Bay Area post

I am at C.I.'s for the week starting today and I knew the house had to be big because Jim and Dona have a room, Jess and Ava have a room and Ty and his boyfriend have a room. And I knew there were still empty bedrooms.

I hope it's okay to put in what I'm about to. Elaine told me this. C.I. bought this 'house' years and years ago. Before a family, before marriage. Just because of where it was located (and supposedly a "steal" back then) and the view. For years, C.I. didn't even live it in. I know C.I. has other homes but I would live here full time if I owned it. This is incredible home. C.I.'s housekeeper gave me the tour because I arrived first and Jess, Jim, Dona and Ty's boyfriend were out. (Ty was at work.) (And let me be clear, that I told Dona what time I was landing in EST, my time. I forgot the time change. So they were planning to meet me at the airport three hours after I landed.) I couldn't get anyone on their cell except Ty who said he'd come get me right away and I told him I could take a cab so not to worry.)

So I was here early and it was all kind of imposing. It was no less imposing after seeing the home, the pool house, what used to be the guest house (C.I.'s housekeeper and her sister live there) and what I'll jokingly call the "yard." Try the "grounds." I feel like I'm a guest star on Dynasty! :D

And, yes, C.I.'s "computer desk" (in the bedroom) really is that table from The Charlie Rose Show (as Ava and C.I. frequently joke in their TV commentaries -- but C.I.'s mahogany and not the tack wood thing Charlie's looks like). Participating at Third, I'm used to someone hollering they're going to the library and coming back with whatever book or periodical. Even so, I was not prepared for the library. There are book stores with less books. And there are bookcases in all the rooms. The room I'm staying in is very nice but . . .

But's not a complaint. But's C.I. knows my favorite color, I mentioned it years ago in an e-mail. So -- just for my week -- the drapes, the sheets, everything that's cloth is in my favorite color. C.I.'s stocked the bookcase in there with my favorite authors. I know C.I.'s organized and highly efficient. But I also know C.I.'s on the road all the time, every week (they'll be semi on the road next week, Ava and C.I.) and just to have thought about that and asked that it be done -- or even remembered my favorite color! -- just really surprised me.

I also know that the house keeper and her sister are not considered 'help,' they're considered family. So I just stayed in the bedroom unpacking because I didn't want to be in the way. And I'm calling the housekeeper X and her sister Z while I'm here. I know C.I.'s opinion is that they are private people and their names shouldn't be blogged. In the newsletter's it's different (and Z does a column for Maria, Francisco and Miguel's El Spirito). But if X wasn't checking on me, Z was. They really are sweet. I thought I was going in the closet and I was in a bathroom. With a tub I could live in. Ty came home for lunch and did that just because he couldn't get a hold of Dona, Jess, Jim or his boyfriend. And Ty was so funny. He said, "You're not a prisoner, you can leave your room." But I did feel weird because it's C.I.'s home and C.I.'s not there. Ty said, "C.I. will be here around nine o'clock tonight. Are you going to stay in here until then?" So we had lunch outside and it was so shady and breezy that it was hard to believe it was summer. (Ty was complaining about the heat and I laughed and told him he'd been away from the East Coast too long.) Dona and Jim got back and were shocked I was already there. So they asked me if I wanted to see the Bay Area or hang out at the house or what? Jess and Ty's boyfriend were going to be picking up Mike, Elaine and Ruth who were flying in together. And they were at the law library doing some research for one of Jess' classes. Which is why they didn't answer. Jim's cell was dead and Dona had grabbed the wrong purse.

I was honestly a little tired so Dona said we'd suit up and hang out by the pool and Jim was going to take off in a bit to go to a farmer's market. I would have loved to have gone along but I was tired. So Dona and I just hung out at the pool and talked more than we got in. (I do know how to swim.) So then everyone started arriving later and Dona told me there's almost always a party at C.I.'s so we could hang out there or if I wanted, we could go out to eat dinner. I don't know if it's the size of C.I.'s home or what but I am feeling a little overwhelmed. Dona caught on to that and said, "Come on, we're going to the music room." I love that room! There's a piano, guitars, drums, keyboard, bass guitar, you name it. And there are vinyl album covers on the walls. I was so much less intimidate in that room. And I could have gone through C.I.'s sheet music forever. I did take piano for a few years so I was asking Dona, "Would C.I. mind if I played the piano" when I found some sheet music that I had wanted back when I was taking piano lessons. (I was also in band, I played a wind instrument) but my teacher was no-no soul music. Dona said not to be silly, and to play. So that was fun for me, I'm sure it was boring for her. And then we just relaxed and it's a room you can really relax in.

