By Dave Lindorff
I’m looking out my window here in southeastern Pennsylvania at a wild cherry tree that, on November 28, is still covered in green leaves. A butterfly bush nearer to the house is still blooming. We have yet to have a “killing” frost this year in this part of Pennsylvania, though just five years ago and earlier, such frosts were the rule by mid October, and sometimes even came at the end of September.
Out on the street, two lines of cars and trucks are completely halted in their tracks because of the shutdown of nearly 10 miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike following a fatal accident involving a semi trailer-truck and three cars that has closed all lanes in both directions for the whole morning, throwing the morning commute entirely onto back roads, which themselves are the scene of countless accidents. Standing at the end of the driveway, I find that half the vehicles stranded on the road within my field of vision are gas-guzzling SUVs and vans, every one of them carrying one frustrated commuter—the driver—and spewing out volumes of exhaust for no purpose other than keeping the car and driver warm and the radio running. The autumn air reeks of car exhaust.
Both of these situations are reflections of a major crisis that is confronting all of us. The earth is rapidly getting hotter, in large part because of the unrestrained use of carbon-based fuel by mankind, and especially by us Americans, and it’s getting hotter much faster than even the most pessimistic environmental scientists were predicting even as recently as two years ago. We all know this. And yet like the cars stuck on the turnpike and outside my house, we as a polity and a society are seemingly incapable of doing anything about the mess we have made of our lives, our kids’ lives, our country and our planet.
We are stuck in our vehicles, listening to the mindless drivel on the radio, and we are stuck in a socio-economic-political system that is doing nothing about this crisis that is cooking the planet and that is in fact hell-bent on keeping us in our cars or glued to our TVs to the bitter end.
Meanwhile there is an election campaign underway, in which the leading candidates of both parties are basically saying nothing of consequence about this crisis. Instead they are talking about taxes and terrorism and immigration (if they are Republican candidates), and about health care and drivers’ licenses for immigrants (if they are Democrats).
Excuse me, but I’m 58, and it looks like in my own lifetime, if I stay healthy, I am likely to witness the disappearance of the North Polar icecap! Do you hear that? It’s also looking like I may even witness the disappearance of the one-mile-thick Greenland ice sheet, in which case, with oceans rising 18-20 feet, I will also witness the disappearance of Brooklyn, Staten Island, what’s left of New Orleans, a good deal of Florida, and much of Philadelphia. I may even end up owning a piece of beachfront property, given that my house sits at about 20 feet above what is currently known as sea level.
Sea level—a term that use to denote something constant and unchanging, like air pressure or gravity.
How is it that our politics can have become so debased and trivialized that with the country and the very earth facing a cataclysm for which the closest parallel is, ominously, the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, our candidates for president can’t even discuss the issue? Oh, the Democrats might talk about mandating slightly higher gas mileage for vehicles, or if they’re really daring, about establishing cap-and-trade rules for power plants and factories, but of course that isn’t going to turn this crisis around. Nothing short of a new economy, based not upon growth and on massive energy use, but upon sustainability and an altered value system that doesn’t equate consumption with happiness and success, will save us.
Of course there are other huge issues facing the nation—the endless and pointless war in Iraq, which President Bush is currently hard at work turning into a permanent occupation, and which he is seeking to expand to Iran, the collapse of the dollar, the hollowing out of the economy, the rotting away of the educational system, and the ballooning of poverty spring readily to mind—and the so-called “leading” candidates have next to nothing of substance to say about any of this either.
But the big issue is global climate change, and here they are silent, or might as well be.
What would happen if a candidate were to stand up in one of these “debates” and say:
“Just shut up for a second Wolf! I have something real to say here.
“My fellow Americans, we are facing a national emergency. A global emergency. Unless we act decisively this next presidential term, it may well be too late. The current administration and Congress by January 2008 will together have squandered eight critical years, but we will not squander another. Accordingly, my administration, on assuming office, will immediately issue an executive order adding a 100 percent tax on gasoline at the pump, with all funds to be dedicated to research and development of non-carbon energy and mass transit. I would further establish a federal tax on all new vehicles, with a sliding scale based upon their actual gas mileage. There would be a federal tax credit for scrapping cars, also based upon their gas mileage, to encourage the destruction and recycling of older gas-guzzling vehicles.
“Additionally, there would be a tax on electricity, with every household allowed a certain basic amount tax-free at competitive rates, after which there would be a tax on higher usage, again on a sliding scale. Home heating oil, natural gas and propane would also be taxed at 100 percent, but with a federal tax credit, available to all taxpayers regardless of income, of $750 per individual or $1500 per family to cover basic heating needs.
“Older power plants that emit excessive amounts of greenhouse gasses, and that cannot be upgraded, will be ordered closed within one year.
“Except where safety demands action all federal funds for highways will be diverted to construction and restoration of mass transit systems, and to subsidizing fares.
“America will also begin immediately withdrawing its military forces from the over 700 bases it currently operates overseas, and the money that is saved by that drawdown will be used to help developing countries reduce their carbon emissions—a national security threat that far exceeds any other.
“The Iraq War will be ended immediately, with all troops brought home in the first two months of my administration. At the same time, the overall military budget would be slashed by 50 percent, with the savings diverted to veterans’ benefits, education funding, bolstering the Social Security system and expanding the Medicare program to cover all Americans. Finally, income tax policy will be reformed with a goal of slashing rates for those families that earn less than $100,000 while raising rates for those who earn more than that, on a progressive scale. No longer will tax policy reward or encourage wasteful and conspicuous consumption.
“The NAFTA deal and other international trade pacts that encourage American companies to shift investment and jobs overseas will be terminated and the National Labor Relations Act will be reformed to make trade union membership more widespread and easy to achieve. Companies that violate labor laws will be made liable for serious fines and triple damages.
“What do education, social security, health care, labor rights and income tax policy have to do with global warming? Simple. We need to change America from a nation of selfish strivers, each trying to out-earn, out-consume, and out-live each other, to a nation of people who care about the welfare of each other and our little planet. People who know their kids are going to get first-rate education, right through college, who know that their health care will be available when they need it, who feel secure in their jobs and who don’t have to worry about surviving in their old age, will be freer to think about solving the crisis that threatens the survival of their children and their children’s children.”
I’m sure there are plenty or arguments to be made about all the above proposals, and they are not meant to be the only answer to the crisis. Just a kick-start to thinking about the problem. More important is, what would the public response be to such a candidate call to arms?
I really don’t know the answer to this question because nobody is doing it. It could be that someone offering such a radical agenda would be laughed off the political stage. And of course, as Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a candidate who actually has made some of these proposals (though hardly all of them), has learned, candidates who step out of line and political convention are simply ignored by the media--not to mention being undermined by the Democratic Party leadership. Most voters don’t even know what Kucinich's positions are as a consequence.
