Successes this week in Iraq (5-11 Aug., 2005)

[Psycho4Bud]

Reconstruction projects strengthened Iraqâ??s infrastructure this week, while community leaders showed their commitment to rebuilding. Iraqi Security Forces continue to be an essential part in working to increase the countryâ??s security.

Approximately 18,000 Iraqi schoolchildren will sit in freshly refurbished schools when their new school year starts in about six weeks. Iraqi and U.S. government agencies announced Aug. 6 that renovations of 43 schools in the northern and southern provinces are funded for repairs, and contracts have been awarded for the work. As part of the Iraq Relief Reconstruction Fund, over $1.3M was set aside to continue a nationwide school repair program that addresses rehabilitating sanitary facilities, electrical and mechanical systems, and structural repairs to schools in Karbala, Dahuk, Najaf, Basrah, and Qadisiyah.

More than 200 Iraqi children received medical screenings from Coalition Forces, with support from Iraqi Police, during an operation Aug. 5 in western Mosul. Soldiers and medics handed out soccer balls and hygiene products to the local children while they conducted the screenings. More than 1,000 children have received medical screenings during this and four similar operations over the last three weeks.

In Baghdad, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad attended the handover ceremony of the International Press Center (IPC) to the Iraqi Government Communications Directorate (GCD) on Aug. 9. The IPC is a hub of activity for Iraqi and International journalists during press conferences, National Assembly sessions, and other media events. To mark the handover, USAID/Iraq provided a grant to the IPC for technical and office equipment that includes 20 desktop computers, 30 laptop computers, licensed software, printers, a scanner, a copy machine, CD writers, desks, chairs and other necessary office equipment. A group of Iraqi journalists who have used the IPC since its opening in February 2004 received the 30 laptop computers yesterday.

Iraqi and U.S. officials unveiled a special monument to honor four Iraqi Army Soldiers who gave their lives for the security of Iraq during the Ashura holiday. Dr. Ahmed Chalabi, Iraqâ??s Deputy Prime Minister, said the country owed a great debt to the four Soldiers and their families, and promised the Iraqi government would care for them in gratitude for the Soldiersâ?? gift to the country.

Officials from both countries also signed a charter to detail plans to bring much-needed projects to the people of Husseiniya, an agricultural town north of Baghdad whose population boomed during the previous regime. Coalition Forces are working with the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works to build storm drainage projects, water-quality improvements, and most importantly, sewage treatment facilities. The Husseiniya Charter is the first of its kind in the area, and will serve as the test-bed and guide for other projects in impoverished areas in and around Baghdad.

Reconstruction projects around the country are in progress, and this week, construction started on a Police Facilities project in the Samarra District of Salah Ad Din Province. This 250-officer station in the northeast part of Samarra, which is a $4.3M investment, will provide a presence in the city to help stabilize law and order. The contractor employs 25 Iraqi workers, and the project is scheduled for completion in November.

Iraqi workers in Baghdad finished the $3.6M Al Amari Water Distribution project this week. The project can produce approximately 250 cubic meters of potable water daily and service about 2,000 families in the Al Amari and 9-Nissan areas of Baghdad.

Iraqi Security Forces continued to prove themselves as they strive toward assuming security operations around the country.

Iraqi Army soldiers discovered five improvised explosive devices placed around a building in Rawah August 9. The soldiers located the five IEDs connected with wiring and secured the area to prevent any injuries while a coalition explosive ordnance disposal team neutralized the threat.

Iraqi Security Forces EOD teams were also busy â?? clearing three IEDs in separate cities the same day. Iraqi Police discovered an artillery shell wired for command detonation in Baqubah, a more complex IED rigged for remote control detonation in Tikrit, and another in Hit. An Iraqi EOD team eliminated the threat while an Iraqi Intervention Force secured the area, protecting community members from the terroristsâ?? weapons.

Citizens in Baghdad and Ramadi were just some of the Iraqi citizens who assisted Coalition and Iraqi Forces in locating weapons caches this week, taking an active part in securing their communities and creating an environment that will foster more reconstruction and increased stability.


MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE - IRAQ PROVIDED THE CONTENT FOR THIS RELEASE. FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON SPECIFIC EVENTS
http://www.blackanthem.com/News/2005081207.html


Slow but sure progress is being made! :D

[amsterdam]

constitution is great.and its only been 4 years,amazing.

[Psycho4Bud]

Since everything is going so bad and there is nothing being accomplished I figured I'd bring this thread back up on top of the heap again. :D

Imagine that....only 20 views with 2 replies. :eek:

Unless there's news from the bad luck Hee Haw band nobody is interested....oh well!!! :D

[amsterdam]

aint that the truth,wont hear to much about the economy from the left either.

[BlueCat]

you keep living the fantasy...

More than half of the U.S. public believes that the war in Iraq has not made the United States safer, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll. Nearly three-quarters of Americans say the number of casualties in Iraq is unacceptable, while two-thirds say the U.S. military there is "bogged down" and nearly six in 10 say the war was not worth fighting-in all three cases matching or exceeding the highest levels of pessimism yet recorded. Overall, more than half of those polled â?? 52 percent â?? disapprove of how Bush is handling his job. For the first time, a majority, 55 percent, also said Bush has done more to divide the country than to unite it.
keep laughing..

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Members of Iraq's national assembly late Monday passed by unanimous vote an extension allowing an extra week to complete talks on the country's new constitution.

The committee drafting the document had asked for an extension after it failed to reach a compromise by Monday's deadline after months of talks. The new deadline is August 22.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/15/iraq.main/index.html

or

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/15/AR2005081500169.html

[Psycho4Bud]

And where did they get these stats from...a Michael Moore movie convention?

And as for the constitution, they have two issues to resolve....not to bad for the period of time and diversity of the population...but what the hell, we must centralize on the negative!!! :rolleyes:

[BlueCat]

:confused: you are saying ABC and the washignton post got their stats from Michael moore? what? That makes no sense...

the constitution has not passed they have posponed it for a week.....

no one is centralizing on the negative you are counting your chickens before they hatch...you are puffing all up over something that still has not happened and even if it does it won't change anything...August is still the bloodiest month on record for US troops to bad you aren't as concerned for them as you are the Iraqis...

[Psycho4Bud]

for US troops to bad you aren't as concerned for them as you are the Iraqis...

Only one thing to say to that...Kiss my mother fucking norwegian ass!!! YOU and the rest of these left wing fanatics are the ones calling the troops baby killers and crap not me! THINK before you type!

[bhallg2k]

Liberals calling troops "baby killers?" You are aware that Vietnam is over, right?

[BlueCat]

HAHAHAHA my my stuck a nerve...norwegian ass? lmao


no one said anything about baby killers...that is your remark..typical I might add.

I said you are more concerned for the Iraqi election than you are for the troop deaths..you continue to puff up and post about it but you continually avoid what is really happening....when was the last time you posted anything about a US soldier in Iraq or Afganistan?

keep living the fantasy you start name calling when you are wrong. What else is new?

[Psycho4Bud]

Liberals calling troops "baby killers?" You are aware that Vietnam is over, right?

Better run, I think mommy is calling you for supper.

[Psycho4Bud]

HAHAHAHA my my stuck a nerve...norwegian ass? lmao


no one said anything about baby killers...that is your remark..typical I might add.

I said you are more concerned for the Iraqi election than you are for the troop deaths..you continue to puff up and post about it but you continually avoid what is really happening....when was the last time you posted anything about a US soldier in Iraq or Afganistan?

keep living the fantasy you start name calling when you are wrong. What else is new?

Your words"
August is still the bloodiest month on record for US troops to bad you aren't as concerned for them as you are the Iraqis..."

Now who is reading shit wrong? :rolleyes:

If you think I'm going to post something from a soldier with a bad attitude...well, I'll leave that to you and pisshead! I've stated many times in here about TROOPS that have seen what is going on over there and think that their mission is a worthy one. You see, some of the threads that get skipped because of GOOD news is worth reading to.
It's very easy to see the general attitude on this site:
Soldier Kills 5 women while companions run them over with a tank: Now that shit gets 100 views.
Make a post with soldiers passing candy to kids, doing reconstruction work, etc....and that may get 2 views. Considering the fact your kid is in the muck a person would think that you would be a little more compasionate about the troops. Oh well, keep on applauding China, bad mouthing our government and troops. No skin off my ass. Thats the reason why Bush is President and Kerry isn't...dumb fuck didn't know when to keep his trap shut!! :D

[BlueCat]

You're just being ugly now...good night.