To be honest, my thought was, if I was C.I., I wouldn't have spent all those weeks on the road talking about Iraq. I mean C.I.'s been traveling and speaking out against the illegal war since Feb. 2003. I would just be here. I'd be out by the pool or at the piano or just relaxing. Dona laughed and said that's why Kat will stay over but not move in. She thinks she'd never leave. C.I.'s offered before -- when Kat was having some problems at her place -- but Kat says she would never leave. I can understand that. Dona told me, "If you break something, don't worry. Just let someone know." She said she lived in fear for the longest that she was going to break something and was so glad it was Jim. It was a plate or something and C.I. said, "That plate's going to fall." And it did. Dona said she was on pins and needles for about four weeks until that happened. And I can see why, it's such a huge and imposing home.

I don't want to say that it's not a welcoming home. I'm not trying to say that. But I was expecting it to be fairly big. I wasn't expecting it to be this big. Dona said she felt the same way and took me into C.I.'s room, into C.I.'s huge, HUGE walk-in closet and showed me a chart. She said, she was responsible for a rug burn in the carpet in her and Jim's room and she told C.I. and she (Dona) was freaking out. C.I. finally showed her the chart. That chart says when carpet gets put into each room, when each room gets painted, etc. C.I. told her not to worry and reminded that "my kids lived here, I know things happen, it's not a big deal." But that chart exists so that everything's taken care of and rotated. Elaine, when she got here, was teasing me. She said, "Let me show you the good china." So we went to look at that and I thought it was nice china. Elaine said, "Those are actually the every day dishes. Now let me show the good china." Five sets later, I finally saw the good china which is hardly ever used. Elaine says once a year and on a really special occasion. Elaine said the point was, if I'm worried I'm going to break something, keep in mind that what I'm oohing and awwing over is the every day stuff. That did help me calm down. I joksed I was thinking I'd have to ask where the tupper ware dishes were because I was sure I'd break something. Elaine also told me if it wasn't for the housekeeper and Jim, Dona, Ty, Ty's boyfriend, Jess and Ava also living here, C.I. would probably have sold the place because it is so huge and C.I.'s never home.

I should probably explain that Elaine has a very nice penthouse and the first time I was there, I was freaking out. We'd run over from Mike's to get something. She'd forgotten something she needed (I believe a dress), and it's a bit of drive, so she asked me if I'd mind tagging along?

Elaine has wonderful taste and a very 'comfortable' (her word) penthouse. And when she opened the door and stepped in, I half-joked, "Should I take off my shoes?" Just from the doorway, I was intimidated. So she knew my mind was going to be blown when I saw C.I.'s home. And if you're not getting it, the 'computer' table C.I. uses it a very large antique dining table. You should see the actual dining table.

I can understand now why Elaine said, I think this was in 2006 -- and she blogged about it at her site -- that she'd stepped in and told C.I. no more donating to every one who asked. The upkeep on this house and the grounds (not to mention the taxes) are probably huge. Elaine explained that they were in the Bay Area, while they were still in college, and C.I. had seen the house and just had this intense reaction to it. It wasn't for sale then. And, I think everyone knows this story from Elaine, by the time the war ended, C.I. had given away all the money inherited. To causes and for issues and for that day's panhandle media. But Elaine brought that up and pointed out that C.I. didn't give it a second thought (and luckily made a ton of money -- C.I. is a hard worker but, as Rebecca's pointed out, C.I.'s also got some instinctive thing going on when it comes to the stock market).
So after one tough year, C.I. was back to building up a small fortune and they were visiting a friend out here when the family that owned this property put it up for sale. It was 'reasonable' (yeah, right) and C.I. bought it. But did not live in it for a few years. Then, when C.I. got married, it became the home.

A few weeks ago, Rebecca shared a story at her site that C.I.'s son asked Rebecca to share. It was a really nice story and I won't push my luck by going into it too much. But the short version is, C.I. arrives home one day to hear the kids but not see them. C.I. finds out that their father said "sure" when they told him they usually played on the roof and everyone else let their kids play on the roof. And the point of the story, was C.I.'s son bragging about how C.I. didn't lose her cool, just said, "You go tell them to get down. If I tell them to and someone falls off that roof, I'm not doing it. You tell them." And it's a funny story (that I've scraped a ton of details off) but when you see how high that roof is . . . I can't believe C.I. didn't freak out. (I'm sure she did. But I'm sure she played it cool.)

Okay, Ruth said she was going to blog and everyone that's here already said, "Okay, me too!" So we're trying to knock that out. Betty and her kids are flying in with Rebecca, Kat, Ava and C.I. so they should be here shortly.

Remember, Friday's are my light post days. So let's turn to politics to note the only candidate who can end the illegal war.

From Team Nader:

Help Fuel Ralph’s Tour of the South and West

Posted by The Nader Team on Friday, July 25, 2008 at 03:13:00 PM

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We need gas money.

Why?

Starting today, Ralph Nader is on the road again.

This time campaigning through the South and then out West.

