Remembering Ago

It's too bad it takes a funeral or a memorial service to stop for a moment in your life and remember what is important. What was important to Romain "Ago" Agostini was his friends. Countless numbers of old and new friends made that slow walk up to the podium this morning at his memorial, the celebration of his life to share a story and a laugh remembering Ago's talents and his heart. By all accounts, he was as comfortable in front of a computer as an engineer, in the middle of a kitchen as he broke bread with his friends, or behind the lens of a camera with an amazing eye for beauty. As for his photography, www.terrascapephoto.com, he said "My main interests currently reside with contemplative landscape photography as well as evocative travel photography." I think that says it pretty well.

Ago's path and mine crossed a few years back at an art show. We stayed in distant touch through that connection. Every now and then I would get an invitation inviting me to one of his gallery shows and I was never able to make it due to conflicts with my own shows. I was always happy to see Ago & Ellie come visit me when I was at a show. They are both such genuine people. When I received the email last week announcing Ago's death , I saw his name in the subject line and immediately opened it. "YAY! I hope I can attend this show, I thought". My heart broke when I saw it was news of his passing instead. Ago did not make it to his 50th birthday; cancer cruelly took him much too soon. All of us who knew Ago and those who will learn about him in his death; we were all gypped.

Ago traveled the world and captured images that will forever be frozen in that moment. And for that moment, you are in Alaska viewing the Northern Lights, or in the rice fields of Bali, or the gargoyles in Paris, or Tuscany, Venice and Ago's home of California. I'm not sure he had a favorite place. I struggled to decide which of his photographs was my favorite. I waited to make that decision, because maybe at the next show I would be able to decide and finally buy one. I loved them all. This photo of the Northern Lights might just be the one; I love the stars and the colors. And I especially love that Ago captured it's beauty. I suspect he would tell me that this photo was nothing like being there, but I trust his artist's eye and his heart to have brought us the best.

Perhaps they are not stars
but rather openings in Heaven
where the love of our lost ones shines down
to let us know they are happy

an Eskimo legend

I would like to think that Ago thought we had a fine service for him today and that he liked the stories that were told. He will be missed. I would also like to think that the heavens gained another star last Sunday when Ago left this earth and that his love is shining down on all that knew him, even for a brief moment.

My condolences and love to Ellie; I'm so sorry.

I heard the news today

The morning didn't start out well. The first news after the alarm rang was that 14 US soldiers were killed in a Blackhawk helicopter accident in Iraq. Another was killed in other combat operations. Mechanical problems are the expected cause of the crash. 9 families from Hawaii stopped living a normal life today; they might as well have been hit by lightning, or crashing into a freeway soundwall at 180 mph. That is how fast it hits you. The oxygen is sucked out of your body when you hear "I regret to inform you" or maybe they don't hear anything at all as their world turns black and white and everything starts moving in slow motion. You can't be sure you heard what they said, but if you ask, your brain just might register the awful, horrible truth. 15 new Gold Star families today; 3722 total since this war began.

George Bush spoke to the Veterans of Foreign War at their convention in Kansas City today. Bush said as long as I'm Commander-in-Chief we will fight to win. For those of you who wear the uniform, nothing makes me more proud to say that I am your Commander-in-Chief. Fight to win? I wish I knew what that means. I do know for sure that as long as Bush remains president & Commander-in-Chief that I will fight to end this war and be an opposition voice to his failed policies. I've got alot of work to do and besides, I promised my son, Lt Ken Ballard that I would.


It's a bit disingenuous for Bush bring up Viet Nam and compare it to Iraq This is a complex and painful subject for many Americans. The tragedy of Vietnam is too large to be contained in one speech. I'm not so sure it is all that complex. The US did not belong in Viet Nam where we overstayed our presence and it's no different in Iraq. Bush really ought not talk so much about Viet Nam; people might talk.

Bush was busting his buttons telling the good men and women of the VFW how proud he was to be their Commander-in-Chief and how much he has done for them. We agree our veterans deserve the full support of the United States government. We agree that health care for our veterans is a top priority, and that's why we've increased health care spending for our veterans by 83 percent since I was sworn in as your President. We agree that a troop coming out of Iraq or Afghanistan deserves the best health care not only as an active duty citizen, but as a military guy, but also as a veteran -- and you're going to get the best health care we can possibly provide. We agree our homeless vets ought to have shelter, and that's what we're providing. In other words, we agree the veterans deserve the full support of our government and that's what you're going to get as George W. Bush as your President. You could have fooled me. That he admitted there are "homeless vets" was his first mistake since it is happening under his watch. There are too many Iraq/ Afghanistan vets who are homeless and in desperate need of healthcare. The VA’s backlog of disability payments is now between 400,000 and 600,000, with delays of up to 177 days to process an initial claim and an average of 657 days to process an appeal. A shortage of surgeons, nurses and auxiliary staff has created a backlog of 500 patients awaiting orthopedic surgery at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in La Jolla. In some cases, those patients must wait as long as a year and a half for their surgeries. If this is the best health care, and represents that vets are a top priority to this administration, I'm pretty sure we can do alot better. Bush's bar is set way too low.

