Friday, March 07, 2008

With a fifth of soldiers at risk for PTSD because of Bush's forever War the timely declining job job market will keep military victims coming!


As I watch the situation in South America erode as I knew it would along with Georgia, Russian, Serbian tensions, Palestine and Israel, Turkey and Iraq, Iraq Blowing again, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan worsening, all thanks to Bush, as you see him endorsing McCain to keep this mess going, I have to discuss the worsening job market which will ensure a new supply of soldiers to be damaged in Bush's Forever War!

First a little personal experience on both these fronts. My son who is EOD and has experience multiple deployments and will be going back to Iraq in about a week was just here and I am a bit concerned with his mental stability. It isn't just multiple wars these kids have to worry about! He is sounding pretty stressed to me but Jim was telling me a Doctor was reviewing him and thinking he was suffering from PTSD made him go see a specialist. Having a discussion with the specialist brought to light the fact that Jim went from Germany to Korea then his wife had a baby, with no break a tour in Afghanistan, another baby, problems developing with his wife, and a four year old who doesn't know or like him. Continuing wars that will only grow is almost the least of these kids worries! The specialist having problems with his own 4 year old sympathized with Jim who is also trying to keep his EOD company in order and signed him off as being okay. So Jim has earned the "right" to go back to combat in Iraq next week. Meanwhile tomorrow he takes his younger brother down to the Army recruiter tomorrow as he wants to join the Army as a Combat Engineer because he can not find a job. We all know what that means!

Anyway! After More than five years of recycling soldiers through Iraq and Afghanistan's battlefields is creating record levels of mental health problems, as about three in 10 GIs on their third tour admit emotional illnesses, according to an Army study released Thursday. Soldiers in combat suffering emotional issues and who saw friends killed were twice as likely to abuse civilians by kicking or hitting them, or destroying their property, the study shows. Half of those soldiers admitted unethical conduct compared with a quarter of all other soldiers in combat. From 15% to 20% of all soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan show signs of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), says the study of almost 2,300 soldiers finished last fall. That rate jumps to about 30% for soldiers who have been on three or four combat deployments.
"Mental health problems are just one of the cascading costs we're seeing after a five-year war," said Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who leads a Senate subcommittee on military personnel.

"Psychological wounds affect families, both emotionally and financially, just as much as physical wounds." The report underscores concerns raised by military leaders that the current year-long break soldiers receive between successive 12- to 15-month combat deployments is far too short for them to recover. In fact, certain mental illnesses such as PTSD grow more intense as the soldiers prepare to go back into combat, the report shows. "People aren't designed to be exposed to the horrors of combat repeatedly. And it wears on them," Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff, told reporters last month, adding that breaks between must be lengthened. The report also showed the mental health issues for troops in Afghanistan have equaled those for soldiers in Iraq. U.S. forces ousted the Taliban in 2001, and fighting against Afghanistan's Taliban rebels has increased over the past three years.

Soldiers are more willing to seek mental health care, the study shows. However, some soldiers in remote parts of Iraq and Afghanistan told the survey they had difficulty accessing such care. Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, a deputy surgeon general, said the Army is trying to get more counselors to remote areas. One possibility, she said, is deploying civilian mental health workers into combat areas for the first time. PTSD increasing
To me mental Health workers in combat areas should be a given already and this will only get much worse as the seeds Bush sowed for future wars are starting to bear their ugly fruit. I just heard the idiot finally admit it looks like the economy is slowing down, what? long denying it he now said he recognized it early, what? He stupidly said his warped rebate will get things back on track. What? $300.00 back on track? then he just ran back in the White House! I wish he would keep on running.

There was a net loss of 63,000 jobs, which is the biggest decline since March 2003 and weaker than the revised 22,000 jobs lost in January. Economists had forecast a gain of 25,000 jobs. The weak report fueled already mounting recession fears and is likely to keep the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates further when it meets later this month. "Based on today's Employment Report, if we are not in a recession, it is a darned good imitation of one," said Kevin Giddis, managing director of fixed income at Morgan Keegan. "We are in an unprecedented real estate and credit crisis that is whipping its way through the U.S. economy like a Midwestern tornado.
In Bush's success people are giving up! Despite the loss, the unemployment rate improved to 4.8% from the 4.9% reading in January. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate would rise to 5%. A survey of households is used to estimate the unemployment rate, while a survey of employers that is considered to be more accurate sets the readings on the changes in payrolls. The unemployment rate fell because of an increase of 450,000 people whom the government no longer counts as being part of the labor force for a variety of factors, such as that they are not currently looking for work. That drop in the size of the labor force allowed for he modest decline in unemployment, even as the household survey showed 255,000 fewer Americans with jobs than in January.

