*After all the tug-of-warring, it looks like Roland Burris will indeed fill Obama's vacated senate seat. Other than him appearing to be a bit of a quack, I think, legally, this is the right move. However, let it be known that, if I ever blog about him again, he will henceforth be referred to as "The Magic Man."
*Obama asked Bush, and Bush complied, to release the second half of the initial $700 billion economic stimulus. I have lots of thoughts ranging around my head about this, more than shall be put in this post, but mainly it's this: Throwing money at the situation won't solve anything unless and until Americans stop consuming more than they produce. The root of this problem goes far deeper than a bunch of consumer and government spending can cure.
*This is fantastic news. Obama's transition team reasserted their word to fulfill a campaign promise to close the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For six years there have been hundreds of prisoners detained there without due process, a fundamental right in the United States. Thanks to years of mismanagement and illegal maneuvering by the Bush Administration, figuring out what to do with those prisoners will be hard, but this is a positive step.
*And so is this. The Obama team has unequivically said they will get rid of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule for military service. Currently, you cannot serve in the military if you are openly gay. This ridiculous Clinton-era policy needs to be headed for the nearest trash dump. Since when does who you like to make out with have anything to do with your ability to serve?
Showing posts with label military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, April 25, 2008
Suicide
No, I'm not contemplating committing it, but apparently it's on the rise in the military. Yesterday I heard a statistic that stated there are over 6,000 military suicides annually. I thought, "No way." I thought right.
According to military statistics there were over 2,000 suicide attempts last year, nearly 100 of which resulted in death. Though not nearly 6,000 suicides, it still sounds like a lot to me. Apparently not. This number represents about 18 suicide attempts for every 100,000 troops. The national civilian average is 20 per 100,000. Looks like those in the military are less likely to commit suicide than your average person. This, however, doesn't tell the entire story.
The conflict in Iraq has caused a significant increase in the attempted suicide rate. Before the invasion, in 2002, the attempted suicide rate was 12 per 100,000. After five years in Iraq that rate has increased by nearly 50 percent. I guess that's to be expected: war sucks. Yet another reason we should never have gone to Iraq.
Speaking of Iraq, more and more people believe going to Iraq was a mistake. Now 63% say so. Hard for me to believe John McCain can win a presidential campaign when we continues to be one of the biggest cheerleaders of our continued occupation.
According to military statistics there were over 2,000 suicide attempts last year, nearly 100 of which resulted in death. Though not nearly 6,000 suicides, it still sounds like a lot to me. Apparently not. This number represents about 18 suicide attempts for every 100,000 troops. The national civilian average is 20 per 100,000. Looks like those in the military are less likely to commit suicide than your average person. This, however, doesn't tell the entire story.
The conflict in Iraq has caused a significant increase in the attempted suicide rate. Before the invasion, in 2002, the attempted suicide rate was 12 per 100,000. After five years in Iraq that rate has increased by nearly 50 percent. I guess that's to be expected: war sucks. Yet another reason we should never have gone to Iraq.
Speaking of Iraq, more and more people believe going to Iraq was a mistake. Now 63% say so. Hard for me to believe John McCain can win a presidential campaign when we continues to be one of the biggest cheerleaders of our continued occupation.
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