on ABC, seven dead soldiers' names released. Do we even care anymore?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

the youngest was 19. the oldest 34.

NINETEEN YEARS OLD, only to have your life, your future, your loves, your successes, your failures, your tears, your hugs, your hangovers, your family, your future - SNUFFED OUT FOREVER because of 934 lies.

A 34 yr old. What, who, and how many does he leave behind? Kids, a spouse, a lover, parents, siblings, and more.

As I sit here, reading, laughing, doing crosswords and typing cross words aimed at a few spinners of political lies, it strikes me that this reality sucks. Our media refuses to cover the occupation, although PBS honors our dead each evening, and ABC does so just once a week. Instead, we have Aruban criminal law classes from people who can't wait to show a missing, presumed dead, besotted blond bimbo on the air yet again. Speaking of bimbos and bimbettes, the media won't be satisfied until they drive poor Paris and Britney over the edge. While the earth's gene pool would drastically improve should that occur, I still have enough humanity to with both of them mental health, peace, quiet and to Please get out of the limelight forever.

How many stories do we have on those soldiers? Any retrospectives? Any family interviews? Any video or coverage of how the families cope with arcane DOD rules just so a surviving spouse can survive this winter without a financial disaster?

Nope, not a one.

Recently, in my rather red part of Illinois, we honored a guy who served FOUR FUCKING TOURS in Iraq. What the papers refused to say, and what the family is embarrassed to admit, he would have been sent for a 5th tour but for his debilitating PTSD and total mental breakdown. I wrote a short note to the family, warning them that the DOD might try to call his condition pre-existing, and what legal rights and actions he might have to protect himself. They thanked me and are taking the advice. Apparently, the assholes in the DOD are already making claims to have his signing bonus returned. Even more luckily, Dick Durbin is our senior senator. I suspect the DOD will not want to cross him.

When the MSM shapes, makes and kills news as it sees fit, it is of little surprise that we hear almost nothing about IRaq. An OLD STORY. NO LONGER INTERESTING. WE'VE MOVED ON. bullshit. We won't move on until we move out. Yet the self-censorship being practiced is not completely effective. In poll after poll, Iraqnam consistently remains #1 or #2 as a key issue in this election. The MSM should take note. So should Hillary.

[MichiganVote]

1. K&R

[tekisui]

2. The surge worked, this is background noise.

It is a tragedy that it gets swept under the rug. US soldiers are still killing and dying in this illegal war.

[lligrd]

3. If By "We" You Mean The Vast Majority Of Americans, No

If "we" don't see coffins, "we" don't get it. Rove knew that.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. that is so bloody sad, and so effing true.

nothing to see here, ergo, you can ignore it. THAT is a huge testament about the failure of today's journalists and MSM.

[spanone]

4. i didn't hear that 7 were killed this week...the media got the memo....no more war talk

[malaise]

16. Correct

It's unbelievable.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

17. sad, sadder, saddest.

[madokie]

6. I'm hoping Obama gets it

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. in a speach I heard from up north, yesteday or the day before,

he does. He mentioned it in some pretty strong terms.

I have not seen much from the Hillary camp on the occupation. I best look at her website.

[madokie]

14. My wife said it best when she said she would be voting for Obama because she thinks he is still

connected to the way of life we all have to live, paraphrasing here.

[uppityperson]

8. k&r.

[UpInArms]

9. what is phase 6?

Period	US	UK	Other*	Total	Avg	Days
6 	877	44	9	930	2.44	381
5 	933	32	20	985	2.39	412
4 	715	13	18	746	2.35	318
3 	580	25	27	632	2.93	216
2 	718	27	59	804	1.9	424
1 	140	33	 	173	4.02	43
Total	3963	174	133	4270	2.38	1794

Is that the phase where people just tune it all out?

:cry:

Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins

Tuesday, October 21, 2003; Page A23


Since the end of the Vietnam War, presidents have worried that their military actions would lose support once the public glimpsed the remains of U.S. soldiers arriving at air bases in flag-draped caskets.

To this problem, the Bush administration has found a simple solution: It has ended the public dissemination of such images by banning news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases.

In March, on the eve of the Iraq war, a directive arrived from the Pentagon at U.S. military bases. "There will be no arrival ceremonies for, or media coverage of, deceased military personnel returning to or departing from Ramstein airbase or Dover base, to include interim stops," the Defense Department said, referring to the major ports for the returning remains.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said the military-wide policy actually dates from about November 2000 -- the last days of the Clinton administration -- but it apparently went unheeded and unenforced, as images of caskets returning from the Afghanistan war appeared on television broadcasts and in newspapers until early this year. Though Dover Air Force Base, which has the military's largest mortuary, has had restrictions for 12 years, others "may not have been familiar with the policy," the spokeswoman said. This year, "we've really tried to enforce it."

President Bush's opponents say he is trying to keep the spotlight off the fatalities in Iraq. "This administration manipulates information and takes great care to manage events, and sometimes that goes too far," said Joe Lockhart, who as White House press secretary joined President Bill Clinton at several ceremonies for returning remains. "For them to sit there and make a political decision because this hurts them politically -- I'm outraged."

...more...

