(Trainspotting
John Hodge)
Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself.
Choose your future.
Choose life.
to tell you the truth, i really don't think i have EVER seen one of these plates and if i have, it sure didn't register with me. i like the ANIMAL plates though! oh the save the sound ones are cool too
Pro-Life License Plates Under Fire
DMV To Reconsider Sponsor's Eligibility
By JON LENDER Courant Staff Writer May 26 2006
A swirling national First Amendment debate hit Connecticut Thursday as the Department of Motor Vehicles said it will stop issuing special "Choose Life" license plates for The Children First Foundation - a New York-based pro-adoption group opposed to abortion - while it investigates, along with the attorney general, whether the foundation qualifies for the plates. DMV Commissioner Ralph J. Carpenter agreed to reconsider the small foundation's eligibility for the plates - a status it applied for, and was granted, in 2003 - based on a letter Wednesday from Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and a Democratic state legislator charging that the group has "negligible, if any, `operations' in Connecticut, much less a base of operations in this state."The charge surprised the nonprofit group's founder and president, Elizabeth Rex of Yonkers, N.Y. She had heard nothing from Blumenthal about such questions - but she quickly produced a series of letters from Connecticut officials who have recognized her group's efforts in recent years. The letters came from Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Govs. John G. Rowland and M. Jodi Rell, the state's child advocate - and Blumenthal himself."Please extend my deepest appreciation and admiration to your members for the outstanding work that they do in advocating that every abandoned child should have a home with adoptive parents who love that child unconditionally," Blumenthal wrote Rex March 4, 2003.......
wow, i went out on the ct dmv site and there are a TON of plates available! way more than the last time i checked
Friday, May 26, 2006
ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: soooooooooooooo#links
ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: soooooooooooooo#links
and now i find this in the state of connecticut
Manchester man sentenced in child sex assault
a man gets FIVE YEARS for sexually abusing a child from the time she was EIGHT until she was FOURTEEN???? he has a PRIOR conviction from the 70s too. he was caught with a WEAPON in jail but FIVE YEARS IS ALL HE'S GOING TO ACTUALLY DO. WTF is wrong with THAT picture?
and now i find this in the state of connecticut
Manchester man sentenced in child sex assault
a man gets FIVE YEARS for sexually abusing a child from the time she was EIGHT until she was FOURTEEN???? he has a PRIOR conviction from the 70s too. he was caught with a WEAPON in jail but FIVE YEARS IS ALL HE'S GOING TO ACTUALLY DO. WTF is wrong with THAT picture?
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
wednesday may 24th 6:00 am
no amount of ANYTHING would EVER make me think
guns should be allowed to be owned by the public.
Woman Injured By Shot Police Believe Round Not Aimed At Her
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY Courant Staff Writer May 23 2006
TOLLAND -- Pam Gale was sitting in the car with her husband after attending a wedding when she heard what sounded like an explosion.A bullet shattered her passenger-side window, which was inches from her head, and lodged in the car's ceiling above the back seat.Flying glass cut the right side of Gale's face, her jaw and the right side of her neck, the Newington woman said Monday night. An inch-long gash to the back of her head, which may have been caused by the bullet grazing her, took two stitches to close, she said.Still, Pam Gale, 47, and her husband, Andrew Gale, 45, were safe."It was definitely my lucky day," she said.Trooper John O'Connor, who is investigating the Saturday shooting, put it differently."She's beyond lucky," he said.O'Connor said the shooting appears to be unintentional.........
check this out if you please
Woman Injured By Shot Police Believe Round Not Aimed At Her
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY Courant Staff Writer May 23 2006
TOLLAND -- Pam Gale was sitting in the car with her husband after attending a wedding when she heard what sounded like an explosion.A bullet shattered her passenger-side window, which was inches from her head, and lodged in the car's ceiling above the back seat.Flying glass cut the right side of Gale's face, her jaw and the right side of her neck, the Newington woman said Monday night. An inch-long gash to the back of her head, which may have been caused by the bullet grazing her, took two stitches to close, she said.Still, Pam Gale, 47, and her husband, Andrew Gale, 45, were safe."It was definitely my lucky day," she said.Trooper John O'Connor, who is investigating the Saturday shooting, put it differently."She's beyond lucky," he said.O'Connor said the shooting appears to be unintentional.........
