Base Closures & Walter Reed Hospital

I absolutely cannot believe this. Supposedly, we're fighting The War On Terror and contuining our "mission" in Operation Iraqi Freedom for at least another four years; my question however is this: how in the heck are we going to do all that if we close our country's bases? We can't. Our forefathers are probably rolling over in their grave and I can understand why. All these base closures are going to achieve is some supposed "savings," for the Pentagon; while the American Armed Forces and American Citizens suffer the REAL and FRIGTHENING consequences. Closure of the bases will only provide greater access to the Terrorists and THEIR mission to destory America. I thought President Bush's stance was "you're either with us, or against us?" I'm sorry Mr. Presdient, but it seems that you and your Administration are again U.S.-the United States, and are only out for your own personal gain. What a travesty!

MSNBC.com

Base panel turns attention to Air Force Commission earlier agreed with Pentagon to close Walter Reed hospital

The Associated Press
Updated: 3:27 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2005

WASHINGTON - A federal commission weighing military base closures turned its attention to the Air Force Thursday afternoon, after a morning session in which it voted to close the crown jewel of Army hospitals.

The nine-member panel was set to conclude its work by voting on the Pentagon's proposals for the Air Force, arguably the most contentious of the group, after it steamrolled through hundreds of Pentagon proposals Wednesday following four months of study and preparation.
In its first business Thursday, the panel agreed with the Pentagon on closing down Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a Washington, D.C., institution that has treated presidents and foreign leaders as well as veterans and soldiers, including those returning from the Iraq war.

Under the Pentagon plan, the hospital’s staff and services would move from Walter Reed’s historic main post to the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md., to create an expanded facility, as well as a regional hospital at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

The Pentagon calls this “jointness” — the services combining their strengths rather than working separately. Walter Reed’s care is considered first-rate but the facility is showing its age, the commission found.

“Kids coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, all of them in harm’s way, deserve to come back to 21st-century medical care,” Commission Chairman Anthony Principi said Thursday. “It needs to be modernized.”

One-time costs, including construction and renovations, would total $989 million. The Pentagon would save $301 million over 20 years, the commission said. The expanded facility would be renamed Walter Reed. The current hospital has about 185 beds, but the expanded facility would have 340.

The commission also voted to close the Brooks City-Base in Texas, which is home to the School of Aerospace Medicine. Tang, the orange drink created for astronauts, was developed at the base in the 1960s. The medical school will relocate to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Early end to votingAs he gaveled open the hearing, Principi said he expected to finish voting no later than Friday, a day earlier than planned. The commission must send its final report to President Bush by Sept. 8.

The president can accept it, reject it, or send it back to the commission for revisions. Congress also will have a chance to veto the plan in its entirety but it has not taken that step in four previous rounds of base closings. If ultimately approved, the changes would occur over the next six years.

With communities around the country awaiting word anxiously, the panel breezed through Army and Navy proposals Wednesday, deciding even high-profile issues, such as saving a submarine base in Connecticut and a shipyard in Maine, in less than an hour.

The panel agreed with proposals to shutter hundreds of small and large facilities in all corners of the country, and, ahead of schedule, began taking up recommendations that would streamline support, education, training and medical services across the military branches.
‘Large muscle movements’The commission was moving next to the Air Force plan, much of which includes recommendations to shake up the Air National Guard, a highly controversial effort.

The Air Force also proposes closing both Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.

“We’re doing some very large muscle movements,” Gen. Gary Heckman, a top Air Force official who helped lead the service’s base-closing analysis team, said in an interview.
He said his service branch wasn’t hit in previous rounds of closures as hard as the Army and Navy because overhauling the Air Force’s structure — which is what has been proposed this time around — is very difficult.

Ellsworth’s proposed closing has caused the most political consternation because Sen. John Thune, a freshman senator, had argued during the 2004 campaign that he — rather his Democratic opponent, then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle — would be in a better position to save the facility. Nonetheless, it showed up on the Pentagon’s closure list.
Closing Cannon would cost Clovis, N.M., a small town on the Texas-New Mexico line, nearly 3,000 jobs.

Savings estimate:
$48.8 billion Overall, the Pentagon has proposed closing or consolidating a record 62 major military bases and 775 smaller installations to save $48.8 billion over 20 years, streamline the services and reposition the armed forces.

Since the Pentagon announced its proposal in May, commissioners had voiced concerns about several parts of it, including the estimate of how much money would be saved.
In some of its first decisions Wednesday, the commission voted to keep open several major Army and Navy bases that military planners want to shut down, including the Portsmouth shipyard in Kittery, Maine, and the New London submarine base in Groton, Conn., two of the Navy’s oldest bases.