[frogcycle]

10. your point is well taken

I recently added a feature to Zeitlangers - an index by state. It was an eye-opener. While the number 3963 seems - and is - large, there are large portions of the country where the war has barely touched anyone.

e.g.:
Rhode Island: 12
Montana: 24
Vermont: 20
Wyoming: 13

and of course the states with the big numbers

Texas: 395
California: 476
New York: 198
Pennsylvania: 198
Florida: 198

have big cities where deaths due to crime and traffic probably get just as much attention


I DO notice that when someone from the less-populous areas dies, the local press pays a lot more attention. In places like Kansas and Missouri there are a lot more links available than, say when someone from the Bronx dies.

There was a story a few days ago about a soldier who died in a military hospital in Kentucky from an accidental overdose - he was there because of debilitating migraines from severe brain injury due to proximity to an explosion (not a scratch on him). He was given yet-another prescription, took it, went into a coma, and stayed in a coma for TWO FULL DAYS, not showing up for roll call, not showing up for meals.

They found him dead on the third day when his frantic wife insisted they enter his room because he was not returning phone calls.


I came across a website launched by a family to try to get better handling of corpses. Their son's body had been shipped without the usual refrigeration. The funeral director told them it had to be "closed coffin" due to condition. They go into pretty graphic detail. They are trying to get the army to set up facilities to do preliminary embalming in Iraq - but the army says that would cost too much.

Neither of these, not the thousands of other horror stories, get national press. None. Nada.

The appalling increase in suicides has been mumbled about once or twice.

Now I have to go add two more to Zeitlangers.

ps: some of the heaviest-usage visitors to Zeitlangers come from ".mil" domains. What does that tell you?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. that those with .mil addresses don't trust their

leadership to tell the the truth, and that they need to find out about their friends, buddies, and those who used to watch their backs.

[LWolf]

12. I do.

I wouldn't want my concern to get in the way of the primary adrenaline rush, Heidi Klum's effort to reach out to Britney Spears, or the latest adulation for Uno the beagle, though.

:sarcasm:

[KG]

13. with the general election approaching, both parties are doing their best to pretend there isn't a

war going.

[MiniMe]

15. I care. But I have become a little numb to it. When you hear it every day

it ceases to become shocking news. I sure makes a big difference to the families involved.

[AlCzervik]

18. i watch newshour on PBS, they do it nightly---sadly.

[w8liftinglady]

19. I care-my 126th ltte-to be printed Tuesday

As the Nation focuses on its' crumbling economy,the War in Iraq and Afghanistan goes on,virtually forgotten.The death count is up to 3960 troops in Iraq,766 troop deaths in Afghanistan.39,298 troops wounded in Iraq were unable to return to service,as were 7,552 troops in Afghanistan.As the Republican candidates stump for more war,let's review how our grateful nation has thanked those who gave all for our freedom:

-Members of the 10th Mountain Division,out of Ft.Drum,New York,have served a total of 40 months in Iraq thanks to multiple deployments and "stop-loss".With each deployment,the soldiers become 5 times more likely to be killed,and 4 times more likely to be wounded.The exposure to high-intensity combat,combined with extended tours and little time between deployments has left these soldiers at risk for PTSD.Despite this,mental health resources and post-deployment resources have been horribly lacking.Combine this with a recent memo leaked in which the Army instructed the Department of Veterans Affairs last March to stop helping soldiers there with their disability claims.At first, the Army surgeon general, Eric B. Schoomaker, denied that the Army had told Veterans Affairs to do so. But after National Public Radio reported on a memorandum from the March meeting in Buffalo in which a colonel was quoted as directing Veterans Affairs to discontinue counseling, the surgeon general apologized for his denial and said it was based on a “miscommunication.”

-Although the Veterans for America began reporting on the high suicide rate of Iraq war veterans in 2004,little attention is paid to this fact even today.Recent Army figures indicate that 2,100 soldiers attempted suicide in 2007.This number doesn't begin to incorporate the number of soldiers who are committing slow suicide via substance abuse and risk-taking behaviors that define PTSD.

-Reservists in the Army and Marine Corps have paid a particularly heavy price.Their multiple deployments have left heavy financial burdens on their families,increasing the risk for PTSD,suicide,and divorce.When a Reservist is deployed for 180 days or more,the family is entitled to all military benefits,such as housing allotment,military ID card and health care.However,should the Reservist serve 179 days,they are not entitles to these benefits.If a soldier is activated 22 months,specifically 730 days,the soldier is entitled to the full GI bill.There have been several instances where orders have been written for 729 days,thus eliminating these benefits.The Minnesota National Guard is currently in litigation over this very thing.71,000 Reservists and Guard members are currently deployed in a War Zone.

How many Daily Light readers have sacrificed for this war?What have you or your family done without?How many of your family members are serving in a war zone?How many of you have sons or daughters who COULD be serving?Do you support this war?Choose what you will sacrifice,which of your children or grandchildren you will send.Your leaders have chosen to treat its' defenders like toy soldiers,easily cast away when their use becomes "boring".Support our troops-elect a leader who will end this insanity and treat our troops with the respect their valor deserves.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

20. I doff me hat, & bow deeply to w8liftinglady. What a great letter.

[Disturbed]

21. Sadly, the dying & suffering of many will continue for many

years in Iraq & Afghanistan.

[personman]

22. and what of the dead Iraqis? Did we EVER care?

Where is that list of people? Are those families any less affected by loss?
The war was brought to them, they didn't choose it.

We forget the Iraqis and mourn their aggressors.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

23. occupiers rarely get charged with war crimes, no matter how

vile he actions.

the AMA, the brits and the UN pretty much agree that we took a poor, but living country and killed it. along with a million of their finest, youngest, and best.