Religious test to curb suicides or get converts?

For my Christian friends out there with the idea this is a good thing, you really need to begin to understand exactly what is going on here. This is not about sending them to any Christian Church but telling them if they are not part of the Fundamentalist Christianity faith, they are basically not good enough. In other words, if they are Catholic, they're going to hell. If they have no faith at all or happen to be Muslim or Hebrew, they need to convert and accept their version of what is right.

Over 60% of the Chaplains in the military have no problem with proselytizing by military chaplains

NPR reported that the Academy would be hosting mandatory religious tolerance seminars for cadets. The Department of Defense has also proactively built worship facilities for those of minority faiths and improved pluralist training for chaplains. Still, of the 2,900 active chaplains with the military, two-thirds are evangelical -- and that number continues to rise.

So yes, even you should fight against forcing faith on the troops since this is not about faith is a good thing but more about one certain branch of one certain faith is all that matters.

Other chaplains have a huge problem with this for a reason. They are there to help soldiers with their spiritual needs and not there to convert them. Many conversations I've had with others ministering to veterans feel the same way. Faith does help them heal and on this we agree that it is vital in the healing process but this does more harm than good when it is coerced. Plus there is a fear they don't know how to do it in the first place even if they begin to discuss the emotional healing that is possible.

Let's say a soldier goes to a chaplain and tells them that he thinks he's evil because he killed someone in Afghanistan. Now let's say he happens to be a member of the Catholic faith. The Fundamentalist Chaplain will tell him that basically he is evil because he does not know Christ the way he should and must convert to be born again. This even though the Catholic faith was one of the first to follow Christ and is right up with there with Orthodox Christians particularly the Greeks, who helped Paul spread Christianity throughout the world. But these two branches of the faith are just not good enough for certain Fundamentalists telling even them they are not right with God.

Now take a soldier with no set of beliefs or one with their own ideas about God and then have them come up against a Fundamentalist supposedly there to take care of the emotional crisis the soldier is going through. Instead of talking to them the way any therapist would, they rebuke them. This is an assault on their beliefs and their right to worship as they see fit to do. It does not gently guide them in the process of building any kind of faith but instead pushes them away.

Each person has the freewill to follow their own path and they decide to go to church or not, which church or group they feel connected to and to believe according to their own understanding and growth. None of this can be forced. If you have teenagers, you know this is true. How many of us have taken our kids to church all their lives only to have them walk away from it for a time? They are lead, then they return of their own freewill or not. It is up to them. Some switch to another church finding they fit in better with another group. This is not only the right of an American to worship as they see fit or not at all, but the basic desire of God for each person to worship of their own freewill.

If a Chaplain fails to take care of the people placed into their lives, they have failed God but if it is a military Chaplain, they have not only failed God, they have failed the country formed for the free practice of religious matters. This has also been complicated since military Chaplains are used in place of mental health workers. If they are not taking care of the soldier in crisis situations because they are too busy trying to convert them this leaves the soldier with nowhere to turn. They end up abandoned.

Every member of the clergy, every Chaplain and every service organization needs to take a stand and stop this now before more suffer under this abuse. Sixty percent of the military Chaplains may have no problem with this, but forty percent are still trying to do what they took an oath to the constitution to do. This article talks about atheists having a problem with Fundamentalists but it isn't just them. It is anyone who is not one of them.

OLBERMANN: The Military Is Trying To Curb Suicide Rates By Sending Soldiers To Church
Steven Loeb
Jan. 7, 2011, 10:59 AM

Boy, atheists are getting a lot of attention on the cablesphere these days.
Just when we thought that discrimination had finally been eradicated from the military, now Keith Olbermann is reporting on a new lawsuit from The Military Association of Atheists and Free Thinkers. The military has been giving tests to curb suicide rates and post traumatic stress disorder, but part of the test asks about the soldier's spirituality. And if they fail that portion of the test? The recommendation is that they go to church or pray.


