Keith is right and have we mutated into sheep?

Tonight, as was looking through the Crooks and Liars webpage, there was another link to a very satirical, but nevertheless, mindful comment by MSMBC's Keith Olberman. Somehow I think that he and I are twins separated by birth, because he says what I think. Of course, he does it much better than I do .... before I post the link to the short video, please bear with me ...

More than three years ago, after then Secretary of State Colin Powell gave his indictment of the Saddam Regime in front of the United Nations, I spoke to now ex-friend about what the ex-general had to say. I remember that at one point I broke out in tears and said something to the extent of "they might as well throw the Constitution and Bill of Rights away", I had no idea then how true this has become today. This ex-friend became just that after my outburst, now I just call her a misguided Kool-Aid drinker or sheep, because that is what I think she and fellow Kool-Aid drinkers have become.

In the name of fighting the war on terror(ism), it seems that the majority of the American populus has become a herd of sheep, willing to go and be slaughtered and at the last moment of not getting their word into a court of law starting to wonder what has happened to them and why. The changes have been subtle, to subtle to notice for most, those driven by the fear card that this admistration plays so well, the lies that they have told about Democrats wanting to be attacked again, the lies that they have told to get the nation's finest into Iraq, calling those who happen to disagree with this President traitors, America-haters and Appeasers ...

Now, the Senate has rushedly passed a bill that deals with the Geneva Convention (and that the President has still not signed into law yet), in as such how it DOESN'T apply or how this President sees it fit to interpret the new bill to keep us safe. Sorry, waterboarding someone is not going to keep me safe when the one being waterboarded just says anything that comes to his mind to end his or her ordeal, thus leading to convaluted "evidence obtained" that most likely will be completely useless. Really, torture does not seem to be a useful tool to obtain useful information for the most part. But again, people bought is and felt safer. Bah-Bah.

Then The Writ of Habeas Corpus, the right to see the evidence against oneself when thrown into court, is out of the window. A right for each citizen, yes citizen, because even citizens can be declared terrorists by this President, is gone, bye bye Bah-Bah. When I asked people about this, whether they don't find it frightful that this could happen to them, the answer usually is "no, I am not a terrorist." True, but just the thought that any President, whether Republican or Democrat, can hold so much power as to be able to throw our "rights" away, the answer is still no, because it keeps them safe. Bah-Bah.

Is this about stifling dissent at all costs? I am not sure. I am just reminded of the words of a friend of mine last year when she said that considering the current political climate, she would be fearful to have MFSO meetings at her house, because she didn't want someone infiltrate the group. I have heard others who want to go to political rallies but are fearful of being watched. Thus, dissent appears to have been suffocated at its roots, never mind the fact that this nation was found on the basis of dissent, but apparently, now I wonder what we have to fear more, a terrorist attack or disagreeing. I am sorry, but when even only a minority in a free country is fearful about being critical, than this country or its society is not free anymore. When we are worried about exercising the 1rst Amendment Rights, we are not free anymore. Didn't Bush say that OBL "hates us for our freedoms"? But who is taking the freedoms away? Is OBL winning yet, by having a proxy doing the job for him?

Sorry, I am angry and bitter about all that. This President swore to protect the Constitution but with the stroke of a pen will be managing to do away with one of the most important rights that distinguishes a free society from lets say, North Korea or Cuba or some African Dictactorship. But then again, what is one to expect from a man who thinks that the Constitution is nothing "more than a piece of paper" and who says that he is "in charge of the Federal Government"? Mr. Bush, read the Constitution, you are only in charge on one branch of government. You have managed to maybe keep us safe, but if we are afraid to speak, we have lost, if we are afraid to be critical thinkers, we have lost. We can't be afraid to speak, but most are. Anyone want lamb for dinner?

Anyway, here is the link to Keith, he is amazing, in his commentary, I believe he is right too. Thank you Keith, keep up the great work. http://www.crooksandliars.com/ If you can't get to the link this way, go to CrooksandLiars.com, then in the search bar type in Keith Olberman and look for the video titled "Why does Habeas Corpus Hate America?" Enjoy and cry a few tears while at it, I did.