It may be that we as a nation are so wedded to our flat-screen TVs, our out-sized vehicles and our absurdly over-sized homes, and so flustered by administration scare tactics regarding alleged threats of terrorism, that we will refuse to deal with the crisis that faces us and our children.
But at least someone ought to try to wake this place up.
I see a white cabbage butterfly on the bush behind my office. Usually that would be a good sign, but not in Pennsylvania just three days before December.
________________
DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-based investigative journalist and columnist. His latest book, co-authored by Barbara Olshansky, is “The Case for Impeachment” (St. Martin’s Press, 2006 and now available in paperback edition). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Letter to my Son
Dearest Jeremy,
Tomorrow would have been your 26th birthday. As I sit here and think about you, I wonder what your life would have been like had you lived, had you not been killed in that damn car accident before you were supposed to go to Iraq. I wonder how you would have been when you came home and I wonder what you'd be like now. I just wonder.
I wonder if you would have married by now and had a baby or two for me to bounce on my knee, cuddle with and read stories to. I wonder where you'd be living and what you'd be doing with your life by now. There are so many "I wonders"... I could go on all day.
When you were born, I never, ever, in my wildest dreams, expected this -- for our family to be so torn apart and torn up over your death at such a young age.
We miss you, Jeremy, every single day. I wish you were here, and sometimes I feel as though you are here, watching over your family. You sisters have told me of dreams of you where you are just there, sitting in a corner or in a chair watching, not participating. And it gives them comfort to know you are still there in some way.
I miss you with every beat of my heart. I miss your laugh, your smile, you sense of humor and your hugs. I miss your sense of needing to protect me and your sisters. I miss your bumming cigarettes from me and being annoying just to get my attention. I wish you were here to fix my computer problems...you know how computer illiterate I am!
I wish you were here to see and play with your nephew, Aiden. You would adore him just the way all the rest of us do. He'd really love his Uncle Jeremy, too.
We're all doing okay, really. The holidays are hard, especially Thanksgiving. At the end of the week Jaime and Aiden will be living back in Houston with us, so all of us will be close together again, which will be REALLY nice. Maxx is doing good. We've both been sick a lot this year and are now having a bout with the flu.
I know you're still out there in some form, somewhere... I feel your love and sometimes your touch. I hear your voice in my heart from time to time and I can definitely hear you say "Mother" in that way you said it when I do something really goofed up!
Know that I will love you, always and forever, until the day I die and join you wherever you are...
Love always,
Mom
Friday, November 23, 2007
Thanksgiving Memories
Well, we made it again, another year through Thanksgiving. On some of the online political groups I a part of, there has been much discussion about NOT celebrating Thanksgiving for one reason or another. One reason is because it has become a somewhat secular holiday. Another reason is because people think it is terrible to feast on meat or to participate in the overeating that comes with the day. Still other people feel guilty to indulge in so much when there are others who have so little.
I guess people can see what they want in any event or holiday. We each take away from our participation or lack of participation different things, depending on where we are coming from emotionally, mentally and physically.
My family has continued our tradition of cooking the turkey and stuffing ourselves with all the good foods we don't eat at any other time of the year. This year my daughters, Jaime and Dani, along with Aiden, joined Maxx and I as we journeyed to the home of Maxx's parents where we were joined by his brother and wife and their two children. It was a house full of people, to say the least. They are religious people, but they do not force it upon others and they are considerate of me and the feelings of my daughters and Maxx on this day, in particular. I deeply appreciated the moment they took to remember my son and to add that they knew it was a difficult day for us.
We made it through the day and I actually did pretty good until after the late feast, at which time I took the time out to step outside, smoke a cigarette by myself in the cold night air and remember the one who wasn't there with us anymore, my son, Jeremy. It was 26 years ago on Thanksgiving night, after all of the Thanksgiving feast had been finished, that my water broke and I went into active labor with my son. Eight hours later, in the early morning hours on the day after Thanksgiving, my beautiful son was born.
It doesn't matter what day of the month Jeremy's birthday falls on. For me, it is Thanksgiving and the day after that will be forever impressed on my memory.
Jeremy's last Thanksgiving home was also his 22nd birthday. He had planned to feast with his father, who had come down to see him off as Jeremy had to report for active duty in the Army the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Maxx and I had not planned any great Thanksgiving feast that year as I had to work and our daughters were both living in other cities. But Jeremy called and wanted to come to our house and stay after an argument with his father. Later that day, our Thanksgiving feast and Jeremy's birthday dinner consisted of spam and taters with gravy. Jeremy ate the dinner with us, however wary he might have been. He did not complain or make any faces or smart remarks. He just seemed to be happy to be with us.
We did not know, we could not have known, that it was his last Thanksgiving and birthday with us.
Two days later Maxx and I drove Jeremy to report for active duty in the Army Reserves, where he would receive training for the next two months before his unit left to go to Iraq.
Now Thanksgiving has a different meaning and importance for me. I will not feel guilty for participating in the feast nor for feeling grateful for those people in my life and things that I treasure so very dearly.
I have been homeless -- therefore I am grateful to have a home to live in.
I have been jobless -- I am grateful for the job I have.
I have spent many holidays without friend or family other than my kids -- I am grateful for the family that I am a part of and that they still put up with me!
I am very grateful to the Gods or whatever it is that is Divine that has seen fit to bless my life with two wonderful daughters and a stepdaughter. I am grateful to be blessed with three beautiful grandchildren and an incredibly patient son-in-law. I am blessed and thankful for a family of in-laws who are patient and kind even though I'm not sure they understand me. My in-laws are accepting of my crazy daughters and that means a great deal to me.
I am grateful from the depths of my heart for my delightful, kind, loving and amazing husband, Maxx, who still makes me laugh.
Yes, I mourn the one who isn't here among us anymore, I still miss him with all of my heart. I will miss him every single day of my life as long as I live. I am grateful to have been blessed to be Jeremy's mother. Thanksgiving Day, more than any other, symbolizes to me what was and what is the reality in my life.
In peace,
Amy
I guess people can see what they want in any event or holiday. We each take away from our participation or lack of participation different things, depending on where we are coming from emotionally, mentally and physically.
My family has continued our tradition of cooking the turkey and stuffing ourselves with all the good foods we don't eat at any other time of the year. This year my daughters, Jaime and Dani, along with Aiden, joined Maxx and I as we journeyed to the home of Maxx's parents where we were joined by his brother and wife and their two children. It was a house full of people, to say the least. They are religious people, but they do not force it upon others and they are considerate of me and the feelings of my daughters and Maxx on this day, in particular. I deeply appreciated the moment they took to remember my son and to add that they knew it was a difficult day for us.
