Petraeus Says Troop Morale Is Up
No, really. It is. Seriously.
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Download | play (h/t JL)
Today's testimony before the House was not quite as riveting as yesterday's Senate session for Petraeus, but I did catch this little tidbit that had me wondering. Rep. Buck McKeon asks Gen. Petraeus to speak to troop morale and this is what he had to say:
Congressman, first of all, let me just say that …I don’t want to start off by generalizing about morale…I want to start off by explaining morale is an individual event. And morale depends from soldier to soldier, and for me as well, on the kind of day that you’re having out there in the theatre. And it’s a roller coaster existence. Now, having said that, as there is actually something called “The Mental Health Assessment” which is done every year, the last one in the late fall, I believe it was. And after several years of a generalization of morale as going down, morale actually went up.
Really? Up??? Five years in, a backdoor draft of stoploss and 3, 4, and 5 tours of duty and the troops are feeling better now? Well, that didn't compute for me, so I had to go find this "Mental Health Assessment" (.pdf) and sure enough, on page 24, there's the statistics Petraeus quoted:
Soldiers ratings of unit morale were significantly higher in 2007 than in 2006 after controlling for sample differences of (1) gender, (2) rank, and (3) months in theater. Figure 2 shows the raw percentages (top graph) and adjusted percents (bottom graph). Notice in the bottom graph that the adjusted percent of Soldiers who rate unit morale high or very high in 2007 is close to double the estimate from 2006.
Ah, there's the rub. If you factor out the women, the NCOs and those who have done multiple tours of duty over several years, things are looking great! By the way, I admit I was never a math major, but that last sentence about the morale being close to double this year...well, that's true if 7.4% was half of 13.1%. Either way, that's only 1 out of every 7 troop members who consider their morale high. Is that something to celebrate?
Or maybe Petraeus wanted to get out in front of this NY Times article:
Army leaders are expressing increased alarm about the mental health of soldiers who would be sent back to the front again and again under plans that call for troop numbers to be sustained at high levels in Iraq for this year and beyond.
Among combat troops sent to Iraq for the third or fourth time, more than one in four show signs of anxiety, depression or acute stress, according to an official Army survey of soldiers' mental health.[..]Among the 513,000 active-duty soldiers who have served in Iraq since the invasion of 2003, more than 197,000 have deployed more than once, and more than 53,000 have deployed three or more times, according to a separate set of statistics provided this week by Army personnel officers. The percentage of troops sent back to Iraq for repeat deployments would have to increase in the months ahead.
The Army study of mental health showed that 27 percent of noncommissioned officers - a critically important group - on their third or fourth tour exhibited symptoms commonly referred to as post-traumatic stress disorders. That figure is far higher than the roughly 12 percent who exhibit those symptoms after one tour and the 18.5 percent who develop the disorders after a second deployment, according to the study, which was conducted by the Army surgeon general's Mental Health Advisory Team.
And that doesn't even begin to talk about happens when they finally do return home. That's why it's so important for us to support Sen. Jim Webb's Dwell Time Amendment. Hear that, McCain? You want them to stay until the job is done, you have to take care of them to do so.
Classic army double speak.
"Petraeus Says Troop Morale Is Up"
Yea, because Bush's term in coming to an end.
Actually Petreaus is recognized as one of the few generals who "got it" when we invaded Iraq. He did nearly everything right to help the Iraqi citizens win their country back after we eliminated Hussein. Too bad he is stuck having to defend morons like Bush, Cheney and all the other bozos who got us into this mess.
Question for General Betray-Us:
How does it feel, to have taken authority as truth rather than truth as authority?
Time to start talking OUT LOUD about the draft. Then you'll see the chicken-hawks start to cross over the aisle.
So far it's been "somebody else's war". The chickenhawks haven't had to bother themselves with the senseless killing and the mental strain placed on military and their family and friends. Hell, chickenhawks don't have real friends anyway, and none of their family would aspire to a less than six figure annual income.