At about the same time Bush was speaking at the VFW convention announcing how he supports Veterans, the Pentagon released a report that said 1,500 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPs, rather than 3,500, would be delivered because of the time it takes to equip them with radios and armaments and then deliver them by sea. He said the Pentagon was now trying to cut that time to 30 days from 50. The MRAP, which supporters claim boasts a record of no U.S. troops killed inside its heavily-armored cabin. It seems it is more cost effective to ship these life saving vehicles by sea. I hope the military will be sure to include that information with the incident report or the autopsy, although I'm pretty sure that the family will know why their loved one got blown up in a Humvee when they should have been traveling in an MRAP. The US is well into the fifth year of the war and our men and women of the military are still lacking protective gear. Bush, as the Commander-in-Chief is responsible for this shameful lack of attention to our loved ones safety. The blood on his hands will never wash off.


I heard the news today and it wasn't very good at all.

No End in Sight (the film)

I spent the weekend in Portland with fellow members of Gold Star Families Speak Out, Annette, Michelle, Mark & Steve. It's good to get together with other Gold Star friends; we, who have lost a loved one in war. There are lots of hugs, stories and tears, not necessarily in that order.

No one gets nervous when we talk about our loved ones and Ken, William and David were topic one this weekend. It feels good to be with people who share the same politics and who understand and share each other's loss.

All of us continue to speak out in our communities, so we're pretty much on the same wavelength. On Thursday night, Mark picked me up at the airport and we dashed over to a theater in downtown Portland and met up for a screening of the documentary "No End in Sight" sponsored by KPOJ. 2 hosts from the morning show, Heidi Tauber & Carl Wolfson, hosted the evening. While the attendance was small and somewhat disappointing, the audience members who attended saw an excellent film by first time filmmaker Charles Ferguson. I highly recommend you put this film at the top of your "must see" list of films this summer. It is in limited distribution, but well worth the viewing. The San Jose Mercury News says:

No End In Sight" is not an ideological rant like Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," and it has none of that film's cheap-shot provocations. The movie doesn't draw conclusions for you, but the one that seems almost inescapable — that this wasn't merely bungling, but arrogance and incompetence on a grand scale — feels even more scalding because of Ferguson's presentational style.

From the Sundance Film Festival, Caroline Libresco says:

Ferguson's surgical analysis of the way the U.S. government sparked disaster in Iraq is riveting, information packed, and airtight. In his capable hands, the situation has never been so transparently clear, which makes it even more shocking and tragic.

There were 4 Gold Star Families in attendance, so it affected us more than most. When we view a film like this, you can't help but remember where your loved one was on that day, or when that incident happened. I was reminded that my son, Ken left for Iraq on May 12, 2003, the same day that L. Paul Bremer arrived in Baghdad; 2 different men beginning 2 different journeys. Travis Bradach's uncle John was in the audience and had to watch Bush say "Bring 'em on" again and remember that was the very day that Travis was killed. I couldn't help but think that non-military members would e viewing this film with a much different perspective.

While the film was difficult to watch for it's revelations of the incredible incompetence and arrogance of members of the Bush administration. The balance were the true heroes who were interviewed. Gen Jay Garner, Ambassador Barbara Bodine, Major General Paul Eaton, Lt Seth Moulden and Col Paul Hughes still seem dumbfounded that their expertise was not only not valued, but pushed aside to make way for the administrations rush to war and victory in this insane invasion.

Paul Hughes admitted that "there are nights that I don't sleep very well". Sir, welcome to my world.

Insiders tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq through May 2003) as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent analysts. NO END IN SIGHT examines the manner in which the principal errors of U.S. policy – the use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government, and the disbanding of the Iraqi military – largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today. How did a group of men with little or no military experience, knowledge of the Arab world or personal experience in Iraq come to make such flagrantly debilitating decisions? NO END IN SIGHT dissects the people, issues and facts behind the Bush Administration’s decisions and their consequences on the ground to provide a powerful look into how arrogance and ignorance turned a military victory into a seemingly endless and deepening nightmare of a war.

Privacy- now you see it; now you don't

Bush is either laughing his ass off or he's playing a game of "I told ya so". Told ya, told ya, told ya! He's probably adding a few "neener, neener's", too. Everything a bully would do. He won. He is the Decider. Don't forget it. Bush decided he wanted a broader range of spying on Americans, of warrantless wiretapping that has been determined to be illegal, and he got exactly what he wanted. The Democrats rolled over, and the Republicans gave their full support, too, to SB 1927 A bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to provide additional procedures for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence information and for other purposes.

Passing of this bill also gave Attorney General Alberto Gonzales all the marbles; he gets to be the big Kahuna Decider on what gets approved under this program, so Congress might as well pack up and go home. I only ask that no one acts surprised or offended when one of their constituents got caught into the wiretrapping program when Oma & Opa were calling from Germany. Military families with loved ones in Iraq- yeah, when your loved ones call, they could be listening in on you, too.