We made it through the day and I actually did pretty good until after the late feast, at which time I took the time out to step outside, smoke a cigarette by myself in the cold night air and remember the one who wasn't there with us anymore, my son, Jeremy. It was 26 years ago on Thanksgiving night, after all of the Thanksgiving feast had been finished, that my water broke and I went into active labor with my son. Eight hours later, in the early morning hours on the day after Thanksgiving, my beautiful son was born.
It doesn't matter what day of the month Jeremy's birthday falls on. For me, it is Thanksgiving and the day after that will be forever impressed on my memory.
Jeremy's last Thanksgiving home was also his 22nd birthday. He had planned to feast with his father, who had come down to see him off as Jeremy had to report for active duty in the Army the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Maxx and I had not planned any great Thanksgiving feast that year as I had to work and our daughters were both living in other cities. But Jeremy called and wanted to come to our house and stay after an argument with his father. Later that day, our Thanksgiving feast and Jeremy's birthday dinner consisted of spam and taters with gravy. Jeremy ate the dinner with us, however wary he might have been. He did not complain or make any faces or smart remarks. He just seemed to be happy to be with us.
We did not know, we could not have known, that it was his last Thanksgiving and birthday with us.
Two days later Maxx and I drove Jeremy to report for active duty in the Army Reserves, where he would receive training for the next two months before his unit left to go to Iraq.
Now Thanksgiving has a different meaning and importance for me. I will not feel guilty for participating in the feast nor for feeling grateful for those people in my life and things that I treasure so very dearly.
I have been homeless -- therefore I am grateful to have a home to live in.
I have been jobless -- I am grateful for the job I have.
I have spent many holidays without friend or family other than my kids -- I am grateful for the family that I am a part of and that they still put up with me!
I am very grateful to the Gods or whatever it is that is Divine that has seen fit to bless my life with two wonderful daughters and a stepdaughter. I am grateful to be blessed with three beautiful grandchildren and an incredibly patient son-in-law. I am blessed and thankful for a family of in-laws who are patient and kind even though I'm not sure they understand me. My in-laws are accepting of my crazy daughters and that means a great deal to me.
I am grateful from the depths of my heart for my delightful, kind, loving and amazing husband, Maxx, who still makes me laugh.
Yes, I mourn the one who isn't here among us anymore, I still miss him with all of my heart. I will miss him every single day of my life as long as I live. I am grateful to have been blessed to be Jeremy's mother. Thanksgiving Day, more than any other, symbolizes to me what was and what is the reality in my life.
In peace,
Amy
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Deceased Marine's Gravesite Vandalized
Walpole, Massachusetts – In a Boston suburb, vandals defaced the gravestone of a 20-year-old Marine who lost his life to a sniper’s bullet while on his second tour of duty on Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Corporal Alexander Scott Arredondo, USMC was laid to rest on September 4, 2004 in Rural Cemetery located in Walpole, Massachusetts, and the site of a family-owned plot. "The vandalism took place sometime prior to September 28th", according to Carlos Arredondo, Alex’s father who last visited the gravesite days before.
Arredondo Senior frequently visits the cemetery to keep his son’s plot decorated and neat. On Sunday, October 28th, 2007 an Iraqi American doctor, a videographer and two Viet Nam war veterans requested that Carlos and his wife, Mélida lead them to a visit to Rural Cemetery to pay homage to Alex. "All of us were stunned and saddened by this act of desecration," stated Mélida Arredondo.
The Walpole police department was called immediately and a report was filed. Carlos and his son Brian Arredondo returned to the gravesite the following day to clean the tombstone and to sand the scratches out of the granite. The pictures above were taken prior to cleaning. If you have information on this matter, please contact the Walpole Police Department at (508) 668-1095 or by sending an email to info@walpolepd.com.
Alex, as friends and family called him, was 20 years and 20 days old when he was killed while part of the siege in An Najaf, Iraq on 08/25/04.
A second troop who was killed while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom is also buried at Rural Cemetery. No sign of vandalism or disturbance was noted at that or any other gravesite.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
A Little Girl
A couple of weeks ago I met a really cute little girl. She was probably about 7 or 8 years old and absolutely carefree, one of those truly free spirits who was kind and loving, friendly and inquisitive, showing care and concern for another person that she knew had been ill.
This little came up to me and touched an article of clothing I was wearing and told me she thought it was pretty. She asked me questions about it. Then she admired a scarf I was wearing, which I took off from around my waist and wrapped it around her so she could dance in it.
I sat and I watched this delightful child and felt my heart catch in my throat. She reminded me of someone, but I could not figure out who it was. Certainly not either of my daughters, they had never been like that. This little girl seemed to have a feeling of comfort and security I have rarely seen in a child of that age, with no sense whatsoever of not being accepted or where she belonged.
The image of this little girl dancing like a faery, flitting from one person to the next, of her hugs and her kisses, her sweet little smile stayed with me for several days as I just could not figure out who she reminded me of.
Then I got it, in one of those gotcha moments... I saw my younger self in this little girl, the little girl I was once before I learned about fear and rules and heart break. I was like her when I was young, loving everyone and everything, trusting everyone. I was a free spirit before I felt the heavy hand of my parents and teachers who eventually broke my soul and brainwashed me so that I would "fit" into their little box of perception of what and who I should be.
I feel sad that the little girl I once was has been gone for so long and I'm pretty sure that the 40 plus years of my life since then cannot be erased so I can once again be that free spirited.
But I will enjoy the presence of this sweet young spirit who is so free and loving when I am around her, and I will be grateful that there are parents in the world who are loving and kind enough to let her be who she is, who are lovingly raising her and not breaking her spirit. For that I am grateful. She is a very lucky little girl...
This little came up to me and touched an article of clothing I was wearing and told me she thought it was pretty. She asked me questions about it. Then she admired a scarf I was wearing, which I took off from around my waist and wrapped it around her so she could dance in it.
I sat and I watched this delightful child and felt my heart catch in my throat. She reminded me of someone, but I could not figure out who it was. Certainly not either of my daughters, they had never been like that. This little girl seemed to have a feeling of comfort and security I have rarely seen in a child of that age, with no sense whatsoever of not being accepted or where she belonged.
The image of this little girl dancing like a faery, flitting from one person to the next, of her hugs and her kisses, her sweet little smile stayed with me for several days as I just could not figure out who she reminded me of.
Then I got it, in one of those gotcha moments... I saw my younger self in this little girl, the little girl I was once before I learned about fear and rules and heart break. I was like her when I was young, loving everyone and everything, trusting everyone. I was a free spirit before I felt the heavy hand of my parents and teachers who eventually broke my soul and brainwashed me so that I would "fit" into their little box of perception of what and who I should be.
