Mark Fiore is an editorial cartoonist and animator whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Examiner, and dozens of other publications. He is an active member of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists, and has a web site featuring his work.

Here it is:
The Surge at Home

Click To Play

Or give some traffic to Mark at his site and also view more of his great work, if you haven't recently.

You can also view at MOJO-Mother Jones

Now to the Military Mental Health Forum:

Open Mike For Ft Drum Soldiers And Their Family Members:

Different Drummer Internet Café

Where: Watertown, New York
When: Thursday, December 6, 2007, 6:30 PM
At: 1 Public Square, 12 Paddock Arcade

From: in issue Volume: 5L Issue: 2Citizen Soldier Passed on in G.I.Special
Titled: Some Truth From Tikrit, found at site in Word or PDF form

Subject: Town Forum on PTSD at Different Drummer

Join Us for a Public Speak Out! Hear these speakers!
Dean Anthony, MSW and Trauma Therapist
Joe Gregory, Mexico, N Y, father of an Iraq combat vet who was killed after returning home because the VA failed to treat his PTSD.
Marty Webster, VVAW Natl. Coordinator, and a Vietnam vet who still suffers from PTSD.
Tod Ensign, attorney for Sgt Brad Gaskins, arrested by Ft Drum police as he sought to return to Ft Drum for mental health care. A two tour Iraq combat vet, Gaskins went AWOL when he was refused treatment for his PTSD.

The VA’s Vet Center at Ft Drum has been invited to send a speaker

The VA disclosed in October that mental illness has now become the second largest health problem for veterans in its hospitals and clinics. Currently, 100,000 Iraq and Afghan are receiving VA treatment and/or disability for mental illness with 50,000 of these vets having been diagnosed with PTSD.
After a detailed analysis of death records from 45 states, CBS TV News concluded in November that at least 120 veterans commit suicide each week in this country.

Abit about G.I. Special-Military Project
Thomas Barton, a Vietnam Vet, created the Newsletter at the start of the Iraq War, it's a continuation, not practiced in recent history, associated with the countercultural movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s The Underground Press.

Some of the most powerful were those created by G.I.'s, for G.I.'s!

The GI anti-war press was everywhere. Just about every base in the world had an underground paper. Vietnam GI was the first GI paper. It was sent directly to Vietnam from the U.S. in press runs of 5,000 and they were getting spread all over the place because they’d be handed from person to person. Awareness of the GI Movement was at different levels but it was still very widespread.

This is also where the idea of the Different Drummer Internet Café came into being, supported by Thomas and others from G.I. Special-Military Project and the Traveling Soldier.

In Killen Texas, outside of the gates of Fort Hood, you would have found one of the first and most famous G.I. Coffehouses, the Oleo Strut which put out the First Underground G.I. Newspaper the Vietnam GI

You also can find more about the G.I. Movement, during Vietnam, at the Sir! No Sir! website at the G.I. Movement Archives

Back than we did it all the old fashion way, mind, hand and feet, using the good ole fashion means of communication, took time but a Powerful Movement was created and Much was Accomplished!

Today we can get Good things accomplished rather quickly, like this request for help by Military Spouses for Change and getting many involved in this G.I.'s, and his family situation, especially at this time of year. I was really glad I was a small part of getting the call out and the almost instant reversal by the military brass!

The following video is another primer video leading up to the ABC Investigative Report that aired on 20/20 on friday night November 30th 2007.

'Coming Home: Soldiers and Drugs' I have posted Here and some other site boards, but it can also be found at the ABC link above and below, the reports, the photo's and the video's.

Military Overmedicating Troops, Counselors Charge
Counselors and Therapists Charge the Military Tries to Medicate Its Veterans' Pain Away

Instead of providing proper counseling and care for Iraq war veterans suffering from physical and psychological pain, too often the U.S. military is trying to medicate the problem away, according to drug counselors and therapists.

NPR's Morning Edition had a few reports up this past week on the Military personal and Iraq. You can read about them and listen to each at the links.

On wednesday they had two reports on Army Captains. One was a report of Military Army Captains critiqueing the Iraq war

The second was about the Military's struggle to keep Army Captains

On friday they had a real touching interview with a Colonel, by just listening you could tell that this Military Leader Really Cares about his Troops, unlike the feelings I get listening to some of the more infamous that grace our airwaves!

As he states in the interview "My family of 4 became a family of 4004"

There isn't a big writeup at the link, but you won't be sorry if you visit and click on Listen!

Maybe it's me, but I Really got the feeling, though being a 'Good Soldier and Military Leader' this Commander didn't Appreciate being Used nor Especially his Soldiers being Used!

Let the player continue and you will hear a Soldier reflect on the personal toll of Iraq.