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On Extraordinary Awards, Or, Wounded Troops, Wounded Again

Written by: fake consultant on Jul 24, 2008 3:14 PM

Linked to groups: DFA Night School, Democracy for Illinois, Quad Cities Trained Activists, Young Democrats of IL, Blog For America

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

We come together today to discuss one of the more disturbing things that the Administration has done recently…and for a President who claims he “supports the troops”, this story is even more disturbing than usual.

It has his fingerprints all over it, however: laws ignored, rules rendered irrelevant, secrets kept from those who need to know—and ultimately, the cost of his bad decisions are being borne by those who have already paid about a high a price as could be possible in the service of this Nation.

Follow along, my friends, and I will treat you to a magic trick: one in which “Support The Wounded Troops” magically becomes “Screw The Wounded Troops” right before your very eyes…and while you probably won’t feel like applauding at the end, it’s nonetheless a trick you don’t want to miss.

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Suicidal vet was "begging for help, and [VA] kicked him to the curb"

Written by: Kate Drazner on Jul 24, 2008 1:35 PM

A few months ago, when I interviewed Josh, an Iraq War veteran, about his struggles with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD that he was affected with in Iraq, and which followed him home to Wisconsin, he told me that it had taken him 2 years to receive treatment for his conditions. His girlfriend told me that she was grateful that Josh was not one of the approximate 1,000 veterans who attempt suicide a month.

"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers who need it aren't even getting taken care of by the VA, and thousands more are attempting to commit suicide under their care. Not only that, but when I went there as 'a danger to myself and other people,' they said it was in the past and that it didn't mean that I was still. They didn't want me to be there and they didn't know what to do with me. It's no wonder they wanted to 'Shhh...' the numbers of veterans attempting to commit suicide under their care."

All I could think was, Josh saw this coming, how come the VA couldn't?

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Action Alerts

Written by: Kenneth Quinnell on Jul 22, 2008 11:36 PM

Linked to groups: Florida DFA, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), DFA Tallahassee, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

The latest action alerts from Florida and around the country.

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Slim Picken's Energy Plan: Separating the Beauty from the Beast

Written by: Kate Drazner on Jul 23, 2008 5:15 PM

One of my favorite Disney movies as a child was Beauty and the Beast. From a child who was born with a thrill for taking ugly, mean things and making them beautiful (I was really into painting old furniture), you could see the appeal: a stubborn and self-serving beast was transformed into a sweet, giving prince through the healing power of love. Oh, if only real life was this idyllic.

Unfortunately, in the real world, wealth and power don't magically yield to justice and conscience, even if it's presented as such on the surface. Take oil tycoon and bill-footer of last election's Swift Boat crusade T. Boone Pickens. Pickens has been on a $58 million publicity tour to promote his plan to erect wind turbines in the Midwest.

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Thursday picks from Gerry (Open Thread)

Written by: Gerry L on Jul 24, 2008 9:12 AM

tried earlier...got a ' problem ' notice...so, trying one last time...

Thursday~

***************round of articles about our domestic ‘issues’

July 24, 2008

Coverage of Obama in Berlin…

From Der Spiegel http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,k-7260,00.html

From BBC News… http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7522738.stm

=========================================

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Participate in the Democratic Party Platform Meeting on Saturday

Written by: Denise on Jul 23, 2008 9:27 PM

Linked to groups: Democracy for Riverside, Blog For America, California for Democracy, Courage Campaign

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

Every four years the Democratic National Committee traditionally hired professionals to write the Democratic Party Platform which is presented and voted on by the delegates at the Democratic National Convention. Not this year. Not this time!

Gov. Howard Dean and Barack Obama have teamed up to change that. This year they want our input on what values and planks should be reflected in the Democratic Party Platform. And do we want to give it to them!

Join us in Riverside on Saturday, July 26, and let your voice be heard. Bring your family, friends and neighbors to help outline what values and priorities you think should be reflected in the Democratic Party Platform to be voted on next month at the Democratic National Convention.

