The times have changed. Instead of the ways vetrans spent their time after returning from war finding support and comfort in things such as everyday conversation, the newer vetrans returning home from the war in Iraq and Afganistan found comfort, online.
There is a new online community called "www.CommunityofVeterans.org" that returning vetrans are encouraged to becom a part of. This online community isnt just for the new vetrans but also is available to other vetrans. This is a useful tool for many people to find others that have gone through simular experiences from all over the world.
Many of the young veterans returning from the current war dont have time the join other veteran groups that are available to them such as the American Legion or VFW. Therefore, those groups have seen a decline in memberships. The new veterans group that is now available online gives them the option of having contact with others in the same situations, and gives them the opertunity to find comfort in friendships with others who relate.
The online group is unique because it allows the veterans to feel comfortable talking about the things they went through while their time in the war, and the effect it has had on them afterwards. "About 1.7 million veterans have fought in Iraq or Afganistan and as many as one-fith are estimated to have problems such as post-tramatic stress disorder or anxiety," according to the Fox News article.
From that statistic nearly 400,000 veterans be effected by post-tramatic stress disorder or anxiety. That is shockingly high to me, and because they are in the armed forces to protect the United States and everything that it stands for. When they return they should have the support and help available for them because while their time in service they go through many tramatic experiences. But as most people who have problems at horrif as they have, they need to talk to others that have experienced simular situations. And in the fast pased life that many Americans live in, online is the most convienient way of communication. I think that this online community for veterans is a great oppertunity because it allows veterans to talk to any veteran of war, anywhere.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450307,00.html
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Record Number of Voters Expected To Deluge Polls
Early Tuesday on electionday there are already problems emerging in the mid-Atlantic States. Voters are using paper ballots because of all the problems with voting machines in New Jersey. The Board of Elections spokeswoman in New Your said that people were lining up as early as 4 in the morning at polling places to avoid lines. Because of this there were many reports about polling areas weren't opening on time.
One of the poll workers in Chappaqua, N.Y., John Ritch, said:"By 7:30 this morning, we had as many people we had at noon in 2004.
The Governor from Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell urged voters to "hang in there" as they faced the huge voting turnout. One voter joked "I could stay an hour and a half at the fournt end or three hours in the back," when over 160 voters were lined up at a voting site waiting for it to open.
In counties surrounding Richmond Virginia it was reported by election officials and voters that there were paper jams on some of the machines and balky touch screen machines had people considering to use paper ballots. In Chesapeake, there were approximately 1,000 voters waiting in line to vote. There were also several reports of machines malfunctioning.
In Ohio, a state that normally suffers from several voting glitches they have reported that there dealing with the normal glitches they face such as jammed machines but Ben iscitelli, the Franklin County Board of Elections spokesman said "We're taking care of things like that, but theres nothing major or systemic."
Another thing that the election officals are working on this year thanks to one of the U.S. district Judges, Richard Williams demanded that "officals publicize that people in line by 7 p.m., the polls' closing time, would be allowed to cast ballots."
As any of the election battles law suits become common. McCain's campaign sued the Virginia electorial board for wanting to count the late-arriving militiary ballots from overseas. but McCain himself, a POW from vietnam aked a federal judge to order officals to count absentee ballots from abroad as late as November 14th.
Because the system is set up for a low turnout it was said that tsince there going to have alot of new voters and not a lot of resources . The election directors just have little to work with said Tova Wang a government watchdog group, Common Cause.
I think that because many young, and new voters are starting to truely care and realize that they have a voice they are going to be more interested in voting than what many of the new 18 year olds have in the past but because there is such a large turnout that all of the difficulties they are facing now, and have faced in the past just seem to be a bigger issue. I was really supprised to hear that people were waiting in line as early as 4 am to vote, to me that came as a shock. But that just shows the dedication and excitement the new voters have for this election.
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