May 16, 2008

The Internet, PTSD and Keith Roberts

Just a weekend word on the power of the net and a story pursued on this site.

Here at MAL Contends, I have focused effort on veterans' concerns and one Wisconsin persecuted veteran in particular, Keith Roberts, among other political news and commentary.

Though the Roberts story has been pushed and advanced extensively on Wisconsin Public Radio (Gil Halstad), the Madison Air America-formatted radio station (92.1 FM) Lee Rayburn Show, and Harper’s magazine (Scott Horton), the viral power of the net, still, is a thrill to see in action.

Uppity Wisconsin (Steve Hanson's site that is pushing the story hard), connected to MyDD and Juan Cole makes any Roberts piece literally a click away from potentially 1,000,000s of readers. Combined with the power of veterans' online journals and other blogs like Daily Kos ... you get the picture.

Experiencing the commitment and intelligence of writers and Net techs is both humbling and inspiring.

This week, I want to recognize the work of the site, Crooks and Liars, a great political site that recognizes the PTSD issue and the Roberts case in particular:


PTSD: Given the underplayed, staggering numbers on veteran suicides, post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injuries and the like, it seems like awfully bad form to prosecute and imprison a veteran for pushing for PTSD benefits. While some innovative approaches for treating PTSD seem effective, replacing the VA’s ‘criminally negligent’ leadership might also help.

No comments:

Post a Comment