If you haven't already done so, RSVP here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4gg2l

Hope to see you there with family, friends and neighbors in tow!

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Walking Dubuque for Obama

Written by: Frank Palmer on Jul 23, 2008 12:10 PM

Northside (Chicago) DFA sent a contingent to Iowa Saturday to canvass for Obama. This was my report on Daily Kos:

The Obama campaign isn't worrying about Illinois. You only think Obama is popular in your state; he's really popular in IL.

They're sending people from different congressional districts to different states. The 9th CD, on the eastern edge of IL, is assigned to Iowa, over the western edge. On Saturday, Northside DFA drove from Chicago to Dubuque to canvass.

As of Friday morning, we expected three canvassers and no cars. In the event we had six canvassers and a potential of three cars. We left one of the cars in Chicago and drove off a little after 7:00 a.m. We expected to arrive before 11:00, but one car headed wrong and the other got a flat tire. We didn't head out of the Dubuque Obama office until after noon.

We left Chicago in a soft rain and had worried about the weather for canvassing. We needn't have. Iowa had bright sun by the time we got there.

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Military Testing in Schools

Written by: charles z on Jul 23, 2008 10:41 AM

As suggested by "Marc" during the Democracy for Howard County meeting of 22 July, 2008, I'm posting my report respective of "Military Testing in Schools," prepared for this self-same meeting--the issue being discussed therein. While in the interests of time, I did not pursue the concluding statements that are found in this report during the 22 July gathering, the conclusion is retained herein. And while self-evidently, from some of the counter-blog material I've previously received, one could readily project that certain persons may take to this blog conclusion none to kindly, nonetheless I shall present it, and not in an "Un-American" spirit--but in my humble estimation fully in the spirit of the Founding Fathers of our Revolutionary era. In accordance with my studies, the Founding Fathers would, with vigor, support that which is expressed in the conclusion below insofar as they promoted wholesale human liberty (while, of course, I realize that many of the above were in fact slave-owners, I nevertheless credit these same Fathers as retaining an awareness of the degradation involved in this institution, its anachronicity, and the fact that "America" would have died aborning were this institution voided at that time).

I would further like to thank those in the 22 July gathering's attendance who provided a number of trenchant suggestions while also broaching curious questions (the entirety of this ASVAB scheme can readily be viewed in a curious light) of which I hope to follow-up upon in the interim.

While researching the issue for which I volunteered, id est, "Military Testing in Schools," I contacted the Secretary of Public of Education, Ho. Co. (Ms. Lisa Borman), and the Director of the Career Regional and Development Programme (Ms. Stephanie Discepelo)-- though failed in my attempt to contact school board member Frank Aquino despite leaving messages on his work and cell phones.

The military test in question is entitled the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, aptly designated "battery" insofar as this is exactly what is being perpetrated when high school students across the nation are subjected to the nearly four (4) hour examination, many, if not the majority, of whom are unaware of the test's provenance nor to whom the results will be delivered.

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10 Stories to Read

Written by: Kenneth Quinnell on Jul 23, 2008 12:57 AM

Linked to groups: Florida DFA, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), DFA Tallahassee, Training Academy Alumni, Class of 2007

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

This is our regular feature where every day I do a post with the top 10 blog posts that I think people should read from the previous day. Posts are included here and ranked based on a combination of originality, focus on Florida, length (longer, more thorough analysis is better), quality of writing and impact of the story.

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Totally Selfish Request: No Mitt Romney!!!!!

Written by: Diana Painter on Jul 22, 2008 11:27 PM

Linked to groups: Bannock County Democrats, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

In response to NathanRudy's diary on daily kos, Totally Selfish Request: No Mitt Romney!!!!! I just have to say...

*sigh* I need a drink. There are more and more rumors of Mitt being named Veep for McCain and this disturbs me, and not just because he tied his dog to the roof of his car. This changes a lot of races in my area.

I am FAR more selfish then NathanRudy in proclaiming "NO MITT ROMNEY!!!!"