check this out if you please
this is what happens when we don't care about one another
you don't call 911 for help even if it's badly needed. this is just a big shame. the number one priority should NOT be la migra, it SHOULD BE one's life
Fear Delays Call For Help Worker's Fall Now An Immigration Case
By ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER And DANIELA ALTIMARI Courant Staff Writers May 24 2006 MIDDLETOWN -- When she first heard the crash, Valerie Melanson figured it was debris.Then she saw several of the men who had been working on the roof next door rush to the back of the house. A young man from Ecuador who was part of the construction crew was lying in the driveway, on his back."I saw them trying to revive the guy," she said. "And they weren't having a good time at it."Melanson asked if the men had called for help; one of them waved her away.But time slipped by and she still hadn't heard sirens. Finally, Melanson dialed 911.Police say the men, apparently fearful of detection by immigration officials, tried to administer their own form of first aid to an injured co-worker, who had fallen 30 feet off the steeply pitched roof late Monday morning.Ultimately, a half-hour elapsed before the injured man got the medical help he desperately needed. He was flown by helicopter to Hartford Hospital with a broken leg, dislocated shoulder and other injuries.The remaining seven workers were taken into custody by federal authorities. Five have been released and ordered to appear in immigration court; the other two are being detained by authorities.......
Fear Delays Call For Help Worker's Fall Now An Immigration Case
By ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER And DANIELA ALTIMARI Courant Staff Writers May 24 2006 MIDDLETOWN -- When she first heard the crash, Valerie Melanson figured it was debris.Then she saw several of the men who had been working on the roof next door rush to the back of the house. A young man from Ecuador who was part of the construction crew was lying in the driveway, on his back."I saw them trying to revive the guy," she said. "And they weren't having a good time at it."Melanson asked if the men had called for help; one of them waved her away.But time slipped by and she still hadn't heard sirens. Finally, Melanson dialed 911.Police say the men, apparently fearful of detection by immigration officials, tried to administer their own form of first aid to an injured co-worker, who had fallen 30 feet off the steeply pitched roof late Monday morning.Ultimately, a half-hour elapsed before the injured man got the medical help he desperately needed. He was flown by helicopter to Hartford Hospital with a broken leg, dislocated shoulder and other injuries.The remaining seven workers were taken into custody by federal authorities. Five have been released and ordered to appear in immigration court; the other two are being detained by authorities.......
more on lewis
Photograph by : Associated Pressbut still NO decision yet (and i hope his life is spared). ms cisero MUST NOT let lewis leave the house though. EVER
Owner faces hearing over cat
May 23, 2006
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. --Lewis the cat, whose alleged attacks have landed his owner in legal trouble, will learn his fate in court next month.
Ruth Cisero, the cat's owner, was in court Tuesday on a charge of second-degree reckless endangerment. A hearing was set for June 20 to determine whether she could get special probation and have her cat's life spared.
Cisero, a Fairfield resident, recently withdrew her bid for special probation and opted for trial because she would have had to allow Lewis to be euthanized.
"She's on pins and needles," said Eugene Riccio, attorney for Cisero and Lewis. "The animal is important to her. It's a member of her family."........
howard dean's brother backs him AND SO DO I
ned lamont
PAC run by Howard Dean's brother endorses Lamont
By Susan Haigh, AP Political Writer May 23, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --A liberal political action committee run by the brother of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is backing U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's opponent, highlighting the displeasure some Democrats have with the moderate senator's support of the war in Iraq.
The group, Democracy for America, raised $20,000 for Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont within three hours of posting the endorsement on its Web site, executive director Tom Hughes said.
"Ned Lamont has been loud and clear about America's position in Iraq and world affairs, one of the most important concerns for voters," said Jim Dean of Fairfield, chairman of the Vermont-based PAC. "Sen. Lieberman has been a broken record for supporting broken policies.".......
PAC run by Howard Dean's brother endorses Lamont
By Susan Haigh, AP Political Writer May 23, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --A liberal political action committee run by the brother of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is backing U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's opponent, highlighting the displeasure some Democrats have with the moderate senator's support of the war in Iraq.
The group, Democracy for America, raised $20,000 for Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont within three hours of posting the endorsement on its Web site, executive director Tom Hughes said.
"Ned Lamont has been loud and clear about America's position in Iraq and world affairs, one of the most important concerns for voters," said Jim Dean of Fairfield, chairman of the Vermont-based PAC. "Sen. Lieberman has been a broken record for supporting broken policies.".......
