Blogging Blue

Have you seen this picture before?

The photo, taken in March 2003, has become one of the most iconic images of the U.S. invasion of Iraq: that of an American soldier carrying a wounded Iraqi child to safety. The photograph of Army Private First Class Joseph Dwyer was used by news outlets around the world. In a tragic twist, PFC Dwyer collapsed and died last month after abusing a computer cleaner aerosol. After returning from Iraq, Dwyer was plagued with sometimes violent delusions that he was being hunted by Iraqi killers, and despite his obvious problems, Dwyer’s issues were never wholly addressed by Veterans Affairs:

After a PTSD program in Durham, N.C., turned Dwyer away because of a lack of space, Maureen Dwyer said her son received inpatient care for six months at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center, beginning last August. After doctors discharged him in March, she said, his anxieties returned with such intensity that Dwyer’s wife, Matina, 30, took their daughter Meagan, 2, and moved out five days later.

After her son was discharged from Northport, Maureen Dwyer said she was especially concerned because there were no VA mental health facilities near his Pinehurst, N.C., home.

There’s no denying Joseph Dwyer did receive treatment for his mental health issues, but where was the aftercare and followup? Where were the doctors and programs to ensure Joseph Dwyer continued to receive the help he needed for his mental health issues? What’s more, why wasn’t more done to properly plan for the return of soldiers like Joseph Dwyer? At the risk of getting up on my soapbox, there’s absolutely no reason why any soldier suffering from PTSD or a related mental health issue should have to wait for appropriate services because of a lack of space.

Here’s what Joseph Dwyer’s mother has to say about the situation:

“Every second that goes by, there is another soldier just like Joseph,” Maureen Dwyer said. “Another family can’t go through this. All the politicians talk so great about the soldiers, about patriotism, but mental illness is something they are not putting enough into.”

And that’s the true cost of the war in Iraq: the tally of lives lost or irreparably altered due to the serious mental health issues faced by soldiers returning home from the field of battle.

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Here’s a little something I found as I was surfing the Cheddarsphere today. In a post over at his blog, The Way I See It!, Cudahy blogger Randy Hollenbeck posted a few of his favorite pictures of Barack Obama:

Now call me crazy - and you wouldn’t be the first to do so - but the pictures above strike me as being more than a little racist, and not even in a subtle, *wink wink, nod nod* kind of way. Now I’m sure some will say, “Zach, don’t you think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill?” and I’ll say I don’t think I am. While I know these kinds of prejudiced and racially insensitive aren’t representative of how all conservatives feel, they sure don’t do much to dispel the idea that there’s a large group of conservative folks who can’t bear the thought of an African-American serving as President.

I emailed Randy Hollenbeck to get his thoughts on why he’d post pictures with such racial overtones, and his response was to ask what was racist.

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While he might have had a blockbuster ratings bomb in Hancock this past weekend, Will Smith has higher aspirations…which weren’t even thought of by him!

According to People Magazine, Barack Obama stated that if there’s a movie made after him, he’d probably like to see Smith portraying him.

When asked by Tyra Banks who should play him in a movie, Sen. Barack Obama said, “I think initially Denzel [Washington] would be the choice but somebody pointed out, with my ears, it might have to be Will Smith.”

What an honor!

Personally I don’t see how Smith and Obama even come close to being alike…except the ears. But who says the ears mean everything?

It goes to show that Obama is “da man with the plan.” I mean, who could portray John McCain?

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I found in my emailbox today and I thought it was worth a mention…

Hi Zachary,

My name is Kyle Johnson, and I’m the founder of the make-your-own-bumper-sticker-website Bumperactive.com. I’m writing to give you and Blogging Blue a heads-up about our latest project, “50 Ways To Vote Obama” — in which we’re designing a unique Barack Obama bumper sticker for each state.

We have created 18 stickers so far, including one for Wisconsin. Our aim is to really pull out all the stops with the design of the stickers to reflect the enthusiasm Obama inspires, as well as graphically demonstrate the diversity of voices uniting behind his campaign. You may view the entire collection at:

http://www.bumperactive.com/barack_obama_bumper_stickers.jsp

22 percent of the proceeds from each sale benefits the Obama Campaign, and we’re offering both full-size “bumper-stickers” and six-packs of mini “laptop stickers.” And please do let us know what you think of our design for your state.

Also, we’re more than willing to do multiple designs for a particular state, so if you’ve got a better idea for a Wisconsin Obama sticker –or a sticker for one of the states we haven’t gotten to yet — please let us know, and we’ll add it to the project!

Thanks much for your time and any assistance you’re able to provide,

Best,

Kyle Johnson

Now sure, I’m shamelessly shilling for the folks from Bumperactive, but we liberals gotta stick together! Here’s a link to Bumperactive’s web site.

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Despite his previous comments that he doesn’t know much about the economy, Republican Presidential nominee John McCain really wants the American people to believe he’s the best man to get our nation’s lagging economy back on track. He’s touted his record on pork barrel spending, and he’s said he’ll cut government spending, but it’s interesting to me that a man who can’t even pay his own taxes on time wants to be in charge of getting our economy back on track. Apparently Mrs. McCain owns a number of properties, including a condominium in La Jolla, California, and for the past four years taxes on that property haven’t been paid:

San Diego County officials, it turns out, have been sending out tax notices on the La Jolla property, an oceanfront condo, for four years without receiving a response. County records show the bills, which were mailed to a Phoenix address associated with Mrs. McCain’s trust, were returned by the post office.

It’s interesting that it took a Newsweek article to get the McCains to stop being scofflaws and pay their property taxes, but what even more interesting is the fact that Mrs. McCain didn’t even pay the full balance on her taxes:

County officials say the trust still owes an additional $1,742 for this year, an amount that is overdue and will go into default July 1.

By itself, this could be chalked up as an honest mistake, but let’s not forget the McCains also have more than $100,000 in credit card debt, a fact that sharply contrasts with Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, who reported no liabilities and college saving of between $100,00 and $250,000 for each of his daughters. I don’t know about you, but I prefer having the guy who pays his taxes and bills while saving money for his kids at the same time help get the economy back on track as President.

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