[Psycho4Bud]

You're just being ugly now...good night.

Can't handle the truth? Imagine that!! :D

BWWWWWAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

[bhallg2k]

Better run, I think mommy is calling you for supper.

Huh?

[BlueCat]

Oh yeah,thats it. You have just gotten rude so why bother.

If you support Bush you are the enemy, enough said.

[BlueCat]

I did not get it either bhall...he is just mad and unreasonable.

[Psycho4Bud]

Oh yeah,thats it. You have just gotten rude so why bother.

If you support Bush you are the enemy, enough said.

Well I guess I'm the enemy then. I do support the President and our troops! I don't have to agree with every position of any politician but in times of war I think our Commander and Chief deserves support from the people that reap the benifits of this government.

[bhallg2k]

It's Commander-in-Chief.

And W. deserves nothing. This war is entirely of his creation and has nothing to do with something noble such as defending America or spreading democracy.

And exactly what benefits have we reaped from his government's actions?

[Psycho4Bud]

[QUOTE=bhallg2k]It's Commander-in-Chief.

And W. deserves nothing. This war is entirely of his creation and has nothing to do with something noble such as defending America or spreading democracy.

And exactly what benefits have we reaped from his government's actions?[QUOTE]


Thats your major problem. You see the Government of the United States as being HIS government. His name isn't Stalin or Hitler and this isn't the U.S.S.R. or Nazi Germany. Although by reading some of the posts in here you would think different!

Get busted for weed in the U.S. and sure you may get some jail time...try it in Iran, you may be dangling from a rope!

[bhallg2k]

Come on. Don't play semantics. Saying "his government" is the same thing as saying "his administration." Don't pretend to know me or my intentions.

But the question still stands, what benefits have Americans, hell what benefits has anyone, seen from his administration?

I can't think of any. Then again I'm not an oil magnate either.

[Psycho4Bud]

Come on. Don't play semantics. Saying "his government" is the same thing as saying "his administration." Don't pretend to know me or my intentions.

But the question still stands, what benefits have Americans, hell what benefits has anyone, seen from his administration?

I can't think of any. Then again I'm not an oil magnate either.

I don't pretend to know you! I usually try to stay away from idiots!

BWWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! :D

[pisshead]

i don't expect benefits from my government...i expect them to uphold the bill of rights and constitution...and defend the country from enemies foreign and DOMESTIC...but when it's the domestic enemies people worship...that's hard.

meanwhile...george bush signs CAFTA and we have wide open borders because bush is a global government whore...a tool following his masters' orders.

"Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of the day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period, and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers (adminstrators) too plainly proves a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing us to slavery." -- Jefferson

"I believe there are mor instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." -- James Madison

Madison sounds like a conspiracy theorist...

[BlueCat]

You pull your head out of your ass old man, YOU are directly responsible for those injured kids being blown to pieces with your past and present support of a fucked up and illegal war. Their blood is on YOUR HANDS.
Families are having a hard enough time dealing with their children gone off to war....it is like a kick in the teeth when more and more evidence shows the reasons for going were lies.....
then to have some half-wit crowing about victory in Iraq when there has been more American soldiers killed and injured this month than any month in the war.....and Bush is aiming at Iran now it is no skin off his back he will NEVER hold a gun nor will his children....Nor will YOU..
it is just the last straw.
In the mean time your "commander and Chief :rolleyes: Your alternate asshole is out fishing and riding his bike....Taking the longest vacation in the history of the presidency, when his soldiers are at war....wow what a man.
And YOU Mr. Brave man you can't find anything better to do than pick on a woman who lost her son or one that misses hers terribly...
You are a coward you can't even stand up for your own Constitution much less a terrorist but you can praise a fucked up and failing Iraqi one.
No wonder you support BUSH you are both YELLOW COWARDS.