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
passage of a GOOD bill in the house!!!
but who the hell are the 24 who voted AGAINST this bill i wonder?
By Jim Abrams, Associated Press Writer May 22, 2006
A television shot of a little boy losing his dog during Katrina rescue operations was the catalyst for House passage Monday of legislation requiring pets to be considered in future emergency preparedness plans.
"The dog was taken away from this little boy, and to watch his face was a singularly revealing and tragic experience," said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., sponsor of the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act. "This legislation was born at that moment."
The bill, which passed 349-24, requires that state and local preparedness offices take into account pet owners, household pets and service animals when drawing up evacuation plans. Offices that fail to do so would not qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., with Lantos a co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, said estimates are that some 600,000 animals either died or were left without shelter as a result of Hurricane Katrina. He added that the lack of pet rescue plans also put many pet owners in danger.
"When asked to choose between abandoning their pets or their personal safety, many pet owners chose to risk their lives," he said.
The Humane Society of the United States cited a recent Zogby International poll that found that 49 percent of adults say they would refuse to evacuate if they couldn't take their pets with them......
picture: idausa.org/hurr_nov_23.html
what's this? interesting news i must say
Dodd Poised For Possible '08 Presidential Run
10:00 PM EDT,May 22, 2006 By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Christopher J. Dodd said today he has "decided to do all the things that are necessary to prepare to seek the presidency in 2008."The Connecticut Democrat will hire staff, raise money and travel around the country in the next few months as he tries to enlist support.Like other presidential contenders, Dodd said during a lengthy interview in his Capitol Hill office that he will not formally decide until early next year whether to make his bid official. At the moment, he joins about 10 other major Democratic Party figures who are considering a run.Dodd came close to running in 2004 but never entered the race. Circumstances are different today -- he is not up for re-election to his Senate seat, and colleague Joe Lieberman is not running for president.Dodd, who turns 62 Saturday, was elected by a wide margin to a fifth Senate term in 2004. He has never lost an election, but starts his White House effort as a long shot -- invisible in most presidential preference polls..........
a great little analysis of the liebs
PAUL KRUGMAN: Talk-Show Joe
.....Friday was a bad day for Senator Joseph Lieberman. The Connecticut Democratic Party's nominating convention endorsed him, but that was a given for an incumbent with a lot of political chips to cash in. The real news was that Ned Lamont, an almost unknown challenger, received a third of the votes. This gave Mr. Lamont the right to run against Mr. Lieberman in a primary, and suggests that Mr. Lamont may even win..............
.....Friday was a bad day for Senator Joseph Lieberman. The Connecticut Democratic Party's nominating convention endorsed him, but that was a given for an incumbent with a lot of political chips to cash in. The real news was that Ned Lamont, an almost unknown challenger, received a third of the votes. This gave Mr. Lamont the right to run against Mr. Lieberman in a primary, and suggests that Mr. Lamont may even win..............
Monday, May 22, 2006
wow
it's cool they're remaining anonymous!
Couple Donates $2 Million To Restore Whaling Ship
POSTED: 12:31 pm EDT May 19, 2006
MYSTIC, Conn. -- Mystic Seaport's effort to restore the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan has received a $2 million boost.
A couple, who wish to remain anonymous, has donated the money for the work, which is expected to cost about $3.5 million.........
goodbye pat
i didn't know her, although i did meet her once. she was attempting to interview a friend of mine. he was unavailable and actually not on the premises so pat was off like a flash in search of other stories - she sure was a bundle of energy i'll say that about her! i did read her column, java, as well. my thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family
Pat Seremet 1947-2006
Longtime Hartford Courant writer Pat Seremet dies at 58
Other Voices On Knowing Pat Seremet
Pat Seremet 1947-2006
Longtime Hartford Courant writer Pat Seremet dies at 58
Other Voices On Knowing Pat Seremet
Sunday, May 21, 2006
there WILL be a primary!
and i WILL be voting for ned lamont
Lieberman wins nomination, but Lamont forces primary
By Susan Haigh, AP Political Writer May 19, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman was nominated for a fourth term by state Democrats Friday night, but his anti-war challenger garnered enough delegates to force a primary in August.
