Meditation, Compassion and PTSD

Yesterday, NPR ran a good (and moving) story on the use of meditation to help veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which afflicts roughly one in four veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Given a less cheery recent post on PTSD, and the spirit of the day, this seemed especially appropriate.)

The Vietnam vets talk first. Some say they'd never even heard of PTSD

Only the Faithless Suffer

In past years for Armistice Day, we've looked at how denying loss can tragically lead to more loss. We've examined how eagerly a blind rage can be embraced. This year, I wanted to look at willful blindness. (It turns out that the Beltway establishment and the Religious Right are quite similar in that regard.)

The Morality of Drone Strikes

First, let's consider Joe Klein and his remarks in

Coming Home From War

The Iraq War isn't really over, and the war in Afghanistan certainly isn't. But some military personnel are getting to come home, if briefly, and those returns often raise significant challenges. Back on 8/26/10, NPR's To the Point aired a good program on "The Joys and Sorrows of Coming Home" from Iraq and Afghanistan. As the blurb describes:America's combat role in Iraq has ended, and tens of

Traumatic Brain Injuries

NPR and ProPublica have produced a series on returning military personnel suffering from traumatic brain injuries. Sadly, these troopers often haven't been getting proper help, and these sort of injuries can become debilitating. While the military's medical system does a good job overall, hearing about TBI and PTSD not being treated adequately - if at all – is maddening. If the actual military