So yes...talk the draft. Talk it loud and clear. Talk it up a LOT now that the election is drawing near, and watch how many of those so opposed to the occupation decide it's time we put an end to this bullshit.
This is the most insulated society we have ever had to a war that is killing our nation.
Petraeus Says Troop Morale Is Up
"No, really. It is. Seriously."
And I believe him. He's never lied about this endless war.
As cheney would say.."So?". This is a vouluntary army and military tours of duty(be it in Iraq or Hawaii) are based upon time in the military(including re-enlisting for more than
minimum), so tho I have great admiration and respect for those serving, once their "time"
is up, they can, if they choose, not reinlist and instead tell the Army/Marines/AF/Navy
to go to hell.
Well, it's evident Petreaues has watched Frontline's "Bad Voodoo Brigade" - filmed during the Surge by members of the Natl Guard brigade on its fourth tour over there. Must viewing.
A little off topic but needs to put out there. Today on Tweety, Harold Ford Jr. and I don't know the name of the female guest, put out that Condi Rice would be a FANTASTIC
VP on McCain's ticket. Rice was in over her head as Natl Security Advisor and now as Sec'y of State she is drowning! She (Rice) hasn't a clue on what she is doing. And the American public needs to be reminded of how she reacted in the buildup to 9/11. The problem was, she didn't react. Completely ignored any warnings. McCain may be a little slow on the uptake but surely he wouldn't seriously consider Rice for ANYTHING!
correction: Petraeus has NOT watched....
I'll take Phil Donahue's word on that.
General Petraeus, I admire your honesty. Hell, I like you. You can come over to my house and f*ck my sister.
*punches Pvt. Joker in the stomach*
Hulk @ 5:
You have pretty well "nailed it"....A DRAFT is the language that is needed; then, as you
indicated, just see how much support that would get from the hypocritical Repugs.
There is, however in my opinion, a need for the "younger" generation to get involved
and realize that they have an obligation and need to make sacrifies. As it is in Israel and
other European countries, young folks between the ages of 18 and 21 are required
to preform some sort of service for our country; be it military or civil.
Permanent occupation=victory.
-Sen. Johnny 100 Years McCain
I hear the stock market and jobs are up too. Oh, wait. That was gas prices and unemployment.
Another question just as relevant that should have been asked of Petraeus would be to ask the general how many of the soldiers, both in Iraq and in the United States, have been afflicted with PTSD due to being stationed in Iraq. If his reply is that he does not know, a congressman should ask him is it not his duty to know about the physical and mental conditions of his soldiers?
Yep, He's right ... and pigs fly and we've all got monkeys flying out of our butts.
These guys don't want to admit anything is wrong, hell, lets see:
Since Bush Corporate oversite has been loosened, so what do we see?
♠A huge increase in Mine disasters
♦ An FAA that checks the passengers thoroughly, but the planes ... Meh.
♦ An FDA that doesn't work, we aren't allowed to get drugs from Canada but all the rest of our drugs are coming mostly from overseas
♦ A GAO that only can find problems in government accounting long after billions are wasted or lost
♦ A Military endeavor in which a pallet of money (8 billion dollars worth) is sent to Iraq and is lost and cant be accounted for.
♦ A Military Industrial Complex that give away no-bid contracts to friends sometimes for billions more than their worth.
Need more?
I repeat what I have said before - no one agrees, but that is ok.
This is a continuation of a war crime. Why should we be worried about the moral of those who are committing it?
Let me understand - people are more worried about the happiness of war criminals than they are the war crimes? (Wars of aggression?)
Even the left is in on this .... sick.
Crew is angry
[ I'm going to let this slide,but in future please don't post in all Bold or all Caps. Thank You. Site Monitor]
The long term damage this asshat is doing to the military is incalculable. To have the civilian leaders fuck over the troops is actually kinda expected, but when one of their own (Petraeus) sells them out so publicly like this, it really really damages the esprit de corps that is truly the underlying mechanism that makes the military run.
