The Reason behind the Season

Memorial Weekend = extra day to have fun, right? Sadly for many of us, that's all it is.

I admit, I've been looking forward to this weekend for a while now. An extra long weekend to grill, sleep in, head north, have fun with friends, whatever I want. It's an extra slice of heaven waiting for me on the calendar.

How easy it is to forget why it is we get that extra day off. Memorial Day is all about honoring those veterans who protected the very things we take for granted, those who paid the ultimate price and those who made it back with the physical and emotional scars.

Tonight a story on WILX helped put things back into perspective with a twist. The story was about homeless veterans here in Michigan, not only the challenges they face, but difficulties that exist for those trying to remedy the situation.

It's heartbreaking.

These men and women who give up years of their life to defend and protect the rest of us come back to society only to ill-treated, whether it be through medical care, psychological counseling, job placement, and financial assistance. It's wrong for any person, but it's only worse when it happens to any of our veterans.

The daughter of a Vietnam Veteran and granddaughter of two WWII Veterans, I've seen the pride in the eyes of a veteran to have served their country honorably, but I've also seen how combat forever affects the mind and soul. It's not uncommon for me to well up with tears at a sporting event as the National Anthem is played.

So enjoy your weekend and your extra day off. You probably deserve it. But just as with any holiday, take care to truly remember the reason behind the season. Take a moment to pause and reflect on those whose day it truly is and thank a veteran, not just on Monday, but on any day. We owe them more than we'll probably ever realize.

(Stay tuned as tomorrow I'll be featuring ways that you can help veterans locally, a story on how one veteran who wants to fight for you here in Michigan, and how our lawmakers are helping veterans all across the state.)

When Christmas really hits home

Stories like this really have a way of hitting me right in the gut the minute I start reading it.

From the Jackson Citizen-Patriot:

A Chelsea family got a Christmas gift even Santa couldn't deliver -- Army Staff Sgt. Michael Montange back home after spending months in a Washington D.C. hospital and years overseas.

Montange, 28, who was nearly killed in an explosion in Iraq, is spending his first Christmas in 10 years in his hometown.

As he touched down at Jackson County Airport shortly after 1 p.m. Monday, he was greeted by family members and more than 20 local firefighters and other well-wishers.

"It feels really good to be back," Montange said while leaning back in a wheelchair covered in a fleece race car blanket. "I haven't made it home for a holiday in quite some time."

He'll be home for almost two weeks.

-snip-

On Aug. 22, Michael Montange, a member of the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, was 15 miles north of Baghdad when he was injured by an improvised explosive device. The projectile pierced his buttock and exited through his opposite hip.

His uncle said he "flat-lined" three or four times, underwent 38 surgeries and needed more than 170 units of blood.

He has lost about 40 percent of his intestines and will have to live the rest of his life with a colostomy bag, Mark Montange said.

"He is taking bets he will be walking by April," he said of his nephew.

This is his third time being wounded, family members said, but the soldier considers it his second. The first time, he said he just had a few pieces of metal stuck in him that he pulled out and forgot about by the next month.

Merry Christmas, Staff Sgt. Montage. Welcome home, and there's many of us pulling for you for a speedy recovery, and I'll be thinking of you as adjust to life as an ostomate.

Really Support our Troops

There are lots of way to say we support the troops. We can write it on a blog, we can paint it on a sign, we can stick a yellow ribbon on our cars, we can vote the war-mongers out of office, and we can donate money. I'm not talking about writing a check to the Department of Defense and see it go to buy another $500 paperweight, but giving something to directly to our men and women who are serving abroad, giving up their lives for us.

I am pleased to support the efforts of several fellow bloggers that I call friends as they really support the troops through an effort called Blogging for Michigan Troop Care. The money that is raised goes directly to items needed by the Michigan troops stationed overseas. These are items that they have asked for and clearly need.

I made my donation last week, and now I am asking that you help this Troop Care project raise the remaining $804 that they need to raise their goal of $5000.

Be sure to stop by Blogging for Michigan, and this time, really support the troops through their Troop Care Project.

For Our Veterans

(Originally posted 11/10/06, but after several requests from readers, I've decided to republish today.)

I always get a lump in my throat when I stand up to sing the Star Spangled Banner, but it often seems as if I'm the only one. The daughter and granddaughter of several of America's heroes, I believe that to have given all or a part of your life to our country and what it stands for is truly one of the most self-less acts, ever.