I don't get it. Were the Dems afraid they would miss their flight to Bimini? Were they in such a hurry to get on vacation that they handed over all of the keys to the kingdom. Or maybe it was Bush longing to head to Crawford and clear some brush, ride his bike with only occasional appearances in front of the camera to assure us this president has it all under control. He is the president behind the black curtain. In the month of August, now you see him, now you don't. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to ride into Crawford wearing his black hat, riding his black horse, with this bill tucked neatly under his belt along with this curious triumph. yeehah!

Thomas Jefferson warned us that "A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither"

Here's your Senate Hall of Shame roll call for today; those listed voted yes. Diane Feinstein (CA-D), in supporting the bill is drinking the purple koolaid of this administration issued a statement that said in part We are living in a period of heightened vulnerability, and must give the intelligence community the tools they need to protect America. This administration hasn't earned our trust with regards to our privacy & freedom and frankly, I am tired of the fear card being played.

CO Allard, Wayne [R]
WY Barrasso, John [R]
IN Bayh, B. [D]
UT Bennett, Robert [R]
MO Bond, Christopher [R]
KS Brownback, Samuel [R]
NC Burr, Richard [R]
DE Carper, Thomas [D]
PA Casey, Robert [D]
GA Chambliss, C. [R]
OK Coburn, Thomas [R]
MS Cochran, Thad [R]
MN Coleman, Norm [R]
ME Collins, Susan [R]
ND Conrad, Kent [D]
TN Corker, Bob [R]
TX Cornyn, John [R]
ID Craig, Larry [R]
ID Crapo, Michael [R]
SC DeMint, Jim [R]
NC Dole, Elizabeth [R]
NM Domenici, Pete [R]
NV Ensign, John [R]
WY Enzi, Michael [R]
CA Feinstein, Dianne [D]
SC Graham, Lindsey [R]
IA Grassley, Charles [R]
NE Hagel, Charles [R]
UT Hatch, Orrin [R]
TX Hutchison, Kay [R]
OK Inhofe, James [R]
HI Inouye, Daniel [D]
GA Isakson, John [R]
MN Klobuchar, Amy [D]
AZ Kyl, Jon [R]
LA Landrieu, Mary [D]
CT Lieberman, Joseph [I]
AR Lincoln, Blanche [D]
FL Martinez, Mel [R]
MO McCaskill, Claire [D]
KY McConnell, Mitch [R]
MD Mikulski, Barbara [D]
AK Murkowski, Lisa [R]
NE Nelson, Ben [D]
FL Nelson, Bill [D]
AR Pryor, Mark [D]
KS Roberts, Pat [R]
CO Salazar, Ken [D]
AL Sessions, Jefferson [R]
ALShelby, Richard [R]
OR Smith, Gordon [R]
ME Snowe, Olympia [R]
PA Specter, Arlen [R]
AK Stevens, Ted [R]
NH Sununu, John [R]
SD Thune, John [R]
LA Vitter, David [R]
OH Voinovich, George [R]
VA Warner, John [R]
VA Webb, Jim [D]

Just for good measure, I'll throw in another quote from Jefferson, who by the way, is not only rolling over in his grave, but weeping for our country as he does. “Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny"

Would this be complete without a list of the spineless members of the House who also voted yes? I thought not. 82% of the Democrats voted yes.

