<p>I am endorsing Sen. Obama for President because I am very bitter.</p>
<p>I’m also bitter. And enraged. That’s why Obama’s my guy.</p>
<p>Hondu & Hindoo - Does your bitterness cause you to “cling to guns or religion, antipathy for people who aren’t like you, & anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment”?</p>
<p>Wow; I’m a vet. I’ve spent quite a bit of time eating sand in the middle east. Yet, I make no excuses whatsoever for the vet that comes back to the states and commits crimes. I WON’T attribute it to PTSD or anything else. Just like I won’t make excuses for the non vets who commit crimes. When you can prove, which you can’t, that a significant amount of vets leave military service and commit crimes because of socio-psychological effects caused by their military service, then you can compare your apples and oranges. Until then, that criminal is just as much a deviant as any other criminal on the streets. Him being a vet means absolutely nothing.</p>
<p>Personally; I believe that Saddam and some of his cronies no longer being in power in Iraq, do in fact makes the United States and the world a safer and better place. I won’t defend every action and decision the military presence in the middle east has as being positive. But overall, I do defend our presence as being better for the indigenous people of those countries as well as those in the United States and around the world.</p>
<p>Also; I too am bitter, but I can’t support Obama. I am bitter against ILLEGAL immigrants. I wish there was a way we could deport every last one of them. My relative immigrated legally, so should others. If there are going to be illegal immigrants, then we should make it where they get absolutely no financial or social support whatsoever.</p>
<p>Oh, absolutely. All of the above! Seriously, when it comes to guns, I’m way too afraid to cling. Never had one. Never will have one. If I did, guaranteed I’d find a way to accidently shoot myself or someone I love, or a burglar would manage to pry it out of my trembling, panic-stricken hands and use it on me. Which doesn’t mean I’m afraid my law-abiding, gun-toting neighbors will be hunting me down any time soon. It’s always perplexed me, though, that we’ve been such a gun-loving culture.</p>
<p>I volunteered some years ago in a soup kitchen/social service agency in our community. At the time there were plenty of Vietnam vets frequenting the place, badly damaged men with serious problems–mental, physical, PTSD-related, substance abuse-related. Most, as far as I know, were not violent criminals. But it was the saddest thing to see these people who had risked their lives serving their country, now forgotten and relegated to the lowest rung of the socioeconomic ladder, depending on handouts to survive. From what I understand, some of the Gulf War generation of soldiers are heading down that same road of shameful neglect. Now THAT makes me bitter.</p>
<p>Hmmmm; I think it’s called the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence. Which lead to the whole purpose of the 2nd amendment. That the citizens would remain armed so that no one or government could EVER force us into being a subservient people. As long as the people are legally allowed to bare arms, the government can never become a dictatorship. I wish they would teach civics to kids in school again and not the politically correct stuff they preach.</p>
<p>“Most, as far as I know, were not violent criminals.”</p>
<p>The kicker this time is methamphetamine. Most had their first taste of it while serving in Iraq. (And some had amphetamines supplied to them as part of their military duties.)</p>
<p>Most are not violent criminals now, and I’m sorry if you got that impression. It was just something that happened in my own neighborhood with ONE on Thursday. There are others, of course, but that wasn’t the main point, which was the fact that the Hate America crowd, lead by our so-called Commander-in-Chief, seems to have discarded thousands of vets as so much waste, and I get to help pick up the pieces.</p>
<p>Jeez, that’s scary stuff, Christcorp! Do you ever wonder how our founding fathers would feel about how the gun amendment evolved over time? I’m sure they’d be horrified to see how many thousands of people die by the gun each year in America–for reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with protection from invading governments or evil dictators in our midst.</p>
<p><a href=“And%20some%20had%20amphetamines%20supplied%20to%20them%20as%20part%20of%20their%20military%20duties.”>quote</a>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Where did you get that idea??</p>
<p>From the military.</p>
