagnosed. Studies indicate that mild traumatic brain injury -- or concussion -- is associated with PTSD, depression and anxiety. These conditions, in turn, may contribute to the increase in the number of suicides. Key to suicide prevention is to make greater efforts to end the stigma that too many perceive attaches when they receive mental health care. Another key, of course, is the proper and timely diagnosis and treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress and increasing awareness of and access to mental health care resources as well as leadership support for those seeking such care. We hope to hear from our witnesses today the approach that each service and the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking to help detect, treat and manage psychological health problems to include Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury. The numbers of suicides have increased in every service, but significantly more so in the Army and Marine Corps, the two services most heavily engaged in ground combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress has recognized the strain on these ground forces and has over the past several years authorized significant increases in the active duty end strengths for the Army and the Marine Corps.
"The burdens of our missions in Iraq and Afghanistan are tremendous and so are the consequences for those who serve," Ranking Member John McCain stated. "Many of our service members have answered their country's call with multiple deployments to combat and little time for rest and recovery at home."
Chair Carl Levin: A couple of weeks ago, National Public Radio reported that the military is failing to diagnose brain injuries in troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, that the injuries were not documented on the battlefield, that soldiers with TBI don't always get the best medical treatment and interviews with soldiers at Fort Bliss revealed that some soldiers with TBI were crying out for help still had to wait more than a month to see a neurologist. Also they reported that many military doctors have failed to accurately diagnose TBI. Can you give us your response to those reports?
Gen Peter Chiarelli: Mr. Chairman, I prepared a complete response to National Public Radio in which I detailed my problem with the report. I've got three basic problems with the report. Number one, it criticizes the leadership for not caring or not doing anything about it. I think that's far from the truth. I took great exception with the report stating that our doctors seemed to [not] care and are not properly diagnosing these injuries without explaining the real issue here. And you cannot isolate Traumatic Brain Injury without talking about PTS. As I mentioned in my opening statement, the comorbidity of symptoms between these two make it very, very difficult for doctors to make that diagnosis. Of my Army wounded warrior population, this is the most severlyly wounded population I have, with a single disqualify injury of 30% or greater, 60% have either TBI or PTS. 43% PTS, 17% TBI. And I really believe that when you fail to talk about both PTS and TBI and this issue of comorbidity, you're doing a great disservice because to state it flatly: Our science for -- on -- the brain is just not as great as it is in other parts of the body. And researchers are struggling today to-to find the linkages and to learn everything they can about the brain. And because of this, we're going to see some misdiagnosis. I-I can tell you of the folks that the National Public Radio talked about, they had over 200 appointments a piece, uhm, and there's no doubt you could go to anyone of our posts and find soldiers who are struggling because of our inability to nail down and to diagnos exactly what treatment they need for these behavioral health issues but, I promise you, it is not for a lack of trying or real care on the part of our doctors and our leadership is totally committed to working these issues.
Chair Carl Levin: In terms of the wait that one of the soldiers, I guess, claimed of a month or more to see a neurologist?
Gen Peter Chiarelli: I will tell you that a neurologist is not the answer necessarily to these soldiers' issues. I have a total of 52 neurologists in the United States Army. 40 of them are currently practicing. 40. And that's when I include my child neurologist. The team that will work with somebody on any behavioral health issue is -- is a team of a neurologist, possibly a psychatrist, nearest case manager who will look at the entire file or medical record of care given to that-that soldier and work to provide them the best that they can. The -- One of the problems we have here, and I get this from talking to doctors, is even the medications for PTS and TBI are totally different. So if we misdiagnose at the beginning and provide diagnosis of PTS when in reality it's TBI, the medications we're going to put that soldier on are going to be different than what the real problem is and maybe different from another behavioral issue that a soldier may have. Because it's not all TBI and PTS. There's anxiety issues, depression issues, other issues that are the product of the-this-these wars that are causing us so much difficulty in this area. I've got 79% of the psychiatrists currently assigned to the United States based on my authorization prior to 2001. And I know that that authorization is lacking but I only have 79%. And it's not just an Army problem. This, I think you will all agree, is a national problem in a shortage of behavioral health specialists.
Chair Carl Levin: So there are some areas of professional need where we are short. Is this a matter of funding, is this a matter of finding people or what is it?
Gen Peter Chiarelli: No-no, I don't believe it's a matter of funding at all. I think it's a matter of finding folks. Of getting them to move to some of the places where the Army is stationed. When you have shortages, it's much -- You know, I think a psychiatrist might prefer to be in Nashville than in Clarksville, Tennessee. So we have to rely on that TriCare network many times to provide some of the behavioral specialists that we need.
Chair Carl Levin: And in terms of this delay issue, is the delay the result of the lack of resources in the cases that were talked about on NPR or is that a matter of the complexity which you just described.
Gen Peter Chiarelli: I-I-I'd argue it's a case of the complexity. I really would. And I'm not saying in every instance that we're getting soldiers in exactly when we want them to be but when soldiers are assigned to our WTU, they have a primary care manager of a rate of one to two hundred, a primary care manager -- where you or I would have a primary care manager at a ratio of 1 to 12,000 to 15,000. They have a nurse case manager at a ratio of one to twenty. They have a squad leader at a ratio of one to ten or less. So we've done everything we can to focus our resources, our limited resources, in this area but I will tell you, we are short behavioral specialists.
Chair Carl Levin: But again, that's not a funding issue?
Gen Peter Chiarelli: It is not a funding issue.
The general seemed sincere in his first reply to Levin (quoted above). He seemed sincere in his second. But there's a contradiction in the two. In the first, it's concern for the well being of the soldier. In the second, it's woah-ways-me. "A team" of two people? And one is a neurologist that the soldier can't get to see, all he or she is seeing is a case worker and that's supposed to be acceptable? In what world? There's also a shift from the notion that the soldiers deserve the best care (lip service, I know) to 'the best that these overworked doctors and caseworkers can give.' That's a world of difference.
In the second, 'It's woah-ways-me, I only have 40 neurologists.' I'm not seeing and I'm not hearing that supposed real committment to the issue. I'm hear justifications and insults. And that's especially clear when the general decides to speak of "other behavioral issues."
PTSD and TBI are not behavioral issues (I am aware some treat them as if they were, I'm also aware those treatments do not have longterm success rates) and that, after all this time and all this supposed education, a United States general doesn't know that, doesn't grasp that, it's rather telling. And it goes a long way towards explaining the manner in which the second response was delivered which was in a between-you-and-me kind of way and seemed to mock the illnesses. Not behavior issues, illnesses. And the Army would do well to get away from that term as well as to get away from calling medical providers "behavioral specialists." In addition, the 'squad leader' is not part of a medical team. Nor is the 'nurse case manager' that the general blurred all lines of reality on. Yes, he or she has a one to twenty ratio . . . for the designated time that they're responsible for a certain squad (such as an hour each day or a portion of a day). There's a world of difference between that reality and what the general was implying or impLYING. No, for every 20 soldiers on a base, you will not find that there is one nurse case manager. That's not how it works and he knows that. The reality is that a general physician of some sort (and that may be increasing the qualifications of the man or woman) is responsible for all care. And if there are misdiagnosis as the general wants to state, that's all the more reason the soldiers need to be seeing a specialist and not some general practitioner.
As for being 'caused so much difficulty in this area,' the general's 'suffering' is of no concern to most Americans and he needs to climb down from his cross and grasp he has a job to do, one he's paid handsomely for by US tax payers. He's not paid to whine. He's paid to ensure the safety and well being of all those serving under him. That's what he was there to talk about but instead he wanted to play Drama Queen. As his voice rose and rose, what it really came down is he refused to answer direct questions and if you tried to piece together the answer from his many words, what you got was: "I'm offended NPR and ProPublica reported what they did but, yes, it is accurate."
And it's probably a good time to remember Adrienne Kinne's testimony at Winter Soldier in 2008 (see March 25, 2008 snapshot for an overview of all her testimony), specifically her testimony on Friday March 14th at the panel on veterans healthcare. Kinne spoke of after leaving the military and pursuing her education further. She did some college internships at VA hospitals and then was an assistant on a research study. The study was on PTSD and TBI -- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. The group devised a way to screen for TBI, hammered down the details and were ready to proceed.
Adrienne Kinne: And then they went to go to the next step, to actually make this happen. And I was actually on a conference call when someone said, "Wait a second. We can't start this screening process. Do you know that if we start screening for TBI there will be tens of thousands of soldiers who will screen positive and we do not have the resources available that would allow us to take care of these people so we cannot do the screening." And their rationale was that medically, medical ethics say if you know someone has a problem, you have to treat them. So since they didn't have the resources to treat them, they didn't want to know about the problem.
Has a lot really changed? Doesn't appear so from the general's testimony. Picking immediately back up with Levin's questions.
Chair Car Levin: Alright, now, Dr. Jesse, the VA, as I think you've testified, screens all of our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who receive care from the VA for TBI. Does that screening for TBI indicate that there is a routine failure in the military to properly diagnose TBI before you see that veteran, while they're still on active duty?
Dr. Robert Jesse: No-no, sir, I don't -- I don't think we can say that. The problem with TBI is that there-there's no hard, fast diagnostic test. There's not a lab test that you can send off and get an answer back. And the other thing is that of temporal issues -- is that often it takes time to manifest some of the -- some of the effects that would have to show up. So I don't think think that it's a -- it's a failure on the Department of Defense to find these people. I think it's uh, uh, may just be, uh, the complexity of the disease.
Good to know it's no one fault, right? Who pays you, Dr. Jesse? Oh, yeah, perfectly clear now. Tomorrow we may note Senator Daniel Akaka's questioning. He focused on suicides and it's worth noting but, if you can't tell, the general and the doctor disgusted me. And I'm not really big on people attacking the press with bluster with non-specifics. When, for example, Senator Mark Udall spoke to the general (the only one focused on in this snapshot) about a doctor who didn't think it mattered -- put this in writing -- whether or not TBI was properly diagnosed, he did a song and dance and refused to answer. I don't have time to quote his multitude of lies. The NPR and ProPublica report stands. Click here to refer to those reports. Instead of the general's diversions, we'll note this from Senator Akaka's office:

