Band-aids for a hemorrhage
"Overwhelmed by the number of soldiers returning from war with mental problems, the Army is planning to hire at least 25 percent more psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers."
A contract finalized this week but not yet announced calls for spending $33 million to add about 200 mental health professionals to help soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health needs, officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The 200 new medical health workers will be added to more than 600 uniformed and civilian mental health professionals now working at three dozen Army medical centers and hospitals.
Yet, about 35 percent of soldiers are seeking some kind of mental health treatment a year after returning home under a program that screens returning troops for physical and mental health.
According to the Institute for Policy Studies "More than 210,000 of the National Guard’s 330,000 soldiers have served in Iraq and Afghanistan." . Which totals 540,000 troops have rotated in and out of our quagmire war theatre.
If 35 percent are seeking some kind of mental health treatment after returning home, then that works out to 189,000 of our soldiers that require professional mental health attention. With only 800 mental health workers, that works out to roughly 236 patients per worker. If they work a 40 hour week, for 48 weeks of the year- five days a week, eight hours a day... each patient in need of mental health treatment will get about eight hours of attention per year. Now how do you think that will play out?
Once again, this worst of all administrations, is setting us up for another disaster that will unravel badly within our society, whilst they retire behind the high walls and security that I am sure they will need for the rest of their miserable, criminal lives.
-- normanx
Friday, June 15, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Stop the war mongers....
I wonder how much longer the people of our country are going to put up with the criminals who insist that on war and the expansion of that war? Adding to the list of war criminals, I must submit the name of Senator Joseph Lieberman, who has been the most ardent supporter of the illegal war in Iraq, and now works to incite conflict in Iran. I don't think he is as stupid as George W. Bush or as inherently evil as Dick Cheney, but he is certainly as determined to see us in an expanded conflict with a country that is far larger, richer and more organized then Iraq.
But let us step back for a minute. What is our beef with Iran? That they are working towards nuclear capability? Why would they do that? What in the world would make them insecure about their sovereign borders being safe from pre-emptive invasion? Could it be that we funded Iraq in their war against Iran in the 1980's? Could it be that our country invaded Iraq, a defenseless sovereign nation that had not fired a single shot at us? I don't know about you, but if I was Iran, I would worry about the US very much, and do everything in my power to work to protect myself against an obviously irrational and dangerous rogue country from invading my borders.
Mr. Lieberman and the rest of the neo-cons should be silenced, at least from positions of power, as their words are like shouting fire in a crowded theatre. The theatre in this case, is the seldom used, paranoid brain of George W. Bush. No telling what will happen when that pathetic, dangerous failure of a president will do when he panics. Oh, wait...we do know what happens when he panics: Iraq.
If we had rational and intelligent leadership in this country, I really wouldn't mind Holy Joe spouting off his reasons for dangerous, deadly, costly and illegal warfare (other then personal disgust). Rational leadership could easily dismiss his rhetoric as the rantings of a violent crank who happened to get elected. But in irrational times, when the fantasies of milktoast middle aged men- to commit acts of breathtaking violence destruction- are committed while wrapped in our hijacked flag and constitution, then words that add fuel to this evil flame are wrong and even criminal.
We should be working for peace, not increased war. The war in Iraq is illegal by all international and domestic standard. It should be viewed as such, and the body of rhetoric against the Iraq war should always mention it's illegality.
But let us step back for a minute. What is our beef with Iran? That they are working towards nuclear capability? Why would they do that? What in the world would make them insecure about their sovereign borders being safe from pre-emptive invasion? Could it be that we funded Iraq in their war against Iran in the 1980's? Could it be that our country invaded Iraq, a defenseless sovereign nation that had not fired a single shot at us? I don't know about you, but if I was Iran, I would worry about the US very much, and do everything in my power to work to protect myself against an obviously irrational and dangerous rogue country from invading my borders.
Mr. Lieberman and the rest of the neo-cons should be silenced, at least from positions of power, as their words are like shouting fire in a crowded theatre. The theatre in this case, is the seldom used, paranoid brain of George W. Bush. No telling what will happen when that pathetic, dangerous failure of a president will do when he panics. Oh, wait...we do know what happens when he panics: Iraq.
If we had rational and intelligent leadership in this country, I really wouldn't mind Holy Joe spouting off his reasons for dangerous, deadly, costly and illegal warfare (other then personal disgust). Rational leadership could easily dismiss his rhetoric as the rantings of a violent crank who happened to get elected. But in irrational times, when the fantasies of milktoast middle aged men- to commit acts of breathtaking violence destruction- are committed while wrapped in our hijacked flag and constitution, then words that add fuel to this evil flame are wrong and even criminal.
We should be working for peace, not increased war. The war in Iraq is illegal by all international and domestic standard. It should be viewed as such, and the body of rhetoric against the Iraq war should always mention it's illegality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)