Morning Paper

Soldier Sues Defense Secretary Robert Gates

One trend that I have noticed is on the rise since the onset of this war is the outward admission of atheism.  More and more, those who don't "believe" are standing up for their right to not "believe".  And as can be imagined, that right is not being met with "the American way", which is supposed to be in part, the right of "Freedom from religion".

However, that being said, the military is the last place one would expect a legal battle to evolve over the issue.  Actually, I guess a church would be the "last place". 

Dubbed "the atheist guy," Army specialist Jeremy Hall has taken his fight from the Barracks to the US courts, and he is dragging Defense Secretary Robert Gates with him.  Hall feels as though the military left him out in the cold because he is an atheist, superiors would not hear or help him with his battle with his command, and fellow soldiers.

Hall has been shipped around because his fellow solders are harassing him.  Taunting, calling him names and threatening to bring charges if Hall sought to meet with other enlisted atheist.

So basically, that thing we're fighting for..... uh, yeah,  and, believers of their American given religious right are taunting and intimidating someone for not believing as they do.  Christians are harrassing a guy for not believing as they do.... In the military...... while fighting folks who chop of heads of those who don't follw their religion. 

Make sense of that....

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What's This? The Senate Wants Iraq To Pay For Itself?

Funny what an election year will do to a politician.  As more and more Iraqi politians can afford to buy themselves armor plated Benz, Americans are spending more time in the supermarket making sure they are getting the very best deal on that pound of meat.  It's gotta last.

Suddenly after all this time of turning a blind eye to the amount of money we are pouring into Iraq monthly, both the Dems and the Repub's want to close the check book.

"I think the American people are growing weary not only of the war, but they are looking at why Baghdad can't pay more of these costs. And the answer is they can," said Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska."----

The two parties that spend most of their time acting like children are now ready to force Iraq into paying for it's own roads, schools, hospitals and get this, the fuel American troops are using.

Finally after long last our government is ready to come together to do something right about what's tearing us apart. 

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Prince Harry Outed, What should Happen To Drudge?

This is more of a question than personal opinion, although like most things there is personal opinion weaved into the question. Yesterday, in the quest to be first and get the scoop, according to all accounts, Prince Harry's life was put in jeopardy when the Drudge Report printed a story about his service in Afghanistan. According to all accounts, most media outlets knew of his whereabouts but honored the British Governments request to keep the story under wraps for fear of his safety (which in itself is odd considering it's a battlefield). But then love is a Battlefield and the Brits love their Prince Harry.

The Brits are furious about this, and it won't take long before a call to take action begins. Now, when a person puts on the uniform, picks up a gun and begins firing on the "enemy" he/she is a soldier and should not get special treatment above any other soldier. But there are exceptions to this rule.

Just for a moment imagine if one of the Bush twins decided to suit up and hit the front line. The US government asked that everyone keep quiet about her whereabouts. Then some well known British publication prints her whereabouts. There is no doubt that the majority of Americans would be outraged. Some soldiers carry far larger bounties than others, sadly. This puts her life and the lives of other soldiers in greater danger.

But Drudge tends to lean more in one political favor than the other. I find it odd that those who normally would scream bloody murder at anything that smacks of unpatriotic are very silent on this issue.

I see yet another set of home grown rules being swept under the proverbial rug with a broom that has no party affiliation, but has a wide brush.

Okay, so as it turns out this is more personal opinion than a question. But what do you think?

The Wrong Iraq Surge: Army Suicides Up 20 Percent

Talking heads on radio and TV make me so angry sometimes that I'm in danger of throwing something and breaking my contact with wide world outside. Every time I'm in an Airport, I talk with soldiers making their way from one place o the other. I have yet to speak with a soldier who has told me how important this war is to them. That's not to say that there are not those who feel that way, but I have not run into them. They all want to be there for their brothers and sisters in arms, but to the man/woman, each has told me they hate it and don't want to be there.

Yet guys in suits sitting in comfy leather chairs are always saying that our soldiers are proud of Bush and proud to fight this war. Pride in America, pride in our Military is one thing. Pride for the two aforementioned is something I have yet to hear from a soldier I have stood face to face with. And when you read things like this, it bares out what is actually felt in the truth away from cameras, Senators and Congressmen.

In 2007, 121 soldiers committed suicide. That's up 20% over 2006 and includes the time since the oh so successful surge. Now, there may be some that look at that total and think it's a small number. One soldier committing suicide in a foreign country because of a war we shouldn't be in is far too many.

The statistics prepared by the Army's psychiatry consultant also found that "attempted" suicides and "self injuries" were also rising. 2,100 in 2007, 1,500 in 2006.

This is sad, very, very sad. All one has to do is look at the stoic demeanor of the Military men at Monday's "State Of The Union" speech to get an understanding as to how they feel. While elected officials stood and clapped at every applause line given about Iraq and Afghanistan, they sat and did not clap.

While TV, radio and print mediums have moved on to who snubbed who, Mac is back and Romney is a Mormon, Americas kids are still sitting in the middle of a hot box they should have never been sent to in the first place. The war still wages on, and while we're being told how much "the surge" is working by people who have been proven wrong about EVERYTHING else, you can still read (if you look) about American men and women being killed and maimed everyday in Iraq. Along with the rise of the Taliban (because of Iraq) and now the rise of enlisted suicides.

But this story just isn't fun anymore for the media. The economy sucks, people are losing their homes and their jobs. Terrible things to be sure, but let's not forget that there is still a fierce battle raging in countries we shouldn't be in, and our countrymen/women want to come to help "their" families get through the same troubling times "we're" facing here at home.

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The Army Uses iPods To Speak Arabic

I'm sure Steve never envisioned his game changing device would be used to aide the military on the battlefield. What would Lennon think? But you have to go with your strengths and apparently the Army's found the iPod a useful way to help them communicate. --(the iPod straps to your arm, and gets a small speaker hooked up to it) that allows soldiers in Iraq to "speak" Arabic by choosing and playing certain phrases through an iPod-like interface. Very interesting-- the Arabic text even shows up on the screen as the sound clip is being played, and phonetic translations and simulated graphics of suggested gestures for each phrase are included in the browser.--

Pretty freakin cool.

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