AKAKA INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE VETERANS' DISABILITY CLAIMS PROCESSING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation today to make much-needed improvements to VA's disability claims processing. VA provides disability compensation to approximately 3.1 million veterans across the nation.

"VA's system to provide veterans with disability compensation is well intended, but it is broken. This bill will move the Department closer to fulfilling its obligation to provide every eligible veteran with timely and accurate disability compensation," said Akaka.

As Chairman, Akaka has held a series of hearings on improving the veterans' disability compensation system (to view the Committee's hearings click here). The Committee will hold a hearing to review disability claims processing on July 1, at which time witnesses will testify about Akaka's legislation.

The Claims Processing Improvement Act of 2010 (S.3517) would make various changes to the way VA processes disability compensation claims, including provisions to:

  • Set up a process to fast-track claims that have been fully developed;
  • Help veterans with multiple disability claims by allowing VA to provide partial disability ratings; and
  • Provide that the Department give equal deference to the medical opinions of a veteran's non-VA doctor.

The bill would also establish a test program at several Regional Offices replacing VA's method for identifying musculoskeletal disabilities. Compensation under the pilot would be based on a functional assessment of limitations due to the disability, such as standing, walking or lifting, and would take into account the severity, frequency and duration of symptoms of the disability. To identify disabilities, the pilot would use the common language of the International Classification of Diseases, rather than VA's current Rating Schedule.