I feel sad that the little girl I once was has been gone for so long and I'm pretty sure that the 40 plus years of my life since then cannot be erased so I can once again be that free spirited.
But I will enjoy the presence of this sweet young spirit who is so free and loving when I am around her, and I will be grateful that there are parents in the world who are loving and kind enough to let her be who she is, who are lovingly raising her and not breaking her spirit. For that I am grateful. She is a very lucky little girl...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Suicide Epidemic Among Veterans
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/13/cbsnews_investigates/main3496471.shtml Watch the videos on the page, as well. They are heart wrenching...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CBS) They are the casualties of wars you don’t often hear about - soldiers who die of self-inflicted wounds. Little is known about the true scope of suicides among those who have served in the military.
But a five-month CBS News investigation discovered data that shows a startling rate of suicide, what some call a hidden epidemic, Chief Investigative Reporter Armen Keteyian reports exclusively.
“I just felt like this silent scream inside of me,” said Jessica Harrell, the sister of a soldier who took his own life.
"I opened up the door and there he was," recalled Mike Bowman, the father of an Army reservist.
"I saw the hose double looped around his neck,” said Kevin Lucey, another military father.
"He was gone,” said Mia Sagahon, whose soldier boyfriend committed suicide.
Keteyian spoke with the families of five former soldiers who each served in Iraq - only to die battling an enemy they could not conquer. Their loved ones are now speaking out in their names.
They survived the hell that's Iraq and then they come home only to lose their life.
Twenty-three-year-old Marine Reservist Jeff Lucey hanged himself with a garden hose in the cellar of this parents’ home - where his father, Kevin, found him.
"There's a crisis going on and people are just turning the other way,” Kevin Lucey said.
Kim and Mike Bowman’s son Tim was an Army reservist who patrolled one of the most dangerous places in Baghdad, known as Airport Road.
"His eyes when he came back were just dead. The light wasn't there anymore," Kim Bowman said.
Eight months later, on Thanksgiving Day, Tim shot himself. He was 23.
Diana Henderson’s son, Derek, served three tours of duty in Iraq. He died jumping off a bridge at 27.
"Going to that morgue and seeing my baby ... my life will never be the same," she said.
Beyond the individual loss, it turns out little information exists about how widespread suicides are among these who have served in the military. There have been some studies, but no one has ever counted the numbers nationwide.
"Nobody wants to tally it up in the form of a government total," Bowman said.
Why do the families think that is?
"Because they don't want the true numbers of casualties to really be known," Lucey said.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
"If you're just looking at the overall number of veterans themselves who've committed suicide, we have not been able to get the numbers,” Murray said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch more of Keteyian’s conversations with the families.
FYI: Suicide Warning Signs and Getting Help.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBS News’ investigative unit wanted the numbers, so it submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Defense asking for the numbers of suicides among all service members for the past 12 years.
Four months later, they sent CBS News a document, showing that between 1995 and 2007, there were almost 2,200 suicides. That’s 188 last year alone. But these numbers included only “active duty” soldiers.
CBS News went to the Department of Veterans Affairs, where Dr. Ira Katz is head of mental health.
"There is no epidemic in suicide in the VA, but suicide is a major problem," he said.
Why hasn't the VA done a national study seeking national data on how many veterans have committed suicide in this country?
"That research is ongoing,” he said.
So CBS News did an investigation - asking all 50 states for their suicide data, based on death records, for veterans and non-veterans, dating back to 1995. Forty-five states sent what turned out to be a mountain of information.
And what it revealed was stunning.
In 2005, for example, in just those 45 states, there were at least 6,256 suicides among those who served in the armed forces. That’s 120 each and every week, in just one year.
Dr. Steve Rathburn is the acting head of the biostatistics department at the University of Georgia. CBS News asked him to run a detailed analysis of the raw numbers that we obtained from state authorities for 2004 and 2005.
It found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 than non-vets. (Veterans committed suicide at the rate of between 18.7 to 20.8 per 100,000, compared to other Americans, who did so at the rate of 8.9 per 100,000.)
One age group stood out. Veterans aged 20 through 24, those who have served during the war on terror. They had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age. (The suicide rate for non-veterans is 8.3 per 100,000, while the rate for veterans was found to be between 22.9 and 31.9 per 100,000.)
"Wow! Those are devastating," said Paul Sullivan, a former VA analyst who is now an advocate for veterans rights from the group Veterans For Common Sense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eye to Eye: Watch more of Keteyian's interview with Sullivan.
Read the Investigative Unit's Data and Methodology behind this story.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Those numbers clearly show an epidemic of mental health problems," he said.
“We are determined to decrease veteran suicides," Dr. Katz said.
“One hundred and twenty a week. Is that a problem?” Keteyian asked.
“You bet it’s a problem,” he said.
Is it an epidemic?
“Suicide in America is an epidemic, and that includes veterans,” Katz said.
Sen. Murray said the numbers CBS News uncovered are significant: “These statistics tell me we've really failed people that served our country."
Do these numbers serve as a wake-up call for this country?
“If these numbers don't wake up this country, nothing will,” she said. “We each have a responsibility to the men and women who serve us aren't lost when they come home."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An update: Another member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, responded to the CBS News story Tuesday.
“The report that the rate of suicide among veterans is double that of the general population is deeply troubling and simply unacceptable. I am especially concerned that so many young veterans appear to be taking their own lives. For too many veterans, returning home from battle does not bring an end to conflict. There is no question that action is needed."
© MMVII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CBS) They are the casualties of wars you don’t often hear about - soldiers who die of self-inflicted wounds. Little is known about the true scope of suicides among those who have served in the military.
But a five-month CBS News investigation discovered data that shows a startling rate of suicide, what some call a hidden epidemic, Chief Investigative Reporter Armen Keteyian reports exclusively.
“I just felt like this silent scream inside of me,” said Jessica Harrell, the sister of a soldier who took his own life.
"I opened up the door and there he was," recalled Mike Bowman, the father of an Army reservist.
"I saw the hose double looped around his neck,” said Kevin Lucey, another military father.
"He was gone,” said Mia Sagahon, whose soldier boyfriend committed suicide.
Keteyian spoke with the families of five former soldiers who each served in Iraq - only to die battling an enemy they could not conquer. Their loved ones are now speaking out in their names.
They survived the hell that's Iraq and then they come home only to lose their life.
Twenty-three-year-old Marine Reservist Jeff Lucey hanged himself with a garden hose in the cellar of this parents’ home - where his father, Kevin, found him.