Over the next two weeks, Ralph will be in South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Utah and up and down California.

His VP, Matt Gonazalez, will be joining Ralph on the campaign trail starting in Texas.

Check out the schedule below.

If you are in the neighborhood, come on out to hear and meet Ralph and Matt.

With both Obama and McCain saber rattling over Iran, the Nader/Gonzalez message of peace through justice is now more important than ever.

If your friends or relatives in the neighborhood, give them a shout and let them know.

But right now, we need gas money to fuel Ralph's South and West Coast Tour.

We've rented a car.

Gas prices are high.

And Ralph is on the move.

So, please donate whatever you can now to fill up our tank.

You can give up to $4,600.

But $500, $100, $50 - whatever you can donate is what we need.

Help us fill 'er up.

So we can get 'er done.

Onward.

The Nader Team

Ralph Nader's Tour of the South and West

Friday July 25, 2008 5:30 p.m.
Athens, Georgia
Nader for President 2008 Rally
University of Georgia, Georgia Center- “Masters Hall”
1127 South Lumpkin St. Athens, GA 30602
Contribution- $10/ $5 student
(404) 446-7093 or events@votenader.org

Friday July 25, 2008 8 p.m.
Atlanta, Georgia
Evening with Ralph
Suggested Contribution $100 min
RSVP (202) 471-5833

Saturday July 26, 2008, 6 p.m.
Jackson, Mississippi
Book Signing/ Speech
Lemuria Bookstore
202 Banner Hall- I-55 North Jackson, MS 39206
(601) 842-6769 or events@votenader.org

Saturday July 26, 2008 8:00 p.m.
Jackson, Mississippi
Evening with Ralph Nader
RSVP (202) 471-5833
Suggested Contribution $50

Sunday July 27, 2008 2:00 p.m.
Houston, Texas
Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez
Hilton University of Houston
4800 Calhoun Suite 207, Houston, TX77204
Contribution- $10/$5 student
(202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org

Sunday July 27, 2008 7:30 p.m.
Austin, Texas
Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez
Trinity United Methodist Church
600 East 50th St. Austin, TX 78751
Contribution $10/$5 student
(202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org

Thursday July 31, 2008 7:30pm
Salt Lake City, Utah
Nader for President 2008 Rally w/ Rocky Anderson
Libby Gardner Concert Hall
1375 E President Circle, Salt Lake UT
Contribution-$10/ $5 students
(801) 916-6307 or ashley@votenader.rog

Saturday, August 2, 2008, 8:00 p.m.
Davis, California
Nader for President 2008 Speech
Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez
Varsity Theater
616 Second Street
Davis, CA 95616
Contribution: $10/ $5 students
(202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org

Sunday August 3, 1:30 p.m.
Sebastopol, California
Nader for President Speech
Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez
Sebastopol Community Center
390 Morris St., Sebastopol, California 95472
Contribution: $10/ $5 students
(202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org

August 3, 2008, 4:30pm
Healdsburg, California
Nader for President Speech
Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez
Copperfield's books
104 Matheson St., Healdsburg, California 95448
Contribution: $10/ $5 students
(202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org

August 3, 7:30 p.m.
Kentfield, California
Nader for President 2008 Speech in Marin
Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez
College of Marin- Olney Hall
835 College Ave., Kentfield, California
Contribution: $10/ $5 students
More Info: (415) 897-6989 or events@votenader.org

PS: We invite your comments to the blog.

Your contribution could be doubled. Public campaign financing may match your contribution total up to $250.

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---

Those are a ton of dates. And Cedric just got here. I had to stop to go give him a hug. This is going to be a fun week.

Okay, I've mentioned:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
and Marcia SICKOFITRDLZ.


Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Friday, July 25, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, Congressional hearings, BonusGate and more. Starting with war resistance. "When we arrived Al Assad, this was April or the beginning of May 2003," declared Camilo Mejia, "and this is the very beginning of the occupation and this is when we were being told that we had to keep people on sleep deprivation, to psychological torture; the orders came from way up top. Actually the people who were in charge of running these camps were ghost agents, you know, working for the US government. And when the Abu Ghraib scandal came out they tried to tell the American public that, you know, this was an isolated event that had only began in November or December of 2003. And that it was the result of a few people, you know, who one day woke up and, you know, they were evil, when -- in reality, you know from -- from my experience, I can tell you that this was actually something that was coming from the very top and that happened from the very beginning and that it was not isolated to Abu Ghraib but that was happening elsewhere in Iraq from the very beginning of the occupation." Mejia was speaking on PBS two weekends ago and he continued, "Well in the military, we have what is called spooks. And these are people who are highly trained in counterinsurgency. They're highly trained in linguistics and interrogation and weapons systems and things like that. And they don't wear name tags. They don't wear Unit ID badges or anything like that. They . . . [use] pseudonyms and you know they don't respond to anybody in uniform. They -- they basically take their orders from -- from the very top. And they're -- they're untraceable and -- and obviously, you know, they can conduct themselves with absolute impunity. These were people who were giving the commands when we were there -- not our commanders, not the people who belonged to any unit, you know, but basically people with top secret clearance and, you know, who would never be held accountable for any of the things that happened." The PBS program was Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal and Ava and I wrote about that appearance two weeks ago. (And have heard the complaints re: streaming, transcripts, DVDs, et al and we will be noting that in Sunday's TV commentary. But anyone using that link will quickly realize that they can't watch online.) When we noted it previously, we focused on Camilo's rejection of the illegal war. Camilo tell his story in Road to Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia and he is also the chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War. In terms of his place in the resistance of the Iraq War, he was the first Iraq War veteran to publicy oppose the illegal war. As noted earlier this week, "The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), an international human rights organization based in Cambridge, Mass., will be hosting a series of training sessions and workshops at the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association to be held from Wednesday, June 24 to Sunday, June 29, at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida." Mejia will be a speaker on June 25th as well as on June 28th. More information can be found here." Though Meija never went Canada during his resisting while in the military, he has been a very vocal supporter and has joined many in calling on the Canadian government to grant safe harbor to US war resisters in Canada. To pressure the Stephen Harper government to honor the House of Commons vote, Gerry Condon, War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist all encourage contacting the Diane Finley (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration -- 613.996.4974, phone; 613.996.9749, fax; e-mail finley.d@parl.gc.ca -- that's "finley.d" at "parl.gc.ca") and Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, 613.992.4211, phone; 613.941.6900, fax; e-mail pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's "pm" at "pm.gc.ca"). Courage to Resist collected more than 10,000 letters to send before the vote. Now they've started a new letter you can use online here. The War Resisters Support Campaign's petition can be found here. Long expulsion does not change the need for action and the War Resisters Support Campaign explains: "The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on supporters across Canada to urgently continue to put pressure on the minority conservative government to immediately cease deportation proceedings against other US war resisters and to respect the will of Canadians and their elected representatives by implementing the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3rd. Please see the take action page for what you can do." There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Andrei Hurancyk, Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste, Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum. Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma). On Wednesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing entitled "VA's Response to the Needs of Returning Guard and Reserve Members" and the most interesting exchange took place at the end of the second panel in the last thirty minutes. The second panel was made up of Dr. Joseph Scotti (West Virginia University), Col Bradley Livinsgton (Director of the Joint Staff, Joint Force Headquarters, Montana National Guard), Lt Col John Boyd (Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Vermont Army National Guard), Sgt Roy Meredith (Team Leader Maryland Army National Guard) and Maj Cynthia Ramussen (RN, MSN, CANP Combat Stress Officer Sexual Assualt Response Coordinator 88th Regional Readiness Command). Senator Jay Rockefeller: My first question would appear to be hostile but it's not. Why is it that everybody, but Dr. Scotti, had to say "I'm speaking personally not on behalf of the Reserve, the Guard or the Department of Defense? I really want to know that. Does that mean that they're afraid that you might tell the truth? Does that mean that they are embarrassed by what you might say because their culture is "everything always works and it always works right"? I'd like to know why you have to say that? Col Bradley Livingston: Sir I might be