To read Senator Akaka's statement in the Congressional Record introducing the bill, click here: LINK

-END-

Kawika Riley

Communications Director

U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), Chairman

http://veterans.senate.gov

We will note today that at the top of the hearing, Senator Carl Levin noted that Senator Akaka served on the Armed Services Committee and this allowed the two committees (ASC and Veterans Affairs) to focus on both the service members and the veterans jointly when addressing issues instead of having to scramble to catch up with one another.
Yesterday in Iraq, Kareem Waheed resigned as the Minister of Electricity following the protests in southern Iraq. Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) explains, "Waheed weathered four years in his post, picked by the country's then-unified Shiite political coalition for his job in 2006. Billed as a technocrat, Waheed failed to solve the Gordian knot of Iraq's electricity woes. He coped with a faulty power supply, complicated by fuel shortages, poor infrastructure, corruption and the country's rampant violence." Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor and McClatchy Newspapers) adds, "The political vacuum and the violence have been hugely unsettling to Iraqis. With the onset of summer, where temperatures hover close to 150 deegres F., the prospect of continued electricity cuts has plunged many into deeper despair." Leila Fadel (Washington Post) focuses on the human costs of this lack of power by zooming on Maher Abbas who, due to "lack of water and electricity," spends three days a week taking his mother or his two children "to the hospital to be treated for dehydration, stomach bugs or heat exhaustion." And this is in Baghdad, not in Basra. Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) explains, "The Iraqi government has promised Baghdad residents two hours of electricity out of every six, but even that modest target has fallen far short. The inability of the government to provide reliable electricity seven years after the fall of Saddam is seen as more potentially destabilizing than the continued car bombs and suicide attacks." Fadel explains that Nouri al-Maliki, prime minister and thug of the occupation, said there is someone to blame. Not, you understand, his government. No, the problem is that the Iraqi people are just "consuming too much electricity". Is he sane enough to continue in his post? Does he really think that's going to fly with the Iraqi people? Or did he make that laughable accusation for the benefit of the international community? He's been prime minister for four years --- and wants to continue for at least four more years.
And yet, Al Jazeera reports, "Iraq's prime minister has said that his country faces at least two more years of widespread power shortages like the ones that sparked protests across southern Iraq." What has he accomplished? It gets even more insane. Kim Gamel and Sinan Salaheddin (AP) quote Nouri stating, "We will give priority to the electricity sector in the next government." He failed to keep any of his promises and now he wants people to believe that, magically, he'll get it fixed if he's given four more years. Rania El Gamal (Reuters) reports that Hussain al-Shahristani, Iraq's Minister of Oil, we now also be over electricity.
RENEE MONTAGNE: So big protests over the lack of electricity there. And I guess the lack of the ability to stay cool in the summer.
LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, Renee, as you mentioned, it's been seven years since we've been talking about electricity in Iraq. And if our listeners are sick of hearing about it, can you imagine what the average Iraqis feel about still dealing with these shortages? There have been protests in the south. The first one was in Basra, the southern oil port city. That turned violent. Yesterday it was in Nasiriyah, Najaf. And cities across the country are planning more. We are not in full-blown summer yet and temperatures in Baghdad are at about 110. That can reach up to 130 degrees in places like Basra - 130 degrees and no electricity; try to imagine that, imagine the frustration that it's engendering.
MONTAGNE: The electricity minister's resignation in response to all this frustration, and really anger, how significant is that?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: It's not. Minister Karim Waheed offered himself up as a sacrificial lamb in a way. It was, in effect, an empty gesture. Iraq's parties are locked in endless negotiations at the moment over the formation of a new government. And he was unlikely to have kept his job in any case. The move was meant to calm tempers, to make the government look like it was taking action of some sort. But again, it really doesn't solve any of the problems and it was fundamentally a meaningless move.
Everyone's targeted in Iraq. Except the thugs. The thugs rarely even target one another. But they target the women, the religious minorities, they target the LGBT community, they target anyone -- because this is how bullies work -- who is not like them. Taylor Asen and Zach Strassburger (Foreign Policy) write about the crisis for Iraq's LGBT community:
America has a singular responsibility to protect these men. Although homosexuality was by no means permitted under Saddam Hussein's regime, only after the U.S. invasion did widespread anti-gay rhetoric and violence in Iraq reach a crisis point. Indeed, according to a BBC special investigative report, there is general agreement within Iraq's LGBT community that they were better off under the previous regime. While horrible in untold ways, the Hussein regime suppressed the very Shia extremists who are now driving the vast majority of attacks on homosexuals in Iraq. Congress, along with the LGBT and human rights communities, must continue to insist that Secretary Clinton use the power granted to her to ensure that Samir's story of survival becomes the norm, rather than the exception.
American does have an obligation. And the assaults continue and Saturday Iraqi LGBT issued the following press release:

There is growing concern that the Iraqi government is stepping up a witch-hunt against gays and lesbians in the country after a police raid on a Karbala safe house.
On Tuesday 16th June, twelve police officers burst into the house, then violently beat up, and blindfolded the six occupants sheltering there, before bundling them off in three vans. According to a source who witnessed the raid, the police also confiscated computer equipment before burning down the house.
According to reports, one of the arrested people has turned up in hospital. Nothing is known about the whereabouts of the other five individuals, which include two gay men, one lesbian and two transgender people. It is feared they may have been taken to the Interior Ministry in Baghdad, where, it is reported, many gay people have been tortured and executed in the last two years.
Government forces have previously sized people particularly at roadblocks and handed them to militias who have then tortured them and their bodies have later been found.
None of the previous occupying powers have taken any action or delivered any criticism for these atrocities.
Iraqi LGBT feel that the reason the British and United States government in particular didn't criticises the Iraqi government is because of the legacy of the occupation.
They have criticised the Malawian government and the Ugandan government.
In both those countries there is a strong religious opposition to homosexuality -- as there is in Iraq.
Since the fall of Saddam, militias loyal to Shi'a clerics Grand Ayatollah al Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr, both of whom have called for homosexuals to be put to death, have been only too keen to carry out their leaders' wishes. Over 720 LGBT people have disappeared or been murdered, many of whom have been tortured to death.
There is strong evidence that the government is colluding with these militia groups, by rounding up known homosexual and transgender people. A small number of safe houses, set up for LGBT people to live in relative safety, have been funded by Iraqi LGBT, a London based human rights group. In the current climate, these homes have been life-savers for those taking refuge in them. The house which was raided on Tuesday had been established in January this year.
With the arrest and the seizure of computers, it is feared the government will step up efforts to round up more of the country's LGBT population.
Ali Hili, who is the leader of Iraqi LGBT, comments: "The UK media and politicians have been too quiet for too long about the violence LGBT people in Iraq. The militia and the powers that be know they can get away with it while that silence continues. It really is time for the Iraqi government to act on this and stop playing the role of guilty bystanders, while our brothers and sisters are murdered in silence"
Currently the UK Border Agency is deporting many Iraqis, some who left the country in fear of their lives after death threats from gangsters and religious militia. "The government is grossly underestimating the danger faced by Iraqi refugees." says Ali. "The raid on Tuesday proves for LGBT people especially, Iraq is a no-go zone".
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing which claimed 2 live and left seven people injured, a second Baghdad roadside bombing wounded eight people, a Falluja sticky bombings wounded three people, a Mosul sticky bombing which claimed 3 lives and, dropping back to last night for both, a Mosul mortar attack which damaged Hadbaa College and 1 person shot dead in Mosul ("on his doorstep").
Monday April 5th, WikiLeaks released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7th, the US military announced that they had arrested Bradley Manning and he stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Philip Shenon (Daily Beast) reported earlier this month that the US government is attempting to track down WikiLeaks' Julian Assange. Mike Gogulski has started a website entitled Help Bradley Manning. Ian Traynor (Guardian) spoke with Julian Assange:

