9 September 2016. As Seen by Vitaly Podvitsky… Pushing a Comrade Into the Abyss

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 US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter boasted:

The position of the USA towards the aggression (sic) against Ukraine remains unwavering, we shall never recognise the annexation of the Crimea, and the unprovoked war in the Donbass against the Ukraine will end in humiliating defeat for Russia.

Well, if nothing else, we don’t push our comrades into the abyss. Indeed, many knowledgeable observers believe that Mr Carter will do just that…

8 September 2016

Vitaly Podvitsky Masterskaya Karikatury

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25 Percent of Military Households Rely on Food Banks

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Editor:

Here’s my modest suggestion… in the contemporary USA, two incomes are necessary to raise a family due to the draconian anti-family programme of the US Republican Party (they have the brass balls to call themselves “pro-lifers”). When the economy crashed in 2008 due to the stresses upon it by the unfunded Bush wars and notional giveaways to the Affluent Effluent, many spouses of military personnel lost their jobs. As this situation arose due to the crank policies of the Republican Party, we should raise a special tax on all Republican politicians/lawmakers (including GOP-appointed judges on all levels) and Rightwing pundits… we should levy a 20 percent surcharge on their incomes “to support the troops”… I think that you’d hear some loud yelps. Here’s the Vaseline, Antonin n’ Willy n’ Rush n’ Paul… note well that they enjoy fucking others, but hoo boy, when it hits them… you get my drift…

BMD

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Recently, an exhaustive hunger report concluded that 25 percent of military members rely on food banks. After compiling four years of data, Feeding America (FA)… the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity… released its largest and most comprehensive study on the topic and found that one in seven people rely on food banks to get their basic nutrition needs. Perhaps one of the most stunning figures was that in 2012, almost 620,000 of the households who relied on FA services had at least one member now in the military. That’s 25 percent of all American military households. These figures included military members serving full or part-time in either the Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard.

However, the Pentagon was quick to take issue with the study’s methodology in measuring the number of struggling military members. Military.com reported that officials said that surveying households instead of individuals and using those figures against military data creates an inaccurate picture. Navy Commander Nathan Christensen, a Pentagon spokesman, told the news outlet, “Without performing appropriate statistical adjustments to match the survey sample with the military population, it’s impossible to accurately calculate an estimated percentage of military households served by the Feeding America’s programs based on the survey data”. Christensen also told NPR that military pay and benefits compare favourably with the private sector, and that service members can always seek counselling should they face financial problems.

However, advocates say that troops are often too ashamed to draw such attention to themselves within the confines of the military, which is why getting help from food banks is often more appealing. Joyce Raezer, executive director of the National Military Family Association, told NPR, “The reason they go to the food bank is it’s anonymous” . Back in 2011, the FISH food bank in Lakewood WA, located near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), started to see a “surprising” increase in the numbers of military members in need of help. While JBLM offers a housing allowance to families who live off-post and programmes to help struggling families, some say it’s not enough. Frances Anderson, whose husband was on active duty at the time, told KING 5 News, “My husband is embarrassed because he doesn’t feel that we should have to be here. The economy is terrible. I just tell the people on post that I need help and they just look at me like I’m crazy”.

Find out how you can get involved with Feeding America’s efforts here

19 August 2014

Eleanor Goldberg

Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/military-families-food-banks_n_5691790.html

Will Bradley Manning Face Charges of “Aiding The Enemy?”

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A lawyer for Bradley Manning, the US soldier imprisoned for suspicion of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, said that chances of a terrorist having a fair trial are higher than for American soldiers in the USA. The lawyer insisted that both the court and the prosecution made many mistakes during the investigation.

Hearings are scheduled for next week, and Manning’s defence thinks that the government will stick to its already-chosen line. “Aiding the enemy” is the gravest of the 22 charges facing Manning; it could bring him a life sentence in prison. Actually, this charge is equal to treason and carries a death sentence, but the Pentagon said it wouldn’t insist on such a verdict. In view of this, David Coombs, Manning’s lead lawyer, thinks that an ordinary US soldier has fewer chances of receiving a fair and unbiased trial than a terrorist. More than once, the defence criticised the court for attempting to delay the trial and bypass some required procedures. For quite some time, the prosecution wouldn’t let the lawyers familiarise themselves with the evidence. Since his client’s arrest two years ago, Coombs said that the Pentagon hasn’t checked all the evidence, which is required before passing the documents over to the defence. Under US law, the prosecution has to release any document that could be useful for a defendant. Manning’s defence eventually achieved its goal after the court officially obliged the government to familiarise the lawyers with all information they needed on the issue. Still, there are few chances, however, that the court’s verdict would prevent the army élite from sending Manning to prison.

Evidently, the government hopes to blame Manning for its own grave mistakes. The investigation into the case has already resulted in bringing to light some unpleasant details about army leaders. Many witnesses testified that the security level at Manning’s station in Iraq was very low. Moreover, the question is how Manning, who’s said to be in a fragile mental state and never hid his critical attitude towards US foreign policy, received such a difficult post as being an intelligence analyst? This all reminds me of another scandal; when military physicians refused to diagnose soldiers with post-traumatic stress syndrome in order to save money.

It’s quite clear that what most-of-all outraged high-ranking army officers was video footage of an Apache helicopter shooting at and killing 12 civilians, journalists among them, in Baghdad in 2007. Manning handed it to WikiLeaks. That’s why the Pentagon and the government have emphasised the “aiding the enemy” charge. To find Manning guilty of this, the court has to prove that he had purposely handed the classified data to WikiLeaks, and that he was aware that al-Qaeda would acquire it. Now, since the prosecution can’t do that legally, Manning’s defence should certainly get prepared for new tricks from the prosecution.

13 July 2012

Vladimir Gladkov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_13/Will-Bradley-Manning-face-aiding-the-enemy-charge/

US Head of Joint Chiefs Condemns Anti-Muslim Course at War College

THIS is what the Church teaches… any questions?

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On Friday, in a broadcast on the Russian Service of the BBC, General Martin Dempsey, the Head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, condemned a course on Islam taught at a major US military school, saying that it’s “totally unacceptable”. The course for senior officers taught that there’s no such thing as moderate Islam, and that they should consider it a hostile religion. It approved “total war” against all Muslims in the world and didn’t exclude nuclear strikes against Islamic holy places such as Mecca and Medina, as well as the destruction of innocent civilians. Pentagon sources confirmed that the syllabus and other course materials published on a US Department of Defence official website are authentic. General Dempsey ordered a full investigation to find out what’s taught about Islam in other DoD educational institutions. This optional course on Islam for senior officers was at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk VA. A month ago, the brass shut down the course following a complaint by one of the officers. The DoD banned the Lieutenant Colonel who taught this course from teaching, but so far hasn’t removed from the staff. The Pentagon expects that they’ll know the investigation results by the end of May.

11 May 2012

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=45463

Editor’s Note:

This shows that we must keep vigilance… if we don’t, the haters run rampant. How much do you wanna bet that the officer involved was a Born Again tied up with the Christian Right? I wouldn’t bet against it…

BMD