My dad is a Vietnam Veteran, and I will never know exactly what he suffered, or how wet a monsoon really is, or how terrifying the jungles appeared at night. I couldn't tell you what it's like to spend months and years knowing that it could all be over in a flash, sometimes only because you fly a different flag than the guy at the other end of the gun. I don't know what it's like to return to a country only a year or two older than when you left but be aged beyond words. But our heroes can - and those who serve even now, will return with their own age spots, both emotional and physical.

On this Veterans Day, I am sad to see how little respect our veterans have been given by the press, by our government, and by the people in general. Just with those who have lost their lives in the last 6 years, it seems as if we've swept our heroes under the rug of our daily lives. Now grown men and women have to be told to take their hat off while our anthem plays, and too many still don't know all the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm tired of patriotism being played as a campaign card when it's fashionable, and forgotten when it matters most. Our vets are our heroes, those who stand among us with scars that will always linger, and too often, those who are left behind us as we go forward. These men and women deserve so much more than the societal breadcrumbs we throw them when the media spotlight needs a new poster boy or girl.

So how do we honor our veterans and fallen heroes? I think of my dad, and my grandfathers, and I know that the greatest form of respect we can give them is to never, ever forget - what they've given, what they endure to this day, and the battle that they face even now, on our own soil, through finances, education, and health care. Perhaps we all need to stand as a state and a country, remove our hats, and swallow the collective lump that should form in all of our throats. Wipe the tear that forms in the corner of our eye, and turn to salute our veterans, our heroes. Contrary to what many may think, they are what keeps us great, not the other way around.

Apathetically Silent

I had to write a memoriam last night for an 18 year-old.

I cried.
I felt sick to my stomach.
I got angry.

I told myself, there's nothing you can do, it's a war and you're only one person.

But I knew it wasn't true.

We must stop this war - but you've already heard that time and time again, haven't you?

I'm not the first person to write these words and feel these emotions, and I won't be the last.

The amount of apathy in this state and this country reeks from sea to shining sea. And so our men and women, our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters remain fighting in an unjust war, dying an honorable death caused by dishonorable leaders.

For a moment, we cluck our tongues, we silently grieve for the maimed, the missing, and the dead, we shake our heads, and yet, for the most part we remain silent.

Is it because we feel so powerless, so helpless? Or is it too far away, a land to which most of us have never been, nor will ever go? Is it because time has inflated our apathy, our willingness to stand silent?

We're not shocked anymore when the evening news begins with the latest death count, and most of us barely notice when we pass a tree with a tattered yellow ribbon.

It's a war, but it's not about WMDs, or oil, or money, or even partisan bullshit.

It's a war on our hearts and our minds and the justice that has been muffled within them.

So while you grieve and get angry and shake your head in frustration, ask yourself one question before you move on with the rest of the day.

How many more memorials must be written for you to finally read between the lines?

The Reason behind the Season

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and that just with the rest of our holidays, we all remembered the reason behind it.

I've mentioned this before, but as the daughter of a Vietnam Vet, I hold a high, holy place for those who willing to sacrifice anything for our country, even when we have misguided leaders leading the way.

One of the first pieces I ever wrote was a tribute to our veterans, inspired by Veterans Day, my father, and a proud family history of serving our country. Often regarded as one of the best posts here on LLP, stop by and read For Our Veterans.

Some of you may be readers of the country's largest national liberal/progressive blog, Daily Kos. In addition to my duties here, at Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and Michigan Liberal, I also volunteer at Daily Kos as a 'Rescue Ranger', and no, it doesn't involve a chipmunk costume. I'm assigned a couple time slots each week where I pour through all of the posts, or diaries, and select some of the best written ones, where they are then highlighted at the end of the day in Diary Rescue. Since there are thousands of diaries written each day, it takes a volunteer force of about 50 of us from all over the country literally working day and night on this.

Yesterday happened to be one of my regular shifts, it was great to see how many average Americans express their joy, sorrow, anger, and frustration all through the written word. I was particularly pleased to be able to rescue A Soldier's Thoughts on Memorial Day by MichLib's own recently returned veteran from Iraq, djtyg.

DJ's even younger than I am, and he's already been to Gitmo, Iraq and Afghanistan, and carries some painful scars. We're grateful to have him back, but now as a Reservist, he's facing too many uphill battles for a job, funding for education, and proper health and career services. I keep him in mind constantly when doing what I can to speak up on better treatment of the military.

There were several other posts that really touched me, and I wanted to share them with you, as they were written to be read, and I hope that you'll also pass them along.