[Psycho4Bud]

You pull your head out of your ass old man, YOU are directly responsible for those injured kids being blown to pieces with your past and present support of a fucked up and illegal war. Their blood is on YOUR HANDS.
Families are having a hard enough time dealing with their children gone off to war....it is like a kick in the teeth when more and more evidence shows the reasons for going were lies.....
then to have some half-wit crowing about victory in Iraq when there has been more American soldiers killed and injured this month than any month in the war.....and Bush is aiming at Iran now it is no skin off his back he will NEVER hold a gun nor will his children....Nor will YOU..
it is just the last straw.
In the mean time your "commander and Chief :rolleyes: Your alternate asshole is out fishing and riding his bike....Taking the longest vacation in the history of the presidency, when his soldiers are at war....wow what a man.
And YOU Mr. Brave man you can't find anything better to do than pick on a woman who lost her son or one that misses hers terribly...
You are a coward you can't even stand up for your own Constitution much less a terrorist but you can praise a fucked up and failing Iraqi one.
No wonder you support BUSH you are both YELLOW COWARDS.

Oh, now I'm hurt. My kid is in the service also but the difference is that I'm not acting like a fucking idiot putting down his actions or the Government that HE joined up into. Your kid joined up on his own, why the fuck are you acting like dumbass? A person can be a traitor to his/her country but it's a piece of garbage that's a traitor to their own child!! TRY to THINK about it!!!

P.S. You want to play this name calling bullshit bring it on cause I'm more than armed!!!

[amsterdam]

no way,dont stoop to their level.just laugh.their hysterics are their own downfall.

[BlueCat]

I am not going to let some bitter old half wit piss me off again...

You don't know me or my son...and when you can't win an argument you start calling names and making it personal.

no Psycho I don't want to play with you...go play with yourself....

[amsterdam]

you must really be outta your mind,all you attempt to do is insult other peoples smarts when have nothing else to say.every time!i point it out to you on a daily basis.

[BlueCat]

ok Hamster. :rolleyes: right.

[amsterdam]

yup,that is right!!even a hamster could see that.lol.

but your good people though,

i am curious as to why me being a former drug dealer in highschool, who was caught with a illegal gun,went to jail for a while,got out and got his shit together,went back to school,finished,got a reasonable job,got married to a wonderful woman,makes you so mad?i am not proud of the stupid,idiotic things i did as a child,but getting it together is something to be proud of.In america,anybody can make it.

[Psycho4Bud]

I am not going to let some bitter old half wit piss me off again...

You don't know me or my son...and when you can't win an argument you start calling names and making it personal.

no Psycho I don't want to play with you...go play with yourself....

Bitter ol' half wit....thank ya bitch!! I'd just as soon play with myself than to stoop as low as to play with your ol' droopy ass anyways!!! :D


BWWWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! :D

[BlueCat]

I am glad you got it together I really am. I am sorry. My anger comes from not understanding you or how you think. How you can talk about going to war and killing people when you will never be in that place. . You have never served in the military and you don't have kids in Iraq you have not EARNED the right to talk about it. You talk like taking a human life is a game.

You don't know what it is like at Christmas time when all you can think is will this be our last time together as a family. Will this be the last time my son hugs me? It is hard to watch him come home and be this wonderfully happy kid then hear the pain in his voice when he calls me.

when he has just had an 18 year old holding on to his arm pleading not for his life but for his buddy's. My son had just assisted in removing most of his buddy's brain and they were waiting for his parents to come so they could let him die. Forgive me if I am touchy because I worry that this day after day exposure to death will take its toll on my son who joined not because he wanted to fight but because he knew he was good at his job and that he could help his friends that were already over there best by getting them out and stabilized when they are injured. The war is not over for him it is worse.
I don't see the FUN in it that you seem to see so I get angry.

I find it harder and harder to talk to anyone that backs Bush because I feel you are backing a hypocritical administration that among other things is putting more people in jail for smoking weed than ever before. Again this not a game for me. Marijuana has helped me stay off heavy medications I had to take because I fell and broke my back I am not just getting high I am going on with my life. The Bush administration has no right telling me how to live my life. There is more than one war being fought here and you seem to find the televised one entertaining and you are missing the other all together. The one you could participate in if you just would open your eyes.