"[US] public statements have all been reasonable. But some statements made in private are a bit more questionable," Assange told the Guardian in Brussels. "Politically it would be a great error for them to act. I feel perfectly safe … but I have been advised by my lawyers not to travel to the US during this period."
Assange appeared in public in Brussels for the first time in almost a month to speak at a seminar on freedom of information at the European parliament.
He said: "We need support and protection. We have that. More is always helpful. But we believe that the situation is stable and under control. There's no need to be worried. There's a need always to be on the alert."
Chris Vallance (BBC News) adds, "When asked by the BBC whether he was concerned that other people involved with Wikileaks might be vulnerable he said: 'We are concerned to make sure that our volunteers in particular are protected'." Ellen Nakashima (Washington Post) covers the story and notes this of Bradley Manning, "Assange, in his first public appearance since Manning's arrest, voiced concern about Manning's detention without charge and without access to a private lawyer. At a European Parliament panel in Brussels, the Wikileaks founder also took questions about his own security."
Contact Congress -- no more money for war!

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Please call or email your Representative today. You can call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121. We have recently heard that personalized emails are also an effective way to communicate with your Representative. You can go to www.contactingthecongress.org, find your Representative, and email or call them directly through their individual websites.

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"As your constituent and military family member I urge you to vote against the $33 billion supplementary spending bill to pay for the escalation of troops in Afghanistan and the continuation of this war and occupation!
I also want you to co-sponsor McGovern's H.R. 5015 that is an enforceable start to withdrawal from Afghanistan."
Note: Right now there are 93 co-sponsors, the full text of the bill and list of co-sponsors can be seen here. If your congressperson has co-sponsored H.R. 5015, thank them! Then your message can be:
"Thank you for taking this important stand against funding the war. I hope you are a member of the Out of Afghanistan Caucus as well as the Out of Iraq Caucus. Your commitment to bringing our troops home now and insisting President Obama develop a rapid, real, and complete plan to bring our troops home now is imperative."

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6/21/2010

music

leave it to talk of the nation to finally provide a story worth listening to and to 'forget' to provide a transcript.

the subject was diane warren, whom i've met throught c.i.

diane warren is a songwriter (she's also a big charity giver). and if you've listened to the radio this decade, or last, or the 90s or the 80s, you probably know some diane warren songs.

doubt it?

celine dion's 'because you loved me,' milli vanilli' 'blame it on the rain,' ace of bass' 'don't turn around,' brandy's 'have you ever,' aerosmith's 'i don't want to miss a thing,' belinda carlisle's 'i get weak,' whitney houston's 'i learned from the best,' cher's 'if i could turn back time,' patti labelle's 'if you asked me to,' cher's 'just like jesse james,' cher's 'love & understanding,' ronnie spector's 'love on the rooftop,' cher's 'save up all your tears,' starship & roberta flack and maxi priest's 'set the night to music,' laura branigan's 'solitaire,' laura branigan's 'ti amo,' toni braxton's 'unbreak my heart,' barbra streisand's 'we're not making love anymore' and john waite's 'when i see you smile.'

that's just some of her hits.

'ti amo' wasn't really a hit. but i always remember that song because that's where i bumped into warren's work. i was visiting c.i. and she was at the piano playing that song and trying to figure out why it worked. i didn't know who diane warren was - i don't think most people did. this was probably 1982 or 1983. but she was really talented and she had 1 or 2 other songs that were recorded and known by then but i just remember c.i. walking me through 'ti amo.' which, if i remember, diane wrote english lyrics to. it was a hit somewhere else (italy?). and if you know john waite or cher, you know a lot of diane's work because she did a lot of album tracks for those 2.

'perfection' - a song c.i. and i love to sing ('all my life i've been driving by perfection, pushed it to the limit every day and night, woooo-ooh, i've been driving by perfection, but nothing's perfect, if a love ain't right.') - is 1 of those great songs diane wrote that you have to seek out.

a song by diane warren that i love to get c.i. to play on the piano is 'don't lose any sleep.' that's 1 of those amazing songs diane wrote that ended up as an album track (john waite) and should be re-done by another performer because it's just such a great song.

so go listen to the interview.

she's like gerry goffin & carole king rolled into 1, her very own brill building.

and hopefully there will be a transcript tomorrow. for more on music, be sure to check out Kat's review of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Mojo and her review of Sarah McLachlan's Laws of Illusion.


let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Monday, June 21, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, the Iraqi heat continues, protests over the lack of electricity continues, Turkey again sends troops into Iraq, Ayad Allawi talks of assassination plots, and more.