"There's a crisis going on and people are just turning the other way,” Kevin Lucey said.
Kim and Mike Bowman’s son Tim was an Army reservist who patrolled one of the most dangerous places in Baghdad, known as Airport Road.
"His eyes when he came back were just dead. The light wasn't there anymore," Kim Bowman said.
Eight months later, on Thanksgiving Day, Tim shot himself. He was 23.
Diana Henderson’s son, Derek, served three tours of duty in Iraq. He died jumping off a bridge at 27.
"Going to that morgue and seeing my baby ... my life will never be the same," she said.
Beyond the individual loss, it turns out little information exists about how widespread suicides are among these who have served in the military. There have been some studies, but no one has ever counted the numbers nationwide.
"Nobody wants to tally it up in the form of a government total," Bowman said.
Why do the families think that is?
"Because they don't want the true numbers of casualties to really be known," Lucey said.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
"If you're just looking at the overall number of veterans themselves who've committed suicide, we have not been able to get the numbers,” Murray said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch more of Keteyian’s conversations with the families.
FYI: Suicide Warning Signs and Getting Help.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBS News’ investigative unit wanted the numbers, so it submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Defense asking for the numbers of suicides among all service members for the past 12 years.
Four months later, they sent CBS News a document, showing that between 1995 and 2007, there were almost 2,200 suicides. That’s 188 last year alone. But these numbers included only “active duty” soldiers.
CBS News went to the Department of Veterans Affairs, where Dr. Ira Katz is head of mental health.
"There is no epidemic in suicide in the VA, but suicide is a major problem," he said.
Why hasn't the VA done a national study seeking national data on how many veterans have committed suicide in this country?
"That research is ongoing,” he said.
So CBS News did an investigation - asking all 50 states for their suicide data, based on death records, for veterans and non-veterans, dating back to 1995. Forty-five states sent what turned out to be a mountain of information.
And what it revealed was stunning.
In 2005, for example, in just those 45 states, there were at least 6,256 suicides among those who served in the armed forces. That’s 120 each and every week, in just one year.
Dr. Steve Rathburn is the acting head of the biostatistics department at the University of Georgia. CBS News asked him to run a detailed analysis of the raw numbers that we obtained from state authorities for 2004 and 2005.
It found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 than non-vets. (Veterans committed suicide at the rate of between 18.7 to 20.8 per 100,000, compared to other Americans, who did so at the rate of 8.9 per 100,000.)
One age group stood out. Veterans aged 20 through 24, those who have served during the war on terror. They had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age. (The suicide rate for non-veterans is 8.3 per 100,000, while the rate for veterans was found to be between 22.9 and 31.9 per 100,000.)
"Wow! Those are devastating," said Paul Sullivan, a former VA analyst who is now an advocate for veterans rights from the group Veterans For Common Sense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eye to Eye: Watch more of Keteyian's interview with Sullivan.
Read the Investigative Unit's Data and Methodology behind this story.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Those numbers clearly show an epidemic of mental health problems," he said.
“We are determined to decrease veteran suicides," Dr. Katz said.
“One hundred and twenty a week. Is that a problem?” Keteyian asked.
“You bet it’s a problem,” he said.
Is it an epidemic?
“Suicide in America is an epidemic, and that includes veterans,” Katz said.
Sen. Murray said the numbers CBS News uncovered are significant: “These statistics tell me we've really failed people that served our country."
Do these numbers serve as a wake-up call for this country?
“If these numbers don't wake up this country, nothing will,” she said. “We each have a responsibility to the men and women who serve us aren't lost when they come home."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An update: Another member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, responded to the CBS News story Tuesday.
“The report that the rate of suicide among veterans is double that of the general population is deeply troubling and simply unacceptable. I am especially concerned that so many young veterans appear to be taking their own lives. For too many veterans, returning home from battle does not bring an end to conflict. There is no question that action is needed."
© MMVII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Just a Rant...
I woke up this morning in a relatively good emotional space... with a Carlos Santana song running through my head, over my tongue out through my lips. Maxx had coffee brewing in the kitchen, ready to go as soon as I got up. The sky was blue with some clouds and it was a typical nice, warm, mid November day in Houston. Since I am not typically a morning person at all, and it's a Saturday, I took my time waking up. Hot coffee and a cigarette out on my back patio, watching the squirrels and the birds, the lizards and the bugs while listening to the sounds of my neighborhood waking up. That's my idea of a very good Saturday morning. The only thing better would be camping in the woods away from traffic noise, lawnmowers, and my neighbor's barking dogs. But hey, it's all good, right?
Then I remembered I had to go to the bank and make a deposit. No problem. So I got dressed, grabbed my check and purse and drove to the local Kroger grocery store where my bank is located. Piece of cake, right?
As soon as I walked into that store I was blasted with Christmas music. That's right, Christmas music! Everything all over the store was all about Christmas and it made me want to hurl. Halloween is barely over and Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, and they're playing Christmas music!
It doesn't help that I really do not like this time of year. Believe it or not, I am not the only person who feels this way. The "Holidays" are a time of high stress and anxiety for most of the people I know. For us, it is not a time of happy happy, joy joy feelings. It is not a time to look forward to and it is most certainly not a time of Peace and Good Will to Men. This time of year, for us, is a time when we are required to spend money we do not have to buy gifts we cannot afford. This year, especially, when we can expect to pay more to heat our homes and more for the food we eat because the price of fuel is going up, it is going to be a real challenge just to make ends meet. Already there are people who spend a large percentage of their monthly income just to get to and from work, eating into their monthly budget and taking away from what little they might have had at the end of the month to buy anything extra whatsoever.
Every year, the retail holiday season comes earlier and earlier. This year, it seems, the retailers are worried because shoppers have not spent as much throughout the year and they (the retailers) depend on the Christmas holiday to make most of their money. So they are starting early with their sales, their music, their big push to manipulate shoppers out of their money.
And that damned music... I suppose it's intended to make us feel cheerful and uplifted so we'll open our wallets and let those dollars go pouring out into the cash registers. But do they have to push it so hard so early? Do they really have to make our stress and anxiety last longer?
The bank teller took my deposit, asking how I was doing today... I'm sure I probably was snarling when I told her I didn't like the damn Christmas music... She gave me a funny look. Really, I'm normally quite a nice person.
Well, I came home to find my Santana CD to listen to. Haven't found it yet, it's here somewhere, I'm sure.
So much for peace on earth and goodwill to men (and womyn).
Peace,
Amy
Then I remembered I had to go to the bank and make a deposit. No problem. So I got dressed, grabbed my check and purse and drove to the local Kroger grocery store where my bank is located. Piece of cake, right?
