Indie Army Wife

The Moral Argument for the War in Afghanistan: Then and Now » Afghanistan

The moral argument for the invasion and War in Afghanistan used to be that of liberal interventionism—the claim that intervening in the domestic politics of a country is justified if it delivered the people of that country from the clutches of illiberality and coercive governance. Further the claim went that if offered a chance, the people of that country would choose a liberal and free society, motivated by humane capabilities and free market trade and through their collective politics would deliver mutual advantage stability and security to the U.S. and its international allies, which would play well politically back home.

via afghanistan.foreignpolicyblogs.com

Moral Logic And Military Force | Law and Security Strategy

A comments section conversation about WikiLeaks between myself and my FPA-o-sphere colleague Patrick Frost has morphed into a conversation about the morality of American military force.  Patrick wrote:

via lawandsecurity.foreignpolicyblogs.com

Secret Assault on Terrorism Widens on Two Continents - NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — At first, the news from Yemen on May 25 sounded like a modest victory in the campaign against terrorists: an airstrike had hit a group suspected of being operatives for Al Qaeda in the remote desert of Marib Province, birthplace of the legendary queen of Sheba.

via www.nytimes.com

Fewer Military Identifying as Republican According to Poll

In today's little bit of irony first I came across this piece on Huff Post that says rates of self-professed Republicans are dropping in the military:

A new Military Times survey finds that fewer American troops identify as Republicans.

According to the survey of 1,800 troops released on Monday, the number of active service members self-identifying as Republican has fallen by one-third since 2004, with 9 percent of that drop-off occurring in the last year.

It goes on to say:

These Military Times survey results show that support for the Republican Party among senior members of the Army, the group most likely to identify as Republican, declined significantly between 2004 and 2006 before leveling off at about 49% in 2007. Also interesting is that the data show no corresponding change in support for the Democratic Party.

So they're not identifying as either major party....does that mean there is less Conservatism in the military these days? Or just more apathy?

Aaaaaaaaand then there was this:

An Army flight surgeon apparently is sticking to his vow not to deploy until he is satisfied that President Barack Obama is a "natural born" citizen.

Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin did not report for duty at Fort Campbell, Ky. as ordered today, and a spokesman for the post said it's not likely he will.

"The last report I got as of Friday is that he is not going to report to Fort Campbell," spokesman Maj. Patrick Seiber said. "That's from our division surgeon."

Lakin's failure to report essentially dares the Army to bring charges against him for being an unauthorized absence.

Lakin, who has been the chief of primary care at the Pentagon's Tricare health clinic, could not be reached this morning at his Maryland home. Margaret Hemenway, a spokeswoman for a group called the Patriotic American Foundation, which is supporting the 18-year officer, said the Army should not expect Lakin to report unless he sees an original birth certificate showing that Obama was born in Hawaii.

::: head/desk::::

Another Day, Another Road to Clear in Afghanistan

From NATOchannel TV:

Let Them Drink Coffee

The Coffee Party is intriguing to me. A group that actually wants to encourage civil discourse among citizens about their own government? A group that wants to empower people to participate in their own government and make politicians accountable to the people? What an intriguing idea. Unlike the crackpot Tea Party devotees who seem more like crazy people telling the rest of the country to get off their collective lawn then informed, educated citizens who know how to get things done the Coffee Party seems like the focus is on grassroots action by citizens from many different backgrounds and social classes. I dig it.

According to the group's website their mission is:

Coffee Party USA aims to reinvigorate the public sphere, drawing from diverse backgrounds and diverse perspectives, with the goal of expanding the influence of the People in America's political arena. We do not require nor adhere to any preexisting ideology.  We encourage deliberation guided by reason amongst the many viewpoints held by our members. We see our diversity as a strength, not a weakness, because we believe that faithful deliberation from multiple vantage points is the best way to achieve the common good.  It is in the responsible and reasonable practice of deliberation that we hope to contribute to society.