Read more: The Military Is Trying To Curb Suicide

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Ex-Senator Simpson doesn't think Vietnam Vets are worth taking care of

I was watching Countdown last night because I heard a friend of mine and of all veterans, Paul Sullivan was going to be on the show. Low and behold, I was stunned to hear what Senator Simpson had to say about Vietnam veterans and Agent Orange. When veterans are treated like this behind their backs, the whole nation should be outraged!

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OLBERMANN: On Monday, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, announced what he called a long overdue rule delivering justice to some of America's veterans-- long overdue in the sense, meaning, since the Vietnam War.

But in our fourth story: a top Republican is unhappy about the rule and he's blaming the veterans. Secretary Shinseki's announcement was about Agent Orange. Agent Orange-- the toxic defoliant which America dumped on Vietnam to kill the growth of plants that were used as cover by the Viet Cong. More than 19 million gallons of herbicides were sprayed during the war. Most of it, Agent Orange, sprayed on inland forests near Vietnam's borders, north of Saigon, and on a mangrove forest lining Saigon's shipping channels -- meaning it was not just killing trees. It was being breathed in by American soldiers. Soldiers who did not know exposure would later be linked to potentially fatal conditions such a Hodgkin's disease, soft tissue cancers and non- Hodgkin's lymphoma. So, in 1991, Congress passed a law to get treatment to Vietnam vets suffering from any of 12 diseases did have to prove they were caused by Agent Orange. On Monday, Shinseki wrote, quote, "The president and I are proud," unquote, to provide additional treatment under the 1991 law. It has been extended to cover Parkinson's, some leukemias and some heart disease. Enter former Republican Senator Simpson.

read more here

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#38964662

Congratulations Keith Olbermann!

Keith, I watched you since you started with Countdown. You really won my heart as soon as you took on what was happening to the veterans before any other station was reporting on it. You are a joy with your sense of humor, your intelligence, but most of all your compassion. Congratulations on the contract and may you enjoy many more viewers.

MSNBC 'votes for four more years' of Olbermann
RAW STORY
Published: Monday November 10, 2008


Firebrand MSNBC host Keith Olbermann will be hosting Countdown for at another four years, the network announced Monday.

Network president Phil Griffin called Olbermann "the core of MSNBC's current success." The anchor's impassioned rants aimed at President Bush, John McCain and Republicans in general coincided with a significant uptick in the third-place cable network's ratings.

"I'm delighted that we can continue to lock Countdown into the nation's political dialogue through at least the next election," Olbermann said in a news release. "Personally, I noticed that as of about six weeks ago, I'd been doing this show longer than I did SportsCenter, so it's delightful to have a true home."
click post title for more

McCain's war posturing killing morale for troops

Veteran, vets' advocate: McCain's war posturing killing morale for troops
Nick Langewis and David Edwards
Published: Thursday June 12, 2008

The "surge" is working, we are winning in Iraq, and it's "not too important" as to when the troops will be returning home, Senator and presidential hopeful John McCain (R-AZ) said this week.

Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), or McCain's "dog's body," as MSNBC's Keith Olbermann refers to him, portrayed McCain as a particular authority on the Iraq occupation based on his service in Vietnam.

McCain's potential position of power as Commander-in-Chief and his experience in combat give his words extra power to disappoint the troops that hear his projections, and he should know better, said Brandon Friedman, Vice Chairman of VoteVets and a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Keith, this is a morale crusher," Friedman said. "If you can imagine, say, a sergeant, who's on his third tour, and he's in the fourteenth month of that tour, and he hears the potential President say something like this, it kills morale.

"The troops over there hang on every word they hear from a leader...especially the Commander-in-Chief, but also someone who could be the Commander-in-Chief. And when they hear something like this, it really kills them on the inside because, you know, their families want them home--they want to come home--or focus on the real Global War on Terror elsewhere."

Olbermann asked: "Does it matter more that they are abandoned by a John McCain who did serve as opposed to a George Bush who did not?"