<p>[Military</a> looks to drugs for battle readiness | csmonitor.com](<a href=“http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0809/p01s04-usmi.html]Military”>Military looks to drugs for battle readiness - CSMonitor.com)</p>
<p>mini–I couldn’t agree with you more regarding the Hate America Crowd, those who think they can disguise their true identities by wrapping themselves in the flag or wearing flag pins. However, I’ve never seen our so-called Commander-in-Chief as the leader of that particular group. Actually, he’s CEO of the Contempt for Americans Crowd. I honestly believe he has viewed the American people as low-IQ cowards, who, if kept in a state of perpetual terror, would give him free rein to engage in whatever murderous global exploit(s) he opted for. For a long time we here in the “land of the brave” cowered every time a Code Red, Green, Orange, Maroon, or Burnt Umber was trotted out. Of course, that doesn’t work so well anymore. Our spine seems to be growing back and I think plenty of us are seeing our president, his reprehensible cohorts, and their immoral war for what they are–unmitigated disasters that have damaged us, perhaps irreparably, in the eyes of the world while bankrupting us at the same time. Which also explains the growing interest in a candidate like Obama.</p>
<p>“Where did you get that idea??”</p>
<p>From the medical disability determination officers at the VA itself. (Remember - this is what I do for a living.)</p>
<p>From the above posted article:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Furthermore, the article is based on a lot of conjecture about the “future” ability of fighting persons to avoid the essects of fatigue, etc. No real substantive data about the actual use of stimulants.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Let’s not jump to the conclusion that the military is creating drug addicts among veterans. There is a HUGE difference between a squadron leader saying, “Look, this is going to be an extremely long mission - here is a low-dose amphetamine to help you stay awake if you feel fatiged during the long flight alone in the cockpit of a $50 million airplane”, and a vet back on the ground in the U.S. hooked on meth.</p>
<p>Vets from Afghanistan and Iraq in treatment here also report “quite a bit” of low-level trafficking in meth there (use it to stay awake and alert) - the extent of use is largely unknown.</p>
<p>I have lots of individual stories, but I can’t cite them do to confidentiality laws.</p>
<p>[PTSD</a> or Methamphetamine? Jon Taplin’s Blog](<a href=“Private Site”>Private Site)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/us/13vets.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/us/13vets.html</a></p>
<p>It’s stories like these that motivate me to get to work in the morning - I figure someone has to be “defending our freedoms” and our communities, even if the soldiers being chewed up in Iraq (through no fault of their own) aren’t.</p>
<p>Sorry hindoo, but crime and violence is not CAUSED because there are guns available. Guns have been available for hundreds of years. More easily than they are today. Yet, crime is more of a problem today. That is the biggest problem with people’s perception of crime. The put crime and guns in the same sentence. They are not linked sociologically. Guns do NOT CAUSE CRIME.</p>
<p>And I believe that our founding fathers would see that our ability to bare arms has done what it was intended to do. Keep individuals and the government from making the people submissive. When a criminal tries to commit a crime against me, they are trying to make be subservient. When I have a gun to protect myself and my family, it allows me to have a certain level of control.</p>
<p>Guns have been available for hundreds of years. More easily than they are today</p>
<p>How do you figure?
So you have data that shows that mass production and cheap materials haven’t had an impact on availabilty?
Interesting.
[The</a> problem of proliferation, by Philippe Rivière](<a href=“http://mondediplo.com/2001/01/03arms2]The”>The problem of proliferation, by Philippe Rivière (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, January 2001))
[Small</a> arms are weapons of mass destruction](<a href=“http://www.iansa.org/media/wmd.htm]Small”>http://www.iansa.org/media/wmd.htm)
[Democracy</a> Now! | A Ban On Private Ownership of Military Weapons, Including Assault Rifles and Grenadelaunchers? The Bush Administration Just Says No: A Discussion with Activists From Kenya, Southafrica, the Philippine](<a href=“http://www.democracynow.org/2001/7/11/a_ban_on_private_ownership_of]Democracy”>A Ban On Private Ownership of Military Weapons, Including Assault Rifles and Grenadelaunchers? The Bush Administration Just Says No: A Discussion with Activists From Kenya, Southafrica, the Philippine | Democracy Now!)
