This video from the USA is called Veterans and Iraq Event in Waterloo, IA.
From the Edmonton Sun in Canada:
Families of wounded military vets strugling: studyReuters reports today:By BILL GRAVELAND, The Canadian Press
CALGARY — They are the invisible victims of Canada’s military efforts around the world.
The families of wounded soldiers released from active duty due to severe disabilities are poorer, less healthy and less socially active, says a study prepared for Veterans Affairs Canada.
It’s a growing problem as Canadian soldiers continue to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan and help keep the peace in global hot spots.
Soldiers who can no longer serve in the military receive full pensions, but the University of Alberta study suggests their families still struggle.
A Canada-wide review involved 142 wounded soldiers and 115 of their caretakers and paints a painful picture of what life is like at home.
U.S.-led coalition troops, backed by air strikes, killed 28 Taliban insurgents in southwestern Afghanistan, but six to eight civilians were also killed in the operation, the provincial governor said on Monday.Civilian and military deaths at new highs in Afghan war: here.
From the Globe and Mail in Canada:
Canadians oppose Iraq war: pollHersh: Bush has escalated the secret war inside Iran: here.GLORIA GALLOWAY
From Monday’s Globe and Mail
June 29, 2008 at 11:11 PM EDT
OTTAWA — Canadians are solidly opposed to the war in Iraq and most Americans now believe that our decision not to join that prolonged and unpopular conflict was a good one, a new poll suggests.
A wide-ranging public opinion survey conducted earlier this month by the Strategic Counsel for The Globe and Mail and CTV explored the beliefs that Canadians and Americans hold about national security, the U.S. election, health care, gay marriage, the Iraqi conflict – and each other.
While the world views in both countries differ, the poll suggests there is considerable common ground when it comes to Iraq.
Opposition to the war is huge in Canada, where 82 per cent of respondents said the invasion was the wrong decision. That’s a major reversal from five years ago, during the early days of the conflict, when 51 per cent of poll respondents said Canadian troops should jump to the aid of the United States.
It’s also a change that is being reflected south of the border where 54 per cent of American respondents to this month’s survey said their country never should have become involved militarily in Iraq.
And an even greater number – 59 per cent – of Americans surveyed applaud Canada’s decision to stay home.
From The Guardian:
Nearly half of British troops regularly consider quitting the army and navy because of plummeting morale, poor equipment and low pay, a Ministry of Defence survey of more than 24,000 military personnel has found.
Dear Supporter,
Last summer I got a call from someone who had seen some of our past work. She started off being extremely complimentary about the issues we were bringing to light, marveling at how widely we were able to distribute our short videos to not only inform, but to motivate viewers to take action. She then asked if Brave New Foundation would be interested in taking on a large project to help amplify the stories of a group of Americans whose efforts and sacrifices weren’t being acknowledged. She warned me that it would be a difficult task since it only directly affected less than 1% of the US population.
Watch In Their Boots
Watch In Their Boots LIVE
tonight at 7pm ET
Being a bit headstrong (even in my middle age), I said that no task was too difficult. If there is an injustice, we could tackle it and help to make it right! But what she wanted was difficult. The task we took on was to tell the stories of servicemembers who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Over the past several months, as we gathered our staff and began to meet the men and women who have served, we knew that it would be a privilege to be able to share the stories of these servicemembers and their families so that the other 99% of the US population can better understand what is happening to our troops when they return from war.
We wanted to do something different than our usual short videos with this project, so we developed an idea for a LIVE internet-based show and decided to call it In Their Boots to let the audience know they would be hearing the information from the servicemembers’ points of view.
The show premieres today, Wednesday July 2nd, at 4pm Pacific/5 Mountain/6 Central/7 Eastern at www.intheirboots.com. The stories are riveting and the show will be broadcast LIVE. You will have the opportunity to hear the stories from these servicemembers, learn about organizations that are helping, and find out how you can help as well.
The show will be broadcast from our brand new studio (it was a beauty parlor just 2 months ago), not quite finished since we are still doing some fundraising, but looking pretty good. Since it is LIVE, we invite you all to join the discussion and become part of webcast history by asking our interview guest a question, live, “on the air.”
We are proud of what we have put together and we hope that you all tune in to see this. Please let us know what you think of it as well. And if you miss any part of the episode, be sure to check it out on our site: www.intheirboots.com. We plan on producing a new episode every Wednesday, live at 4pm Pacific.
I hope to hear from you soon. As always, thank you for your support.
