| Wednesday, January 25, 2012.  Chaos and violence continue, the political  crisis continues, Nouri launches another verbal attack on Turkey's prime  minister, Talabani tries to keep the peace from a sickbed, US President Barack  Obama gives a speech dubbed State of the Union, and more.   Sir Talks A Lot gave his State of the Union speech last night.  A more  accurate summary of the state of the union was delivered last Thursday in Harlem  by Ralph Poynter.   Ralph Poynter:  I want you to know that we all should have known  better when Mr. Obama said that he was for change and peace.  I want you to know  that we should have known better when he started to run and he went to the Black  Caucus to ask for their support.  When they asked him why hadn't he supported  the issues of the Black Caucus, his words were he did not want to be tainted by  the Civil Rights Movement.  We all know that Fannie Lou Hamer only wanted to  vote.  This is what Mr. Obama did not want to be tainted by; therefore, when we  choose not to support Mr. Obama we want him to remember all of his words where  he did not want to be tainted by the Civil Rights Movement, he said stop  whimpering, stop whining, stop yammering.  So we want to say to Mr. Obama when  we don't show up to vote, stop whining!  Stop whining, Mr. Obama!  We no longer  believe that you will stand for anything.  You never stood for the First  Amendment right of free speech.  You never stood for the Fifth Amendment right  to have an attorney.  You never stood for anything that didn't support the  corporations.  We are standing for all of the people not the corporations.  Mr.  Obama, we are going to send you back home to Chicago where you helped destroy  the projects.  We need someone who stands for housing.  We need someone who  stands for jobs.  We need someone who will be true to the words they say.   Goodbye Mr. Obama.   Ralph, husband of political prisoner and legendary attorney Lynne Stewart ,  delivered the speech as a call and response with the over 400 gathered outside  the Apollo Theater which was shut down for Barack's private fundraiser.  On this  week's. Black Agenda  Radio , hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey, (airs each Monday  at 4:00 pm EST on the Progressive Radio  Network ), they play the speech and report on the protest.  We'll  excerpt a section of co-host Nellie Bailey being interviewed by Don  DeBar .    Nellie Bailey: This rally was called by Occupy Harlem along with a number of  other sponsors and endorsers.  And we're here to send a clear message to  President Obama that he will not come to Harlem and not receive a scathing  message of his service to the 1%.     Nellie Bailey: And now we have three wars going on.  Not only that,  we have a military budget greater than all of the military budgets of the  nation-states in the world combined.  That is where we are.  And we have seen  the expansion of war under Obama than under President Bush.  We have the  National Defense Authorization Act  under Obama, not under Republican Bush.  We have NDAA that can be used by any  sitting president including right-wing Republicans.   Don DeBar: And what is the NDAA, for  people who aren't familiar with it?   Nellie Bailey: It is the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012  that authorizes the indefinite detention, arrest without judicial review,  charges of any American citizen on American soil at the behest of the  president.  Only the president of the United States can authorize this and we  say that this is dangerous despite the fact that President Obama says that he  would not authorize the use of NDAA but he has proven in so many instances that  he does not tell the truth and we know that he can and will authorize the use of  this bill.  And we believe that this bill and the passage, particularly at the  beginning of an election year, is to outflank the Republicans in terms of his  right-of-center agenda and, secondly, to have a law that will crush any militant  dissent and protest here in this country as the US plutocracy and oligarchy  expand their illegal wars, occupation and military aggression against  nation-states.         Glen Ford:  Veteran journalist Chris Hedges fears that anyone can  be thrown into prison without trial under the preventive detention bill signed  into law by President Obama so Hedges has sued the president. We asked Hedges  how he decided to take on the White House.     