Two Stories

There were two stories in print media this week that caught my attention. The first was in the Sarasota Herald Tribune and it was about the success of the Florida4Marriage organization soliciting enough signatures to place an amendment to the Florida Constitution on the 2008 ballet to deny Gay Americans , as the Declaration of Independence insists, the right according to “Nature's God” to secure their “unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.
The second story that caught my attention was in one of the weekly magazines that quoted Avi Primor the former Israeli ambassador to Germany. He was praising Germany for taking responsibility for its history. They are erecting a memorial commemorating murdered Gypsies and a second for gays and lesbians killed in the Holocaust. Avi Primo said “Where in the world has one ever seen a nation that erects memorials to immortalize its own shame”.
Indeed, and where in the world has the shame of Germany’s Holocaust been resurrected other than right here in Florida.

There is a ignoramus Republican Machine generated email going around the internet suggesting that 14,000 US Military Personnel were killed under President Clinton’s Administration. The real scary part of this email is that apparently Republicans can’t even count or add even the figures they are sending out.

There is an old saying that lies can be carried around the world before the truth can get it’s shoes tied.

So below is the truth and following that is the republican Spin Machine Lie. The truth can be found in your own government records, you just need to check, i.e., if you are really interested in Truth, otherwise don’t bother reading.
Bart

I did a little research on this and it appears that only 1 United States military personnel was killed in hostile action during the Clinton Administration. This information comes from a search of the Department of Defense Information site http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf.

You will note that in 1993 there are 29 Military personnel listed in the category of "Terrorist Attack". These are probably soldiers killed in Mogadishu (for those who can’t connect or only identify war in terms of motion pictures, this is "Black Hawk Down". This number is insignificant relative to the 241 Americans killed in Lebanon under Regan, not to mention the 40 French troops. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing ), a real disaster and waste of American life.

It is also interesting that the number of “pending” and “undetermined” increases significantly in the Bush years. If you combine the “Hostile Action” and the “Terrorist Action” I think you get a better picture of what really is happening.

Despite Republican interference in Clinton’s attempt to stop the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia in what use to be Yugoslavia, Clinton succeeded without the lost of any American military person, Army, Marine, Airman or Navy.

Base on the information I was sent, i.e. the below, below information, I am glad my parents didn’t waste a lot of money and time to send me to college because apparently it didn’t pay off for a lot of people. I wish your friends (the person who sent me the original email) would do a tiny bit of honest to goodness research before spouting off. Sending out lies/Republican Machine crap only proves the ignorance of what some thought to be college educated intelligent people, who could have thought? Apparently Republicans like to be told what to think and now as entire Nation, America, is suffering from that “think control”.

The true numbers play like this as far as they are available (2006) and if you don’t like the numbers call the Pentagon and complain:

1992 – 1,293 Total deaths. 676 Accidental, 0 from Hostile Action,109 Homicides, 252 Illness, 238 Self Inflicted, 1 Terrorist Attack and 17 and 1 undermined.

1993 – 1,213 Total deaths. 632 Accidental, 0 Hostile Action, 86 Homicides, 221 Illnesses, 236 Self Inflicted, 29 Terrorist Attack and 8 undetermined.

1994 – 1,075 Total deaths. 544 Accidental, 0 Hostile Action, 83 Homicides, 206 Illness, 0 terrorist Attack, 10 undetermined.

1995 – 1,040 Total deaths. 538 Accident, 0 Hostile, 67 Homicides, 174 Illness, 250 Self Inflicted, 7 terrorist attack and 4 undetermined.

1996 – 974 Total Deaths. 527 Accident, 1 Hostile action, 52 homicides, 173 illness, 188 Self Inflicted, 19 Terrorist Attack and 14 undetermined.

1997 – 817 Total Deaths. 433 Accident, 0 Hostile Action, 42 Homicides, 170 Illness, 159 Self Inflicted and 13 undetermined.

1998 – 827 Total Deaths. 445 Accident, 0 Hostile, 26 Homicides, 168 Illness, 10 Pending, 3 terrorist attack, and 14 undetermined.

1999 – 796 Total deaths. 436 Accident, 0 Hostile Action, 37 Homicides, 150 Illness, 13 pending, 145 self inflicted 0 Terrorist attack and 15 undetermined.

