That was the plea of another casualty of the Iraq occupation.  But it wasn't cried out on the far off battlefields in the deserts of Iraq, it was cried from behind the door of a small home in Pinehurst, NC on June 28th, as the police kicked in the door.  On June 28th, Doc Dywer died of an overdose trying to suppress his demons.  He died at an oh-so-young, but for many combat veterans an oh-so-old 31 years of age, leaving behind an estranged wife and daughter.

But rather than going on to enjoy the public affection for his act of heroism, he was consumed by the demons of combat stress he could not exorcise. For the medic who cared for the wounds of his combat buddies as they pushed toward Baghdad, the battle for his own health proved too much to bear.

"It doesn't mean you have a disorder that is going to be longstanding ... it is not just a federal responsibility, it is a national responsibility." - VA Secretary Peake

It came in the mail today, my insurance card.  Many of you know that I currently reside in Germany.  I taught at an university for an academic year.  Unfortunately, it was only 11 months and the law stated that I needed to work 12 months to continue my insurance.  I have been without health insurance for two years.  Last April (and I only found out about this a couple of weeks ago, duh), the new Health Insurance Reform Act went into effect.  It said that not only must every resident be insured by 1 January 2009, but that also anyone who had health insurance before MUST be taken back under their plan.

In light of the PA primary, there are some things that struck me about the campaign and the narrative of feminism in general.  This is a deconstruction I whipped up last night.

More below the fold

(if the reading gets too muddled, just skip on down to the update in blockquote)

I feel like I am back in the military, on a strategic reconnaissance  mission deep in the hinterland, sending a report of raw intelligence back to higher (Daily Kos) for further analysis and decemination.

People, we really have to get our shit together and quit bickering amongst ourselves, because there are others laying the groundwork for some serious attacks against our nominee in the fall.  What follows below is a report for a search, or fishing expedition, of information to build a case of not only character assassination but possible legal problems and complications for the Democratic nominee in the General Election.

It has taken me a few days to come to grips enough to write this up as a diary as some have suggested.  I apologize upfront if my rage comes through in any way whether it is whining or hyperbole as that is not my intent and I will do my best to objectively relate the narrative of events and opinion.

First of all, let me explain how the VA determines PTSD claims:

The formula for a successful PTSD claim is simple. You need three things:

1. Evidence of an in-service stressor (the Combat Infantryman's Badge, combat Military Occupational Specialty, Combat awards and medals, etc. , for example, is presumptive of that)

2. A DIAGNOSIS of PTSD (a VA directed Compensation & Pension exam is where that will come from, based upon the records and the exam)

3. A "nexus" tying 1 and 2 together, for example orders placing one in combat operations and documented problems resulting from that experience

I just saw the update, here's the press release.  This is definately hit and run as I am headed out, but wanted to get it out to ya'll for analysis.

Support the Troops!  A mantra repeated incessantly since this god-forsaken war began.  But remember what "support" means?  It obviously does not mean up-armored vehicles, the best body armor available, or essential rest and training periods for military ground units.  It seems that it no longer means a reliable pay check either.

President Bush, to the surprise of Congress and the Defense Department, vetoed the fiscal 2008 Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 29 after months bargaining with House and Senate leaders.

In announcing the pocket veto, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said the president objected to a single provision of the legislation that would delay the reconstruction of Iraq, and expose the Iraqi government to unwarranted law suits in U.S. courts.

Politics to enrich contractors in "rebuilding Iraq" cover possible criminal activity at the expense of GI Joe and Jane - you know, the little people.

http://www.armytimes.com/...

If we accept, whether through faith or through objective analysis of certain well known texts, that a poor carpenter was born into this world from a non-descript small town by the name of Nazareth who would later become known as the Son of Man and the Prince of Peace, then what would be an appropriate way to remember such a figure of human history?

And if such a figure was born two roughly thousand years ago, what did he say and what did he do so that he did not fade into the sands of time out of our collective memories?  What was so powerful that his message remained with us?  They say he could perform miracles, a word derived from the old Latin word miraculum meaning "something wonderful", is a striking interposition of divine intervention by a supernatural being in the universe by which the ordinary course and operation of Nature is overruled, suspended, or modified.

And if such a poor but, if the texts or our faith are reliable, kind man who could perform something wonderful did such things, what kind of miracles would he perform?  And if he was indeed the Prince of Peace, what kind of miracles would happen in his name, what kind of "something wonderful"?

My roommate (partner?) has bouts of sadness.  Severe, in fact the day before yesterday she came home with a diagnosis as Bi-Polar.  She went to the doctor after she broke our relationship off out-of-the-blue last Friday.  But that is not the focus of this diary.

She has stated several times that our pootie, lily, know when she is under and comes to comfort her.  So the following news story caught my attention and there may actually be something to it.  This is about Oscar.

