The candle that DianeL first lit many months ago, and which has become such an important part of these diaries since, is still available here.

You can copy that image into your own comment (you can leave it on my server), craft your own image, and/or rate this one - not for mojo, but to leave a small mark after taking this moment - as a sign that you know, but do not approve, and are not resigned.

"...psychopaths have little difficulty infiltrating the domains of...politics, law enforcement, (and) government." Dr. Robert Hare

peace


parvum opus

United for Peace
DC: 1.27.07

/John McCain: The truth.

lTMF'sA...the revolution will not be televised...Peace

A Grim Milestone: 500 Amputees

Last Tuesday marked another grim milestone: the arrival of the 500th amputee. Army officials said the victim, a 24-year-old corporal, lost both legs in a roadside bomb explosion on January 12. He was treated at the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, before landing at Andrews and being taken to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Soldiers may not get needed mental help
Returning vets aren't screened unless they say they need aid, officer says

Mental health screening isn't consistent for U.S. troops returning from war, and if they don't say they need help, they often don't get it, the Army's top medical officer said Friday.
"If an individual checks nothing, 'I have no mental health issues,' they're not necessarily being sent to mental health counseling," said Army Surgeon General Kevin Kiley, speaking at a hearing on military medical readiness before the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
It is estimated that about 17 percent of returning war fighters have post-traumatic stress disorder or severe anxiety and depression, compared with about 6 percent or 7 percent of the general population, Kiley said.

Psychologist: Navy faces crisis

An experienced Navy psychologist warns that the U.S. military does not have enough mental health professionals to meet the growing number of emotionally damaged war veterans.
Moreover, Navy Cmdr. Mark Russell says, many of the mental health professionals on staff lack formal training in core therapies for post-traumatic stress syndrome. Russell predicts a "perfect storm" of dire health care consequences.

"We cannot provide the standard of care to treat PTSD via psychotherapy when we can barely keep up with new referrals and have to manage crises while filling in for the staffing gaps and vacancies due to deployment, attrition or no billeting," Russell says. "This is why I have been so outspoken."

Then he brags:

As a result, he says, the military has a record of returning more than 98% of troops with emotional issues back to their units.

The Parrot

Laura Bush bought George a parrot for his birthday.

She told Dick Cheney, "The bird is so smart! George has already taught him to mispronounce over 200 words!"

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Cheney said. "But you realize that he just says the words. He doesn't understand what they mean"
.
"That's okay," Laura replied. "Neither does the parrot"

No 'Surge' for Them
Kurdish Force Heads to Baghdad Battle Zone

Chapman says there have been desertions. He expects only several hundred soldiers to show up in Baghdad, out of a battalion of 1,600.