MILITARY SPOUSES

The following about Military Spouses is something I wrote last year, during hubby's second deployment to Iraq. It goes hand in hand with the musing about the Bubble People, which I posted earlier.

I am taking some talking points from a speech given by someone years ago in this one. I have no idea who the military person was, who gave that speech, but I credit him with the inspiration he has given me.The speech centered on how military families are different from "other" families. We move a lot, spend a lot of time alone, while our loved are away on routine or war-time deployments. We spend tremendous amounts of money to hear our love one's voice. We even have kids on our own (no, don't call the Vatican just yet, I mean, our spouses might not be there when we welcome a new life into this world). Every 2 or 3 years, we say good-bye to the friends we have made and have to make new ones in another location. We understand how we somehow bond together by what our spouses do. It does not mean we are best of friends or even buddies, but it means that we can still pick up the phone when we are down, call another military spouse and they understand, simply because they have "been there, done it, and bought a t-shirt" or two, three or whatever number of deployments or time apart.What I have observed in my neighborhood (we live off base) is that people were more than willing to offer support for our left-behind-family before my husband deployed. However, when actually asked for help when the situation warranted it, it is hard to count on them at times because they have their own families to take care off. Thus, we turn to each other for help, support, relief, a laughter and a cry.Recently, our unit had an outing to just get out have have a bit of fun and relaxation. Here is the son of our commanding officer, relieving all the mother's present of their "duties" by taking their kids to the pool, so the mothers could have a few minutes of "time off". What a wonderful young man. He just did it, no questions asked, because he knew what needed to be done.
At that outing too I looked into the faces of the spouses here. Tired, worn, pride, fed-up, temporary "single parents", as we are left with the resposibility of raising our children, now, without the help of our partners. Parenting is hard under the best of circumstances, it gets harder when a parent is alone, it gets even harder when one parent is gone to fight a war that some of us don't even understand. Yet, we still reach out to each other, help each other, find ways to make each other laugh, and also afford an opportunity to listen to someone else cry, be angry. We don't have nannies, day or night, we can't usually go to get our hair cut without one or more child/ren present, and taking a bath by oneself without interruptions or even company, has become a distant dream or memory.
Then I look at the faces of our civilian counterparts. They are tired too in a lot of ways, tired of worrying who will win the playoffs, if the cat is going to die, who wins "American Idol" and the latest celebrity gossip and being a parent. I am not saying that we don't watch "American Idol" or some soap, but even if we do, I don't think we ever fully relax. They are actually tired of the same things we are in a lot of ways, but at times fail to give us the much needed break. Instead of saying "I will help you when you need it", why don't they just take over for a while to give us that break that our Commanding Officer's son just simply understood we so much need?I have heard a lot from spouses about the responses they get from their civilian counterparts. Rejection, the suggestions that some anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs should be taken, that help should be hired. I don't get it. We don't want to be rejected, we would like to be respected for being alone and dealing with all the challenges thereoff while our loved ones are gone. We would like to be able to say that we don't feel good, without being offered medical advice. I am not saying that some meds are not appropriate at times, but what we are experiening is a heightened sense of nervousness, anxiety, sadness and vulnerablity. It is a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances. It is NOT normal to spend 1/2 of ones marriage away from each other. It is NOT normal to deal with the tension before the loved actually goes and experience that pain when we see the plane leave. It is NOT normal for children to associate their father with a plane and saying "daddy bye-bye" or phone by pointing at it saying "daddy hello". It is NOT normal for children to spend 1/2 of their lives away from a parent. It is NOT normal to find it normal that that spouse is gone. It is NOT normal to have a reunion briefing to address issues of bonding, PTSD, roles and reponsibilites in a family and readjusting. It is NOT normal to spend 5 out 6 wedding anniversaries apart. But hey, in some ways it is another anniversary together, even though apart.So, instead of offering medical advice and tell us that you know how we feel, help out and don't evade to donate your time. Instead of telling us that we "know what we married", accept our reality and offer some help. We have not chosen to be alone for a long time, but we accept it and will be alright. By telling us that we "know what we married" you not only discard us and our reality, that, again, is much like yours, except for we are doing it alone at times. We don't "whine" about our live, we talk about our realities that in many ways are very different from yours. We understand that you might not understand, but please, do not discard us. By doing so, you dishonor the servicemember that serves you. The servicemember who needs to know that his family will have the help that it needs in times of need, the servicemember who has to be on guard when going the restroom or some port-a-loo in a remote desert when being attacked or rocketed. We don't want to bother you with our experiences, but if we do, tough, we talk about it for a few minutes and then stop, you feel uncomfortable, tough, we have felt uncomfortable in many ways for months, so, are we asking to much to just vent at times when we are tired?
Coming back to our spouses during this deployment, here is what we see: Again, tired faces, proud faces, fed up faces, happy faces and sad faces. I look at the fact that despite of our stress of having our loved ones in harms way, we never cease to reach out to each other, to help an expectant mother deliver her baby, to celebrate birthdays, communions, anniversaries together. It amazes me. I am sure not at times how our volunteers muster the energy to make up to 60 phone calls at any given time at the drop of a hat, without questions asked, it amazes me. I see spouses stick together when a baby is born to give the mother a bit of a relief by simply supplying a meal, it amazes me. I don't know how we have managed to run on that amount of adrenaline for so long now, but we do it and will see it through until our loved ones are back. Then we can "collapse" and get some rest. For now, suffice it to say, we will keep on going, hoping, praying and waiting. To all of our spouses out there, a big thank you for the service that you have given to each other, mostly unnoticed to rest of our extended communities. My hat off to you all, you have served too, big time, and this is my way to salute you and thank you. It is a thank you to the more experienced spouses than me, you have mentored me and guided me in times of need, a thank you to the ones that I have "guided" and "mentored" for getting ready to be the mentor and guide in times to come. Thank you military spouses, I owe you in so many ways for your abiltity to share and giving me the chance to do the same.