“They have proved they are not a rubber stamp,” said David Berteau, a Pentagon official who oversaw base closings for the Pentagon in 1991 and 1993. “But we don’t know yet what the common theme is because they’re dealing with each of these on a case-by-case basis.”

Air Force biggest issueBy far, the most controversy — both on the commission and off — has surrounded the Air Force.

Most of its proposals cover the Air National Guard and would shift people, equipment and aircraft around at 54 or more sites where Guard units are stationed.

Aircraft would be taken away from 25 Air National Guard units. Instead of flying missions, those units would get other missions such as expeditionary combat support roles. They also would retain their state missions of aiding governors during civil disturbances and natural disasters.
Several states have sued to stop the shake-up, the commission itself has voiced concern that the plan would compromise homeland security, and the Justice Department was brought in to settle arguments over whether the Pentagon could relocate Air National Guard units without a governor’s consent. The ruling said it could.

The Pentagon says as a package, the Air Force proposals represent an effort to reshape the service branch into a more effective fighting force by consolidating both weapons systems and personnel, given that it will have a smaller but smarter aircraft fleet in the future.

© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9071663/

What is Faith? Who/What is God?

Courteousy of Faith.com

What is Faith?

On the surface it may look like blind trust. The skeptic looks at spirituality and only sees people indulging in wishful thinking about things they can’t see.

But if you’ve ever been touched by the spirit, you know it’s not that simple. Faith is the opposite of blind trust. It’s something in the human heart that knows in the deepest and most intimate sense that there is something eternal and that this is profoundly connected with human beings.
To honor this simple truth, all the religions of the world were created. They differ on many points. And yet they all agree that there is a divine presence in the world and that humans honor this presence best by leading meaningful and ethical lives.

But do the answers of the past have any value for us today? Do we need to use yesterday’s language, or do we have to recast eternal truths in newer and fresher forms? Does an individual have to find his or her own truth, or can faith only be found in a community and a tradition? We invite your thoughts and feelings....

*****************************

Who/What Is God?

"God is a Light to me, a beautiful white Light that fills all things and goes through all things...we're not separate from it at any time, though we can feel like we are." -Annonymous

I absolutely agree, I believe God is an Energy and constant Entity who often times take form in human beings. I feel God is WITHIN, and ALL AROUND, not just up above. I do believe Jesus Christ was a Messiah and a definite messenger of God. I believe it is possible to know God and feel God and I believe it is important to do your part, take responsiblity for your own actions and choices, but ultimately, hand your life over to God, in whatever capacity you view Him/Her/It, as best you understand it.

That's my 2c

Many Blessings,
-SL

Happy Birthday to A Lot of People!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The 25th of each month always seems to have A LOT of birthdays! Just thought I'd post and let y'all know some noteworthy celebs that have bdays today! One month from today, however, my littlest younger sister, Joely, will be 8 years old!

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Van Johnson is 89. Actor-producer Mel Ferrer is 88. Game show host Monty Hall is 84. Actor Sean Connery is 75. Actor Page Johnson is 75. Talk show/game show host Regis Philbin is 74. Actor Tom Skerritt is 72. Jazz musician Wayne Shorter is 72. Movie director Hugh Hudson is 69. Actor David Canary is 67. Movie director John Badham is 66. Filmmaker Marshall Brickman is 64. Rhythm-and-blues singer Walter Williams (The O’Jays) is 63. Actor Anthony Heald is 61. Actress Anne Archer is 58. Rock singer-actor Gene Simmons is 56. Actor John Savage is 56. Country singer-musician Henry Paul (Blackhawk) is 56. Rock singer Rob Halford is 54. Rock musician Geoff Downes (Asia) is 53. Rock singer Elvis Costello is 51. Movie director Tim Burton is 47. Actress Ally Walker is 44. Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus is 44. Rock musician Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard) is 43. Actress Joanne Whalley is 41. Actor Blair Underwood is 41. Rap DJ Terminator X (Public Enemy) is 39. Television chef Rachael Ray (”30 Minute Meals”) is 37. Country singer Jo Dee Messina is 35. Model Claudia Schiffer is 35. Actor Kel Mitchell is 27.

Meditation

Meditation FAQ

During the day we are constantly subjected to sensory input. Our minds are always actively thinking. We read the newspaper, study books, write reports, engage in conversation, and solve problems. As we do these normal activities, we typically engage in a constant mental commentary — sort of an inner "drama of me." Usually we aren't fully aware of all the mental activity that we are engaged in.