How do you think the troops will feel when they hear Petraeus tell everyone that morale is up, knowing that he knows that he's lying and knowing that they are going to hear about it, and obviously he doesn't care?
I did 5 years in the Navy and while I wouldn't push it on anyone, I would have proudly recommended it to anyone who was interested, including my own son when he becomes of age. Now however I couldn't in good conscience recommend anyone put their lives in the hands of these people. Like I said, long term damage.
♣Bangkok Bob♠ @ 17:
Don't forget the two trillion dollars that Rumsfeld announced that the Pentagon had "misplaced" on September 10, 2001. Have not heard a thing about it since.
Erroll @ 16:
I agree totally...and while at it, Gen. P. might have been asked as to the status
of health studies being conducted as to the affects of DU(Depleted Uranium) on
our fine men and women.
anon @ 18:
I agree. Invading Iraq and overthrowing its government was a war crime. Each day we stay there without their (a legitimate government's) invitation is a war crime.
You have to give these guys the highest award for being lowdown slime,tearfully look you right in the eyes and lie their dick off, not blinking a bit. Now that is world class slime!
xoites defends Constitution @ 20:
Oh, fiddle-dee-dee.
A billion here, a billion there...pretty soon I guess we are talking about REAL money??
Troop Morale Up = You enjoy serving in Iraq, private, and that's an order!
Filthy Harry @ 20:
anyone who turns thier lives over to the ignorent muthera fluckering lifers who run the navy deserve the shitty four yrs of pure horseshit they will get!
xoites defends Constitution @ 21:
Hey x, nice to see you back. But I must've missed this one.Would you be so kind as to give me a link on that one please. You really sparked my interest on this one. Tx
Abbybwood @ 25:
That was not billion, that was TRILLION.
A stack of crips new $100 bills equaling one million dollars is 8 inches tall.
A billion is 100 feet taller than the Washington Monument.
One trillion is several hundred miles past the moon.
Human beings are totally unequiped to deal with a number that large in any way that makes tangible sense.
mudshark @ 28:
I have not read these links yet but i do vaguely recall the story when it hit. Then the planes hit. Someone reminded me of it today.
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/JohnJudge/linkscopy/PentaLoses.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/29/eveningnews/main325985.shtml
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/05/18/MN251738.DTL
http://benfrank.net/patriots/news/national/pentagon_missing_trillions
xoites defends Constitution @ 30:
Thank You xoites. Nice to see you back here again.
Thank you. :)
It appears however that it was 2.3 Trillion. I was wrong.
xoites defends Constitution @ 32:
nahhhhh pay me no mind.YW.
the CBS link covers it pretty well.
: )
tyree @ 27:
Given how the civilian leadership broke the military with the COLLUSION of the military leadership, I'd have to agree with you. But when I was in, I had a ball. And I wouldn't say anyone who joined with good intentions deserves to be treated like shit. Lets face it, how many poor kids joined cause they thought they were going after Osama yet found themselves in Iraq?
Filthy Harry @ 35:
not many on a destroyer id bet!
VietVet8666 @ 23:
Very well said. Unfortunately, I very much doubt that even if Obama is elected president, if he will have the United States become a member of the International Criminal Court. Even among the Democrats, the term American Exceptionalism will still remain the motto of this country. After all, the United States cannot have its leaders being tried for war crimes. Those type of crimes are reserved for the "bad" countries, not the United States.
If troop morale is up, it's because they anticipate voting these idiots out of office, and then having a Dem admin send them home.
How's the morale of the troops who are dead? How about those who are maimed? What about those who will soon be dead or maimed?
How's the morale of those who are sending these people to war? Do they still "support the troops" by sending them to be killed or maimed?
What about those of us who want to bring the troops home safely, NOW, alive and healthy? I think anyone with a brain knows it WE, those who want to keep them alive and healthy, that support the troops.
