WTF is wrong w/Duers? DoD LIES about injury rate to troops (90% reduction)

[fed-up]

and yet there are 10 times as many Duer's viewing posts about Hilary, Gore

these threads died the same way our vets are, unnoticed, and forgotten amongst the bullshit distractions the media is shoving down our throats

this is the first time I believe that number (200,000) of those getting medical care from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has been in the mainstream news

Nicholson Downplays High Numbers Of Injured Vets: ‘A Lot Of Them Come In For Dental Problems’
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Secretary of VA regarding 200k vets treated: "A lot of them come in for, for dental problems."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[WiseButAngrySara]

1. KNR'd them both. One was in GD politics and had 8 recs, and

the other in GD with 3 rec's. Just keep kicking them if you want more people to pay attention. Of course it's important.

[fed-up]

6. thanks, I've been in and out all day making food for our fundraiser tomorrow &

was hoping that the more people that saw this, the more it would get sent to local news media or kept alive so people could use it for LTEs

there has been lots of talk the last few years about possible undercounting of illness/injury to Vets and now it is on MSM it seems not many are paying attention

[WiseButAngrySara]

8. Good luck.. we'll keep it kicked. ....n/t

[Joe for Clark]

2. Man - our parents , our brothers and our kids are/have done

done some war.

We understand just fine - that is why we are here.

Joe

[WiseButAngrySara]

3. kick. ....n/t

[TahitiNut]

4. It's not enough to see the problem.

I think most are overwhelmed with the plethora of abominations perpetrated by this cabal. It's easy to pick a candidate (rock star) and join a fan club - all the 'talking points' (action plans) are ready-made. The same isn't true for each of the abominations we're treated to every day. DU gives a limited lip service to 'activism' but what's really needed is a "culture of activism" - a mindset that prepares and 'cans' some suggested acts that can have a real positive impact.

In a "culture of activism" we wouldn't be bothering to "DU this poll!" We'd lay in a supply of envelopes, stationery, and postage stamps and have our word processors ready. We'd have some fairly well-written letters ready for each DUer's personal touch and we'd get used to sending our letters with hand-written addresses and hand-written signatures. (Email really doesn't cut the mustard.)

Then ... whenever something like this came up we'd do the research, find the contacts, develop letters, and send them out (cc our Senator or Representative, of course). It'd cost each person maybe $50-$100/month.

At least that's a road-map for a 'discussion' on topics like this ... topics that don't serve some self-centered get-your-rock-off bashing of the next poor slob to post something to the thread. We're getting too damned accustomed to ripping out the throats of people who don't really mean harm and ignoring the people who're RAPING this country. The former, at least, offers some visceral, self-righteous satisfaction (no matter how illusory), while the latter means we have to actually do some thinking and some working.

At least that's how I see it. Frustration or blood lust.

[WiseButAngrySara]

11. Excellent points. Is there a DU forum for this? Or are you

suggesting a post in GD that instead of saying "DU this poll" would say something like "DU Call to Action."

[TahitiNut]

18. Well, there's the "Activism" forum ...

.,, but I'm not personally aware of how effective it is. I have some personal moral/ethical/spiritual reservations about "parading my virtuous acts" in public. (I tend to get a slightly sour taste in my mouth with gold stars, medals, badges, certificates, and such.) I'm a long, long way from 'perfect' against my own standards - but that doesn't mean I don't stop trying. (And I don't impose them on others.)

The kind of thing I had in mind was more of a protocol ... a generally agreed upon approach to 'research' and 'composition' ... where the act of sending a resulting letter was individual, to be announced or not as the person felt comfortable. The research and composition would be collaborative work - well-suited to an online forum. The power of picking and personalizing a letter would NOT be limited to dues-paying members of DU. "Lurkers" galore could participate - and say nothing. That appeals to me.

[WiseButAngrySara]

23. It sounds like a good idea, but I think it would likely need a

separate 'workspace' or DU forum. The posted material in both GD and GD Politics can be the starting place, but the pace is so fast in GD that I'm afraid a collaborative effort might get lost in the shuffle! (PS.. know what you mean about 'parading your acts' and all of that, and we're similar in that regard)

[TahitiNut]

27. Well, the original question regarded the apparent lack of attention given ...

... to such threads, so my primary reason for replying was to pose the 'ease of reaction' hypothesis and suggest that it be countered by nurturing a cultural habit of collaborative problem-solving (plug'n'play actions) - something of an alternative to the blame-shifting, finger-pointing, and internecine personal attacks.

P.S. - I suspected you did from your avatar and your posts. It's interesting to read posts not only for what they do contain but for what they don't.

RAOK on!

[fed-up]

13. great idea once during a campaign I brought paper/pen/clipboard/envelopes

and had people write a brief LTE in support of our issue (banning GE crops) at the end of the party I collected the letters and dropped them off at our local paper the next day-15 instant letters! all unique!