If you would just stop waving your flag long enough and do some reading you will see this so called War on drugs and the war on terrorism is blurring.....they are using the same tactics for both.
Anything that does not fit in this puritan view of Bush's is becoming fair game....

The way I see it is if you are not angry than you are not paying attention.....

Anyway I am wrong to attack your past. I am sorry I won't mention it again.

[BlueCat]

Wow Psycho, I am really disappointed.
I thought I was dealing with a grown up...better change your avatar you're no gandf gollum maybe...

[BlueCat]

You really need to cool off old man you are looking foolish.

[Psycho4Bud]

You really need to cool off old man you are looking foolish.

Love getting the age cracks. No big deal to me! Havin' fun, ridin' the scoot, still smokin and tokin!!! :D

Maybe you forget but my kids in the military also. The big difference is that I support him 100% in his decision to serve and whatever mission he's on! OH NO!!! That's fuckin crazy ol' man shit...RIGHT. Last X-Mas he wasn't at my house....the boy was takin care of buisiness! Missed yes, proud even more!!!

One more thing. IF he's shipped back home in a body bag you won't find me acting like a complete disrespectful ass on TV about it. I'm one of the proud fathers the press will avoid talking to.

[BlueCat]

I will dismiss your behavior as stress over your kid then.
I am not so naive as to believe the US military will watch out for my son. They historically never have...

If you want to think there is some magic pill that made the US government start really caring for their military since the monkey got in then go ahead and SWALLOW.

With your kid in the service I really don't understand you not wanting to know everything...but if that how you cope fine...

I don't buy it. You can live in your fantasy world and pretend all is well. I prefer to know the truth. You handle it your way. I will mine.

[Psycho4Bud]

Stress over my kid??

BWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! :D

He's safe and sound behind the protective armour of a M1A tank! NOOOOOO Problem!! :D

And if I recall correctly, Kerry and company voted against the M1A. :rolleyes:


Why don't I want to know everything about the kid? He's old enought to sign the papers...how long does mommy and daddy wipe the boys nose? He signed up and it's our duty to support...LIKE PARENTS DO!!!

[BlueCat]

The Marines are doing the best with what they have. But it's not clear why the upper echelons of our military command -- beginning with Donald Rumsfeld (he of the deathless phrase, "You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want," and, of course, the President -- haven't done a better job of equipping all of our fighting force in Iraq with superior vehicles for the threat of roadside bombs.

The problem is systemic, not episodic. The Marine Corps Inspector General recently concluded that the Marines' preparation is in desperate straits. As the Boston Globe reported:

Marine Corps units fighting in some of the most dangerous terrain in Iraq don't have enough weapons, communications gear, or properly outfitted vehicles, according to an investigation by the Marine Corps' inspector general provided to Congress yesterday.

The report . . . says the estimated 30,000 Marines in Iraq need twice as many heavy machine guns, more fully protected armored vehicles, and more communications equipment to operate in a region the size of Utah.
I hope that the President ponders this during his 5-week vacation in Crawford. I hope he thinks about armor on the Humvee undercarriages when he's clearing brush for the cameras. I hope when he throws a bone to Barnie, he considers how a bomb rips through the side panels. When he's grilling by the pool, I hope he wonders about how the torn flesh and broken limbs stems directly from his failure to plan the war's aftermath, and to equip our troops for the mission he sent them on.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/06/21/marine_units_found_to_lack_equipment/

http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2005/08/underarmored_in.html

Well it is nice that your kid is in a good tank.....but there are other soldiers that are not...

You swallow quite well, Psycho. Keep gulping it down.

[Psycho4Bud]

The Marines are doing the best with what they have. But it's not clear why the upper echelons of our military command -- beginning with Donald Rumsfeld (he of the deathless phrase, "You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want," and, of course, the President -- haven't done a better job of equipping all of our fighting force in Iraq with superior vehicles for the threat of roadside bombs.

The problem is systemic, not episodic. The Marine Corps Inspector General recently concluded that the Marines' preparation is in desperate straits. As the Boston Globe reported:

Marine Corps units fighting in some of the most dangerous terrain in Iraq don't have enough weapons, communications gear, or properly outfitted vehicles, according to an investigation by the Marine Corps' inspector general provided to Congress yesterday.