The warmongers are bloodthirsty vampires who's actions show that their words are lies.
Publicus @ 39:
If I could add something to your post:
What about the hundreds of soldiers who have committed suicide, yet do not show up in the governments' 4,000 death tally? Those people are erased from the annals of history, and their families are lied to about what happened to their sons and daughters.
Filthy Harry @ 35:
In case you did not know and he is not here at the moment Tyree was in the Korean War. I am a pacifist and an opponent of the military. I refuse to blame the troops for this war or for enlisting or for going after being drafted during Vietnam. The troops only share the same blame as the civilians who pay for war and while we could all sit around and wring our hands over our complicity it won't end the war.
We have got to take our citizenship more seriously and educate ourselves and learn how to take back the power our Founding Fathers envisioned for us. And then some.
Drew @ 40:
Two thoughtful and well crafted comments which are sorely lacking in the mass media today.
Which troop did he talk to?
xoites defends Constitution @ 33:
Yeah, along w/Mudshark, I thank you for the websites. I know that most of us
have totally forgotten that "story"(with soooo much going on during the interim); but
what about Waxman and the other Dem. Congresspersons? I sure don't remember
any official report ever being released for public consumption explaining or giving
further details as to the "lost" Billions. So, in essence, tho this occurred in Sept. 01,
just before 9/11, and to the Dems gained control of both Houses in 2006, we still
don't have an explanation or answer as to how these BILLIONS were unaccounted for.
That's our Congress at work...or as Mark Twain said: "Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. "
hoss @ 43:
A good question and one i doubt will ever be answered.
This is a man with NO moral integrity -- and he knows it too - look at the shame written all over his face.
It must suck to know the whole world understands he's just a whore for the White House.
*
Remember the outrage September 2007 over the Move-On ad with the phrase "General Betray-Us?", because of questions on cooking of the books when it came to counting violent acts in Iraq? Well this ("morale is up, among those who do not have lower morale") is more of the same. Thanks for the great find.
Doggiebobo @ 44:
Perhaps it is we who need our IQ's checked. We need to ask them to investigate and vote them out if they don't.
Doggiebobo @ 44:
Opps, that is of course supposed to be TRILLIONS
I have been there and done that. Anybody who has ever served in the military knows that the First Amendment does not apply to active duty military. I dare anyone to take a survey of current, active military, and keep it anonymous. Then tell us about troop morale. You don't want to know the results.
Doggiebobo @ 49:
Hard to wrap your mind around, isn't it?
Obama/Webb in '08? Sounds like a winner to me...then eight years of Obama and then 8 years of Virginia's finest...ahh, The Old Dominion, the Mother of Presidents....
Filthy Harry @ 35:
im not sure of what kind of duty you pulled in the navy ,was it a ship ? or did you skate and get shore duty for your five yrs? if you had five yrs of sea duty did your ship have airconditing and heat in your compartments ? stay at sea for ninty days at a time? i dont recall while i was makeing a hundred dollars a month being able to as you put it afford to have a ball! and i was only speaking about the navy as far as it being crappy!
Rico @ 50:
"General, Sir? This war sucks!"
Yeah, that would go over well.
General Betray-us is a liar. He will repeat any lies chimpy tells him.
When are these shit-talking republican chicken-hawks finally gonna enlist?
Petraeus thinks it will hurt the troops' feelings if we pull out.
Wouldn't want to do that, would we?
RickinSF @ 56:
Yeah, can you imagine how distraught a military person presently serving a tour of duty in Iraq would be if told that he/she was going to be "pulled out" and sent to another
post of duty; say like Hawaii, or Germany, or "back home". I guess a mass mutinity
would reslut.
Filthy Harry @ 35:
Thats exactly what these fuckers have done, taken VOLUNTEERS and spent their lives like worthless, useless scrip, as though peoples sons and daughters are cannon fodder.
