As yet, even on Fox, it goes uncorrected

I remember the first time I saw my youngest daughter. It was via ultrasound on a TV monitor as my wife’s doctor moved the unit over her belly.

The doctor paused over her head, and with the mouse added a smiley face and a “Hello Mommy” text balloon. We had a video tape in the machine, so our first home movies of our youngest were when she was right around 9 weeks from conception. She was alive, a tiny person moving around in the womb of her mother.

9 weeks.

A baby boy was similarly 9 weeks in his mother’s womb when his life was taken, along with his happily expectant mother, by an individual terrorist, Muslim by faith, named Nidal Hasan. Hasan loved death more than Army Private Francheska Velez loved life, and the life of her unborn son;

Growing up, Army Pvt. Francheska Velez was a ‘fraidy cat’ – horror movies and bugs gave her the willies.

“When she joined the Army that all changed — in a good way,” Velez’s cousin Jennifer Arzuaga said. “She became stronger.”

Army strong. The 2006 graduate of Kelvyn Park High School in Chicago served in Korea and most recently in Iraq, where she drove fuel tankers.

She made her father proud.

“She was the best I have. The light of my family,” Juan Velez said of his only daughter. “She was living my dream — to be part of the military, part of the United States. To be part of something. Just to give back to the United States because this is where we are from.”

On Thursday, Velez, 21, was one of 13 soldiers killed and 30 wounded during an Army psychiatrist’s rampage at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas.

She was due back from Iraq on Dec. 10 but came home early after she found out she was three months pregnant. Her family was planning to visit her in Texas next month.

But on Friday, there came a knock on the front door of the Velez family’s two-flat in Chicago’s Humboldt Park community. Army officers had tragic news.

Francheska and her baby were dead. Forget the “how did Hasan slip through the cracks” aspect for now. Focus on the death toll. Why is it reported as 13, rather than the actual number of 14? Was the fact the child had yet to see the light of day a reason it should remain unseen by the news networks (including Fox, to my knowledge)?

Fourteen were killed at Fort Hood, not thirteen as reported all week long. Which official is correcting the death toll? I am. On the authority of being a mother who is multi-paragravida, meaning one who has given birth more than once, and on the authority of being a grandmother of five souls, I can, I think, count straight about this particular tragedy.

Francheska Velez was a 21-year-old woman, shot to death by Major Nidal Hssan at Fort Hood Army Base. Thirteen others were slain also.

Nine weeks into her pregnancy, Army Private Velez had just called her cousin in Chicago on Thursday to say how excited she was about the child growing inside her. By night, she and her child were both dead, bringing the death toll at Fort Hood to 14 total. Not 13.

It cannot be that media reportage follows a legalistic mean wherein a fetus is not considered a real person … as per damages in a trial, say of manslaughter, wherein a tiny dead child represents no lost income, or other actionable losses, for instance. Except for its very life.

It cannot be, can it, that such cruel death to mother and child are not reported accurately because someone fears calling a child a child, would lead to… what? Laws that hold life of a tiny child as real real life. That hold the life of a mother endangered in any way, as a real real life too?

All I know is that Cheka as her friends called Francheska, was– despite the ubiquitous ’stern’ look in her formal military photo– a darling, smiling woman who like many of our young, took her work in the military seriously and had done a tour in Afghanistan, and was retuning home to Chicago to have her child.

Her large family was excited about the new little life growing in their daughter, cousin, niece, granddaughter, and friend, for Cheka was a nurturing woman who loved nature, wrote poetry and did all the things all our young do, including making love. And thus, came the tiny child, a boy child, a son, a soon to be first-born precious child.

With a nation reeling at the news of the killings at a US Army base where one would think our troops would at last be safe from the ravages of a war so far away, it may seem trivial to quibble over the actual body count, particularly when one body had no real history as yet.

But didn’t it? Was the mother not happy, the family not excited? Didn’t Francheska daydream about baby names, feel her son move when she played music buy a certain artist, or worry about how to be the mother she wanted to be in the future?

Opinion Columnist Maria Vitale asks if additional charges couldn’t be added;

It was beyond heartbreaking, seeing a young widow pausing before a picture of her beloved soldier, killed not on the battlefields of Iraq or Afghanistan, but on the presumably safe spot of Fort Hood, Texas.

I had to turn away from the television screen, the pain on her face was so great.