• Haditha Revelation: Rescue the Troops
• Dwell Time/Stabilization for the Military
• The sum of all the peace in all hearts of the world
• One last Memorial Day post
• A time to remember, a time to look forward too

Namaste

Blackwater: The Extreme-Right Mega-Millionaire Mercenary

Since the U.S.'s invasion into Iraq and Afghanistan, many Michiganders, like many Americans, lives have changed. So many lives lost in a fight that is viewed by most of the country and world as unjust. So many families shattered, so many bright futures tragically cut short.

For one Michigan man, the War of Bush/Cheney/Haliburton Oil was his golden ticket to massive wealth and an extraordinary level of influence and menacing power. Meet Erik Prince, born and raised in Holland, Michigan, and one of the country's most dangerous men.

The Man, the Mercenary

Ted Roelof of the Grand Rapids Press has an extensive look into the reclusive Prince and a life built on ultra-conservative tenets and money.

Prince, son of Holland industrialist Edgar Prince and an ex-Navy SEAL, tapped his inherited wealth in 1996 to found a little-noticed North Carolina security firm that would become Blackwater USA.

Family connections helped. As brother to former Michigan GOP chairwoman Betsy DeVos and brother-in-law to her husband, 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos, Prince had access to Capitol Hill power brokers.

But his business plan did not crystallize until the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

With the U.S. decision to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, a changing military looked to the private sector to complete a variety of missions.

Blackwater was in prime position to capitalize.

Roelof's Blackwater descriptor as a "security firm" is akin to calling Wal-Mart the mom and pop corner store. According to David Isenberg with the British American Security Information Council (BASIC), Blackwater is a private military company. Isenberg should know, he has been researching and writing on private military companies since the early 1990s.

George Washington University professor of political science Deborah Avant had this to say about Prince in Roelof's piece

"Blackwater is owned by one guy, who is very rich," Avant said. "He's very connected. He's very tied to the Christian right."

Prince's entire history is seeped in the ultra-conservative agenda, from political beliefs to campaign donations, Prince has been a stalwart of the Republican money machine.

In 1992, Erik Prince and his father split politically with his sister, Betsy DeVos, who was then 5th District GOP chairwoman. They backed Pat Buchanan for president. She supported President George H.W. Bush.

As a 22-year-old senior at Hillsdale, Prince explained his decision to The (Grand Rapids) Press.

"I interned with the Bush administration for six months," he said.

"I saw a lot of things I didn't agree with -- homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act, those kind of bills. I think the administration has been indifferent to a lot of conservative concerns."

-snip-

At age 19, Prince made his first political contribution: A $15,000 donation to the GOP. By 2006, his total contributions had swelled to more than $235,000 -- virtually all to Republican or conservative causes.

The Questionable Company

The problem isn't Prince's money, personal political beliefs or his sister and brother-in-law, fondly known here in Michigan as Mr. and Mrs. Amway Guy. As much as I may not agree with Prince, I respect his right to believe whatever he wants and have as much money as he wants.

The real problem is with what he's turned Blackwater into, how the company is being used to our ridicule country's justice system and the careless way in which its employees are being treated.

According to BASIC's Isenberg, private military companies like Blackwater use political campaign contributions and lobbying firms to influence the government.

On the lobbying front it was reported that Washington, D.C.-based PR and lobbying firm Alexander Strategy Group is working on behalf of Blackwater USA. Though ASG recently announced it was shutting down because of its ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former House majority leader Tom DeLay, who has been indicted on money-laundering charges.

As if that's not bad enough, The Nation's Jeremy Scahill has done extensive research on Blackwater USA. Up till now, the facts have been kept quiet because they are so scary. Consider this from Scahill's August '06 report -

Government records recently obtained by The Nation reveal that the Bush Administration has paid Blackwater more than $320 million since June 2004 to provide "diplomatic security" services globally. The massive contract is the largest known to have been awarded to Blackwater to date and reveals how the Administration has elevated a once-fledgling security firm into a major profiteer in the "war on terror."

-snip-

Blackwater was originally slated to be paid $229.5 million for five years, according to a State Department contract list. Yet as of June 30, just two years into the program, it had been paid a total of $321,715,794. When confronted with this apparent $100 million discrepancy, the State Department could not readily explain it. Blackwater's two years of WPPS (Worldwide Personal Protection Services, a little known State Department program) earnings exceed many estimates of the company's total government contracts, which the Virginian-Pilot recently put at $290 million combined since 2000. Six years ago the government paid Blackwater less than $250,000.

With this surmounting evidence, it seems as if Blackwater is up to its eyeballs in questionable transactions and the whole thing reeks of collusion and conspiracy.

