Aid to Haiti, "Demented" AP Reporters, and Compassionate Invasions

Pharyngula has an appeal for disaster relief in Haiti for those of the godless persuasion so please consider donating if you haven't already done so.

On a related note, what is it with the poor quality of reporting from Haiti? When reporters don't regale us with stories of their accommodations, the hardships they've had to endure by sleeping outside by the hotel pool, and their innermost feelings they come up with garbage like this:

An apparently demented elderly woman began preaching on the sideline of the Mass: "Where is our justice? Now the palace of justice has been broken down ... we are all infected by disease. The end is near."

And how exactly did the reporters determine that the woman was "demented", based on what she was saying? Because in that case they clearly forgot to give us their clinical diagnosis of the Rev. Eric Toussaint who was holding a service at the destroyed cathedral:

"I watched the destruction of the cathedral from this window," he said, pointing to a window in what remains of the archdiocese office. "I am not dead because God has a plan for me."

"What happens is a sign from God, saying that we must recognize his power - we need to reinvent ourselves,"

You know, even if you believe in your heart of hearts that you're so much more special than the tens of thousands of your fellow citizens who died a horrible death and that the way your god signals you is by inflicting mass destruction, there are times, like the immediate aftermath of a 7.0 earthquake that leveled your city, when you should just keep your beliefs to yourself.

Of course, both the elderly woman and the Rev. Toussaint have been through an unimaginable ordeal and their actions should be judged through that prism. The same cannot be said about the AP reporters. Referring to a poor person who's just experienced a tremendous trauma and is probably still in shock, not to mention hungry and dehydrated, as "demented" is beyond unprofessional.

One more thing. Has anyone else noticed that we've just dispatched our military to yet another country and, once again, we're making it up as we go along?

I get that the military has unequaled capabilities and I also don't expect them to wave a magic wand and make everything better. But, for all intents and purposes, the window to find survivors in the rubble has closed (I still can't wrap my head around that one. Survive the quake only to slowly die in the rubble because there are no rescuers available. Tragedy on top of tragedy.) and the critical aid one is rapidly dwindling away.

Dig out survivors, control air traffic, clear the port and roads, provide hospital ships and distribute supplies, and assist the population, the local authorities and the U.N. troops with their immediate needs. Beyond that, maybe stop and assess if having our military engage in yet another long-term nation building project is the best use of our troops and, more importantly, is in the best interest of the Haitian people.

Combat Medicine

Before we go on, a strong word of caution: Very Graphic! Do Not View if you're not a medical person or if you're squeamish. The first clip, in particular -- a live firefight with casualties [skip 5:30 to 6:00].

My question: Do you think these are isolated incidents (nobody's using gloves), or is this common practice in the military? Because if it is, it's very surprising, not to mention disturbing.

Sen. John Cornyn Supports Burning On Urination

Sen. John Cornyn opposes funding STD prevention. He says those funds would be better spent buying modern equipment for the National Guard and Reserve forces.

Sen. Cornyn might be a sadomasochist but people in the military are just too important (not to mention cute; see below) to entrust twits like Sen. Cornyn with their well-being.

First, people in the military are not immune to, you know, STIs. And by "not immune" I mean they have staggering STIs rates for such a controlled environment:

Of the 4 STIs, CT [chlamydia] rates have remained the highest, ranging from 95 to 1600 (per 100,000 person-years). Among the 4 military services, the Army reported the highest rates for all 4 STIs (CT rate, 2006: 1598.2; GC [gonorrhea] rate, 2006: 342.3; NGU [non-gonococcal urethritis] rate, 2006: 61.4; TP [syphilis] rate, 2006: 7.5). Annual CT and GC rates were consistently higher among women less than 25 years of age in comparison to men of the same age; NGU rates consistently higher among men; and TP rates generally higher among men. Reporting and screening requirements varied between services.

Second, super-duper military equipment is not all that effective against burning on urination and a pungent penile discharge. Education, condoms, and meds are much more effective.



(YT via)

Marines Torture, Kill Fellow Marine; Rape, Torture, and Kill His Wife

Photo by Daily News

Doesn't the failure to screen out not one, not two, but four psychopaths represent a serious failure of the Marines' recruiting and training processes?

Drug Prices At Military Pharmacies

Four packs of Ortho-Tri-Cyclen for $99.96.

The Menstrual Period And Women In The Military

One group of women who can greatly benefit from using menstrual management are the many brave women in the military. This is what I've discovered while I was researching this issue [yes, this is how I spend my time!]:

There are almost 200,000 active duty service women in the US military, comprising almost 15% of the total active force.

And here's how the other NATO countries compare:

Country Number Percent

Italy 0 0
Poland 239 0.1%
Turkey 917 0.1%
Germany 4530 1.4%
Norway 1030 3.2%
Czech Republic 1935 3.3%
Greece 6155 3.8%
Denmark 1033 4.2%
Luxembourg 29 4.2%
Spain 6462 5.8%
Portugal 2925 6.6%
Hungary 2957 6.8%
Belgium 3202 7.6%
Netherlands 4170 8%
United Kingdom 16623 8.1%
France 27516 8.5%
Canada 6558 11.4%

Update: Welcome to all the visitors from The American Mind.