"Absolutely, Keith," Friedman said. "We've come to not expect a whole lot from George W. Bush. But, when you have a veteran like John McCain who has gone through so much in Vietnam, you really expect a lot more out of him...He should know better. And, for those of us who have been there and who have lived through this, we just would expect a lot more, and it really saddens us to see this happen, because there are thousands and thousands of veterans who just disagree with him on this."

This video is from MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, broadcast June 11, 2008.
go here for video
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Veteran_McCain_gaffe_kills_morale_for_0612.html

Keith Olbermann had a special comment tonight which will end up on YouTube sometime tomorrow I'm sure. He talked about this and about the fact the families are really hurting with the redeployments and extended tours. Olbermann also raised the point that the American people are paying for all of this. It doesn't seem to matter very much to the people in Washington DC that none of this was what we were told it would be and no one lived up to the obligation they owed those who were sent.

I would really like to know what McCain thinks qualifies him to run as someone ready to lead the military. Did he ever plan any kind of military operation? Give orders to men and women in his command? Was he ever responsible for anything more than what he flew? When it comes to being a veteran, yes he was a POW and he bravely chose to stay with the rest of the POW's when he had the chance to leave, his record however as a veteran and a Senator has not been with the veterans. Is it because he had it so hard as a POW that he doesn't think the troops are suffering so badly compared to what he went through so no one should really feel sorry for them, want to take care of them or want to fight for them? It really is a shame when you get right down to it. I voted for McCain in 2000. If he was still the same kind of man he was back then, or what he appeared to be, I would be thinking of voting for him again. The problem is, that man, the man who earned respect is now thinking he's entitled to it without any question.

As for the rest, he doesn't seem to know much about Iraq or Afghanistan, the economy or anything else.

Why didn't Keith Olbermann interview Paul Sullivan?

Supporting the troops Posted: Thursday, April 24, 2008 8:23 PM by Countdown

Paul Rieckhoff, the Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who joined us on Countdown tonight, has compiled a comprehensive website devoted to the new GI Bill.

I just posted this on Countdown's site.

I can't believe I was disappointed in a Countdown show. When Keith interviewed Paul Rieckhoff, he interviewed the wrong Paul. Paul Sullivan of Veterans For Common Sense, is the one behind the law suit against the VA. He's been working on this longer than Rieckhoff has. While I do admire Rieckhoff and applaud him, there is an important voice in all of this that is not getting the same attention. I would love to see Paul Sullivan address his work for the veterans. Sullivan worked for the VA and he knows how it works as well as how it is supposed to work. Had it not been for his efforts, we would not know how despicable the heads of the VA have been in hiding data instead of doing the right thing.

I love Olbermann and have since he began his show. I think it's fresh, honest, intelligent and humorous. I absolutely love Oddball. That said, I am disappointed that Rieckhoff seems to be the only one getting the attention working on veteran's issues. There are many important voices in all of this and Paul Sullivan is one of them. I don't think he's receiving a tenth of the publicity he should be getting while he spends countless hours working on behalf of all veterans. Sullivan is tenacious, passionate and a powerhouse! In all the years I've been doing this, there have been very few who come close to his dedication. While watching the show, I got angry that he was not the one interviewed at the time the law suit against the VA has provided the people of this country a clearer view of what has been going on behind the veterans backs by the same department that is supposed to be taking care of them. While people like me have been aware of how bad it is for veterans, average Americans, while they clearly care, are not about to invest this many hours researching any of this. They rely on the mainstream media to provide them with the facts. Sullivan's voice has to be added to all of this or the media, once again, does a disservice to the viewers.

By Paul Sakuma, AP

Execuitive Director of Veterans for Common Sense Paul Sullivan is part of a class-action lawsuit filed Monday against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that is struggling to meet growing demands from veterans returning home from the wars abroad.

