Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Army now accepting recruits with mental health issues. Oh this can't end well.

Courtesy of MSN: 

People with a history of “self-mutilation,” bipolar disorder, depression and drug and alcohol abuse can now seek waivers to join the Army under an unannounced policy enacted in August, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY. 

The decision to open Army recruiting to those with mental health conditions comes as the service faces the challenging goal of recruiting 80,000 new soldiers through September 2018. To meet last year's goal of 69,000, the Army accepted more recruits who fared poorly on aptitude tests, increased the number of waivers granted for marijuana use and offered hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses. 

Expanding the waivers for mental health is possible in part because the Army now has access to more medical information about each potential recruit, Lt. Col. Randy Taylor, an Army spokesman, said in a statement. The Army issued the ban on waivers in 2009 amid an epidemic of suicides among troops. 

But accepting recruits with those mental-health conditions in their past carries risks, according to Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, a psychiatrist who retired from the Army as a colonel in 2010 and is an expert on waivers for military service. People with a history of mental health problems are more likely to have those issues resurface than those who do not, she said. 

“It is a red flag,” she said. “The question is, how much of a red flag is it?”

Oh I would say that it is a big red flag.

Especially considering that when the Bush Administration relaxed enrollment guidelines to allow in recruits with substance abuse issues and some mild mental health issues, it resulted in the Kandahar Massacre and of course the murders in Afghanistan perpetrated by Wasilla's own Jeremy Morlock.

Those men should never have been allowed to don the uniform and yet they were cleared for recruitment and sent overseas into perhaps the most stressful environment on the planet.

And now we are seeing an even further relaxation of the screening process which is supposed to weed out those who cannot handle the challenges of life in the military, and who may end up being a danger to themselves or to others.

Of course how can we really screen out the mentally unfit, when their poster child is currently occupying the White House?

43 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:03 AM

    The draft needs to be reinstated for many reasons, not the least of which is for the people to have more input in where and when we will use our superior killing machine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:33 AM

      Some kind of Civil Service registration REQUIRED age 18-to-21.
      From the:
      Peace Corp
      to
      Marine Corp

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:29 AM

      exactly so.

      and i say that as someone who highly valued his 2s deferment during the height of vietnam. nevertheless, i must say that i much prefer the concept of a citizen army drawn from all strata of society than the current volunteer force.

      with only 1 percent of the nations population having family who serve, we need a much broader based proportion of our nation physically, emotionally and intellectually involved in how, where and when we use our military force.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous9:18 AM

    #1-ALCOHOL + Cigs Use NOT evaluated?
    "increased the number of waivers granted for marijuana use and offered hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars in bonuses."
    "Accepting recruits with those mental-health conditions in their past carries risks" stigma?
    "a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person."
    "(in Christian tradition) marks corresponding to those left on Jesus’ body by the Crucifixion, said to have been impressed by divine favor on the bodies of St. Francis of Assisi and others."

    VS>

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/green-beret-discovered-seals-illicit-cash-then-he-was-killed?via=twitter_page

    FRAG JOB^

    ReplyDelete
  3. "Mental health" is as broad a category as "physical health" and should be broken down, as should the history be more specific.

    I think someone diagnosed with depression, which has responded to medication, or an alcoholic, sober for 10 years or more, are probably just as fit for service as many other candidates if they have no history of violence.

    And just because you haven't been diagnosed with a mental illness yet doesn't mean you don't have one. I'm talking to you, DJT.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ibwilliamsi9:29 AM

    This is how they ended up with Bowe Bergdahl. This is how WE ended up Devin Kelly. Reinstate the draft!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9:36 AM

    Be fair. You've got to be able to allow Eric, Don jr, and Ivanka to be able to enlist. After all, Donald tRump wouldn't expect us to fight in his wars if his children weren't making the same commitment as the rest of us

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous9:40 AM

    The powers that be want those guys because they would commit the most atrocious crimes without remorse. Like the killing of women and children. War is not about idealism but greed and expediency.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous9:47 AM

    How we got HERE Now: TRAINing.

    http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/investigative-reporter-author-nick-turse/

    https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Anything-That-Moves-American/dp/1250045061

    https://www.amazon.com/Tomorrows-Battlefield-Secret-Africa-Dispatch/dp/1608464636/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous9:55 AM

    We (as a country) are so fucked up! Things continue coming out daily and they are revolting!