Backers of Ned Lamont, a Greenwich businessman who has sharply criticized the moderate senator for his support of the war in Iraq, shouted with delight after learning their candidate will be the first to challenge Lieberman to a primary.
Lieberman won 1,004 of the 1,509 votes cast at the state convention, while Lamont won 505. Lamont captured 33 percent of the delegates, well more than the 15 percent he needed to force the primary.
Sean Smith, Lieberman's campaign manager, downplayed Lamont's delegate support. He said Friday's vote showed that Democrats in Connecticut still back the veteran senator, despite his support of the war.
"I think we're moving into friendlier territory," Smith said of the Aug. 8 primary. "There are 600,000 Democrats who are going to be heard from before this is over."
Lieberman worked Friday night to fend off Lamont's challenge, reminding convention delegates that he stands for more than his support for the war. He held a barbecue for delegates in the parking lot of the Connecticut Expo Center to smooth things over.
Lieberman said he has called hundreds of delegates in recent weeks, talking about the environment, his support of the U.S. Submarine Base in Groton, education and other issues.
"I'm a proud Democrat and I'm going to carry the battle forward," said Lieberman, who had to leave the convention early to observe the Jewish sabbath.
Lamont said he believes the level of support he received at the convention will send a message to Washington that people are fed up with the war.....................
Lieberman wins nomination, but Lamont forces primary
By Susan Haigh, AP Political Writer May 19, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman was nominated for a fourth term by state Democrats Friday night, but his anti-war challenger garnered enough delegates to force a primary in August.
Backers of Ned Lamont, a Greenwich businessman who has sharply criticized the moderate senator for his support of the war in Iraq, shouted with delight after learning their candidate will be the first to challenge Lieberman to a primary.
Lieberman won 1,004 of the 1,509 votes cast at the state convention, while Lamont won 505. Lamont captured 33 percent of the delegates, well more than the 15 percent he needed to force the primary.
Sean Smith, Lieberman's campaign manager, downplayed Lamont's delegate support. He said Friday's vote showed that Democrats in Connecticut still back the veteran senator, despite his support of the war.
"I think we're moving into friendlier territory," Smith said of the Aug. 8 primary. "There are 600,000 Democrats who are going to be heard from before this is over."
Lieberman worked Friday night to fend off Lamont's challenge, reminding convention delegates that he stands for more than his support for the war. He held a barbecue for delegates in the parking lot of the Connecticut Expo Center to smooth things over.
Lieberman said he has called hundreds of delegates in recent weeks, talking about the environment, his support of the U.S. Submarine Base in Groton, education and other issues.
"I'm a proud Democrat and I'm going to carry the battle forward," said Lieberman, who had to leave the convention early to observe the Jewish sabbath.
Lamont said he believes the level of support he received at the convention will send a message to Washington that people are fed up with the war.....................
Friday, May 19, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
the courant story on the mental health of our troops appeared to kick some butts into action
one of which was our OWN liebs. hey liebs instead of just asking for a federal investigation of the screening of our troop's mental health, how about BRINGING THEM ALL HOME FROM IRAQ? how about asking your good bud, your peep, king george why he LIED? huh? how about it? you serve the people of connecticut - let me speak for the people of connecticut BRING OUR MEN AND WOMEN HOME NOW
Use Of Unfit Troops Blasted Senators Criticize Military Practices
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN And LISA CHEDEKEL Courant Staff Writers May 18 2006
U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman called Wednesday for a federal investigation of mental health screening for troops deploying to Iraq, after The Courant reported in a series that mentally ill service members are being sent to war and kept there, sometimes with tragic consequences.Also Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld expressing "disgust" at a revelation in the series that the military was sending troops with post-traumatic stress disorder back into combat."You cannot simply have doctors prescribe psychiatric drugs such as Zoloft and send these men and women back to a combat zone," Boxer wrote. "No matter what the Defense Department's recruiting shortfalls, it is absolutely immoral to send soldiers who have been diagnosed as suffering from PTSD back into a combat zone."Lieberman, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent letters Wednesday to the Government Accountability Office and the inspector general of the Defense Department, asking each agency to investigate the military's pre-deployment screening practices. Lieberman said he was particularly concerned by The Courant's finding that among troops who indicated a possible mental health problem, only 6.5 percent were referred to a mental health specialist before they were deemed deployable."Clearly, our soldiers are experiencing unusually high levels of stress," Lieberman wrote in his letter to the inspector general, "but if the military is doing an inadequate job of assessing the severity of mental health problems in those deploying, and then placing them in further danger, their lives are [at] greater risk." Lieberman, D-Conn., said Wednesday that he was also "exploring legislative options" to improve mental health screening for troops, which consists of one question on a self-reported questionnaire. "We put our faith in the men and women of our armed services to protect us every day; they should expect and deserve to have the same faith in us," Lieberman said. The Courant's investigation, he added, "reveals that the deployment system's faulty implementation of mental health screening has betrayed the trust of our soldiers and their families. This is unacceptable and inexcusable.".........