Keith Hall, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics conceded in his testimony Friday that the labor market was weaker than suggested by the decline in the unemployment rate. He pointing to an increase of 637,000 workers over the past 12 months who have part-time jobs but would prefer to be working full time. He said the bureau's broadest measure of the unemployment rate, one which counts as unemployed both those part-time workers who want full-time jobs as well as those not searching for a job at the moment but who are interested in finding work, now stands at 8.9%, up from 8.1% a year ago. "We've clearly had a broad weakening in the labor market," Hall testified. "This weakening in the labor market is not a sudden thing, it has been happening for over a year." Rep. Elijah Cummings, who was chairing the hearing of Joint Economic Committee, suggested that Congress needed to do more to address the problems of unemployment. Some proposals: extended unemployment benefits and increased food stamps, as well as greater investment in infrastructure. "Frankly I believe our economy stands poised on an uncertain cliff, threatening to throw our nation into a crisis," said Cummings. "We do not need to recite a litany of data to know our economy is struggling." The economy is falling off a cliff
* I know I have been saying it for years now and many have labeled me as a fear monger and pessimist but I am only a realist. While calling all truth speakers conspiracy theorists Bush has perpetrated the biggest conspiracy of all in destroying our America and taking control of us as he emplaces his wishes on us and the world. Our financial demise is the last thing that has to happen for people to be willing to give themselves up to total control. It sickens me that everything has been totally obvious from the get go and I have not been able to get anyone of consequence to see what Bush has been doing and how this was going to turn out. It is too late to stop now and it will spread around the world until total world war erupts. I am also sickened that as we watch the economy that bush engineered worsen my youngest son is on his way to join Bush's Forever War. one last note! Before he left this morning Jim said at least he will be guaranteed a job for 32 years. That is if he does not suffer from PTSD or get killed. Hell then he can start paying off the idiots debt!
James Joiner
Gardner Ma
www.anaveragepatriot.com

12 comments:

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

what are they doing in Afgan land, i mean the Taliban are killing 2 birds with one stone

jmsjoin said...

anyway you look at it I essentially blame almost everything wrong in the world today on Bush. Think about it! Absolutely 100% everything will get a lot worse. It is all just beginning.
Anyway, Bush guaranteed a loss of everything when he attacked Iraq to get into the middle east to go after Iran and that will be soon. His forever war is in progress!

PoliShifter said...

Its just sad all the way around.

That this country went through 10 years of Vietnam and didnt learn a damn fucking thing...

I hope your kids will be safe Jim.

best..

Weaseldog said...

Well McCain in a recent radio commercial in Dallas says that he'll make sure the soldiers who died and were tortured in Vietnam, will not have suffered in vain.

His radio spot sounded very patriotic. I hope it doesn't mean that the US is going to re-fight the Vietnam war if he is elected.

Sadly one of the memes I keep hearing is that we need to keep sacrificing soldiers so that the soldiers already sacrificed will not have died in vain. There is some vague argument about winning something undefinable, that goes with that meme. This all makes me feel like I'm living in a Kurt Vonnegut Novel.

Jim, I am so sorry your sons are going through this. Our leaders have a responsibility to insure that any cause our men and women in uniform must fight, must be an honorable one. Our current leadership has failed them on that count.

My oldest nephew was wounded in Baghdad and has not returned to active duty. He left town and I can't find any information on him now. From what I can tell from relatives, his personality has changed dramatically. I hope for the best for him.

Unknown said...

Jim--
And don't forget about China, North Korea, and Sudan. It's probably time to hear from Cuba and Libya too!

Weaseldog--
"This all makes me feel like I'm living in a Kurt Vonnegut Novel."

I'm feelin' more like a Franz Kafka story.;)

jmsjoin said...

polishifter
Average Americans learned but we do not matter. Those in the Government who want to fight to enforce there way and capitalize off it have learned to ignore reality, lie, and stay the course.

jmsjoin said...

weaseldog
My comment just didn't take so I'll keep this short. The right learned, they will stay the course until they get their way or so they think.
Sorry about your nephew. My sons are doing what they want so oh well. Their youngest brother just joined the combat engineers. He worries me! The future? It is not good!

jmsjoin said...

Brother
You know you are entirely right and I am sick of sounding like a pessimist or tinfoil hat as we discussed but this will not be controlled and is just beginning. We will keep trying to do what we can however!

Karen said...

Bush dances while Iraq disintegrates.

jmsjoin said...

That idiot is a major embarrassment and the friggen Jerk is proud of himself. It's sick! I will be writing in part about it later but the jerk is in talks now to make our presence in his successful hell on earth, Iraq!

TomCat said...

Jim, it's not just Bush. Every Repuglican must be divested of power. Thoughts ans prayers concerning your sons.

jmsjoin said...

tc
You know I agree! Idon't think anything will get done either unless we have control of everything and to a degree that the slimes can not fillbuster! Along with Repugs they should each take a worthless Democrat or two.