2000 – 758 Total Deaths. 398 Accident, 0 Hostile Action, 34 Homicides, 138 Illness, 151 Self Inflicted, 17 Terrorists Attack and 20 undetermined.

George W. Bush Years
2001 – Total Deaths, 891. 437 Accidents, 3 hostile action, 49 homicides, 185 illnesses, 1 pending, 140 self inflicted, 55 terrorists attack and 21 undetermined.

2002 – Total Deaths, 999. 547 Accidents, 18 Hostile Action, 51 Homicides, 190 Illness, 6 pending, 160 Illness and 27 undetermined.

2003 – Total Deaths, 1228. 440 Accidents, 344 Hostile action, 36 homicides, 207 illness, 16 pending, 167 self inflicted and 18 undetermined.

2004 – Total Deaths, 1874. 604 Accidents, 739 Hostile Action, 46 Homicides, 270 Illness, 19 pending, 188 Self Inflicted and 8 Undetermined.

2005 – Total Deaths, 1942. 632 Accidents, 739 Hostile Action, 49 Homicides, 281 Illness, 72 pending, 150 Self Inflicted and 19 undetermined.

2006 – Total Deaths 1858. 465 Accidents, 753 Hostile Action, 30 Homicides, 205 Illness, 238 “Pending”, 155 self inflicted and 12 undetermined.

The Most interesting statistic is the number of wounded. In Vietnam there were 153,303 “Wounded- Not Mortal”, in Iraqi Freedom there are 25,830 listed in the category of “Wounded in Action”. The number that served in Vietnam was 2,594,000 and while the report I have does not give the number who served in Iraq it is pretty much the same 140 to 150,000, over and over again. If you remember most GIs only served a year in Vietnam, some more, but for the most part just a year. So, I guess the question I have is “are American’s willing to foot the bill to take care of those who diminished their lives for us”? So far that does not seem to be the case. We hear a lot of “for the Troops” speech but not a whole lot of action.
Indeed that ningcompoop O’Rielly, suggests that there are no “homeless veterans”. I think it would be a great idea to send O’Rielly and that drug addict Rush Limbaugh into combat, oh, never mind…we want to win the war against terrorist.

bart

This is the Republican Spin Machine intrepretation of the numbers.

"==================================================================
As it is now the official Election Year nationally, I have been getting these reports sent to me. This one was particularly interesting ( I have included a link to the original report). Whatever your politics, however you lean, however you feel about the War on Terrorism, this report should open some eyes.
Military losses, 1980 through 2006
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf
These are some rather eye-opening facts.
Since the start of the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, the sacrifice has been enormous. In the time period from the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 through today, we have lost over 3,000 military personnel to enemy action and accidents.
As tragic as the loss of any member of the US Armed Forces is, consider the following statistics: The annual fatalities of military members while actively serving in the armed forces from 1980 through 2006:
1980 ........ 2,392 (Carter Year)
1981 ......... 2,380 (Reagan Year)
1984 .......... 1,999 (Reagan Year)
1988 .......... 1,819 (Reagan Year)
1989 .......... 1,636 (George HW Year)
1990 ......... 1,508 (George HW Year)
1991 .......... 1,787 (George HW Year)
1992 .......... 1,293 (George HW Year)
1993 .......... 1,213 (Clinton Year)
1994 .......... 1,075 (Clinton Year)
1995 ...........2,465 (Clinton Year)
1996 ......... 2,318 (Clinton Year) Clinton years @14,000 deaths
1997 ......... 817 (Clinton Year)
1998 ........ 2,252 (Clinton Year)
1999 ......... 1,984 (Clinton Year)
2000 ..........1,983 (Clinton Year)
2001 .......... 890 (George W Year)
2002 .......... 1,007 (George W Year)
2003 .......... 1,410 (George W Year)
2004 .......... 1,887 (George W Year) George W years (2001-2006): 7,033 deaths
2005 ......... 919 (George W Year)
2006.......... . 920 (George W Year)

If you are confused when you look at these figures, so was I.
Do these figures mean that the loss from the two latest conflicts in the Middle East are LESS than the loss of military personnel during Mr. Clinton's presidency; when America wasn't even involved in a war? And, I was even more confused; when I read that in 1980, during the reign of President (Nobel Peace Prize winner) Jimmy Carter, there were 2,392 US military fatalities!