The report . . . says the estimated 30,000 Marines in Iraq need twice as many heavy machine guns, more fully protected armored vehicles, and more communications equipment to operate in a region the size of Utah.
I hope that the President ponders this during his 5-week vacation in Crawford. I hope he thinks about armor on the Humvee undercarriages when he's clearing brush for the cameras. I hope when he throws a bone to Barnie, he considers how a bomb rips through the side panels. When he's grilling by the pool, I hope he wonders about how the torn flesh and broken limbs stems directly from his failure to plan the war's aftermath, and to equip our troops for the mission he sent them on.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/06/21/marine_units_found_to_lack_equipment/

http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2005/08/underarmored_in.html

Well it is nice that your kid is in a good tank.....but there are other soldiers that are not...

You swallow quite well, Psycho. Keep gulping it down.

Swallowings not my job....thats yours!

BWWWWWAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

[amsterdam]

i believe it was around 80 million dollars Kerry voted for,before he voted against it??

[BlueCat]

Today it's clear to many veterans that the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress think of them on other days of the year besides Veterans Day. They're thinking of veterans as they work to cut off VA healthcare. They're thinking of veterans when they refuse to address lingering health problems from the first Gulf War. They're thinking of veterans when they block full retirement and disability benefits. And they're thinking of veterans when Bush decides, yet again, not to attend a solider's funeral or pay a visit to those who are recovering from injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center just a few miles from the White House.

All that thinking has only hurt veterans of this country. Obviously, they deserve much better. And they deserve our full support.
Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, 6,239 troops had been wounded in action, according to a recent Pentagon count. Of those, 57% were so severely injured that they were unable to return to duty. Medically retired from active duty military service, they need immediate assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

The surge of newly disabled veterans represents a challenge of a magnitude unseen since Vietnam.

President Bush has not submitted an adequate budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs since he took office. Year after year, he has offered budgets that have sought to make veterans pay more and more out of their own pockets for health care. Not only has the Bush Administration tried - and been successful in one case - to dramatically increase copayments for prescription drugs, the Administration has also proposed various methods of generating additional revenue and artificially reducing demand for VA health care.

The Administration uses the projections from these measures to pad their inadequate budget requests for veterans' services so that they can claim budget increases. Some examples of this include the counting of revenue from copayments and third-party insurers as part of the President's request, which has become standard practice for the Administration, and shifting retirement funds from another government agency. The following is a year-by-year summary of the President's budget proposals for veterans' programs.

[BlueCat]

Today it's clear to many veterans that the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress think of them on other days of the year besides Veterans Day. They're thinking of veterans as they work to cut off VA healthcare. They're thinking of veterans when they refuse to address lingering health problems from the first Gulf War. They're thinking of veterans when they block full retirement and disability benefits. And they're thinking of veterans when Bush decides, yet again, not to attend a solider's funeral or pay a visit to those who are recovering from injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center just a few miles from the White House.

All that thinking has only hurt veterans of this country. Obviously, they deserve much better. And they deserve our full support.
Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, 6,239 troops had been wounded in action, according to a recent Pentagon count. Of those, 57% were so severely injured that they were unable to return to duty. Medically retired from active duty military service, they need immediate assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

The surge of newly disabled veterans represents a challenge of a magnitude unseen since Vietnam.

President Bush has not submitted an adequate budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs since he took office. Year after year, he has offered budgets that have sought to make veterans pay more and more out of their own pockets for health care. Not only has the Bush Administration tried - and been successful in one case - to dramatically increase copayments for prescription drugs, the Administration has also proposed various methods of generating additional revenue and artificially reducing demand for VA health care.



Lets hope your son does not need care when he comes back....As the asshole you support will not be there for him.

[BlueCat]

Swallowings not my job....thats yours!
Oh right you just bend over and take it up the ass..

I don't give a shit about Kerry Hamster if you can't post a logical argument again STFU.

[BlueCat]

WOW they really keep their promises to the soldiers...

Guardsmen may not receive education benefits

National Guardsmen returning from duty in Iraq are finding that the funds promised them for tuition reimbursement are in short supply.