Chris Hedges:  It actually wasn't my idea.  Carl Mayer who has been  involved in lawsuits to defend the assaults against civil liberties including  the ACLU lawsuit against the FISA reform act -- of which I am one of the  plantiffs -- came to me and said, "Look, under this legislation, someone like  you could be, potentially because of the nebulous language, charged.  You've had  direct, personal contact with groups that the state has defined as terrorist  organizations.  There are no provisions in this legislation to exempt  journalists.  Would you be willing to be a plantiff?" And I said  yes.   Glen Ford: Particularly ominous in this legislation is the use of  the term "substantial support," not material support.   Chris Hedges: Right.   Glen Ford: And most people think they understand what material  support is --   Chris Hedges: Right.   Glen Ford: -- giving money, passing a gun, something, but  substantial support?   Chris Hedges: Right and it could be substantial support for  something called associated forces so it leaves open such a broad interpretation  that there is no protection for someone like me under this law or I think for  ultimately any kind of dissident because there has been a clear effort on the  part of the security state to try and tar the Occupy Movement as a movement  that's an enemy of American democracy.  When you look at the list or the  criteria by which the Attorney General's office can investigate people for  terrorism, tossing in a couple of obstructionist tactics by the Occupy Movement  isn't much of a stretch.  I mean, people who are missing fingers on one hand,  people who store over seven days of food and provisions, people who have weather  proof ammunition.  I mean, they're going to have to round up my entire family in  rural parts of Maine.   Glen Ford: That's their profile of the potential  terrorist.   Chris Hedges: Yeah, as 'worthy of investigation.'  We know that  there are at this point probably tens of millions of Americans who, because of  the FISA reform act, whose e-mails, home messages, all of which are being  monitored by the government    Glen Ford:  In terms of substantial support, that could be  interpreted as speech, giving aid and comfort to someone that they declare is  the enemy.     Chris Hedges: Yeah, the way the law is written is, when you read it  really closely, really terrifying because it's the whim of the security and  surveillance state whoever they want to go after they can pretty much do so  under this piece of legislation and then, of course, the way they do it is to  use the military to carry out extraordinary rendition on American  streets.     In the news around the world and even in the United States on  Tuesday was the anger among Iraqis at the failure of the United States to hold  anyone seriously accountable for the 2005 massacre in Haditha. The story was a useful  reminder of how the operations of the U.S. military over the past decade have  fueled hostility toward our nation.President Obama began his State of the  Union speech Tuesday night by absurdly claiming the exact opposite, asserting  that the war on Iraq has made us safer and -- I kid you not -- "more respected  around the world." He later equated the war on Iraq to World War II, a surefire  way to put anything beyond criticism in the United States, provided you can get  people to fall for it.
 Remember, this is the guy who won the Democratic  Primary in 2008 by the simple fact of having not yet been in the Senate in 2003  and thus having avoided voting for the war that he funded to the hilt as a  senator beginning in 2005. He had called it a dumb war. Now he says it made us  safer. If it was dumb, was he dumber? What is he trying to say?
 In the next  breath, Obama says "some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home." Never  mind that there are three times as many U.S. troops in Afghanistan now as when  Obama moved into the White House. The myth is that he's ending wars. Never mind  that he was compelled to end the Iraq War, in so far as it has ended, by the  treaty that Bush and Maliki created, and which Obama sought every possible way  to violate. Never mind that Iraqi hostility toward U.S. criminals being granted  immunity from prosecution was the primary reason that the Iraqi government  insisted on the Bush-Maliki withdrawal date. A myth is a myth, and who will  question it and still keep their job on U.S. television?
