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December 08, 2004
It's "Thin Red Line of Heroes" When the Drums Begin to Roll...
Steve Clemons writes:
The Washington Note Archives: Today's soldiers -- the rank and file -- fighting for American prerogatives abroad are really screwed. Yes, a soldier may get education benefits; may escape an otherwise limited set of life options where he or she may be living; may learn skills in computer science, systems management, and tactics and strategy that provide good job opportunities after retiring from military service.... Zell Miller and the party he adopted are irresponsibly silent when it comes to addressing the enormous life impacts sustained by soldiers deployed in this war -- and collectively, as a nation, we are shrugging our shoulders and ignoring the plight of those who are willing to sacrifice their lives and their own and their family's financial security for this country.
And as the casualty count climbs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the wounded return, or the remains of those killed, nothing happens that substantially lightens the huge burden placed on those on the front line of this conflict. I keep looking for evidence that George Bush cares -- but there is little either symbolically or substantively -- that I see this President doing to call on the rest of America to do what needs to be done to make sure that those wounded and maimed in this conflict have a way forward in the years ahead.
This article in today's New York Times about vulture lenders preying on the financial fragility of soldiers and their families underscores the point. These shady financial outfits charging hundreds if not thousands of percent annualized interest on loans to strapped military personnel and their families are war profiteers....
And here's from the New York Times article:
The New York Times > Business > Seeking Quick Loans, Soldiers Race Into High-Interest Traps: From Puget Sound in the Northwest to the Virginia coast, the landscape is the same: the main gate of a large military base opens onto a highway lined with shops eager to make small, fast and remarkably expensive loans, no questions asked. There are more than 200 of these quick-loan outlets around the Navy bases of Norfolk and Hampton in Virginia; almost two dozen around the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton in California.... So the young Navy petty officer and her husband in the Puget Sound area had no trouble finding a willing lender when they wanted to borrow money between paychecks to show visiting relatives a good time.... Getting the loan was fast and convenient, too. To borrow $500... a staggering annual interest rate of more than 390 percent.... Repaying their fast-money loan took a big bite out of the couple's next paycheck, leaving them short when other bills fell due. So they borrowed again, and again, until they had raised about $4,000 through more instant loans, some of them with official-sounding names like Military Financial Network....
Any Senators and House members out there willing to raise our income taxes next April one penny in the dollar--and flow 100% of the money through to military enlisted pay?
Posted by DeLong at December 8, 2004 03:37 PM
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» Lots Of Interest In The Military from Pandagon
Via Brad DeLong: before you get shipped off to Iraq, trying to scrounge together enough scrap to survive, predatory lenders prepare you for that same style of life financially while you're on domestic soil. So the young Navy petty officer... [Read More]
Tracked on December 9, 2004 06:28 AM
» Lots Of Interest In The Military from Pandagon
Via Brad DeLong: before you get shipped off to Iraq, trying to scrounge and scrap together enough to survive, predatory lenders prepare you for that same style of life while you're on domestic soil. So the young Navy petty officer... [Read More]
Tracked on December 9, 2004 06:32 AM
» Lots Of Interest In The Military from Pandagon
Via Brad DeLong: before you get shipped off to Iraq, trying to scrounge and scrap together enough to survive, predatory lenders prepare you for that same style of life while you're on domestic soil. So the young Navy petty officer... [Read More]
Tracked on December 9, 2004 07:33 AM
Comments
Misled while being recruited, abused here at home, life and limb at risk in Iraq, and all for what Our Leader is now calling "extending freedom". What does that mean, exactly, you might ask? The Boston Globe helps to fill the void:
"FALLUJAH, Iraq -- The US military is drawing up plans to keep insurgents from regaining control of this battle-scarred city, but returning residents may find that the measures make Fallujah look more like a police state than the democracy they have been promised. Under the plans, troops would funnel Fallujans to so-called citizen processing centers on the outskirts of the city to compile a database of their identities through DNA testing and retina scans. Residents would receive badges displaying their home addresses that they must wear at all times. Buses would ferry them into the city, where cars, the deadliest tool of suicide bombers, would be banned...US commanders and Iraqi leaders have declared their intention to make Fallujah a "model city," where they can maintain the security that has eluded them elsewhere."
Posted by: Dubblblind at December 8, 2004 08:57 PM
Beyond the obvious pain and suffering, the large number of wounded in Iraq are beginning to pose a new and heretofore unexpected problem.
The military's medical system is becoming overstretch and stressed by the enormous load that now is being placed on it as a result of all the injuries flowing from Iraq.
Posted by: analyst at December 9, 2004 09:01 AM
I don't understand why the religious right condemns, e.g., homosexuality, or sexuality/eroticism in general, and doesn't condemn usury, which is pervasive, preys on the weak in society, demonstrably destroys lives, and is unambiguously condemned in both old and new testaments. I guess there's money to be made...
Posted by: me2i81 at December 9, 2004 12:05 PM
According to the most recent column at hackworth.com
[quote]
Since this tragic war kicked off in March 2003, the United States has evacuated an estimated 50,000 KIA, WIA and non-battle casualties from Iraq back to the States – leaving 50,000 slots that have had to be filled.
[unquote]
You do the math...
Posted by: tjallen at December 9, 2004 10:04 PM