The Sins of the Employer visit kill the Employees

Many Americans are perfectly willing to sit in their living rooms and cluck their tongues when they hear of corporate scandal and incest. For most, it's a problem within the boardroom, and even if they wanted too, what could they really do about it?

To date, according to SourceWatch, Blackwater USA has receieved no-bid government contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and post-Katrina New Orleans, all from George W. Bush's administration.

That's what was going on with Blackwater until that fateful day in Fallujah on March 31st, 2004. The world turned on their televisions and were met with a gruesome image of charred American bodies, burned and chopped up, hung in pieces to a bridge over the Euphrates River. The poor soldiers, everyone said. Jaws hit the floor when it was discovered that those poor men were not U.S. soldiers, they were Blackwater USA employees.

Even more stunning than the manner in which they died, is why they died. In a separate piece for The Nation, Scahill's Blood is Thicker than Blackwater reveals the truth.

According to former Blackwater officials, Blackwater, Regency and ESS were engaged in a classic war-profiteering scheme. Blackwater was paying its men $600 a day but billing Regency $815, according to the Raleigh News and Observer.

-snip-

All this was shady enough--but the real danger for (murdered Blackwater employee Scott) Helvenston and the others lay in Blackwater's decision to cut corners to make even more money. The original contract between Blackwater/Regency and ESS, obtained by The Nation, recognized that "the current threat in the Iraqi theater of operations" would remain "consistent and dangerous," and called for a minimum of three men in each vehicle on security missions "with a minimum of two armored vehicles to support ESS movements." [Emphasis added.]

But on March 12, 2004, Blackwater and Regency signed a subcontract, which specified security provisions identical to the original except for one word: "armored." Blackwater deleted it from the contract.

"When they took that word 'armored' out, Blackwater was able to save $1.5 million in not buying armored vehicles, which they could then put in their pocket," says attorney Miles. "These men were told that they'd be operating in armored vehicles. Had they been, I sincerely believe that they'd be alive today. They were killed by insurgents literally walking up and shooting them with small-arms fire. This was not a roadside bomb, it was not any other explosive device. It was merely small-arms fire, which could have been repelled by armored vehicles."

When the facts of the case revealed themselves, the families of the murdered men were horrified. It was discovered that Scott Helveston and other Blackwater employees knew about the shortcuts and mistreatment, and attempted to bring it to Blackwater's attention. Their complaints were swept under the rug and the families would not find out about it until after that fateful day in Fallujah.

Erik Prince and Blackwater played the role of grieving employer well, until the families wanted some answers.

After the killings, Katy Helvenston joined the families of Mike Teague, Jerko Zovko and Wesley Batalona in grieving and in seeking details about the incident. Blackwater founder Erik Prince personally delivered money to some of the families for funeral expenses, and the company moved to get the men's wives and children benefits under the government's Defense Base Act...

-snip-

But then things started to get strange. Blackwater held a memorial service for the men at its compound. The families were gathered in a conference room, where they thought they would be told how the men had died. The Zovko family asked Blackwater to see the "After Action Report" detailing the incident. "We were actually told," recalls Zovko's mother, Danica, "that if we wanted to see the paperwork of how my son and his co-workers were killed that we'd have to sue them."

Thus began the legal battle between Blackwater and the dead men's families. In one of its few statements on the suit, Blackwater spokesperson Chris Bertelli said, "Blackwater hopes that the honor and dignity of our fallen comrades are not diminished by the use of the legal process."

Katy Helvenston calls that "total BS in my opinion," and says that the families decided to sue only after being stonewalled, misled and lied to by the company. "Blackwater seems to understand money. That's the only thing they understand," she says. "They have no values, they have no morals. They're whores. They're the whores of war."

Prince and Blackwater do seem to understand money quite well. They hired convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff's former employer, Greenberg Traurig, the influential DC law firm as their lead counsel. With their vast financial resources, Blackwater's legal team has managed to delay the case for almost 3 years now with tricky moves and one fluff motion after another.

According to another article in The Nation, in early October 2006, Blackwater dumped Greenberg Traurig and hired former Whitewater investigator Kenneth Starr to file motions in front of the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the suit.

There are undeniable benefits to having Starr, the US Solicitor General under President George H.W. Bush, represent Blackwater--a highly partisan GOP company--in front of a Supreme Court stacked with Bush appointees. Starr also has a personal connection to Blackwater. Starr and Joseph Schmitz, the general counsel and chief operating officer of Blackwater's parent company, the Prince Group, have both worked closely with the arch-conservative Washington Legal Foundation. Since 1993 Starr has served on the legal policy advisory board of the organization for which Schmitz has frequently acted as a spokesperson and attorney.