 On Morning Edition (NPR -- link is text and  audio), Elizabeth Shogren, Tom Gjelten, John Ydstie, David Wessel, David Welna  and Claudio Sanchez provided facts checks on various sections of the State of  the Union Speech .  Susan (Random Notes) terms  the speech  "more  neoliberal claptrap" and notes Patrick Martin (WSWS) , "The State of the Union Speech  delivered by Barack Obama Tuesday night was memorable only as a further  milestone in the decay of American democracy."  Mike took exception  to  'religious' Barack telling Americans they needed to serve their country.   Cedric  and Wally  objected exception to both  the length of the speech and Barack's attempt to pass of recycled ideas as  fresh.  Betty questioned  his "America's  back" claim wondering, "From a bathroom break?  Where did America go?"  Mr.  Pretty Words' pretty speech team was attempting to grab the Reagan luster.  But,  as Chrystler understood in the 80s, you say "the pride" is back, not America.   It's assumed that America and Americans have remained strong regardless of the  events and/or crisis -- be it a civil war or what have you.  Only Barack and his  speech writing team could manage to insult on a patriotic level while attempting  to go jingoistic.  As noted yesterday, reality spoiled Barack's  plans for self-stroking over Iraq in the State of the Union.  As a result, last  night Barack Iraq was only five sentences in the over one hour speech:   Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some  of our last troops to serve in Iraq.  Together, we offered a final, proud salute  to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought --   and several thousand gave their lives.  We gather tonight  knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more  respected around the world. For the first time in nine years, there are no  Americans fighting in Iraq. [. . .]  Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to  strike decisive blows against our enemies.     As noted this morning, what stood out in the speech was how inauthentic  Barack was and how shocking that was since this was his fourth State of the  Union speech:    It's partly because there's no speech writer in charge able to say,  "Nice phrase, but it doesn't fit with the rest of the speech. It's clunky in its  'beauty' and causes people to notice it as opposed to noticing the point being  made." So you get a variety of 'voices' in one speech. And Barack's not able to  maintain consistency for more than seven minutes tops so that hour-plus  performance last night was brutal, like watching Elizabeth Berkley struggle to  breathe life into Nomi in Showgirls.
  "Proud salute to the colors under which . . ." That's exactly the sort of  phrase that stands out because one of the writers thought it was "beautiful" and  they -- the writers -- horsetraded for their favorite moments.  It's part of the  reason Barack sounded like an idiot.  One moment, 'Oh, I'm so serious and the  economy and Congress must do this and without drama blah blah blah' and now I'm  going to tell my milk joke ha ha.  Now let me switch tone again and maybe  they'll love me the way they loved Sally Field when she played Sybill!"   It was  awful and, for Brenda who wanted it included again, that includes his unnatural  speech pattern which, as Ava and I observed  several years  ago, is ripe for parody:We watched  Monday in full as Barack uh-uh-uhed and spoke in that robotic manner that allows  him to find more unnatural pauses than Estelle Parsons and Kim Stanley combined.  "He's our Method president!" we quickly gasped while wishing we could have one  president this decade capable of normal speech. If he gets any worse, he'll be  Sandy Dennis.Let's review the five sentences on Iraq.      1) Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home  some of our last troops to serve in Iraq.      He knew to say "some" because military families have gotten very vocal  about the fact that not everyone came home from the Gulf -- meaning not just the  fallen but also the fact that US troops remain in Iraq -- Marines to guard the  diplomatic sites, soldiers to be 'trainers' for weapons [which Al Arabiya points out  Nouri al-Maliki noted today,  "American soldiers in Iraq work as military trainers"]  and Special-Ops -- and  that thousands of troops have been repostured outside of Iraq in the surrounding  region.  Rowan Scarborough (Washington Times) reported  Tuesday  on all the troops being kept in the Gulf region:About 50,000 U.S. military personnel are serving in  and around the Gulf. Most are aboard ship or in Kuwait. News reports from the  region say 15,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Kuwait as a check against a  destabilizing situation in Iraq and the threat of aggression by  Iran.The aircraft carrier USS Abraham  Lincoln strike group sailed into the Gulf on Monday. Carrier contingents  typically include a guided missile cruiser, two destroyers and an attack  submarine.In all, more than 30 U.S.  ships and about 22,000 sailors are in the Gulf area. "Some" may have been the most intelligent moment of the speech. 2) Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under  which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought --  and several thousand  gave their lives.     This was the State of the Union.  Why is it members of Congress are able to  note the number but Barack can't.  We pointed that out last month when he gave  his Andrews Air Force Base speech.  As commander in chief, he shouldn't be  saying "thousands," he should know the number (his speech writers should) and he  should state it.  The Defense Dept's official count is at 4487  American military personnel died in the illegal  war.      3) We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has  made the United States safer and more respected around the world.         He really lies.       You lie too much  You lie too badly  You want everything for nothing  -- "The Windfall (Everything For Nothing)," written by Joni Mitchell ,  first appears on her Night Ride Home    The illegal war did not make America 'respected around the world.'  There's  a reason, and even Barack knows this, that in 2004, Americans in  college, traveling abroad, were encouraged to keep a low profile, maybe even  pretend to be Canadian.  Yes, it sounds like a Simons' episode but it did  happen, Steve Giegerich (Associated Press) reported on  it . That was 2003.  Four years later, Anne Applebaum (Slate) would offer  this:       It isn't just that the Iraq war invigorated the anti-Americanism  that has always been latent pretty much everywhere. Far worse is the fact that  -- however it all comes out in the end, however successful Iraqi democracy  becomes a decade from now -- our conduct of the war in Iraq has disillusioned  our natural friends and supporters and thrown a lasting shadow over our military  and political competence. However it all comes out, the price we've paid is too  high.        Three years later, 2010, Peter Ennis (Dispatch Japan) would note  another column by Applebaum  and add to the  discussion: As is  usual in Washington these days, there was no mention -- probably no  consideration -- of Japan. But a strong case can be made that the Iraq war hurt  America's reputation in Japan as much, if not more, than in any other allied  country.     The  consequences are evident today in the increasingly bitter dispute over a  replacement for the US Marine Air Station Futenma, on Okinawa, which is  scheduled to be closed. They are reflected in the broader calls in Japan these  days for a "more equal" alliance relationship with the United  States.     The  Okinawa dispute predates the Iraq War, and the calls for more equality in the  alliance were inevitable. But deep concerns and disappointment about American  'unilateralism' and haughty, heavy-handed  diplomacy, prompted by the Iraq War, have made those sentiments more salient and  intense.      No, it did not help the image of America.       4) For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans  fighting in Iraq.      Well we really don't know what Special Ops is doing in Iraq or the CIA or  the FBI.  We do know all three are involved in 'terrorist' 'hunting' and that  Special Ops continues to have the ability to operate throughout Iraq.  We don't  talk about it too much but we know it and it's even made it on air on network  television.  And, of course, many Iraqis have questions about the numerous  Americans that have been arrested in the last two months in Iraq.      5) Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows  against our enemies.     And that may be the most disturbing statement in the speech.   Decisive blows against our enemies? Whatever happened to the peace that was  supposed to follow a war?  Barack claims the war has ended and then starts  making vengeful statements that harken to a deliberate search for 'foreign  adventures.'  The laugh is, yet again, on the Nobel Peace Prize Committee who  gave a peace award to Barack because they liked how he posed for magazines  covers.   Barack tried to talk tough.  al Qaeda in Mesopotamia -- created by the Iraq  War, didn't exist until then -- knows a bit more about tough up close than a  little prince who went to prep school in Hawaii -- and in what some will dub  "the terrorist response," they issued a statement today.  AP reports  that they declare, "America  has been defeated in Iraq. They pulled out because its economics and human  losses were unbearable. America's bankruptcy and collapes is imminent. This is  the real reason behind the withdrawal."Today in Iraq, many look to the US today as a result of yesterday's  sentencing. Stan Wilson and Michael Martinez  (CNN) reports  Staff Sgt Frank G. Wuterich, who entered a guilty plea,  will not serve any time for his part in the Haditha killings which claimed 24  lives November 19, 2005. Raheem Salman and Patrick J.  McDonnell (Los Angeles Times)  quote  a teacher in Haditha, Rafid Abdul Majeed, stating, "The  Americans killed children who were hiding inside cupboards or under beds. Was  this Marine charged with dereliction of duty because he didn't kill more? Is  Iraqi blood so cheap?" Fadhel al-Badrani (Reuters) quotes  Ali Badr stating,  "This sentence gives us the proof, the solid proof that the Americans don't  respect human rights."   