So I find it absolutely baffling that there are people, many people, who think this mistake should, without ONE logical reason for doing so, be continued. And the SAME predictions heard about Vietnam are being made about a similat mistake in Iraq on "progress"
Its against anyones nature in Washington D.C. or the military to just admit its one huge mistake that we can never, ever fix.
What a careerist whore that man is. If you factor out his chosen categories, you're basically just talking about new male Lieutenants. What a schmuck.
Morale is up and deaths are down! Great! Really, Fucking Primo General Anus!
What's the big shock? It's called Cognitive Dissonance.
From Wikipedia: "The theory of cognitive dissonance states that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions."
The troops being interviewed are stuck in a situation they have no control over, they can't go home and have no prospect at this point of ever getting out of their duty to the military that is keeping them in iraq. An honest, rational person would be extremely depressed and unable to function. In order to not feel depressed about the fact that they're stuck, when asked about they're morale they give answers that suggest that they're actually feeling positive about being in iraq and fulfilling their duty. Because to admit otherwise creates too much internal conflict and would have most of them huddled in a corner somewhere in a fetal position.
John McCain is a cognitive dissonance, i.e. chronic flipflopper. You wanna end this Iraq bullshit as soon as possible? Two things: a draft for the common people, and a 10% war tax on income over $1 million. You'd be surprised how quickly the Iraqis will find a way to work things out when they see us doing something like that.
Does anyone notice the close match-up in numbers between the current 13% proportion of conduct waivers mentioned in the countdown article , and the 13.1% who rate morale as "high"? There may be some people for whom a tour in Iraq is actually an improvement in their life.
The Burning Bush
Blistered souls float scattered about,
adrift on a sea of pain.
Crimson waves of death crest near,
as The Decider lies in vain.
Fear the horde, no, the other horde,
he plies throughout the land.
As our children’s children disintegrate,
perhaps an eye, or yet a hand.
He says he guards our very lives,
the existence of civilized man.
But in the alleys of ancient Baghdad,
America’s Best wish he’d share his plan.
Vacant cries of “who could have known?”,
amidst the pyres of World Trade.
Lay bare the myth of his compassion,
“My Pet Goat”, his cowardly shade.
Proxy war and proxy dead,
to The Shrub it matters not.
Provided Dick can exercise Options,
as long as Haliburton stays red-hot.
Treasure bled in flesh and gold,
across dunes of soulless oil.
Simmering cauldrons of historic hate,
churned to a gently rolling boil.
The Burning Bush admits no errors,
nor the ditch into which we’ve steered.
Back into the breach he madly proclaims,
after all, “you volunteered”
RJF
Poetry, eh? :)
Bush
By some
Was annointed and Sainted
Never mind that his
Presidency’s tainted
His remarks
Though absurd
Were blessed by the Turd
Blossomed into the worst
Period of History
Denounced in this verse
If a eulogy
I would be obliged to scree
When death has taken
Bush far from our remorse
It might simply be this:
First he was priveledged
With no reguard for any
‘cept he
Now that he’s planted
Let us all pee
......poetry brings out the truth in many ways....as your's does so nicely.... :)
Thank you sir. :)
and for me as well, on the kind of day that you’re having out there in the theatre
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this guy has never seen combat. What theatre is he talking about? Movies at West Point?
Petraeus starts off in the quote by talking about how measuring morale is a roller coaster and highly variable, and maybe we should be cautious about making generalized conclusion about it's highness or lowness.
"Congressman, first of all, let me just say that …I don’t want to start off by generalizing about morale"
But then, in classic neocon fashion, makes the sweeping generalization that moral is higher.
Right
Up to what, Betrayus, the despair level? Now that's real progress---NOT!
Robert @ 64:
Awesome.
Hey, the JOY DIVISION is in place. Just contact KBR and they'll send a gal right over for some fun.