Meditation allows this activity to settle down, and often helps the mind to become more peaceful, calm, and focused. In essence, meditation allows the awareness to become rejuvenated.

Meditation usually involves concentrating on an object, such as a flower, a candle, a sound or word, or the breath. It can also be objectless, for example consisting of just sitting. Over time, the number of random thoughts that occur diminishes during the practice. More importantly, one's attachment to these thoughts, and one's identification with them, progressively diminish as well. The meditator may get caught up in a thought pattern, but once he or she becomes aware of this, attention is gently brought back to the object of concentration.

Experiences during meditation vary significantly from one individual to another, especially if different techniques are involved. Relaxation, increased awareness, mental focus and clarity, and a sense of peace are the most common by-products. While much has been written about the benefits of meditative practice, the best attitude is not to have any expectations. Expecting results is likely to create unnecessary strain in the practice.

Since meditation involves becoming more aware and more sensitive to what is within, facing unpleasant parts of oneself may well be part of the practice. No matter what is happening, the meditator should try to be aware of the experience and of any attachment to it.

Failure to experience silence, peace of mind, mental clarity, bliss, or other promoted benefit of meditation is not in itself a sign of incorrect practice or that one can't concentrate. Whether one experiences peace or bliss is not what is important.

What is generally considered important in meditation is that one practice regularly—every day—and that one make a reasonable effort, without strain, to remain with the object of concentration during the practice. With regular practice, one inevitably acquires an increased proficiency with the technique.

Some people use the formal concentrative meditation as a preliminary step to practicing mindfulness, in which one tries to maintain a heightened yet calm awareness of one's thoughts and actions during the day.

For some people, meditation is primarily a spiritual practice, and in some cases the meditation may be closely tied to the practice of a religion, such as Hinduism or Buddhism.

How is meditation different from relaxation, thinking, concentration, or self-hypnosis?
Relaxation is a common by-product of meditation. Relaxation itself can assume many forms, such as taking a hot bath or reclining in the La-Z-Boy and watching TV. Meditation is an active process in which the meditator remains fully aware of what the awareness is doing. It also attempts to transcend the thought process, whereas many forms of relaxation still engage the thought process. Meditation allows the body to relax and can offset the effects of stress both mentally and physically to a potentially much greater degree than passive relaxation.
As for thinking, thoughts generally consume energy in the process of their formation. Constant thought activity, especially of a random nature, can tire the mind and even bring on physical symptoms like a headache. Meditation attempts to transcend this crude level of thought activity. Through regular practice, one becomes aware that one is not one's thoughts but that there is an awareness that exists independent of thought.
Meditation begins with concentration, but after an initial period of concentration, thought activity decreases. The meditator can then keep the awareness focused more spontaneously. At this point the person may or may not continue to employ the object of concentration.
Self-hypnosis, like meditation, involves at least an initial period of concentration on an object. However, in hypnosis one does not try to maintain an awareness of the here-and-now, or to stay conscious of the process. Instead one essentially enters a sort of semiconscious trance.

What are the different meditation techniques?
Meditation involves concentrating on something to take one's attention beyond random thought activity. This can involve a solid object or picture, a mantra, breath, or guided visualization.
Typical objects employed include a candle, a flame or a flower. Some people use pictures, such as a mandala—a highly colored symmetrical painting—or a picture of a spiritual teacher in a high meditative state. Mantras are sounds which have a flowing, meditative quality and may be repeated out loud or inwardly. The breath is also a common focal point. Some consider guided visualization to be a form of meditation. In this practice, someone else (either live or on tape or video) will guide you through a mental journey. You will be asked to imagine a landscape, for example, and will be led through it. Once you are proficient at it, you can make this kind of journey on your own. A guided visualization can help to bring one into a meditative state; visualization may also be used once a meditative state has been reached to produce various results.

Which technique is right for me?
There is no "right" meditation technique for everybody. The best way to find out is to try one or two of the types that most appeal to you. You should find that the practice is satisfying at some level, even if it isn't easy to do at first. You will not be able to continue with a practice that you don't like or feel comfortable with.

What are the ABCs of meditation?

There are a few recommended guidelines for meditation:

• It should be done every day, preferably at the same time.
• It should preferably be done before rather than after a meal.
• A quiet place should be set aside for the practice.
• One should sit with the spine straight and vertical
(it's OK to use a chair).