AL-4 Aderholt, Robert [R]
MO-2 Akin, W. [R]
LA-5 Alexander, Rodney [R]
PA-4 Altmire, Jason [D]
MN-6 Bachmann, Michele [R]
AL-6 Bachus, Spencer [R]
LA-6 Baker, Richard [R]
SC-3 Barrett, James [R]
GA-12 Barrow, John [D]
MD-6 Bartlett, Roscoe [R]
TX-6 Barton, Joe [R]
IL-8 Bean, Melissa [D]
IL-13 Biggert, Judy [R]
CA-50 Bilbray, Brian [R]
FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus [R]
UT-1 Bishop, Rob [R]
TN-7 Blackburn, Marsha [R]
MO-7 Blunt, Roy [R]
OH-8 Boehner, John [R]
AL-1 Bonner, Jo [R]
CA-45 Bono, Mary [R]
AR-3 Boozman, John [R]
OK-2 Boren, Dan [D]
IA-3 Boswell, Leonard [D]
LA-7 Boustany, Charles [R]
FL-2 Boyd, F. [D]
TX-8 Brady, Kevin [R]
GA-10 Broun, Paul [R]
SC-1 Brown, Henry [R]
FL-5 Brown-Waite, Virginia [R]
FL-13 Buchanan, Vern [R]
TX-26 Burgess, Michael [R]
IN-5 Burton, Dan [R]
IN-4 Buyer, Stephen [R]
CA-44 Calvert, Ken [R]
MI-4 Camp, David [R]
CA-48 Campbell, John [R]
UT-3 Cannon, Christopher [R]
VA-7 Cantor, Eric [R]
WV-2 Capito, Shelley [R]
PA-10 Carney, Christopher [D]
TX-31 Carter, John [R]
DE-0 Castle, Michael [R]
OH-1 Chabot, Steven [R]
KY-6 Chandler, Ben [D]
OK-4 Cole, Tom [R]
TX-11 Conaway, K. [R]
TN-5 Cooper, Jim [D]
CA-20 Costa, Jim [D]
AL-5 Cramer, Robert [D]
WY-0 Cubin, Barbara [R]
TX-28 Cuellar, Henry [D]
TX-7 Culberson, John [R]
AL-7 Davis, Artur [D]
TN-1 Davis, David [R]
KY-4 Davis, Geoff [R]
TN-4 Davis, Lincoln [D]
VA-11 Davis, Thomas [R]
GA-9 Deal, Nathan [R]
PA-15 Dent, Charles [R]
FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln [R]
FL-25 Diaz-Balart, Mario [R]
IN-2 Donnelly, Joe [D]
CA-4 Doolittle, John [R]
VA-2 Drake, Thelma [R]
CA-26 Dreier, David [R]
TN-2 Duncan, John [R]
TX-17 Edwards, Thomas [D]
MI-3 Ehlers, Vernon [R]
IN-8 Ellsworth, Brad [D]
MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
PA-3 English, Philip [R]
NC-2 Etheridge, Bob [D]
AL-2 Everett, Terry [R]
OK-5 Fallin, Mary [R]
FL-24 Feeney, Tom [R]
NJ-7 Ferguson, Michael [R]
AZ-6 Flake, Jeff [R]
VA-4 Forbes, James [R]
NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey [R]
NY-13 Fossella, Vito [R]
NC-5 Foxx, Virginia [R]
AZ-2 Franks, Trent [R]
NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney [R]
CA-24 Gallegly, Elton [R]
NJ-5 Garrett, E. [R]
PA-6 Gerlach, Jim [R]
MD-1 Gilchrest, Wayne [R]
OH-5 Gillmor, Paul [R]
GA-11 Gingrey, John [R]
TX-1 Gohmert, Louis [R]
VA-6 Goodlatte, Robert [R]
TN-6 Gordon, Barton [D]
TX-12 Granger, Kay [R]
MO-6 Graves, Samuel [R]
TX-4 Hall, Ralph [R]
WA-4 Hastings, Doc [R]
NV-2 Heller, Dean [R]
TX-5 Hensarling, Jeb [R]
CA-2 Herger, Walter [R]
SD-0 Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie [D]
NY-27 Higgins, Brian [D]
IN-9 Hill, Baron [D]
OH-7 Hobson, David [R]
MI-2 Hoekstra, Peter [R]
MO-9 Hulshof, Kenny [R]
SC-4 Inglis, Bob [R]
CA-49 Issa, Darrell [R]
OH-4 Jordan, Jim [R]
FL-8 Keller, Ric [R]
NY-3 King, Peter [R]
IA-5 King, Steve [R]
GA-1 Kingston, Jack [R]
IL-10 Kirk, Mark [R]
MN-2 Kline, John [R]
MI-9 Knollenberg, Joseph [R]
NY-29 Kuhl, John [R]
CO-5 Lamborn, Doug [R]
TX-22 Lampson, Nicholas [D]
IA-4 Latham, Thomas [R]
OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
CA-41 Lewis, Jerry [R]
KY-2 Lewis, Ron [R]
GA-7 Linder, John [R]
IL-3 Lipinski, Daniel [D]
NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
OK-3 Lucas, Frank [R]
CA-3 Lungren, Daniel [R]
FL-14 Mack, Connie [R]
IL-16 Manzullo, Donald [R]
TX-24 Marchant, Kenny [R]
GA-8 Marshall, James [D]
UT-2 Matheson, Jim [D]
CA-22 McCarthy, Kevin [R]
TX-10 McCaul, Michael [R]
MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus [R]
LA-4 McCrery, James [R]
NC-10 Mchenry, Patrick [R]
NY-23 McHugh, John [R]
NC-7 McIntyre, Mike [D]
CA-25 McKeon, Howard [R]
WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R]
LA-3 Melancon, Charles [D]
FL-7 Mica, John [R]
MI-10 Miller, Candice [R]
CA-42 Miller, Gary [R]
FL-1 Miller, Jeff [R]
AZ-5 Mitchell, Harry [D]
KS-1 Moran, Jerry [R]
PA-18 Murphy, Tim [R]
CO-4 Musgrave, Marilyn [R]
NC-9 Myrick, Sue [R]
TX-19 Neugebauer, Randy [R]
CA-21 Nunes, Devin [R]
NM-2 Pearce, Steven [R]
IN-6 Pence, Mike [R]
MN-7 Peterson, Collin [D]
PA-5 Peterson, John [R]
WI-6 Petri, Thomas [R]
MS-3 Pickering, Charles [R]
PA-16 Pitts, Joseph [R]
PA-19 Platts, Todd [R]
TX-2 Poe, Ted [R]
ND-0 Pomeroy, Earl [D]
NV-3 Porter, Jon [R]
GA-6 Price, Tom [R]
OH-15 Pryce, Deborah [R]
FL-12 Putnam, Adam [R]
CA-19 Radanovich, George [R]
MN-3 Ramstad, James [R]
OH-16 Regula, Ralph [R]
MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis [R]
WA-8 Reichert, Dave [R]
AZ-1 Renzi, Rick [R]
NY-26 Reynold , Thomas [R]
TX-23 Rodriguez, Ciro [D]
KY-5 Rogers, Harold [R]
AL-3 Rogers Michael [R]
MI-8 Rogers, Michael [R]
CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana [R]
IL-6 Roskam, Peter [R]
FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R]
AR-4 Ross, Mike [D]
CA-40 Royce, Edward [R]
WI-1 Ryan, Paul [R]
CO-3 Salazar, John [D]
ID-1 Sali, Bill [R]
OH-2 Schmidt, Jean [R]
WI-5 Sensenbrenner, F. [R]
TX-32 Sessions, Peter [R]
AZ-3 Shadegg, John [R]
CT-4 Shays, Christopher [R]
IL-19 Shimkus, John [R]
NC-11 Shuler, Heath [D]
PA-9 Shuster, William [R]
ID-2 Simpson, Michael [R]
NE-3 Smith, Adrian [R]
NJ-4 Smith, Christopher [R]
TX-21 Smith, Lamar [R]
AR-2 Snyder, Victor [D]
IN-3 Souder, Mark [R]
OH-18 Space, Zackary [D]
FL-6 Stearns, Clifford [R]
OK-1 Sullivan, John [R]
TN-8 Tanner, John [D]
MS-4 Taylor, Gene [D]
NE-2 Terry, Lee [R]
TX-13 Thornberry, William [R]
KS-4 Tiahrt, Todd [R]
OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
MI-6 Upton, Frederick [R]
MI-7 Walberg, Timothy [R]
OR-2 Walden, Greg [R]
NY-25 Walsh, James [R]
MN-1 Walz, Timothy [D]
TN-3 Wamp, Zach [R]
FL-15 Weldon, David [R]
IL-11 Weller, Gerald [R]
GA-3 Westmoreland, Lynn [R]
KY-1 Whitfield, Edward [R]
MS-1 Wicker, Roger [R]
SC-2 Wilson, Addison [R]
OH-6 Wilson, Charles [D]
NM-1 Wilson, Heather [R]
VA-10 Wolf, Frank [R]
FL-10 Young, C. W. [R]