Best,
Jim Miller
and the Brave New Foundation team
Comment by Administrator — July 2, 2008 @ 6:44 pm
Military Fights to Stop Bush Repeating His Iraq Errors in Iran
Posted by: “frankofbos” FrankOfBos@yahoo.com
Wed Jul 2, 2008 10:50 pm (PDT)
Ranking military officials push back on Bush military plans against
Iran. “We built this big monster with Iraq, and there was nothing
there. This [Iran] is son of Iraq” said one general. Also, a related
Bushism, the wisdom of Lincoln, and a related item currently in the
news.
http://poorgeorgesalmanac.com/?p=324
Today’s categories: Bushisms, Failing the Troops, Foreign Policy Foul
Ups, Proven Wrong
Comment by Administrator — July 3, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan1-2008jul01,0,2046702.story
June is deadliest month for troops in Afghanistan war
Forty-five international troops are slain. The number surpasses the monthly total in Iraq for the second straight month.
From the Associated Press
July 1, 2008
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — At least 45 international troops, including at least 27 Americans, died in Afghanistan in June, the deadliest month since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban, according to an Associated Press count.
It was also the second straight month in which militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
The Taliban in June staged a sophisticated jailbreak that freed about 900 prisoners, then briefly overran a strategic valley outside Kandahar. Last week, a Pentagon report forecast the fundamentalist Islamic militia would maintain or increase its attacks, which are already up 40% this year from 2007 in areas where U.S. troops operate along the Pakistani border.
In Iraq, at least 31 international soldiers died in June: 29 U.S. troops and one each from the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan. There are 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, along with 4,000 from Britain and small contingents from several other nations.
The 40-nation international coalition is much broader in Afghanistan, where only about half of the 65,000 international troops are American.
U.S. Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, the top commander of U.S. forces here, said in June that militant attacks were becoming more complex — such as gunfire from multiple angles plus a roadside bomb. Insurgents are using more explosives, he said.
Mark Laity, the top NATO spokesman in Afghanistan, said troops were taking the fight to insurgents in remote areas and putting themselves in harm’s way. One or two events can disproportionately affect the monthly death toll, he said.
In June, at least 13 British troops were killed, along with at least two Canadians and one person each from Poland, Romania and Hungary.
The AP count found that about 580 people died in insurgent violence last month, including about 440 militants, 34 civilians and 44 members of the Afghan security forces. More than 2,100 people have died in violence this year, according to the AP count, which is based on figures from Afghan, U.S. and NATO officials.
On Monday, an Afghan official said U.S.-led forces backed by warplanes killed 28 militants in southwestern Afghanistan, including several Taliban commanders.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said it killed several more insurgents in coordination with Pakistani forces along the mountainous border, and three members of the U.S.-led coalition died when their vehicle rolled into a riverbed Sunday.
Comment by Administrator — July 4, 2008 @ 9:26 am
Join us on August 2 in more than 50 local actions all across the country.
Get in touch with friends, co workers, community and religious groups and students.
Together we can say -
Not ANOTHER war!
Troops Out of Iraq
No War on Iran
We need health care and education NOT Endless war!
MASS MARCH IN NYC
…and 50+ Other Cities
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2
Assemble 12 p.m.
at Times Square
43rd St. & Broadway
On June 26, the Stop War on Iran Campaign issued a call for emergency actions on August 2 to stop the Bush Administration’s drive towards an attack against Iran.
In the few days since we’ve issued the call, responses have been pouring in. Already, we have heard back from activists and organizers who are planning protests, rallies, and pickets in more than 50 cities, including a major demonstration in New York City in Times Square and a demonstration in front of the White House in Washington. Actions will also be held in Los Angeles, several cities in Texas, locations throughout New England, small towns in Utah, and more. We are working on compiling a list of the growing number of local actions now, which we will have online soon.
It is urgent that we act now, and that we make every possible effort to stop a war against Iran. We know that once Wall Street and the Pentagon, initiate a war and occupation, they are determined to continue, even in the face of determined resistance and opposition. Iraq and Afghanistan have been ripped to shreds by the invasion and occupation. Millions are without potable water, electricity, functioning schools, basic health care or security. Millions more have become refugees.
The cost of endless war means growing hunger and poverty here in the U.S. It also means deteriorating schools and infrastructure and millions of people without health care.
The U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan is hated by the people there. These wars have no support at home and are ruining the domestic economy. Instead of pulling out, the Bush administration is preparing for still another war—this time against Iran. This must be stopped!
We must take action now. Please consider how you can help - what you do in the next few weeks can make a difference:
* Endorse the Emergency Call to Action for August 2
* List your local action
* Sign the Petition
* Make an Emergency Donation
* Tell a Friend
* Sign up for updates
Comment by Administrator — July 4, 2008 @ 9:28 am