Starting with Bulls**t Artist of the week: Evan McMorris-Santoro. His "S**t My Rand Says: A compendium of Paul's Wacky Quotes" (Google it, no link to the trash) explains everything that's always been wrong with Joshy Micahy Marshy hairy ass blog TPMCDC. Little Evan never got an education, never read a book apparently. He's trashing Rand Paul and throwing everything he can at him? Why? Because TPMCDC isn't a news outlet, isn't a resource, it's just Democratic Party organ. It's the same crap you'd get from Rush Limbaugh but from the Democratic Party. TPMCDC just discovered the Iraq War continues and Evan McMorris-Santoro decided to use it to smear Rand Paul (who is running for the US Senate and the son of Republican Congress member Ron Paul) with comments like "he's claiming he understands the reasoning behind suicide bomb attacks against US forces in Iraq." We're all supposed to recoil in horror over that.

Of course, Rand Paul understands it. Anyone with a brain can follow it. Rand Paul has not justified bombing anyone -- Evan's trying to pimp that Rand's endorsing bombing US troops -- he's merely noted the mind set. And by talking seriously about a serious issue, he's rewarded by the crap that is TPMDC with a partisan trashing. Rand Paul's not the idiot on this one, Evan McMorris-Santoro and TPMDC are the idiots. Little whores who, in 2004, would have bent over backwards (and did) to justify similar comments by Democratic Party presidential candidate John Kerry now rip apart Rand Paul for similar remars because he's 'on the other side.' All little whores like Evan do is make it that much harder to ever have an honest discussion about Iraq. But they're not about honest discussion and they don't give a f**k about Iraq. All the little whores at TPMDC are about is pimping for Democrats, getting them in office and spending post-election time justifying the elected Dems refusal to do a damn thing.

I don't have time of TPM's crap, the world doesn't have time for it. People are dying and we need something more substantial than talking points and half-truths. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Most of the time, I just ignore the foul stench from TPM but when they want to pretend to care about the Iraq War? Please. (And Josh cheered that war on as much as Judith Miller's bad reporting did though he tries real hard to pretend otherwise today.) If you want information about Rand Paul, check out his campaign site. Getting information on him from TPM is a bit like asking an accountant's angry, bitter ex whether or not you should hire him/her to keep your books.


Turning to Iraq where the sweltering heat means 100 degree days and the lack of electricity means many Iraqis sleep outside (the US military killed a husband and a wife on a rooftop this month and a Sahwa family was killed by unknown assailants last week while sleeping in their garden). The lack of consistent and reliable electricity in the oil-rich country of Iraq is becoming an issue with the citizens. Saturday Aziz Alwan and Leila Fadel (Washington Post) reported, "At least one person was killed and three others were injured Saturday in the southern port city of Basra when police fired into a crowd of unruly protesters who were demanding electricity and potable water to help cope with the blistering summer heat, officials and witnesses said." Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) noted "More than seven years after the U.S.-led invasion, Iraq still suffers from a lack of basic services including water and electricity. The lack of power is especially unnerving during Iraq's searing summers. Temperatures in Basra, one of the hottest places in the country, soared above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday." In a 24 hour period, Basra receives -- on a good day -- six hours of electricity. Karim Jamil (AFP) added, "Thousands had gathered to demand the dismissal of Electricity Minister Karim Wahid and provincial officials over the rationing, which sees residents receive power for just one hour in five in temperatures that hit 54 degrees Celsius (130 Fahrenheit) on Saturday, an AFP correspondent said." Jamil reports signs reading "We don't want oil or medicine, we want water and electricity" and "The people of Basra ask the authorities to provide services for citizens." Aref Mohammed (Reuters) noted, "Demonstrators said the Basra protest was spontaneous. But provincial council officials from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc said the rally had been exploited by Shi'ite political rivals, who want Maliki to give up his bid for a second term in talks on forming a coalition government." Police fired on the demonstrators. Michael Jansen (Irish Times) reports, " On Saturday one man was shot dead by police at a demonstration protesting the lack of electricity, clean water and services in the southern city of Basra, where most of Iraq's oil is exported. During the funeral of the victim, Haidar Salman, a 26-year-old father of three, protesters demanded the resignation of prime minister Nuri al-Maliki and his caretaker administration."


Basra was the location for Saturday's protests, today they were in Nasiriyah. For protest photos click here. Nasiriyah.org reported on the protests in depth noting that "the protesters gathered in different areas of the city of Nasiriyah, and then moved to the main government building of the province of Dhi Qar." They state that riots broke out and, along with police, the Iraq military arrived in a Hummer. Ambulances arrived on the scene and medical sources confirm that several were wounded and transferred to the hospital. A comment left at the site by "I'm Naserya" expresses the sentiment that the people are demanding that the provincial council and governor be dissolved: "And I repeat, I demand nothing less than the dissolution of the provincial council and governor because of their abject failure in the province." The number of wounded eventually reached 17 -- that's the number of wounded who were taken in ambulances. Tear gas was sprayed and authorities, after the demonstration was broken up, arrested a police officer. That arrest is only mentioned once and the province's "Director General of Police," Maj Gen Saeed, is quoted elsewhere claiming that the police "should be regarded by the Iraqi man as the Holy Grail" ("man" is the word used -- don't blame me for the fact that the US put a bunch of sexist thugs in charge of what was an advanced country). Reuters notes that a water cannon was used.

The two protests struck a nerve in an otherwise unresponsive government or 'government.' Assad Abboud (AFP) reported mid-day that Karim Wahid, the country's Minister of Electricity, was offering to resign on Iraqi state television. Faced with the offer of resignation, Nouri al-Maliki demonstrated the same paralysis that has always characterized his tenure as prime minister. His spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh told the press that "Maliki would take no decision on Wahid's resignation offer until after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday." Nouri froze. And later today when the resignation was accepted -- as everyone knew it would be -- Nouri looked yet again like the village idiot. Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) reports the resignation was accepted and, "The crisis has raised concerns that growin unrest over the lack of basic services could jeopardize efforts to stabilize Iraq even as security improves. It also has put a new dent in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's image as a provider of law and order as he battles to keep his job after inconclusive national elections." Yacoub quotes Wahid announcing ("with courage") his resignation and notes that Nouri's office could not be reached for comment. Al Jazeera adds, "Many parts of southern Iraq receive just six hours of electricity per day, and tempers have flared as an early-summer heat wave in the Gulf pushes temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius."