AFP reports , "The Baghdad government  vowed on Wednesday to take legal action after an American marine was spared jail  by a US military court over the massacre of 24 unarmed civilians in the Iraqi  town of Haditha in 2005."  James Joyner offers his opinion of the verdict at  The Atlantic  while Gulf News' editorial board concludes ,  "Prosecutors have just committed a final indignity against the victims of  Haditha."  Salman and McDonnell observe , "Overall reaction  in Iraq to Wuterich's plea appeared somewhat muted Tuesday, reflecting, Iraqis  say, an already deeply rooted skepticism about the U.S. justice system. Iraqis  are also distracted by a political crisis that some fear could result in renewed  sectarian warfare: At least 10 people were killed Tuesday in bombings in  Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, a Shiite Muslim stronghold."Ivan Eland (Antiwar.com) observes of the political  crisis, "In Iraq, even before U.S. forces had withdrawn, Shi'ite  President Nouri al-Maliki was taking the country back toward dictatorship. Now  that American forces are gone, with attempts to arrest the Sunni vice president  and the detention of other prominent Sunnis, Maliki is accelerating the process.  Meanwhile, the radical Sunni group al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia is stepping up  attacks on Shi'ites, hoping to re-ignite the sectarian civil war of 2006 and  2007. With Iraq's long history of rival ethno-sectarian groups in conflict,  Sunni dictators, and no culture of political compromise needed for democracy,  the prospects for an imposed democracy taking root were never great." In  an attempt to end the political crisis Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and  Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi have been calling for a national  conference.  Over the weekend, Talabani went to Germany for spinal surgey and,  as a result, missed the planning meet-up for the national conference (it's  supposed to be rescheduled shortly).   Al Mada reports Talabani spoke on  the phone from his sickbed in Germany yesterday with an envoy for Grand  Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani with the envoy passing on al-Sistani's hopes that  Talabani has a swift recovery and outlining al-Sistani's concerns regarding the  ongoing political crisis and the importance of resolving the differences. This  morning Al Rafidayn reported  that the  rumors are Iraqiya will resume attending sessions of Parliament and Cabinet  meetings and that this will help lead to a resolution over Vice President Tareq  al-Hashemi and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq. Rumors of the return have  sprouted repeatedly and I'm not seeing anything in this one that makes it any  different. I am confused as to how the political crisis ends with the resolution  of al-Hashemi and al-Mutlaq. I grasp that the bulk of the US press messes up the  timeline but Iraqiya announced their walkout on a Friday, the following Saturday  is when Nouri began attacking al-Hashemi publicly and two days later, Monday,  December 19th, is when the arrest warrant for al-Hashemi was issued. The point  being, the political crisis is about more than those two officials. It is about  the failure to implement the Erbil Agreement and Nouri's power-grabs primarily.  That's why there's been the call -- by Talabani and Speaker of Parliament Osama  al-Nujaifi for a national conference. Clearly a national conference couldn't  resolve the al-Hashemi issue ("clearly" because various participants have  demanded that it not be part of the national conference). Aswat al-Iraq notes  National Alliance MP  Mohammed al-Sayhood is okay with Iraqiya continuing their walkout and believes  it may be a "step forward for the emerging democatic process in Iraq." Suadad al-Salhy (Reuters) reports   Iraqiya meets tomorrow to determine whether or not they continue their  boycott Nouri started the political crisis and he started a row with Turkey.  Along  with speaking to al-Sistani's representative, Aswat al-Iraq reports :Iraq's President Jalal Talabani has received a phone  call from Turkish President Abdullah Gull, the first of its kind since the  crisis that occurred due to the so-called "crisis of statements" between both  countries, a presidential statement reported on Tuesday.The statement, as was received by Aswat al-Iraq news  agency, stressed that "during his phone call with Talabani, Gull wished  continued health and prosperity for the Iraqi President," reiterating the  significance of continued efforts, exerted to achieve national consensus and his  continuous efforts to expand relations of friendship and cooperation between  Iraq and Turkey."Hurriyet Daily News reports the Islamic  Supreme Council of Iraq's leader Ammar al-Hakim went to Turkey to meet with  Preisdent Abullah Gul, Prime Minister Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet  Davutogu -- but that the public exchanges between Nouri and Recep Taylor would  not be the focus of the meetings. And while al-Hakim met with officials of one  of Iraq's largest trading partners, Nouri sounded off again.  