p.s. for those Congressional staffers who have a google alert on their legislator, I'm glad you found my blog. Yes, this isn't flattering to your boss and yes, we are paying attention. When it comes time for your re-election, we aren't going to forget this vote or any of the others that gave away our freedoms. I just wanted you to know.

Whiners in Washington

The headline in my local paper said "Exhausted on both sides of the aisle in nation's capitol".

I have no sympathy for these legislators who are trying to get home for their summer vacation. John Boehner (OH-R) says "It's hot, it's humid, people are tired and ready to go home," "Most of America wants us to go home. It's like this every summer." Backatcha Rep Boenher, most of America wants the soldiers in Iraq to come home, so please stop your whining, until you can prove that you are doing everything possible to make that happen. I can't imagine he cares about the soldiers, because if he did, we'd have soldiers arriving home by the planeload. But, instead, our soldiers are still stuck in this hellish occupation because Congress & the president will not put together a political solution. The burden of this endless war continues to be carried by the military, even though Admiral Michael Mullen, the proposed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says that peace will ultimately be won politically, not militarily,

A DC lawyer said "Everyone I talk to wants to get out of town and take a shower because we're all feeling depressed and dirty." Nope, no sympathy here either. I imagine any soldier who has been in Iraq for more than 5 minutes would like to take a nice long shower and try to wash away the horrors of this war.

I don't care how hot, how tired, how uncomfortable these whiners are. It's hot in DC in the summer time, get over it. Let me remind them, as many tell us military families; this country is at war and Congress should be working 24/7 to figure out a way to bring the troops home and take care of them when they get here. It's hot in Iraq, hotter than anyone in DC can imagine. When my son, Lt Ken Ballard was in Iraq for those 384 days, he never complained to me about the heat; he said they had a mission to do. And so does Congress.

They are complaining about the legislative hours, too. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), "You're not able to tell your family when you're going to be home," "Your wife will ask when and you say, 'I don't know.' Then she'll ask why and you just don't have a reason."

Imagine a soldier in Iraq saying the same thing to his or her family. Imagine how s/he felt when told their 12 month deployment was extended by 3 more months in hell. Imagine how s/he felt when they found out that 194 representatives, including Boehner & Kingston voted against H.R. 3159: Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act. An act that would To mandate minimum periods of rest and recuperation for units and members of the regular and reserve components of the Armed Forces between deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.

So, I want no more complaining. Ladies and gentlemen of the 110th Congress, you volunteered to run for your seat and in many cases have run again and again. No one ever said it was going to be easy, so please just buckle down and get the job done that you were sent to DC to do. If that means longer work weeks, longer hours and a shorter vacation, then so be it. There is a mission to be done.