A new dent in Nouri's image? Try another -- more than any bodyshop could handle. March 7th, Iraq concluded Parliamentary elections. Three months and two days later, still no government. 163 seats are needed to form the executive government (prime minister and council of ministers). When no single slate wins 163 seats (or possibly higher -- 163 is the number today but the Parliament added seats this election and, in four more years, they may add more which could increase the number of seats needed to form the executive government), power-sharing coalitions must be formed with other slates, parties and/or individual candidates. (Eight Parliament seats were awarded, for example, to minority candidates who represent various religious minorities in Iraq.) Ayad Allawi is the head of Iraqiya which won 91 seats in the Parliament making it the biggest seat holder. Second place went to State Of Law which Nouri al-Maliki, the current prime minister, heads. They won 89 seats. Nouri made a big show of lodging complaints and issuing allegations to distract and delay the certification of the initial results while he formed a power-sharing coalition with third place winner Iraqi National Alliance. Together, the two still lack four seats necessary (or so it is thought) to form the government.

"Despite denial and protestation by Iraqi politicians," Jasim Azawi explained on the lastest Inside Iraq (Al Jazeera, began airing Friday), "the decision as to who should govern Iraqi is made as much in Tehran, Damascus and Washington as by Iraqi voters." Last Monday, the Parliament finally met for the first time and for less than 20 minutes. This was the topic Jasim and his guests -- Iraqi National Alliance's Al-Aharif bin al-Hussein and Iraqiya's Mustafa al-Hiti -- explored.

Jasim Azawi: Now that the federal court has sanctioned the results of the March election, the real political horse trading has just started and most likely it is going to continue for some months to come. Al-Aharif bin al-Hussein, what does Iraqiya want exactly from Ayad Allawi?

Al-Aharif bin al-Hussein: Well I think, first of all, we have to all agree that the Constitution states that the largest political bloc has the right to present a candidate for the prime ministership. It doesn't say that the largest winning -- that the largest list -- electoral list --has the right, it says the largest parliamentary bloc and that is the National Alliance. So first we need them to accept that and then we can move on to the second stage which is deciding on who -- which candidate is the most likely to achieve a majority in Parliament. A great deal of the discussion revolves around some -- which party has the right to form the government. That isn't really what's under discussion. What's under discussion should be who is most capable -- able -- to get a majority in Parliament. And from what we see, that at the moment, the two leading candidates, the two front runners, are having a great deal of difficulty. That's Dr. Ayad Allawi --

Jasim Azawi: Until that difficulty is resolved, let me seek the judgment and the wisdom of Mustafa al-Hiti who is a leading figure of al-Iraqiya, headed by Ayad Allawi. Have you in Iraqiya considered the first point and that is: The largest bloc entering the Parliament is going to form the government or the largest winner in the election?

Mustafa al-Hiti: Well I think both from the Constitution and from the call of the Constitutional Court, it is not a Constitutional one, it is the federal one which was formed at least, maybe one year before, we had the Constitution. So this court says it is form both, it is okay. But if we go back to the election law and we define it and we find that any coalition should be formed before the day of election and then closed all, what we call it, the coalition along time before the 7th of March so anything related to this matter, I think, when they said it could be before and after, we don't accept it.

Jasim Azawi: Judging by what you said and what Al-Sharif bin al-Hussein said, it seems to me as well as observers of Iraqi situation, this period between the first session of Parliament and until the next Iraqi government is sworn in, it is going to take perhaps months and some people say even perhaps next year. So Al-Shair bin al-Hussein, let me ask the question in a different manner, what will it take for al-Maliki, for instance, who is currently perhaps your candidate in the Iraqi National Alliance to get the consent of al-Iraqiya? Is there some kind of a sweetner? Is there something you can give him? Because Ayad Allawi is adamant that it his right, that he should be called upon when the Iraqi president is elected -- and most likely that is going to be Jalal Talabani -- that he should be called upon to form the new government.

Al-Aharif bin al-Hussein: Of-of-of course National Alliance hasn't agreed yet on-on a candidate. Uh, but we expect that to happen in the next few weeks. I think --

Jasim Azawi: That's what you said a few weeks ago and that did not happen. It looks like it's quite possible that even this alliance between al-Maliki and [Ammar] al-Hakeem is going to fracture and perhaps they will find, I don't know, a compromise candidate?

Al-Aharif bin al-Hussein: I mean the compromise candidate is always hanging in the wings -- depending upon whether you consider that to be an alternative to Dr. Allawi or Dr. al-Maliki, Mr. Maliki. But going back to your first point, I think what we need from Iraqiya is-is to deal with political realities. The political reality is the National Alliance is now the largest Constitutional bloc. The political reality is that we are very close to the Kurdish bloc in Parliament and that it is very likely that we will reach agreement over the government program in the next four years. At that point, Iraqiya has to make a serious discussion. Will they accept working with us to agree on a candidate which is put forward by the National Alliance or not? It is all well and fine over the last three months that they have been taking this negotiating position and insisting on Dr. Ayad Allawi becoming prime minister, being prime minister, but the political realities are that it is very unlikely that he will be able to form a majority in Parliament.

Jasim floats the idea that the Iraqi government might not be formed until next year. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro (NPR's All Things Considered) reports on the rising anxiety among Iraqis with the political stalemate and the US drawdown.

Meanwhile Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) reports Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi has stated that unnamed persons in the current Iraqi government are devising a plan to assassinate him:

Allawi first spoke publically of the alleged assassination plot at a public gathering Saturday after the pan-Arab newspaper Al Sharq al Awsat published a report about the threat, citing unnamed security sources. He said a sniper planned to shoot him on the road to the Baghdad airport or inside the compound.
Allawi said Sunday that he was warned that the plot would be preceded by a government order barring all politicians from flying into and out of the Muthanna airfield, a restricted military base in Baghdad from which Allawi had traveled exclusively since 2004. The order came down last week.