I also have just noticed that if my thread title is somewhat controversial it will attract more viewers...

[WiseButAngrySara]

26. LOL! Sympathy and/or anger push buttons. ...n/t

[EFerrari]

5. There's nothing wrong with DUers.

We've been dealing with Thug firestarters for years, and sometimes it looks like we get scattered.

DU will step up. You watch.

[fed-up]

7. thanks, I must be a little tired-yesterday Sacto for SB 840-today cooking...n/t

[EFerrari]

9. Just remember, DU is like a family.

lol

Thank you for your work, fed-up.

[caligirl]

10. we're over at the thread on Walter Reed trying to get more attention for the

patients, while the Army command tries to screw them over for speaking out. Men were dying from drinking themselves to death and never getting medical care AT Walter Reed After coming back from the ME and Afghanistan. and a whole shit load more than that.


By the way there is an oversight meeting by one of Waxman's subcommittee's March 5 at Walter Reed on the neglect and harm to troops there.

Not saying your not correctly upset, just this is massive ands we may need to get more organized if we want to do more on all these issues. I've been emailing and calling all day on this one, and have more calls to do in the am.

[EFerrari]

12. Can you post a link to that thread? There have been several

so that would be helpful!

[caligirl]

15. Links are now here for the Walter Reed Threads on patient neglect

on censoring of patients/troops at Walter Reed

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

On house oversite hearing at Walter reed March 5 time to be announced still.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Anne Hull and Dana Priest tell us they've(command at WR) known for years and even rummy's wife knew and Repub Cong Young and his lovely wife of Florida even complained to no avail. (Gee, and WR is all upset the troops said a word?)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

[EFerrari]

17. Thanks so much, caligirl.

It's hard to know these mofos are not only withholding care but also gagging soldiers.

[caligirl]

19. Yeah but sadly it isn't new. Hope your well.

[EFerrari]

22. It isn't new. When Junior invaded Iraq, I subbed to the Army Times

because I wanted to hear what people really thought and hoped the letters editor would let those voices be heard/read.

It isn't new. And why the hell do we put up with it?

[fed-up]

14. I didn't mean to include the other really important posts when comparing

thread counts

yes, the issues at Walter Reed have been going on for years, I think babylonsister posted the link from way back for some of the original stories

I am glad to see that the powers that be are finally taking action to improve things over there

[caligirl]

16. it would be so easy to throw in the towel, there is just so much shit

about to hit the fan, where does anyone start to fix the problems? More of this and the public just might be screaming for the chimps head on a platter.

[EFerrari]

20. No one is doing enough, imho.

The Cabal has used and abused our service people in the most calculated way. And now they want to shake them off -- like they shook off the 9/11 families, like they shook off Katrina.

It's not going to happen. We're watching, we're pissed, and we won't allow it.

[caligirl]

21. did you see Lynn Woolsey on either CNN or MSRNC today? she

was so disheartened about the state of things in the dem party. Said in such a sad way that the dem party is divided on Iraq and that they are worried more about the label they could be stuck with in the next election cycle with the implied comment being the troops will have to wait to come home when the dems are less afraid. she said with the saddest voice how she felt they were so wrong. she really wants the troops home now.

[EFerrari]

24. No, I didn't see that.

We have to get louder. We are the deciders. Let's please make a big decision and put the Beltway on notice.

Lynn is telling us what we need to do. She's right.

[WiseButAngrySara]

25. I saw that. It was quite moving, because she know that the very

best support for our troops is to bring them home now. This fear of the label of 'not supporting the troops' is ludicrous if by supporting them it means to send them to an early death or a lifetime of disabilities.

[Benhurst]

28. Recommended #10 ***** Recommended threads #12 and #10.

[malaise]

29. When an admnistration lies about every

fugging thing, forgive DUers for the burn out.
K & R

[Czolgosz]

30. What's the crap about the VA saying there have been fewer than 600 amputations?

"I think Americans are always very surprised to know the number of amputations, for example, which is fewer than 600 in total."

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson, source: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/28/nicholson-dental /

Is that correct?

[w8liftinglady]

31. I think those are 2004 numbers he's quoting.

[w8liftinglady]

32. here's some articles the lying motherfucker needs to read

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/1...
-snip-
As of Sept. 30, war amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan numbered 725, according to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which also has a military amputee center. Because so many of them are young -- often under 25 -- the military's aim is to treat them as the highly conditioned, athletic men and women they were prior to being injured. It is the reason Paralympic gold medalist Casey Tibbs is working as a peer-to-peer counselor with amputees at C5.

http://iamputees.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22452.pdf
as of May 3, 2006, DOD reported a total
of 674 amputations during OIF and OEF. Of the total number of amputations, 575 were
sustained in OIF, 41 were sustained in OEF, and 58 were sustained during nondeployment.
Of all amputations, 42.1% were caused by improvised explosive d