In the massive media coverage following Major Nidal Hasan’s killing spree at the military post, I have heard over and over again about the death toll from the tragedy.

But seldom mentioned is the most hidden victim — soldier Francheska Velez’s unborn baby. Velez was on maternity leave when she stopped at Ft. Hood, where she and the child she carried in her womb fell victim to Hasan’s bullet.

In the interest of true justice, Hasan should be prosecuted under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, also known as Laci and Conner’s law, named for the pregnant woman and unborn baby who were murdered in California by Scott Peterson, the baby’s father.

t would seem that the law applies in this case for three reasons: the act of violence was committed on federal property…the shooting was allegedly done by a member of the military…and the violence could be classified as an act of terrorism.

US CODE: Title 10,919a. Art. 119a. Death or injury of an unborn child (thanks Aaron):

(a)
(1) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in conduct that violates any of the provisions of law listed in subsection (b) and thereby causes the death of, or bodily injury (as defined in section 1365 of title 18) to, a child, who is in utero at the time the conduct takes place, is guilty of a separate offense under this section and shall, upon conviction, be punished by such punishment, other than death, as a court-martial may direct, which shall be consistent with the punishments prescribed by the President for that conduct had that injury or death occurred to the unborn child’s mother.

Okay, what is my whole purpose here? It seems I got sidetracked in the minutiae but more appropriately, I dragged you through my own discovery process.

The point is, I wince still whenever I hear “13 victims” when I know there is one more no less important one that never even got to cry out in pain…

…as many of us do from the pain in our hearts.

It’s 14 dead, not 13.

Crossposted

From a (mostly) grateful nation

h/t stixblog for the video find.

To those who came before me, thank you. To those following, carry on.

I never thought I’d see the day in my lifetime

To me, East Germany was just a nation behind the Iron Curtain that would always be walled off.
Ronald Reagan saw differently;

Arriving in Berlin on June 12, 1987, President and Mrs. Reagan were taken to the Reichstag, where they viewed the wall from a balcony. Reagan then made his speech at the Brandenburg Gate at 2 PM, in front of two panes of bulletproof glass protecting him from potential snipers in East Berlin. About 45,000 people were in attendance; among the spectators were West German president Richard von Weizsäcker, Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and West Berlin mayor Eberhard Diepgen. That afternoon, Reagan said,

“We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Even with Obama building walls in Europe, we celebrate the fall of one;

“This debate is not just about health care, it’s about who we are as a nation.”

“Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.” -Ronald Reagan.

Do we want to give over our freedoms and choices to the government, or keep them for our selves?

“In the coming hours we’re going to take a vote of incalculable significance to the American people. And we will see what our so-called ‘Blue Dog’ Democrat colleagues are made of.” -Mike Pence (R) for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District.

Thought we weren’t serious earlier?

It’s war, all-out political war waged by Speaker Pelosi against the citizens of this country. She cares not what you think, what you need, what you want; she only cares about her base and that’s not you (in most cases).

Found; line 17, p. 110, section 222 under “Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed”;

Health care reform should not be used as an opportunity to use federal funds to pay for elective abortions. Health reform should be an opportunity to protect human life – not end it.

Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi’s 2,032-page government takeover of health care does just that. On line 17, p. 110, section 222 under “Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed” the Health and Human Services Secretary is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run plan. The Speaker’s plan also requires that at least one insurance plan offered in the Exchange covers abortions.

What is even more alarming is that a monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run plan. It’s right there on line 16, page 96, section 213, under “Insurance Rating Rules.” The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account – and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services.

Section 213 describes the process in which the Health Benefits Commissioner is to assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run plan. The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month.

It is now hour 11, vote is supposed to be tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 6.

Call them. Often.

Allen Boyd (FL) at 202-225-5235

Collin Peterson (MN) at 202-225-2165

Kathy Dahlkemper (PA) at 202-225-5406

Tim Holden (PA) at 202-225-5546

Jim Cooper (TN) at 202-225-4311

Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (SD) at 202-225-2801

Joe Donnelly (IN) at 202-225-3915

Ben Chandler (KY) at 202-225-4706

Zack Space (OH) at 202-225-6265

Charles Wilson (OH) at 202-225-5705

Gabrielle Giffords (AZ) at 202-225-2542

Harry Mitchell (AZ) at 202-225-2190

Henry Cuellar (TX) at 202-225-1640

Dennis Moore (KS) at 202-225-2865

Mike Ross (AK) at 202-225-3772

via @gabrielmalor;