Parker also notes that the US military put in writing (last April -- and Parker saw it and the military confirmed it to him) that they had heard reports that there would be an attempt on Allawi's life. Oliver August (Times of London via the Australian -- Rupert, work on your firewalls) reminds, "Members of Mr Allawi's Iraqiya bloc has been the target of repeated assassination attempts since the March election" and he quotes Allawi stating, "When they want to assassinate a person they have different ways. I was told there are reasons to believe there is a plan to assassinate me by sticking a bomb in my car at a checkpoint, perhaps a temporary one that is set up illegally." UAE's National Newspaper adds, "The Iraqi government will be the first to be held accountable in the event of a security shortfall, for the safety of party leaders remains the government's responsibility. That was basically Mr Allawi's message: the Iraqi government isn't doing enough to protect the Iraqi people's choice."


Turning to violence. Last week both Iran and Turkey continued shelling Iraq's northern region. Turkey sent 800 ground troops into northern Iraq and made a big to-do over pulling them out. The violence continued over the weekend. Saturday, Turkish military planes again bombed northern Iraq as the struggle between the Turkish military and the PKK continued. The PKK has bases in the mountains of northern Iraq. They advocate for a Kurdish homeland (and a bit more but that's their overall goal). They are seen as terrorists by a number of governments including Turkey, the US, the UK and by the European Union. Sebnem Arsu (New York Times) reported that the PKK launched an attack Saturday which resulted in 8 Turkish soldiers being killed and fourteen more injured leading to the Turkish bombings. (Saturday's death toll for Turkish soldiers would rise to 11.) The call-and-response of the activities may cover Saturday, but this back-and-forth has been going on for years. BBC News traces this week's exchanges between the two groups and also goes back a bit further. Turkish planes continued bombing on Sunday and among the dead was a teenage Kurdish girl, said to be "the first reported civilian death," according to Selcan Hacoglu (AP) who noted her three-year-old brother was injured in the assualt as was the children's mother. Sify puts the girl's age at 11. AFP states the girl was 15 and reports, "By Sunday morning, the [Turksih ground] troops had advanced 10km into Iraqi territory in the Qandil mountains where the rebels maintain a network of rear bases in their 26-year-old armed campaign for self-rule in south-eastern Turkey, the Iraqi Kurdish security official said." Hoshyar Zebar, Iraq's Foreign Minister stated, "No country should resort to unilateral action." Today Reuters reports that Turkish helicopters have also been deployed and "Elite troops rappelled down from helicopters and poured out of mechanised infantry units to surround Kurdish rebels in an opeartion along the Iraqi border, security sources said" while Turkey's President Abdullah Gul met with his cabinet for "an emergency security meeting." AFP adds that Turkey is using drones -- made in Israel -- to fly over and monitor northern Iraq. (On the topic of drones, AP's Chet Brokaw reports that the 'home' for the US squadrons operating the US drones in Iraq and Afghanistan will be South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base.)


As this continues to heat up, it's a good thing that PBS' NewsHour didn't recently have the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on as a guest and 'forget' to ask him about the PKK and about the meeting between the KRG's President Massud Barzani and the Turkish president. Oh wait, The NewsHour did 'forget.' And in the process not only wasted everyone's time, missed the opportunity to inform which is supposed to be its role and is, in fact, why it gets grants and, yes, tax payer dollars. If you're late to the party, refer to the June 2nd snapshot. Semih Idiz (Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News) offers this analysis of the conflict:


Most of the anger on the Turkish side is being directed at the Erdoğan government, whose so called "Kurdish Opening," many believe, is at the bottom of this turmoil. That contention is true to a large extent, except that the name is wrong. It was never a "Kurdish opening" as such, but in fact a "PKK opening" which, in the end, was totally mismanaged and inevitably went awry.
Many Turks believe that the government caved to the PKK – which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, as well as the United States and the European Union – as a result of this "opening." This feeling was heightened after last year's scenes at the Habur border gate with northern Iraq, when PKK militants giving themselves up were greeted by Turkish officials. The idea was that those militants would be arrested but given the full leniency of the law, with the understanding that, if they showed a degree of repentance, they would be allowed to go free.


Shamal Karim (UAE's National Newspaper, letter to the editor) offers this view:

Here we go again. Another regime under the influence of the military opting to continue a violent solution that has already cost thousands of lives.
Turkey is repeating its big mistake as just Iraq and Sudan did. Turkey, like Saddam Hussein's Iraq previously, should learn that you cannot deny people their basic human rights. What are the Kurds in Turkey and for that matter the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) are asking for is only basic recognition of the fact that they are a people who are different and want to enjoy their cultural identity.
It is ridiculous that Turkey only until recently would not even recognise the existence of the Kurds in Turkey. So why is this mighty unholy alliance of all the major powers ganging up against a few hundred PKKs?



In other news, the mass bombings in Iraq are not over. Sunday demonstrated that yet again. Liz Sly and Usama Redha (Los Angeles Times) report a Baghdad "double suicide bombing" outside -- guess where. What was last Sunday's target? A bank. Right. THis was outside a government bank. They count 27 dead and fifty-seven injured. Khalid D. Ali and Timothy Williams (New York Times) add, "The twin blasts near Nisour Square, which was crowded with people at the start of the workweek here, were powerful enough to toss several cars onto nearby rooftops, witnesses said, and turned the area into a scene reminiscent of the worst days of the war, with white sheets covering the dead, body parts littering the ground and people with shrapnel wounds wandering dazed, asking for water." Al Jazeera notes:


Al Jazeera's Omar al-Saleh, reporting from Baghdad, said the location of the attack would be viewed as another sign that the Iraqi army and police are struggling to provide basic security.
"If you walk 150 metres, you will have an Iraqi army checkpoint there," he said. "So it's kind of a blow to the security forces."


Kim Gamel (AP) reports, "Hours later, a man wearing an explosives vest blew himself up as police and onlookers responded to a roadside bomb apparently set as a trap in the northern city of Tikrit. At least five people were killed and 12 wounded in the late night attack, according to police and hospital officials."