able to address that because my testimony -- Sen Jay Rockefeller: You can't correct it because you said it -- Col Bradley Livingston: (Overlapping) Correct -- Sen Jay Rockefeller: you can explain it. Col Bradley Livingston: Okay, I can explain it then. My testimony had not been vetted through DoD and so I -- Sen Jay Rockefeller: Well Isn't that a very good thing? Col Bradley Livingston: Sir, . . . I was instructed that my testimony had to have that statement put on it, sir. At "I was instucted," everyone burst into laughter including Livingston. Sen Jay Rockefeller: You see, I can understand that I'm -- I've got so many questions, I don't even know where to begin. I can understand that if you're from the Department of Transportation. If you come back from the kind of experiences that you've all come back from your testimony, Major Rasmussen, probably was the best I've ever heard here and I've been on this committee for 24 years. I -- it just -- it just breeds a sense of suspicion. Not at you but in them. They got to be "right." You didn't vet it with them. Therefore, you're dangerous. You're telling the truth, you're telling the truth like few people ever do before this committee. One of the -- one of the problems in fact is that when -- when the VA and other people come before this committee we know that everything they've said has been vetted. So there's no real reason for us to listen particularly careful to them because we know that it's not necessarily what they think. You're telling us what you think. And therefore, you're real. You really help us. This is superb help to us just at the time that the whole care of veterans has become -- along with global warming -- one of the two top issues for the entire Congress because it's like we've suddenly rediscovered you. Our own guilt, our own mistake, regardless of political party or anything else going back over many years. And there are reasons for that but I won't go into them. It annoys me that you have to say that because it implies that if you didn't, you'd get in trouble. And that makes me angry. We'll come back to the second panel but Les Blumenthal (McClatchy Newspapers) reported on the first panel when the committee learned that the VA "failed to send benefit packages to nearly 37,000 National Guard and Reserve members" who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars which had Senator Patty Murray pointing out, "While the VA has targeted outreach programs in place to help service members, we still miss far too many veterans who need help and aren't aware of the services and benefits they have earned." You may remember Iraq Veterans Against the War Winter Soldier Investigation in March. From the March 17th snapshot: The panel on The Crisis in Veterans' Healthcare followed. Adrienne Kinee spoke on that panel and a correction to Friday's snapshot: Kinne did not state that, "The best preventative healthcare . . . for our soldiers in uniform is to not use them to fight illegal wars"; she stated, "The best prevantative healthcare . . . for our soldiers in uniform is to not use them to fight illegal occupations in the first place." Kinne testified about serving in the military, discharging in 1998 and then enlisting again and discharging during the Iraq War. The differences she saw were immense. The first time she left the US military, she found a great deal of help and resources, people helped her with her paperwork, they advised her of her benefits and assisted her in a smoother transition to civilian life. By contrast, when she discharged during the Iraq War, she was provided no help, no assistance and something as simple as having a physical would require that she live on a base for four to six more weeks before the military would discharge her. There was no attempt made to explain the benefits available to veterans. For any who missed Iraq Veterans Against the War Winter Soldier Investigation -- which was broadcast live at IVAW's site, at War Comes Home, at KPFK, at the Pacifica Radio homepage and at KPFA -- you can find archives at IVAW, War Comes Home and -- via KPFA -- here for Friday, here for Saturday, here for Sunday. Aimee Allison (co-host of the station's The Morning Show and co-author with David Solnit of Army Of None) and Aaron Glantz anchored Pacifica's live coverage. But the point is, Congress keeps getting the same song and dance and the first panel was indicative of that. It's a problem Senator Murray has noted. On Tuesday (link has text and video), she took to the Senate floor to address the issue of the suicide rates of troops and veterans: Earlier this month, we lost a young man in my home state of Washington just hours after he sought care at the Spokane VA hospital. He was the sixth veteran in that community to take his own life this year. Now, the Spokane VA is investigating all six of those cases. I have also spoken to Secretary Peake. He has assured me that his team is also on the ground, taking a hard look to see what went wrong and what they can learn from the situation. [. . .] More than five years later, we should have the resources to treat the psychological wounds of war as well as we do the physical ones. But we don't. It is the duty of the VA and of a grateful nation to be prepared to care for their unique wounds. And in order to do that, we need strong leadership and attention to detail in Washington, D.C., Spokane, Washington, and everywhere in between. At the end of the day, this isn't about bureaucracy or protecting turf, it's about saving lives. We must make it a national priority to address this tragedy. 