These figures indicate that many members of our Media and our Politicians will pick and choose. They present only those "facts" which support their agenda-driven reporting. Why do so many of them march in lock-step to twist the truth? Where do so many of them get their marching-orders for their agenda?
The latest census, of Americans, shows the following distribution of American citizens, by Race:
European descent............................69.12%
Hispanic ....................................... 12.5%
Black...............................................12.3%
Asian ...............................................3.7%
Native American ......................... . ..1.0%
Other ................... ........................... 2.6%

Now... here are the fatalities by Race; over the past three years in Iraqi Freedom:
European descent (white) .............74.31%
Hispanic ................................... 10.74%
Black ......................................... 9.67%
Asian ...........................................1.81%
Native American ......................... 1.09%
Other ........................................... 0.33%
The point here is that our mainstream media continue to spin these figures (for liberal political gain). Nothing more...it’s all about politics and the libs are famous for turning American against American for a vote.

(These statistics are published by Congressional Research Service, and they may be confirmed by anyone at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf )

Now ask yourself two questions:
"Why does the mainstream Print and TV Media never print statistics like these?"
and
"Why do the mainstream media hate the (world wide) web as much as they do?"
Ensure you do your homework before you place your vote.

Shut the US Senate Down

We hear from the pundits and politicians that there is nothing that can be done by the United States Congress to end our Nation’s involvement in Iraq. We have also learned now that a major supporter of George W. Bush, a supporter, the CEO of Hunt Oil, who is contributing 25 million dollars to his Library, has made an oil deal with the Kurds in northern Iraq that will most likely end any talk of solidifying the Nation of Iraq.
Ignorance is always bliss. When I read the Republican supporter Letters to the Editor I am miffed that these so called intelligent people continue to believe in George Bush’s war in Iraq and that they continue to think that the reason for the war was “weapons of mass destruction” rather than the real reason, OIL.
About a year ago the “Letter to the Editor” editor challenged me on my information regarding the cost of the war. I stated, from legitimate sources, that this war was going to cost over a trillion dollars. A trillion dollars that could have been spent on developing new energy sources, underwriting a one payer health care system, and for sure increasing taxpayer’s contributions to a terribly underfunded educational system, not to mention the environmental benefits of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
There is a way to end the war and to bring our men a women home, shut down the Senate and authorize funds for the sole purpose of redeployment. The blood of any American troop who dies as a result of this action by Congress will be on the hands of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, both of whom were cowards during the Viet Nam war, and their privileged buddies at Hunt Oil and Halliburton.

Life is Surreal

Is anyone having the same surreal week as me? First a “Family Values” Republican is caught in a men’s room soliciting sex from another man. Next a Miss Teenage America embarrasses the education system by suggesting that US Americans can’t find America on the map because most Americans don’t have maps. Then the leader of the free world, our President, is grateful to have been invited to an OPEC meeting that is in fact an “APEC” meeting. He then goes on to thank the Austrians for the support that the Australians have given to his war and there is more but not worth repeating, indeed I think Americans have become numb and, we have all learned to live with the embarrassment. Then to top the week off Osama bin Laden sends out a message to the American people in all his beard dyed glory. So I am asking myself, is all this real, am I living in a nightmare? So I say to myself, the Republican Senator needs to come out and stop living a lie and at the least stop bothering other men in men’s rooms. Miss Teenage America, third place, needs to make her agenda about promoting education, starting with herself. Mr. President of the USA needs to spend more time in the Rose Garden thinking about all the Americans he has dehumanized while all the time he has been living a charmed life. As for Osama bin Laden he has no fear that the beard dye is poisoned, I think the CIA tried to do that with Castro and failed but he should be dead, but he isn’t. President Bush promised that to the American people a few days after September 11, 2001, but he is not dead. Instead he is still allowed to spew his arrogance. Good Job George, not.

Adultery OK- As long as it is Heterosexual

Senator Larry Craig from the great State of “I da ho” declares that he is not Gay nor has he ever been Gay, and I agree with him 100%. Identifying oneself as Gay or Lesbian is not something that should be taken lightly; doing so is for sure a “Badge of Courage”, courage that Senator Craig seems to lack. An announcement that one is Gay or Lesbian in the United States immediately secures your position as a “second class” citizen and Senator Craig has not earned that “right”. Slithering in public men’s rooms for sex while writing legislation to demean ten percent of the population does not qualify anyone for Second Class Citizenship and Senator Craig needs to re evaluate his approach for achieving the dignity of this classification. Senator Craig, from all accounts, is a homophobic homosexual, he is not gay, he is a very dangerous person, to the Gay and Lesbian Community and to himself.