    What is America doing? Purposely trying to get rid of those w/mental illness? We install them in wars and many are killed. Are we putting them away (death) somewhat legally by using this method? I find us to be one evil country.

    Young kids/adults, w/mental illnesses, should NOT be sent to war. It only makes their condition worse OR they are killed while in battle.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10:04 AM

    Oh oh the Army is accepting mental patients? Are we going to war?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Caroline in San Jose10:18 AM

    As long as they aren't queer, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:40 AM

      Yet Drinking and Smokin 'Fags' per reference 9:18am.
      AFFIRMATIVE.

      Delete
  11. Army? Mental patients? Here's Arlo Guthrie's take:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NzFJxX8yoY

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:45 AM

      "I wanna kill kill kill" EVERYTHING THAT MOVES>

      https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Anything-That-Moves-American/dp/1250045061

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:55 AM

      MORAL -I'm Free
      This is one of the funniest scenes in movie history :) Meanest of all? tinydjt debut?
      Alice's Restaurant Group W Bench

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0a6iWHSWbA

      Delete
  12. Anonymous10:29 AM

    So THIS is how Track/truck/trick Palin got in!
    It was't his mommy's influence after all!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous10:39 AM

    My stepson was in the army and they kicked him out for mental illness. He is a paranoid schizophrenic, he got out and went on and tried to klll his mother and then brutally murdered someone. That was nine years ago and he still sits in the county jail nine years later without a trial. No doubt he did it, the DNA proves it. I tried so hard to get help for him before hte murder, knowing one day he would kill someone. In Texas, of course, you get zip. No help though I begged for it almost every day for two years. It is a very bad idea to let mentally ill people in the army. In Trumpland, I am sure it is considered brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous10:52 AM

    "Expanding the waivers for mental health is possible in part because the Army now has access to more medical information about each potential recruit" Why do they have more access?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous11:05 AM

    As advertisers flee, panicked Hannity launches pathetic ugly smear against boycott leader

    https://shareblue.com/as-advertisers-flee-panicked-hannity-launches-pathetic-ugly-smear-against-boycott-leader/

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous11:06 AM

    Trump’s Thing for Thugs

    ..."As his trip to Asia reminds us, a man who loves to bully people turns to mush — fawning smiles, effusive rhetoric — in the company of strongmen like Xi Jinping of China, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines," the board wrote.

    "Perhaps he sees in them a reflection of the person he would like to be."
    The board said Trump's "obsessive investment in personal relations" might work for a real estate dealmaker.

    "But the degree to which he has chosen to curry favor with some of the world’s most unsavory leaders, while lavishing far less attention on America’s democratic allies, hurts America’s credibility and, in the long run, may have dangerous repercussions," the board wrote.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/opinion/president-trump-authoritarianism.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:33 AM

      http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/09/20/trump-rich-friends-un-african-leaders-lunch-sot.cnn

      https://www.vox.com/2017/11/12/16639462/trump-kim-north-korea-russia-twitter

      'I try so hard to be his friend'

      Delete
  17. Anonymous11:22 AM

    New Doug Jones Ad Is All Republicans Disgusted by Roy Moore


    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/11/new-doug-jones-ad-is-all-republicans-disgusted-by-roy-moore.html

    https://twitter.com/GDouglasJones/status/930453180323856384

    https://twitter.com/GDouglasJones/status/930457595353223168

    Editorial in 3 Alabama newspapers blasts Moore as 'unfit for public office'

    https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/14/roy-moore-editorial-alabama-244878

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous11:26 AM

    One would think that after the Bergdahl case and the murder by a former Air Force member at the church in Texas the US military would carefully rule out any wannabe soldiers with mental illnesses. I wouldn't want my son or grandson fighting at the side of someone who was liable to start shooting at everyone near him in a panicked reaction to some voices in his head. Not a good idea. But a likely one from the current Administration which doesn't care about anyone not worth at least several million dollars.
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:06 PM

