Crossposted at: BraveNewFilms.org
Comparing the two videos: Obama’s "yes we can" to McCain "Audacity of Despair" was very revealing – McCain’s tag line: "Like Hope, but Different" was hysterical. Truthfully though, while I thought that the McCain parody video above was pretty funny, the reality of ‘100 years of war’ is Not a joke, esp. not to people who are killed in such actions. You can check out additional information re: the cost of the Iraqi occupation at: http://lessjobsmorewars.com/
Another diary: The Only Issue is (Still) Iraq – discusses how "health care," "mortgage crisis," "rising gas costs," "the environment," and "taxes" all are connected to the quagmire known as Iraq.
Here are a few snippets of how the BushCo. Administration is showing its "support for the troops":
• provides the troops with substandard helmets which could lead to traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• blocks disability paperwork aid at Fort Drum: Army officials in upstate New York instructed representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs not to help disabled soldiers at Fort Drum Army base with their military disability paperwork last year. That paperwork can be crucial because it helps determine whether soldiers will get annual disability payments and health care after they're discharged.
• allows long waiting periods before returning Iraqi vets can receive psychological care
• ignores the nearly 200,000 homeless vets — see the 70 minute documentary: "When I Came Home". The film follows Herold Noel, a homeless Iraq war veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as he struggles to get help from the VA, city agencies, and various veterans organizations.
Thank you "Uncle BushCo!!!"
I Got the News Today (IGTNT) is a DailyKos diary series intended as a remembrance to honor & respect the lives of service members who have died in Iraq / Afghanistan. It was started in April 2004 and to date over 500 diaries in the series have been written. If you would like to volunteer to write an IGTNT diary, even once a month, please contact any one of these diarist: Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, SisTwo or noweasels.
Sometimes individual stories bring to light a piercing poignancy, ie. in A Soldier's Wish Comes True: "Sgt. Peter Neesley died Dec. 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, from causes still unexplained... He wanted to bring the stray dogs -- Mama and Boris -- he had befriended in Iraq home with him...
Because Sgt. Neesley’s family knew how much Mama and Boris meant to him, they worked with a network of people in Iraq and Michigan (including Sen. Carl Levin) to bring them home. On February 6th, Mama and Boris left Iraq and are now safe with the Neesley family".
During this interminable U.S. BushCo. occupation, the suffering of the Iraqi people is routinely ignored. The corporate media rarely shows the anguish endured on a daily basis by ordinary Iraqis; two wonderful blogs: ‘Iraq War Grief Daily Witness’ and ‘Faces of Grief’ bear witness to the lives lost in this senseless occupation. The diary: :"Some Iraqi bloggers losing hope" offers another heartbreaking insight into shattered Iraqi lives:
...At first she did not recognize her, then the women took off her sunglasses and veil. Neurotica was disturbed by the change she saw in this women, and started to question why and if this total change in dress was only in Basrah...The response: "Oh Neurotica, this is happening everywhere in Iraq, not just in Basrah or here but everywhere. We have become easy targets for those animal extremists"....
"I don’t even know if my neighbour will tell on me, or my friend. Or that old man I buy the vegetables from. Or that small boy sitting in the corner begging. I don’t know who will shoot me first. The militia? The police? The Americans? Or maybe a drug addict, or a drunk man? Who is it gonna be?"...
Iraq's Junior Mujahedeen is a DailyKos diary written by Jonathan Powers - Army Captain and decorated Iraq War veteran, schoolteacher and nonprofit leader – who is currently running for Congress in the New York 26th Congressional District (Western New York)...
"Moved by his experience at war and driven to action, Powers sought to help those in Iraq whose voices are least heard - Iraqi children, many of whom have known only war their entire young lives. He returned to Baghdad and founded War Kids Relief, a nonprofit organization aimed at assisting the youth of Iraq, providing them the resources and education needed to avoid recruitment by radical and terrorist organizations....
• THE DANIEL PEARL MEMORIAL VIOLIN: "Daniel Pearl's murder by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002 touched millions who never knew him. By developing innovative international programs focused on journalism, music and respectful dialogue, the Daniel Pearl Foundation seeks to counter the hatred and intolerance that took his life. The Daniel Pearl Memorial violins were crafted by Jonathan Cooper of Maine in honor of the international journalist and talented musician who played violin and fiddle wherever he traveled. Winners have become musical ambassadors for the Daniel Pearl Foundation - building international friendships through music..."
• College students who write a political blog can apply for a $2,000 scholarship here.
Announcing: March 19 Iraq War Blogswarm: Mission Statement: This blogswarm will promote blog postings opposing the war in Iraq and calling for a full withdrawal of foreign occupying forces in Iraq. Five years of an illegal and catastrophic war is five years too many. On the March 19 anniversary of the conquest of Iraq by the Bush Administration, there needs to be a loud volume of voices countering the pro-war propaganda from far too many politicians and corporate media outlets.