"Petraeus Says Troop Morale Is Up"
Betrayus Also Says Sky is Green
Open Letter to General Petraeus:
Hey Petraeus stop betraying us. You are a liar, a liar; and your pants are on fire.
Nobody that has been following this war believes you except those that do have any special interests in the Iraq War -- like war profiteers and the people that war mongering politicians dupe. I guess you have been duped too. You are very tragic.
Your President, certainly not mine, Bush invaded the wrong country for it's natural resources -- end of story.
A million Iraqis are dead. Millions more Iraqis are displaced. With thousands of Americans dead and countless thousands affected and effecting this nation, you are a disgrace to the uniform you wear, but you still want to betray us.
Wake up Pelosi! Wake up congressmen and congresswomen! Wake up Senators! Impeach, fine, and incarcerate Cheney and Bush for the war criminals that they are.
What makes this country great is I can write this E-mail because I have the right of free speech. I am a taxpayer and even if i weren't a taxpayer, I am a citizen of the U.S. with the right of free speech. I chose to speak the truth, you should try it sometime. Truth is good for what ails you. The truth is you are a liar. This is not good for the country. Stop lying. More truth is -- Cheney and Bush need to be impeached for the good of the country.
Peace Out (a nice exit strategy),
John Forlenza-Bailey
I'm not disagreeing with the overall thrust of your post, but please don't Rush Limbaugh us with a misunderstanding of how statistics are interpreted. Controlling for sample differences in a statistical analysis does not mean those factors are ignored or removed, it means that smaller samples are scaled up and larger samples are scaled down. It is not a perfect analysis, but it is kosher. Not that the Pentagon was actually screwing with the numbers, but please don't be a dodo-head when you talk about statistics. It makes you sound like a republican.
Petraeus says "black is white." Petraeus says "I get kickbacks for blowing smoke up your ass."
Here's one of many notes that get sent to us from our boys in the filed. I own a tattoo shop in Savannah that tattoos a lot of guys from Hunter, Ft. Stewart, Paris Island & even as far way as Ft.Bragg.
"
Hey fellas,
Well this week has been shitty. On Easter my platoon was hit with an EFP and killed 4 guys including my squad leader and one of my soldiers. Me and one of my joes were the only 2 on the ground and we got into a 20 minute fire fight defending our one survivor. It was the scariest fire fight I had ever been in. Pool and I each waxed two guys. This whole week has been crazy with JAM attacking all over. So yeah. I hope all is well back home and that the shop is doing well. I miss you guys and think of you a lot. I can't wait to come in on mid tour leave in August. Take care. Ski says hello.
Feez "
Yeah, morale is just SOARING over there!
The wife of a returning Iraqi soldier said he was jumpy all the time and was depressed. In fact, they almost divorced - but she stayed with her man trying to help his PTS everyday. He was home for over two years and was still suffering.
MORALE HIGH? I don't think so. When a man/woman is ordered into combat to do the dirty work of a banty rooster and his co-horts how can anyone say the Morale is high! Where did that rationale come from?
Asking individual soldiers to evaluate unit morale is meaningless. I was diagnosed by the VA as having PTSD and by a civilian psychiatrist as depressed. If you had asked me in Vietnam to rate the morale of my unit I would have said it was OK. I was feeling lousy but everyone else seemed comparatively better. One characteristic of depression is you think you are not doing as well as those around you. During my time in Vietnam, I would not have recognized the rampant alcoholism as a sign of psychiatric problems.
Talking about unit morale is military double talk. I want to see psychological evaluations of individual soldiers. People serving their first tour in Iraq would be expected to be doing OK. The problem is the NCOs and junior officers serving their second, third, or fourth tour. How are the Staff Sergeants leading squads on patrol during their third tour of duty in Iraq doing?