In other violence today, Reuters notes a Baiji motorcycle bombing injured six people, a Shirqat suicide bomber took his/her own life and claimed the lives of 8 other people (with ten more wounded), 1 person shot dead in Mosul and, dropping back to last night, a Mosul roadside bombing which left three police officers injured.



Moving over to the finanical cost of war, at the start of this month, the Institute for Public Accuracy offered a dollar amount for the financial costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars: $1 trillion dollars. BBC notes that the costs for the UK government in fighting the two wars has surpassed the 20 billion pound mark -- which would be approximately 29.7 billion US dollars. They go on to note, "Critics questioned why the UK was spending so much on conflict when public finances were in a dire state." The US has spent much, much more than that but ask yourself when you ever heard the anchor of the ABC, CBS or NBC news note that anyone might wonder why, when the US' economy is "in a dire state," the government was spending so much money on war? Carl Ramey (North Carolina's Pilot) notes, "Amazing, isn't it? We can talk endlessly about the nation's debt crisis and rampant spending, but nary a word about two wars that are costing us more than $12 billion every single month, and whose cumulative costs, over the past eight years, have already surpassed $1 trillion."



Last week, the Washington Post offered an editorial (noted in Friday's snapshot) asserting the US Senate Armed Services Committee was acting irresponsibly, Senator Carl Levin, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, responds:


The Post's recent editorial on U.S. funding for Iraq's defense ministry ["Poor transition," June 18] accused the Senate Armed Services Committee of ignoring "a few facts" in trimming $1 billion from the administration's request of $2 billion for Iraq security funding. That's funny, because The Post ignored plenty of facts in its editorial.

The Post made two arguments: that Iraq's budget is in such terrible shape that it can't make up the funding difference on its own and that the cut sends a message "that the long-term strategic partnership" between our two nations "is likely to be barren." Both arguments are wrong.
The case that Iraq's budget is in worse shape than our own, and therefore the country is unable to provide funding for its own defense, is simply false. The Post ignored the fact that just this month, Iraq's finance minister reported that the budget has a $10 billion surplus, thanks to rising oil prices, and that projections for future deficits have fallen. At the same time that oil prices are bringing a budget windfall, Iraq is slashing spending on its security.
Even with our approved cut, U.S. taxpayers will contribute $1 billion next year directly to building Iraq's military, in addition to the cost of maintaining our troop presence. I doubt American taxpayers see that as a "barren" commitment.
Supporters of the Iraq war downplayed or ignored the costs in advocating invasion. Those costs now total more than $800 billion. The American taxpayer can't ignore those costs, and neither can we in Congress.
Carl Levin, Washington


Wednesday the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing which is covered in Wednesday's snapshot and Friday's snapshot. Alaska's Senator Mark Begich did the bulk of the questioning in the first panel and chaired the second panel. His office notes:



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Julie Hasquet, Press Secretary
(907) 258-9304 office
(907) 350-4846 cell
June 16, 2010
2010-120

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, chairing a hearing of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, today secured a commitment from the Veterans Administration (VA) to a high level meeting in the next three months with officials from the Indian Health Services (IHS) to focus on ways to improve care for rural veterans.

The topic of the hearing was VA Health Care in Rural Areas and included testimony from three Alaska witnesses directly involved in health care delivery to Alaska's veterans.

"I am pleased the VA recognizes the challenges faced by Alaska's veterans, particularly in rural areas, in accessing affordable and easily available health care services," Begich said. "The more we can coordinate and find ways to improve the system, the better off Alaska's veterans will be."

The committee heard testimony from Dan Winkelman, Vice President and General Counsel at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation; Brigadier General Deborah McManus, Assistant Adjutant General and Commander, Alaska National Guard; and Verdie Bowen, Director, Office of Veterans Affairs, Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

All of the Alaska witnesses testified about the difficulty in providing efficient services for veterans in rural parts of the state.

Winkelman testified that high energy, food and personnel costs add to the enormous disparity rural veterans have in accessing health care, a problem compounded by the fact there are few veterans health facilities in rural areas.

"To lack access upon their return from duty to culturally appropriate and quality health care services by the VA is a shame," Winkelman said.

Witnesses talked about the possibility and need for allowing rural veterans to access care at IHS funded facilities and have the VA reimburse the provider later, in many cases saving money and time by not forcing veterans to travel to Alaska's larger cities where VA facilities are located.

In response to the testimony and under questioning from Sen. Begich, VA Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Management, William Schoenhard agreed to organize a high level meeting between VA and IHS officials in the next few months.

"We should collaborate. I would certainly welcome how we can better serve and get veterans engaged with IHS," Schoenhard testified.

Schoenhard admitted the VA doesn't have a thorough understanding of some of the obstacles faced by rural veterans and is looking at ways to revitalize the Rural Pilot Project, an outreach program designed to enroll more rural Alaska veterans in the VA health system.



And finally, David Bacon offers photos of a San Francisco demonstration "Afternoon Unloading of Israeli Ship at Oakland Port Canceled after Morning Protest" (Berkeley Daily Planet):

"Hundreds of demonstrators from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area set up early morning picketlines in front of four gates into the SSA terminal in the Port of Oakland, as a ship carrying Israeli cargo was preparing to dock. Demonstrators were protesting the Israeli attack on the flotilla that sought to break the blockade of Gaza, in which Israeli troops killed nine people. In response to the picketline, members of Local 10 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union decided not to go into the terminal and unload the cargo. In the afternoon, with picketlines again in front of the gate, the stevedoring company decided not to ask for a crew of longshosre workers to unload the ship, in the expectation that the crew would again not enter the terminal."

David Bacon's latest book is Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants (Beacon Press) which won the CLR James Award. Bacon can be heard on KPFA's The Morning Show (over the airwaves in the Bay Area, streaming online) each Wednesday morning (begins airing at 7:00 am PST).


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the new york times
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the irish times
michael jansen
al jazeera
inside iraq
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oliver august
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usama redha
the new york times
khalid d. ali
timothy williams
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kim gamel
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