Our soldiers deserve as much and so does our country.

Ensuring Military Readiness- Supporting the Troops

There is a lot of frustration with the 110th Congress, as there should be. This country sent a resounding, very loud message to Washington in November of 2006. We wanted a change and in particular,we want to bring our troops home from the misguided, illegal occupation in Iraq. There was much rhetoric, "We hear you", they told us, but amidst all the acrimony and political posturing, not much has been accomplished.

Last week a bill introduced by Ellen Tauscher (CA-D) was passed in the House by roll call vote. H.R. 3159: Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act of 2007. The totals were 229 Ayes, 194 Nays, 9 Present/Not Voting. No surprise that the votes went pretty much by party lines, but fortunately there were enough Republicans who do support the troops (if not the war) who voted for this bill. 98% of Democrats supporting, 97% of Republicans opposing.

HR 3159 says: To mandate minimum periods of rest and recuperation for units and members of the regular and reserve components of the Armed Forces between deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. (to read the summary from the Congressional Research Service, go here) Basically it says, if you are deployed for 15 months, you would receive 15 months at home and the Reserve, our citizen soldiers, would have at least three times the amount home as that time deployed.

It's really quite simple. The body and mind need to heal after being subjected to war, 24/7/365. We MUST support the troops by giving them time to heal and time to be with their families. We know that troops are serving multiple deployments with little in the way of mental or physical care with their time at home much too short. HR 3159 would go a long way towards providing some time to heal. We owe the soldiers and their families that much.

When Skeleton introduced the bill he said, in part:

Our troops and their families are tired. They are being stressed by the continued and extended deployments. It's time that Congress takes a stand on behalf of our families and states in a clear, unequivocal voice that it is time that servicemembers have a minimum dwell time between deployments.
Servicemembers and their families are entitled to a predictable and stable time between deployments. Congress needs to step up on behalf of the troops, as well as their families, and say enough is enough.
We need to hold the Department accountable to their own policies and protect the readiness of our forces. That's no small thing. We have a moral responsibility to our troops to ensure that their quality of life is reflective of the sacrifices that we ask them to make.

I urge my colleagues to stand with us in support of our troops and in support of our families.

In response, Duncan Hunter (CA-R) the prowar, anti troop representative from southern California said this:

I think that this bill does not accrue to the benefit of the troops. I think it hurts the troops. I think that is a question every Member of the House has to ask themselves: Is this going to be good for the troops, or is it going to be bad for the troops?

I think it will be bad for the troops, for this reason: We are fighting a war in Iraq which requires innovation, flexibility and experience. This bill, which will put a straitjacket on our ability to deploy troops on the basis that their clock has not yet expired back in the United States before they go over, is going to have an incredibly detrimental affect on our ability to project a well-rounded, effective fighting team in the warfighting theater in Iraq.

Americans have no clue what the personal and medical costs of this war will be. The costs won't stop accumulating when the last soldier leaves, or when the helicopters come to evacuate people from the embassy. The medical costs to care for our military for PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), TBI (traumatic brain injury)- the signature, and frequently undiagnosed injury from this war, is unimaginable. I doubt that these costs have been included in the presumed $1 trillion cost that is being thrown around. We owe these soldiers and their families for the rest of their lives. We owe them a debt that however grateful and sincere we are, we will never, ever be able to repay. HR 3159 is a start towards minimizing and understanding the risks and cost of this war.

Thank you to Ellen Tauscher and the 22 co-sponsors of the bill, one of whom is my Congresswoman, Anna Eshoo for your courage in standing up and showing your support for the troops. Thank you to the 229 representatives who voted yes and who support the troops.

If your name is on this list who voted no, do NOT ever say you support the troops or their families. These legislators do not support the troops; they are supporting this war and this president's failed policies. I don't know how any of these people can look into the eyes of any soldier or their family and say that they are doing everything they can to support them. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!