I bet if the troops were permitted to publicly and candidly speak their mind, they'd tell Betrayus that he was off of his rocker and lost in fantasyland. It's real easy for Betrayus to spew a line of self-serving bullshit like that when he knows that anybody who speaks their mind - from a recuit to a senior flag rank officer - will be ruthlessly punished for deviating from the official line. It's easy to speak a crock of shit like that when all access to information that runs counter to the official line is denied. But Betrayus seems to have an infinite capacity to delude himself with comforting self-deceptions. What a numbnuts. I wouldn't trust him to so much as lead me across the hall to the men's room.
I'm giving this idiotic swinging-dick about a week in unifrom following the next inauguration, then he'll be announcing his immediate retirement - in order to spend more time with his family.
samdog @ 52:
Webb is beginning to disappoint - severely so. He voted against the Constitution, against the rule of law and against the american people in his recent FISA vote. Then he offered a bunch of mealy-mouthed rationalizations for doing so. For somebody supported by Blue America, it hasn't taken him long to forget why he's supposed to be there. I will not vote for him again.
To all any and all who enjoyed "The Burning Bush" poem (comment #64 & again in # 71), I am the author and give anyone permission to use it in any way they would like. Hell, write a song, put it on a poster.....anything to tag the cowardly bastard and his vulgar puppeteer in the White House for what they really are.......
Regards,
Robert
Betrayus is a member of the Brass -- the "yes men" who long ago traded in their honor for career advancement and security. He's more than happy to keep our troops in Iraq until his boy-king leaves office, only to dump the matter on the next president.
Petraeus Says Troop Morale Is Up
Mayhaps they're happy both boosh and chinless are on their way out the door?
Jasper von Holywater @ 76:
I much prefer a bong.
Robert @ 64:
The Burning Bush
I thought they had lotions for that now.
Morale is up??? Maybe not the absolute stupidest comment out of the Gen-ruls piehole, but pretty damned close.....JD
Thinking about Gen Petraeus and his future after Bush's sunset (leaving the precedent of the "unitary executive" unless he is impeached first) gave me a hint to a solution for bad governance; stop the revolving door between government and the institutions that depend upon it.
It is interesting how the rats from W's ship have been landing positions at blue chip companies or universities. Stanford gave John Yu (author of memos that gave the Bush admin legal cover to advocate harsh interrogation techniques) a professorship in their law school, for example. Breaking this chain requires ethics reforms (where to start). Stop the political appointees process, stop the hiring of fourth tier lawyers from evangelical law schools to our willfully incompetent Dept of Justice and stacking the courts with questionable, reactionary judges. Stop lawmakers and their aids from lobbying by taking their federal pensions at the least, if they ever do so. Our own shameless naked greed and ignorance will be the classic tragic outcome for our species. Maybe cognition and opposable thumbs weren't a good evolutionary direction after all. But cheer up, as Condi Rice said; every four years the American people get to give their input to the direction of the nation. Like recall elections that trigger automatically (if only).
The lapdog press might find their celebrity reporting fetish in investigating the relationships persons in power have and the conflicts of interest these, necessarily, must impose on themselves. The Nov. 2000 rollback of banking regulation, sponsored by Sen Phil Graham, opened the door for the housing bubble and consequent loss of trillions in these credit default swap bets (April 3rd Fresh Air interview) the banks were making. Was any one watching? A couple of million in lobbying money can create cascading failures like an avalanche, such a deal they got. There's got to be a motivation somewhere. Maybe a whistle-blower compensation formula for preventing disasters by exposing corrupt lobbying or conflicts of interest. It has been working in India on news programs but only on persons who take public shame seriously.
Paul Bremmer comes to mind as does a quote from Laurie Anderson: "If there'e no expert dealing with the problem / Then really its actually twice the problem." -Time Out Chicago April issue #163, P. 100.
General Petraeus tells us morale in Iraq has nearly doubled from 7% to 11%. Of course, that figure indicates nearly 90% did NOT consider unit morale high. I don't remember anyone talking about the Army report that stated that nearly 27% of the NCOs had serious mental health issues.
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