Where does the concept of an oath come?  Why do we, as honorable people, hold an oath with such sanctity?  These questions have been in my mind as I have witnessed, and sometimes participated in, the impeachment debate.  It touched a nerve within me again as I read Mike Stark’s excellent diary.  Nevertheless, I would like to stress that my musings here are no longer about impeachment and I rather not delve too deeply into those waters as much as possible as there are others here who have so eloquently stated and argued, passionately, both sides of the debate.  In other words,

“I’ve come here to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”

Since I've been here a while, I thought that I would share my one and only publication so far.  This is an essay that shares the pages with such luminaries as George McGovern and Noam Chomsky.  I highly recommend (I do not recieve royalties) this work, entitled:

The United States in Global Context: American Studies after 9/11 and Iraq

edited by Walter Grünzweig, 2004, ISBN 3-8258-8262-4

Distributed by Transaction Publishers in North America

This is my published writing so far, kind of embarrassed as I was absolutely wrong:

The forward is:

Richard Gallant is a graduate student in Germanic Languages and Literature at the University of Virginia with a focus in aesthetics, ideology, and revolutionary theater.  After spending a year in Dortmund as an exchange student two years ago, he is currently exchange lecturer at Dortmund teaching a course entitled "Pornography and Literature: Henry Miller, Anais Nin, Sacher-Masoch, and Vladimir Nabokov"

(that was 2004, I now focus on Germanic Saga)

Protests in Germany!

The two are not directly related, but here’s the latest protest news from your local German resident Kossack.  Protest season is heating up over here.  First of all, I will call your attention to what is going on in Ansbach, then we move on to Berlin, or in Leonard Cohen’s words “First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin”

Hello fellow Kossacks.  I’ve been thinking, I know, that is a dangerous thing, nevertheless I have been thinking.  There are a lot of veterans in our virtual community, including El Presidente himself.  We also have several worthwhile sub-forums here where teachers gather, gardeners, our GLBT brothers and sisters, our community women’s issues.  But I have yet to see a forum dedicated to veteran’s issues.

The Non-Commissioned Officer  (NCO) Corps is commonly referred to in Army-speak as the “Backbone of the Army”.  These men and women are the experience that keeps both the privates and junior officers alive on the battlefield and who handle all administrative duties in garrison - the grease that keeps the green machine running smoothly.  Without a strong NCO Corps, the Army just cannot function.

Today, the CS Monitor reports that more and more NCOs are leaving the Army: the backbone is fracturing.

http://www.csmonitor.com/...

With great interest I followed gjohnsits excellent diary The Quiet Crisis.  I’ve been living in Germany now for about four years but headed back to the US next May to finish up some grad school stuff.  I’ve watched my purchasing power drop tremendously as I mainly live off of a monthly VA compensation check (paid in dollars, of course).  Additionally, it seems that my fight with the VA that started in 2002 is about ready to be adjudicated, now that I have enough medical evidence, by the regulations, to set me at 100%.  So, I was thinking, and counting chickens before they hatch: what do I do with that hefty tax-free back pay and $2,400 tax free monthly compensation?  I am scared that, if the indicators are correct, I will finally get my compensation just in time for it to be worthless.  Nevertheless, that is not the point of this diary, just the reason I have such an interest in people like Bonddad and these types of diaries.So what the hell has this to do with drowning dollars and hoarding gold?

Follow me below:

Some folks here have expressed an interest in the foreign press and what is going on outside of US domestic politics.  So, here is my contribution in that spirit, to bring to light a huge issue now happening in Germany complicated by an incident yesterday.

(x-posted at Booman and European Tribune)

A report in the German press, released Wednesday by Der Tagesspiegel, claims Israeli F16s conducted a low level fly-by and shoot twice in an "over the bow" warning, on the German Navy conducting UNIFIL operations off the coast of Lebanon.  Today's follow up is at:
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/...

Nach einem Bericht des "Tagesspiegel" sollen bei dem Vorfall zwei israelische Kampfflugzeuge vom Typ F16 ein deutsches Schiff überflogen und zwei Schüsse in die Luft abgegeben haben. Außerdem hätten die Kampfflieger Infrarot-Täuschkörper zur Raketenabwehr abgefeuert. Die deutsche Marine kreuzt im Rahmen des Nahost-Einsatzes der Vereinten Nationen vor Libanons Küste. (tso/ddp)

This is in reply to a diary that, by itself, is not worth replying to but it does seem to be a trend. This may end up to be long and I am trying not to turn it into a rant. Nevertheless, the subject, in light of what has happened in my own, new, hometown this last week, literally struck home.

There are too many pseudo-comparisons with the people who are now in power in the United States and the old National Socialist Party of Germany. All this frivolous use of language serves to do is to water down the factual atrocities that took place and serves as a disservice to the victims of the Holocaust; the Jews, the Gypsies, the Leftists, the Homosexuals, the crippled and disabled, their descendents, as well as all of the people who fought as well as fell, fighting this evil of humanity.

I live in Menden (Sauerland), North Rhine Westphalia, Germany

I was surprised to get this email. Whether you agreed with the diary or not, you Kossack, are now aware of this if you were not before or reminded. I don't know if there is anything we can do about Bella as it is so Kafka-esque. For me anyway. This is the email. It belongs to everyone here who read and recommended, I'm passing it along to you.