1. Pelosi’s ToDo List: (7) Convince BlueDogs that #HCR will not raise taxes; (8) Stab their eyes out to keep them from reading the bill. #tcot17 minutes ago from web
   • Reply
2. Pelosi’s ToDo List: (5) Convince Dems #HCR will not raise the deficit; (6) Convince Dems that the sky is not blue. #tcot18 minutes ago from web

   • Reply
3. Pelosi’s ToDo List: (3) Convince BlueDogDems that #HCR will not fund abortions; (4) Convince Progressive Caucus that it will. #FAIL20 minutes ago from web

   • Reply
4. Pelosi’s ToDo List: (1) Convince Hispanic Caucus that HCR will not exclude illegals; (2) Convince BlueDogDems it will. #FAIL21 minutes ago from web

Silly woman has her hands full.

So do we.

Crossposted

It’s getting to be like Iraq 2003, seeing their “One” everywhere

via Tony Katz on Twitter;

Hope N Pepsi?

Okay, pink box, obviously has to do with breast cancer awareness. But seriously, how long do you think PepsiCo has been waiting for a chance to do this?

Just sayin‘ is all.

Crossposted

For a last-minute call to action, this is snowballing

I first posted about this Saturday, and since then it has grown in size to the point it needs an update.

Michelle Malkin picked up on the event and boosted it hard via Twitter and her site.

Mark Levin is now on board, and will be there as he announced today on his radio show. His site gives a bad link, as the info has since changed and is moved to Michele Bachman’s House.gov site, although that may change yet again. [It did, Levin now links here]

Smart Girl Politics is now involved, as are the Tea Party Patriots.

The list is growing, to track events as they occur, follow the Twitter search tag #Housecall. There are people throwing together buses and carpools, splitting the cost of traveling, popping up and coming from all over the country; PA, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey. Every time I look, there are more.

People are cashing in their frequent flier miles, hitching rides, driving their own cars fifteen hours with no idea where they’ll stay when they get to DC, because they know; this is the line in the sand, it can go no further.

There is also a Facebook group dedicated to the event, but it doesn’t appear to be directly linked to Bachmann, although I could be wrong.

This directly from Michele Bachmann’s House.gov site;

Washington, D.C., Nov 2 -

WHAT: Health Care “House Call” on Washington Press Conference

WHO: Republican Members of Congress
Americans concerned about our health care future
Other Guests – TBA

WHEN: Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 12:00-1

WHERE: East Front Steps of the U.S. Capitol (House Side)

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann released the following statement as the House of Representatives approaches a vote on the Democrats’ health care reform proposal:

“The American people spoke loud and clear at town hall meetings all across the country throughout August. But, it would appear that Congress didn’t hear a word they had to say. The Democrats’ latest health care proposal unveiled late last week may be packaged a little differently, but it’s the same old bad bill as before.

“This bill is a trillion-dollar, budget-busting, government takeover of our health care system. It will put bureaucrats between people and their health care. It will lead to rationed care, hurting the most vulnerable amongst us first. It will break the bank, leaving our children to pay the bill with diminished freedoms and dwindling prosperity.

“The American people need to stand up again and make sure that Congress hears them this time. Speaker Pelosi is putting her bill on fast track to a vote – and it remains to be seen if the House will even get a chance to vote on the commonsense Republican alternatives. The people need to make a House Call on Washington this week and tell their Representatives to vote no to a government take-over of one-fifth of our economy. This is gangster government at its worst.

“I urge all Americans to come to Washington this Thursday. Come and meet up with your Representative and tell them that you want to control your health care.”

Bachmann today on Hannity’s radio show called this moment in our history “the Super Bowl” over health care. The calls and emails, the faxes and letters, are now having a limited affect on Congress critters. You now need to look them in the eyes and ask them; “Are you going to destroy my health care?”

Pelosi’s health care bill creates one hunderd and eleven (111) brand new federal bureaucracies, and that list of evils is growing as fast or faster than the opposition to it.

Bachmann also called Obamacare “The crown jewel of socialism“

You’ve spent months now at tea parties and town halls. Your message has been loud and clear: Keep your hands off my health care!

But, Congress hasn’t noticed. Speaker Pelosi is plowing full-steam ahead with her budget-busting government takeover of your health care.

