This is the Center Post for War

Featured post schedule:  (all posts 9PM)

Sun 3/16 _______

Mon 3/17 _______

Tue 3/18 _______

Wed 3/19 _______

Thu 3/20 _______

Fri 3/21 _______

Sat 3/22 _______

Links to:

Action Items

Artwork

Blogroll & Resources

YouTube Gallery

I’m not one of the IGTNT Posters, that do such a Great Honor for those who have lost their lives to this Countries Failed Policies. And I doubt they’ll mind me using the initials for I bring Sad News!

Back on Febuary 21st I posted an Alert about a missing Marine, Eric Hall {that link takes you to my site}.

I started that off with this:

Missing Marine makes phone call

‘CHARLOTTE COUNTY: The family of missing Marine Eric Hall says the young man made a phone call to a friend in Jeffersonville, Indiana early Wednesday morning.

Hall has been missing for nearly three weeks. His family says he was wounded in Iraq and is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.’

There is a video report at the News Channel 2 site as well

Another report about Eric explains more of possibly why he disappeared.

I’ve been following this since hoping that Eric would be found.

There was a reported second phone call to the same girl in Indiana which at first raised the Hopes of the Family and Friends and those of us following the story, but Phone call turns out to be prank, not from missing Marine

On the 28th this article appeared

Hall is considered 100 percent disabled, Becky Hall said, and has had several surgeries to repair his leg. He now walks with a limp. He also had some psychological treatment through the Veterans Administration, but decided not to continue it.

On March first another report came in

Family turns to homeless for help in search for missing Jeffersonville Marine The mother and father of missing ex-Marine Eric Hall are now reaching out to the homeless community for help in locating their son, who disappeared in Florida about a month ago.

With this update about that second phone call

Earlier this month, a female friend of the family received two phone calls, initially thought to be from Eric Hall. Hopes were dashed when one of the calls was traced back to Louisville and found to be a hoax – perpetuated by someone with whom the family friend used to be involved, said Kevin Hall.

A Sick Basturd Playing With Peoples Lives and Probably Not one Iota Feeling of Remorse, reminds me of a certain in charge person!!

The first phone call, to my knowledge, hasn’t been traced to Eric or this hoaxer.

Than there was nothing, Till Yesterday:

Missing Marine search volunteer finds remains

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office says a volunteer who has been helping the family of Missing Marine Eric Hall found human remains in a drainage pipe Sunday.

The volunteer decided to investigate a strong odor coming from the pipe off of Sulstone in a wooded area.

Deputies excavated the remains and it’s unclear if it’s a man or a woman.

The above has a video report as well.

Here is another that came in, which also has a Video, in this one they talk to the ‘Nam Veteran who found the body.

A veteran who had been helping the family of Eric Hall search for the Marine was looking in the area and smelled a foul odor. The odor was coming from a drain sitting in a small culvert.

Some people suspect Hall climbed through this small opening of a drainage pipe. The person climbed a considerable distance though the pipe. Talking to WINK News, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ricky Hobbs said, “We had to excavate the pipe about ten feet under ground and then actually open the pipe up.”

Some people, including Kalena, believe Hall was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and may have thought he was running from Iraqi soldiers.

Than today I had this report

Vet crawled 50 yards through pipe to find remains

Charles Shaughnessy had been inside the drainage ditch twice, but something felt different this time.

This time, Shaughnessy would crawl 50 yards through rotten sediment and bugs to discover decomposed human remains.

“My heart goes out to that family,” said Shaughnessy, a decorated Vietnam veteran who specialized in tunnel searches during the war.

A tunnel rat, one of the most dangerous ‘Nam jobs, who never forgot nor feared!

Hall had a flashback Feb. 3, according to relatives. He left his aunt’s Deep Creek home and has not been seen since.

Shaughnessy suspects Hall got spooked and ran into the field near the drainage pipe. He probably smoked a cigarette and tried to regain his composure, Shaughnessy said.

But when Hall flicked the cigarette, he accidentally started a brush fire. The Florida Division of Forestry confirmed the small blaze occurred Feb. 3.

Panicked, Shaughnessy said, Hall likely crawled into the pipe and kept backing up to avoid the smoke.

Shaughnessy believes the situation could have been avoided had Hall received counseling.

“He was going through hell and he wasn’t getting any help,” Shaughnessy said.

Than just a short time ago:

Family identifies body of missing Iraq vet

The family of Eric Hall, the 24-year old Iraq war veteran who went missing last month, has stopped searching for him and is ready to take their son home.