1-800-873-TALK is the VA's suicide prevention hotline, 24 hours. That was Tuesday. Back to Wednesday. "The military is a culture of its own," Maj Cynthia Rasmussen explained in her opening testimony. (Click here for prepared remarks but that's nothing like what she delivered in her stated opening remarks.) Sen Rockefeller would single her out for praise and we'll note a portion of her opening testimony (again, it will not match up with the prepared remarks submitted prior to the hearing). Maj Cynthia Rasmussen: Multiple competing tasks when a service member gets home cause confusion. We don't know how to think that way. We know how to be mission oriented. We receive an op order it tells us who, what, when, where, why and how -- basically. We don't get op orders when we get home five days after when we take the uniform off. Owen Rice -- who is a Hennepin County sherrif deputy in Hennepin County Jail has been to Iraq, Traumatic Brain Injury in Iraq -- says, "Ma'am it's like this: One person talks in the military and everyone else listens; when you get home: everyone talks, everyone listens and nobody hears." What I hear from soldiers across the country -- service members across the country: "Ma'am, it's too chaotic here. Please send me back where I know how to survive, I know how to function, I know how to do that." [. . .] Emotions and anger. In war, we control our emotions. Obviously, you would not want your warrior having their emotions out in the open anywhere. Plus we cannot accomplish a mission if we have different emotions going on. We numb out. Anger is useful. Anger is not only useful, anger is an awesome emotion. We want anger, we like anger we encourage it. Because it's the fight/flight response. It makes your body, your mind and everything about you be the best that you can be and accomplish the mission you need to accomplish. We encourage it, we live that way, we like to live that way. But guess what? When you take the uniform off, that anger that you've learned in practice and felt good about does not go away. It looks like this: Not talking about your emotions and being angry in war is a strength. It only leads to you can't talk about your emtions at home which is considered a weakness. We look insensitive to others when we get home. It's not that we're insensitive, it's that we have not practiced those emotions for a long time. Emotions take practice. We have a decreased ability to read other's emotions -- not because we don't care, not because we're cold hearted warriors, but because we haven't practiced that for a long time. This can lead to increased irritability and defensiveness because if you're spouse, you're mom, dad or someone accuses you of not caring anymore and not showing emotions. We're not going to say, 'Oh, yes, you're right thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry I was unable to articulate that.' We're going to say, 'What are you talking about? That's not true.' We're going to get defensive -- as all of us would if someone siad that to us. It leads to increased alcohol and drug use to cover up our emotions. You know why? Not because we're warriors and we learned to do that. It is more socially acceptable in our society to go to the bar and have a few drinks or to sit home and slam down a case of beer with your friends or buddies then it is to raise your hand and say "I need help. I need medication. I need to talk to someone" -- not just in the military but across the board. In our program we work with all branches of the service and many VA and civilian organizations across the country. Despite this amazing comprehensive program, service members and families are still falling through the cracks. I had the honor and opportunity to speak to 150 Purple Heart National Service Officers at their training in Phoenix a few months ago. I received this note, handwritten, put it in my pocket and went back to my hotel room. And it read: "Ma'am, for the last three years I've been treated for PTSD by doctors, nurses and others that have no clue over what is being a soldier and have this feeling inside," this is a quote by the way, "I can't thank you enough for coming today. In the last two hours, you have done what nobody could have done: You make me feel normal again. That is a feeling that I thought I would never feel again since I was discharged from the army. Thank you and God bless." This was an Operation Iraqi vet from Puerto Rico, approximately 24-years-old. One final point I want to make. Not all issues with service members are about PTSD. We need to deal with the combat stress, the operational stress, those things I just talked to that are normal habits for all service members. When I spoke to the Purple Heart receipiants, a WWII vet raised his hand and started sobbing and said, "Where were you when I came home?" I had a Korean wife say to me last weekend, Battle Creek VA, if you had been around 40 years ago I would not be divorced from my husband who is a Korean vet because now I understand why we had all the problems we had. This isn't PTSD. This is a warrior taking his uniform off and trying to come home. We have operational stress, we have grief issues, we have lost a year or more in whatever life it was we thought we were going to have. We have depression, we have anger issues, we have PTSD, we have all king of issues. Please, please, please stop just calling it PTSD, I want to be called a combat vet coming home with some issues. Thank you. Wednesday's snapshot covered Tuesday's House Armed Services Committee's Military Personnel Subcommittee hearing. Dana Milbank (Washington Post) covered it in depth (and was noted in that day's snapshot) Talk Radio News Service provided a summary of the main points and that was it from the press. Today the New York Times makes that hearing their lead editorial (A18), entitled "Wounded Warriors, Empty Promises" and describes it as "the latest low moment for Army brass". From the editorial: Under skepitcal questioning during a hearing in February, Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army surgeon general, told the subcomittee that "for all intents and pruposes, we are entirely staffed at the point we need to be staffed." He also said: "The Army's unwavering commitment and a key element of our warrior ethos is that we never leave a soldier behind on the battlefield -- or lost in a bureaucracy." That was thousands of wounded, neglected soldiers ago. There are now about 12,500 soldiers assigned to the warrior transition units -- more than twice as many as a year ago. The number is expected to reach 20,000 by this time next year. The nation's responsibility to care for the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan will extend for decades. After Tuesday's hearing, we are left pondering the simple questions asked at the outset by Representative Susan Davis, the California Democrat who is chairwoman of the military personnel subcommittee: Why did the Army fail to adequately staff its warrior transition units? Why did it fail to predict the surge