Well, it's really closer to 1300 to one -- the ratio of Army personnel to psychiatrists. This statistic is becoming more important to us because of the terrible events at Ft. Hood this week.

As the New York Times reports, the Army has 400 pyschiatrists for more than 500,000 active duty troops. (See 'Painful Stories Take a Toll on Military Therapists') And "the number of soldiers with the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder has climbed to 34,000."

That's the reason we need legislation like last year's Ohio House Bill 294, sponsored by Ted Celeste (D-Granview Heights), which called for more mental health coverage for patients with PTSD.

In particular, the bipartisan legislation would guarantee that soldiers returning to Ohio from active duty would be covered for the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD.

That kind of law would certainly help those who are back home. But it is equally distressing to read what the NYT article noted: "Since 2001, the military has deployed many soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder or other ailments."

This situation is another example of the mess we are in, thanks to the Bush Administration's shameful decision to use the 9-11 attack as an excuse to invade Iraq.

Let's pray that President Obama will find help for all the military men and women who need mental health care. And that he quickly gets the U.S. out of quagmire that is the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict

By Jeremy Scahill, The Nation.

Posted August 4, 2009.

A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company.

The former employee also alleges that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," and that Prince's companies "encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life."

In their testimony, both men also allege that Blackwater was smuggling weapons into Iraq. One of the men alleges that Prince turned a profit by transporting "illegal" or "unlawful" weapons into the country on Prince's private planes. They also charge that Prince and other Blackwater executives destroyed incriminating videos, emails and other documents and have intentionally deceived the US State Department and other federal agencies. The identities of the two individuals were sealed out of concerns for their safety.

Read the rest of the story here.

Today, U.S. troops withdrew from urban areas in Iraq. It is a momenteous moment, but hardly time to break out the champagne.

Yes, it signals a change in our involvement there. But, as Great Britain's Winston Churchill said when the London bombings ceased, "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning."

Even as we mark this step, we mourn the death of four soldiers in Bagdhad on June 29, 2009, and the more than 25 civilians dead in Kirkuk June 30. We must remember that the U.S. still has large encampments in forward areas and bombers have not given up killing fellow Iraqis.

But perhaps we can remember today as, "The end of the beginning."

For video of troop withdrawals, Iraqi celebrations, and sadly, the Kirkuk car bombing, see these online B.B.C. reports.

American Deaths Since War Began (3/19/03):    4257 (as of 3/11/09)
Total Wounded:   31,089

Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground
Mother Earth will swallow you, lay your body down.

From Iraq to Afghanistan to Palestine, Occupation is a Crime

Jobs and Education, Not Wars and Occupation

Various coalitions, organizations, and networks are joining together in a March 21 National Coalition to bring people from all walks of life and from all cities across the United States to take part in a March on the Pentagon on the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war: Saturday, March 21. Simultaneous demonstrations are taking place in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

More than 1,300 organizations and individuals have now endorsed the March 21, 2009, March on the Pentagon to say “Bring the Troops Home NOW!” on the sixth anniversary of the criminal invasion of Iraq.

The thousands who march will demand “From Iraq to Afghanistan to Palestine, Occupation is a Crime” and “We Need Jobs and Education, Not Wars and Occupation.” They will insist on an end to the war threats and economic sanctions against Iran. They will say no to the illegal U.S. program of detention and torture.

Click here for more information.

On March 19, Columbus City Council will host Central Ohio Peace Network’s 2009 peace and justice program, "Creating a City of Peace: Let the Healing Begin." Lectures and panel discussions will be from 5:30-8 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 90 W. City Hall, 90 W. Broad St. Councilwoman Charleta Tavares is hosting the event, which is open and free to the public.

Participants may begin the rally at a 4 p.m. prayer service at Trinity Episcopal Church, 125 E. Broad Street (Third and Broad Streets). Marchers will leave the front doors of the church at 5 p.m. At City Hall they will enter the Front Street entrance. They must show a photo ID at the desk.

The annual event commemorates the beginning of the war in Iraq on March 19, 2003. and focuses on the costs of war, the dividends of peace, and the links between peace and justice in our own community and across the globe.

Speakers and panelists will address the economic fallout from more than six years of war and the healthcare crises in America. They also will look at accomplishing peace and healing for veterans and all people effected by violence. Also, numerous community organizations and resources will provide information, and musicans will perform.

Sponsored by the Central Ohio Peace Network.

Contact: Connie Everett, 614-436-0074 or lithag@aol.com

The I-35W Mississippi River bridge catastrophically failed during the evening rush hour on August 1, 2007, collapsing to the river and riverbanks beneath. Thirteen people were killed and approximately one hundred more were injured. The average age of American bridges is 43 years, approaching the normal lifespan of 50 years. One fourth have a problem.

The U.S. has built 810 schools, 4800 water and sewage projects, 1047 roads and bridges.

Not in America. In Iraq.

Al Franken has an excellent video about this called 'Invest Here'.

Now the LATimes is reporting today that after the I-35W bridge collapse killing 13 and injuring 100 last year, 'Urgency has buckled since Minneapolis bridge collapse' due to lack of state funds for infrastructure projects.

From an AP story 'Little progress made in bridge repairs across US':

"An Associated Press review of repairs on each state's 20 most-traveled bridges with structural deficiencies found just 12 percent have been fixed. In most states, the most common approach was to plan for repairs later rather than fix problems now."

Of the 20 deficient bridges studied in Ohio, 40% have not been fixed or improved.

With $10 billion a month spent in Iraq we're short money for bridges and roads, tin-cupping to fund American schools, underfunding our water systems. And now President Bush is predicted to leave a record $482 billion deficit to his successor.

Update (Aug 6, 2008): NYTimes is reporting ('As Iraq Surplus Rises, Little Goes Into Rebuilding') that

Soaring oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end, according to an American federal oversight agency. But Iraq has spent only a minute fraction of that on reconstruction costs, which are now largely borne by the United States.