As soon as I walked into that store I was blasted with Christmas music. That's right, Christmas music! Everything all over the store was all about Christmas and it made me want to hurl. Halloween is barely over and Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, and they're playing Christmas music!
It doesn't help that I really do not like this time of year. Believe it or not, I am not the only person who feels this way. The "Holidays" are a time of high stress and anxiety for most of the people I know. For us, it is not a time of happy happy, joy joy feelings. It is not a time to look forward to and it is most certainly not a time of Peace and Good Will to Men. This time of year, for us, is a time when we are required to spend money we do not have to buy gifts we cannot afford. This year, especially, when we can expect to pay more to heat our homes and more for the food we eat because the price of fuel is going up, it is going to be a real challenge just to make ends meet. Already there are people who spend a large percentage of their monthly income just to get to and from work, eating into their monthly budget and taking away from what little they might have had at the end of the month to buy anything extra whatsoever.
Every year, the retail holiday season comes earlier and earlier. This year, it seems, the retailers are worried because shoppers have not spent as much throughout the year and they (the retailers) depend on the Christmas holiday to make most of their money. So they are starting early with their sales, their music, their big push to manipulate shoppers out of their money.
And that damned music... I suppose it's intended to make us feel cheerful and uplifted so we'll open our wallets and let those dollars go pouring out into the cash registers. But do they have to push it so hard so early? Do they really have to make our stress and anxiety last longer?
The bank teller took my deposit, asking how I was doing today... I'm sure I probably was snarling when I told her I didn't like the damn Christmas music... She gave me a funny look. Really, I'm normally quite a nice person.
Well, I came home to find my Santana CD to listen to. Haven't found it yet, it's here somewhere, I'm sure.
So much for peace on earth and goodwill to men (and womyn).
Peace,
Amy
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Cheney Impeachment Resolution Sent to House Committee
From The Washington Post:
The House voted today to send a resolution considering the impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee, a move that embarrassed Democratic leaders who were forced into the parliamentary tactic to avoid a floor debate on impeachment.
Led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the long-shot anti-war candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, scores of Democrats were joined by scores of Republicans in initially supporting a Kucinich resolution that would have prompted a full debate on impeaching Cheney.
Democratic leaders long ago rejected any consideration of impeaching Cheney and President Bush as an irresponsible move supported only by the far left, so they tried today to table Kucinich's impeachment resolution. After initially having more than enough votes to kill the resolution - the "yea" tally to table impeachment topped out at 291 - Republicans decided they had a chance to politically shame Democrats into a full debate on the sensitive issue. Republicans gleefully said they wanted the debate to show the public how many Democrats would actually support impeaching Cheney, which they consider a move supported only by a fringe element of anti-war activists.
More than 120 members, predominantly Republicans, then switched their votes in favor of holding a one-hour debate on the issue, with a final vote of 251-162 supporting a debate on impeachment. Rather than allow a debate fraught with political risk, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) moved to send the Kucinich resolution to the Judiciary Committee, whose chairman, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), has publicly speculated about impeaching the president or vice president but has declined taking any action since taking the gavel in January.
Defusing any chance of an actual impeachment debate today, the House then voted 218-194 to send the motion to Conyers's committee, with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting the move.
Today's resolution from Kucinich (D-Ohio) was essentially the same as the legislation he introduced earlier this year, which included three articles of impeachment against Cheney based largely on allegations that he manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. The last article accuses Cheney of threatening "aggression" against Iran "absent any real threat."
"In all of this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Vice President, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of the people of the United States," Kucinich said on the floor today, reading his resolution. "Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office."
Kucinich, who had 22 co-sponsors for his articles of impeachment measure, predominantly members of the left leaning Out of Iraq Caucus, has been angry that Democratic leaders would not allow impeachment to be considered. He took to the floor today to offer his impeachment articles as a privileged resolution, which under the chamber rules can be offered by any member and must be considered within two days of its offering.
By Paul Kane | November 6, 2007; 4:55 PM ET
The House voted today to send a resolution considering the impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee, a move that embarrassed Democratic leaders who were forced into the parliamentary tactic to avoid a floor debate on impeachment.
Led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the long-shot anti-war candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, scores of Democrats were joined by scores of Republicans in initially supporting a Kucinich resolution that would have prompted a full debate on impeaching Cheney.
Democratic leaders long ago rejected any consideration of impeaching Cheney and President Bush as an irresponsible move supported only by the far left, so they tried today to table Kucinich's impeachment resolution. After initially having more than enough votes to kill the resolution - the "yea" tally to table impeachment topped out at 291 - Republicans decided they had a chance to politically shame Democrats into a full debate on the sensitive issue. Republicans gleefully said they wanted the debate to show the public how many Democrats would actually support impeaching Cheney, which they consider a move supported only by a fringe element of anti-war activists.
More than 120 members, predominantly Republicans, then switched their votes in favor of holding a one-hour debate on the issue, with a final vote of 251-162 supporting a debate on impeachment. Rather than allow a debate fraught with political risk, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) moved to send the Kucinich resolution to the Judiciary Committee, whose chairman, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), has publicly speculated about impeaching the president or vice president but has declined taking any action since taking the gavel in January.
Defusing any chance of an actual impeachment debate today, the House then voted 218-194 to send the motion to Conyers's committee, with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting the move.
Today's resolution from Kucinich (D-Ohio) was essentially the same as the legislation he introduced earlier this year, which included three articles of impeachment against Cheney based largely on allegations that he manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. The last article accuses Cheney of threatening "aggression" against Iran "absent any real threat."
"In all of this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Vice President, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of the people of the United States," Kucinich said on the floor today, reading his resolution. "Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office."
Kucinich, who had 22 co-sponsors for his articles of impeachment measure, predominantly members of the left leaning Out of Iraq Caucus, has been angry that Democratic leaders would not allow impeachment to be considered. He took to the floor today to offer his impeachment articles as a privileged resolution, which under the chamber rules can be offered by any member and must be considered within two days of its offering.
By Paul Kane | November 6, 2007; 4:55 PM ET
Kucinich: It's Time to Impeach Cheney
By Congressman Dennis Kucinich, special to www.ImpeachCheney.org
As a member of Congress, I have sworn an oath to defend the Constitution and the laws of our nation, and I have pledged to represent the views of my constituents and of all Americans.
That’s why I feel both duty and sorrow in pursuing the path of impeachment against Vice President Richard B. Cheney.
While the impeachment movement has generated intensely strong sentiment and activism, there have been only two polls published on the question of impeaching Vice President Cheney. In a national poll, 54 percent of Americans favored impeachment. In one state poll, 64 percent of Vermonters favored impeaching the Vice President.