Becky Hall, Eric Hall’s mother, said she is certain the body found deep within a culvert Sunday at the end of Partin Drive and Highlands Road in Charlotte County was her son’s.

The family is still waiting for the medical examiner’s confirmation, but is going ahead with plans for a memorial on Thursday.

The Hall family will hold a press conference at noon on Wednesday to allow members of the press to ask questions of the family.

On Thursday at 12 p.m., a memorial for Hall will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Punta Gorda. The memorial will be open to the public.

REST IN PEACE Eric, you Braved Conflict Theaters only to come home and be Consumed as the Nightmares From that Engulfed You and took you from your Loving Family and Friends, Your Battle Is Over, RIP!!!

UpDate:

Body identified as former Marine Hall

(Last updated: March 12, 2008 11:14 AM)  

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has notified Eric Hall’s family this morning that the remains found in a culvert Sunday was the former Marine.

A detective from the agency notified the family at 10 a.m. and relayed the cause of death has not been determined.

Becky Hall, Eric’s mother, plans a press conference at noon.

The family scheduled a military memorial service at noon Thursday at the Faith Lutheran Church, 4005 Palm Drive, Punta Gorda.

(8 pm – promoted by ek hornbeck)

The Dow Jones average was up 417 points today.  You know, because the US economy is doing so well, jobs are popping up everywhere and everything financial is coming up Roses!  

OOP’s.  My bad.  Here is the real reason.  

Here is the Headline and some input from CNNMoney:

Stocks surge with the Dow soaring 417 points as investors cheer reports that the central bank is pumping an additional $200 billion into the banking system.

Stocks rallied Tuesday as investors welcomed news that the Federal Reserve will lend up to $200 billion to banks and lenders as a means of loosening up tight credit markets.

According to early tallies, the Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) jumped almost 417 points, its fourth-biggest one-day point gain ever and the biggest one-day point gain since July 2002. In percentage terms, the gain of 3.55% was the best since March 2003.

The blue-chip index had ended the previous session at a 17-month low.

The broader Standard & Poor’s 500 (SPX) index climbed 3.7% after ending the previous session at a 19-month low. It was the biggest one-day percentage gain since May 2002.

What does this mean to you, American citizen?  Well, it means that the Federal Reserve is going to have to print more money in order to bail out the companies that, not unlike a Las Vegas gambler, placed all their money on number 18 on the Roulette wheel and the wheel stopped on 24.  Close, but a loser.

The Fed will make up to $200 billion available to a group of 20 big investment firms for a term of 28 days, rather than overnight. The program is being coordinated with central banks worldwide.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/1…

Check this out.  The Fed thinks that liquidity pressures are the problem today.  We silly non-economists know that the problem today is that the financial corporations overextended themselves betting on sub-prime loans, but perhaps we are wrong.  NOPE!

The Fed said it will lend the money to financial institutions for a term of 28 days, rather than overnight. The action is being coordinated with central banks in other countries to try to provide help in a global credit crises that threatens to push the U.S. economy into its first recession since 2001 if it hasn’t already.

“Pressures in some of these markets have recently increased again,” the Fed said in a statement. “We all continue to work together and will take appropriate steps to address those liquidity pressures.” The other banks involved are the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, and the Swiss National Bank.

In addition, the Fed has authorized increases in existing programs called “swap lines” with the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank.

“These arrangements will now provide dollars in amounts of up to $30 billion and $6 billion to the ECB and the SNB respectively,” the Fed said, extending the term of these swap lines through Sept. 30.

Notice that other countries are now coming into play due to the screw ups here in the US lending market.  Not only is Europe getting into the game, but if you click on the link above, Canada is palying roulette with us too.

The Fed since December has been making short-term loans available to banks through a new auction facility. It has provided $160 billion available to squeezed banks in hopes it will help them to continue lending to individuals and companies.

Last week, the Fed announced that it would increase the amount of loans it plans to make available to banks this month to $100 billion. At the same time, it said it would make another $100 billion available to a broad range of financial players through a series of separate transactions.

On February 28th, this information that I have documented before in an essay here became available via CNN:

In the past year there have been four bank failures.

And the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and banking industry experts foresee many bank failures down the road.

“Regulators are bracing for 100-200 bank failures over the next 12-24 months,” says Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with the financial services firm, the Stanford Group.

Expected loan losses, the deteriorating housing market and the credit squeeze are blamed for the drop in bank profits.

The problem areas will be concentrated in the Rust Belt, in places like Ohio and Michigan and other states like California, Florida and Georgia.