[Light</a> Weapons, Heavy Casualties Video](<a href=“Projects and Partnerships”>Projects and Partnerships)
[quote]
As the Guardian in Britain reported, the United Kingdom, a close ally of the U.S., offered </p>
<p>Okay as far as the go — no go pills. I know for a fact that it is not handed out like candy. It is only given to flyers before they have to cross the pond. They are given 1 set several weeks prior to make sure that they have a proper reaction(falls asleep and can wake up again with the go). Then they are given again the day prior to put them to sleep, so they are rested, they wake up and take the go pill…fly across the pond because they leave at @2 am, thus when they arrive they are on the time zone, thus no jet lag. They are given 24 hrs off before flying again…no pills this time. This process is repeated again when they leave the area to retrn back. In 20 yrs I know no flyer that would even ask to take go or no gos, for fear of losing flight status. Flyers love their job too much to risk it and flight surgeons are too concerned.</p>
<p>Where the actual servicemember might be getting the med is from their spouses, it is not uncommon for docs to prescribe to the spouse due to the stress.</p>
<p>As far as guns go, I agree with Christcorp, guns don’t kill, people do. I am personally opposed to guns and their violence, but I know many people who own guns for sport and would never use them for anything else. In the end, if you treat the fact that guns kill, then you must ask what is wrong with the person who believes they are “cool” to carry a gun around? Why is it that a 16 yr old believes they need one?</p>
<p>If I can borrow this thread to take it back for a moment to close to my OP, Obama picked up another super-delegate from Ohio this morning and (and this will really sweeten the deal for some of you) this a.m. Michael Moore has endorsed Obama.</p>
<p>Michael Moore writes today: </p>
<p>[O]ver the past two months, the actions and words of Hillary Clinton have gone from being merely disappointing to downright disgusting. I guess the debate last week was the final straw. I’ve watched Senator Clinton and her husband play this game of appealing to the worst side of white people, but last Wednesday, when she hurled the name “Farrakhan” out of nowhere, well that’s when the silly season came to an early end for me. She said the “F” word to scare white people, pure and simple. Of course, Obama has no connection to Farrakhan. But, according to Senator Clinton, Obama’s pastor does – AND the “church bulletin” once included a Los Angeles Times op-ed from some guy with Hamas! </p>
<p>No, not the church bulletin!
This sleazy attempt to smear Obama was brilliantly explained the following night by Stephen Colbert. He pointed out that if Obama is supported by Ted Kennedy, who is Catholic, and the Catholic Church is led by a Pope who was in the Hitler Youth, that can mean only one thing: OBAMA LOVES HITLER!
Yes, Senator Clinton, that’s how you sounded. Like you were nuts. Like you were a bigot stoking the fires of stupidity. How sad that I would ever have to write those words about you. You have devoted your life to good causes and good deeds. And now to throw it all away for an office you can’t win unless you smear the black man so much that the superdelegates cry “Uncle (Tom)” and give it all to you.
But that can’t happen. You cast your die when you voted to start this bloody war. When you did that you were like Moses who lost it for a moment and, because of that, was prohibited from entering the Promised Land.
How sad for a country that wanted to see the first woman elected to the White House. That day will come – but it won’t be you. We’ll have to wait for the current Democratic governor of Kansas to run in 2016 (you read it here first!).
There are those who say Obama isn’t ready, or he’s voted wrong on this or that. But that’s looking at the trees and not the forest. What we are witnessing is not just a candidate but a profound, massive public movement for change. My endorsement is more for Obama The Movement than it is for Obama the candidate.
That is not to take anything away from this exceptional man. But what’s going on is bigger than him at this point, and that’s a good thing for the country. Because, when he wins in November, that Obama Movement is going to have to stay alert and active. Corporate America is not going to give up their hold on our government just because we say so. President Obama is going to need a nation of millions to stand behind him.
- Michael Moore 04-21-08</p>
<p>False. I can tell you, with 100% certainty, that drivers of convoys in Iraq are being given amphetamines, and others on missions. As to how they are handed out, I have no idea. This is independent of the low-level black market. </p>
<p>Meanwhile:</p>
<p>[Study</a> says 300,000 U.S. troops suffer mental problems - Yahoo! News](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080417/hl_nm/iraq_usa_health_dc]Study”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080417/hl_nm/iraq_usa_health_dc)</p>
<p>At the same time, in my office, our “Access To Recovery” grant from the feds (thanks to the Hate America-lapel pin-wearing crowd controlling things) has been cut by 30%, but with a new requirement that we focus (among other things) on methamphetamine and vets.</p>