Today's Zaman explains , "Iraqi Prime  Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday again criticized Turkey's 'interference'  in Iraq's affairs, waring Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Edrogan to change his tone  in a weeks-long battle of words between Maliki and his Turkish  counterpart."   Yesterday, Iraq was slammed with bombings.  Dan Morse (Washington Post via San Francisco Chronicle) notes  "at  least 19 people were killed in Iraq" yesterday with at least eighty injured. Peter Cave reported on them for AM (Australia's ABC News -- link is text and  audio) :"What do they want to  achieve?" says this man watching the latest victims being carried away. "What do  they want from all these killings? Will this end? What did the people do to be  killed? A blind man who sells newspapers, another selling soup. What did those  innocent people do? What do they want from the people?" Violence  continues today. Deng Shahsa (Xinhua) notes  Sahwa leader Mulla  Nadhim al-Jubouri was shot dead Tuesday night in Dhuluiyah: "Jubouri, who is  introduced by the media as an expert with al- Qaida affairs, was a member of  Dhuluiyah's most respected religious families. He first joined al-Qaida to fight  the Americans after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, but then he switched sides to  become leader of one of the U.S.-backed Awakening Councils that fought al-Qaida  in his volatile country in north of Baghdad." Sammer N. Yaccoub (AP) adds  that three years ago, the  US detained him on suspicion of bringing down a US helicopter in 2006 and that  "Postings on an Islamic extremist website celebrated al-Jubouri's death." Reuters notes  a Baquba roadside  bombing which injured one police officer.  Turning to the United States where Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the  Senate Veterans Affairs Committee which has just released their updated hearing  schedule:   Committee on Veterans' Affairs United States Senate 112th Congress, Second Session Hearing Schedule Update: January 25, 2012   Tuesday, February 28, 2012    2:30 pm     345 Cannon  HOB Joint Hearing: Legislative Presentation of the Disabled American  Veterans   Wednesday, February 29, 2012  10 am     SR-418 Hearing: The Fiscal Year 2013 Budget for Veterans'  Programs   Wednesday, March 7, 2012        10 am      SDG-50 Joint Hearing: Legislative Presentation of the Veternas of Foreign  Wars   Wednesday, March 14, 2012       10 am      SR-418 Hearing: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans: VA's Progress on its 5  Year Plan   Wednesday, March 21, 2012       10 am      SDG-50 Joint Hearing :Legislative Presentation of the MIlitary Order of  the Purple Heart, IAVA, Non Commissioned Officers Association, American  Ex-Prisoners of War, Vietnam Veterans of America, Wounded Warrior Project,  National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, and The Retired  Enlisted Association   Thursday, March 22, 2012          10 am         345 Cannon  HOB Joint Hearing: Legislative Presentation of the Paralyzed Veterans  of America, Air Force Sergeants Association, Blinded Veterans Association,  AMVETS, Gold Star Wives, Fleet Reserve Association, Military Officers  Association of America and the Jewish War Veterans   Wednesday, March 28, 2012       10 am       SR-418 Nomination Hearing: Nomination of Margaret Bartley to be Judge of  United States Court of Veterans Appeals for Veterans Claims and Coral Wong  Pietsch to be Judge of United States Court of Veterans Appeals for Veterans  Claims   Matthew T. Lawrence Chief Clerk/System Administrator Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs 202-224-9126     Lastly, many US service members and veterans, as well as contractors, have  returned to the US sick due to exposure to burn pits.  For some, these are  breathing issues that cause hardship, tremendous hardship.  For others, the  exposure has cost them their lives.  Next month is the first ever scientific  symposium on Burn Pits: 
 
     | 1st Annual Scientific Symposium on Lung Health after Deplyoment to Iraq &  Afghanistan February 13, 2012 
 sponsored by
 Office of Continuing Medical Education School of Medicine Stony Brook University 
 Location
 Health Sciences Center, Level 3, Lecture Hall 5 
 Anthony M. Szema, M.D., Program Chair Stony Brook University Medical Center 
 
 
 2 WAYS TO REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE
 * Download the registration form from:
 fax form to (631) 638-1211 
 
 
 1st Annual Scientific Symposium on
 Lung Health after Deployment to Iraq &  Afghanistan Monday, February 13, 2012 Health Sciences Center Level 3, Lecture Hall 5 
 Program Objective: Upon completion, participants should be able  to recognize new-onset of lung disease after deployment to Iraq and  Afghanistan.