Does meditation have religious implications?
Meditation has been and still is a central practice in Eastern religions for contacting God or one's higher Self. Christianity, Judaism, and other Western religions also have meditative practices, though they are not as well known.
But meditation can be practiced without adhering to any particular religion or spiritual teaching. Meditation deals with contacting something within us that is peaceful, calm, rejuvenating, and meaningful. Whether one calls this something "God" or "soul" or "peace" or "silence" is not important. It is there, and anyone can benefit from it regardless of what they believe.
Most people have already had some experience of meditative states. If you have relaxed while looking at a beautiful sunset, allowing your thoughts to quiet down, this is close to meditation. If you have been reading a book for a while, then put it down to take a break and just sat there quietly and peacefully for a few minutes without thinking, this too is close to meditation.

Does meditation have any ethical implications?
In many traditions meditation practice is a means for reinforcing ethical qualities. In these traditions, calmness of mind, peacefulness, and happiness are generally possible both in meditation and in life only if they are accompanied by the observance of ethical norms of behavior.

What is the best time of day to meditate?
While meditation is beneficial at any time, most practitioners agree that early morning is the best time. Part of the reason is that in early morning the hustle and bustle of the world has not yet begun and so it is easier to establish a meditative atmosphere. Having an early morning meditation also helps one to carry some of the energy and peace of the practice into daily activities.
Many people also meditate either before dinner or later in the evening, as well as at noon. A short meditation at these times allows one to throw off some of the accumulated stress of the work day and become rejuvenated for further activity. An important consideration is when your schedule will allow you to meditate. Having a time of the day set aside for meditation helps in maintaining regularity.

Why do some people use music while meditating?
Soothing music (not rock-'n'-roll!) can help in establishing a meditative atmosphere. Also, some people find meditation relatively easy but find that the hard thing is to actually get themselves to sit down and start their meditation. Music can help make this easier. Some people use music quite often while others prefer silent meditation and never use it.

Should I meditate with my eyes open or with my eyes closed?
Different traditions give different answers. Closing your eyes may contribute to drowsiness and sleepiness. If that's the case for you, then try opening them a little. On the other hand, opening your eyes may be distracting. If that's the case, try closing your eyes or directing your gaze on a blank wall Zen-style. Or try with the eyes open halfway or a bit more, the gaze unfocused and directed downward, but keeping the head erect with the chin slightly tucked in. Sometimes meditators experience headaches from focusing on a spot too close to the eyes (closer than, say, three feet). Whether focused or unfocused, the gaze should be relaxed in order to prevent eyestrain or headache.
Experiment and see what works for you, then stick with your choice of technique. If you are using a candle, flower, or other visual object in your meditation, then the technique itself requires your eyes to be at least partly open.

What are the physiological effects of meditation?
The most common effects are reduced blood pressure, lower pulse rate, decreased metabolic rate, and changes in the concentration of serum levels of various substances.

When I meditate I experience pain in my body. What should I do?
Sensations (itching, aches, pains) can arise in the body when meditating. Sometimes the cause is just an uncomfortable posture: make sure that your posture is comfortable under normal circumstances. At other time, the cause is that sensations are more noticeable in meditation. The body and mind are calmer, and you are able to notice more details in your bodily experience. It is often interesting to simply observe these sensations in your body—to use them as the objects of meditation. Sometimes these sensations just go away without your having to move or change your posture. Remember that a quiet body contributes to a quiet mind.

How long should I meditate?
At first it usually isn't possible to meditate for more than 10-15 minutes. After regular practice for a while, one becomes able to meditate for longer periods of time. Many people meditate twice daily for 20-30 minutes each time, but the right duration and frequency is for each individual to decide.

Do I need a teacher?
It is theoretically possible to learn meditation from a book. However, most people who teach and practice meditation agree that a teacher can be an invaluable aid in learning a meditation technique and making sure it is practiced correctly. The beginner will usually have questions that a teacher will be able to answer. Learning with a group of people, such as a meditation class, allows you to experience the benefit of meditating with others. Most people find that they have some of their best meditations in a group because there is a collective energy and focus present.
Various individuals and groups teach meditation. Some charge and some do not. Many different techniques are taught, some more spiritual in nature, while others are mainly concerned with stress reduction and gaining peace of mind.

As always, the important thing is finding what works for you.

From the Web site of Saros, a Foundation for the Perpetuation of Knowledge. Used with permission.

Couldn't have put it better myself! Very helpful and truthful!

Many Meditation Blessings,
-SL