It’s time to take the town hall to Congress. Come this Thursday to Washington and see your Member of Congress. Tell him or her face to face what you think of their health care bill.

The time is now, the balloon is up.

[UPDATE] Links and updates with everything you need to know about DC Nov 5th

Crossposted

via The Right Scoop

Michelle Bachmann was interviewed by Hannity (not sure what date because the FNC Hannity site is a mess, but I assume Friday Oct. 30), during the interview Hannity describes the “Government Option” as a “funnel that’ll eventually suck everybody into it”.

Bachmann says the bill will “…collapse private insurance so that everyone will fold into a single-payer government system…”

I think of it more as a black hole who’s immense gravity will warp the very space around it, pulling people out of their orbits and sucking them into the doom that is Barney Frank, Pelosi, and the left’s concept of health care with only one choice in America; one run by a corrupt, inept group of leftist Democrats.

From Michelle Bachmann’s home page;

Come to Washington on November 5th and tell your Representative to keep their hands off your health care!

If you can’t make it to Washington, go to your Member’s district office. And, if you can’t do that, you need to call and email. We can defeat this!

The Time: 12:00 PM
The Place: The steps of the US Capitol
The Reason: Stop the insanity from spreading any further

Crossposted

You saw some coffins and a quiet ceremony;

The “lede” of this Reuters article on President Obama’s trip to Dover Air Force Base last night made my skin crawl:

“DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Delaware — President Barack Obama saw first hand the human cost of the Afghanistan war as he welcomed home on Thursday 18 soldiers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents killed in Afghanistan this week.

“Obama, flying in his Marine One presidential helicopter, landed shortly after midnight in Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, home of the United States’ largest military mortuary and main point of entry for U.S. service members killed abroad.”

No, the president didn’t see the human cost of war. He saw some coffins and a quiet ceremony — that is, a small and sanitary portion of the toll. The human cost of war is far messier. It is blasted lives and unanswered questions. It is broken hearts and minds. It is widows raising children alone, and children who won’t know their fathers. It is mothers outliving their sons. It is as painful as life can be.

One commenter here I think accurately captured my view, as well as setting the author of the piece he was commenting on straight;

Yes, Barack Obama was right to see coffins coming back from Dover. However, he was wrong to take cameras along. He was leeching off of their sacrifice at a time when he is taking hits from left & right about his inability to make up his mind about what to do in Afghanistan.

If, like Bush’s trips to Iraq & Afghanistan, he had gone without bringing or notifying the press and there had been cameras there that later released footage of President Obama, that would be fine.

However, since the NYT article (before it was scrubbed) said that the pictures were taken specifically to show his concern over the decision in Afghanistan, that degrades this into propaganda, not true mourning. So, not only is he playing games with our soldiers lives, he’s playing games with our dead as well.

As CinC Obama should pay his respects to our war dead. What he shouldn’t do, however, is bring cameras along to prove something, whatever it is. It’s not what you’re seen doing, Sir, it’s what you do.

As to the NYT piece, Morrissey wrote;

Originally, the New York Times reported on President Barack Obama’s visit to Dover AFB and the arrival of fallen serviceman by explaining that the White House wanted Obama to be seen as concerned and aware of the sacrifices made in America’s war policies:

A small contingent of reporters and photographers accompanied Mr. Obama to Dover, where he arrived at 12:34 a.m. aboard Marine One. He returned to the South Lawn of the White House at 4:45 a.m.
<…>
The images and the sentiment of the president’s five-hour trip to Delaware were intended by the White House to convey to the nation that Mr. Obama was not making his Afghanistan decision lightly or in haste.

Following that link now, the second paragraph quoted is nowhere to be seen.  The Jeff Zeleny report contains no editorial announcement of changes after its publication, and no indication of any retraction.  Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette and Nice Deb both noticed the change, however, and Greyhawk also noticed that the NYT didn’t quite redact that paragraph from everywhere on its servers.  The story now reads like this:

The trip was a symbolic one for Mr. Obama, given the gravity of his coming announcement of a new strategy for Afghanistan.

The image of the commander in chief standing on a darkened tarmac, offering a salute to one of the soldiers, highlighted the poignancy of a decision he is facing.

This is the human cost, Sir, and gratitude is appropriate.

Next time leave the cameras home, it’s not about you.

Crossposted