(oh and once again, i must congratulate the courant and the reporters who covered this story. VERY well done and i personally thank you)
Use Of Unfit Troops Blasted Senators Criticize Military Practices
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN And LISA CHEDEKEL Courant Staff Writers May 18 2006
U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman called Wednesday for a federal investigation of mental health screening for troops deploying to Iraq, after The Courant reported in a series that mentally ill service members are being sent to war and kept there, sometimes with tragic consequences.Also Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld expressing "disgust" at a revelation in the series that the military was sending troops with post-traumatic stress disorder back into combat."You cannot simply have doctors prescribe psychiatric drugs such as Zoloft and send these men and women back to a combat zone," Boxer wrote. "No matter what the Defense Department's recruiting shortfalls, it is absolutely immoral to send soldiers who have been diagnosed as suffering from PTSD back into a combat zone."Lieberman, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent letters Wednesday to the Government Accountability Office and the inspector general of the Defense Department, asking each agency to investigate the military's pre-deployment screening practices. Lieberman said he was particularly concerned by The Courant's finding that among troops who indicated a possible mental health problem, only 6.5 percent were referred to a mental health specialist before they were deemed deployable."Clearly, our soldiers are experiencing unusually high levels of stress," Lieberman wrote in his letter to the inspector general, "but if the military is doing an inadequate job of assessing the severity of mental health problems in those deploying, and then placing them in further danger, their lives are [at] greater risk." Lieberman, D-Conn., said Wednesday that he was also "exploring legislative options" to improve mental health screening for troops, which consists of one question on a self-reported questionnaire. "We put our faith in the men and women of our armed services to protect us every day; they should expect and deserve to have the same faith in us," Lieberman said. The Courant's investigation, he added, "reveals that the deployment system's faulty implementation of mental health screening has betrayed the trust of our soldiers and their families. This is unacceptable and inexcusable.".........
(oh and once again, i must congratulate the courant and the reporters who covered this story. VERY well done and i personally thank you)
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
ned lamont is gaining
and liebs is running scared (as he should be). ned lamont IS MY CHOICE TOO
Lamont wins women's group backing in race against Lieberman
By Stephen Singer, Associated Press Writer May 16, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --A women's political action group on Tuesday endorsed Democrat Ned Lamont in his bid to seize the Democratic Party's Senate nomination from Sen. Joe Lieberman.
The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee said the Greenwich businessman would go farther than the three-term incumbent to keep President Bush's nominees off the U.S. Supreme Court. NOW also rapped Lieberman for what it said was his failure to do more to help rape victims get immediate access to emergency contraception.
"There were a number of reasons they endorsed my candidacy today and I appreciate it," Lamont said.
Melody Drnach, a vice president of NOW, said her group believed Lieberman should have backed a threatened filibuster against the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito earlier this year.
Lieberman voted against the nomination and the filibuster. He is a member of the so-called "Gang of 14," a bipartisan group of senators who oppose filibusters unless there are "extraordinary" circumstances.
"We certainly feel that Ned Lamont's approach to the full range of women's rights.........
Lamont wins women's group backing in race against Lieberman
By Stephen Singer, Associated Press Writer May 16, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --A women's political action group on Tuesday endorsed Democrat Ned Lamont in his bid to seize the Democratic Party's Senate nomination from Sen. Joe Lieberman.
The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee said the Greenwich businessman would go farther than the three-term incumbent to keep President Bush's nominees off the U.S. Supreme Court. NOW also rapped Lieberman for what it said was his failure to do more to help rape victims get immediate access to emergency contraception.
"There were a number of reasons they endorsed my candidacy today and I appreciate it," Lamont said.