in demand? And why did take visits from a Congressional subcommittee to prod the Army into recognizing and promising -- yet again -- to fix the problem? Still on Congress and veterans, Edward Colimore (Philadelphia Inquirer) reported on a Congressional bill 'addressing' stop-loss. Stop-loss is the (illegal) policy by which Bully Boy has extended service members' length of service. The service contract has been completed but instead of moving towards discharge, Bully Boy is claiming a national emergency and extending service. If the Iraq War has caused a "national emergency" for the United States, you certainly can't tell it by the tiny trickle of reporting on the Iraq War. So Congress has decided to 'address' it. By writing a law making clear how unlawful the policy is? No, by tossing out a few dollars at the problem -- "an additional $1,500 a month of extnded duty . . . retroactive to October 2001". If this is step-one, it's needed. It's past due. But if this is the 'fix,' it's not repairing anything. IVAW's Kristopher Goldsmith favors ending the illegal stop-loss and tells Colimore, "Instead of being a civilian again and starting my life, I was doing the polar opposite: putting on a unifoorm and returning to Iraq. I had come back with pretty severe PTSD and depression and was having panic attacks." It's Friday. And Gidget's finishing up the World Salvation Tour so the press can't be bothered too much with Iraq. In the limited reports from Iraq . . . Bombings? Reuters notes a Mosul roadside bombing that left three police officers injured. Shootings? Reuters notes that 1 Iraqi soldier was shot dead in Mosul. Corpses? Reuters notes that 1 corpse was discovered in Baghdad. Turning to US presidential politics and starting with Gidget the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. But don't tell his staff that. Apparently, selecting his shade of lip gloss tires them out. Which is why the Telegraph of London's Toby Harnden (at RealClearPolitics) explains that Jim Steinberg got huffy with the press and started talking about how when he worked for another president (Bill Clinton), he never had to go on record with the press -- only to have the press remind Steinberg that Barack was not president. He's not even the nominee. But don't confuse them. Susan Rice -- lunatic and War Hawk -- was defending Barack Does Berlin and insisting he wasn't be political, "When the President of the United States goes and gives a speech, it is not a political speech or a political rally." Causing a reporter to shoot back, "But he is not President of the United States." It's all so confusing for the Cult. He's not even the nominee yet. Cedric and Wally weighed in on Ms. Minelli's Cabaret last night. Ralph Nader is a presidential candidate, not a 'presumptive' one, an actual candidate for president. Stealing from Marcia yesterday, "Ruth (Ruth's Report) has been covering it, Kat [Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills) ] has been covering it, Elaine (Like Maria Said Paz) has been covering it, Rebecca (Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude ) has been covering it. C.I. (The Common Ills) has covered it over and over and Third Estate Sunday Review has covered it." She had noted Mike in the previous paragraphs but he's covered BonusGate as well. BonusGate, where at least 50 Democrats conspired to keep Ralph Nader off the state's ballot in the 2004 eleciton. John L. Micek (The Morning Call) explains that Pennsylvania's AG Tom Corbett was "armed with a 74-page grand jury presentation two weeks ago, alleged that Democratic House employees worked to challenge the 51,273 signatures Nader and running mate Peter Camejo had gathered for access to the 2004 presidential ballot. A dozen former and current House Democratic lawmakers and employees face theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest charges, partly for their alleged role in derailing Nader's campaign." Nader held a news conference on the issue yesterday. Charles Thompson (The Patriot-News) reports "Nader wants relief from an $81,102 penalty for legal costs following court battles over his presidential nomination petition in 2004. He said he will file a challenge with the state Supreme Court. Nader said those damages should be dropped in light of criminal charges brought this month" and quotes Nader stating, "This was one of the most fraudulent and deceitful exercises ever perpetrated on Pennsylvania voters." Amy Worden (Philadelphia Inquirer) quotes him stating, "According to the grand jury, millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, resources and state employees were illegally used for political campaign purposes -- including to remove the Nader-Camejo ticket from the ballot." Alex Roarty (Politicker) reported yesterday, ""House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D-Greene County), law firms and the country's 'corrupt' two-party system -- each were warned Wednesday by Ralph Nader that the ongoing 'Bonusgate' investigations will reveal their rampant political corruption." Surprisingly, "Democracy" "Now" can't be bothered with this story. While addressing all of that, Nader's still running a presidential campaign and Nader and Matt Gonzalez are on the move all weekend. From Team Nader: We need gas money. Why? Starting today, Ralph Nader is on the road again. This time campaigning through the South and then out West. Over the next two weeks, Ralph will be in South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Utah and up and down California. His VP, Matt Gonazalez, will be joining Ralph on the campaign trail starting in Texas. Check out the schedule below. If you are in the neighborhood, come on out to hear and meet Ralph and Matt. With both Obama and McCain saber rattling over Iran, the Nader/Gonzalez message of peace through justice is now more important than ever. If your friends or relatives in the neighborhood, give them a shout and let them know. But right now, we need gas money to fuel Ralph's South and West Coast Tour. We've rented a car. Gas prices are high. And Ralph is on the move. So, please donate whatever you can now to fill up our tank. You can give up to $4,600. But $500, $100, $50 - whatever you can donate is what we need. Help us fill 'er up. So we can get 'er done. Onward. The Nader Team Ralph