The case is in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, and a decision is being awaited. U.S. Congressman Henry Waxman (D-California) chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding hearings into the allegations that Blackwater purposely shorted its employees of necessary equipment.

As the country awaits the two decisions, we need to stare the grim reality of this situation of corruption, greed, and complete disregard for American lives straight in the face and change the system. The ultimate tragedy will be if we, the People, turn a blind eye and allow people like Erik Prince and corporations like Blackwater to continue to make a farce out of our brave men and women and the laws that exist to protect them.

Take Action Today in Lansing

There's lots of things in Michigan and Lansing that we all need to fight for, but as a country, we need to stand up to those who aren't looking out for our troops best interests.

I hope you'll consider taking a half-hour out of your lunch break today to do something to protect our troops from their own worst enemy, our President.

Consider joining me at noon at Mike Rogers' office to personally deliver letters from tens of thousands of Michigan's residents calling for a stop to the troop escalation in Iraq. From MoveOn -

On Thursday, MoveOn members are gathering outside hundreds of congressional offices to keep the pressure on Congress to block the escalation. We'll be holding signs and listening to compelling speakers, and we've invited the media.

We want to make sure we have a good-sized group from your district.

Can you join us at a "Congress Decides" letter delivery on Thursday around lunchtime in Lansing?

Where:Mike Rogers office on Michigan (between Holmes and Ferguson) Lansing
When: Thursday, Feb 22 2007, 12:00 PM
RSVP: MoveOn

A majority of those in Congress oppose the president's plan to escalate the war. Now we have to make sure they stop him. In a few weeks Congress will have to decide how far they're willing to go to block the escalation.

They're home for recess and this is our best opportunity to influence what they do when they return to Washington. They need to know that we're not going to rest until they start bringing our troops home.

The more of us who participate on Thursday, the louder our message will be. If we keep the pressure on now, we can make sure Congress does the right thing by blocking the escalation and taking steps to bring our troops home.

Can you join us on Thursday to tell Congress, You're the decider, you must stop the escalation?

Rep. Jack Murtha—who's been leading the fight to stop the escalation—recently told MoveOn members, "The time to act is now...We can get this done. We can bring our troops home."

Here in the 8th District we have an even bigger motivating factor, Mike Rogers' refusal to do what's right for the troops. As we've seen time and time again over at Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Mike's not in the game of representing anyone else's interests besides his own extreme views.

We might not be able to bring them home tomorrow, but as our closest allies start to pull out there's no reason we should be putting any more troops at risk.

Our troops are the people that voluntarily risk everything to ensure our country stays great. Don't they deserve us fighting for them?

The Deafening Silence of Grief

In the last 24 hours -

• I've lost a family member
  

• Michigan's lost 5 soldiers
  

• The U.S. has lost a president

Which of these was preventable?

We're almost up to 3,000 American deaths in Iraq.

How many more must die before we stop sending our brave men and women to the slaughter?

It Just Doesn't Make Any Sense

Iraq seems so far from Michigan. That is until you realize that here in Michigan we've lost 116 men and women to the war in Iraq. The U.S. has lost 2,962 American troops, and worldwide, the total is at a staggering 3,209 coalition deaths.

My father has canceled his subscription to Time Magazine and no longer watches the news on a daily basis. The constant news about Iraq inundates him with too many painful memories of his time in Vietnam, now almost 40 years ago. He doesn't understand why we haven't learned our lesson yet.

Polls from the November elections showed that more voters voted against the Republicans because of the situation in Iraq more than any other reason.

Now the Detroit News suggests we should send another 10,000 troops to the slaughter. Why?

How many more must die? How many of our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers must we sacrifice?

Just a thought, perhaps we should take a page from President James Monroe who advised:

In the wars of the European powers, in matters relating to themselves, we have never taken part, nor does it comport with our policy, so to do. It is only when our rights are invaded, or seriously menaced that we resent injuries, or make preparations for our defense.

Substitute European for Middle Eastern, and you've got yourself some free advice, Dubya.

Let's focus on another key word there - defense, apparently these days confused quite often with offense.

:sigh:

I don't have answers, but I do know that staying there, and continuing to send our loved ones there is not the answer either. Surely with all the brilliant minds in D.C. we can come up with something better than the status quo.

Our brave men and women deserve more than a magnet on our car or a yellow ribbon tied around the mail box.

Don't they deserve us fighting for them?