 
 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Registration & Continental Breakfast  (Honored Guest, Congressman
 Tim Bishop 
 9:00 - 9:30 Peter Sullivan, J.D., Father of Marine from The  Sergeant Thomas Joseph
 Sullivan Center, Washington, D.C. 
 9:40 - 10:10 Overview of Exposures in Iraq, Anthony Szema,  M.D., (Assistant
 Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Stony Brook  University) 
 10:10 - 10:40 Constrictive Bronchiolitis among Soldiers after  Deployment, Matt
 King, M.D. (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Meharry Medical  College, Nashville, TN) 
 10:40 - 11:10 BREAK
 
 11:10 - 11:40 Denver Working Group Recommendations and  Spirometry Study in
 Iraq/Afghanistan, Richard Meehan, M.D., (Chief of Rheumatology  and Professor of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver,  CO) 
 11:40 a.m. - Microbiological Analyses of Dust from Iraq and  Afghanistan, Captain Mark
 12:10 p.m. Lyles, D.M.D., Ph. D., (Vice Admiral Joel T. Boone  Endowed Chair of
 Health and Security Studies, U.S. Naval War College, Newport,  RI) 
 12:10 - 12:20 Health Care Resource Utilization among Deployed  Veterans at the White
 River Junction VA, James Geiling, M.D., (Professor and Chief of  Medicine,  Dartmouth Medical School, VA White River Junction,  VT) 
 12:20 - 1:20 LUNCH AND EXHIBITS
 Graduate students Millicent Schmidt and Andrea Harrington (Stony  Brook University) present Posters from Lung Studies Analyzed for  Spatial Resolution of Metals at Brookhaven National Laboratory's National   Synchrotron Light Source 
 1:20 - 1:40 Epidemiologic Survey Instrument on Exposures in  Iraq and Afghanistan,
 Joseph Abraham, Sc.D., Ph.D., (U.S. Army Public Health Command,   Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD) 
 1:40 - 2:10 Overview of the Issue Raised during Roundtable on  Pulmonary Issues
 and Deployment, Coleen Baird, M.D., M.P.H., (Program Manager   Environmental Medicine, U.S. Army Public Health  Command) 
 2:10 - 2: 40 Reactive Oxygen Species from Iraqi Dust, Martin  Schoonen, Ph.D.
 (Director Sustainability Studies and Professor of Geochemistry,  Stony Brook University) 
 2:40 - 2:50 BREAK
 
 2:50 - 3:15 Dust Wind Tunnel Studies, Terrence Sobecki, Ph.D.  (Chief Environmental
 Studies Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions  Research and Engineering Laboratory, Manchester, NH) 
 3:15 - 3:45 Toxicologically Relevant Characteristics of Desert  Dust and Other
 Atmospheric Particulate Matter, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Ph.D.  (Research  Geochemist, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO) 
 3:44 - 4:15 In-situ Mineralogy of the Lung and Lymph Nodes,  Gregory Meeker, M.S.
 (Research Geochemist, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver,  CO) 
 
 
 Continuing Medical Education Credits
 
 The school of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony  Brook, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical  Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
 
 The School of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony  Brooke designates this live activity for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1  Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim the credit commensurate with the  extent of their participation in the  activity. |         |