The number of institutions categorized as “problem” institutions by the FDIC has also grown from 50 at the end of 2006 to 76 at the end of last year.

What we are being fed, by the Fed is that they want to make things better for everyone.  What they really want to do is stop the possible bank failures that are weighing down the market and the Bush administration for as long as they can.  At your expense, again, of course.

Our US Dollar is now at historic lows against the currency of other countries.  Just wait.  It will be going much lower very soon.

Our US food, energy and commodity prices are rising to historic highs.  

The combination of the devaluation of the US dollar and rising cost of living, do we really have the money available to bail out the corporations the plainly screwed up our economy to begin with?

Your call.  I know what I think.

This week’s Litchfield County Times has a fascinating and instructive article on CT State Senator Andrew Roraback (R-30th District). Universally known as Andy in the NW Corner of Connecticut, where he is widely respected as honest and effective, especially on environmental issues, he is one of an endangered species, moderate New England Republicans.

His rep is good enough that he was one of 24 local elected officials (half and half) from around the nation given a Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship, this one with a focus on helping foster further understanding of foreign governments and policy issues.

Well, this crop of Fellows were just shipped to the Middle East and it was evidently quite the wake-up call to Sen. Roraback. He learned first hand that that a lot of Iraqis have bailed out of their country in desperate fear:

“When you see a room crowded with people who have fled Iraq, you see the human cost [of the war],” he said. “We know the cost to American lives, but there are 500,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan and they’ve fled their home because of the war. It put a face on the cost of this war in this country.”

Pretty much everyone they met with gave Roraback an opportunity to smell the coffee:

He also heard many opinions, but none of them favored the U.S. decision to initiate that war. “There were few, if any, supporters of the war in any of the countries that we visited,” he said. “Even in Israel, there is very little belief that the war had improved things or made things better.”

This exposure to the real world seems to have had a genuinely salutory effect on Roraback:

“I came away from the trip believing that as bad as Saddam Hussein was, the vacuum and volatility that were created by the war have left the region in an even worse state,” he added. “And that’s just from talking to people and seeing people whose lives have been impacted directly by the war, by the consequences of the war. It had a profound impact on my understanding and my opinion of the whole situation. To anyone who’s interested in my opinion, I’m happy to voice it, because it’s an informed opinion now.”

From the article, by Emily M. Olsen (which also touches on the Israel/Palestine crisis), I get the clear sense that Roraback still feels somehow that there is a constructive role that the US occupation might have to play in mitigating the criminal destruction that it unleashed, and that he has no idea how that might happen.

I was gratified to learn earlier today that the folks who have organized a series of terrific Third Friday activities observing the Iraq Moratorium in Cornwall, CT are discussing inviting Senator Roraback to their Third Friday event in April to discuss with some of his constituents what he learned on his trip and what he might do to put those lessons to use.

Continuing through the alphabet….

Minnesota has 8 representatives: 5 Democrats and 3 Republicans

Filing deadline is July 15, primary is Sept. 9

District: MN-01

Location Southern MN, bordering WI, IA, and SD

Representative Tim Walz (D)

First elected  2006

2006 margin 53-37

2004 margin NA

Bush margin 2004 51-47

Notes on opponents Walz ousted Gutknecht while raising $500 K less

Current opponents Dick Day, Mark Meyer, Brian Davis

Demographics 77th most rural (43.5%), 31st fewest Blacks (1.0%)

Assessment Somewhat vulnerable; Superribbie ranks this the 17th most vulnerable Democratic seat; still, Walz has to be favored.  

District: MN-02

Location Southern suburbs and exurbs of twin cities

Representative John Kline (R)

First elected  2002

2006 margin 56-40

2004 margin 56-40

Bush margin 2004 54-45

Notes on opponents In 2006, Collen Rowley raised $700K to Kline’s $1.5 million; in 2004, Teresa Daly raised $1.2 million to Kline’s $1.6 million

Current opponents Steve Sarvi

Demographics 36th highest income (median = $61K), 10th fewest in poverty (3.9%), 60th fewest Blacks (1.6%)

Assessment Possible.  Superribbie calls the 69th most vulnerable Republican seat.  I think it might be more vul. than that.  Kline’s winning percentage isn’t rising with time, he did barely better than Bush in 2004.

