Put an end to one of Bush's huge screw ups and bring them home now Obama.

Not surprising considering:

"Battling the Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan

The Times compiled an informal list of the new rules from interviews with U.S. forces. Among them:

No night or surprise searches.

Villagers have to be warned prior to searches.

ANA or ANP must accompany U.S. units on searches.

U.S. soldiers may not fire at the enemy unless the enemy is preparing to fire first.

U.S. forces cannot engage the enemy if civilians are present.

Only women can search women.

Troops can fire at an insurgent if they catch him placing an IED but not if insurgents are walking away from an area where explosives have been laid.

The story came out on Friday. This is Monday. You're wrong to draw the conclusion that nobody cares about it because it didn't get posted here. There have been numerous stories linked here the last year that cover the human costs of war.

I myself must have posted 50 comments about how these are Obama's wars now and it's time to send the troops home from both countries.

So 133 soldiers commit suicide in one month and no one pays attention.

An arab kills 13 and the nation goes bezerk, pissing their pants with righteous indignation.

What a bunch of hypocrits americans have become.

It's almost as if the machine itself is aware of it's own faulty components and is sytematically destroying itself, Just like our country did under Bush/Cheney.

i think an investigation should be started-- every soldier who commits suicide might have been a muslim terrorist. a true american would never help his enemy by offing himself...

Obama's fault!

-Typical Drudgetard

They committed suicide on Obama's watch. He must be a secret Muslim.

- Typical Drudgetard

I worked for the Army once. I don't know if they have changed but I gotta tell your it was the worst organization that I have worked for.... ever!

Total rats nest. BTW- the best military org to work for (as a civilian anyway) was the Navy. They really had good people skills. The training was awesome and they treated you like a human.

#4 & #5 are both thought provoking and newsworthy...

Personally I think #4 and #5 are complete drivel.

#2 on the other hand may explain why combat deaths are running so high these days.

Anyone here ever actually do time in a war zone occupation?

Just curious.

Think about it. It's impossible for anyone never having experienced it to understand the trauma of seeing not only the physical damage, but the societal damage and to be a part of it.

Then, think about what it would be like to survive it, return to your family and friends for a short period of time, and then be sent right back with little break, 3 or 4 times.

Then, think about what it would be like to be STOPLOSSED beyond your DISCHARGE date and sent back again.

Then, reconsider the suicide rates along with the desertion rates during these last 8 years.

Perhaps desertion is the better way for unnecessary wars begun by someone who also deserted?

It seems fitting and the better choice to me.

Army desertion rate highest since 1980

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Soldiers strained by six years at war are deserting their posts at the highest rate since 1980, with the number of Army deserters this year showing an 80 percent increase since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.

According to the Army, about nine in every 1,000 soldiers deserted in fiscal year 2007, which ended Sept. 30, compared to nearly seven per 1,000 a year earlier. Overall, 4,698 soldiers deserted this year, compared to 3,301 last year.

The increase comes as the Army continues to bear the brunt of the war demands with many soldiers serving repeated, lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military leaders including Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey have acknowledged that the Army has been stretched nearly to the breaking point by the combat. And efforts are under way to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps to lessen the burden and give troops more time off between deployments.

AP

Woke: I salute your service. Well actually as a civilian I can't. Therefore I thank you for your service.

I just want to end this and bring them home.

I read this as...

Member2586 misses the good ole days when we'd stand around in a circle jerk bashing Bush.

Let me bring up something no one has yet to expose in the American press with regard to the high 'epidemic' number of GI suicide vets.

Israel also has a high percentage of PTSD suicidal soldiers - it's been a similar gig fighting their wars as we have had in Iraq & now Afghanistan. So the Israelis have been using a cooked cannabis-oil, that is, marijuana boiled in vegetable oil, and administered like castor oil or cough syrup.

Well, it works.

The one article I saw about it in the 'New York Times' was several years ago, and i have never seen any other mention of it, except at the NORML site under 'medical marijuana'.

Bosnian soldiers as well were treated this way, and may still be as far as I know. British 'home' soldiers fighting Irish and Arab bombers (there's been frequent terrorism in England) have also been treated for acute PTSD with suicidal impulses with cooked cannabis oil.

I suppose every police evidence locker has a batch, everywhere. After a criminal case is dispensed, why they can use that pot to make an oil to save our sons.

This is no joke. The New Zealanders and Australians and Canadians are also treating their shell-shocked soldiers with this medical herb.....so why not in the Great old USA ????

No joking about this....please. I am talking about a cure for a life-threatening and life-taking disease. There is a cure for these suicides.

Please, spread the word.

Well, it works.

Yeah.

My dad and a few of his Vietnam Vet buddies have been using a version of "cooked" cannabis to help cope with their PTSD as well.

Nothing new there.

#2 on the other hand may explain why combat deaths are running so high these days.

#10 | Posted by boojiboy

Typical wingnut idiot with reality dissassociative issues.

If you had a thinking brain, I would describe to you the effects of kinesiological factors in any command structure (military or otherwise).

A single strong leader (or ideal) at the top can lift the level of enlightenment and accomplishment of a whole command chain from top to bottom. As it works it's way down, it goes all the way down to the lowest rank where even a good corporal (or low level manager) can lift a small group of people to do great things.

The opposite is also true. This is why we 'lost' vietnam and why 'won' the gulf war. The idea in vietnam seemed to be simply to get as many Americans killed as possible, and that ideal worked it's way down to the lowest private. In the Gulf war, the mission was defined and we pulled out when that was accomplished.

Now, here's the trick. These ideals do not have to expressed verbally. People percieve them subconsciously, even when someone is trying their best to tell you that what you are thinking is untrue. The ones that believe their inner voices live to fight another day, the ones that don't, throw themselves on their own swords because of the severe cognitive dissonance.

Nothing new there.

#15 | POSTED BY AXIOM AT 2009-11-17 05:34 AM

Except, in some states it's now legal.......eh?

on the other hand may explain why combat deaths are running so high these days.

Yea, especially the part about only women can search women. What fun is a war if you can't rape and pillage?

At least Vietnam had the booze, drugs and whores to keep young boys minds occupied.