Of all those that served in the military in my family, the one common trait shared by all of them is that they did not like to talk about their experiences. My Grandfather and Great Uncles went to lengths to avoid the topic, and as an inquisitive youngster I was sometimes scolded for my curiosity. At the time, of course, I couldn’t understand why, but as a grown man it’s something that I do. Other members of my extended family have also served and seen ...More »

I don’t know what to say about this. It's quite beyond me... “A 73-year-old Austrian is under arrest on suspicion of hiding his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathering seven children with her, police say. The existence of the woman, believed missing since 1984 and now 42, emerged after a teenage child fell ill and had to be taken to hospital. Both the woman and teenage girl are receiving medical treatment and the other children are in care. A police investigation in Amstetten, Lower Austria Province, ...More »

There’s an old expression – don’t open your mouth until you’ve walked a mile in another man’s shoes. When it comes to homelessness here in the city of milk and honey nothing could be further from the truth. Who willfully chooses to be homeless, to sleep huddled in doorways in the rain, or in a park? Believe it or not, there are those out there that actually believe that root causes do not exist that explain homelessness; that those that are out on the streets ...More »

Roy worries about me. To be honest, that worry is returned, but in this case he has substantive journalism to back it up, so he wins. As many of you are aware, actor Heath Ledger died not long ago from an overdose. Of course, that word can be misconstrued, and following his death, especially given his profession, morbid speculation was rampant – because let’s be honest with ourselves, we live in a society that loves gossip and morbidity above all things. Had I not survived my ...More »

Place a person in a traumatic environment and they will become desensitized to a great many things. The sight of human corpses, dead animals, even the value of life itself. Soldiers returning from conflicts, such as the war in Iraq, have drowned wives in fits of rage and even murdered fellow comrades that they once fought along side of. Spousal abuse is not uncommon, nor is child abuse, self inflicted physical abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, and suicide – all of it the result of post-traumatic ...More »

In a surprising move after reports that Turkey’s offensive in northern Iraq would be sustained for the foreseeable future, Turkish forces began withdrawing yesterday in force. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the withdrawal occurred just after President Bush called on the Turkish government to end the offensive and a day after US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited the Turkish capital to deliver Washington’s message that the incursion must not be open ended. Of course, the Turkish government and military is claiming ...More »

Turn on your television and tune into an American news channel and you will most assuredly be confronted, at some point, with the fact that The Surge implemented last year in Iraq has been a success. Of course, to what extent is rarely examined or disseminated, leaving only the blanket assumption that it has been successful with regards to American domestic perceptions. That, like most things to do with the war in Iraq, was most certainly one of its goals. The truth is, while violence is ...More »

Today, while the President was referencing freedom and justice as being “written in our hearts by All Mighty God”, The New York Times began a new series entitled War Torn: A series of articles and multimedia about veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have committed killings, or been charged with them, after coming home, which I think is sadly telling. When I wrote The Boy Come Home for Hospital Music it was based on stories of paranoia and disparity felt by a ...More »

Benazir Bhutto succumbed to injuries sustained from a gunshot wound to the neck and an explosion after being rushed to hospital today in Ralwapindi where she was attending a political rally. While it is only speculation at this time, the Chaudhries of Gujrat are suspected of being behind the attack, though no official claims of responsibility have been made. It was the second such attack against her in recent months. Last Thursday, four people were killed at an election rally that was to be attended by ...More »

Sometimes there are things that you grow accustomed to when wandering the world of information each day, such as Gareth Porter’s recent piece White House Fought NIE Over an Old Charge. There is Darfur, the humanitarian crisis in Somalia, the never ending rivers of blood flowing from Iraq and Afghanistan, and everything besides that conjoin to make the unbelievable less shocking on a daily basis. But every once in a while I come across a story that leaves me utterly speechless. This week, it is ...More »