Melody Drnach, a vice president of NOW, said her group believed Lieberman should have backed a threatened filibuster against the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito earlier this year.
Lieberman voted against the nomination and the filibuster. He is a member of the so-called "Gang of 14," a bipartisan group of senators who oppose filibusters unless there are "extraordinary" circumstances.
"We certainly feel that Ned Lamont's approach to the full range of women's rights.........
the last part of the courant's story on the mental health of our troops
5-YEAR-OLD Alexis McCabe in April holds flags planted at the gravesite of her mother. Army Pfc. Melissa Hobart, an East Haven native, who collapsed and died in June 2004 while on guard duty in Iraq. Hobart had been prescribed Celexa to ease the anxiety of being separated from her young daughter while in Baghdad. Her cause of death, the military says, is still undetermined.(Mark Mirko)
May. 16, 2006
once again, cudos to the courant and the reporters who investigated this story. amazing! thank you for bringing it to our attention
Still Suffering, But Redeployed They have post-traumatic stress and other combat-related disorders. So what are they doing back in battle?
Story By LISA CHEDEKEL PHOTOS By Mark Mirko The Hartford Courant May 17 2006
Eight months ago, Staff Sgt. Bryce Syverson was damaged goods, so unsteady that doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center wouldn't let him wear socks or a belt.Syverson, 27, had landed in the psychiatric unit at Walter Reed after a breakdown that doctors traced to his 15-month tour in Iraq as a gunner on a Bradley tank. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and was put on a suicide watch and antidepressants, according to his family.Today, Syverson is back in the combat zone, part of a quick-reaction force in Kuwait that could be summoned to Iraq at any time. He got his deployment orders after being told he wasn't fit for duty.He got his gun back after being told he was too unstable to carry a weapon.But he hasn't quite managed to get his bearings."Nearly died on a PT test out here on a nice and really mild night because of the medication that I am taking," he wrote in a recent e-mail to his parents and brothers. "Head about to explode from the blood swelling inside, the [lightning] storm that happened in my head, the blurred vision, confusion, dizziness and a whole lot more. Not the best feeling in the entire world to have after being here for two days ... "And I ask myself what the F*** am I doing here?".....
that's what i want to know, WHAT THE EFF IS he doing with a gun and being 
deployed????????
ANN AND JAMES GUY visit the grave in Arlington National Cemetery of their son, Marine Pfc. Bobby Guy, on the first anniversary of the Marine's death, on April 21. The Guys did not find out until two months after his death, in a telephone conversation Ann had with a Marine official, that Bobby had committed suicide.
(Mark Mirko)
May. 16, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
part iii of the hartford courant story on mental health in the military
there will be one more day of reports on this subject from the courant. i think they did an incredible AND excellent job on this story (stories actually). bravo to the reporters who worked on this!
Health Chief Responds
Assistant Secretary Of Defense: `Comprehensive Process' Determines Fitness
Assistant Secretary Of Defense: `Comprehensive Process' Determines Fitness
By LISA CHEDEKEL
And MATTHEW KAUFFMAN Courant Staff Writers
May 16 2006
The Defense Department's top health official and the Army Surgeon General on Monday defended the military's screening and treatment of mentally troubled troops, saying the mental health of service members is a top priority for the Armed Forces.
Responding to a series of articles in The Courant, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said he was satisfied that troops with serious mental illnesses are not being deployed to Iraq, and service members who develop mental problems in the war zone are receiving appropriate care.
"Our policy and our practice is to ensure that every deploying service member is fit, both physically and mentally," he said. "We have a very comprehensive process to do this.".........
Amid Patriotism, Anger And Questions
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN
The Hartford Courant
May 16 2006
WILLARDS, Md. -- Just off the two-lane main street of this southern Maryland town, a couple doors shy of the big lumber mill that rumbles all day like thunder, Ann and Jim Guy's modest dwelling is the picture of a patriotic American home.
Out front, atop a tall white pole that dominates the postage-stamp yard, a scarlet and gold Marine Corps flag flutters in the wind, bearing the essence of the elite fighting force: eagle, globe, anchor and the venerable motto "Semper Fidelis."
Inside the house, that iconic emblem is stitched into quilts and pillows, engraved into picture frames, and printed on the only coffee mug Ann will put her lips to. "My son," the mug proclaims. "One of the few, the proud." The same Marine emblem adorns the gold ring on Jim's finger, the buckle on his belt, the watch on his wrist, the cap on his head.