All that said, as I see it Senator Craig never committed a crime. It seems, from the reports that I read, that he invited, via toe tapping and hand movements, a sexual encounter and he pleaded guilty to a “public nuisance” crime and for sure under emotional duress. Because of this he was demonized by the Republican Party, because and only because, it was a homosexual encounter. On the other hand Republican Senator Vetter, from Louisiana, who admitted to a crime of hiring and having sex with a prostitute, gets a free pass, because, and only because his encounter was heterosexual.

Every day, all across the USA, women are harassed by men in powerful positions. They have their butts pinched, they are threatened, either directly or indirectly with losing their jobs or passed over for promotions unless they submit to sexual advances. Women are constantly hit on in super markets, restaurants, bars, malls and in less courteous ways than what happened in the men’s room in Minneapolis Airport. Senator Craig never threatened anyone in that bathroom, he, from what I understand, was looking for sex but was not forcing himself on anyone, he gave a signal and the advance could have been totally ignored but because it was a homosexual encounter it became a major crime in the eyes of America’s “First Class” citizens.

Trust me I am not a Senator Craig fan nor am I am proponent of sex in public places, (get a room), but the obvious deconstruction of one Republican Senator who was “entrapped” and not caught in any real criminal act versus the acceptance of an adulterous Republican Senator who was not even censured secures the notion of a second class citizenship in this Nation.

Pandering To the Health Care Giants

My parents were poor Irish people in Philadelphia and were Republicans because the Republican Party responded to their needs. Imagine Republicans responding to the needs of the poor today. Most people, as they age, become more conservative, I on the other hand have become a progressive. Being a progressive, as I understand it, is truly in line with my Catholic Faith. Thus it is important to me that People of Faith acknowledge the failed system of rationing Health Care in our Country. Beyond life-style choices there are genetic differences that Republicans like Presidential Candidate Rudy Giuliani do not seem to understand or are so well endowed by those who profit from death and sickness that they don’t care. These differences are major health issues, heart problems, cancer, and the list goes on and on, and the costs will not and cannot be satisfied by the few puny dollars that the average American can place in a “Health Care Account”. If an Insurance Company, whose main objective is to make a profit, finds that you are suffering from a costly disease they are going to drop you like a hot potato. Mr. Giuliani suggests that we can forgo our choice of, food, clothing and shelter and place money into a “Health Care Account”. Perhaps Mr. Giuliani is preaching to the wealthy that needs tax breaks and tax shelters. He certainly is not preaching to the broader American Community, who are losing all their health care benefits because of this Republican administration and their adulation to “Corporate America”.
The United States is the only industrialized nation that has not attempted to secure Health Care as a right of its citizens. Even now as the US Congress debates securing additional Health Care for Children this Republican President has threatened a Veto. Shame on him.

Losing My Best Friend

If, during the night, I have to get up for whatever reason, I first have to look down and make sure I don’t step on my guardian. Any baby boomer boy would envy the fact that the real Lassie is not in Hollywood but living in River Club in Bradenton, FL. Ok, it is not the real Lassie, as a matter of fact, just between her and me, her real name is Mouse but publicly she is known as Lassie. She has been my buddy for twelve years now and like most pet owners the thought of her leaving me is just unbearable, but her time is near and I need to deal with it. She was recently diagnosed with inoperable tumors, big ones. I pretty much spent the few hours after being advised either crying alone, or inattentive to my surroundings. My best buddy, Lassie, my Mouse, needed me to make some decisions. I made a decision a long time ago that I would want the people who I love and who love me to allow me to die with dignity. I am not ready to make that decision for Mouse, yet, but I will when I know, and I will know, when the time is right.
Lassie will be the last pet I ever own, I am 60 years old and heading into the home stretch. My pets, all dogs, Flipper, Toto, Jeb, Mickey, Hans and yes Gretel, Daisy and Lassie the Mouse have all been a total comfort to me except for when I had to let them go.
There will be a time in the very near future when I will no longer have to look down to insure that I do not step on my guardian, Lassie. I will have to let her go and I will be certain that she leaves this world with my nose to hers, and as her little brown eyes less than an inch away close I hope that she is reassured that I love her.