The Bubble People

I know, I haven't written in a long time, but I was just too disgusted with the politics as of lately and haven't been able to get anything coherent down into my musings. So, for those of you actually read what I write and enjoy it, my deepest apologies.

I was talking to a fellow Military Families Speak Out friend in Houston this morning, as we haven't had a chance to talk for quite some time. We talked about our recent travels and people who are disconnected from this war in Iraq and the increasing quagmire in Afghanistan, apperently yet another military adventure that can't be won military. But really, this musing is not so much about politics as such, it is more about those who are not affected by the war, but who nevertheless "appreciate" the services and sacrifices that military members render to this country.

I am of the firm belief that these people are truly clueless as to what this "service" and "sacrifice" really means to those left at home. I have been a military spouse for eight years now, and yes, there were deployments even before Iraq, some routine and some operational in the Balkan theatre, it was hard, but somehow, this all made some sense and subsequently made the time apart something that one could understand. I am not saying that being by myself with a toddler for an average of 4-5 months per year was easy, but it was managable and understandable.

Now, five years after 9/11, some 1.5 million service members have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I do not know if this number includes repeat deployments that are counted as 2 servicemembers going or if actually 1.5 million different service member have been in theatre. But just for simplicity's sake, let's assume that about 1 million different people have deployed. That is less than one percent in my math book.

What does the vast majority think about or what are they concerned about? Do they think about the servicemember's spouse down the road when she can't get a haircut without hiring a sitter? Do they help when the spouse is sick and can't just lay down because there are children to raise, feed, and to play with, soccer practices, homework? Do they turn away when the spouse says, "it just sucks right now" when asked how she is doing? Yes, they do turn away, they turn away from our pain of loneliness, emptiness, sadness, and at times anger when we tell them how we feel, it is too uncomfortable to listen to, to deal with and to offer a helping hand. At times last year, I was tempted to draw a gigantic smily face on a piece of cardboard and hold it up when people asked how things were going, because it seemed, that is what they wanted to see. Or we hear, "you know what you have married," not whom, but what. Sorry, my husband is not a "what" and no, i have not expected to spend most of our marriage apart.