And in the small living room, just above the piano laden with yet more Marine mementos, is the emotional epicenter of this home - an oversize portrait of Pfc. Robert Allen Guy in his Marine dress blues - his jaw rigid, his eyes determined.
It is a recruiting brochure fantasy of a proud, faithful military family.
But that family doesn't live here anymore.
They began to vanish at 4:15 p.m. on April 22, 2005, the precise moment Ann pulled open her front door, looked up from her wheelchair and found a somber trio of men in uniform staring back at her............
Potent Mixture: Zoloft & A Rifle
The military told Congress that medications aren't used to keep soldiers with serious mental illness in combat. But a Courant investigation reveals that drugs are increasingly being handed out.
STORY By LISA CHEDEKEL And MATTHEW KAUFFMAN
The Hartford Courant
May 16 2006
When Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark C. Warren was diagnosed with depression soon after his deployment to Iraq, a military doctor handed him a supply of the mood-altering drug Effexor.
Marine Pfc. Robert Allen Guy was given Zoloft to relieve the depression he developed in Iraq.
And Army Pfc. Melissa Hobart was dutifully taking the Celexa she was prescribed to ease the anxiety of being separated from her young daughter while in Baghdad.
All three were given antidepressants to help them make it through their tours of duty in Iraq - and all came home in coffins.
Warren, 44, and Guy, 26, committed suicide last year, according to the military; Hobart, 22, collapsed in June 2004, of a still-undetermined cause.
The three are among a growing number of mentally troubled service members who are being kept in combat and treated with potent psychotropic medications - a little-examined practice driven in part by a need to maintain troop strength.
Interviews with troops, families and medical experts, as well as autopsy and investigative reports obtained by The Courant, reveal that the emphasis on retention has had dangerous, and sometimes tragic, consequences............
part ii in the courant story about the mental health of our service people
COURANT INVESTIGATION: MENTALLY UNFIT, FORCED TO FIGHT Slipping Through The System
A Courant investigation has found that less than 1 percent of deploying troops receive an evaluation from a mental health professional, even though the military admits that more than 9 percent have a serious psychological illness.
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN And LISA CHEDEKEL
The Hartford CourantMay 15 2006
In the 17 months after their son, Eddie, announced he was heading off to fight the war on terror, Margaret and Edward Brabazon of Bensalem, Pa., had held their breath.They were accustomed to holding their breath with the boy they had taken in as a foster child at age 3 and adopted at 12 - the boy who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit disorder by the time he was 10, and who had spent his early teenage years in a psychiatric hospital and group homes for the emotionally disturbed.They watched with bewildered pride as the young man they had affectionately nicknamed "Crazy Eddie" was handed a uniform and an M-4 rifle and accepted into an elite fraternity - the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Although Margaret protested, the 18-year-old soldier also had informed his parents that he had stopped taking his psychotropic medications because he "wanted to be like everyone else," Margaret recalled."We were surprised they took him, with the kind of mental problems he had, but we figured the Army must know what they're doing," Margaret said. "We didn't think they'd send him into combat."Today, the Brabazons regret those assumptions..........
A Courant investigation has found that less than 1 percent of deploying troops receive an evaluation from a mental health professional, even though the military admits that more than 9 percent have a serious psychological illness.
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN And LISA CHEDEKEL
The Hartford CourantMay 15 2006
In the 17 months after their son, Eddie, announced he was heading off to fight the war on terror, Margaret and Edward Brabazon of Bensalem, Pa., had held their breath.They were accustomed to holding their breath with the boy they had taken in as a foster child at age 3 and adopted at 12 - the boy who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit disorder by the time he was 10, and who had spent his early teenage years in a psychiatric hospital and group homes for the emotionally disturbed.They watched with bewildered pride as the young man they had affectionately nicknamed "Crazy Eddie" was handed a uniform and an M-4 rifle and accepted into an elite fraternity - the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Although Margaret protested, the 18-year-old soldier also had informed his parents that he had stopped taking his psychotropic medications because he "wanted to be like everyone else," Margaret recalled."We were surprised they took him, with the kind of mental problems he had, but we figured the Army must know what they're doing," Margaret said. "We didn't think they'd send him into combat."Today, the Brabazons regret those assumptions..........
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