Fort Lewis does it again: No, you can’t extend your leave, even if your baby’s dying!

Oookay. I was going to post something sickeningly sweet and nice about the upcoming holiday. I read the following in the Chicago Tribune, and well, it’s a good thing I have someplace to rant on. (You’d think this would be all over the local news in Seattle. So far, nada.)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-armykid_webdec24,0,7313741.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout

During his two tours in Iraq, Army Sgt. Chris Williams has been in many firefights, but a battle with military brass over a leave extension as his newborn son clings to life has been the scariest and most frustrating of his career.

“It’s a lot more stressful,” he said Sunday afternoon during an interview at Munster Community Hospital in Indiana, where doctors are monitoring his son Gabriel around the clock.

“I’m an adult. I’m in the Army,” said Williams, 24, of Crown Point, Ind. “If something happens to me, I can deal with it. But when it’s your kid, it’s a lot scarier than anything I’ve ever been in before.”

“They are fighting a war,” said Catherine Caruso, a spokeswoman at Ft. Lewis, near Tacoma, Wash., where Williams’ unit is based. “Even one person missing does have an impact. Sometimes hard decisions get made.”

Let’s see here: Fort Lewis is the same base that decided a few months ago that it was much more cost-effective to hold monthly group funerals for those who died in Iraq. They recanted after a massive public outcry. This is the same thing. When someone’s baby is dying, they shouldn’t have to worry about having a previously approved leave extension rescinded via voice mail. They shouldn’t have to listen to a Fort Lewis spokesperson simper in the press about “hard decisions”.

Hey, Ms. Caruso, I’ll make a “hard decision” for you. How’s about this? You get your posterior on a plane for Iraq. Tomorrow. Your family can go without this holiday, can’t they? After all, we’re fighting a war, aren’t we? Sergeant Williams has already sacrificed above and beyond, and you’re questioning the very real fact that the situation with his family is critical. His place is at his wife’s side while their newborn fights for life, not standing in a desert, worried out of his mind and wondering what’s going on at home. I’m sure you’ll be happy to take over in Iraq for a few days, won’t you?

TLPC sends our thoughts and prayers to the Williams family.

-S

Another sign of the approaching apocalypse

Christmas Peeps. http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/

God help us all.

-S

p.s. I’ll be searching for these later. Let’s just say that one of my friends adores the Peeps.

Mortgage crisis in the USA: Ruh-roh.

I’m not an economist. I don’t even play one on TV. At the same time, I can read, and the stuff I’ve been reading about the mortgage crisis in the USA should give anyone pause.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hWT7f4Ay8otp_5aSkfuOBEmRvCSQ

WASHINGTON – After a slow and stumbling start, official Washington is scrambling to try to prevent the unfolding mortgage crisis from pushing the country into recession during an election year. There is a strong feeling, though, that the government will need to do more to avert a financial disaster.

One former treasury secretary advocates temporary tax cuts and emergency spending on the order of $50 billion to $75 billion. Such action could help the U.S. from slipping into what Lawrence Summers, who served under president Bill Clinton, fears could become the worst downturn since the steep 1981-82 recession.

Some Republicans are worried, too.

From both Martin Feldstein, who was president Ronald Reagan’s top economic adviser, and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan have come calls for deeper government intervention to deal with the threat.

Before it is all over, the government may have to resort to measures last used in the savings-and-loan crisis of the 1990s. Back then, it was a new agency to take over failing thrifts sunk by bad loans. Today, it could mean a government agency to buy up billions of dollars of mortgage-backed securities that investors are shunning.

The highly touted “rate freeze” mentioned last week by Mr. Bush would only aid an estimated 250,000 of the 3.5 million who may default on their adjustable home loans over the next two and a half years.

Those quoted in the article mention that this has the magnitude of the mortgage crisis of the late 70’s – early 80’s. Again, I’m not an economist, but I submit it’s much worse. Housing starts have stalled for the first time in 16 years. San Francisco real estate prices have dropped 35% in a month, according to an article I read two days ago. I’d also like to mention the three houses that are sitting on the market in our neighborhood. One year ago, those houses were selling within days of hitting the multiple listings. We used to see carloads of people through here every weekend on the hunt for a new house. Not anymore.

This is a mess, and will require the greatest minds of our financial system to think up and implement a solution. I’m not holding out much hope at this point.

-S