Relaxed Focus: Sometimes I hate humanity with a pure, fiery passion - "Disabled boy to lose his tiny pony because the neighbours don't like the smell."

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Sometimes I hate humanity with a pure, fiery passion - "Disabled boy to lose his tiny pony because the neighbours don't like the smell."

Honestly, people, WTF? But hang with me, because I take it all the way around the bend until I get optimistic again.

Disabled boy to lose his tiny pony because the neighbours don't like the smell - Boing Boing:

"A disabled boy in a rural Ontario town may have to give up the miniature pony that he rides as part of his therapy and for his basic mobility.

The family's neighbours (who border on a friggin' cow farm) have complained about the smell."

Seriously, how in the hell... I mean... WHAT. THE. FUCK?

But.

A few days after, you get this:

Family of disabled boy whose pony is to be taken away starts a fundraising drive - Boing Boing:

"The mother of the disabled child who may lose his miniature pony -- his only means of moving independently -- because his neighbours (who live next to a cow farm) complained about the smell -- has established a PayPal account to fund the legal work of keeping the pony. That address: antoniaspiteri82@hotmail.com"

If you click through, you find that the outpouring of offers and support since the story broke has been pretty overwhelming. Which is awesome for her and her kid. And as a bonus, keeps me from further wanting to massacre all of humanity for their venality and cruelty.

So if you want to help out you can make a donation to antoniaspiteri82@hotmail.com at Paypal.com... you'll feel good. Trust me.

And then, in further evidence of man's inhumanity to man, the rich and well off screwing over the less advantaged, and just a basic freaking betrayal of the social contract...

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Patriotism:

"Right here:
Marine Cpl. James Dixon was wounded twice in Iraq—by a roadside bomb and a land mine. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a concussion, a dislocated hip and hearing loss. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Army Sgt. Lori Meshell shattered a hip and crushed her back and knees while diving for cover during a mortar attack in Iraq. She has undergone a hip replacement and knee reconstruction and needs at least three more surgeries.

In each case, the Pentagon ruled that their disabilities were not combat-related.

In a little-noticed regulation change in March, the military’s definition of combat-related disabilities was narrowed, costing some injured veterans thousands of dollars in lost benefits—and triggering outrage from veterans’ advocacy groups.

The Pentagon said the change was consistent with Congress’ intent when it passed a “wounded warrior” law in January. Narrowing the combat-related definition was necessary to preserve the “special distinction for those who incur disabilities while participating in the risk of combat, in contrast with those injured otherwise,” William J. Carr, deputy undersecretary of Defense, wrote in a letter to the 1.3-million-member Disabled American Veterans.

And while this may make your blood boil, and it may look to you like the Bush administration is doing their best to screw vets out of money and care, what you fail to realize is that most everyone in the Bush administration has a yellow “We Support Our Troops” sticker on their car, so there...

This is utter bullshit. Notwithstanding the fact that they should get every penny they deserve, failing to pay these folks will hide the true cost of war. These people are injured and scarred for life because of our desire to wage pre-emptive war. Failing to account for the costs of our actions will just make it easier to engage in this sort of stupidity again. So quit screwing our troops, Pentagon. Quit screwing our troops, Bush appointees. These guys were hurt, in combat, and your post hoc redefining doesn’t change it.

I should probably also add, this sort of thing is nothing new. The brass and the bean-counters have always been screwing our troops this way..."

Fucking despicable.

But, some small ways you can help:

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Project Valour-IT:

"A little about this charity:
Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops and other technology for severely wounded service members. As of November 2008, Valour-IT has distributed over 2700 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country, and is now expanding its mission to include other technology that supports physical and psychological recovery.

Originally Valour-IT provided the voice-controlled software that accompanies the laptops, but now works closely with the Department of Defense Computer/electronic Accommodations Program (CAP): CAP supplies the adaptive software and Valour-IT provides the laptop. In addition, DoD caseworkers serve as Valour-IT’s “eyes and ears” at several medical centers, identifying patients in need of laptops and other technological support for their recovery. Wounded military personnel can also directly request a laptop through the sign-up form or through the Valour-IT/Soldiers’ Angels representatives at the following medical centers:

* Balboa Naval Hospital

* Brooke Army Medical Center

* Madigan Regional Medical Center

* National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital)

* Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton

* Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital (29 Palms)

* Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Thanks to the efforts of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Valour-IT is also able to reach patients in VA hospitals who would benefit from a Valour-IT laptop or other technology to support their recovery and independence.

Help, if you can."

The link to donate is here - Valour IT.

And this:

Survivor Corps - Programs - United States:

"Since October 2001, more than 1.6 million Americans have served in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over 30,000 have returned with physical wounds, but many more return with invisible injuries, including an estimated 620,000 men and women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and/or major depressive disorder. Recent reports also suggest an increase in rates of alcoholism, substance abuse, domestic violence, homelessness and suicide among returning servicemen and women. These traumatic effects of war, left unaddressed, will have far-reaching negative consequences for service members, their families, and their communities.

Survivor Corps launched Operation Survivor in 2008 to help American service members returning home from war. This program enables these brave men and women to overcome the debilitating effects of trauma and to reintegrate into their families and communities.

Operation Survivor currently includes three initiatives:

* Community-based Partnerships in Peer Support –We are training organizations to connect those affected by war so that they may better overcome trauma and injury, reconnect with their families, and contribute to their communities. This approach, known as peer support, is based on the understanding that the best help comes from someone who has been through a similar experience.

* SurvivorNet – We are building an online community of support that will connect service members to peers with a shared experience, using survivor hosted blogs, innovative social networking, and links to additional resources.

* Convene Government, Business, and Nonprofit Institutions– No single organization can fully address the homecoming of so many. A collaborative approach is needed. Survivor Corps is bringing together, for the first time, leaders from across sectors to work together on a better approach to the healthy reintegration of returning troops."