Twenty-one of my colleagues have heeded the public demand and signed on as cosponsors of my resolution, H Res 333. Others in the Congress have claimed they have more important priorities, but have told their constituents they will keep their views in mind if the matter ever comes up for a vote.
Well, the issue is coming up for a vote this week on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the “distraction” will require members to balance their priorities between Constitutionally proscribed justice and recourse and the alternative: Constitutional abuse and dictatorial power.
Only by taking up impeachment can we reinstitute a balance of powers and slow down the rush to launch a new war of aggression against Iran.
I am urging my colleagues to recognize that impeachment will not create a crisis by briefly disrupting their schedules on Capitol Hill. The crisis, as Americans outside the Beltway know, is upon us. Congress, the first branch of our government, to which the first half of the Constitution is devoted, has been reduced to almost a bystander as the policies of the wealthiest nation and the largest military ever known are set in secret by the Vice President's office. Under Bush/Cheney, we
have bcome a nation that illegally threatens and launches aggressive wars for political – not national security -- reasons. For this crisis of confidence, this denial of our Constitutional beliefs and rights, impeachment is the only cure available.
I urge you, my fellow citizens, to share your sentiments with your Members of Congress and with your family, friends, and the news media in support regarding the rule of law and the imperative of impeaching a vice president who has misled both the public and the Congress about the gravest matters possible: war and peace. Please join with organizations like www.ImpeachCheney.org In making your voices heard as soon as possible! Every individual Member of Congress will have to decide within days where they stand.
On Tuesday, when I introduce my privileged resolution to force this issue to a vote, some other member of Congress will almost certainly move to table (kill) it. A Yes vote to table is a vote to delay the enforcement of the rule of law aside. A No vote to table is a vote to give impeachment a chance for a full and fair hearing. Please help me get this message out.
And, please help me sustain and expand YOUR platform on this and other issues by voting for me in Democracy for America's presidential poll: http://democracyforamerica.com/pulsepoll?c=6
Right now, before the primaries and the caucuses and February’s Super Tuesday, your vote – TODAY -- can change the tenor and direction of public debate by letting the other candidates, Congressional leaders, and political power-brokers know that some issues are too important to side-step, table, or ignore. You know what you believe and what you stand for.
Now, today, your vote may mean more than ever again.
Thank you for everything you are doing. Now is the moment to step forward, whatever the challenge or struggle. Now is the moment in which we must preserve and defend our Republic by using the tools that its authors provided. Tell your Congressional Representative what you think. Tell the nation – through Democracy for America -- what you believe. Let's save our pessimism for better times.
Peace,
Dennis
As a member of Congress, I have sworn an oath to defend the Constitution and the laws of our nation, and I have pledged to represent the views of my constituents and of all Americans.
That’s why I feel both duty and sorrow in pursuing the path of impeachment against Vice President Richard B. Cheney.
While the impeachment movement has generated intensely strong sentiment and activism, there have been only two polls published on the question of impeaching Vice President Cheney. In a national poll, 54 percent of Americans favored impeachment. In one state poll, 64 percent of Vermonters favored impeaching the Vice President.
Twenty-one of my colleagues have heeded the public demand and signed on as cosponsors of my resolution, H Res 333. Others in the Congress have claimed they have more important priorities, but have told their constituents they will keep their views in mind if the matter ever comes up for a vote.
Well, the issue is coming up for a vote this week on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the “distraction” will require members to balance their priorities between Constitutionally proscribed justice and recourse and the alternative: Constitutional abuse and dictatorial power.
Only by taking up impeachment can we reinstitute a balance of powers and slow down the rush to launch a new war of aggression against Iran.
I am urging my colleagues to recognize that impeachment will not create a crisis by briefly disrupting their schedules on Capitol Hill. The crisis, as Americans outside the Beltway know, is upon us. Congress, the first branch of our government, to which the first half of the Constitution is devoted, has been reduced to almost a bystander as the policies of the wealthiest nation and the largest military ever known are set in secret by the Vice President's office. Under Bush/Cheney, we
have bcome a nation that illegally threatens and launches aggressive wars for political – not national security -- reasons. For this crisis of confidence, this denial of our Constitutional beliefs and rights, impeachment is the only cure available.
I urge you, my fellow citizens, to share your sentiments with your Members of Congress and with your family, friends, and the news media in support regarding the rule of law and the imperative of impeaching a vice president who has misled both the public and the Congress about the gravest matters possible: war and peace. Please join with organizations like www.ImpeachCheney.org
On Tuesday, when I introduce my privileged resolution to force this issue to a vote, some other member of Congress will almost certainly move to table (kill) it. A Yes vote to table is a vote to delay the enforcement of the rule of law aside. A No vote to table is a vote to give impeachment a chance for a full and fair hearing. Please help me get this message out.
And, please help me sustain and expand YOUR platform on this and other issues by voting for me in Democracy for America's presidential poll: http://democracyforamerica.com/pulsepoll?c=6
Right now, before the primaries and the caucuses and February’s Super Tuesday, your vote – TODAY -- can change the tenor and direction of public debate by letting the other candidates, Congressional leaders, and political power-brokers know that some issues are too important to side-step, table, or ignore. You know what you believe and what you stand for.
Now, today, your vote may mean more than ever again.
Thank you for everything you are doing. Now is the moment to step forward, whatever the challenge or struggle. Now is the moment in which we must preserve and defend our Republic by using the tools that its authors provided. Tell your Congressional Representative what you think. Tell the nation – through Democracy for America -- what you believe. Let's save our pessimism for better times.
Peace,
Dennis
Monday, November 05, 2007
Being Green
I've been thinking a lot lately about what I can do to help Mother Earth, to cut back on my energy use and to make better use of the things I do use. Questions such as what's better to use at the grocery store, paper or plastic? I don't think either are really very good options, so how about making our own reusable bags to carry groceries in?
There are other things we can do, too. In our house, we try to recycle everything that we can possibly recycle. Most weeks, our recycling bin has more in it than our actual garbage can! Since we have a yard, we are able to keep our grass clippings and pine needles and put them in a compost pile, along with vegetable left overs (seedless, of course) and other things that will break down quickly when out in the elements. Rarely do I use any kind of pesticide -- the exception is those pesky fire ants. As a result, we have a nice little habitat for various creatures in our backyard and I feel good about that!
What about all that junk mail we get? All those credit card offers that constantly come in my mail box that I always shred? (oh, yeah, shredded paper can go in your recycle bin, too, BTW). Well, there is a website, www.idealbite.com, where you can find links to be taken off the mailing lists for all those pesky junk mail mailers you get and those credit card offers you do not want.