      Beaglemom with all do respect.
      I believe their IS much MOORE to the Bergdahl story. that he himself has not faced...Starting with...
      Mean Comrades in Arms.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4:02 PM

      "Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, the Army general who led the investigation into Bergdahl's actions in Afghanistan, testifies at a preliminary hearing that jail time would be "inappropriate" for Bergdahl. Dahl says he interviewed Bergdahl for a day and a half and "did not find any evidence to corroborate the reporting that Bergdahl was...sympathetic to the Taliban," but rather, Bergdahl wanted to call attention to what he considered poor leadership of his unit."
      " According to an Army Sanity Board evaluation, Bergdahl had schizotypal personality disorder "at the time of the alleged criminal conduct" and now also has post-traumatic stress disorder. That information is included in the hundreds of pages of documents that Bergdahl's defense team releases on a website called the
      Bergdahl Docket."
      "November 3, 2017 - Receives a dishonorable discharge from the US Army and will avoid prison time. The military judge also rules that Bergdahl's rank be reduced from sergeant to private, will be required to pay a $1,000 fine from his salary for the next 10 months."

      http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/19/us/bowe-bergdahl-fast-facts/index.html

      Delete
    3. Anonymous4:18 PM

      12:06pm

      It's all "due" respect, not "do". Please, if you want to make a point at least do it in a grammatically correct manner.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous4:56 PM

      @4:18 I did notice the error and yes i will say
      "With all due respect" to you both.
      Sorry for the grammatically incorrect spelling.
      I'll try to do better.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous5:21 PM

      Dew ~ drop in.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous11:29 AM

    As someone who grew up among fundamentalist Christians in the US, I'm surprised anyone's surprised about Roy Moore

    I can name two or three couples I know where a girl in high school dated a much older man with their parents’ knowledge and the town’s tolerance, if not approval. Because nobody else batted an eyelid, neither did I as a teenager. It’s just what happened.

    ...The allegations against Roy Moore aren’t surprising. Fundamentalist Christianity, like fundamentalist Islam, preaches that women and girls are subservient to men. It is a deeply patriarchal system in which girls are seen not as human beings, but as property to be bartered. It’s no wonder Roy Moore would say he had the girls’ mothers’ permission, as though that made it better. To him (and to many people throughout the US), it does.

    Child marriage is legalised molestation, and the only thing that makes what Roy Moore is alleged to have done illegal is a piece of paper. Many of America’s child brides are too young to even consent to sex, yet their parents can sign for them to be married. If a parent consented to allowing their child to be molested in any other circumstance, they would be prosecuted.

    This is a cultural problem the US has to reckon with. Just as #MeToo showed that sexual harassment and assault among adult women is far more prevalent than many dared think, we must accept there’s a cultural view of tween and teen girls that makes them vulnerable not just to abusers but to their parents, as well as the social and religious norms that have persecuted girls for generations.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/roy-moore-us-fundamentalist-christians-sexual-misconduct-underage-women-girls-a8054171.html

    Roy Moore allegations shed light on culture in which older Christian men date teens

    ...“A woman’s role is to be a wife, a homemaker and someone who births children. The man’s role is generally to be established and someone who provides the full income,” said Easter, who runs the Courage Conference for survivors of church sexual abuse. “It may take longer for a man to reach stability. While a woman of 15 or 16, if she’s been trained for a long time looking after her younger siblings, in their eyes she might be ready for marriage.”

    https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/roy-moore-allegations-shed-light-on-culture-in-which-older-christian-men-court-teens/

    New Accuser Wants Moore to Testify Before Senate Judiciary

    http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/new-accuser-wants-moore-to-testify-before-senate-judiciary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:05 PM

      Any defense of this kind of behavior on the part of Trump and Moore — disturbingly boorish at best and violently predatory at worst — is proof that, for far too many on the right, partisan loyalty has taken the place of honesty and honor.

      Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/453702/roy-moore-defenders-harm-conservative-women

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:07 PM

      There are few predators worse than these powerful Christian men, the patriarchs of a creepy form of Christianity that isolates its followers from the world, often abuses women behind the closed doors and high walls of its extremist communities, and then places immense pressure on those women to remain silent. After all, if they speak up, it’s not just a man who falls but an entire way of life.

      Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/453729/roy-moore-christianity-built-on-fear

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:08 PM

      Roy Moore Loses the ‘He Said / She Said’

      He can’t quite bring himself to deny having dated underage girls.

      Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/453699/roy-moore-sexual-misconduct-allegations-appear-credible

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:28 PM

      Critics are trying to shut down Roy Moore’s accusers using any means necessary

      Breitbart sent two of its reporters to Alabama to discredit women.

      https://thinkprogress.org/moore-breitbart-accusers-b01edae87025/

      Delete
  20. Anonymous12:00 PM

    "“I just thought this is like a miracle,” exclaimed Richard Vaughn. After decades of disregard, scientists said once again psychedelics are showing great promise as a therapeutic tool."“It opens you up to yourself,”

    With permission from the FDA, California researchers:
    “Patients with cancer, particularly advanced cancer, have significant levels of anxiety, depression, and demoralization,”
    "The brain under the influence of the LSD lit up like a proverbial Christmas tree."

    "With the hallucinogen, scientists believe disparate regions of brain communicate with each other when they normally don’t do so. Psychedelics may indeed free your mind."

    “Our psychological defenses often suppress material that is too painful, that we don’t want to deal with, and psychedelics bring that to the surface,”

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/psychedelic-therapy-tried-by-patients-for-mental-health-psychological-conditions/

    "Genetic: People who have first-degree relatives with anxiety disorders or other types of mental illness are at a greater risk for developing PTSD after being exposed to a traumatic event. Additionally, inherited mental health risks such as an increased risk for anxiety or depression can play a role as well as inherited aspects of personality.

    Physical: Neuroimaging studies conducted on the brains of people who have PTSD, have noted marked differences in the structure of certain areas of the brain. Additionally, the level of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin may be lower in those who have an anxiety disorder. So the way in which an individual’s brain regulates chemicals and hormones in the body, which are released in response to stress, can cause the development of PTSD.

    Environmental: People who live in high-stress situations, such as living in impoverished areas where violence is a part of daily life, may be at an increased risk for developing PTSD. Additionally, all of your life experiences such as the amount and severity of trauma one has gone through since childhood can have an impact on the development of this disorder.

    "While any situation that causes people to feel helpless or as if they are in danger can lead to PTSD, the most common traumatic events include:

    Rape/sexual assault
    Kidnapping
    Sexual or physical abuse
    Child neglect
    War
    Plane crashes
    Terrorist attacks
    Sudden, unexpected death of a loved one
    Natural disasters
    Car accidents
    Physical assault"

    Risk Factors:
    Being abused or neglected as a child
    Being FEmale
    Existence of other mental health problems
    Lacking good support system"

    http://www.valleybehavioral.com/ptsd/signs-symptoms-causes

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous2:56 PM

    Ronnie Reagan would be proud,they finally figured out what to do with all the mentally ill that they threw out on the streets when he shut down the mental institutions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:12 AM

      Ronnie ruined that racket.
      It was a cash cow. Excuse.
      Money laundering for some.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous4:17 PM

    Um, does anyone here know any kid who actually would WANT to join the military if they had any other prospects?

    It's the place to go when there is no other place to go. Standards are low, but hey, it keeps these people off the streets right?

    Support the troops! Give them jobs (because they don't have any other prospects and I guess when you are at rock bottom the notion of having to die in your job is no biggie?)

    I personally don't know anyone who have ever served, but I do know some folks whose kids had to because they were trouble.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous5:35 PM

    OT?
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coast-guard-seizes-300m-worth-of-heroin-cocaine/

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous6:43 PM

    This can end Well:
    https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/after-school-stem-programs-inspire-kids-to-keep-learning

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous7:24 PM

    Why not, we have a mentally retard as prez.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous8:17 PM

    Talk about population control. :/

    ReplyDelete
  27. They already have.

    It didn't end well for Bowe Bergdahl.

    ReplyDelete

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