The federal program that is supposed to defray up to 75 percent of their college expenses is short of funds, and until recently had no new funds in sight.

National Guard Col. Mike Caldwell said money recently was found for spring and summer students but that the fund remains about $180,000 short for fall term.

That's put Oregon National Guard leadership in an awkward position, as soldiers were promised the 75 percent tuition deferral, up to a maximum of $4,000 per soldier per fiscal year, as an enlistment incentive.

The benefit is described in National Guard literature, and new enlistees are still being promised this benefit when they sign up.

"This could not have happened at a more critical juncture," wrote Brig. General Raymond Byrne Jr. in a March 22 letter to Army National Guard Director Roger Schultz.

* * *

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=66014

[amsterdam]

thats ironic,it the left that represent "taking it up the ass"??nasty.

[BlueCat]

Returning soldiers not getting help, critics say
Colorado Springs Gazette

As Army officials try to figure out what led a Green Beret based at Fort Carson to kill himself Sunday, veteran advocates say soldiers returning from war arenâ??t getting the help they need.

Chief Warrant Officer William Howell, 36, shot himself in the head outside his Monument home during a confrontation with police. Authorities had been called to the house by his distraught wife, who said the couple were having an argument.

Howell had been home for three weeks after serving a 10-month tour in Iraq with an elite fighting unit that experienced heavy combat, according to Maj. Robert Gowan, spokesman for the Armyâ??s Special Forces.

The unit lost a member in January when Master Sgt. Kelly Hornbeck was killed by a roadside bomb. Another member was charged with cowardice when he suffered a panic attack and wouldnâ??t go on missions after seeing a dead body. Gowan said soldiers in Howellâ??s unit received counseling to deal with Hornbeckâ??s death.

â??I know that when soldiers are departing a theater of combat, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, they undergo specific counseling about reuniting with their spouses, stress screening,â?� Gowan said.

Fort Carson officials say that all soldiers receive at least seven hours of counseling as a part of their redeployment. Some veteran advocates donâ??t believe it.

â??I would challenge you to go out and ask those (returning) soldiers if they have gotten their seven hours of counseling. Theyâ??re not,â?� said Steve Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center, an advocacy group for veterans.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4811407/detail.html

[BlueCat]

Sen. Bob Graham of Florida argued last April that wounded soldiers were a certainty in the new Iraq war.

He asked for $375 million for their health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Appropriators bargained that down to $100 million in a 2003 war-spending bill and allowed the VA to use the money for other things.

Now thousands of Iraq veterans are using VA hospitals and clinics, but none of that $100 million will go toward their health care. The VA plans to spend it on processing benefit claims instead.

"Particularly with the large casualties that we've suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan, I'm stunned that they're not going to use it for that purpose," said Graham, the ranking Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee.

[BlueCat]

Wounded U.S. veterans get a raw deal at home....


Still, the greatest shame is that America has the full capability to care for all its veterans, but the White House is too busy cutting taxes for people making more than $200,000 a year.

http://www.post-gazette.com/columnists/20040208gene0208fnp1.asp

Way to go Bushites Support the troops. :mad:

[BlueCat]

Oh and for the record the age cracks come from your avatar...I have no idea how old you are....

This is from my hubby.....He says: You only wish you could kiss this"saggy" ass..

To quote you: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Psycho4Bud]

Oh and for the record the age cracks come from your avatar...I have no idea how old you are....

This is from my hubby.....He says: You only wish you could kiss this"saggy" ass..

To quote you: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Not saying I'd wish it but what the fuck, suppose I could do ya the favor!
And for the record, its....

BWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!don't forget the smiley! :D

[BlueCat]

So wheres your saggy ass? :p

Corrected:BWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! :D

[Psycho4Bud]

So wheres your saggy ass? :p

Corrected:BWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! :D


Well, I'm a little shy but here ya go!




BWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! :D

[BlueCat]

yuck is that Fabio? He's nasty.

[tokosan]

since we're posting pictures here.... here's me a few weeks ago at the beach.... do i look sexy? *rubs nipple* :D :D

[BlueCat]

OMG men have terrible tastes in men...I guess this is a good thing.