Yeah, sick, but what next?

The whole Walter Reed Hospital thing. When you consider the epithets thrown at all us peace-loving, truth-loving leftos, you must begin to wonder how in the hell do we repel the invasion into the brains of the American public another cheap and easy explanation of something like Walter Reed? Do we need our own vocabulary of mean things to say about the Republicans? As a regular listener to the Stephanie Miller Show on Air America (where they are not shy about coming up with rude things to say about particular Repubs), I am aware how easily one can name an individual, i.e., the SM show's name for Tom Delay is Drunky McPukeShoes.

Funny, no? I f**king think so.

On the other hand, the Republican talking points start referring to us as the Democrat party. Or the Defeatocrats. Or (horrors!) Liberal. Feminazis, Surrender Monkeys, Troop-haters, etc...

So let's come up with some really mean things to say about the Repubs that fit into a single word, or a simple sound-bite that the "liberal" media will run with. Kind of a Washington Post style invitational thing.

Please comment this blog with ideas, as the blog is short on 'em.

So, anyway, for those living under rocks, I will briefly explain the Walter Reed story as I understand it. This is one of the top hospitals in the whole military system. And apparently, it's falling to pieces - mold, rats, cockroaches. A New York City tenement from the fifties, basically.

{The woman who broke the original story on Walter Reed is also the woman who broke the original story on the CIA "Black Sites", interrogation centers in foreign countries wherein the CIA would and could detain folks endlessly, and interrogate them using basic mean techniques. Like a lot of loud Britney Spears music. Showing them Britney Spears without underwear. Or hair. On her head.}

So, our soldiers come back missing limbs, eyesight, hearing, parts of their brains gone or shaken to the point of creating an almost zombie-like state for the poor soldiers. And, in one of the most efficient hospitals in terms of computerization, these folks are left to fend for themselves against vermin, rotting facilities, holes in the ceilings, in the pipes. And the fellow who was running the place, Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, just resigned, to be replaced by a fella that says everything has been taken care of, the building is anything but substandard.

In less than a week? Wow... so when did Superman go back to Metropolis?

On top of the physical deterioration of the place, apparently no one has time to call up Army translators so that the folks (who were persuaded to join the Army by Spanish-speaking recruiters) who cannot make themselves understood to the English-only staff can get the proper treatment. Drug and alcohol addiction have increased (alcohol is sold on base - brilliant), and the patients themselves have become so frustrated by the ineptitude of the bureaucracy that they've decided to stay in their rooms rather than go to appointments that might have been forgotten about by the administrators.

Hell, I'd be getting drunk pretty regularly, too.

The Army's response to the report?

Soldiers at Walter Reed have been told to be up at 6 every morning to be ready for a 7 am inspection. Oh, and don't talk to the media.

Simplifies things. If no one knows, no one can say anything bad. If you're afraid of being punished further (and I understand that daily inspections are something you do in boot camp and basic training, not once you've been in the field - after that it's considered punishment), you'll keep your damn mouth shut. I can see it now, the blind guy with only one arm can't get his foot locker just right: "DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY!!!"

Repugnicans?


INTERVENTIONS

Chile - 1973 Salvador Allende was the democratically elected president of Chile. He was a socialist with ties to Cuba and Castro. Thanks to many of his reforms, a more equitable redistribution of wealth in the country was achieved, but at the expense of nationalizing major industry and agrarian land redistribution. The CIA and Nixon did not approve of all this socialist behavior, and sought to destabilize the country via financial support to opposition media. We also promised support to the military if they would overthrow Allende. On September 11, 1973, they did just that. Allende himself was officially reported dead by suicide. By automatic rifle (13 shots). Though there is no proof that the US was involved in the coup, we immediately sought to strengthen ties with Augusto Pinochet, who became the leader of the country afterwards. Pinochet was responsible for the torture and murder of many of his own citizens, and was later involved in assassinations that took place in other countries, including the US.