A Grateful Nation ...

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

My buddies at the VFW center talk a lot about WWII, even though most of them fought in Viet Nam. One veteran told me it was because he felt it was the war that actually meant something.

 field of stars at the national WWII memorial

During Viet Nam I did volunteer work for  Viet Nam Veterans Against War.  I was very young and it was both exciting and humbling to meet soldiers who had returned from the war. The war was also the beginning of my awareness of a larger world around me. It was the catalyst for my interest and involvement in politics and for my decision to never remain silent about things I felt needed changing.

"the wall" - at the Vietnam Memorial in DC

The brightest news this Veteran's Day is that the soldiers in Iraq will be home at the end of the year. Yet they come home to an economy that is the worst in decades and to already poor services that will continue to be cut. These men and women and their families should be met with jobs and healthcare and housing.

women's war memorial in DC, right next to the Viet Nam Memorial

Iraq Veterans Against War  is working to do just that. Of all the veteran groups I researched they are the only one clearly offering services to all veterans including women and soldiers from the LGBT community.

Military families can turn to Military Families Speaking Out for support.

At a time when a war veteran can be beaten by police at a peaceful demonstration (Occupy Oakland) I hope we all rise to the challenge of putting our actions where our flag waving is.

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. ~José Narosky

All About Tuesday

Don’t be scared, this post is not all about what I’m doing today.

It’s about a soldier named Luis Montalvan and a dog named Tuesday.

Captain Montalvan was injured during his second tour in Iraq. Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and three fractured vertebrae are but three of the issues that he is dealing with.

You can see Captain Montalvan talk about what happened in THIS SHORT FILM produced last year. You also get to meet Tuesday and see how he helps Luis every single day deal with things like balance problems and panic attacks and nightmares. Tuesday reminds Luis to take his meds and buffers Luis from crowds that might trigger a flashback. Before Tuesday came into his life Luis rarely left his apartment and was drinking heavily. He found the lengthy battle and wait for VA help to be so frustrating that he often just gave up.

Captain Montalvan and Tuesday were brought together with the help of Senator Al Franken and  EDUCATED CANINES ASSISTING DISABILITIES. Senator Franken has since passed a bill to create a pilot program that will get more service dogs paired with wounded soldiers.

Senator Franken talks about that in THIS CLIP.

I first learned of Captain Montalvan and Tuesday when they appeared ON LETTERMAN to promote THE BOOK he has written about his life with Tuesday. If you watch this clip you will immediately notice the difference in the Captain’s demeanor compared to the video shot a year ago. You also get to see Letterman beg Tuesday for a hug.

With all the soldiers languishing in a crappy VA benefits systems and with all the shelter dogs waiting for a home it seems to me this program is a win-win or as Senator Franken says - “We have to reform our system, and I know we will. My solution: more dogs.”

The Portrait

I have always wanted to visit the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian in DC. I’ve been to DC several times but never made it to the Gallery – usually due to having others with me who couldn’t bear the idea of another museum.

I was browsing articles about the Gallery yesterday when I came upon a new portrait.

The artist’s work won a spot in the gallery after being selected from among 3300 other new portraits. You can read about the competition and the details of this portrait HERE and HERE

This is Army Sgt. Richard Yarosh …



Sgt. Yarosh was injured in Iraq in 2006. The vehicle he was in hit an IED and burst into flames. In addition to the articles above you can also read more about that HERE

What struck me about the portrait was the sense of dignity, quiet dignity.

Here is a real person who had a life before war and who, with an astounding amount of courage and work, has a life after war. Rich has gone through 35 surgeries. He did not look at his own face for 5 months and says it took many more months to feel comfortable enough to show it out in the world.

I really recommend reading the articles I linked. I took great comfort in the comments of those who were viewing the portrait for the first time.

The sacrifices made by soldiers and their families cannot be measured. The challenges faced by anyone who is disfigured or disabled cannot be described.

Those of us who sit on the sidelines of war need to do more. All the bumper stickers and flag waving and peace globes on earth don’t equal volunteering some time at a VA Hospital or helping a military family.

I have had many days lately when I felt I couldn’t face the world. On the next one I will think of this portrait and it will be easier to push forward.

Thank you Sgt. Richard Yarosh

If the Shoe Fits ...

I’m proud to say I haven’t seen my title anywhere else. My favorite is “A Shoe Heard Round the World” from CBCnews.ca.

I know yesterday’s post was spiritual and full of peace and love and today’s post appears to be full of snark and snot – but what can I say – I am a complicated woman.

My pal SPARTACUS posted that the shelf life of this story is over but I just can’t help myself.

I was thinking about how I truly dislike violence. I was thinking about how I respect the Office of the President. And so I thought I really didn’t find any humor in shoes being thrown at my President.

But wait …

That asshole isn’t my President. He’s just the ignorant arrogant yahoo I’ve been stuck with for 8 years.



And so it was funny again. Not funny ha-ha – but funny in the way you need to laugh at a funeral or in the ER waiting room. You just have to – cause if you don’t – you’ll take to throwing shoes of your own.

Now it’s a shame poor little Dana (I’m so perky while I spew lies) Perino got a black eye in the melee but think about it – a black eye, how appropriate for this administration. Their mere existence is a black eye on the planet.

No one ever got killed by a shoe so I don’t feel that I’m making jest of a dangerous situation. Had it been a deadly weapon then clearly innocent people (Iraqi journalists) could have been hurt and that’s an entirely different story.