I work at home, so I feel good that I am not out using precious fossil fuels to get to and from work every day. This is saving me $$$ every month. Maxx carpools to and from work, which cuts our fuel bill by another half at least.
Turn the thermostat down in the winter, up in the summer. And use your ceiling fans to move the air around. Dress warmer or cooler. Open your windows on nice day for natural air.
Other ideas: Unplug those appliances that you only use once a day, like your coffee pot and your can opener. Leave your cell phone charger unplugged. Buy an old fashioned phone that has one of those long cords, but you do not have to plug into an electrical outlet (if you can find one...I've been looking). Unplug your microwave, your VCR, stereos and other things until you are ready to use them. Turn off your computer, monitor and printer at night and during the day when you are at work.
Many people are switching to fluorescent lighting. This is not an option for me or for a lot of other people because of health concerns. I'd love to hear ideas about other kinds of lighting that would be helpful in cutting my energy consumption.
I'd really love to hear from others about what they're doing.
Peace,
Amy
There are other things we can do, too. In our house, we try to recycle everything that we can possibly recycle. Most weeks, our recycling bin has more in it than our actual garbage can! Since we have a yard, we are able to keep our grass clippings and pine needles and put them in a compost pile, along with vegetable left overs (seedless, of course) and other things that will break down quickly when out in the elements. Rarely do I use any kind of pesticide -- the exception is those pesky fire ants. As a result, we have a nice little habitat for various creatures in our backyard and I feel good about that!
What about all that junk mail we get? All those credit card offers that constantly come in my mail box that I always shred? (oh, yeah, shredded paper can go in your recycle bin, too, BTW). Well, there is a website, www.idealbite.com, where you can find links to be taken off the mailing lists for all those pesky junk mail mailers you get and those credit card offers you do not want.
I work at home, so I feel good that I am not out using precious fossil fuels to get to and from work every day. This is saving me $$$ every month. Maxx carpools to and from work, which cuts our fuel bill by another half at least.
Turn the thermostat down in the winter, up in the summer. And use your ceiling fans to move the air around. Dress warmer or cooler. Open your windows on nice day for natural air.
Other ideas: Unplug those appliances that you only use once a day, like your coffee pot and your can opener. Leave your cell phone charger unplugged. Buy an old fashioned phone that has one of those long cords, but you do not have to plug into an electrical outlet (if you can find one...I've been looking). Unplug your microwave, your VCR, stereos and other things until you are ready to use them. Turn off your computer, monitor and printer at night and during the day when you are at work.
Many people are switching to fluorescent lighting. This is not an option for me or for a lot of other people because of health concerns. I'd love to hear ideas about other kinds of lighting that would be helpful in cutting my energy consumption.
I'd really love to hear from others about what they're doing.
Peace,
Amy
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Truth
My husband and I went camping over the weekend with a whole bunch of other people. It is a twice a year event and there is much merry-making, laughing, hugging, talking, sitting around the campfire and just generally enjoying the company of people we love, our family of choice. I think I can safely say a good time was had by all.
Sunday morning I had a long conversation with an old vet (I'll call him Bob -- not his real name). This man has been to war, he was in Afghanistan when Russia was there many years ago. Bob has two sons who are active duty in the Middle East. He cannot stand our current Prezident and is disgusted with the way the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been handled. On the other hand, Bob does think that we did the right thing by going into Iraq and taking Saddam out.
Now, ordinarily, I would argue with this man, but he has done his homework, he has done his research and he has had his boots on the ground for a very long time. He is not one of those sheeple who follows blindly, so I have some measure of respect for Bob and his opinions. While we disagreed quite sharply about many things, we agreed that we could only politely and respectfully disagree on others and still be friends. I like that.
One of the things that Bob was quite uninformed about, however, and felt very strongly about, was the people who protest at soldiers funerals. He was under the assumption that it is people in the peace movement who do this. I have NEVER heard of or known of anyone in the peace community who would protest a soldier's funeral. We are very PRO vet and soldier and their families. In fact, in many instances, it is the vets and their families, it is the families of the fallen soldiers who take a front row seat in the peace movement and its activities.
The group that protests at soldiers funerals are some really whacked out, fundamentalist Christian nut jobs who think that God is punishing America because of homosexuality and are glad to see the soldiers die because of it. I have no idea how they make this connection in their distorted little minds, but they do. And i have no idea how Bob and people like him could possibly connect this crazy whack job to the peace movement -- which is full of gay and lesbian people -- but he did.
Well, I quickly set Bob straight on that matter and when I got home, sent him links to the correct sources of information. I have yet to hear from him.
In the meantime, I learned this morning that the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas was sued by the family of a fallen soldier for picketing and protesting at their son's funeral last year. And they won $11 million! I say good for them! I'm glad they won and I hope other families do the same thing.
I know this isn't the most important news of the day. I do think, however, that the truth is an important thing.
In peace,
Amy
Sunday morning I had a long conversation with an old vet (I'll call him Bob -- not his real name). This man has been to war, he was in Afghanistan when Russia was there many years ago. Bob has two sons who are active duty in the Middle East. He cannot stand our current Prezident and is disgusted with the way the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been handled. On the other hand, Bob does think that we did the right thing by going into Iraq and taking Saddam out.
Now, ordinarily, I would argue with this man, but he has done his homework, he has done his research and he has had his boots on the ground for a very long time. He is not one of those sheeple who follows blindly, so I have some measure of respect for Bob and his opinions. While we disagreed quite sharply about many things, we agreed that we could only politely and respectfully disagree on others and still be friends. I like that.
One of the things that Bob was quite uninformed about, however, and felt very strongly about, was the people who protest at soldiers funerals. He was under the assumption that it is people in the peace movement who do this. I have NEVER heard of or known of anyone in the peace community who would protest a soldier's funeral. We are very PRO vet and soldier and their families. In fact, in many instances, it is the vets and their families, it is the families of the fallen soldiers who take a front row seat in the peace movement and its activities.
The group that protests at soldiers funerals are some really whacked out, fundamentalist Christian nut jobs who think that God is punishing America because of homosexuality and are glad to see the soldiers die because of it. I have no idea how they make this connection in their distorted little minds, but they do. And i have no idea how Bob and people like him could possibly connect this crazy whack job to the peace movement -- which is full of gay and lesbian people -- but he did.
Well, I quickly set Bob straight on that matter and when I got home, sent him links to the correct sources of information. I have yet to hear from him.
In the meantime, I learned this morning that the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas was sued by the family of a fallen soldier for picketing and protesting at their son's funeral last year. And they won $11 million! I say good for them! I'm glad they won and I hope other families do the same thing.
I know this isn't the most important news of the day. I do think, however, that the truth is an important thing.
In peace,
Amy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)