District: MN-03

Location Suburbs of the twin cities

Representative Jim Ramstad (R) possibly retiring

First elected  1990

2006 margin 65-35

2004 margin 65-35

Bush margin 2004 51-48

Notes on opponents Neither recent opponent had money

Current opponents :

Terri Bonoff

Ashwin Madia

and former Repub: Jim Hovland

Demographics 26th wealthiest (median income = $64K), 5th fewest in poverty (3.5%),  80th fewest Black (3.8%)

Assessment So far as I can tell, Ramstad is retiring, making this a prime pickup opportunity; superribbie ranks this as the 12th most vulnerable Republican seat.

District: MN-04

Location St. Paul and suburbs

Representative  Betty McCollum (D)

First elected  2000

2006 margin 70-30

2004 margin 57-33

Bush margin 2004 37-62

Notes on opponents In 2004, Patrice Bataglia raised $200K to McCollum’s $700K; in 2006, Obi Sium raised $75K to McCollum’s $600K

Current opponents John Mayer, possibly others. Mayer seems to have no website, others’ sites are down

Demographics Not unusual on what I track

Assessment  Safe

District: MN-05

Location Minneapolis and suburbs

Representative Keith Ellison (D)

First elected  2006

2006 margin 56-21 (remainder to an independent)

2004 margin NA

Bush margin 2004 28-71

Notes on opponents Tammy Lee actually raised more money than the Republican (Alan Fine) and got almost the same number of votes.  Each raised about $200K, Ellison raised about $800K

Current opponents Apparently Barb White, who also might be running in MN-04, or maybe not running at all

Demographics 45th most Democratic, per Cook PVI

Assessment Safe

District: MN-06

Location Mostly in central MN, but extending east and south to the WI border

Representative Michele Bachmann (R)

First elected  2006

2006 margin 50-42 (remainder to John Binkowski)

2004 margin NA

Bush margin 2004 57-42

Notes on opponents Bachmann beat out Wetterling for an open seat. Each spent about $3 million – Bachmann a little less, Wetterling a little more

Current opponents :

Bob Olson and

Elwyn Tinklenberg

Demographics 53rd highest income (median = $57K), 18th fewest in poverty (4/7%), 18th most Whites (94.9%), 28th fewest Blacks (0.9%), 42nd fewest Latinos (1.3%)

Assessment We have definite possibilities.  superribbie  (link above) ranks this the 45th most vulnerable Republ

District: MN-07

Location Western MN, bordering SD and ND and Canada

Representative Collin Peterson (D)

First elected  1990

2006 margin 70-29

2004 margin 66-34

Bush margin 2004 55-43

Notes on opponents In 2004, David Sturrock raised $125K to Peterson’s $500K.  In 2006, Michael Barrett raised little

Current opponents None declared

Demographics 6th most rural (66%), 22nd most Whites (93.1%), tied for fewest Blacks (0.3%)

Assessment I don’t call a lot of people DINO, but Peterson is a DINO.  Still, he wins, he doesn’t use a lot of money, and he lines up on the D side, and this is a Republican district

District: MN-08

Location Northeastern MN, bordering WI, Lake Superior, and Canada, including Duluth and International Falls

Representative Jim Oberstar (D)

First elected  1974

2006 margin 64-34

2004 margin 65-32

Bush margin 2004 46-53

Notes on opponents In 2006, Rod Grams raised $500K to Oberstar’s $1.4 million; the 2004 opponent raised little

Current opponents None declared

Demographics 12th most rural (62.6%), 34th most veterans (16.2%), 20th most Whites (94.6%), 11th fewest Blacks (0.5%), 11th fewest Latinos (0.8%)

Assessment safe

I found this piece today that I had wrote on April 1st of 2007. I slightly updated the links to bring it current because I wanted to share it with you here. Although I occasionally do feel this way now, I am happy to report that those feelings are not as lingering nor as intense as they were before.

For this reason, I see hope

I hate politics. I hate politicians. I hate what it’s done to me.

I hate neocons. I hate Bush and Cheney. Worse yet, I hate Democrats that enable Neocon policies.

I hate this country. I hate what it has become.

I used to be proud. I was ignorant. Now I am despondent and full of hate.

I used to be patriotic. I was naive. I feel like I was raped.

I used to be a good parent. Now I am poison. My hate steals their youth and innocence.

No one cares and I’ve given up trying to. Humanity and society can go to hell for all I care.

Politicians aren’t human. They are liars. Some just lie more then others.

The future grows dimmer and the true path grows narrower. Whatever happens so be it. The truth was known and I spoke it.

I am the Lorax and for what it is worth, I spoke for humans. I am going away and I don’t know if I’ll ever come back.

I feel sad and I am going to cry. I hope I die.