Coffee Party USA is made up of people acting independently of political parties, of corporations, and of political lobbying networks.  To this point, all products created and hours logged for Coffee Party have been carried out in the spirit of volunteerism.  In the coming months and years, we hope to transform our disappointment in our current political system into a force that will return our nation to a course of popular governance, of the People by the People for the People.

We are diverse — ethnically, geographically, politically, in age and in experience.  

We are 100% grassroots.  No lobbyists here.  No pundits.  And no hyper-partisan strategists calling the shots in this movement. We are a spontaneous and collective expression of our desire to forge a culture of civic engagement that is solution-oriented, not blame-oriented.  

We demand a government that responds to the needs of the majority of its citizens as expressed by our votes and by our voices; NOT corporate interests as expressed by misleading advertisements and campaign contributions.

We want a society in which democracy is treated as sacrosanct and ordinary citizens participate out of a sense of civic duty, civic pride, and a desire to contribute to society.  The Coffee Party is a call to action. Our Founding Fathers and Mothers gave us an enduring gift — Democracy — and we must use it to meet the challenges that we face as a nation.

Very interesting. I do love a good cup of coffee.....

 

Stephen Colbert Portrait Auction to Benefit Injured Soldiers

The infamous portrait featured on everyone's favorite "Conservative" show host Stephen Colbert's set nightly is up for auction again! This year the proceeds from the portrait auction are going to the Yellow Ribbon Fund which helps injured servicemembers and their families during the nerve wracking recovery from their injuries.  The Yellow Ribbon Fund helps with things like transportation costs, hotel costs, and the costs associated with treatment that Tricare doesn't cover.

One more reason (of many) to love Stephen Colbert!

Keep tabs on the auction (or bid!) here. It ends on the 8th.

Learn more about the Yellow Ribbon Fund

Deployments Causing Mental Health Problems for Army Wives

Well, I'll resist the urge to say "DUH!" and just applaud that the problems facing military spouses are being given some credibility by the medical community.  God knows we're not getting any in the military community. How many times have you been called a whiner or complainer if you try to talk about the problems you're having? How many times have you essentially been told to suck it up if you try to talk about how hard things have been for you not just during deployment, but after? Happens to me almost daily. Good thing I have a big mouth and refuse to shut up. If I'm going to suffer then dammit, everyone is gonna know about it!!!!

Ok that was sarcasm, in case it didn't translate, but this is a real problem. Real families are suffering, and more and more wives are drowning everyday under the weight of the attitude that we should feel privileged to have soldier husbands and we should be honored to give for our country.

Well that's CRAP.

We give, and give, and give some more. And it's about time we got something back for it. Like the medical and mental health resources that we need to keep our sanity and marriages intact.

Here's the article from BusinessWeek:

War isn't just tough on soldiers. Army wives whose husbands were deployed have higher rates of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and other mental health issues than the wives of soldiers who stayed home, a new study shows.

Researchers looked at the medical records of more than 250,000 wives, accounting for most women married to active-duty U.S. Army personnel.

Between 2003 and 2006, about 34 percent of the women's husbands deployed for one to 11 months, 35 percent deployed for longer than 11 months, while 31 percent of soldiers were not sent overseas.

Among wives of soldiers deployed for up to 11 months, researchers found almost 3,500 more diagnoses of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and other mental health issues than among wives who husbands stayed home.

The more months a soldier was deployed, the greater the toll on his wife. Among the wives of soldiers gone for longer than 11 months during the four-year period, they found more than 5,300 additional diagnoses of mental health issues.

"The wives of soldiers who are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing greater mental health problems and have a greater need for mental health services," said study author Alyssa Mansfield, a research epidemiologist at RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C., who was at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, when she conducted the research. "We also found the longer the [soldier] was deployed, the more likely the spouse was to have a mental health diagnosis."

The study findings are published in the Jan. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

5 Films That Help Balance Out the US Iraq War Propaganda

Ok so it’s no secret that I am anti-war. I absolutely believe that diplomacy is always the best option. I am enough of a realist to know that when diplomacy simply does not work then it’s time to look at military options. But, it’s imperative that military force be the last resort and that it be used in accordance with international laws and treaties.