AL-4 Aderholt, Robert [R]
MO-2 Akin, W. [R]
LA-5 Alexander, Rodney [R]
MN-6 Bachmann, Michele [R]
AL-6 Bachus, Spencer [R]
WA-3 Baird, Brian [D]
LA-6 Baker, Richard [R]
SC-3 Barrett, James [R]
MD-6 Bartlett, Roscoe [R]
TX-6 Barton, Joe [R]
IL-13 Biggert, Judy [R]
CA-50 Bilbray, Brian [R]
FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus [R]
UT-1 Bishop, Rob [R]
TN-7 Blackburn, Marsha [R]
MO-7 Blunt, Roy [R]
OH-8 Boehner, John [R]
AL-1 Bonner, o [R]
CA-45 Bono, Mary [R]
AR-3 Boozman, John [R]
LA-7 Boustany, Charles [R]
TX-8 Brady, Kevin [R]
GA-10 Broun, Paul [R]
SC-1 Brown, Henry [R]
FL-5 Brown-Waite, Virginia [R]
FL-13 Buchanan, Vern [R]
TX-26 Burgess, Michael [R]
IN-5 Burton Dan [R]
IN-4 Buyer, Stephen [R]
CA-44 Calvert, Ken [R]
MI-4 Camp, David [R]
CA-48 Campbell, John [R]
UT-3 Cannon, Christopher [R]
VA-7 Cantor, Eric [R]
WV-2 Capito, Shelley [R]
PA-10 Carney, Christopher [D]
TX-31 Carter, John [R]
OH-1 Chabot, Steven [R]
NC-6 Coble, Howard [R]
OK-4 Cole, Tom [R]
TX-11 Conaway, K. [R]
WY-0 Cubin, Barbara [R]
TX-7 Culberson, John [R]
TN-1 avis, David [R]
VA-11 Davis, Thomas [R]
GA-9 Deal, Nathan [R]
PA-15 Dent, Charles [R]
FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln [R]
FL-25 Diaz-Balart, Mario [R]
CA-4 Doolittle, John [R]
VA-2 Drake, Thelma [R]
CA-26 Dreier, David [R]
TN-2 Duncan, John [R]
MI-3 Ehlers, Vernon [R]
MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
AL-2 Everett, Terry [R]
OK-5 Fallin, M ry [R]
FL-24 Feeney, Tom [R]
NJ-7 Ferguson, Michael [R]
AZ-6 Flake, Jeff [R]
VA-4 Forbes, James [R]
NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey [R]
NY-13 Fossella, Vito [R]
NC-5 Foxx, Virginia [R]
AZ-2 Franks, Trent [R]
NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney [R]
CA-24 Gallegly, Elton [R]
NJ-5 Garrett, E. [R]
PA-6 Gerlach, Jim [R]
OH-5 Gillmor, Paul [R]
GA-11 Gingrey, John [R]
TX-1 Gohmert, Louis [R]
VA-5 Goode, Virgil [R]
VA-6 Goodlatte, Robert [R]
TX-12 Granger, Kay [R]
MO-6 Graves, Samuel [R]
TX-4 Hall, Ralph [R]
IL-14 Hastert, J. [R]
WA-4 Hastings, Doc [R]
NC-8 Hayes, Robin [R]
NV-2 Heller, Dean [R]
TX-5 Hensarling, Jeb [R]
CA-2 Herger, Walter [R]
OH-7 Hobson, David [R]
MI-2 Hoekstra, Peter [R]
MO-9 Hulshof, Kenny [R]
CA-52 Hunter, Duncan [R]
SC-4 Inglis, Bob [R]
CA-49 Issa, Darrell [R]
LA-1 Jindal, Bobby [R]
IL-15 Johnson, Timothy [R]
OH-4 Jordan, Jim [R]
FL-8 Keller, Ric [R]
NY-3 King, Peter [R]
IA-5 King, Steve [R]
GA-1 Kingston, Jack [R]
IL-10 Kirk, Mark [R]
MN-2 Kline, John [R]
MI-9 Knollenberg, Joseph [R]
NY-29 Kuhl, John [R]
IL-18 LaHood, Ray [R]
CO-5 Lamborn, Doug [R]
IA-4 Latham, Thomas [R]
OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
CA-41 Lewis, Jerry [R]
KY-2 Lewis, Ron [R]
GA-7 Linder, John [R]
NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
OK-3 Lucas, Frank [R]
CA-3 Lungren, Daniel [R]
FL-14 Mack, Connie [R]
IL-16 Manzullo, Donald [R]
TX-24 Marchant, Kenny [R]
GA-8 Marshall, James [D]
CA-22 McCarthy, Kevin [R]
TX-10 cCaul, Michael [R]
MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus [R]
LA-4 McCrery, James [R]
NC-10 Mchenry, Patrick [R]
NY-23 McHugh, John [R]
CA-25 McKeon, Howard [R]
WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R]
LA-3 Melancon, Charles [D]
FL-7 Mica, John [R]
MI-10 Miller, Candice [R]
CA-42 Miller, Gary [R]
FL-1 Miller, Jeff [R]
KS-1 Moran, Jerry [R]
CO-4 Musgrave, Marilyn [R]
NC-9 Myrick, Sue [R]
TX-19 Neugebauer, Randy [R]
CA-21 Nunes, Devin [R]
NM-2 Pearce, Steven [R]
IN-6 Pence, Mike [R]
PA-5 Peterson, John [R]
WI-6 Petri, Thomas [R]
MS-3 Pickering, Charles [R]
PA-16 Pitts, Joseph [R]
PA-19 Platts, Todd [R]
TX-2 Poe, Ted [R]
NV-3 orter, Jon [R]
GA-6 Price, Tom [R]
OH-15 Pryce, Deborah [R]
FL-12 Putnam, Adam [R]
CA-19 Radanovich, George [R]
MN-3 Ramstad, James [R]
OH-16 Regula, Ralph [R]
MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis [R]
WA-8 Reichert, Dave [R]
AZ-1 Renzi, Rick [R]
NY-26 Reynolds, Thomas [R]
KY-5 Rogers, Harold [R]
AL-3 Rogers, Michael [R]
MI-8 Rogers, Michael [R]
CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana [R]
IL-6 Roskam, Peter [R]
FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R]
CA-40 Royce, Edward [R]
WI-1 Ryan, Paul [R]
ID-1 Sali, Bill [R]
NJ-3 Saxton, H. [R]
OH-2 Schmidt, Jean [R]
WI-5 Sensenbrenner, F. [R]
TX-32 Sessions, Peter [R]
AZ-3 Shadegg, John [R]
IL-19 Shimkus, John [R]
PA-9 Shuster, William [R]
ID-2 Simpson, Michael [R]
NE-3 Smith, Adrian [R]
NJ-4 Smith, Christopher [R]
TX-21 Smith, Lamar [R]
IN-3 Souder, Mark [R]
FL-6 Stearns, Clifford [R]
OK-1 Sullivan, John [R]
CO-6 Tancredo, Thomas [R]
NE-2 erry, Lee [R]
TX-13 Thornberry, William [R]
KS-4 Tiahrt, Todd [R]
OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
MI-6 Upton, Frederick [R]
MI-7 Walberg, Timothy [R]
OR-2 Walden, Greg [R]
TN-3 Wamp, Zach [R]
FL-15 Weldon, David [R]
IL-11 Weller, Gerald [R]
GA-3 Westmoreland, Lynn [R]
KY-1 Whitfield, Edward [R]
MS-1 Wicker, Roger [R]
SC-2 Wilson, Addison [R]
NM-1 Wilson, Heather [R]
VA-10 Wolf, Frank [R]
FL-10 Young, C. W. [R]
AK-0 Young, Donald [R]