I have heard stories about people having nannies, maids, and two parents at home and they could not find five minutes to call a spouse left at home. I have heard from my ladies (I am still very protective of all of them) that they have been told to take Prozac while their loved ones are away. I have heard of spouses whose neighbors had 4th of July picnics in their backyard but could not bother to invite the lonely spouse. These people, these 99 percent, who so much appreciate everything our servicemembers do, can't be bothered to help on the homefront. Oh, sorry, yes they are some who help, but they are a few here and there, some of which I have never met, but to whom I largely owe my sanity during repeat deployments. Those, who listen to the crying, those who let us vent and those who are just there when needed, a huge thank you and I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your support, love and friendship.

I am not saying that we are totally alone during deployments, we have each other, some kind of a "sisterhood" that is just there, no matter how well we really know each other, how exhausted we might feel with our own issues when hubby is gone, we still sit each other's kids to give each other a break, we still manage to have our routine and go on with our live, really, we don't have a choice do we? Even when we are sick and feel like sleeping for days or when we are down and just don't even want to get out of bed. I am not saying we are better than the rest, but we are certainly better than the "Bubble People", those mentioned above, who pride themselves in knowing about a service member but really don't do anything else. They are worried about football scores of universities that they never attended, or baseball games in cities that they have never visited themselves.

It is rediculous, but those who support the war the most, would never even consider sending their own (as per my own experiences) and they have also been the least likely to lend a helping hand. But they have the yellow sticker on their car, probably supporting some poor little child in China labouring for 10 cents per hour .... I just want the Bubble People to wake up and walk a mile in our shoes, I want them to look into their child's eyes and try to answer the question whether or not daddy will die. I want them to calm down a child who cries because he hears about a bomb in a faraway land that has killed Americans, when that child is afraid that his or her own daddy is not going to come home. I want them to try to find words when their 8-year old doesn't care anymore if daddy gets shot or wounded, as long as it means that daddy is going to come home. I want them to see the sadness in their kids eyes when daddy is not there for yet another birthday or Christmas or fill-in-blanks.

Yes, I am bitter at times at those who have their hubbies at home and whine about how hard their lives are. But they have two parents at home for the most part, for some reason, I just want the draft back NOW, so everyone is affected by this insanity, this insanity of not knowing when we wave another plane good-bye or when we are facing the fact that daddy will only be home for a few months before heading out again. I want them to stop telling us that they "understand". No, sorry, you Bubble People,you don't understand and I seriously doubt that no matter how much you stretch your imagination, you will never understand. So Bubble People, put your money where your mouth is, live up to your yellow ribbon slogan of "Support the Troops" by starting to support those at the homefront. When you have done that, and share with us a bit, then maybe you can say that you understand a little, because the reality is, you are not sitting in a house full of memories every night, wishing you could be like the other families down the street when daddy comes home for dinner. Oh, and maybe you could be bothered to call when the kids are in bed, so we are not just watching CNN all day and night long, getting nervous about yet another casualty in the Al Anbar provice. Al Anbar is on the left side of the Iraq map, close to the Syrian border, most dangerous area over there you know. Oh yes, we know Iraq's map really well these days, somehow we feel like we could drive a convoy from Ramadi to Falluja blindfolded, but we care about what our service members do, every day, it frightens us and we do lose sleep, but we do move on somehow.

So Bubble People, I challenge you to do more than put the yellow ribbon on your car and do to more than just ramble about how grateful you are about our spouses' service and sacrifice. Sometimes, thinking about the Bubble People, I really come to belief that this war in Iraq or Afghanistan is not a war that America is fighting, it is less than one (1) percent of the population who is fighting it, again and again, they are truly the war against terror, everything else is empty and ignorant lipservice, and most of all, an insult to those who really serve and those left behind.