It’s also no secret that I think George Bush was the most disastrous thing to happen to this country since the Great Depression. But regardless of your feelings about Bush or the Iraq War the plain fact is that the war was based on lies, and he put our soldiers at great physical harm and endangered the people of Iraq based on lies to serve his own personal agenda.  In this country we get a biased view of the Iraq War, usually peppered with a lot of patriotic BS to hide the real facts of the war.  These films tell another side of the story and show not only the facts that have been kept hidden from many US citizens but the heart breaking reality of the human cost of the war.

 Are they biased? Of course they are. Every piece of film, every piece of journalistic writing, every podcast will always have the point of view of the author. But if you look at media that shows both sides you can extrapolate the truth of the situation, which is usually somewhere in the middle, after seeing both. So I think that everyone should see these movies to help them get an accurate view of the Iraq War.

1. Control Room – When it comes to the Iraq war propaganda spread within the US no name is uttered with as much derision as Al –Jazeera. But Al-Jazeera provides an infinitely more accurate view of the Iraq War than American media does, and it also is invaluable for understanding the mindset of the average citizen in the Middle East. If the “hearts and minds” of people in that region are ever going to be won by the West understanding them is critical.  Control Room goes inside Al –Jazeera and shows how the station operates, why they make the decisions to air the material that they air, and shows the broadcasters and the officials at CENTCOM struggling to understand each other’s points of view while trying to get their own point of view across.  Control Room is a 2004 documentary directed by Jehane Noujaim.

 

2. No End in Sight – This film that was released in 2007 focuses mainly on the lead up to the US invasion of Iraq. It contains interviews with the officials who were involved in planning the Invasion, and the media flacks and publicists who were hired to sell it to the American people. This film focuses on the political theory and military strategy behind the Invasion and shows the disastrous results of the poor planning and execution of the operation.  It also touches on the foreign policy ramifications of the disastrous ways in which the War was handled.

 

3. Rush to War – This documentary is similar to Fahrenheit 9/11 but it contains more facts and less bias.  Anyone who still thinks that the US had a justification to invade Iraq needs to see this movie to find out the truth about how the flimsy justification for attacking Iraq was methodically constructed by the Bush Administration and sold to Congress and the American people as a way for Bush to use the US military to settle a personal score against Saddam Hussein. Released in 2004 and directed by Robert Taicher.

 

4. Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers –Have you ever noticed that a disproportionate amount of the tasks in Iraq are handled by private companies? That’s not a coincidence.  This documentary examines how private companies like Halliburton and Blackwater are making billions of taxpayer dollars from the war in Iraq. It examines the relationships of government officials to the heads of these private companies and looks at how these companies continue to get no bid contracts from the government even when they are providing questionable services and products like faulty body armor for soldiers and not acting in accordance with international law when they are operating in country. Directed by Robert Greenwald and released in 2006.

 

5. Baghdad ER – I deliberately tried to focus on movies that deal with the mechanics of the war and the political dealings that led to the war because even though there is no shortage of movies that deal with the human cost of the war some of those movies are so biased that they really contribute nothing to the dialog.  But Baghdad ER is set in a US military hospital and documents the brutality and the horror that is the true cost of war.  Soldiers and civilians alike deal with shattered lives and bodies as a result of the ongoing and unjust war in Iraq. You will never think of the innocent civilians and the hardworking soldiers who were used as pawns to settle a personal score as collateral damage again. Released in 2006 and directed by Jon Alpert.

 

Army Film Named Best Picture of 2009 by Critics

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100104/ap_en_mo/us_film_critics_picks

NEW YORK – The National Society of Film Critics on Sunday selected "The Hurt Locker," a film about an elite Army bomb squad unit that works in Iraq to defuse improvised explosives while under the threat of insurgents, as the best picture of 2009.

The society, composed of film critics from some of the country's top publications, also bestowed honors on the movie's director, Kathryn Bigelow, and lead actor, Jeremy Renner.

Very happy to see such attention given to this film. Awesome.