But innocent people did get hurt – thousands and thousands of them – as the shoe throwing young man said. He threw those shoes as a sign of contempt for the “dog” who invaded his country. Seems fair to me.

Still-President Bush (thanks Jon Stewart) really needs to just stay home. Sit around the White House and take photos with the big shiny tree. Go to Camp David for the last time and see if he can find his way back from the tennis courts all on his own. Or just go back to where he spent most of his Presidency – the Crawford ranch.

What he should not do is stand around in the middle of the gigantic human disaster he created smiling and behaving as though he can spell diplomacy, let alone practice it.

He just pisses off the people whose lives he has forever altered. He puts our soldiers in even more danger.

For the love of all that is good can’t he just shut the fuck up and lay low. He already got away with murder – what more does he want? A library? A legacy?

There aren’t enough shoes on the planet.

While I Respect His Service ...

In the comments on my previous post my buddy MATT-MAN mentions being sick of hearing about McCain's military service. I responded by saying that I am tired of feeling the need to preface anything I say about McCain with "... while I respect his service".

Of course we respect his service and as I said to Matt if that is the ONLY qualification for President then I have at least a dozen guys from the VFW who should be our next leader and I'll gladly drive them down to the White House myself.

See a couple of them can't walk too good and a couple of them can't drive, one of them is blind in one eye, another is deaf. They don't have Cindy's money and McCain doesn't think we should spend "extravagantly" on helping them.

So I will take them to Washington myself, on my own dime!

Each has served, each has suffered and each is a better man ten times over than that war mongering loon who will be gracing our TVs all next week.

DARYL sent me this in my last post. I find it fitting to show this on the day that Obama will speak. It makes for a perfect contrast.

I doubt that the John McCain of years ago would vote for the John McCain of today. So respect his service and let him retire.

I Want My Country Back

As of today – August 14, 2008 – 4,141 Americans have been killed in Iraq.

Four Thousand One Hundred and Forty One

This does not include the deaths of other coalition soldiers, this does not include the deaths in Afghanistan; it does not include the deaths of contractors.

And then there are the estimated 1,252, 595 Iraqi civilians killed as a direct result of our occupation of their country.

Earlier this evening, I sat with mouth wide open and hands shaking as I watched the August 11th episode of THE DAILY SHOW. The guest was RON SUSKIND. His latest book ‘The Way of the World’ has just been released. I listened to Mr. Suskind talk about the White House ordering the CIA to manufacture a memo that would link Sadam Hussein to al-Qaeda. The memo would also connect a few more dots by producing evidence that Muhammad Atta, the 9/11 ring leader, trained in Iraq.

You can read more of the details HERE and HERE


I watched Jon Stewart’s face twitch. I listened to the audience go silent. Jon asks why this isn’t news. Mr. Suskind shrugs – he has put the information out there, Congress has to act.

Congress has to act. What a novel idea.

I’ve stayed away from the whole impeachment discussion. After Kucinich was repeatedly shut down by the other Democrats and virtually ignored by the media I got frustrated. Then when Obama became the nominee I decided I wanted us to move forward. It’s very dangerous to get complacent. Now is not the time to enjoy a moment’s victory. The forces of evil never rest.

After watching the Daily Show episode I went outside. A huge thunderstorm had just blown through and I hoped the air would feel clean. My neighbor strolls over. After a few minutes of storm related talk he nods in the direction of my car – “So you added another Obama sticker”. Yes I did. “I don’t feel like quibbling over Obama” I tell him. He asks why. I start to tell him about the memo, about Suskind’s book. He interrupts – “that’s hard to believe” he tells me, “not one of the news shows has mentioned it”.

Of course it hasn’t been mentioned. We are all coping with the far more devastating news that John Edwards couldn’t keep it in his pants.

What’s a few thousand soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis when we must get to the bottom of why men cheat.

I’m so disgusted by my country. Not just its government, its people. I’m so fucking sick and tired of how lazy and stupid we are. For every Kucinich there are a thousand yokels waving flags and watching their President romp around China. While tanks roll further into Georgia this asshole plays volleyball. While a 23 year old soldier from NYC is being blown to bits by an IED in Sadr City this piece of garbage is dancing in his seat at the opening ceremonies; ceremonies being hosted by one of the most violent and oppressive governments on the planet.

Not one single death had to happen. We occupied a country because Bush and Co. wanted a war. There are pieces of evidence all over the place that this war is a lie.

People died. People continue to die.

The world does not trust us. I do not trust us.

And STILL people try to tell me they “don’t trust” Obama. He “isn’t ready to lead”. He “needs more experience”.

And STILL people are talking about Edwards. It’s “disgraceful”. It’s “shameful”. His wife is sick and he cheated. What kind of person does that? He shouldn’t go to the convention. How will this effect Obama.

John McCain will be standing arm in arm with a war criminal and we’ll be wondering about the guy who screwed the pretty girl because she was taking his picture.

John McCain hugged and kissed a man who can sleep at night and tap dance in the Rose Garden while our children and Iraqi children die. They die because he’s greedy and vile. They die because he’s hateful and power hungry. They die because he’s a drug addicted alcoholic with a C- average who wants to show his Daddy he’s a big deal. They die because he believes his pitiful Born-Again Christian ass is the only ass worthy of living. Fuck the Muslims! Kill Them All!

As McCain sang so cheerily – “Bomb Bomb Bomb – Bomb Bomb Iran”.

I took the link to Mr. Suskind’s website and e-mailed it to my Senators and to my Congressman.

I don’t know what else to do.

But I’m thinking about it.

I want my country back.