Nader's Tour of the South and West Friday July 25, 2008 5:30 p.m. Athens, Georgia Nader for President 2008 Rally University of Georgia, Georgia Center- "Masters Hall" 1127 South Lumpkin St. Athens, GA 30602 Contribution- $10/ $5 student (404) 446-7093 or events@votenader.org Friday July 25, 2008 8 p.m. Atlanta, Georgia Evening with Ralph Suggested Contribution $100 min RSVP (202) 471-5833 Saturday July 26, 2008, 6 p.m. Jackson, Mississippi Book Signing/ Speech Lemuria Bookstore 202 Banner Hall- I-55 North Jackson, MS 39206 (601) 842-6769 or events@votenader.org Saturday July 26, 2008 8:00 p.m. Jackson, Mississippi Evening with Ralph Nader RSVP (202) 471-5833 Suggested Contribution $50 Sunday July 27, 2008 2:00 p.m. Houston, Texas Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez Hilton University of Houston 4800 Calhoun Suite 207, Houston, TX77204 Contribution- $10/$5 student (202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org Sunday July 27, 2008 7:30 p.m. Austin, Texas Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez Trinity United Methodist Church 600 East 50th St. Austin, TX 78751 Contribution $10/$5 student (202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org Thursday July 31, 2008 7:30pm Salt Lake City, Utah Nader for President 2008 Rally w/ Rocky Anderson Libby Gardner Concert Hall 1375 E President Circle, Salt Lake UT Contribution-$10/ $5 students (801) 916-6307 or ashley@votenader.rog Saturday, August 2, 2008, 8:00 p.m. Davis, California Nader for President 2008 Speech Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez Varsity Theater 616 Second Street Davis, CA 95616 Contribution: $10/ $5 students (202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org Sunday August 3, 1:30 p.m. Sebastopol, California Nader for President Speech Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez Sebastopol Community Center 390 Morris St., Sebastopol, California 95472 Contribution: $10/ $5 students (202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org August 3, 2008, 4:30pm Healdsburg, California Nader for President Speech Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez Copperfield's books 104 Matheson St., Healdsburg, California 95448 Contribution: $10/ $5 students (202) 471-5833 or events@votenader.org August 3, 7:30 p.m. Kentfield, California Nader for President 2008 Speech in Marin Ralph Nader w/ Matt Gonzalez College of Marin- Olney Hall 835 College Ave., Kentfield, California Contribution: $10/ $5 students More Info: (415) 897-6989 or events@votenader.org PS: We invite your comments to the blog. NOW on PBS (begins airing tonight in most markets) sits down with John Edwards to discuss the troubles facing families across the country, some struggle to make it in single parent homes, for example. Bill Moyers Journal explores torture (among other topics) and Jane Mayer is a guest. BMJ's Michael Winship files an editorial on torture, "The Company We Keep:" The administration remains in denial. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft told the House Judiciary Committee, "I don't know of any acts of torture that have been committed by individuals in developing information," he said. "So I would not certainly make an assumption. I would attribute the absence of an attack [since 9/11] at least in part, because there have been specific attacks that have been disrupted, to the excellent work and the dedication and commitment of people whose lives are dedicated to defending the country. Interrogators have used enhanced interrogation techniques but they haven't used torture." Grim hairsplitting. This week, as the result of a Freedom of Information Act suit, the ACLU received a heavily redacted copy of an infamous August 2, 2002 memo, signed by then-head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel Jay Bybee and written with his subordinate, the equally infamous John Yoo. "An individual must have the specific intent to inflict severe pain or suffering," it reads. "… The absence of specific intent negates the charge of torture… We have further found that if a defendant acts with the good faith belief that his actions will not cause such suffering, he has not acted with specific intent." Jameel Jaffer, head of the ACLU's national security project told Spencer Ackerman of The Washington Independent, "Imagine that in an ordinary criminal prosecution a bank robber tortures a bank manager to get the combination to a vault. He argues that the torture was not to inflict pain, but to get the combination. Every torturer has a reason other than to cause pain. If you're going to let people off the hook for an intention other than to cause pain, you're not going to be able to prosecute anyone for torture." Deborah Pearlstein, a constitutional scholar and human rights lawyer who has spent time at Guantanamo monitoring conditions there, testified to Congress that, "As of 2006, there had been more than 330 cases in which U.S. military and civilian personnel have, incredibly, alleged to have abused or killed detainees. This figure is based almost entirely on the U.S. government's own documentation. These cases involved more than 600 U.S. personnel and more than 460 detainees held at U.S. facilities throughout Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay. They included some l00-plus detainees who died in U.S. custody, including 34 whose deaths the Defense Department reports as homicides. At least eight of these detainees were, by any definition of the term, tortured to death." More is online at Bill Moyers Journal where you can watch, listen or read (transcripts) and BMJ never forgets to serve all communities and remembers public television's key word is "public." On Washington Week, Gwen and the Gas Bags jaw over the non-news. Helene Cooper (New York Times) is the only one qualified to address the international scene so expect a lot of snorts, bromides and tidbits from the rest. iraq camilo mejia iraq veterans against the war aaron glantz kpfa aimee allison david solnit daniel barlow les blumenthal amy worden washington week pbs bill moyer journal jane mayer now on pbs helene cooper dana milbank the washington post like maria said paz kats korner sex and politics and screeds and attitude trinas kitchen the daily jot cedrics big mix mikey likes it ruths report sickofitradlz