Still Seeking the Truth

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld came out of retirement to testify at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to discuss the investigation into the killing of Army Ranger Pat Tillman. He should have stayed home.

He sat in that room and lied. He lied knowing that Pat's mom, Mary, his dad, brother and widow were sitting behind him. There are no words to adequately describe the contempt I have for these so called men who come to Congress with little regard for a family's search for the truth. These men who had taken the job of leading this generation of men & women who entrusted them to respect their service to their country. These men do not deserve to call themselves leaders because they failed their men and women when they failed to tell the truth about this war before it started and they failed to tell the truth to the Tillman families and many other families who were denied the truth. History will judge them to be so much less than the leaders they purport themselves to be. History will also judge them to be small men with small minds and smaller hearts.

This hearing was another example of these people using their personal dictionary to define words as they see fit. Rusmfeld says there was no coverup.

What is a coverup if not ordering a young soldier to not tell the Tillman family the truth when he attended the memorial service in Pat's home town, 11 days after he was killed.

What is a coverup if not Lt General Kensington sitting at that same memorial service- he knew the whole truth on that day and he failed to tell the family and the nation the truth?

What is a coverup if not Army commanders recommending Pat Tillman for the Silver Star for gallantry in action, while withholding evidence of friendly fire from his family for five weeks?

And when the president plays the executive privilege card because he doesn't want to say what he knew and when he knew it, it is a coverup, I don't care what he wants to call it.

What is a coverup if not Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal sending a high-priority "Personal For" on April 29, 2004, to Gen. John Abizaid and two other generals, warning that Tillman's April 22, 2004, death was likely friendly fire. The cable urged them to contact "POTUS" (the president of the United States) "in order to preclude any unknowing statements by our country's leaders which might cause embarrassment if the circumstances of Cpl. Tillman's death becomes public."

Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged discussing with his public affairs director how "we portray this situation" to the news media. And still when asked why he did nothing, he responded "I don't think there's any regulation that would require me to do anything," Myers said. "This is the responsibility of the United States Army, not the office of the chairman, so I regret that the Army did not do their duty here and follow their own policy." In other words, "not my problem" If chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff believes that, then why would any other military leader believe they should step forward for anything that is not being done right? Let's not stand up for those soldiers and their families who look for leadership to do the right thing, because no, it's not my responsibility. It's pathetic, really.

Rumsfeld said The Tillmans were owed the truth, delivered in a forthright and timely manner. And certainly the truth was owed to the memory of the man whose valor, dedication and sacrifice to his country remains an example for all." Of course they are owed the truth, but if Rumsfeld thinks the family believed him at the hearing or any other time or anything that is being offered the family as truth, Mary Tillman responded by saying "it is a complete donkey show. "I believe that this (the cover-up and misinformation about Tillman having been killed by friendly fire) came from (former Defense Secretary Donald) Rumsfeld," Mary said. "And they're just protecting him. . . . The public doesn't understand what is going on. No matter what has been put out in the news, it hasn't made a dent in what actually took place. Nobody quite understands how nefarious this is. I can tell you that there wouldn't be this big show of punishment if there wasn't something to this."

People tell us Gold Star families to get over it, get on with our lives; your loved one is never coming back. They ask us why the truth matters and that we are disrespecting our loved one's death by not accepting what the military has told us. We are the voices of our loved ones who can no longer speak. The Tillman family deserves our gratitude for their persistence and courage in holding those responsible who do not have the same moral courage. The military seems to think we can't handle the truth, but as Mary Tillman rightfully said "all you have is the truth."