Lawsuit says VA mishandled claims

By Laura Parker, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — A coalition of disabled Iraq war veterans sued the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday, accusing the VA of illegally denying or delaying claims for disability pay and mental health treatment.
The lawsuit names Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, among others, and asks for sweeping changes in the way the federal government handles claims of more than 1.6 million veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11.

go here for more

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-07-23-iraq-vets_N.htm

Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
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http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
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"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Homeless veterans protest FOX and O'Reilly

On MSNBC Countdown tonight, Keith Olbermann showed homeless veterans showing up from a shelter to let Bill know they were real and yes, homeless. Keith did such a fantastic job on his commentary, I almost forgot to post it. Now I can't remember the woman's name who said she delivered a petition to O'Reilly with thousands of signatures on it. Somehow I doubt O'Reilly offered them some of his pocket change which could have kept the entire group fed for about a year. I'm sure they'll be more on this tomorrow when Olbermann updates his site. You know there will be more posting on YouTube about his comment.


UPDATE here's a link

Yesterday, we organized a group of vets to deliver your 17,000-signature petition to the FOX building in NYC, and it went better than we could've ever imagined. The story was even featured on Keith Olbermann's show last night... the very same day!
Watch as the vets delivered the petition:
http://foxattacks.com/blog/27414?utm_source=rgemail

You are having a huge impact with this campaign, in just three years we have dramatically changed the public's perception of FOX. Election time is around the corner, and we all know what's going to happen at FOX.

The vets in NYC who took the lead on this were mad and ready to do something (speaking as a New Yorker, I can attest to good old-fashioned NYC disdain for truthiness). Carol Gardener, the executive director of Fitzgerald House, which provides transitional housing to homeless vets, is so passionate about taking care of these heroes that she would not be deterred. And Jonathan and Nichole worked hard and fast to get them all the support possible, from getting the petition printed to a press release to anything else they needed.
And then we get the reports from Olbermann, the Huffington Post, and the NY Daily News, with more on the way!
Watch Keith: http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/27412
Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/01/fox-news-oreilly-offer-_n_84404.html
New York Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/rush_molloy/index.html
It was a wonderful day, and now the blogs and other media are picking up the story.
Forward this email on to your friends. Show them what activism and accountability looks like -- and how you made it happen. And help keep it happening financially by becoming a subscriber: https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/552/p/10040/donate
All the best,Robert Greenwald, Jonathan Kim, and the crew at Brave New Films.
P.S. Filmmaker Dan Lohaus made the great documentary "When I Came Home" about homeless veterans. He filmed the petition delivery, and was instrumental in making this all happen. You can learn more about the situation for homeless veterans in America by checking out his film: http:///whenicamehome.com/
You can even organize a screening for it with Brave New Theaters here: http://whenicamehome.bravenewtheaters.com
P.P.S. Here's the original FOX Attacks! "Non-Existent" Veterans:
http://foxattacks.com/vets

Olbermann tells O'Reilly to switch places with homeless veterans

During the January 7 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann named Fox News host Bill O'Reilly the "winner" of his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for saying that Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards "has no clue," as Media Matters for America documented, regarding Edwards' statement that "tonight, 200,000 men and women who wore our uniform proudly and served this country courageously as veterans will go to sleep under bridges and on grates."

Olbermann stated: "But our winner -- well, it's Bill-O night. He blasted John Edwards for noting in Iowa that 200,000 vets sleep each night under bridges and on grates. Quoting Bill-O: 'The only thing sleeping under a bridge is that guy's brain. Ten million illegal alien workers are sending billions of dollars back home, and Edwards is running around saying nobody has any money.' "

Olbermann continued: "Seriously. First off, Lou Dobbs is going to kick your backside for working his side of the street.

Secondly, it's 200,000 tonight. Over the course of the year, the Veterans Administration says, 336,000 vets will be homeless on and off."

Olbermann concluded: "Why don't you try changing positions with one of them, Bill? See how long you last, then run your mouth about Edwards. The over/under on that, by the way, would be three minutes. Bill Orally, tonight's 'Worst Person in the World.'
http://mediamatters.org/items/200801080005?f=h_latest